Here it is! Part 2 of 23 Years and Counting! Marriage! It can be one of our greatest blessings but also one of our greatest challenges! When we first get married it is nothing but bliss and excitement and as the years go on, we can forget WHY?! Why did we embark on this journey together? Why did we join forces and want to go at this life together? In today's podcast, we talk all about our WHY, and relate that to being on the same team. When we join a team, we have a group of people working together collectively to win at their game. We are the same! We joined together to win this game of LIFE! To learn, grow, teach, love, and help each other along the way. Listen in to today's episode as we talk about being on each other's team and how this is like the umbrella to so many other topics in marriage such as forgiveness, repentance, communication, love, and so many others! It's about WE not ME!

Twenty-Three years ago Jarred and I said "I Do" and were married! We have learned  A LOT throughout these 23 years, and although we don't have it all figured out, there are a few things I'd pass along to my children about marriage. In part 1, we talk about being friends.  Usually, a romantic relationship begins with a friendship and then blossoms into a romantic relationship, but then after years together the friendship can die and it becomes more like a business partnership.  Yes, that is important too! But a friendship can last a lifetime and be a beautiful part of a marriage.  How do we treat our friends? And do we treat our spouses in the same way? Here are a few points we discuss in this podcast:

1. Greet and say goodbye to each other and check in!
2. Give each other the benefit of the doubt.
3. Listen with curiosity.
4. Love each other for who you are.
5. Have fun together!

Listen in for details and some suggestions and examples in each of these areas!

Has summer started at your house?! My kids got out of school last week and we are in the thick of starting our new summer routine and schedule! It is taking some time, some adjusting to the new normal, and some patience, but it's coming! Back in 2020 I did a podcast episode about summer routines and thought it would be fun to revisit that episode!

Here are the topics we discussed: 

1. Take a breath, you won't turn the Titanic in a day!
2. Let the kids have some flexibility and say. 
3. Set some boundaries and expectations.
4. Make the routine visible.

We go more into depth with each of these topics and discuss what we do as a family!

The beauty of it is YOU get to decide what works for you and your family! Take the suggestions here and build a simple routine to make your days smooth, fun, and full of connection!

It's that time of year we plant gardens and fill our pots with flowers because it's growing season! Have we ever considered that this time in our lives is a growing season for us?! It is the time we are learning, adding skills and knowledge, growing roots and branches, and becoming! In this episode, we talk about being as tender with ourselves as we are with our new budding plants! We discuss four basics of our plants and what we need as growing humans. 

1. Ground
2. Water
3. Light
4. Fertilizer

Ground: Meeting ourselves where we are at.

Water: LIVING and MOVING water. Keep moving, get and give, and rely on the Living Water, Jesus Christ.

Light: Keep it light! Fill ourselves with light, and share our light!

Fertilizer: Failure is like fertilizer! We need it for exponential growth!

Listen to this episode for a boost to help you in your growing season!

In honor of May, and celebrating womanhood and motherhood I wanted to talk a little bit about hormones and a woman's cycle. I reached out to Brad Jensen from Key Nutrition and the Key Nutrition Podcast to help us understand that!  Brad is a fitness and nutrition coach focusing on not just physical health, but mental, emotional, and spiritual health. Yes, Brad is a man, but he’s a coach. The beauty of having a coach is having someone as an observer. Someone who’s more like the data collector and investigator. Brad is a coach who’s worked with a lot of women. He has had training and experience as a coach for women. In this podcast interview, we talk a lot about how a woman’s cycle affects not only her exercise, but also her appetites, dieting, and day-to-day! We talk about cravings, hunger, constipation, all the things! But most importantly, we discussed the importance of giving ourselves a little grace when it is "that time of the month!" There isn't anything wrong with you! It's your body, your hormones, your physiology! Enjoy!

Key Nutrition

Key Nutrition Podcast

Key Nutrition Podcast Episode 100: All Things Menstrual Cycle

The Sober Body Builder on Instagram

What's it like being a 16 year old girl these days? And what's it like to raise one? In this podcast, I have the opportunity to interview my one and only daughter Megan.  Megan wrote a paper for her English class last trimester entitled PINK that described how she felt about womanhood and motherhood.  It was raw, real, and honest, and it brought me to tears.  She reads this paper and describes how she felt like she initially was given the short end of the stick by being a girl, but through life, examples, and maturity, she has come to see that womanhood and motherhood is beautiful.  She and I discuss helping your kids build confidence, the power of Satan's influence on our lives, and much more! Listen in! 

Sometimes the day-to-day tasks we have can get boring and mundane.  Sometimes what used to bring us joy has become just a to-do on our list and another item that causes stress and overwhelm.  Does it have to be this way?! The answer is NO! There is a way to bring more joy into our lives! We were meant to experience and have joy! It is an emotion that is available to us at any time! Join in this episode as we discuss the way to have more joy, and it isn't a to-do list of items! It's a couple of very simple strategies to bring joy, peace, creativity, productivity, and so much more! Listen in!

When our kids were little, they loved the superhero costumes! One of our kids in particular wore his Mr. Incredible suit religiously! It became part of who he was. When he had that suit on he was strong, fast, and invincible! We all have multiple identities we wear in our lives, but are we intentional with them? Do we decide ahead of time what identity we are wanting to put on or just run on default? In this episode, we discuss the many identities we have and how sometimes we can forget, get lost in the roles we play rather than live in our identities, and how to overcome this!

Whenever we go on vacation the best part is coming home! Sometimes we will have different places, experiences, people, actions, or things that will feel like home to us. Where we relax and are able to stop stressing. However, those places that feel like home don't always serve us! Are the places that feel like home to you serving you? Do you go back to your old habits just because they are comfortable and easy? In this episode, we will discuss what feels like home and how to tell if those places are serving you as well as what to do if they aren't!

How many times can we be told we have worth, we are valued, loved, and appreciated, and yet, still not understand?! We can have days we believe it, and days that we question it! In today's episode, we discuss why this sometimes is the case.  We talk about our self-worth, and how we are born with it, we always have it, we never lose it, and we don't need to look outside of ourselves for it.  However, sometimes we question it. The reason for our questions? Our thoughts about our self-worth. We can get distracted and lose sight of the truth and attach our worth to outside, earthly circumstances that change.  Listen in as we talk about this and give 3 solutions to help when we are stuck in this!

1. Look In: Notice where your head is at.  Are you focusing on you and what's wrong with you or your life?
2. Look Out: Shift to others. Who needs you today?
3. Look Up: Look up to the Son, Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Parents!

What You're Worth and How to Know It

One Being As Precious In His Sight as the Other