Melanie and Courtney Westlake talk about traveling with kids, her experience with Whole 30, and summer reading. They also do a “hellish" round of Somebody Posted This on Facebook.

Lighten Up #34: Summer Reading

Author Melanie Dale is perpetually trying to figure out how we can all calm the heck down about parenting, friendship, getting older, and the world around us. Each episode she chats with a friend about ways we can let go and lighten up.

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Our series "Lighten Up about Parenting," wraps up today, which is perfect because, drumroll please, Calm the H*ck Down is officially out in the world! So we're running out of podcast but I have a whole book waiting for you, all about parenting. As you probably know by now, I invited 10 beta testers from all over the country to share their honest thoughts about my book, Calm the H*ck Down. They were given an early copy and volunteered to treat their kids like lab rats to see if this thing actually works. Will Calm the H*ck Down actually calm you the heck down? Because I think after the year we've all had, we need it. So today I'm chatting for a few minutes with Amy, special needs mom of three and middle school teacher from Texas, about Calm the H*ck Down, processing her kids getting diagnosed with autism, and how she calms the heck down as a special needs mom. And then, stay tuned, because I'm interviewing myself and answering some frequently asked questions about the book. Hey, you are invited to a  Virtual Happy Hour with me and Coffee+Crumbs founder Ashlee Gadd on January 14. We are going to have so much fun, and there's swag! I'm personally mailing everyone who comes to the event a Calm the H*ck Down koozie and personalized bookplate to stick in your book and I hope so many of you register that I spend half of January at the post office. Links from the show:  Join me for a  Virtual Happy Hour on January 14! Pick up a copy of Calm the H*ck Down!  _____________________________________________ As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lighten Up #132: Calm the H*ck Down

After a brief hiatus, we're back with the penultimate episode of our 10-part series, "Lighten Up about Parenting," and in each episode, we have not one but two awesome conversations for you. In addition to an awesome guest line-up for you throughout the series, I've also invited 10 beta testers from all over the country to share their honest thoughts about my upcoming book, Calm the H*ck Down. They were given an early copy of my book and volunteered to treat their kids like lab rats to see if this thing actually works. So today I'm chatting for a few minutes with Jeniffer from Mississippi about Calm the H*ck Down. And then, stay tuned, because my husband Alex is coming on to talk about how we handle technology in our house. Yes that's right. Everything you want to know about how we make choices about tech for our kids, social media, the interwebz, LoJacking them and tracking their every move, and even learning to trust them. So stay tuned for that, but first, here's my conversation with Jeniffer about Calm the H*ck Down! Beyond being the sexiest, most amazing husband ever (Alex wrote his own intro, can you tell?), Alex has worked in design and marketing for more than two decades and founded his agency Loudmark in 2008. He specializes in branding, advertising, app and web development, and more, and divides his time between managing our families technology and serving his clients including Disney, Under Armour, Universal Studios, Kraft Foods, and most importantly, me. You can learn more at loudmark.com, but join us first as we break down how we do technology with our kids. Should we give them everything or smash the WiFi router altogether? Listen in and lighten up! Free Pandemic Parenting ebook when you preorder Calm the H*ck Down! Calm the H*ck Down comes out December 8, and if you preorder it now, you'll immediately receive my ebook, Pandemic Parenting: How to Calm Down When the World's Messed Up, available exclusively to those who preorder. Links from the show:  Fun TikTok video Alex put together to encourage our kids to swear less. Setting up Screen Time on iPhone Life 360 App for tracking your kid's location and driving safety Disney Circle Home Plus provides parental control at the router level  _____________________________________________ As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lighten Up #131: Alex Dale

We are in our 10-part series, "Lighten Up about Parenting," and in each episode, we have not one but two awesome conversations for you. In addition to an awesome guest line-up for you throughout the series, I've also invited 10 beta testers from all over the country to share their honest thoughts about my upcoming book, Calm the H*ck Down. They were given an early copy of my book and volunteered to treat their kids like lab rats to see if this thing actually works. Will Calm the H*ck Down actually calm you the heck down? Inquiring minds want to know. So today I'm chatting for a few minutes with Kelsi, mother of twin boys and a girl, from Kansas City, MO, about Calm the H*ck Down. And then, stay tuned, because author and pastor Osheta Moore is joining me to talk about how she lightens up about parenting. Osheta is an author, pastor, anti-racism encourager, and an everyday peacemaker. She's working on a new book for us called Dear White Peacemakers that I am so stoked about. We talk about her insider Starbucks hookup, raising biracial children, siblings fighting, and how her parenting changed as her theology changed. Then we chat about the difference between peace keeping and peace making, and how intergenerational relationships help her with parenting teenagers. Osheta is one of my very favorite people to talk to, so listen in and lighten up! Free Pandemic Parenting ebook when you preorder Calm the H*ck Down! Calm the H*ck Down comes out December 8, and if you preorder it now, you'll immediately receive my ebook, Pandemic Parenting: How to Calm Down When the World's Messed Up, available exclusively to those who preorder. Links from the show:  Check out  Osheta's red beans and rice recipe Connect with her on Instagram Find Osheta on the web Check out Osheta's book,  Shalom Sistas How to Hit the Woah tutorial  _____________________________________________ As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lighten Up #130: Osheta Moore

We are in our 10-part series, "Lighten Up about Parenting," and if you're just joining us, this series is cool because you're getting bonus interviews. In addition to an awesome guest line-up for you throughout the series, I've also invited 10 beta testers from all over the country to share their honest thoughts about my upcoming book, Calm the H*ck Down. They were given an early copy of my book and volunteered to treat their kids like lab rats to see if my book actually works. I want to make sure if you grab a copy of Calm the H*ck Down that it's going to help you, as well as hopefully make you laugh. So today I'm chatting for a few minutes with Jen from Colorado about Calm the H*ck Down. We talk about trying to play video games with our kids, letting our kids experience consequences, and the time I charged my daughter for a Mommy Uber driver. And then, stay tuned, because author, speaker, and business coach Alli Worthington is joining me to talk about how she lightens up about parenting. Alli is the mother of five boys and has a new book coming out called Standing Strong: A Woman's Guide to Overcoming Adversity and Living with Confidence. We chat about how losing everything - her husband's job, their home, filing bankruptcy - led to her work-from-home life. She talks about getting rid of mom guilt, letting kids be who they are, and what helps her calm down about parenting. Whether you're standing strong, lying in the fetal position, or somewhere in between, listen in and lighten up! Free Pandemic Parenting ebook when you preorder Calm the H*ck Down! Calm the H*ck Down comes out December 8, and if you preorder it now, you'll immediately receive my ebook, Pandemic Parenting: How to Calm Down When the World's Messed Up, available exclusively to those who preorder. Links from the show:  Check out Alli's new book,  Standing Strong Connect with her on Instagram Find her on the web Called Creatives  _____________________________________________ As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lighten Up #129: Alli Worthington

Today's podcast is sponsored by a bag of frozen riced cauliflower that I found in my freezer, because in a freak podcasting accident, I gave myself a gigundous fat lip. Seriously, so painful. I'm just trying not to talk with a lisp right now. Alex saw me holding the frozen cauliflower bag on my face and I muttered, "I hate podcasting," and he observed, "It's certainly more dangerous than I thought." And this is a day in the life of someone as clumsy as I am. While trying to strap on my fancy headphones, I clocked myself in the lip. We are halfway through our series, "Lighten Up about Parenting," and if you're just joining us, this series is cool because you're getting bonus interviews, two for the price of one...which is still free...I'm not really sure about the math on that. In addition to an awesome guest line-up for you throughout this 10-part series, I've also invited 10 beta testers from all over the country to share their honest thoughts about my upcoming book, Calm the H*ck Down. They were given an early copy of my book and volunteered to use their kids as guinea pigs to see if my book actually works. I want to make sure if you grab a copy of Calm the H*ck Down that it's going to help you, as well as hopefully make you laugh. So today I'm chatting for a few minutes with Sarah from Michigan, mother of two boys, one on the autism spectrum, about Calm the H*ck Down. We talk about the book and also what it was like getting an autism diagnosis, and she offers advice for parents in the middle of getting an autism diagnosis. And then, stay tuned, because writer and army wife Lorren Lemmons is joining me to talk about how she lightens up about parenting. Lorren is a writer, a military spouse, and a former pediatric nurse. She talks about packing and moving with kids, and what it looks like preparing your kids to move. She has three kids and her four-year-old lived in four states before the age of four, so she knows a lot about this. We also talk about expectations she had going into parenting and how she calms the heck down. Lorren's got some really fun ideas, so listen in, and lighten up! Free Pandemic Parenting ebook when you preorder Calm the H*ck Down! Calm the H*ck Down comes out December 8, and if you preorder it now, you'll immediately receive my ebook, Pandemic Parenting: How to Calm Down When the World's Messed Up, available exclusively to those who preorder. Links from the show:  Check out Lorren's website Connect with her on Instagram  The Magic of Motherhood  It's Not Fair  Women Are Scary  _____________________________________________ As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Lighten Up #34: Summer Reading

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