Join Lesli Richards and essential oils expert and Author Dawn Camp as they talk about her new book It All Began in a Garden. Dawn shares some practical advice on the use of essential oils with young children based on her extensive research and caring for her own family of eight. 

Dawn Camp is an Atlanta-based writer, photographer, wife, homeschooling mom, small business owner and regular contributor for (in)courage. She is the author of The Beauty of Grace, The Gift of Friendship, The Heart of Marriage, and With Love, Mom.  Her love of essential oils inspired her upcoming book It All Began in a Garden

We have three opportunities for giveaway fun this week! Visit the book page to enter to win a diffusor and oils starter kit from Dawn, and also follow her on Instagram and Facebook for a chance to win a Homegrown Preschooler Plan and Play Bundle this week!  We will also be giving away five copies of her new book on our Instagram and Facebook this week! 

OILS FOR CHILDREN

·     Lavender - cuts and burns, calming, sleep

·     Cedarwood - focus, sleep

·     Frankincense - immune boost, calming, focus

·     Eucalyptus - breathing, immunity

·     Roman Chamomile - soothing, sleep (bottoms of feet)

·     Tangerine/Orange - mood & immunity boosters

OILS FOR MOMS

·     Lavender - calming, sleep, relaxation

·     Rosemary - memory, focus

·     Peppermint - headache, focus, alertness

·     Jasmine - mood, antidepressant, feel feminine

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know. Just email us [email protected]or shoot us a message on social media. 

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.

What is happening in this crazy world? Doesn’t it seem that someone is playing a cruel trick on us? We can’t travel, we can’t see a movie at the theatre, we have to work from home and we now some of us have to homeschool our kids. WHAT??? For some of you that last one is the biggest challenge. What do you do if you hadn’t planned on your day being taken up with questions and reading and math and more questions and even arguments about the questions? 

 Join us for today’s podcast where we will share our thoughts about accidentally homeschooling (Lesli was an accidental homeschooler, too). We have been homeschooling for over twenty years and we have learned a lot during that time. After listening to our ramblings, we hope you feel encouraged and empowered as you take on this new role temporarily or for the long haul. 

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on Instagram.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at the Kathy Eggers store by using the code, PSPODCAST.

This week, we are getting back to it. So sorry for the long break, but life has been difficult for me as I have been spending the last three months grieving the loss of my darling son, Joshua who passed away on May 16th after a 16-month battle with Leukemia and my mother who suddenly died just 48 hours after Joshua. Some things will never make sense to me. 

In today’s episode Lesli and I talk about Joshua and his love of food, smiles, video games, and his puppy, Ivey. We talk about what really matters as a mom, a homeschooler and a parent. Losing a child will make you contemplate your decisions more than anything else on this earth. 

In the end, the things that matter are the time we spend with our kids, the ways we fill their cup, the memories they and you will have from the everyday moments. These things matter so much more than clean houses, first time obedience, and even learning to read before the age of five. 

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.

On this episode, Lesli is interviewed by her daughter Lilly. Lilly asks her mom the following questions:

1. Let’s start with our family. Tell everyone about us. 

2. Have you always liked children?

3. When did you know you wanted to work with children?

4. Who were the big influencers for your life and career?

5. What did you do before you wrote books with Mrs. Lesli?

6. What is your favorite childhood memory?

7. Are you a mountain or beach girl? 

8. What is one fact about you that people might be surprised to learn? 

9. What is your go to advice for young moms?


If you have questions that you would like Lesli to talk about on a future podcast, please reach out to us on social media oremail us [email protected].

Thanks for Listening. Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschoolerby using the code, PSPODCAST.

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.

On this episode, Kathy is interviewed by her daughter Sarah!

Sarah asks her mom the following questions:

1. Let’s start with our family. Tell everyone about our big, crazy family 

2. Have you always liked children?

3. When did you know you wanted to work with children?

4. Who were the big influencers for your life and career?

5. What did you do before you wrote books with Mrs. Lesli?

6. What is your favorite childhood memory?

7. Are you a mountain or beach girl? 

8. What is one fact about you that people might be surprised to learn? 

9. What is your go to advice for young moms?

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

You can also sign up for Kathy's monthly newsletter on her website or by commenting NEWS on any IG post.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on Instagram.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at the Kathy Eggers store by using the code, PSPODCAST.

We hope you enjoy this recording from our recent webinar with Jennifer Wilmouth and Kelsey Ondreziek from Grow Counseling. We asked for their help with some questions about these tough times and they had some amazing answers. 

1.    We know that stress can present itself in many ways. What are the ways you are seeing Covid-19 (and everything that goes with it) stress out moms, children, and families?

 2.    We know that children of different ages process things differently. Can you walk us through the ages and stages of dealing with something like this?

 3.    What language do you suggest parents use with younger children to explain what is happening?

 4.    Do you have any advice for moms of teenagers who feel invincible and don’t see the seriousness of socially distancing? 

 5.    What advice do you have for talking to children if someone they love is sick and in the hospital?

 6.    What advice do you have for moms as they are helping their children deal with this higher level of stress? 

 7.    What do you think is the best way to create a safe and calm space during this time?

 8.    We see that you have some videos posted on your resource page, which ones would you suggest for moms of young children?

 9.    You also recommend Self-care Bingo on your resource page.  Tell us more about that.

 10.  Tell us about some of the other resources you are offering to families during this time?

 11.  If children are struggling, can they start a counseling relationship right now, or will they have to wait to see a counselor in the office?

 12.  How do you explain to kids why you are making them miss out on things when others they know are not socially distancing themselves.?

Check out the many resources from Grow counseling, including their blog, podcast, and  Self-Care Bingo. 

 Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know. Just email us [email protected]or shoot us a message on social media. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschoolerby using the code, PSPODCAST.

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.

This episode was originally recorded a few years ago for my podcast, The Real Kathy Lee. Lesli and I loved this episode so much that we thought it needed to be added here, too. In this episode, Lesli and I talk about the importance of including art in your home. We discuss process driven art instead of product driven art for young children under the age of six. Process-oriented art develops the structure of a child’s brain, releases endorphins, and encourages the child to take risk when creating. Art for young children should be open ended and parents should not have an expected result (eyes in a certain place, looks like a picture, etc...). Parents should invite children to create with a variety of materials, leaving the results up to the child.

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.

Kathy and I recorded this podcast several weeks ago, BEFORE we knew how much patience the world was going to need. We hope this timely episode on patience fills your cup today, and helps your last nerve stretch a little bit farther.  This is the first in our series of podcasts on Character traits. We will be adding one per month to go along with the character traits in our curriculum A Year of Playing Skillfully and A Summer of Playing Skillfully.  We hope you enjoy this podcast!

Tips for building patience in yourself:

1. Relationships over results. Also consider the fragility of the people you are dealing with. Be gentle. You honestly never know what other people are dealing with at home, or what broken system they are trying to work within. The way we respond to others is on display to our children. 
   
   
2. Educate yourself in the developmental stages of your kids, so that your expectations are reasonable. 
   
   
3. Check yourself first:  Are we frustrated with them because we were unprepared, disorganized or unrested? Are we communicating clearly what our expectations are? Are we expecting others to read our minds?  Do we need some self-care?
   
   
4. Be mindful of the verbal and non-verbal cues we are giving.  (Eye rolling, sarcasm, belittling people, sighing heavily, foot-tapping,)
   
   
5. Protect your own quiet prayer time. There is nothing that makes me gentler with people than spending time with my gentle Lord. He is so so patient with us and I need to keep that conduit open in order to pour it out on others.  My kids have occasionally looked at me wide-eyed and said “Did you miss your quiet time today?

A note on the spiritual implications of impatience………

We are not inclined toward patience.  And we can let our impatience masquerade as righteous anger and justify it. The biblical meaning of patience is not passive waiting. The Greek word implies an active enduring and persevering through irritation and trials.  So trust in the Lord, He’s working all of these things for our good. 

Building it within your kids:

1. Observe potential triggers and target them specifically. These could potentially be: turn taking, losing at games, hunger, perfectionism, frustration with building new skills, keeping up with siblings, etc.
2. Validate their feelings of frustration. Usually the FEELING behind the frustration is valid, but maybe not the BEHAVIOR.
3. Problem solve out loud to yourself when you are feeling impatient. “This traffic is so hard to sit in! Let’s make it more fun by playing our favorite songs. Everyone choose one!”  “I am so hungry right now, but it is still one hour before dinner! Maybe I will drink a big glass of water!” Use humor whenever possible. 
4. Honor your commitments. Minutes are meaningless, especially when we say “in a minute” when we don’t really mean it.  They are not dumb. Use visual timers such as hour glasses or

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.

Lesli and I decided it was time to join the world of podcasting. If you know us, you know we both love to talk and share our passion about play and early learning. Since we decided to take the year off from conferences, we figured this was the perfect time to get this podcast party started. In this episode we give you a little background about us and our curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully. We also share our vision for this podcast moving forward. It is our desire to inspire and encourage you on your parenting journey. Between the two of us, we have seen it all and we plan our sharing our stories of successes as well as failures. We will definitely be keeping it real! 

-

Some fun facts about Kathy:

* Kathy's childhood crush was Mr. Rogers.

* Kathy's go to Starbucks order is a Triple Venti Vanilla Bean Powder Almond Milk Latte.

* Kathy loves hoop earrings, turquoise, nature, and sunsets.

* Kathy is often described as a mixture of Jen Hatmaker, The Pioneer Woman, and The Super Nanny.

* Kathy usually describes herself as a hot mess, who is thankful for grace!

-

Some Fun Facts about Lesli:

*Lesli does not have and “e” at the end of her name

*Lesli was born and raised in California but was meant to be a Southern Belle. 

*Lesli loves books and will never Marie Condo them. 

*Lesli went on a few dates with Kronk from The Emperor’s New Groove before marrying Mr. B.

* Lesli and her daughter Rosie rescued and rehabilitated 30 feral cats in 2019.

-

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know. Just email us [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media. 

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.

For more information, check out Kathy's book, The Homegrown Preschooler and curriculum, A Year of Playing Skillfully.

Thanks for listening. If you have topics you would like for us to discuss or people you would like to hear from, let us know at [email protected] or shoot us a message on social media.

Don’t forget to subscribe to our podcast and leave a review on iTunes!!! Also, to thank you for listening, you can receive a 10% discount on any purchase at The Homegrown Preschooler by using the code, PSPODCAST.