Slow living with kids…what does that look like? Frankly, the days can feel painfully slow. But sometimes they can be delightful. What gives? Today we are talking about shifting toward a slower lifestyle and what that looks like with family life. Finding a balance between structured and unstructured family time can help us find more happiness in parenthood.

The post SFP 159: Slow Living with Kids: Painful or Delightful? appeared first on Simple Families.

I get to be on the other side of the table today! In today’s episode, I am being interviewed by the host of Minimalish, Desirae Endrees. I had the pleasure of being a guest on Minimalish last week and I loved our chat so much that I wanted to re-air this episode for you on Simple Families.

In this episode, I’m talking about how Simple Families got started (and about the other blog I had before Simple Families was born). Thanks to Desirae for having me on and letting me share this with you all.

The post SFP 158: Practical Steps to Simple, Happy Parenting [with Desirae Endrees of Minimalish] appeared first on Simple Families.

In today’s episode I am sharing more about our decision to homeschool. Homeschool was never in the plans for our family, so I will tell you more about our decision to go down this path. I’m also sharing some of the vital pieces in making this process successful for our family. Hint: It doesn’t involve me doing-it-all and being-it-all.

The post SFP 157: Our Decision to Homeschool appeared first on Simple Families.

Changing your mindset and finding joy usually doesn’t happen overnight. Baby steps, right? In today’s episode, I am chatting with authors and happiness experts Marc and Angel Chernoff. We’ll explore the small ways we can increase happiness and life a more intentional life.

The post SFP 156: Little Bits of Happiness [with authors Marc and Angel Chernoff] appeared first on Simple Families.

On the podcast today I am reading the first chapter of my new book, Simple Happy Parenting: The Secret of Less for Calmer Parents and Happier Kids.

The post SFP 155: Simple Happy Parenting [The First Chapter of My New Book] appeared first on Simple Families.

Simplifying parenthood may sound like a lofty goal. But in today’s episode, I am chatting with Nicole Smith, a mother who has made huge strides. Nicole is sharing her ‘Journey to Simplicity’ that has happened over the past few months.

Nicole is a wife, mother of three children, and a former participant in the Simple Families: The Masterclass. She’s sharing her story about letting go of fear and watching her family flourish in simplicity.

• Simple Families: The Masterclass

Before and After of Nicole’s Kitchen:

The post SFP 154: Simplifying Parenthood [with Nicole Smith] appeared first on Simple Families.

In today’s episode, Tsh Oxenreider is sharing more about her “Journey to Simplicity”. Tsh is a wife and mother of three who has been on the path towards a simpler, more intentional life for over a decade.

Tsh is an author and the voice behind The Art of Simple and the podcast ‘Simple’. She’s sharing more about her story and reflections on simplicity and parenting as her children have grown.

The post SFP 153: Simple Living + Free-Range Parenting with Big Kids [with Tsh Oxenreider of The Art of Simple] appeared first on Simple Families.

Overparenting is a phenomenon that happens for many parents who have the best of intentions. We want the best for our children and as a result, we want to do everything and be everything for them. This happens because we are fearful of not doing enough. We fear underparenting. This often spills over into discipline.

We put a lot of pressure on ourselves to dole out rewards and consequences for all the minor and major behavior infractions as children grow. But in today’s episode, I am explaining why we don’t need to fear underparenting. And in fact, often less is more.

The post SFP 152: The Fear of Underparenting appeared first on Simple Families.

In the age of social media, it’s impossible to avoid “the comparison game”. In this episode, I am chatting with my friend Erica Layne from The Life on Purpose Movement. We are exploring the tendency to compare our family to others and how the comparison game and emotional clutter has impacted us personally.

The post SFP 151: The Comparison Game [with Erica Layne of The Life on Purpose Movement] appeared first on Simple Families.

Since we brought our first au pair last summer I have received nearly constant questions about the experience. So today, I am sharing my thoughts on all types of childcare arrangements (including daycare, family care, nannies, nanny share, etc.) and how we came to our decision to use an au pair.

In this episode, I’ll also speak more about my experience with the au pair program. What questions do you have?

The post SFP 150: Tips on Choosing Childcare + My Experience with the Au Pair Program appeared first on Simple Families.