I’m so excited to share this special Mothers’ Day episode with Kirsten Watson! As a mom to seven kids, wife to NFL veteran - Benjamin Watson, and cohost of a popular podcast, Kirsten Watson knows what it’s like to feel overwhelmed and exhausted. She has also learned what it takes to thrive, even in the busiest seasons; it all begins with taking a breath. Taking a breath is about inhaling the Word of God so we can exhale peace. Taking a breath is about recognizing our gifts and our limits…it is learning to say yes, and no. It’s about recognizing the significance of our significant other, finding our “dark alley friends”, and growing through every season. In today’s interview Kirsten shares highlights from her beautiful book, Sis, Take a Breath.  This conversation will be a good way to prepare for Mothers’ Day (and every day) with perspective, humor, and plenty of deep breaths. www.monicaswanson.com/episode-156 Podcast page (for all episodes) www.monicaswanson.com/podcast * This episode is sponsored by Sarah’s Spanish School, an online Spanish class for kids, with FREE CLASSES in MAY!! Go to sarahsspanish.com/theboymom to check out it! (my boys are doing it!)

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Homethreads and use my code MONICA for a great deal: www.homethreads.com
* Check out mylifeinabook.com and use code MONICA at checkout for 10% off. Create an unforgettable gift for your mom this Mother’s Day.
* Get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com with code MONICA at checkout.  

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Ep. 156: Sis, Take a Breath this Mothers’ Day, with Kirsten Watson

Monica Swanson, author of Boy Mom and Raising Amazing , and blogger at monicaswanson.com, shares encouragement and inspiration for raising amazing kids and building strong families. Monica shares practical advice and biblical wisdom through honest conversations, interviews with experts, and light-hearted humor.

The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual advice to help you grow into the parent you want to be visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Religion & Spirituality

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Spirituality

Christianity

Buddhism

Hinduism

Judaism

Islam

Kids & Family

Parenting

Renowned researcher and bestselling author, Dr. George Barna is with us to share some startling data, along with a passionate call-to-action for Christian parents. This may be the most important episode you could listen to, and I pray that what we talk about inspires you to a deeper level of commitment in your parenting. (Don’t run away – I promise you'll be encouraged!)   Dr. Barna’s recent book, Raising Spiritual Champions, focuses on the importance of raising kids with a Biblical Worldview, and how difficult this is in our world today. Part of the reason it is so difficult is that so few parents have a Biblical worldview. And as Barna says, we “cannot give what we don’t possess.”    Not only do a mere 2% of parents of preteens have a biblical worldview, but only 12% of Children’s Pastors do! Few Christians believe in absolute truth, and most Christians today are “syncretists”, meaning they draw their beliefs from a variety of competing worldviews, religions, and convenient concepts.     Raising children is an exciting opportunity to influence a life, but Barna says it’s also, “a daunting assignment.” Dr. Barna’s research reveals that who our children will be as adults is essentially determined by the age of 13 (their core beliefs, morals, values, desires and lifestyle.)      At the end of the conversation, I ask Dr. Barna to get practical and go through the “Seven Cornerstones” of a Christian worldview.  I hope this is helpful and encouraging. Find those 7 Cornerstones as well as the rest of the links over in show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/george-barna    General podcast page: www.monicaswanson.com/podcast    Looking for new math homeschool curriculum? All of my boys have used DIVE/Shormann Math for Bible-based, short-but-thorough science and math lessons, through AP level! They believe it was the best preparation for their college studies in engineering and data analytics. Go to diveintomath to learn more!       The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit www.christianparenting.org    

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Homethreads and use my code MONICA for a great deal: www.homethreads.com
* Check out mylifeinabook.com and use code MONICA at checkout for 10% off. Create an unforgettable gift for your mom this Mother’s Day.
* Get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com with code MONICA at checkout. 


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Raising Spiritual Champions with George Barna

When you come across a family with a bunch of young adults thriving in their faith, work, and passions, you can’t help but want to ask the parents: “Ok! What is the secret?” (Right?) And for good reason: Yes we can learn through mistakes and struggles, but I vote that it is even better to learn from those who have had successes!   
 Melissa and Jonathan Brown are some of those people. They have raised, discipled, and homeschooled 7 children, most of whom are now adults. They have also worked with CRU (Campus Crusade for Christ) for years before branching off in their own ministry. Now they coach other parents and families in how to build a family on purpose.     In this conversation Melissa shares some of the best marriage advice ever. She also talks about the true key to passing faith on to our children. I think you’ll be inspired by everything Melissa shares. Find links to all that we talk about in show notes:    www.monicaswanson.com/melissa-brown    General podcast page: www.monicaswanson.com/podcast    Looking for new math homeschool curriculum? All of my boys have used DIVE/Shormann Math for Bible-based, short-but-thorough science and math lessons, through AP level! They believe it was the best preparation for their college studies in engineering and data analytics. Go to diveintomath to learn more!       The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit www.christianparenting.org    

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Homethreads and use my code MONICA for a great deal: www.homethreads.com
* Check out mylifeinabook.com and use code MONICA at checkout for 10% off. Create an unforgettable gift for your mom this Mother’s Day.
* Get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com with code MONICA at checkout. 


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The Fruit of a Purposeful Family, with Melissa Brown

Our most trying moments as a parent can quickly spiral into discouragement, hopelessness, and sometimes even resentment toward God or your family—partly because our culture has conditioned us to believe that anything this hard can’t possibly be good for us. If you’ve ever found yourself asking, “Why me, Lord?” today’s podcast guest will resonate with you.   Abbie Halberstadt, (homeschooling) Mom to 10…with two sets of twins in the mix – understands toddler tantrums, mealtime melees, and the backseat blowups. Yet, she has lived out a message that is sure to encourage you.  Learning the difference between “just making it” and Christlike parenting has changed everything for Abbie, and she wants to help other moms find the good…even in the hard!  In today’s conversation I ask Abbie more about her life – what led to book writing, and some of the highlights from her recent book, “Hard is Not the Same as Bad”. Find links to all that we talk about over in show notes!  www.monicaswanson.com/abbie-halberstadt    Don’t miss MY NEXT BOOK LAUNCH TEAM signups (the group just opened as this releases, but we’ll welcome new team members until the end of the week!)  *find sign-up link in show notes as well.     General podcast page: www.monicaswanson.com/podcast  
 Looking for new math homeschool curriculum? All of my boys have used DIVE/Shormann Math for Bible-based, short-but-thorough science and math lessons, through AP level! They believe it was the best preparation for their college studies in engineering and data analytics. Go to diveintomath to learn more!     The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit www.christianparenting.org  

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Homethreads and use my code MONICA for a great deal: www.homethreads.com
* Check out mylifeinabook.com and use code MONICA at checkout for 10% off. Create an unforgettable gift for your mom this Mother’s Day.
* Get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com with code MONICA at checkout. 


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Hard is Not the Same as Bad, with Abbie Halberstadt

This one is especially for the boy moms out there! I know you'll love hearing from Durenda Wilson -- Mom to 8 (five boys!) author, podcaster, and someone I consider a virtual mentor -- as she shares from her new book, Raising Boys to Men.     Durenda has homeschooled all of her kids, and now with grown children (and a bunch of grandchildren) she has a lot of wisdom to share. In today’s interview, Durenda addresses our culture’s masculinity crisis with encouragement for moms to celebrate and appropriately direct their boys’ God-given masculinity. She shares an acronym that helps moms remember what their sons need most (“BURP” J ) and some really encouraging words about the importance of work, rough-housing, and how to nurture character and faith in our sons. Whether or not you have boys, I think you will enjoy this conversation!    Find show notes and links to everything we talk about on my website:    www.monicaswanson.com/durenda-wilson    General podcast page: www.monicaswanson.com/podcast    Looking for new math homeschool curriculum? All of my boys have used DIVE/Shormann Math for Bible-based, short-but-thorough science and math lessons, through AP level! They believe it was the best preparation for their college studies in engineering and data analytics. Go to diveintomath to learn more!     The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit www.christianparenting.org    

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Homethreads and use my code MONICA for a great deal: www.homethreads.com
* Check out mylifeinabook.com and use code MONICA at checkout for 10% off. Create an unforgettable gift for your mom this Mother’s Day.
* Get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com with code MONICA at checkout. 


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Raising Boys to Men, with Durenda Wilson

Who do you want to set the first impressions on your kids on topics like: identity and self worth, sexuality and gender, politics, and other cultural hot topics?  I vote YOU DO, Mom and Dad.  I think most of us would say that we, the parents, are the best people to begin these conversations. Yet, it is easy to put these (sometimes awkward!) conversations off. But, when we do, our kids are likely learning about them from somebody else (or the internet!) In today’s episode I am encouraging you to “Set the first tracks”, to talk about things before they are things! This is the final episode in my year-long series going over topics from my book: Raising Amazing: Bringing up Kids Who Love God, Like Their Family, and Do the Dishes Without Being Asked! If you are new to the podcast, I encourage you to check the archives for all of the other episodes covering highlights and nuggets from each chapter of my book.   In show notes I am giving away a printable list of "20 Conversations to have with your kids before they launch" and I am also offering a GIVEAWAY of 3 copies of Raising Amazing. So head over to show notes to enter and get all of the links mentioned!   Today’s episode: www.monicaswanson.com/raising-amazing-14  General podcast page: www.monicaswanson.com/podcast  Looking for a new homeschool MATH curriculum?  Check out DIVE/Shormann math, which is what all of my boys used, which they say well-prepared them for their college studies in engineering and data analytics!  Your kids will love these short, Bible-based, SAT-Prep math classes!  Go to DIVEintomath.com and see all they have to offer!  The Monica Swanson Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. To find practical and spiritual resources to help you grow into the parent you want to be, visit www.christianparenting.org    

Our Sponsors:
* Check out Homethreads and use my code MONICA for a great deal: www.homethreads.com
* Check out mylifeinabook.com and use code MONICA at checkout for 10% off. Create an unforgettable gift for your mom this Mother’s Day.
* Get 15% off on your entire first order at happymammoth.com with code MONICA at checkout. 


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Ep. 156: Sis, Take a Breath this Mothers’ Day, with Kirsten Watson

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