The Balanced MomCast | For Overwhelmed Christian Moms Seeking Time Management, Work Life Balance, and Focus

For the last couple of weeks, we’ve been talking about establishing healthy habits and routines. We continue today with the Evening routine, the Morning routine, and the Weekly routine. And specifically, I’m going to give you 3 questions to ask yourself to help you decide what you should include in each of these routines so that you can live a well-balanced life. Also, today I give you a sneak peek into my daily routines.  Woo hoo! Listen in. 

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/136

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

Chances are high that one of your goals in 2022 is to eat more healthfully. You went to Costco and loaded your cart with fresh fruit and veggies and all the good intentions. And now you’re staring down a drawer full of produce that’s ready to go bad. Hold on. Before you throw away your produce and your goals, let me help you. Today I’m giving you 10 tips I use for eating healthy on a budget.

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/135

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

Have you ever tried to implement a new habit and do everything everyone tells you to do to succeed, but then realize, “That doesn’t work for me”? Well, today is your day. Today I welcome back to the podcast my friend Mary K Tiller for Part 2 of our conversation about establishing habits and routines. Today we are talking about the importance of knowing yourself and what works for you and what doesn’t so you can build habits that stick. Listen in.

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/134

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

It’s January and that means a fresh start and new goals for the year. According to Forbes, 80% of New Year’s Resolutions will be abandoned by February. Why is that? And what can we do so we don’t become part of that statistic? Today I welcome back to the podcast my friend Mary K. Tiller. And in Part 1 of our conversation, we share with you our favorite strategies for building healthy habits and routines that stick. Listen in.

Top 4 Reasons Resolutions Fail:

• Unrealistic goals
• Not keeping track of progress
• Forgetting resolutions
• Too many resolutions

Strategies that work!

• Habit stacking/Habit pairing
• Start small and build as you grow
• Don't create unnecessary barriers
• Don't commit to something that requires money until you are sure you will stick with it
• Reward yourself for reaching milestones
• Avoid all or nothing thinking
• Set yourself up for success/make your new habit convenient
• Create barriers to help stop bad habits
• Plan for disruptions in your new routine 
• Keep track of your progress
• Take advantage of a Clean Slate (you have a clean slate every new day!!)

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/133

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

Welcome to 2022! One of my favorite practices at the end of every year is reading through my journal and taking note of what I learned. Doing this helps me know where I am, how far I’ve come, and what I should do next. So, today, I’m sharing 12 things I learned in 2021. Listen in.

For more show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/132

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

Today I continue my conversation with chef Char Nolan. She addresses some of your most common struggles like “I want to cook more healthfully but I’m already stretched so thin” and  “I took the time to make this meal, now how do I get my family to eat it?” and “My kids are so busy in the evenings it’s just easier to grab fast food” and so much more. Lean in to this conversation mamas because you have a wise mentor in your earbuds today.

Highlights of this Episode:

• "On day-10 [of eating a plant-based diet] I didn't have one ache in my body...this food-as-medicine thing must be real"
• Advice for moms wanting to transition to a healthy lifestyle
  • Shop the perimeter
  • Meatless Monday
  • Get kids involved (they eat what they make)
  • Start gradually
  • Don't remove things from your child's diet that will make them miserable
  • Read labels
  • Make smoothies for your kids and let them pick the ingredients
  • Give kids a say on lunches and snacks
  • Use precut and frozen veggies, as well as the deli counter and rotisserie chickens to save time
  • Make eating dinner as a family a priority
  • Be nice to yourself!
  • Find a good crossover meal (don't start with tofu!)
  • Mix take-out with home-cooked
  • Have an alternative meal if you are introducing something new
  • Organize a meal plan 
  • Consider a meal swap with neighbors
  • Try frozen veggie burgers

For more show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/131

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

We are one week away from what is arguably the biggest cooking day of the year: Thanksgiving. And I have a treat for you. I’ve invited my friend Char Nolan to join me today. Char is a wife and a mom, but she is also a professional chef. And she’s here to bestow upon us her decades of wisdom, both personally and professionally, in the kitchen and out. If you want less stress and more joy this holiday season, you’ll love this episode with my friend Char Nolan.

Tips for a Less Stressful Thanksgiving (aka, the family will feel the tension we emit)

• Ask yourself, how can we make this easier?
• Delegate side dishes to guests
• Buy store-bought sides and plate them/garnish them beautifully
• Assign tasks to kids
• Shop off-peak time
• Use grocery pick up
• Make whatever you can in advance
• Ask the family what they actually want and only cook that

Tips for cooking any time and for life in general:

• Batch cook: cook for a whole Sunday and eat all week
• Save money and the environment by only buying whole produce and cut up at home
• Put that phone down
• Be as good as you can be to yourself
• Learn to say no so you don't overcommit

For more show notes, please visit: thescooponbalance.com/130

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

Well, it’s November, and the holiday season is officially descending upon us. If you’re like me, your feelings about this are a mixed bag of “Awww...I love Christmas” and “Oh my gosh, I have so much to do!” If you are already struggling with balancing your day-to-day life, adding all the decorating, shopping, cooking, and partying can push you over the edge. Have no fear. I’m here to help. Today I’m giving you 7 Things you can do this week to help you avoid holiday overwhelm.

1. Create your holiday to-don’t list.
2. Knock something off your to-do list. 
3. Declutter something.
4. Write out your shopping lists and set your Christmas budget.
5. Plan out your Thanksgiving menu and make out your grocery list
6. Update your calendar with all the holiday happenings.
7. Take extra good care of yourself. 

For episode show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/129

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

If you struggle with balance on a regular day, the holiday season with all its obligations and expectations can send you into complete and utter chaos. What is aggressively marketed as the most wonderful time of the year, feels more like stress, and debt and five pounds of fat around your midsection. We can change that. This is a replay of an episode that aired exactly 2 years ago in November of 2019, where I’m helping you sort through your holiday obligations so you can get something off your plate. Today I’m helping you create your holiday to-don’t list.

For more show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/128

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance

Today’s question is a mash-up of multiple comments:

"My biggest balance struggle is finding me-time. I have no time for my own interests, like reading or exercising or spending time with friends. I cannot keep up with my hobbies--hobbies I need to keep me sane--because keeping up with my kids and my house takes up all my time. I don’t even know who am right now. How do I figure out who I am outside of being a mom when my whole life has been all about my kids? How do I find my purpose in life when motherhood is all-encompassing?" 

Take-aways:

1. Me time is not a luxury or self-indulgent.

2. Christian moms are called to a life of self-sacrifice--but in doing so, we find real life.

3. Physical exercise and time with the Lord are not hobbies but essential daily practices.

4. You should absolutely pursue a passion beyond motherhood--but not the way the world tells you to pursue a passion, purpose, or identity.

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/127

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance. 

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance 

Website: The Scoop on Balance