The Middle of Everything

t's that time of year again, folks! Camping Season (at least for those of us who refuse to go when it's hot out) is upon us! Our families both enjoy camping when we get the chance (and together when schedules and weather allow) so we thought we would share our best tips on camping with kids, from toddlers to pre-teens (or whatever 9 year olds are considered). We share our favorite practices for organization, planning ahead for entertaining kids, picking the best location, meals, gear, and more - and share a few horror stories along the way. Fill us in on your favorite tips too!

 

In this episode we talk about:

Perot Museum of Nature and Science https://www.perotmuseum.org (https://www.perotmuseum.org/)

The Art of the Brick (https://www.perotmuseum.org/exhibits-and-films/traveling-exhibition/the-art-of-the-brick.html)

AFOL Blocumentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e0gtavrtKxQ)

Scott Family Amazeum (https://www.amazeum.org/)

REI Camping With Kids Checklist (https://www.rei.com/learn/expert-advice/camping-kids.html)

Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge and Visitor Center (https://www.travelok.com/listings/view.profile/id.8525)

Kids Camping Cots (https://www.target.com/p/regalo-my-cot-portable-child-travel-bed-blue/-/A-10368855?ref=tgt_adv_XS000000&AFID=google_pla_df&fndsrc=tgtao&CPNG=PLA_Baby%2BShopping&adgroup=SC_Baby&LID=700000001170770pgs&network=g&device=c&location=9026563&ds_rl=1246978&ds_rl=1248099&ds_rl=1241788&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItrLpi8aw4QIVMxh9Ch1nrgwhEAQYASABEgKEJfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds)

It's been a year since we started recording the podcast! To celebrate (and adjust to our Spring Break schedules) we found some of our favorite bloopers from over the last year! We are pulling back the curtain on some of our early recordings, how we got here with the title of the podcast, awkward intro trials, and some of our favorite tangents. We don't hold back with our guests, we also share some of our outtakes with them as well! If you've been laughing along with us since the beginning, you'll enjoy, if you're a new listener - maybe find another episode to start with. ;)

This week we got an update from Sarah about her school auction fundraiser, talked about volunteering, PTA and ways you can help out, no matter what your skill set...BEFORE a seamless segway into family photos! A recent trip down memory lane has us wondering again - what was happening in the 80s, plus thinking about how today's family photo trends will translate into our kids futures. We chatted about our family picture traditions, got weird with some 80s hair and prop trends and looked at our parents through adult eyes. We wondered what is happening with school picture backdrop options and why they have never seemed to change, and debated whether you buy the terrible ones or not.

Most of all, we are going to share our terrible family photos this week and would LOVE for you to share yours too! Post to our Facebook or tag us on Instagram, we can't wait to see them!

This week's episode was so fun! We brought in our friend, author Annie Mitchell to chat about our favorite movies to watch with our kids, had a friendly debate over the best LEGO franchise movie, and lamented the movies we inwardly GROAN when requested. We got nostalgic over our favorite childhood movies, and how we all learned that 80's PG and present day PG are NOT the same thing (what on earth was happening in the 80's with kids movies anyway?!?). From seemingly harmless movies like The Goonies to the fairly problematic Brat Pack movies, we talked about how we have talked with our kids (and other kid's parents, oops!) about language and themes in older movies that might not be considered appropriate today.

In this episode we talked about:

* Episode 20 - Gaming with Kids

* The Lego Movie (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1490017/)

* The Lego Batman Movie (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt4116284/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* Pop Culture Happy Hour: Lego Batman (https://www.npr.org/2017/02/10/513978216/pop-culture-happy-hour-lego-batman-and-kids-who-cook-on-tv)

* Detective PIkachu (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5884052/)

* Big Hero 6 (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt2245084/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* The Last Unicorn (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0084237/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* The Never-ending Story (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088323/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* The Incredibles (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3606756/?ref_=fn_al_tt_2)

* ThePrincess Bride (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0093779/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1)

* Troop Beverly Hills (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0098519/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* The Dark Crysta (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083791/?ref_=nv_sr_2)l

* Girls Just Want To Have Fun (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089208/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* The Goonies (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089218/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* Ghostbusters (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0087332/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* Return to Oz (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089908/)

* Spaceballs (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0089908/)

* Blazing Saddles (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0071230/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* Splash (https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0088161/?ref_=nv_sr_1)

* Common Sense Media (https://www.commonsensemedia.org/)

* A.E. Mitchell Books on Amazon (https://www.amazon.com/A.E.-Mitchell/e/B00Z3M7ZJ4?ref=dbs_p_ebk_r00_abau_000000)

* That Summer Apart (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01BK5D1PE/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0)

* Entanglement (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00YZV1OC8/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1)

* Bad Things Done (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01MXF9NPC/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2)

We were joined this week by guest Morgan Phillips of Tulsa Talks Podcast to talk about the loss of her 11 year old daschund, Daisy. Both Sarah and Claire have experienced a pet loss (or two, or three) in the last few years, so we wanted to talk with...

We took a few minutes this week to share some of our favorite tidbits of advice...from small things like epidurals, butter and comforters to life lessons about work-life balance (spoiler alert, it doesn't exist), taking care of yourself, divorces and other hard shit. What's your favorite piece of advice? We would love to hear from you!

 

In this episode we talk about:

Judge John Hodgman (https://www.maximumfun.org/shows/judge-john-hodgman)(again)

I Don't Know How She Does It (https://www.netflix.com/title/70202151)

You guys, this one got weird real fast. We started off the conversation with friend of the podcast Rhonda Hinrichs talking about what happens when your kids leave for college (flying the coop - haha, see what we did there?) - how to prepare them and yourself, plus advice for raising teens and young adults to be confident, ready to take on the world and try new things.

As her kids have grown up and gained independence, Rhonda turned her hobby of thrifting into a side hustle, as a pioneer member of Tulsa's First Street Flea. We talk about her obsession with taxidermy, dead birds and other animals, and then naturally segway into her urban chickens.

From chickens to bees, the conversation took a hard left into some hilarious stories about various pets we have had as kids and adults, wild critters in our houses and the circle of life (see, we told you it got weird). Get ready to laugh!

In this episode we talk about:

The Buckhorn Museum (http://www.buckhornmuseum.com/pages/buckhornmuseum.html)

Urban Archaeology (http://www.urbanarchaeology.com/)

The First Street Flea (https://m.facebook.com/firststreetflea/?__tn__=C-R&__nodl&ref=external%3Awww.google.com&_rdr)

Drinking with Chickens (https://www.drinkingwithchickens.com/)

We could have talked for hours with our guest this week, she had so many amazing stories and tips! Briana Hefley-Shepard first shares with us the story about her daughters special relationship with the train conductor that drives past the office daily, and how that story went viral after Briana posted an emotional Facebook story about what happened once her daughter started school and wasn't there to wave each day. She explains how quickly the story spread, what it was like to get bombarded with media requests, and what she plans to do with the story now that the frenzy has settled down.

Briana also shared with us how she started The Alliday Show, how it's changed over the years, and how she balances that commitment with her full time job, motherhood and multiple side projects. In addition to running that show at the holidays, she once committed to hand making 500 pins for the Philbrook Festival - and has some great insight on taking things step by step to keep sane.

We also pick her maker brain about creating with your kids, and she shares some great tips that apply to anything from sewing and art to Legos and cooking (which is more Claire and Sarah's speed).

 

In this episode we talk about:

Love What Matters (https://www.facebook.com/691679627521105/posts/1668397949849263/)

Reply All #123 An Ad for the Worst Day of Your Life (https://www.gimletmedia.com/reply-all/123-an-ad-for-the-worst-day-of-your-life)

Philbrook Museum of Art (https://philbrook.org/)

The Alliday Show (http://theallidayshow.com/)

Episode 04 with Ashley Palmer of Retro Den (https://middleofeverythingpodcast.com/2018/04/30/ashley-palmer-of-retro-den-on-working-with-baby-decorating-a-shared-space-for-a-toddler-and-a-newborn-potty-training-struggles-and-whats-next-with-the-ok-teacher-walkout-episode-04/)

Episode 16 with Ashley Daly of Retro Den (https://middleofeverythingpodcast.com/2018/08/07/styling-your-home-with-kids-and-outdoor-play-with-ashley-daly-of-retro-den-episode-16/)

We hit both ends of the spectrum this week - starting off with a discussion of 50 Dangerous Things to Do with Your Kids - a book gifted to Claire recently. We chat about things we have let our kids do, things that are getting phased out of many kids lives due to modern life, and look at how our younger kids tend to be bigger risk-takers than our older ones.

As a way to start the new year on a good note, we brought in Danielle Miner, LPC (http://danielleminerlpc.com/)to talk with us about everyday mindfulness. She explains what mindfulness is, the difference between mindfulness and meditation, and ways to model mindfulness to our kids. Mindfulness is something that everyone has the tools to do - there are easy ways to start with breath, sound, eating and walking. Danielle talks about acceptance, explains what a meditation class is like, and then shares info on her upcoming Mindful Mamas class for local listeners.

 

In this episode we talk about:

50 Dangerous Things (You Should Let Your Children Do) (https://www.amazon.com/Dangerous-Things-Should-Your-Children/dp/0451234197)

TED Talk - Gever Tulley: 5 Dangerous Things You Should Let Your Kids Do (https://www.ted.com/talks/gever_tulley_on_5_dangerous_things_for_kids)

True Detective Season 3 - Vanity Fair Article (https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/01/true-detective-season-3-real-life-inspiration-mystery-west-memphis-three)

Insight Timer App (https://insighttimer.com/)

TED Talk - Mindfulness and Parenting: Mary Ann Christie Burnside (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5KfD9pElmA8)

Calm App (https://www.calm.com/?utm_medium=paid&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=gsa_calm_desktop-xx_us-en_cpc_exact_trial&utm_content=trial&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIiZjrga-A4AIVwRx9Ch2-SwD6EAAYASAAEgInpfD_BwE)

Meditation Classes - St. John's Center for Spiritual Formation (https://www.sjcenter.com/ongoing-meditation-classes/)

Mindful Mamas Facebook Page (https://www.facebook.com/dminerlpc/?ref=page_internal)

We decided to kick the year off with a recap of our Winter Breaks...Claire's trip to the UK, and Sarah's extreme case of cabin fever. We talk about the new show Tidying Up and Claire's challenges with minimalism, and Sarah decides she needs to watch more TV. Next we share a few of our new favorite things, starting with an eyelash enhancer debate, followed by a few more of our recent discoveries! Chime in with some of your own favorite things as we ease back into the new year...we would love your suggestions!

EPISODE 35 - LISTEN HERE!

In this episode we talk about:

Tidying Up on Netflix (https://www.netflix.com/title/80209379)

Rodan & Fields Last Boost (https://www.rodanandfields.com/shop/product/enhlsh01)

Lash Boost Class Action Suit (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rodan-fields-hit-with-suit-over-lash-boost-eyelash-enhancer/)

Castor Oil for Eyelash Growth (https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Kate-Stimulate-Eyelashes-Treatment/dp/B01NALN8Q9/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1546999522&sr=8-3&keywords=eyelash+serum+castor+oil)

LashFood Mascara (https://www.sephora.com/brand/lash-food?icid2=product_link_brand)

Beats Wireless Earbuds (https://www.target.com/p/beats-x-wireless-earphones-silver/-/A-54137609)

Amazon Prints Photo Books (https://www.amazon.com/Amazon-Prints/b?ie=UTF8&node=14866317011)

HelloFresh (https://www.hellofresh.com/landing/sem/newyears80/?c=MMTAMN8MA5AMK5MLY9KKP34B&gclid=EAIaIQobChMImNLZsdDf3wIVjf5kCh1d6AKbEAAYASAAEgIcXPD_BwE)

Purely Elizabeth Oatmeal Cups (https://thrivemarket.com/search/results?filter%5Bsearch%5D=purely%20elizabeth%20oatmeal&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Food+-+General+-+Phrase+-+Desktop&utm_content=63205065113&utm_term=309664491115-kwd-358715418625&device=c&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI_O7sv9Df3wIV9CCtBh29_Q1qEAAYAiAAEgJJovD_BwE)