The Nacho Kids Podcast: Blended Family Lifesaver

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori and David, founders of Nacho Kids, continue their "Month Of Men" with an interview with Joel Hawbaker of the 10 CBF Blended Families Podcast. Joel is the bio dad of two beautiful teenage girls who he adores. Joel isn't a stepdad, but he is a stepkid and gives us a great view on being a stepkid of military parents. He lived with his mom full time and went to his dad's every other weekend. Until Joel could drive, his dad still came by and took him and his siblings to school in the mornings because of his mom's work schedule. Joel, like many parents - I'd even venture to say ALL parents- has had a few struggles in parenting and building healthy relationships with his kids. Joel is blessed to have his awesome wife of a little over six years by his side. She has a good relationship with the stepkids and is an amazing stepmom! We hope to interview his lovely wife in the future!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Being a stepkid
• Differences in the blend
• When the bio kids want to live with the other parent
• Co-parenting
• The Mason jar idea

*** DISCLAIMER: This episode discusses potential child support arrearages and may be sensitive to some. ***

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori, co-founder of Nacho Kids, interviews bio dad Jordan in Nacho Kids' "Month Of Men"! Jordan is from Ontario, Canada, and has been blending for three years. He has a daughter from a previous relationship and an "ours kid" with his girlfriend. In the interview, Lori gets a bit wound up with the subject of the family court system. As Jordan shares his experience with Canada's family court system, it becomes clear the family court system needs an overhaul in more places than just the US. Part of Jordan's family court situation includes his ex taking him back to court for back child support. We understand this can be a sensitive topic for many.

In this episode, we discuss:

• The family court system
• Child support arrears
• Not loving the stepkid as your own
• Dealing with a high conflict bio mom
• Being denied extra visitation time with, or more access to, your child

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori, co-founder of Nacho Kids, interviews a stepdad! Michael, who was adopted, became a widower and later became a stepdad. Michael and his wife have been blending for three years. He has three bio kids, one of which is still living at home, and one stepson that lives with them full-time. Like so many stepfamilies, things were ok before the marriage and the first year, then things went south. One of his kids just wanted things back the way they were before Michael got remarried and threatened to leave if Michael didn't leave his new wife. Michael did not cave into his son's demands and explained to him that was not an option. One day his wife told him she wanted to Nacho one of the stepkids and when she started Nachoing, he saw improvements. Michael and his wife have decided they want to have blended family small groups to help other blended families succeed in the blend!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Unrealistic expectations
• Being a widower and stepmom feeling like she's competing with a ghost
• Stepkids threatening to leave
• Guilty parent syndrome
• How Nachoing helped their blend

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori and David, founders of Nacho Kids, interview one of David's triplets, Ethan. Ethan talks about how things were before and after Lori started Nachoing. They reminisce about the bad and good times. Lori is very proud of Ethan and the young man he has become, and no, she didn't think he would turn out so awesome! Ethan shares some tips for stepkids and stepparents too.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Stepkid's view before and after Nachoing
• The good, the bad, and the really ugly
• Blending between the kids
• How bio dad helped build the relationship with the stepmom and stepkids
• Advice to stepkids and stepmoms from a stepkid

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori, co-founder of Nacho Kids, interviews stepmom Mallory. Mallory has been blending for 3-½ years. She has three stepkids that are with her and her husband fifty percent of the time. Currently, they have no "ours" kids but are hoping to change that soon! Their hardest part of blending is the high conflict bio mom. Mallory feels bio mom is intrusive during their visitation time.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Being a childless stepmom and wanting kids of your own
• Stepkids calling stepmom "Mom"
• Nachoing when needed
• Bio mom overstepping
• Bio mom keeping the stepkids from her own bio mom

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori, co-founder of Nacho Kids, interviews stepmom Kelli. Kelli has been blending for 5-½ years and has two stepkids, two bio kids, and one ours kid. She and her husband have an interesting dynamic with their blend. The stepdaughter lives with bio dad's stepmom and sees bio dad one night a week outside of the home. Recently stepson, who has visitation every other week with his bio dad, has been staying with bio dad at bio dad's mother's house during his visitation time with bio dad. The weeks stepson is back with his bio mom, bio dad goes back home to Megan.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Negative impact of changing from every other weekend to 50/50 visitation
• Sibling promotion of parental alienation
• Bio parent's fear of losing their kids
• Stepparent being responsible for distance learning with stepkid
• Refusing to give up

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori & David, founders of Nacho Kids, interview Megan Bottom with Broken2Blessed. Megan has been blending for 10 years and has three bio kids and three stepkids. As Megan and her now-husband were moving her and Megan's kids to Texas, Megan found out the court did not rule in her favor to take the kids with her to Texas. She left her bio kids with their dad in Nevada and moved to Texas. In hindsight, Megan realizes it was best for her kids to stay with their dad. As a stepmom, Megan, like many stepmoms, made a lot of mistakes with the stepkids over the years. One day, while watching television while she was unemployed, Megan saw an ad on television for Liberty University and decided to become a Christian Counselor and went on to get her Masters in Pastoral Counseling.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Moving away from your bio kids
• Co-parenting with your significant other's ex
• Stepmom mistakes
• Picking your battles
• Mini-wife syndrome

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori, co-founder of Nacho Kids, interviews stepmom Jasmine! Jasmine has been blending for three years and is a full-time stepmom to five stepkids! Yes, five! She also has one bio daughter and an "ours" son. Jasmine admits that she herself has been high conflict in the past. Being a stepkid herself, Jasmine tries to see things from the stepkids' perspectives, and also from the bio mom's perspective. As we know blending isn't easy and it hasn't been unicorns and rainbows for Jasmine either. After having a "come to Jesus" meeting with her significant other, they agreed she'd Nacho his teenage son's and let him parent them, and she'd parent the girls, including stepdaughter, and of course the "ours" baby.

In this episode, we discuss:

• Being close in age to your oldest stepkid
• Being a high conflict stepmom
• Trying to understand bio moms absence
• Looking at things from the stepkids' perspectives
• Being a stepkid that only saw her bio mom during the summer

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori, co-founder of Nacho Kids, interviews stepmom Nicole! Nicole has been blending for four years, has twin stepsons, three bio kids, and one "ours" kid. This is Nicole's second blend. The first one was "easy peasy", so of course Nicole thought she knew what she was getting into. Boy, was she wrong! Unlike the bio mom in her first blend, the bio mom in her second blend is very high conflict! Before she knew it, Nicole became so angry and resentful. Thankfully she found the Nacho Kids method and it saved her sanity and totally changed her life!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Differences in blends
• Parental Alienation
• Caring more than the bio parent
• Nachoing is life-changing
• Expectations of stepkids

In this episode of the Nacho Kids Podcast, Lori, co-founder of Nacho Kids, interviews stepmom Courtney! She has been blending for 13 years and has one stepdaughter and one bio daughter. Courtney tried to be cordial to the bio mom and helped her out several times, only to have bio mom cross the line. Needless to say, Courtney no longer cares about being nice to bio mom. In a twist of events, her stepdaughter who used to come for visitation every other weekend was placed in full-time emergency custody of Courtney's husband earlier this year. This change definitely has created some challenges in their blend, but thankfully Nacho has been their blended family lifesaver!

In this episode, we discuss:

• Unexpected visitation changes
• Two-faced bio mom
• Parental alienation
• Bio mom coming to the home for pickups/dropoffs
• Toxic relationship between stepkid and bio mom