The Rooted Home

✨ Wondering what it would look like to build realistic rhythms that help you run your home instead of it running you? Come join us inside the Rooted Homemakers Collective, my membership where I walk you through exactly how. → https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

In this episode, Lauren and Jeremy share the story behind a question many of you have asked: why did we move from being Reformed Baptists to Presbyterians? They walk through where they started, the moment that first cracked things open, and the theological questions that shaped how they now think about faith, baptism, and raising their children.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

Baptism Is Not Enough — one of the books that shaped this conversation: Baptism Is Not Enough: How Understanding God's Covenant Explains Everything

Genesis 17:7, Romans 4, Galatians 3, Acts 2, Acts 16 (the Philippian jailer), Jeremiah 31 — key passages referenced throughout

The catechism we now use with our kids — I Belong to God: A Catechism for Covenant Children

This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

—CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS —

Ask questions/contact us: https://laurenmefford.com/contact

Youtube: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC

Instagram: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC (@laurenmichellemefford) • Instagram profile

CHAPTERS

00:13 Journey from Reformed Baptists to Presbyterians

07:57 Understanding Covenant Theology and Its Implications

13:38 The Role of Faith

20:33 The Shift in Perspective on Baptism and Children

27:27 Understanding the Covenant and Its Implications

31:18 Baptism and Its Significance in the New Covenant

✨ If you've been moving all day but nothing seems to get done — start here. A daily rhythm to help you get food on the table, laundry moving, and peace back in your home. $27. Instant access. → https://go.laurenmefford.com/faithful-in-the-little-things-page
✨Overwhelmed by meals, laundry, and endless to-dos? Learn the simple system that makes home feel manageable again in my FREE Masterclass → https://www.laurenmefford.com/free-training

This description below includes affiliate links. If you choose to purchase through them, I may receive a small commission—thank you for supporting my channel!

Do you feel constantly distracted by your phone—scrolling through apps while dinner burns, kids need you, and the day slips away?
You’re not alone. In this video, I share the simple 3-minute notebook routine that helped me stop mindless scrolling and become the focused, present homemaker I truly wanted to be.
After trying many different methods and planners, this $10 notebook is what worked.

I’ll walk you through the exact way I use it each day and week to retrain my brain, reclaim my time, and stay anchored in real life—not lost in my phone.

***I will say, this notebook is a big part of the equation, buts not the ONLY part. Self control is still important—and finding ways to choose not pick up the phone and scroll (i.e., limiting times to check it, using app blockers, keeping it in another room, etc.). BUT, using paper instead of having another reason to reach for the phone (to plan, keep lists, etc.) has been very helpful for me, personally.***

Whether you’re trying to scroll less as a stay-at-home mom, create weekly rhythms that stick, or finally feel clear-headed when you wake up, this system will help.

You’ll learn:
Why we reach for our phones and how a simple notebook helps
The weekly planning rhythm that keeps my homemaking calm and consistent


My 5-minute evening routine that helps me wake up already in motion

How I use my notebook for meals, priorities, to-dos, and even a custom dopamine menu that rewires my brain toward life-giving choices


If you’re a Christian homemaker who wants to stay focused, love your role, and create systems that bring peace and joy to your home, this video is for you..

My notebook: https://amzn.to/44TlHJQ
My favorite erasable pens: https://amzn.to/48WycXt

CONNECT WITH THE HOST

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenMefford/videos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmichellemefford/ 

Website/Contact Us: http://www.laurenmefford.com

✨ Wondering what it would look like to have rhythms that help you run your home instead of it running you? Come join us inside my membership, the Rooted Homemakers Collective, where I walk you through exactly how → https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

Answering your questions on balancing chores and play, our new homeschool plan, how I meal plan, and how we train our children's’ character.

This episode is NOT sponsored. Some product links are affiliate links, which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission.

Resources and Products Mentioned in this video:

✨Voetberg Music Academy: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com?affiliate_code=29079a
✨ BiblioPlan (our history, Bible, and literature curriculum this year): https://www.biblioplan.net/
✨ IEW: https://amzn.to/4w7x5fy
✨ Apologia Science: https://amzn.to/4zimkKj
✨ Math Mammoth: https://amzn.to/4wMAAsU

**For Math Mammoth, you have to get the A and B workbooks, plus tests/quizzes and answer key

CHAPTERS

00:00 Balancing Chores and Play
12:09 Our Evening Schedule
14:25 Homeschool Updates
22:31 How I Meal Plan
25:18 How We Discipline & Train Our Children's Character

—CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS —

Ask questions/contact us: https://laurenmefford.com/contact
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenMefford/videos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmichellemefford/ 

✨ Wondering what it would look like to build realistic rhythms that help you run your home instead of it running you? Come join us inside the Rooted Homemakers Collective, my membership where I walk you through exactly how. → https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

— SHOW NOTES —

Ashley Buffa is a mother of eleven who has homeschooled from the start and graduated four children. But for the first fifteen years, she'll tell you plainly that she hated it. In this conversation she shares what finally changed her heart, why keeping your kids out of school isn't the same as homeschooling well, and how she structures a full life as a homeschool mom and businesswoman without letting either one run the show.

Lauren and Ashley cover the practical and the heart-level: why getting dressed sets the tone for the day, loving your children, pulling toddlers in instead of pushing them away, and cultivating a family culture that loves beautiful things without nagging anyone into it.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Ashley on YouTube — https://www.youtube.com/@AshleyMBuffa
• The Homeschool Excellence Framework and other homeschooling resources can be found at https://go.vocationalhomeschooling.com/
• Keep an eye out for Ashley's upcoming motherhood course (releasing end of August)

—CONNECT WITH THE HOST —

Youtube: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC

Instagram: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC (@laurenmichellemefford) • Instagram profile

Website/Contact Us_:http://www.laurenmefford.com

✨Struggling to build rhythms that actually work in your home?
My free masterclass shows you how to create simple routines that are rooted in biblical priorities and actually work. Watch it here: https://www.laurenmefford.com/free-training


If you’ve tried planners, routines, and every self-help strategy but still feel behind, this video walks through a biblical approach to time management that is actually effective and freeing, because its based on biblical fruitfulness and faithfulness, not the worlds view of productivity and hustle culture. We’ll talk about fruitfulness vs productivity, seeing your homemaking through Scripture, and why your identity in Christ changes the way you build habits.

You’ll learn practical ways to build habits that stick and help you faithfully manage your home, how to leverage rhythms God already built into the day, and how habit-building connects to the kind of Christian woman you’re becoming.

CONNECT WITH THE HOST

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenMefford/videos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmichellemefford/ 

Website/Contact Us: http://www.laurenmefford.com

🌿Wondering what it would look like to have rhythms that help you run your home (rather than it running you)?  Learn more about the Rooted Rhythms Method: https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-rhythms-method

In this episode, I'm sharing the unexpected key I've found to a truly peaceful home, plus three practical, God-honoring ways you can start walking it out this week.

CONNECT WITH THE HOST

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenMefford/videos

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmichellemefford/ 

Website/Contact Us_:http://www.laurenmefford.com

✨ Wondering what it would look like to have rhythms that help you run your home instead of it running you? Come join us inside the Rooted Homemakers Collective, my membership where I walk you through exactly how. → https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

In this episode, Lauren and her husband Jeremy get real about health and wellness in their own home and what they've lived and watched work. Lauren, a nurse practitioner, shares the dramatic story of a hormone crash in her mid-twenties that left her at menopausal estrogen levels despite an active lifestyle, and what brought healing.

From there, they talk through their family's brutal sick seasons, the whole-food supplements that turned things around for their kids' immunity, and Lauren's own recovery after a string of miscarriages.

The conversation also covers soil depletion, food as medicine, and a few biblical parallels that reshaped how they think about nutrition. They close out talking about staying active as a family — not through motivation, but through systems and an environment that makes movement the default.

— CHAPTERS —

0:00 — Why We're Talking About Health and Wellness Today

2:11 — Do Your Daily Choices Actually Support Your Goals?

5:01 — The Hormone Crash That Changed Everything in Lauren's Twenties

7:06 — Nutrition Changed the Course of Her Life

13:20 — Why Today's Produce Isn't as Nutritious as It Used to Be

15:43 — Breaking the Cycle of Endless Sick Seasons

22:30 — The 90-Day Challenge

29:09 — Is Food Really Medicine?

41:44 — A Case for Prioritizing Nutrition

49:50 — Building an Active Family Life (Without Relying on Motivation)

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

• Kid's vitamins:
• Immunity: https://beta.neolife.com/rootedvitality/en-US/shop/product/vita-gard?sku=3125
• Daily: https://beta.neolife.com/rootedvitality/en-US/shop/product/vita-squares?sku=3122
• Rooted Home health & wellness resource page mentioned in the episode —https://laurenmefford.com/wellness-general-health
• Kids' bodyweight workout playlist for the kiddos— https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLZeBwGx-VLPsJ6Ucsov3lYJ24xTCiB_Bz

— CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS —

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenMefford/videos Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/laurenmichellemefford/ Website/Contact Us: http://www.laurenmefford.com

A quick heads up: we're NeoLife promoters, so we may earn a small commission if you order through us. I only share what we use ourselves. This is our experience, not medical advice.

✨ Wondering what it would look like to have rhythms that help you run your home instead of it running you? Come join us inside the Rooted Homemakers Collective, my membership where I walk you through exactly how. → https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

In this episode of the Rooted Home podcast, Lauren sits down with Nancy Wilson, author of Future Women. Nancy came to faith in college, married Doug, and helped start Logos School back in the early days of the classical Christian movement, all while raising three children. Her family now includes eighteen grandchildren and a growing handful of great-grandchildren, so she has gotten to see, up close, what the Lord does with a life of simple, day-to-day faithfulness.

Together they talk about parenting with joy rather than drudgery, and why being lighthearted in the day to day is something many of us have to practice. Nancy shares how she and Doug worked to raise daughters who were secure and confident, capable of shouldering the real work of running a home. She also makes the case that a solid education and a high view of homemaking were never meant to compete. As she puts it, teaching a daughter to think is one of the best things a mother can hand down. It's a warm and honest conversation with a lot of practical wisdom for any mom raising her children in the Lord.

Chapter titles:

00:57 — From Military Base to Born Again: Nancy's Story

04:40 — How One Offhand Comment Started a Christian School

10:29 — Parenting With Joy Instead of Drudgery

16:25 — Learning to Laugh When the Milk Spills

22:20 — The Book Nancy Almost Didn't Write

30:26 — "Get To," Not "Got To": Raising Capable Daughters

35:42 — Should You Pay Your Kids to Do Chores?

38:42 — Why a Homemaker Still Needs a Real Education

40:39 — The No-Security-Blanket Rule That Raised Confident Girls

51:10 — Raising Daughters Strong Enough to Bear Weight

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

Future Women by Nancy Wilson (Canon Press): https://canonpress.com/products/future-women

Listen to the Femina podcast by Nancy Wilson: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/femina/id1513264253

Future Men by Doug Wilson: https://amzn.to/3TwICqY

Why Children Matter by Doug Wilson: https://amzn.to/4fyCRBH

Five Aspects of Woman by Barbara Mouser: https://www.fiveaspects.com/bible-studies/five-aspects-of-woman

— CONNECT WITH THE HOST —

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@LaurenMefford/videos

Website/Contact Us: http://www.laurenmefford.com

✨ Wondering what it would look like to build realistic rhythms that help you run your home instead of it running you? Come join us inside the Rooted Homemakers Collective, my membership where I walk you through exactly how. → https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

In this episode, I sit down with author and Wife School creator Tilly Dillehay to talk about marriage, motherhood, and faith. Tilly shares how her parents' divorce and remarriage shaped her heart for marriages worth enjoying, why gratitude changes the whole feel of a home, and how calling sin what it is becomes the doorway to real freedom. A warm, honest conversation full of practical wisdom for women who want to grow & have a flourishing, God-honoring marriage.

Chapters:

02:04 Tilly's Background and Writing Journey

05:09 How She Writes Books With Four Kids at Home

08:03 What Wife School Teaches Christian Women

11:09 The Divorce That Sparked Her Passion for Marriage

14:04 The Marriage Mistake Many Wives Don't Know They're Making

16:53 How to Inspire Your Husband to Lead (Without Nagging)

19:54 The Power of Gratitude in Marriage

23:54 The Perspective Shift That Softens How You See Him

26:37 Love and Respect: The Two Currencies of Marriage

30:31 When to Trust Him With the High-Stakes Decisions

38:53 The Feminine Vices Hiding Behind Feminine Virtues

47:50 The Freedom of Finally Calling Sin What It Is

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

✨ My Dear Hemlock by Tilly Dillehay (her spinoff of The Screwtape Letters): https://amzn.to/4pkRoV6

✨ Seeing Green by Tilly Dillehay (on envy): https://amzn.to/4f6Smzv

✨ Broken Bread by Tilly Dillehay (on the relationship with food): https://amzn.to/3Rbd7Su

✨ The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis: https://amzn.to/4vfjZw9

✨ Tilly's Website, where you can find Wife School among other resources: https://www.tillydillehay.com/

✨ Watch her hilarious Ma Ingles reel on Instagram, and follow her there: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DUg0HjgDwcr/

CONNECT WITH THE HOST—

Youtube: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC

Instagram: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC (@laurenmichellemefford) • Instagram profile

Website/Contact Us: http://www.laurenmefford.com

✨ Wondering what it would look like to build realistic rhythms that help you run your home instead of it running you? Come join us inside the Rooted Homemakers Collective, my membership where I walk you through exactly how. → https://laurenmefford.com/rooted-homemakers

In this episode of The Rooted Home Podcast, Jeremy and Lauren Mefford have an honest conversation about something a lot of families are wrestling with — screens. This is not a "we went cold turkey and it was fine" story. These are just two people, with very different screen histories, talking about what it actually looks like to raise six kids who know how to play, be bored, and live in the present without constantly reaching for a device.

Together, they dig into why screens aren't neutral tools — why they're far closer to cigarettes than to hammers — and how the dopamine cycle of scrolling quietly robs families of the ability to enjoy the slow, the mundane, and the real. They also get honest about the spiritual layer underneath it all: how discontentment quietly grows when we're always consuming and never creating.

But this episode is less about fear and more about freedom. Jeremy and Lauren share what intentional screen stewardship actually looks like in a home with six kids: family-only screen time, books in every room, long hours of outdoor play, and children who go outside and build things in the woods because nobody handed them an iPad. They also talk about the hope — that brains can be retrained, attention spans can be rebuilt, and the life God put in front of us is meant to be enjoyed.

— RESOURCES MENTIONED —

✨ C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory — referenced ("mud pies in the slums"): The Weight of Glory

— CONNECT WITH THE HOSTS —

YouTube: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC

Instagram: Lauren Mefford, PhD, FNP-BC (@laurenmichellemefford) • Instagram profile

Website/Contact Us: http://www.laurenmefford.com

TIMESTAMPS

00:59 Understanding Screen Addiction

04:16 Personal Experiences with Screens

07:14 The Impact of Screens on Children

10:08 Screens as Tools vs. Addictions

13:01 The Importance of Enjoying the Mundane

16:17 The Dangers of Constant Stimulation

19:06 Training Children for a Healthy Relationship with Screens

22:00 Practical Tips for Reducing Screen Time

25:15 Fostering Creativity and Imagination

28:06 The Role of Parents in Managing Screen Time

31:15 Embracing Life Beyond Screens