Right There With You

The idea of working from home, especially during the summer, can be a great way to reduce childcare costs and have some flexibility. But it has unique challenges too. In this extended episode, I chat with entrepreneur and experienced work-at-home mom, Angela Bouma. Together we share some tips and tricks.

Though the idea of letting your kid paint their walls might make you shudder a little, this episode is about more than paint. It's about letting your child make their space in your family home their own. Whether it's paint or moving furniture, let's talk about why letting them decorate in ways both big and small is a good idea.

Road trips are a part of summer with families. But surviving them takes smart planning and some practical prep. Let's talk about that today. 

Who needs a fancy beach resort? Ok, maybe the better question is how to have a fun family vacation when the beach resort is not an option? Yeah, that we can do. In today's episode I'm got some great suggestions for making a staycation your whole family will enjoy and remember for years to come. 

Summer is coming and fond (or not so fond) reminders might be popping up that you should be taking a family vacation. So let's talk about why it's important and how to do it without breaking the bank. No matter how many times they complain that their sibling is touching them from the back seat, trust me, they'll cherish these memories years from now.

They're coming. No, not an alien army--our adult children returning from college to live with us, eat our food, stay in our homes, and make us wonder who this person is! A fact of life is our kids grow and change and stretch during those first few years of college away from us. And that can make for a clash when they return. So let's talk about what to expect, how to prepare, and remember to love them--no matter how much they've changed.

April showers may bring May flowers, but there are a lot of ways May can work out your tear ducts. Milestones, graduations, Mother's Day, and more can all be fraught with reasons to cry both good and sad tears. So let's talk about spotting the potential places where your heart is tender and making a plan to handle them.

Summer is coming. Brace yourselves because school will be out and you'll have up to three months to schedule and keep them occupied. Does that sound overwhelming to you 'cause it does to me. But no worries. You got this! And today let's talk about your plan of attack and strategies to getting out of summer still sane.

As we finish Autism Awareness month and the series on special needs parenting, let's talk about friendship. Often when we don't understand what someone is going through, it's easier to just withdraw. But special needs moms need friends to weather the ups and downs of this unexpected parenting journey. Let's talk about how to do that.

I'm continuing my series this month on special needs parenting and today we're talking about how to help your church include your child. Special needs families rate "dealing with the public" as the second most stressful thing about having a child with a disability. That includes, unfortunately, going to church. Let's talk about how to fix that.

For Autism Awareness Month, we are continuing the series on special needs parenting. Today we are going to talk about trusting your gut when something feels off about your child's development. And trusting God when that feels scary.

As Autism Awareness Month kicks off, let's talk about special needs parenting--not just autism. The unique children in our lives that require more--whether because of a physical or mental disability or a developmental delay--still are our children that we love. So today let's talk about doing our homework to be their best advocates.

Let's wrap up our parenting series this month with a chat about the least fun part of being a mom--discipline. This part of parenting takes intention, thoughtfulness, and a lot of energy some days. When you feel overwhelmed, letting something slide can be the easier and tempting choice. So let's talk about the importance of loving discipline and what God's words says about it.

Today I continue my March parenting series talking about making sure your little bird is ready to leave the nest when it's time. You may have little ones, but this job starts long before their senior year of high school. And really, working ourselves out of a job is kind of the job of motherhood. So let's talk about some practical ways to prep your kid for the real world.

You don't need a theology degree to share your faith with your kids but sometimes it can feel overwhelming. As single moms it falls to us to show our kids who Jesus is and why he's important. But we can over-complicate how that should be done. I know I have. Today let's talk about the simple ways to share our faith with our kids.

Sometimes we can be baffled by how different our kids are than us, can't we? OR how similar but then something you think should work doesn't. As I begin this single mom parenting series for March, let's talk about how to show love to unique kids uniquely. Sometimes showing love to our kids requires a little bit of homework.

Winding up February's love series today is a spotlight on making sure you are mentally and emotionally ready to head out into the dating scene. No one wants to be the crazy chick that guy tells his friends he escaped. And no one wants to get into an unhealthy relationship. So let's talk about getting yourself healthy.

In a month filled with talk of romantic love, let's talk about rediscovering or reinventing a YOU that you can love. If becoming a single mom was not on your radar, it can cause a midlife crisis. Today let's talk about ways you can reinvent yourself or rediscover parts of who God created you to be that got set aside for a season. 

It's Valentine's Day. Yeah, I'm sure you've noticed. It is EVERYWHERE. But if you face down this holiday as a single mom, there can be all kinds of complex reactions to that--from relief to sorrow, grief to loneliness to contentment. Let's talk about all of those today honestly.

That question really is a toss-up isn't it? The dating world has changed a LOT since I was last in it and trying to find Mr. Right #2 can feel like a daunting idea. Today's episode includes some fun as we talk about the vulnerability and courage it takes to try returning to dating.