Ever heard of PDA? Pathological Demand Avoidance? It's a nervous system disability that falls on the autism spectrum. It's often confused with ODD. In this episode, Casey and I talk about: * What PDA (Pathological Demand Avoidance) is * PDA awareness & caregiver strategies * Traumatic birth and PDA * Symptoms & Sign of PDA * How a diagnosis of PDA happens * The fact that PDA isn’t new, our awareness is deepening * The anxiety driven need for control * Trauma healing and nervous system regulation * And SO MUCH MORE! Casey’s Bio: Casey Ehrlich, Ph.D. is a social scientist, parent coach ..read more

Be Honest: How was your Mother's Day? In this episode, I talk about: * The importance of reflecting on what went well (and what didn’t) during this year’s Mother’s Day * How my Mother’s Day this year ACTUALLY went * Setting up everyone for success on Mother’s Day and Father’s Day * Checking in with my husband before Father’s Day about what he wants and needs that weekend (and in his everyday life) * Making Mother’s Day and Father’s Day a whole weekend celebration instead of just a day * Taking time on Saturday to be by yourself before Mother’s Day * Giving him time alone on Saturday before ce ..read more

Mother’s Day brings with it a roller coaster of emotions…and there are some complex reasons for that. Heaven forbid we feel disappointed on Mother’s Day because we feel like we can’t express that and feel guilty for even feeling that way or explode from trying to keep those “negative” emotions inside for too long. Add in things like loss, longing, grief, infertility, work, the craziness of the calendar in May…and it’s no wonder many moms get overwhelmed and underwhelmed at the same time on Mother’s Day. Chris took the kids out for the morning and I wanted to process this Mother’s Day with you ..read more

A rare appearance from my husband Chris who courageously shows up today in a raw, candid conversation with me about marriage, expectations, and who needs to do more. It’s really hard to talk about marriage in a public forum because it can be easily be misinterpreted as “advice” …and we want to reassure you that today’s episode is not intended to be marriage advice, it’s not about anyone in particular, it’s us seeing a common thread all around us (even online and in shows!) and pulling that thread to see where it leads us. Our hope is that this episode is a conversation starter for you and your ..read more

This is a high energy conversation. For some reason it’s highly political at the moment to talk about boys, men, gender, and masculinity. And here we are as moms, right smack dab the middle of the over-politicized nonsense, trying to have meaningful marriages with our husbands and raise our sons well in a world that bashes boys and men. We need to talk about the tension—both the undercurrent in our culture and the outright hatred toward men. We need to stand up for our sons and raise them up at the same time. In this interview you’ll hear me tell the story about how when I found out I was preg ..read more

Well, it's been another week of the internet going crazy. But so many friends and followers sent me two of the same posts this week and I felt called to share my thoughts on them because to me they are incredibly related: 1. Hannah of Ballerina Farms is competing in the Mrs. World Pageant and the internet has decided she is dangerous and setting a bad example (oooooookay…) 2. The teacher calling for parents to take phones away from kids and stop letting phones raise their children because 4th graders are bullying, body shaming, and twerking on the playground.   What Do I Think the REAL Is ..read more

Well, it's been another week of the internet going crazy. But so many friends and followers sent me two of the same posts this week and I felt called to share my thoughts on them because to me they are incredibly related: 1. Hannah of Ballerina Farms is competing in the Mrs. World Pageant and the internet has decided she is dangerous and setting a bad example (oooooookay…) 2. The teacher calling for parents to take phones away from kids and stop letting phones raise their children because 4th graders are bullying, body shaming, and twerking on the playground.   What Do I Think the REAL ..read more

Hebrews 10:1 “Let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.” Happy 2024, Mamas! We're grateful for 2023 and ready to move forward with confidence into 2024! ? In this episode I talk about: * The continued need to pray for Maui * Our move to the mainland * Our family’s 2023 trials and wins * Travel recap: we went to 19 states in 2023! * Seeking comfort and ease…and then shifting away from that goal * Trusting God’s timing * Working on humility * The spiritual ease that has come from moving to a Christian community * Word of the year: Endurance * How the word “endurance” has change ..read more

I love today’s passionate and honest conversation with my in person friend Nikki Phillippi. We’re both freedom loving homeschooling who spend a LOT of time thinking about education standards, education philosophy, and education reform. We’re both life-long learners who like to dive deep into many topics that affect us as mothers and topics that affect our children’s education…and then we discuss them over long voice memos to each other. It’s pretty fun. I 10/10 recommend finding another mom friend to voice memo with. Today you get to be part of our in-depth back and forths as we talk about edu ..read more

I’ve wanted to tackle so many topics over the years but have avoided hitting record because I felt like my thoughts were incomplete. Pettiness has been a topic swirling in my mind for the past few weeks because of two conversations I overheard on Halloween. And, well, here are my incomplete thoughts on the topic. Here are also the bible verses I looked up to help me find peace with these two stories: What Does the Bible Say About Being Petty Philippians 2:3-4 Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not onl ..read more