Embrace Your Everyday podcast

As parents who have lost six babies through miscarriage, Tim and I wanted to share this portion of our journey. Our story of infertility and miscarriage is communicated with a heart to express empathy and hope. Whether you are too heartbroken to hope or whether you love someone with empty arms, this podcast offers our transparent story. Read this story Empty Arms on nurturingmynest.com    

Trash. Donate. Organize. If you are jumping into seasonal cleaning or a deep clean, this podcast offers some tips to simplify your work. Implementing the simple system of identifying trash, selecting donations and organizing what you will keep ensures a successful purge. With the goal of living in the space you own, you will be ready to tackle even the hardest cleaning job. More Inspiration @ nurt...

Whether chaos is at an all time high in your home or you just need to make some adjustments, this podcast offers practical solutions to cleaning your home. Sorting out daily and weekly routines individually as well as for everyone living in your home creates a happier rhythm. Choose intentional living in your everyday. More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon Hum of the Home: Routine...

After 30 years as an educator, I have great compassion for the students who have lost so much education since the beginning of the C shutdowns. My thoughts are also empathetic toward their parents. With the real threat of more virtual school looming, we offer some practical thoughts for customizing your child's schooling. More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon: Hum of the Home: Rou...

Joseph, our youngest son, offers his thoughts on challenging issues facing his generation today. As he looks back, he recalls favorite memories of childhood. He shares some of the habits that have created success as he has launched into adulthood. His work with younger students has prompted him to share some warnings. More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon: Hum of the Home: Routine...

In-law relationships need a touch of civility. What are some healthy boundaries? When you marry you also become part of another family with its own set of boundaries. How can you grow in your relationship to your spouse as well as your in-laws? Remember your end goal to build a strong family unit. More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon:  Hum of the Home: Routines and Rhythms of Hom...

Are you an in-law? Ask yourself, are you IN or OUT with your in-law? The number one factor in resolving problems of acceptance by in-laws is your spouse's support. So, you can help your parents to love your spouse. As a parent, I can work to build the relationship that I have with my children's spouses. More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon: Hum of the Home: Routines and Rhythms o...

What does healthy conversation involve? Listening? Exploring? Asking questions for context? When entering a conversation it helps to be curious, use your manners and ask others opinions. The more conversations you have, the better you will be at this important social skill. Find ways to engage in better conversations. Grab a few killer conversation starters. Inspiration at nurturingmynest.com Book...

Our daughter Katie shares details from her dating journey with her high school sweetheart. Although she was our shyest child, her entrepreneur experiences as a girl transformed her into a successful business woman today. With a goal toward debt free living, she explains how to aggressively meet financial decisions. More inspiration at NurturingMyNest.com Books on Amazon:  Hum of the Home: Routines...

What makes a quality friendship? Why is loneliness an epidemic? How do I find a quality friend? People often turn inward to nurture themselves because they are not in nurturing relationships or they are not healthy enough to nurture others. Friendships are very important to everyday living. Invest in friends! More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon: Hum of Home: Routines and Rhythms...

HOPE and FORGIVENESS offers the way out of spiraling self-destruction. Anger often comes from bitterness. "Anger" is just one letter from "Danger." How can forgiving others set ME free? How can you forgive with your three year old nephew comes home in a body bag? More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon: Hum of the Home: Routines and Rhythms of Homemaking Nurturing My Nest: Intention...

HOPE and FORGIVENESS are in a shortage today. Hurt people are angry people. Angry people hurt people. Dr. Brenda Caldwell talks about deciding to stop having an affair with our past so we don't cheat on our future. Stop rehearsing your story and start reversing your story.  More inspiration @ nurturingmynest.com Books on Amazon: Hum of the Home: Routines and Rhythms of Homemaking Nurturing My Nest...

What makes a lifetime friendship? Although we met in our teens and live on opposite sides of the country, my friendship with Susan is one of the best gifts of my life. Join us as we fast forward through several seasons of life lived in tandem. Susan shares her insights about basic conflict resolution. From shared ideas on daily habits to recent journeys through the loss of family members, we dive...

Our little girls were beautiful, curly-headed and busy. We built a home in the country so they could swing in the trees and ride their bicycles. Consistently, we poured love and energy into helping them grow into strong women. Every little girl needs to know that she is heard and loved. She needs to know how to make friends, embrace her femininity and prepare to tackle her life as a woman. While w...

When I had my first boy, I was so nervous about being a boy's mom. What does a boy need from his mom and from his dad? Today's podcast covers how we can model Biblical living for our son and how we can develop him as a whole person. What are the skills that boys need? What do they need to know about respect and relationships? What is the healthy expectation for boys to make mistakes? What does it...

"There is a lot of difference between listening and hearing." G.K Chesterton. The posture of being a listener means you are listening with the intention of hearing. The word "listen" contains the same letters as the word "silent."  What is listening? What is not listening? Listening takes time. Is your listening impatient, inattentive listening or is it active receiving and responding with genuine...

Freedom is not free. On this day, we remember some of our family members who served our great country. So, many of you have stories in your family of men and women who have sacrificed all. When a soldier is lost, not only are his dreams ended, his family goes on without him. Join us to hear stories of some of these men who served to keep us free.  If you are one of those who served, we thank you!...

Our middle child, Mikayla, joined me in our studio to share her reflections on being raised in our home. While pursuing her graduate degree at seminary, I asked her what she appreciated about her childhood. Some of our questions were, "What would you mimic about your childhood?" "What do you appreciate about your growing up now that you did not appreciate when you were younger?" "Were you socializ...

Imagine a police officer pulling over your conversion van full of kids. He asks one of my kids to step out of the van. While you might think that I am terrified, I am actually trying hard not to laugh. Listen to today's podcast for the rest of the story. If you are just getting started or in the trenches with parenting, you will want to hear these ideas for responding to the challenges of raising...

Those who are harnessed to their thoughts respond to any wild idea by chasing it down the same familiar path. The brain runs on a repetitive track. Regularly, thought patterns repeat themselves. We must capture our thoughts. Why? Because our thought shape how we live. Research shows that 75-85% of mental, physical and behavioral illnesses come from one's thought life? Are you plagued by thoughts t...

As you approach the summer, are you thinking about the importance of this summer in the life of your child? As parents, we likely have only 18 summers with a child in our home. What were your favorite summer memories as a childhood? What do you want your children to remember about their childhood? What tastes will remind them of their childhood? Will it be the lengthy evenings chasing fireflies an...

For some time I have been thinking about my words and how I can use them to give life. What if our words were life giving? What if the life they gave others launched a reverberation? Ephesians 4:29 encourages us to "Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace (or undeserved favor) t...

40-50% of all marriages end in divorce. What does it take to have a happy marriage?  Dreaming, teamwork, companionship, expectations and transparency are all part of today's talk. Discover why it is important to do the hard work to build a strong, positive relationship. Ask the hard questions like, "Do you like your spouse?"  Is a happy marriage something that just happens or is it a choice? For m...

When working to master anything, we must identify toxic behavior that would cause damage or harm.  Home is God's Idea. Marriage is God's idea. Sex is God's idea. Sit down with Leah and Tim while they discuss the dangers of talking poorly about your spouse poorly in public or private. Identify the explosive risk of not developing discretion. How important is it to be teachable? Is it necessary to u...

How do you keep your marriage healthy and fun? Tim and Leah share thoughts on how to create teamwork, deal with money and keep things fresh. What does it mean to save room for dessert? Discover how to draw your spouse toward you with your words when he is not even present. Consider what loyalty and true friendship looks like in the grit of everyday. For more inspiration on All Things Home and Fami...