Famous at Home

Feeling exhausted, or simply tired of going through the motions? The modern world is a machine of a thousand invisible habits, forming us into anxious, busy, and depressed people. The trouble is that our habits are almost invisible to us. In fact, habits form us more than we form them. So what can we do about it? Welcome to The Common Rule: Habits of Purpose in an Age of Distraction. In this week'...

This episode is a discussion about what we describe as the "art of becoming." Too often we get so focused on the day-to-day sleep, discipline, or behavioral issues with our kids that we lose sight of what really influences who they become. Don't get us wrong, it's not that these day-to-day issues don't matter. However, it's easy to get so lost in the day-to-day, that we neglect who we're becoming....

The Bible consistently uses botanical growth to describe our spiritual maturity and how we grow. Applied to us as parents, we want to raise children who love God and share His love with the world. But how do you prepare a spiritual seedling to become fully grown? In this episode, we talk about our new parent Bible study that you can do with your kids to cultivate them in the fruit of the Spirit. B...

Our 100th episode! And what better way to celebrate than talking with two amazing humans--Ryan and Laura Dobson--about being emotionally healthy for your family. This is arguably our most raw and vulnerable episode to date. We talk with Ryan and Laura about mental illness, addictions, pornography, and other self-medicators. Even more, we talk about grace and the path to healing. No matter your fam...

In this episode, we take your questions and talk about them. This week's questions include the following topics: * What educational apps we would recommend * How to handle a co-parenting situation where you have no control with what's happening in the other home * How to help our kids with bad dreams and night terrors * How to further talk to your kids about Santa, Easter bunny, Tooth Fairy, etc....

"Mom, who sang the first song?" When Ellie Holcomb's then five-year-old daughter, Emmylou, asked her this question, Ellie threw the question back at her. "Well, who do you think sang the first song?" Emmylou's answer is priceless. Yes, you have to listen to find out. But as Ellie thought about it, she had to do some research. Her answers were put into her first children's book called Who Sang the...

In this episode, we take your questions and talk about them. This week's questions include the following topics: * How to thrive in the survival years with young kids * Should we send our kids to kindergarten early or hold them back * How to manage our own anger and fear so as not to yell at our kids * How to be emotionally safe in the early years * The stage we set up for our kids in our dining r...

In part 2 of our series on kids and feelings, we talk about kids who can empathize with others. This episode is a deeper dive into the "why" behind our new kid's book What Am I Feeling? So often, it can feel like a pipe dream getting our kids to think about anyone other than themselves. Let's be honest, our world could use more adults who can empathize as well. In this episode, we talk about being...

Teaching our kids to give their feeling a name and then decide what to do with it—is crucial to helping them love God and love others. Turns out, it's also helpful for juvenile delinquents to develop empathy, and for our kids to one day be successful at major companies like Google. In this episode, we talk about these scenarios and why developing emotional awareness is so important for our kids. A...

Sometimes, a few nuggets of wisdom just isn't enough. In this episode, we discuss some of the deeper reasons behind why it's so difficult to connect in marriage. We also talk about our own marital journey of late and how counseling has helped us work through the baggage, blindness, and busyness of the day. Yes, three "bee's" that can "sting" your marriage. Dad jokes rock. Of course, the conversati...

We live in a beautifully diverse world. Unfortunately, our world is also plagued by racial and ethnic division. As families, we can bring unity and change by embracing our differences. But it requires that we pass onto our kids what it means to walk in love, not fear—a lesson that's easier said, than done. In this episode, author Trillia Newbell, sits down with us to discuss: * How to talk to our...

We can get so busy that we allow culture to dictate who we are as a family, rather than our family influencing the culture around us. In this episode, we talk about some of the critical first steps in discovering what makes your family unique. And as Christi so eloquently states, "Your uniqueness is so normal to you, that you often can't see it." That's because our family purpose is often hidden w...

Welcome to season 5! This week's episode is full of updates about the upcoming season. In addition, we talk about why we believe "parenting" is the wrong term to use when it comes to raising our children. The best part is that we don't leave you hanging. We talk about what we believe the right term should be and why it matters in how we relate to our kids. Show Notes: To preorder our new children'...

What a year in the life of the "In This Together" podcast family. As you'll hear once again through Christi's tears, we love journeying with you. Your stories, questions, podcast reviews, and encouragement fuel our souls. Thank you for making 2018 one of the most joy-filled years for our family. In this episode, we go back and forth, each offering our wishes for your family in 2019. This is a hear...

Our podcast “resident therapist," David Thomas, is back with us, live from Daystar Counseling. He talks with us about what our sons need across the developmental lifespan. In this episode, David breaks down what our boys need in the following age groups: Ages 2-4: The Explorer Ages 5-8: The Lover Ages 9-12: The Individual Ages 13-17: The Wanderer Ages 18-22: The Warrior Some of the best nuggets of...

The next two episodes are gold medallion interviews with our podcast "resident therapists." This week, we interview Sissy Goff from Daystar Counseling about what our daughters need. Next week, we interview David Thomas about what our sons need. In this episode, Sissy breaks down what our girls need in the following age groups: Birth-5: The Discovery Years Ages 6-11: The Adventurous Years Ages 12-1...

As a social entrepreneur and founder and co-CEO of Noonday Collection, Jessica Honegger aims to do everything with boundless courage. But just as happiness is not the absence of sadness, and faith is not the absence of doubt, courage is not the absence of fear. Now leading the largest fair-trade jewelry company in the world, Jessica gives us a behind the scenes look at her highly-successful busine...

This is a special re-released episode on Christmas topics for families, because there's nothing we want more than to experience the joy of Christmas. The problem is that Christmas can leave our time feeling pressed and our wallets stressed. In this episode, we go behind the lens of our own crooked picture frame to discuss some Christmas hot topics. We tell stories about how we were raised and what...

Christmas often comes and goes in the blink of an eye. Not only that, it's easy to miss the magic of the season. Either things don't go the way we had hoped with our family, or we get so buried in our to-do lists we need a search and rescue team just to help us come to the surface. In this episode, we talk about decisions you can make to enjoy the Christmas season with your family. We talk about:...

Bedtime--it's that sometimes elusive and dreaded time of the day, especially if you have young kids. Yet, bedtime can be the most significant time of the day to connect with your kids, and even your teens. In this episode, we discuss the spiritual and emotional significance of bedtime. We also get super practical about turning it into one of the most memorable--and maybe even enjoyable--parts of y...

For many of us, inviting people into our lives and homes feels more like inviting judgment on our entertaining skills and stress on our already maxed-out schedules. And with the holidays approaching, you may be feeling the pressure. But what if you knew that opening your front door had the power to radically change the world around you? To make an impact and leave a legacy with everyday invitation...

What happens when our son is exposed to pornography at a young age? Or our daughter begins hearing about sex at school and asking you questions? Many of our own parents didn't model for us how to have these difficult conversations with our kids. Not only that, our kids seem to be exposed to sex at even younger ages today. In this episode, we revisit with Linda Noble and Linda Stewart, two leading...

What happens when our daughter tells us she's fat? Or our son begins to ask questions about his private parts? These questions are enough to throw off any good parent. So how can we raise our kids to have a healthy body image in a culture that has distorted it? That's the conversation we have today with Linda Noble and Linda Stewart, two leading voices helping parents talk to their children about...

There are eyes on your marriage. If you have kids, they watch how you interact. If you lead others in your community, those you lead watch how you live. In other words, your marriage is in a fishbowl. Some feel it more than others. But regardless of who's watching, if we don't pursue a marriage we'd wish on our kids, or we keep leading others without tending to our own marital garden, it will catc...

This episode is a treat. Lisa Harper joins us to talk about her newly released children's book, Who's Your Daddy: Discovering the Awesomest Daddy Ever. But she's not the only one to join us! After the break, her daughter Missy joins us - along with our kids - to sing and talk about Sid the Science Kid, the Greatest Showman, and Sing. They also talk about God and people they know in heaven. It is a...