Gotta Love Family Podcast

When my daughter Marie's children were young, I wanted to stay connected between visits. We only saw each other a couple of times a year, and I wanted more than that. While working on a presentation about the Spark Station , the idea came to me: why not write Spark Station Letters? The idea was simple. I would write letters to my grandchildren sharing something that interested me — a word, a histo...

In January, my daughter Jodie gathered a group of friends to work on having a better outcome in 2026. We listened to an interesting YouTube video by Daniel Pink. The premise was that structure beats willpower. We each determined what we regretted from 2025 and how we could do better in 2026 to avoid repeating our mistakes. My regret was not getting my writing in until the last minute. I regretted...

I received this email in the early days of teaching parents how to use The Spark Station. "You may have seen this. It's a picture book called The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan. This illustrates the secret of the Spark Station in an inspiring way. A junk dealer who likes to do–not much–finds a pink refrigerator that holds something new for him every day, and he gets excited about life and learning,...

Holidays have a magic that no other topic quite matches. Children feel them coming weeks in advance. They carry memories, traditions, food, and family stories all bundled together. They are, in many ways, the punctuation marks of a child's year, the moments against which everything else is measured. I can remember family holidays when I was a child, and my children still talk about theirs. That's...

Here we are — Part 3. If you've been listening along with Part 1 and Part 2 , you already know the rhythm. You pick a topic, you gather a few books, a simple activity or two, and maybe something to eat. You show up, and something small and good happens. Part 3 is where the Traveling Spark Station gets wonderfully wide. We're talking about the entire world — its creatures, its seasons, its countrie...

While working with individual families, this question came up often - should I let my kids use kits or have them work from scratch? I had listened to speakers and read articles that said absolutely no kits. By then, I had stopped living in a black-and-white world. I had learned to take my family, their needs, as well as my own, into consideration when deciding what was good for connection and lear...

Welcome back . If you heard Part 1 , you already know that the Traveling Spark Station isn't about content — it's about being present. It's about showing a child that the person standing in front of them finds the world interesting and wants to explore it together. In Part 2, we're going to explore two areas that might surprise you: math and the arts. I say "surprise you" because math has a reputa...

It's spring — that season of newness, freshness, and quiet beginnings. It seemed the perfect time to share a story from Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards' book The Daffodil Principle , because it beautifully illustrates something I've come to believe deeply: that lasting change happens 1% at a time. Not in grand gestures or overnight transformations, but in small, consistent efforts that grow into somethi...

When my daughter, Jodie's, children were young, I lived two blocks away. When I was caring for them in my home, they loved the Spark Station . But I wanted to connect more often, so for several years I would take my Spark Station traveling to their home. I didn't stop there. I took it to Washington and Colorado to connect with my faraway grands. I used it at events with children. I wanted a better...

When I developed the Spark Station, I thought I was helping parents learn to use a useful tool for connection, learning, and fun. What I spent most of my time doing was helping parents see their children differently — helping them stop seeing their children as burdens, responsibilities, or problems to be solved. My mission became helping parents adjust their sight and hearts, to see their children...

When I developed the Spark Station, I thought I was helping parents learn to use a useful tool for connection, learning, and fun. What I spent most of my time doing was helping parents see their children differently — helping them stop seeing their children as burdens, responsibilities, or problems to be solved. My mission became helping parents adjust their sight and hearts, to see their children...

Last week, I shared an experiment I did with real families using the Spark Station. I reiterated the five rules that make everything else work and shared real family experiences for three of those rules. Today, we will cover the last two rules. I am also going to address what to do if it isn't working for your family and how to manage the hard days. Join me as I round out all the information so yo...

I want to tell you about an experiment I did years ago. I had been talking to families about the Spark Station and quickly realized that something wasn't clicking for a lot of them. They liked the idea, but it wasn't working the way it should. I could see clearly that these parents were missing the vision of the real power this tool could have in their homes. So, I decided to test what I knew work...

When I was in fifth grade, I learned to crochet. It wasn't easy to learn. I had never done anything like it before. I felt all thumbs, and it wasn't always easy to conceptualize what it was I was supposed to do. With time, I did learn, and I made a small purse. My teacher coached me through almost every row until it was done. I still have that purse. The next hurdle was learning to read actual dir...

"Mom, come on. It's almost Easter, and we need to color the eggs." These words were spoken in a voice of desperation and a full two weeks before Easter. I love holiday traditions, and this egg-dying ritual was one of ours. Some years went better than others, but each one brought us closer as a family. Each one tied us together in a bond that exists today. Traditions matter to children. These are t...

I've taught hundreds of children to make sugar eggs. I taught two groups of kindergartners every year for over 15 years. I taught children how to make sugar eggs in Girl Scouts, community groups, and for the city in Laurel, MT. I traveled to Colorado to help over ninety children in my grands school classes. I flew to Washington, where more grands lived and helped many other children, do the same....

Some children love math and science, while others find these topics unenjoyable or uninteresting. My grandson, Ben, was interested in both. He spent time on the computer looking up science questions rather than playing outdoors. As a child, I wanted to understand both math and science. I was intrigued by them, but my learning style made both very challenging. I had children who weren't interested...

When my youngest daughter, Kate, was a senior in high school, she was in an advanced writing class. One of her assignments was to write a poem using iambic pentameter. She was overwhelmed by the assignment and wasn't clear as to what iambic pentameter meant. They had talked about it in class, but most of you will relate to how clear it was by the time she got home. LOL So, it wasn't a happy circum...

A mom in our neighborhood has become a family friend. She has spent time in our home. She has shared meals, and we have had the opportunity to talk. She has observed our four-generation family, our little ecosystem, as my daughter calls it, from inside and out. Not too long ago, she said, "I wish you were my mom. You're the best mom. My mom didn't share love; she was a stone." This comment has cau...

The day of my hip surgery, September 3, after returning home, I was going up and down our two stairs, caregiving, and managing as if I had never had surgery. At the end of the first two weeks, reality descended . I fell into extreme fatigue and became depressed. What had happened? I was desperate for answers. So, I did what I do. I prayed for help, resources, and thoughts. As I knew it would, help...

Here's an informative article from my friend, Laura Pearson. She's taken the time to dive into a topic that can seem tricky for parents. It's an easy read, contains useful information, and has helpful links. I loved her section on Entrepreneurship. Most of my grands have had small businesses of one type or another before going to or completing high school, a great way to practice resilience and ga...

Sometimes it can be a challenge to get kids to talk at the dinner table, especially teens. But having dinner conversations helps create a culture of togetherness   and is worth the effort. This year marks the Year of the Horse. It begins on February 17, 2026, and will end on February 5, 2027. I know that seems odd compared to our calendar, but the moon cycle determines the dates each year. The Chi...

On March 9, 2025, I shared truths that I had written when I was 62. I shared them again because from 62 to 75, they hadn't changed. I had lived them, and they were still true. I ended the article with these words: Our dreams can come true. We can live up to our expectations. There is a plan, and we fit perfectly into it. It may not happen in the time frame we want, but if we hold on to hope and be...

I mentored parents for many years.   One of the issues for all parents was how to help children/youth want to learn, enjoy the process, and take responsibility for their learning. No one system insulates parents from this dilemma. I began writing a series of articles titled The Education Adventure. These articles contained real experiences, from real families. Their stories are helpful when workin...