Junk Drawer Mamas: Sorting the Drama and Trauma of Extreme Parenting to Find Hope, Healing and Humor

Hey friends—today’s episode is a little different. ❤️ After a whirlwind family vacation together (with 11 kids, a stranded pontoon boat, a new grandbaby, and a fender bender 🙃), we realized what every mama knows deep down: sometimes you’ve got to push pause and take care of what matters most—your family and your own sanity. So Deena & Christian are wrapping up Season 1 and taking a much-neede...

What if your child’s disobedience wasn’t defiance—but a cry for connection? In this episode of Junk Drawer Mamas , Deena and Christina delve into the messy, yet beautiful, work of parenting with love and boundaries—especially when everything feels out of control. Based on the principles of connection over control, they explore what it looks like to build relationships that reflect the heart of God...

Do you ever feel like if you don’t hold it all together… everything will fall apart? In this vulnerable, truth-packed episode, Deena and Christina peel back the layers on why so many moms struggle with control—and it’s not just because we like things done a certain way. Behind the micromanaging, the multitasking, and the meltdown over backwards shoes, there’s usually a deeper root: fear, trauma, a...

In this episode, Deena and Christin a open up about what happens when life takes a sharp left turn, and you still have to keep going and be strong for everyone else . After a sudden medical emergency involving Deena’s husband, everything shifted, including how her special needs daughter processed the crisis. It wasn’t just physically exhausting; it was emotionally heavy, spiritually stretching, an...

You imagined park picnics, sweet bedtime snuggles, and motherhood magic. Instead? You’re cleaning up messes (literal and emotional), crying in the bathroom, and wondering how this became your life. 😭🫠 In this episode, Deena and Christina crack open the junk drawer again to talk about what it really looks like to raise kids in extreme situations—special needs, trauma, marriage stress, generationa...

How do you love your people well without losing your sanity? 😅 In this episode of Junk Drawer Mamas, Deena and Christina are diving deep into family dynamics— from parenting adult children to setting boundaries with extended relatives (and yes, even those messy money conversations 💸). We’re talking about why setting healthy boundaries isn’t selfish—it’s survival, how to teach your kids emotional...

Ever feel like you’re drowning in responsibilities, surviving on coffee and fumes, and someone dares to suggest , “ Have you tried inner healing ?” 😳 Girl, you can’t even pee alone, let alone sit in a quiet room with your trauma and a journal. In this episode, we open the junk drawer to dig into the lie that you’ll get to healing when life slows down . Newsflash: Life isn’t slowing down. But God...

Ever feel like your body is waving a white flag, but you're too busy surviving to notice? 😩 God designed your body to respond to stress, not live in it. In this episode, Deena & Christina uncover what long-term stress is doing to your brain, body, and gut and how that “on edge” feeling might be more than just burnout. From nervous system shutdown to emotional dysregulation, we break it do...

This 𝗲𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝗶𝘀𝗻’𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 “𝗮 𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘁𝗹𝗲 𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗺𝗲𝗱.” It’s for the moms in crisis. The ones holding it all together with shaking hands and silent prayers, because if they fall apart, everything will fall with them.   Maybe that’s you right now. You’re: 👉Getting screamed at by a child with trauma or special needs and feeling the shame of snapping back harder than you should have. 👉Wond...

Ever walk away from a conversation with your adult child thinking, “ Well… I blew tha t. ”? Yeah, us too. 🙋‍♀️ In this deeply personal episode, Deena & Christina get vulnerable about some recent parenting moments that didn’t go as planned and how God used them not to shame, but to gently show how He parents us . From mom guilt to emotional landmines and the tug-of-war between truth and tender...

She smiles. She shows up. She gets it all done. But inside? She’s unraveling.   𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗼 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗱𝗼 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗲𝗱𝗴𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗼𝗸𝗮𝘆?   In this raw and heartfelt episode, we’re pulling something out of the junk drawer that so many of us hide: the silent breakdowns behind the brave faces. The truth is—sometimes strength looks like crying in the bathroom and then makingdinner any...

We're diving deep into the junk drawer to unpack on of the 𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗱𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗲𝘅𝘁𝗿𝗲𝗺𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴: 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡, 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙡, & 𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙧𝙞𝙩𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙩𝙤𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙣𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙜𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙤𝙣𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙘𝙖𝙡 𝙘𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙. 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮 and 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 open up about what it’s really like to 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗺𝗲𝗱𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝘂𝗻𝗸𝗻𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆’𝘃𝗲 𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗲𝗱 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗿𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝗚𝗼𝗱 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗯𝗲𝘁𝘄𝗲𝗲𝗻 𝗳𝗮𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗲𝗮𝗿.  Doctor visits aren't routine for a special...

We’re back inside the junk drawer, and this time we’re going deeper . After recording Episode 19 , we realized something important: fear is not just one item in the drawer. It’s a whole messy category . Each version of fear we face as special needs and extreme parenting moms deserves its own spotlight.   In Episode 19, we focused on the fear rooted in grief —grieving the life you thought you or yo...

🙋‍♀️Let’s be real, mama. Not every Mother’s Day feels like a celebration. Some of us are breaking up fights, wiping tears, cleaning up messes, managing meltdowns, or sitting in silence, wondering if anyone even notices us. 😞😭 This episode is for the moms who felt overlooked, under-celebrated, or just plain weary. Whether you’re a special needs mom, foster mom, single mom, or simply in a hard se...

This was supposed to be a podcast about fear, and it is. But what we didn’t expect was how much of our fear—especially as special needs or foster moms—is really just grief in disguise.   In this deeply vulnerable episode, Deena & Christina share from the rawest parts of their own journeys— about what it means to grieve the life we thought our kids would have… and the life we thought we would h...

Welcome to Part 2 of our messy, sometimes hilarious, and oh-so-relatable convo about the challenges of feeding kids and food battles, especially when you're a mom navigating special needs or extreme parenting.   In this episode, we’re not holding back:  😷 Deena’s sick, Christina’s running late from a meltdown-filled therapy appointment (hers and her kids 😫😂), and the kids are definitely NOT...

Mama , We’re going there. 😬 In this first episode of our 𝟮-𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗻 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮 & 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 get real about something they still wrestle with daily—𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗳𝗼𝗼𝗱, 𝗯𝗼𝗱𝘆 𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗲, 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴, 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗵𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗸𝗶𝗱𝘀. From Takis-as-bribes to midnight candy guilt, they lay it all out—no filters, just truth and grace.   𝗜𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗲𝗱 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝘄𝗲𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁...

🌞👙🩴 Summer Without the Stress: Intentional Fun + Extreme Parenting = Yes, It’s Possible!  In this episode, Deena & Christina continue their real-talk conversation on how to prepare for summer when you're a mom navigating special needs, multiple kids, or extreme parenting—and how to avoid burnout in the process.   This episode also kicks off our Summer Fun Challenge 🎉 and the official launc...

🌞👙🩴Summer's creeping in like a sunburn you didn’t seecoming—and while the kids are dreaming of cannonballs and cotton candy 🍧 you’re just trying to figure out how to survive 90 consecutive days of overstimulation, sensory meltdowns, sibling brawls, unstructured mayhem, andendless snack requests that thrusts you into an hour-by-hour survival mode. 😩   In this episode of Junk Drawer Mamas , Dee...

🎙EPISODE 14: “ Thanks, But I’ve Tried EVERYTHING ” — How to Handle Unsolicited Parenting Without Losing Your Peace or Your Jesus! 😜  You’re in aisle 6 just trying to buy frozen peas, your child is mid-meltdown, and here comes that lady with “ helpful advice . ” Sound familiar? In this brutally honest (and sometimes hilarious) episode, we’re digging into the junk drawer labeled: unsolicited advice...

Ever feel like you're stuck in a never-ending loop of tantrums, yelling, timeouts, and tears 😭(yours and theirs)?   🎙️In this episode, we’re defining extreme parenting —and no, it’s not just for moms raising kids with special needs. We’re talking about behavior issues, trauma triggers, meltdown moments, and that pit-in-your-stomach feeling when you realize you’ve got nothing left in the tank...

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 - 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲𝘀 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽  So much of our energy goes into 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗺𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘂𝗽 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀—𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝘄𝗲 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘃𝗲𝘀?  In this episode, 𝗗𝗲𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗖𝗵𝗿𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗮 dive into the 𝗼𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗻-𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗲𝗱 foundation of all relationships: 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽. 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗼 𝗯𝗲 𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗱...

🎙 Episode 11: What Special Needs Moms REALLY Need in a Friendship & How We Can Be a Good Friend Friendships can be complicated. Friendship as a special needs mom? Well, that's a whole other level. 🫠   This week, Deena & Christna are unpacking one of the heaviest, messiest, most-overlooked junk drawer items : FRIENDSHIPS — what it means to be a good friend, what special needs moms actu...

𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗮, let’s talk about it—𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗲𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽𝘀 when you’re raising kids in extreme parenting situations. Whether you’re a 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗺, 𝗮 𝗳𝗼𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝗺, 𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗺𝗮𝗺𝗮 𝗷𝘂𝗴𝗴𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗼𝗿𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗺𝗲𝗹𝘁𝗱𝗼𝘄𝗻𝘀, we see 👀 you. 💜 If you’ve ever skipped a birthday party to avoid the exhaustion of managing your child’s needs in a social setting or felt like “nobody gets it”—this episode is for...

🎙 𝗘𝗽𝗶𝘀𝗼𝗱𝗲 𝟵 |𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗸 𝗗𝗿𝗮𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗠𝗮𝗺𝗮𝘀 | 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝗡𝗮𝘃𝗶𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗕𝘂𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 𝗪𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗲 𝗕𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮 𝗦𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝗠𝗼𝗺Mama, does your to-do list have a to-do list? 😅 Are you trying to balance therapies, meltdowns, grocery lists, school paperwork, and maybe—just maybe—a shower this week? We see you. And girl, we are you. In this episode, we’re talking about the never-ending seasons of busyness in motherhood, especi...