Moments Matter

The word "modesty" seems old-fashioned and cringe-worthy now, doesn't it? It almost feels like an overused, abused word to mean: "rules matter most." We're here to take a different approach.  We welcome Sonja's two other daughters back on the show today to finish our "Dear Mom" discussion on what we think of modesty today. What is modesty really, and sh...

All 3 of Sonja's daughters get on the podcast with her today to talk about their experience with all-things modesty growing up. We deep dive on a rollercoaster (laden with tension AND humor) into some good memories, some not-so-great memories, and some memories we'd rather forget! See the up-close dynamics of what 3 sisters went through growing up in a great Christian church that had its...

What are tweens and teens actually responsible for? As they get older, should we give them consequences, or should we just let them deal with the natural consequences of their choices? We talk about how bad Julia and her sisters' attitudes were when it came to doing chores around the house and how Sonja's battle was uphill the entire way. Tune in to hear us talk about questions like: how...

Join us as Sonja brings us on a ride of the many places she and Kevin visited while in Israel. Have you ever experienced walking where Jesus walked? She talks about her time there, what God taught her, and gives us an amazing reminder of faith and assurance as we talk about the many things she experienced. From riding camels to watching travelers of all sorts trying to find the truth in a moderniz...

Julia gets on by herself to talk about feminism, femininity, and what it looks like to be fruitful in every season of life. She talks about what her mom taught her about being feminine and what the obvious differences between being a man and a woman look like. But what about feminism? Are we, as Christians, supposed to be feminists? Does “being fruitful” always mean having children? She gives exam...

His needs, her needs... we all have needs. Sonja welcomes Kevin, her husband, back to the show for a special Valentine's Day Edition! They talk about a tool that helped them learn each other's needs and values and how that shifted their marriage just a few years ago. It was like a light bulb moment had gone on! God designed us each with unique needs and values that fit our own personalit...

We like to think we're in control of our kids' lives, but oftentimes we're not. We can do all the right things, say all the right things, and still our kids might do the wrong thing. We've talked a lot about do's and don'ts in other episodes, but on this one we're talking about the main things we're not in control of as mothers... whether we'd like to t...

The early days of their marriage were rough, and Sonja had no idea what an "entrepreneur" was or how to love her husband well through it all. Walking through Kevin's multiple jobs when she had a baby or two on her hip was the last thing she wanted to do, and it made her doubt her husband and his ability to take care of them.  Why think of another job idea before the other one has ju...

Julia was kind of an angry kid... but she lived in an environment of God's love where her parents and school teachers were teaching her about Christ for all of her childhood. She tells her story today about some deep-seated issues she had of entitlement and when it all changed for her and she realized where her true satisfaction comes from. God is a jealous God, and He used this in her life t...

Setting goals in middle age is difficult, and today we get on the podcast today to talk about how Sonja was never a "goal-oriented" person. Because of this, she would get discouraged every new year because it seemed like she never really had mile markers to remind her how she'd changed over the year. When she began to create action steps that she could focus on month to month, every...

Why a “word” of the year? Most of our family–consisting of 8 adults–chooses a “word” for the year, and we've done it for a while now. It all started as a social media trend–but now it's a staple part of our family's year. We talk about how it started, how it’s going, and how we’re evolving the word of the year to create more meaning for our year than we have in the past.     A word...

We really just shot in the dark with this one (it’s the holidays, we’re busy, too!), so it’s a fun conversation about traditions, gift giving, and making the season truly mean something for your family. What can you do to be more intentional to love your adult kids well? What does making a Christmas list have to do with personalities? Here’s to our incredibly random episode where we came up with t...

This episode is for whenever your kids aren't home for the holidays... You know that awful, painful experience when your kids become adults and you don't see them for those special days... yes, I (Sonja) know it well, too. So what should you do? How do you handle your emotions? Here's what Julia and I talk about today:  W hen your kids don’t come home for the holidays   How to emoti...

Do your holidays start and end with your adult kids coming and going?   Whether you have kids coming home or it's just the two of you this year, it's important to be intentional with your spouse and enjoy the holidays. Here's what Sonja talks about on today's episode:  What does empty nesting look like during the Christmas season?    Conversations you need to have with your spo...

When was the last time you listed off what you were thankful for? Did it have an impact on you? I know that some of you are going through difficult, hard things as the holidays begin. I know that it'll take a deep breath just to get through the moments. So today, I'm being vulnerable as I get on the podcast all by myself! If you're having a dark day or you're struggling as the...

What do you do as an empty nester? How do you keep going with the house so quiet all the time? I (Sonja) share an amazing experience I had just a few weeks ago and how it truly showed me that empty nesting can be a good season of life, too.   In today's episode we talk about what you can do as a mom just gearing up to be an empty nester and how to make it significant when it's happened....

The most important piece of furniture in your home is (arguably) the family dinner table. Today we talk about when I (Sonja) and Kevin turned off the TV and started eating at the table and how it changed our family relationships–and how it still has an affect today! We argue that cultivating healthy relationships with your kids starts while eating a meal together. We talk about:  How to start eati...

Are you one of those moms that has to make the holidays as wonderful as possible for when your adult kids come home? It can be stressful, and sometimes you can burnout and get to the end of the time and not have enjoyed it at all! I (Sonja) have been there, and since then I've collected 5 tips that are absolute MUSTS at our home now for when "Camp Christmas" begins and our children...

Too often we find ourselves caring about what other people think of us–and that means we can care too much about my appearance. When I (Sonja) think back to when I first had kids, my "appearance" took way too much time and energy, but I thought people would look down on me if I didn't spend the time dressing up. I share some stories from the past and from more recently of how I&apos...

Brooke Sheesley, our guest and Sonja's best friend, took her daughter to college after years of raising her as a single mom and today she gets on the podcast to tell us about the experience of dropping her off at college and then coming back a few months later to realize her daughter had grown up, changed, and become someone she had get to know in a new light. Brooke talks about how she had t...

As you begin the journey of empty nesting, you may find you can make yourself way too busy or you feel completely paralyzed from doing anything whatsoever. Why is that?   Sonja dives into what her empty nesting process has been, what she could have done differently in the beginning, and how she’s struggling now. Julia gives her some questions to think deeply about where she’s at right now… what IS...

Sonja turned 50! So in honor of her birthday, Julia wanted to get real and raw by asking her 10 questions that she hadn't heard before we started recording. We have some laughs, but we also receive some pearls of wisdom from a woman who has lived through some difficult seasons and come out the other side still trusting in the Lord. Would she change even the worst of circumstances and darkest...

It's never too early (or too late) to teach your kids the value of money. Whether they're in middle school or they're adults and living on their own, you are an example to your children about what kind of legacy you want to leave when it comes to finances. Today we discuss Sonja and Kevin's early life with very little money, how they modeled the value of money to their kids, an...

We all have unhealthy patterns–are we aware of them, though? No one wants to become a bitter old woman later in life, but that's not always the case. Today, we're talking about the unhealthy patterns and WHY they might be happening... and how to change them. It's not easy to let yourself be more self aware of what might be going on in the day-to-day conflict of life, but it's n...

Let's talk about traditional roles in marriage (and how they change in different seasons of marriage). It's a bit of a hot topic, but we should be having conversations about what a husband and wife do on a day-to-day basis to make the house run well. As empty nesters, Sonja and Kevin are reevaluating who does what chores and what roles they have, which made her realize she hasn't ev...