No Way But Through

When God say s ‘No’ to something our kids desperately want — making a team, a friendship, an invite — it can break their hearts… and ours too. 💔 In this episode, I share personal stories of God’s “no’s” in my own life and what I’ve learned over twenty years of parenting about walking with our kids through disappointment and unanswered prayers. You’ll hear six practical and powerful ways to respon...

In today’s episode, I’m continuing our Season Five series, How We Talk With Our Kids About Real Life Stuff, with a conversation that every parent can relate to — how we talk with our kids about homework and grades. For more than 15 years, Jason and I have helped our five kids navigate the daily realities of schoolwork, homework, and grades. In this episode, I’m sharing five truths that we come bac...

When our kids really mess up — whether it’s throwing a toy that sends a sibling to the ER or a teenager making a choice they instantly regret — how we respond matters. In this episode, I share the posture, tone and words Jason and I use when we’re sitting with one of our kids who’s really blown it. I talk about what it looks like to remind them of what’s true about God, how to guide them away from...

NEW SEASON IS OUT TODAY! And it might be my favorite one yet! Parenting doesn’t come with a script. And our kids don’t come with a manual. We’re thrown into parenting scenarios we have no idea how to handle and conversations we’re not prepared for. And these conversations often happen not when it’s convenient, but when we’re folding laundry, driving to practice, or they come knocking when we’re al...

THE SUMMER TRAVEL EPISODE! Planning a road trip or family vacation? This episode that’s been 20 years in the making is packed with 10 real-life travel tips that have helped our big family of seven not only survive, but actually ENJOY traveling together. I’m sharing the practical strategies and tips that have made our family trips smoother, less stressful, less expensive, more fun, and more memorab...

In this latest episode in our ‘Short Takes’ series on the No Way But Through podcast, we’re back from a little spring break hiatus and diving into a question I got from one of the young moms in my real life who has spent a lot of time with my family:  How do you raise tough, resilient kids?  I’m sharing real-life stories, hard-earned wisdom, and three practical (and heart-level) ways to help your...

In Episode 41 of the No Way But Through podcast, we’re continuing our Short Takes series with this question: What habits do you wish you had made when your kids were newborns and toddlers? I'm sharing three key insights—one we didn’t do but wish we had, and two that we’re so glad we prioritized. From carving out quality one-on-one time with your toddler, to letting go of the idea of a perfect...

In this episode of No Way But Through , we dive into a common parenting challenge: setting boundaries with grandparents. This is such a tough topic because not one of us has the exact same scenario, proximity, or relationships with our parents or in-laws. Is there a one right way to put up boundaries without it blowing up our whole relationship?  In this episode, I’ll give you both practical tips...

Who is my favorite kid, you ask? I think the answer might surprise you.  On today’s ‘Short Takes’ episode, I answer this question that’s been asked of me by the young moms in my real life and that my teenage son asked me just this week. I have five kids, ranging in ages from 20 down to 12. Could I pick a favorite? This actually isn’t a hard question for me to answer at all. And I break it down int...

In this first episode of ‘Short Takes’ - Your Parenting Questions. Straight To The Point Answers, I give you the backstory behind this new series AND answer one of the most popular questions I get from young (and older) parents! We want our kids to have an independent and growing relationship with God, right? But how do we help them develop the habit of making time for God every day? Is there a fo...

In this first episode of Season 4, I share with you THREE parenting goals worth making and keeping in 2025! While so many of us make resolutions and goals when a new year rolls around, we often don’t stick with them, especially if we feel like once we fail, we’ve blown it.  What if there are goals we can make today that will pay big dividends in our relationships with our kids at the end of the ye...

It’s Christmastime! Or, for the most traditional among us, it will be in just a few days! And that means it’s time for shopping, making Christmas lists, and making sure we can find the right scissors and have enough tape!  As we begin thinking about Christmas shopping for our kids, how can we get them gifts that won’t just end up in a thrift store pile in a few weeks? How can we give our kids gift...

I think a lot about what I’d want the young mom me to know! What would I tell her? What advice would I give her? What things did I learn that changed me and made me a better mom? What comforted me and gave me courage in that overwhelming season of motherhood that so many of you are in today?  In this episode, I walk you through five things I wish I knew when I was a young mom. With stories from my...

We ALL want grateful kids, right? I know I do. So how can you begin to foster and develop gratitude in their young hearts during this season when we tend to focus more on being thankful? How do you know what might actually be worth the time and effort and create lasting impact on your kids?  In today’s episode, I share with you seven practical activities you can do with your young children during...

The relationships in my life are incredibly important to me, and I imagine yours are to you, too! But how do we balance life as moms, raising kids, volunteering at school, investing in our marriages, buy all the groceries and get everyone where they need to be, and still make time to foster meaningful friendships without sacrificing one or the other?  In this episode, I share with you three habits...

Do you ever wonder if you’re making the right decisions for your kids and family? If you’re a parent, your answer is likely an emphatic ‘YES!’ In today’s episode, I share with you two financial decisions we made early on in our life as parents that dramatically impacted our family life. We didn’t know it at the time, but those decisions sent us on paths that would bond us closer with our kids (and...

They say kids grow up so fast and that it all passes so quickly. One minute they’re the newborn baby in your arms and the next minute you’re throwing them the keys to the car and they’re driving away. Did I really just blink and it all happened that fast?  We can’t slow down time, but there are intentional things we can do to make it less likely we’ll look back and feel like we missed their childh...

What do we do when our real life experiences as parents aren’t matching up with what we’ve always been taught or believed? Me? I go right in and start asking hard questions and researching and doing the work to get to the bottom of why things aren’t adding up.  In this episode, I share with you the journey I went on to reconcile what was happening in my relationships with my young children with wh...

In this first episode of SEASON THREE, we tackle group parenting. What is it?  Why does it matter to me as a young mom? (Let’s start this season off with a bang, shall we?)  With examples from her own life and parenting, host Sarah Short discusses the current push to make collective parenting decisions with a group of families. If you’re a new mom who hasn’t encountered this yet, you’ll hear Sarah...

SEASON TWO! THAT’S A WRAP! Today is the last episode of Season TWO on the No Way But Through Podcast!  This season, I took on some of the harder topics YOU asked me to podcast about! We talked about helping our kids through hurt and disappointment, five life-giving phrases our kids need to hear, and a two-part episode on how we can help our kids navigate change! I shared with you our approach to d...

There are few things as painful as getting excluded from a friend group or birthday party or event. And this isn’t just true for our kids, it’s true for us, too! Whether it’s a six year-old getting left out of a game on the playground or a thirty-something mom not being invited into a group of friends, it hurts.  On today’s episode, I share with you five things that have been incredibly helpful fo...

Let’s talk about date nights! When I was a young mom, so many conversations I had with my friends centered around how difficult it was for us to make date nights happen. Some of us had time and ideas, but no money. Some of us had money but no family in town or babysitters we could call. And the effort it took to find a babysitter and plan for and head out on a date night often felt like it wasn’t...

Vacationing with young kids brings with it a whole host of challenges - packing, diapers, disrupted sleep schedules, unexpected sickness, too much sugar, and everyone melting down - including mom and dad.  In this episode, I share with you the #1 thing that has helped us have almost 20 years of successful family vacations. From beach trips to big cities, and from newborns to teenagers, this one co...

I wish it wasn’t so, but our kids are gonna go through hard things and hard seasons. While it might look different for each of them, tough stuff is coming their way.  So how do we help them? What can we do as moms when our kids are facing struggles at school, in relationships with friends, or in a hard season that feels like it just won’t end? No matter what your kids are going through, they need...

Our kids will experience so many changing circumstances throughout their lives and there is so much we can do to help them move forward through those changes. From a new baby sibling arriving on the scene and your older child having to share their mom and dad for the first time to family dynamic shifts or hardships, we have tremendous opportunity to build within our kids a deep sense of trust and...