Pardon the Mess with Scarlet Hiltibidal - Christian Motherhood, Biblical Parenting, Raising Christian Kids

I hope you’re enjoying our real truth series as much as I am.    If I’m honest, most of the real truth topics we’re covering are areas of my life that could use a little bit of attention, and I’m guessing you’re dealing with the same things too!    Today is no exception as we visit with Gary Thomas, the King of Marriage. I mean, perhaps “King of Marriage” is not exactly in his bio, but when you wr...

We’re off to a great start in praying for our kids this school year and I’m so glad you’re doing this with me! Week one (last week) we prayed for our kids’ salvation, which is hands down the most important thing we can pray for them.    This week we’re praying for a blessed life. But there’s a hitch! We want to know God’s version of living blessed instead of relying on the world’s definition. Psal...

Is your husband child a gamer? (Just kidding.)   Is it hard for you to relate?    Do you wonder if there’s any redeeming value in it?    Have you wondered what the Bible would say about gaming?    Are you lacking a framework for determining what’s appropriate and what's not?   If you responded “yes” to any of the above, today’s your lucky day!    Drew Dixon is the cofounder of Love Thy Nerd, a...

It’s week ONE of our 2022-2023 Monday prayer podcast, and this is where the journey begins to pray our kids through the school year!   This year we’re following the Christian Parenting prayer journal, Key Psalms to Pray Over Your Kids . If you haven’t grabbed your copy yet, now’s a great time to do just that.    I love the Psalms because it’s 150 songs, poems, and expressions of faith from real-li...

Kirk Cameron won over our teenage hearts on Growing Pains many years ago. And I hate to be the one to do this to you, but it’s been over 37 years since that show premiered. So now who's feeling old? 🙋🏼‍♀️   Since that time, Kirk has given us a crash course on what it looks like to stand for the principles of our faith, including some amazing projects centered on social media, marriage, and f...

Step right on up if you have a teen that’s starting to date or if the sheer thought of it makes you break into a cold sweat.    There are so many questions behind the topic of dating and how to best shepherd our kids when they start down this road. Thankfully, we’re tackling it this week with Steve Frissell, an Executive Pastor at Bent Tree Bible Fellowship in Dallas, Texas.    Steve and his wife...

Today begins a new series that I’m so excited about on Pardon the Mess . 🥳   We’re going to dig deep into the “real truth” behind common issues we face in our spiritual life, parenting life, and just in life generally. We’ve been working super hard behind the scenes to get the perfect guests to encourage and instruct us in some important areas, and here’s a preview of what’s coming up:  Real trut...

If you love football and want to be inspired to live each day with purpose, you’re going to love today’s show with the Dungys. Tony Dungy is a football legend, playing for many years in the NFL and then coaching professionally with the Colts and Buccaneers. He’s a Super Bowl champ and now works as a football analyst for NBC.    Tony and his wife Lauren have been outspoken in their faith every step...

I remember as a kid having a range of emotions the night before school started. I would lay in bed with questions swirling like…    Did I pick the right back to school shoes?  Will my friends still like me?  Is Mrs. Smith as mean as everyone says? Will my favorite lunch table have enough seats?  Will the coach yell at me again for being the slowest to run the mile in PE? (oh wait, maybe that’s jus...

Boys… whatcha gonna do with them? Just kidding.    But they really are unique creatures and if you’re raising one or more, you know that finding ways to help them communicate and express their feelings in a healthy way can be challenging.    David Thomas is a Pardon the Mess favorite, and he’s with us today discussing the importance of raising emotionally strong boys. Don’t miss his insight into w...

I’m so happy to have Sean McDowell with us again today! We’re talking about practical ways to equip our kids to intellectually defend their faith. Sean is an author, speaker, and well-known apologist in today’s culture (just like his dad, Josh McDowell).    Sean and I talk about the confusing messages our kids are facing and how these messages are different from the ones in the past. We also talk...

Is your face melting off from the heat? We used to just call this ridiculous weather “Texas in July.”  But the odds are if you’re in the United States or Europe, you’re doing a little bit of sweating right alongside us. Not to mention, if you have kids home this summer and you didn’t plan enough activities, there’s some sweating involved with that too.    Thankfully we have Scarlet Hiltibidal with...

A friend recently mentioned to me a podcast, Java with Juli , that has completely changed how she approaches the topic of sexuality with her kids. Fast forward to today, and Juli Slattery is joining us to talk about sexuality as it relates to our marriages, parenting, and so much more.   Now most of you know that talking about sex makes me squirm. So if for no other reason, you need to listen toda...

I hope everyone had an amazing 4th of July! We spent the last week in Boston on vacation and it was amazing, exhausting, and everything you can imagine from spending a week with your kids in small spaces. That makes today’s podcast especially timely (for me at least).     Today we have the privilege of hearing from Sissy Goff, a fan favorite when it comes to understanding our kids. Sissy is the Di...

This week as a part of our “best of” Pardon the Mess interviews, David Thomas is with us to talk about all things related to our boys.    Picture this: you’re picking up your son from the first day of school after waiting to hear all about his day. Even as he’s closing the car door you begin asking the most critical of questions like... How is your teacher? What friends are in your class? Who did...

We’re using the next several weeks to release some of the “best of” Pardon the Mess interviews. With over 300 episodes and lots of new listeners, we don’t want any of you to miss a thing.    Today we’re re-releasing our conversation with Jennie Allen on the lies we believe about friendships.   Jennie shares what she now knows about friendships, what they are, what they aren’t, and what impedes us...

I hope you’re enjoying summer and hopefully getting a little extra time with your kids!   The next few weeks we’re going to be sharing some of the “best of” Pardon the Mess interviews. Hard to believe we’ve released over THREE HUNDRED episodes! With so many new people joining along the way, we want to be sure you didn’t miss some of our favorite interviews.    Today we’re re-releasing our conversa...

Imagine having seven children and living in an RV. I know, I can’t either. Stephen and Amanda Miller are doing just that and today we get a sneak peek into their lives!    In his new book, Art of Getting it Wrong , Stephen reminds us that our failures are not final, and that it’s in those same failures where we learn to live courageously. It’s so easy to think our worth is equal to the sum of our...

Hey Friends, I often get questions on books I would recommend for our kids and honestly, more often than not, I draw a blank.    That’s why today’s bonus episodes of Pardon the Mess are dedicated to some of our very favorite authors and the children’s books they have written. These are books you can trust and your kids will love. Below you’ll find overviews of the books as well as links to the pod...

Hey Friends,   I often get questions on books I would recommend for our kids and honestly, more often than not, I draw a blank.    That’s why today’s bonus episodes of Pardon the Mess are dedicated to some of our very favorite authors and the children’s books they have written. These are books you can trust and your kids will love. Below you’ll find overviews of the books as well as links to the p...

Are you overwhelmed with technology?   Do you wonder how to keep your kids safe while also teaching them to use it responsibly?    Have you wished for a biblical perspective on digital safety that goes hand in hand with the practical?    For me it’s yes, yes, and yes.   Today we have Chris McKenna with us and he’s the founder and CEO of Protect Young Eyes. We’re talking about a digital trust frame...

It’s hard to believe that way back on September 13th of last year we began praying our kids through the school year and that today is our last day!    We’ve prayed for our kids to have connection, purpose, salvation, humility, and countless other attributes of our faith. Many of you have been with me each step of the way as we’ve asked the Lord to stand in the gap of our parenting while also drawi...

Happy Summer!   I hope you’re having a great ending to the school year and ready for a fun-filled summer! I know that summer can bring a mix of emotions for most of us, so no guilt as we navigate these days well with our kids.    Today Lisa Appelo is with us to discuss grief and how to walk our kids through it. This is so important for when our own kids are grieving, but also for when those around...

There are no words at a time like this and, if you’re like me, the news feels almost suffocating this morning. I want to take a minute to lead us in a special time of prayer for our friends in Uvalde as well as for all of our students.   Take a minute to listen to this special edition podcast and join me in praying for Uvalde and our schools.    Also, I wrote an article several years ago after the...

We are down to the last two weeks of praying through our 2021–2022 journal, which is really hard to believe! Yet it also seems fitting to be praying for patience as we’re staring down the barrel of summer and preparing for lots of extra time with our kids the next several months.    It’s not lost on me that very few of us feel like we’ve mastered patience when it comes to our kids, which is why I’...