Single Mom Smiling | Arming Warriors in the Battle for Marriage & Family

What do you do when the life you planned is no more? Last week I went to see the movie Young Washington and found parallels between our first President's life and struggles we face in our families today. Young George Washington was only eleven years old when his father died.  This left George to be raised by a single mom and a duty he was required to fulfill. Overnight, Young Washington's future c...

How will you be celebrating America's 250th birthday? Is it just about pool parties, hotdogs, and fireworks or is there more? As America celebrates 250 years, we reflect on the blessings of freedom, faith, and family. As a suddenly abandoned-while-pregnant single mom of five, I thoroughly appreciate opportunities single moms have in America that women have not had through history and still do not...

You made it through the school year! The days of running kids from event to event, checking homework and praying it is done are over for the year. You look forward to spending down time this summer. Summer is supposed to be a time of peace and relaxation, but when kids go with dad and single moms are left alone for extended periods of time, life gets hard. The Enemy uses that time to amplify three...

Fathers are important. They have a unique and special role in the home. It is one women cannot fill but can learn from. This Father's Day, single moms can honor good men by learning from them. In today's episode, we discuss advantages children raised in a home with two parents have over those raised in single mom homes and 10 things single moms can do to bring some of what a dad brings back into t...

Single mama, have you ever had someone wish you a happy Father's Day? It happens to most of us at some point or another. I understand the sentiment but cringe too. Fathers fulfill a unique and important role. It's a role even the best mother cannot fill. In today's episode, we'll look at the importance of fathers, why father wounds hurt so deeply, and what we can do about the gap in fathering. Sin...

Do negative thoughts or words dominate your conversation? Whether you are struggling in a relationship with a parent, spouse, or child or are discussing issues in the Church or America itself, words matter. If you do not building on a foundation of good, the chances of healing wounds and building peace are slim. No one wants to hear the bad stuff all the time. This is even more true when the bad s...

Should you leave a difficult Marriage? When is your husband's behavior abusive and leave-worthy and when do you stay and hope things get better? Michael Jackson's mom, Kathryn, was married to what appears to be a mean, selfish, unfaithful man, and yet she did not divorce him. She used her suffering for good, but should she have stayed or was her husband's behavior bad enough to qualify as abusive?...

Is Memorial Day just about barbecues, pool parties, and living modern the American dream? Of course not! In today's episode, we look at the roots of Memorial Day, who started it, and when and where it began. We'll also look at how to celebrate with your family so you both enjoy the day and remember the fallen because the human cost of Memorial Day cannot be forgotten. As a single mom, I know how i...

We live in an era of loneliness, but even when we are surrounded by others we can feel neglected and overlooked. Mother's Day should have been a joyous occasion, but many women spent the day feeling forgotten or wondering if anyone notices them or remembers the work they did. They wonder if anyone cares about them or appreciates their sacrifice. It is an awful feeling. And it is one Our Lord knows...

Motherhood is beautiful—but it can also be overwhelming, exhausting, and all-consuming. Somewhere between raising children, managing a home, navigating relationships, and carrying invisible emotional burdens… many women lose themselves. Or worse—they begin to believe their identity must come from someone else. A husband. A relationship. Approval. Validation. But what if your identity was never mea...

Is America still united or have we become a divided family? In this episode, we examine the growing division in our nation through the lens of the Catholic faith, family, and spiritual warfare. Inspired by the words of Pope Saint John Paul II and Ronald Reagan, we reflect on what it means to be family and the “invisible tie” that once held Americans together. We also ask whether it can survive tod...

It's no longer a question of if you experience loneliness after a broken relationship. It's a matter of how you handle it. Loneliness has reached epidemic proportions and is something everyone who has been abandoned goes through at some point. Loneliness is experienced by those who have gone through: marital abandonment by a spouse, estrangement from children who have walked away, the loss of pare...

What do you think of when you think of the person who has hurt you the most? Revenge? Anger? Bitterness? Walking away? Wanting to be left in peace? What if I asked you to think of mercy? What if the Bible commanded you treat those who hurt you mercifully? And what if mercy was defined as, "loving the unlovable and forgiving the unforgivable" and we must freely offer merciful love and forgiveness t...

Holidays can be rough.  The divorced, single parents and their children, the estranged, and all those suffering from attacks on Marriage and family can feel confused and defeated seeing others celebrate, but Easter offers hope! Jesus's Resurrection shows that life is possible after death. He shows us that, when we believe in Him, new life can begin. In today's episode, we explore what that looks l...

Pain is part of life. It is often unavoidable and inescapable. Our choice usually lies only in what we choose to do with that pain. While many suffer, others will choose to sacrifice as Our Lord invites us to do. As we enter the holiest three days of the year, you are invited to unite with Jesus at the foot of the Cross in sacrifice. When your suffering becomes sacrifice, your struggle becomes red...

In today's episode, we'll look at a question a client asked. It's one I've asked too: Why don't people don't speak out when evil happens? Throughout history we've seen "good" people turn from what is right to normalize what is evil. While death tolls vary greatly, Nazi Germany, abortion, and covid protocols are all examples of evil where victims feel unseen.  No fault divorce is another accepted e...

How many times have you wanted to quit something important?  Do any of these describe where you are or have been? Stuck in a struggling Marriage and see no reason to go on Exhausted by solo parenting Tired by your own parent's harping on you Simply ready for Lent to end so you can go back to your sweets. Maybe you've thought of throwing in the towel and walking away from it all. While it can be un...

If the devil used tactics like shock and awe, we would see him coming a mile away and avoid him like the plague. Instead, he is wily and takes out his epic fury against Our Lord and His children in more subtle ways. In today's episode, we look at what has been called the devil's greatest trick and what that may look like in us. The enemy's tactics are not new, but they are ones we repeatedly fall...

Do you struggle with loving yourself? If you're feeling lonely or wishing you had better relationships, self love may be the first step you are missing. While it sounds strange, loving yourself can be very difficult. If you've been through trauma, such as abuse, abandonment, or neglect, feeling worthy of any kind of love can seem like a foreign concept, but difficulties surrounding self love are n...

This is the first episode Single Mom Smiling formally begins addressing the war on Biblical Marriage and family. I recorded this episode four times before realizing why I was so unhappy with my work. Then, sitting in front of the Tabernacle, I realized what I was doing wrong and felt God reveal what I was missing. It was so obvious! Today, I read straight from the journal entry I wrote while sitti...

Being a single mom is hard enough without adding additional sacrifice in, yet that is what we are told to do during Lent. In this Ash Wednesday episode, women's resilience coach Kerri Bishop explains the three facets of Lent as prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. Then she explains why it is good for those with hard lives to choose suffering during this sacred season. Don't forget to download the Belo...

If you've ever felt anger as a single mom, you are not alone. While anger may be a very valid emotion when your ex treats you badly, when the courts rule unjustly, and when you are simply exhausted and run down, anger is not healthy for you or your children. Jesus compares anger to killing someone and clearly tells us we must overcome anger. In today's episode, I look at what Jesus tells us about...

Why does today's society so often get marriage wrong when so many early Christian cultures got it right? Marriage and family are not just cultural institutions. They are spiritual battlegrounds. In this Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes/Marian Consecration episode, we look at on overlooked cause for so many marriages struggling today. Could it be that the deeper issue is not solely about misunderstandi...

Did your spouse tell you he'd love you forever and then leave? Do you now have a hard time figuring out who you are after you've been cheated on or abandoned? If so, you are not alone! When two flesh become one and then get torn apart, learning to stand on your own again can seem impossible and is without this one thing. But there is hope! If you can build this through your trials, you will rebuil...

Why do women, and those who love them, show up at the March for Life? Not for one reason, but for many, often deeply personal reasons. In this episode, I walk the March for Life and chat with other marchers. In mostly short clips, you’ll hear from people whose paths look nothing alike - bikers, students, religious sisters, researchers, and young women. Yet all are there because they care about wom...