The Raw and The Cooked - Simple Rhythms for SAHM, Honest Motherhood, and Books Worth Reading

✨ Happy 2026! We made it through the holidays and now get that beautiful fresh-start energy that January brings. I am so here for it. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my very favorite baby and toddler books — the ones we reach for again and again with our 16-month-old and our preschoolers, and honestly the ones our older kids still love, too. Rather than focusing on a specific age, these are simpl...

Today, I'm sharing  the impulse buys that shaped a year at home with four kids, from sleep-regression gear that flopped to kitchen tools, kid storage, and one antique desk that changed everything. Honest wins, painful misses, and the small upgrades that make family life smoother.  Kitchen: Apple Slicer Sour Dough Bread Knife USA Loaf Pans Silicone Tipped Metal Straws Martha Stewart Cake Stand...

I’m sharing my favorite books of 2025 — the ones that stayed with me, challenged me, comforted me, or simply pulled me through a heavy season. This year, I read 55 books (and counting), and today I’m narrowing it down to the 13 books I loved the most . These picks span fiction and nonfiction, parenting, faith, health, and pure escapism — a true snapshot of my reading life this year. December feels...

Today I'm sharing Winter Dinners that will save your sanity. One-pot and one-sheet-pan meals for busy, cold nights that'll make winter cooking easier.  Recipes & Meals Mentioned: Slow Cooker Sunday • Simple slow-cooker chicken • Honey Butter Chicken (Naptime Kitchen–inspired) Ground Beef Monday • Meatloaf • Chili • Meatballs Asian Tuesday • Coconut milk chicken with kale • Korean tac...

We celebrate 200 episodes by tracing the path from a 2015 blog to a no-ads show, then unpack the five listener favorites that keep you coming back. Books lead the way, followed by kids’ reads, cleanup systems, family routines, and flexible budgeting. Top Book Review Episodes: #25 Paper Palace #104 Lady Tan’s Circle of Women #109 The Collected Regrets of Clover #179 The Wedding People #159 Here One...

Today, I dive into Children of the Book: A Memoir of Reading Together by Ilana Kurshan, a memoir that ties parenting to the Bible's rhythm, and how I used it to build a curated list of 92 children’s books for our family library. I share what resonated, what I skipped, and how I turned the list into holiday gifts you can copy.  The 92 Children's Book Recommendations.  Send us Fan Mail www...

Laundry doesn’t have to be overwhelming, even in a big family. In this episode, I walk you through the system that works for us: Why one small load every morning is the backbone of my laundry routine How I fit switching loads into our natural daily flow (even with preschool drop-offs and activities) My simple rhythm for sheets, towels, and diapers — and why bi-weekly is plenty in our house The tri...

In this week’s episode, I’m diving into one of my all-time favorite books, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer — a gentle but radical call to slow down and live with more peace, purpose, and presence. 🌿 I share how this book has shaped my family’s rhythm, deepened our Shabbat practice, and reminded me that we’re allowed to live differently — unhurried, intentional, and grounded i...

Fall settles in as we map a full week of family dinners, pack smarter school lunches, and share the exact grocery spend that made it work. From soup and meatloaf to salmon and chili, we show how one plan and a few batch tricks stretch flavor, time, and budget. • soup Sundays with tomato soup and sourdough grilled cheese • meatloaf Monday with buttery mashed potatoes and a green • quick Asian Tuesd...

I'm sharing ten simple shifts that made our home calmer, kinder, and more joyful, from fall break routines and kid chores to one-pot dinners and paper cycle tracking. The theme of this episode is gratitude! Long fall break without school rush Kids stepping up with dishes, sweeping, resets, laundry Monochrome gym uniforms to cut decisions Favorite cropped tee Plum quarter zip Navy quarter zip...

Our first sukkah, a broken foot, and a reminder that curveballs aren’t rejections — they’re invitations. This week taught me about slowing down, showing up anyway, and finding joy in the middle of the mess. 🕊️ Send us Fan Mail www.daraboxer.com

This week I’m sharing about one of my favorite rhythms in our family life: Sabbath. Why we keep it, how it shapes our week, and why rest is good for everyone — body, soul, family, and culture.  I’ll talk about our own Sabbath table, the prep that makes it possible, and some wisdom from Genesis and beyond that has helped me see rest as not just a pause, but a gift. Send us Fan Mail www.daraboxer.co...

Today's episode is a Part II of breaking free from cell phone addiction by turning smartphones into "dumb phones." Reclaiming our attention through intentional boundaries, mainly by living like it's 1995 again. • Deleting apps like banking, email, shopping, and browsers forces intentional computer-based usage • Setting boundaries like no phone before 7am and designated check-in...

I share my journey through 14 books read this summer - ten adult fiction and four children's books - reviewing the highlights, disappointments, and unexpected emotional moments along the way. • My standout favorite was "The Wedding People" by Alison Espach, likely to be in my top five books of the year • "Ask for Andrea" by Noelle Wehe captivated me with its unique perspec...

Digital clutter may not take up physical space, but it consumes valuable mental bandwidth and creates background anxiety we often ignore. This episode provides a comprehensive September reset for five key digital areas. • Phone usage is examined through the lens of "pickups" rather than screen time—revealing how we check phones every 8 minutes on average • Simple strategies for breaking...

"The Bright Years" by Sarah Damnoff is a debut novel that explores addiction's devastating impact across three generations of a family. This powerful story unfolds over three decades through alternating perspectives, weaving together themes of alcoholism, adoption, redemption, and the resilience of imperfect love.  Send us Fan Mail www.daraboxer.com

Ever wonder what a real family budget looks like? This week I’m opening up our June 2025 numbers — every dollar we spent on groceries, clothes, dining out, birdseed (yes), birthday parties, and last-minute ice cream runs. I’m sharing where the impulse spending sneaks in, what makes it worth it, and how I think about money not just as math but as a living record of our values, chaos, and care. Come...

September has a way of rushing in with new routines, school schedules, and endless lists, leaving us feeling like we’re already behind. But what if this month didn’t have to feel so overwhelming? In this episode, I’m sharing how I’m experimenting with a gentler rhythm for fall — including my idea of a “fall dashboard” to keep things simple — and how we can give ourselves permission to focus on wha...

This week on the podcast, I’m sharing exactly what our family of six ate over the course of a full summer week—plus what we spent on groceries and dining out. With my dad visiting, it was a lively, food-filled few days of sourdough baking, summer dinners, and simple breakfasts. Tune in for a peek at our real-life meal rhythm, how I balance homemade with easy wins, and the total cost of feeding our...

In this episode of The Raw and the Cooked , I’m taking you inside a typical summer weekday morning in our house—with four kids under six, it’s as wild and sweet as you’d imagine. From the early wake-up call (courtesy of the cat) to swim lessons, snack prep, and that sacred solo coffee shop hour, I’m sharing the rhythms that help keep things (mostly) running. If you’re deep in the trenches too, I h...

The magic of audiobooks lies in the unique relationship between listener and narrator. Just as our parents became our first storytellers, reading bedtime stories with dramatic voices and engaging inflections, today's professional narrators transform words on a page into immersive experiences. The right narrator can elevate a good story into something extraordinary—think of George Saunders&apo...

This replay dives into the magic of pan sauces — how they work, when to make them, and why they’re a shortcut to flavor and elegance. You’ll hear tips for building sauces from the bits left in the pan, plus my go-to combos that save dinner again and again. The Wooden Spoon Send us Fan Mail www.daraboxer.com

Stop cooking every night, especially in the thick of summer time. Today, we're going to discuss stretching three meals into seven nights with the help of batch cooking.  Send us Fan Mail www.daraboxer.com

Today, I'm sharing five simple strategies to transform your kitchen into a stress-free space where you'll actually enjoy cooking, focusing on manageable daily actions that create long-term impact. • Clean up completely after every meal, including a "three-minute sweep" to remove non-kitchen items that accumulate on countertops • Gradually declutter cabinets and drawers while pu...

Meal planning doesn't need to be complicated or time-consuming to be effective. We break down a simple four-step system that will transform your weeknight dinner routine and eliminate the daily stress of deciding what to cook. • Determine exactly how many nights you'll be cooking each week • Create a list of 3-5 "staple meals" that you enjoy making and your family enjoys eating...