Clutter Free Academy

For those of you who also struggle with weight, health, and generally feeling defeated with anything in your life that feels like it will never be resolved, this is for you. This is me, at my home church last week, talking about weight (I'd be much more comfortable talking about sex, trust me,) and how I can keep coming back to find hope in what can feel like a hopeless situation. (There may have been a few tears shed...)

Can't find your favorite pair of sandals? Where is that outfit you wanted to wear tonight? Which clothes still fit you and which do not? Going into our closet can be an overwhelming experience. Maybe you just shove things in there and say you'll get to organizing it "later." Today Kathi and Erin discuss how to thin out the items that aren't needed today in order to be able to easily find the wardrobe you enjoy and will be wearing this week.

Where do our daughters find their value in our culture? Their number of Facebook likes Their amount of Twitter Followers The number of boys that like them How do we help our daughters to find their value in the one who created them and loves them, Jesus? Today we talk with Lynn Cowell, author of Magnetic: Becoming the Girl He Wants to learn how we can help our daughters grow up to have a healthy sense of worth.  

But when is weird something that we need to change and when is weird something we need to say, “Maybe this is what God’s done with me and it’s OK?” Today we talk with Laurie Wallin, author of  Why Your Weirdness Is Wonderful: Embrace Your Quirks and Live Your Strengths. She is a life coach who teaches others how their weirdness enables them to love God uniquely and to love others more effectively. Listen to today’s podcast and learn How your weirdness is God’s image in you How to ask questions to check if your weirdness is bringing God glory How you can use something you hadn’t always appreciated about yourself for God’s glory

Today, we’re talking to Deva Dalporto of YouTube fame.  Yes, she’s the real woman behind the series of parody videos that you see on Facebook all the time.  She’s the mom behind What Does the Kid Say?, My Lips are Movin’ and her brand new Back-to-School Rap.  Listen in and find camaraderie in the fact that: Housekeeping is hard. Parenting is hard. Kids are hard. Life balance is hard. But there are millions of other moms out there who feel just like you do right now.  And maybe, just maybe if you step back and allow yourself to find joy in the big and the little, that burden will be eased.

Does your three-year-old know more about your iPhone than you do? Does your ten-year-old spend more time worrying about screen time than family time? Are you ready to throw screens out of your house altogether?  Listen in as Kathi and Erin talk to Arlene Pellicane, the author of Growing Up Social:  Raising Relational Kids in a Screen Driven World about: How to put appropriate boundaries in place with your kids in regards to technology. How to keep your kids relational even when they are inundated with screens and technology. How to teach your kids character and virtue even in a world where screens are so prevalent. Plus, click here to take Arlene's quiz "Is Your Child Getting Too Much Screen Time" and then listen in to find out how you can find the happy middle between our screen-driven world and the relationships that help our kids to thrive.

Have you ever gotten yourself into trouble for something you said? We all have!  Today, our guest Karen Ehman, the author of Keep it Shut:  What to Say it, How to Say it and When to Say Nothing at All, tells us how to keep our words uplifting, fruitful and God-honoring. She shares how we can: Avoid saying painful things to our loved ones that can cause damage when we are in a moment of temporary frustration. Keep our "verbal grenades" of opinion flinging from hurting people on Facebook and Twitter. (And knowing how to pray before we post so we don't say the wrong thing.) Find the fine line between processing and gossip. Be intentional about our communication so that our words can speak truth and life into the lives of the ones we love. Listen in, and then click over to read Karen's website and sign up for Karen's 5-day "Pray before you Pounce" challenge and start practicing your newfound communication skills.

Most little girls grow up dreaming of being a mom, but hardly any of them dream of becoming a stepmom. Nevertheless, approximately one million new stepfamilies are created every year. It’s no secret, being a stepmother can be a living nightmare. But it can also be an enriching and rewarding experience—one that God can use to strengthen you, helping you survive and even thrive in the toughest job you never asked for.

How do you stay connected to your man when your life is… crazy? Fellow podcaster and blogger Jamie Ivey shares her tips and tricks for keeping her marriage hot when she has four kids, a busy husband and messy house.  Listen in and get: •    Date night ideas that are creative and fun. •    Ideas on how to make our marriages a priority over work, over chores and yes, even over parenting. •    Tips on how to connect with your husband emotionally, spiritually and even physically. •    How to find time and energy for date night, sex and everything else you need to do to make your marriage hot. Listen in and then head to Jamie's homepage and get loads of free date night ideas and find out how she is "ruling" marriage by making her marriage her number one priority.

Do you ever feel like every second of your life is filled with… business? This week, we talked to Jessica Turner, the author of The Fringe Hours, on how we can declutter our schedules to find fringe hours—time to refresh ourselves and find elusive balance.  Find out how you can: •    Track your time so you can see where your time is going and adjust in order to find fringe time. •    How to model balance for our kids so that we can best utilize the time God gave us. •    How to schedule "me time" on your calendar so you can rejuvenate and refresh.

Who wants a red hot sex life? Yes, we're really asking you that and here's why: We believe that our media likes to act like hot sex is demoralizing and demeaning sex a la 50 Shades of Grey. It doesn't have to be that way! And we have proof: Our new e-Book 10 Ideas to Inspire Red Hot Sex is full of red hot sex ideas that are intimate, marriage-building and yes, hot. Listen in and Kathi and Erin will: •    Tell you exactly why they decided embark on writing a sex book. •    Share a couple of their red hot sex ideas (yes, this part made us blush.) •    And challenge you to the Red Hot Valentine's Day challenge:  Instead of heading to the theater to watch people having sex in 50 Shades of Grey, we want to ask you to make some red hot memories of your own. Listen in, then click over to join the Valentine's Day Challenge and you could be entered to win a copy of 10 Ideas to Inspire Red Hot Sex.  And then join hundreds of other hot mamas on Facebook as we promise to make 2015 the hottest ever.

Is your marriage in need of some love therapy? Kathi's husband Roger joins the podcast today to talk about Kathi and Roger's new book, Happy Habits for Every Couple. The book is full of fun, flirty ideas to intentionally connect with your husband in a meaningful way.  (And by meaningful, we're talking about chocolate, sex and romance.) Listen in and: •    Find out how you can connect with your husband in a way that's meaningful and intentional. •    Simple tips—for both guys and girls—on how to make your marriage work. •    Get ways to develop happy habits as a couple so you can be "that happy couple." •    How to intentionally connect to your husband in a meaningful way.

You hardly have time to eat or shower… how are you supposed to have time for sex? Are you ready for a clutter free romance? Our new series of books, “Hot Mama,” was written just for busy women like you—women who want fulfilling, intimate and hot sex lives without all of the clutter that makes our marriages ho-hum.  And to kick it off, we’re talking about decluttering your life to make room for… sex.  Listen and hear how to: Keep your bedroom a place that’s romantic and sexy, not depressing and cluttered. Find room in your busy schedule for sex and intimacy. Making sure your lingerie drawer is full of cute things. Make room in your life for all of the flirty fun things that happen in a marriage. (And find out exactly what Kathi is talking about when she says “her salad kit.”) When you’re done, head over to http://www.kathilipp.com/fridaynightlights to sign up to get a free sex tip delivered to your inbox every Friday for ten weeks to help you keep your sex life fun, fulfilling and yes, even hot. And here’s a

Dinner hour.  Two tiny words that can make your heart start to pound, your stomach clench and your hand reach for the phone to order pizza.  Again. Nothing (okay, almost nothing) is more stressful than planning, cooking and executing dinner.  Kathi and Erin share their best “been there, done that” tips for making dinnertime quick, fast and healthy.  Listen in and hear how you can: -          Declutter your pantry and kitchen so cooking gets less stressful -          Declutter the chaos of dinner time to make it peaceful and fun. -          Declutter your meal planning to make grocery shopping and cooking simple. -          Declutter your leftovers so you can use them to make two or even three dinners. -          Declutter your dinner time so you can eat joyfully instead of stressfully. Kathi and Erin mention some of their favorite recipes. You can download them here. Declutter Meal Time Recipes Plus, click below to order Kathi’s new book “Clutter Free” (Get it, declutter your life, declutter your meal

We hold to our mantra: Clutter Free in 2015! In the past few weeks, everyone has jumped on the clutter free bandwagon (no, really, there are more than 5,000 women signed up for the 21 day Clutter Free challenge). We are so excited about this, because we know how crippling clutter can be. But, as we’ve begun to declutter, many questions have come up: – What sort of system works to start decluttering? – How do you go about giving away and selling your items? – How do you decide which items to get rid of? Listen in as Kathi answers those questions and more and get started to be clutter free in 2015! ALSO, I want to personally invite you to become a So Here’s the Thing Insider. Those in the Insider’s Club will get exclusives including: Podcast at least one day before it’s available to the public Freebies from our guests that only Insiders will get Opportunities to suggest topics and guests for future podcast episodes Exclusive discounts and offers Exciting Insider look at the conversation between

Are your kids acting entitled after the Christmas craze? Mary Hunt, the author of Raising Financially Confident Kids, walks you through how to kick entitlement and irresponsibility to the curb this year and teach your kids that just because they have $3 doesn’t mean they need to spend it on bubble gum and Pokemon cards. A no-fail plan to help your kids become financially responsible. How to keep your kids from falling into ugly habits of entitlement and financial irresponsibility. A step-by-step plan to teach your kids about finances. Eliminating entitlement and growing gratitude in your kids. Listen in and find out how you can start the year off with a huge dose of financial responsibility and a heaping dose of gratitude.

Clutter Free in 2015! Are you motivated to get (and keep) yourself organized this year? We talked to our own in-house clutter expert and the author of Clutter Free (yes, it’s Kathi) about going clutter free for 2015. Listen as Kathi tells you how to: – Sort through your stuff to decide what to keep and what to get rid of. – Find a space for everything and a use for everything you have. – Lead your family by example as you get your house organized. – Get your life in order so that you can feel sane this year. Listen in and then pick up a copy of Kathi’s new book, Clutter Free, and get started on a new and organized year. Don’t forget to sign up for the 21-Day Clutter Free Challenge!

LOOKING FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS FOR YOUR MAN? Christmas can be reverent, joyful, exuberant and fun, but it can also be… romantic.  And Kathi and Erin want to show you how you can make this Christmas a wonderful time for your family, but also a hot, hot, hot time for your spouse.  Listen in and hear: Kathi and Erin’s best tips for making your marriage a priority during the holidays. Ideas for romantic gifts for your spouse. (The kind of gifts that the kids shouldn’t see you open.) Fun and, yes, even sexy suggestions for holiday romance that will make your husband’s eyes light up. Click over to Kathi’s blog and read her best red gift ideas and then stay tuned for more information about when Kathi and Erin’s new book releases.

Have you ever had one of those… days.  What do you do when life feels out of control, when you can’t find peace, when your soul is restless… and it’s the holidays?  We talked to Bonnie Gray, author of Finding Spiritual Whitespace about: How to embrace the part of you that is real and let go of the business and fluff that tend to overwhelm at this time of the year. Creating space in your heart for God in a busy season. Practical tips on how you can find spiritual whitespace for your entire family this Christmas. How to enjoy the small things this holiday season for a truly joyful, hopeful season. Click here to read Bonnie’s list of favorite reads (so you can settle your heart with story per her advice) and then listen in as Bonnie Gray brings a breath of fresh air to the frazzle of the season. Plus, start off 2015 with Bonnie’s online spiritual whitespace book club and start your year with some peace for your soul. After you listen to the podcast, come back and answer the question below for a chance