Simple Families Podcast: Parenting | Simple Living | Minimalism | Purposeful Life With Kids + Family

We know the environment in which we live and the food we eat have an impact on the development of our children. In today’s episode I am speaking with author + science writer Jena Pincott about all-natural biohacks for parents. Biohacks involve making changes to diet and lifestyle that transform biological tendencies that exist in our bodies. I learned so much from Jena’s book, and I hope you enjoy our chat today! Jena’s Book: Wits Guts Grit: All-Natural Biohacks for Raising Smart, Resilient Kids   The post SFP 118: All-Natural Biohacks for Kids [with author Jena Pincott] appeared first on Simple Families.

The value of play in childhood is often underestimated. Our children need to play and when pushed into academics at a young age they miss vital opportunities to develop and grow. In today’s episode we are discussing the balance between work and play. I am chatting with Jeanne-Marie Paynel of Voila Montessori about understanding the connection between these concepts. Show Notes/Links Jeanne-Marie’s website About Jeanne-Marie The “Be the Best Parent You Can Be” Summit The post SFP 117: Finding the Balance of Work Vs. Play in Childhood [with Jeanne-Marie Paynel of Voila Montessori] appeared first on Simple Families.

Children benefit from the opportunity to play in open-ended, unstructured environments. Today I am talking with Nicole Roccaro from Naturally Curious Children. We talk about finding a balance in play, leaning towards unstructured activities, and following our children’s lead. Nicole’s home and approach are inspired by something called Reggio-Emilia. In this episode, we are discussing more about what this means and how parents can nurture this type of play in our families. Show Notes/Links Nicole on Instagram: Naturally Curious Children Nicole on Facebook: Naturally Curious Children Grimms (toy referenced) The post SFP 116: Raising Naturally Curious Children [with Nicole Roccaro] appeared first on Simple Families.

Horseplay is developmentally beneficial for our growing children. If you have a kid who plays rowdy, then you need to hear this. We need to find a way to encourage this behavior rather than discourage it. In today’s episode, I am chatting with Frances Carlson, the author of the book Big Body Play. I found Frances’ work to be eye opening and I think you will too. For some children, the need to move is just too much. They just have to let that energy out. And unfortunately they get labeled as misbehaving children, when what they are doing is what they need to develop. It’s like saying “if you get up and eat, you are misbehaving” – Frances Carlson Show Links/Notes: Big Body Play [the book] Big Body Play [the website] The post SFP 115: The Benefits of Rowdy Play [with Frances Carlson of Big Body Play] appeared first on Simple Families.

Never underestimate what your children are learning through play. In the early years, play is the main vehicle for learning and education. In today’s episode, I will be introducing you to the importance of play. We chat about stages of play, types of play, and what role that adults may have in play. Show Notes/Links The Play’s the Thing The post SFP 114: The Importance of Play appeared first on Simple Families.

Child behavior is anything but straightforward. My children are well-behaved, but as humans–they have their “moments”. As parents, we can feel powerless when our kids aren’t cooperating or being respectful. Today on the podcast I am explaining how we blend positive parenting methods with some strategies and techniques. One technique in particular that we are discussing is “time-out”. Time-out is often overused and misused. I give you 5 tips for using it successfully, as well as 4 shame-free ways to execute it (you might be surprised, none of these involve sticking your kids nose in the corner). Do you ever use time-out? Have you found it to be successful? The post SFP 113: Simplifying Child Behavior | Troubleshooting “Time-Out” appeared first on Simple Families.

In today’s episode I am chatting with Hunter Clarke-Fields of Mindful Mama Mentor. Hunter specializes in mindful parenting and in this episode we are talking about control in parenting. As parents, we feel like we should have control over our children. But children have their own agendas and ideas about this. How much control do we really have—or is it all an illusion? Show Notes/Links: Mindful Mama Mentor Free Course/Resources The post SFP 112: Do we control our kids? [With Hunter from Mindful Mama Mentor] appeared first on Simple Families.

The words that we speak to our children become their inner voice. And the average woman speaks 20,000 words per day. While we can’t always be intentional in the way we speak to our children, we can do better. In today’s episode, author Tracy Cutchlow and I are discussing how to speak to our children. We talk about the impact that our words have and strategies for improving our language to encourage a “growth mindset” (+all about what that means). Show Links: Zero to Five: 70 Essential Parenting Tips Based on Science (the book) Zero to Five (Tracy’s website) Word-for-Word Examples Using Language of Listening Growth Mindset Workshop The post SFP 111: How You Talk to Kids + Why it Matters [with Tracy from Zero to Five] appeared first on Simple Families.

What does it mean to “raise successful kids”? Today I am chatting with Krista from A Life in Progress. I knew I could rely on Krista to bring some excellent perspective to this topic and she comes through in this episode. When it comes to life, Krista thinks outside the box and walks off the beaten path. She has raised three young adults and considers her kids to be her greatest teachers. Krista and I are diving deeper into the idea that there is more than one path to successful parenting and perhaps raising “mediocre” kids might not be so bad after all. Show Notes/Links A Life in Progress What if All I Want is a Mediocre Life What to Do When You Live with Messy People The post SFP 110: Raising Successful Kids [with Krista from A Life in Progress] appeared first on Simple Families.

Parents spend a great deal of time and money baby-proofing the home. But how does this process impact our kids? Today, I am chatting with Nicole from The Kavanaugh Report. Nicole and I are both passionate about creating a home that is child-friendly rather than child-proof. That means that we are thoughtful to design our homes with both the children and adults in mind. How have you created a home that is child-friendly? Show Links: Case Against Childproofing (Article) The Kavanaugh Report (Nicole’s Blog) The post SFP 109: Make your home child-friendly, rather than child-proof [with Nicole from The Kavanaugh Report] appeared first on Simple Families.

Zoë Kim has lived in 24 homes in 13 different states. She’s an expert at moving and has a healthy dose of wanderlust, but she also manages to connect to the communities in which she lives. In today’s episode, Zoë and I are discussing moving, finding minimalism, and how to build a happy home (make that plural, in her case). Show Links: Zoë’s Blog: Raising Simple Zoë’s Book: Minimalism for Families (Affiliate) The post SFP 108: Moving, Minimalism, and Building a Happy Home appeared first on Simple Families.

I haven’t always lived in places that I love. But I have found gratitude and contentment in some surprising places. Today on the podcast, I am sharing how I created a home that I love along with how I engage in my community to increase a sense of attachment and rootedness. Want to talk more about this topic? Join us this month in the “Love Where You Live Experiment”. [button url=”simplefamilies.com/may”]JOIN HERE[/button] The post SFP 107: How I Created a Home I Love appeared first on Simple Families.

  In today’s episode we are exploring the idea of “putting down roots” and becoming attached to the places that we live. Melody Warnick shares her own personal experience and the research on this concept called place psychology. If you ever spend time linger on Zillow or perusing the “Best Cities to Live” lists, then you will love to hear what Melody has to say. For the month of May, we will be falling in love with our less-than-perfect homes and connecting to our communities. Join Denaye from Simple Families, Zoe from Raising Simple, and Melody, Author of “This is Where You Belong” as we explore this exciting (and much needed) topic. JOIN US HERE  Show Links: This is Where You Belong by Melody Warnick Walk Score The post SFP 106: Love Where You Live [with Melody Warnick, author of “This is Where You Belong”] appeared first on Simple Families.

Have you ever dreamt of starting an organic garden? Today on the podcast I am chatting with my friend and homesteader Beth Brettell from High Sierra Permaculture. She’s a former designer turned homesteader, and along with her partner Bret they have created a beautiful and productive garden in Northern California. Beth answers all of my beginner questions + gives us all a quick lesson in Organic Gardening 101. Be sure to follow Beth and Bret on Instagram to see what life looks like on a homestead and learn more about organic gardening. Want to learn more? Get their free crash course to get started. In this episode, Beth and I chat about: When to plant. What to plant. Is it better to start with seeds? How to prepare soil. An introduction to composting. How to attract pollinators. +much more SHOW LINKS: Farmers Almanac Master Gardeners Permaculture Homestead Crash Course Pinterest: Beginning Gardening 101 Instagram: High Sierra Permaculture The post SFP 105: The Basics of Organic Garden

As mothers, we often carry the heavy responsibility of feeding our families. Despite what Pinterest leads us to believe, cooking for a family doesn’t have to be fancy. In today’s podcast episode I am chatting with Erin Odom of The Humbled Homemaker. Erin and I are discussing our favorite methods for simplifying meal planning and cooking for family. We both know firsthand that this season of life with young children can be difficult to prep and cook healthy meals–so we are scaling it back to the simplest ways that we know and sharing them with you. Show Links: The Humbled Homemaker More Than Just Making It (Erin’s first book/aff link) You Can Stay Home With Your Kids (Erin’s brand new book) Eating Well on a Budget (Free E-Course) Field To Plate (Seasonal food guide) Trim Healthy Mama (Erin’s favorite health/recipe guides) The post SFP 104: Food Made Simple [with Erin from The Humbled Homemaker] appeared first on Simple Families.

We know that the kitchen is the most used room in the house–yet simplifying the kitchen is anything but easy. On the podcast today I am chatting with Melissa Coleman of The Faux Martha. Melissa is a food blogger and she is sharing her story about how the kitchen “broke” for her. She decided she either needed to make big changes or call it quits. Fortunately, she stuck with it and now she’s sharing the art of creating a minimal kitchen. Inspired by Melissa’s ways, I will be sharing a tour of my kitchen and pantry in the Simplify Food + Family group this week. Join us there! Show Links: The Minimalist Kitchen (Melissa’s book) The Faux Martha (Melissa’s blog) The post SFP 103: The Minimalist Kitchen [with Melissa from The Faux Martha] appeared first on Simple Families.

Every parent wants to feed their children nutritious food. That probably means a heaping dose of vegetables, ample proteins, and a well-rounded source of vitamin-rich foods. Even if we know what we should be feeding our children, we don’t always know the magic tricks to actually get our kids to eat those super foods. In today’s episode, sociologist and author Dina Rose Ph.D. explains to us why feeding children really isn’t all about nutrition. Dina is changing the conversation from nutrition to establishing positive habits–her wisdom will have you thinking bigger than just broccoli. Want to join in this discussion for the month of April as we talk all things food + family?  [button url=”simplefamilies.com/april”]SIGN UP HERE[/button] Show Notes About Dina Her Website: It’s Not About Nutrition Her Book: It’s Not About the Broccoli Her Super Food Explorer Kit The post SFP 102: It’s Not About Nutrition [with Dina Rose Ph.D.] appeared first on Simple Families.

In our house, mealtimes are pleasant. My kids eat well and we enjoy each others company. I don’t have it all figured out, but I do have a Ph.D. in Child Development with a research background in child wellness. That means I use a combination of both research-based ideas and intuitive planning to help develop my kids into good-eaters. Not all these things are going to resonate with you and work for your family–but they have surely worked for mine. Want to join in this discussion for the month of April as we talk all things food + family? SIGN UP HERE.  SHOW NOTES We started out this way from Day 1 The Cardinal Rule of Feeding Children The dinner table is enjoyable We keep “meal windows” Snacks are used carefully We don’t talk about “likes and dislikes” Food preferences are considered dynamic rather than static There are no assumptions, other than that our children will eat well I use backwards meal planning We keep the food-prep and recipes simple There’s no sugar SHOW LINKS Exactly How I Fee

I don’t have a regular yoga or meditation practice, although I wish I did. Yet each day I find moments of mindfulness and presence in regular activities. In today’s podcast episode I am speaking with Shawn Fink from The Abundant Mama Project. We are chatting all about how to meditate without meditating–and by that I mean how to find moments of calm within the chaos that can overwhelm motherhood. What unconventional, yet very ordinary ways do you catch moments of mindfulness in motherhood? Show Notes/Links: A Busy Mom’s Guide to Meditating without Meditating Achieve Balance with a Mindful Motherhood Philosophy Rise and Shine Challenge Savoring Slow Book + Kit The post SFP 100: How to Meditate Without Meditating [with Shawn from the Abundant Mama Project] appeared first on Simple Families.

She’s skinny, ​crafty, active, accomplished in her career, family-focused, and well-dressed (all the time, even at drop off). She’s the perfect mom. She’s the mom that we are secretly striving to be–the one that does it all and has it all. In fact, many of the things we spend our time and energy striving towards are because of her. It’s because we feel like we don’t measure up. Because we feel like we aren’t enough. Today on the podcast I am chatting with Catia Holm, author and inspirational speaker. We are talking about the striving that we do as mothers. What if we could let go of that perfect mother and embrace the very person we are today? I never knew how much magic could be found in the ordinary -Catia Holm Show Notes/Links in this episode: The Courage to Become by Catia Holm The Six Stages of Parenthood by Ellen Galinsky The Robcast The post SFP 99: Perfectionism in Motherhood [with Catia Holm] appeared first on Simple Families.