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

Welcome back to Part II of Analog Curious (if you missed Part I, catch it here). In this episode, I continue to explore my analog curiosity and provide some useful ways I have been able to decrease the impact of screen time and social media use. One thing is for sure, I’m a work in progress. I’d love to hear more about your journey! Want to get on the waitlist for the new (simpler) Simple Families Community? The post Analog Curious – Part II appeared first on Simple Families.

If you follow me on social media, you may have noticed that I’ve been on a bit of a digital detox. Or what I’m calling, being “analog curious”. This means I want to know what life feels like relying on technology less. In the past two years, technology has barged its way into all aspects of our lives. And for a while, this hasn’t been sitting well with me. It feels like a double edged sword. During the pandemic, a time of great isolation, technology brought us together. Technology has brought about amazing possibilities for social connections, community building, and learning. But in many cases, including my own, this has also led to compulsive use. This type of use happens beyond our awareness or control. That’s what I’m exploring today. Links mentioned in this episode: Sober Curious episode My Year Without Alcohol Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke M.D. The post Analog Curious – Part I appeared first on Simple Families.

Let’s redefine what “bad behavior” in childhood really means. So often, we view challenging behavior as a sign of our own shortcomings as parents, but our episode today explains that most difficult behaviors are actually a neurological response to stress, fear and/or discomfort. What if we could figure out how to manage the behavior by learning more about the way the nervous system operates? Today, I am thrilled to be talking to Dr. Mona Delahooke about her new book, Brain-Body Parenting: How to Stop Managing Behaviors and Start Raising Joyful, Resilient Kids. In her book, she delves deep into the idea of personalizing the approach based on each unique child. And spoiler alert, it’s a lot simpler than it sounds. Get in touch with Mona: Website Book Instagram Facebook The post Body-Brain Parenting appeared first on Simple Families. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

If you (or your loved ones) are living with clutter; trying to make space for connection over content; or moving to a smaller home or retirement community, then you’ll love hearing from my friend, Matt Paxton. Matt is an Emmy-nominated hoarding expert and in today’s episode he’s sharing more about his new book, Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff, and his journey to life with less. Links to get in touch with Matt: Book Instagram Twitter Legacy List  The post Keep the Memories, Lose the Stuff appeared first on Simple Families.

Mothers all over the world have faced similar challenges across generations. Today, I’m chatting with Ana Tajder. Ana is the host of Thank you, Mama a podcast where she interviews woman from around the world about the lessons they learned from their mothers. Today, I’ll be interviewing her about her own mom, who was an awarded Yugoslavian Actress/artist. Ana Tajder was born in Zagreb, Coatia and had to flee to Austria when the war reached her hometown as a child. There, she continued her education and travels to become an accomplished author and journalist, contributing to German, Austrian and Croatian magazines and newspapers. Links to Get in Touch with Ana: Website Instagram Facebook Twitter The post Thank you, Mama appeared first on Simple Families.

Today we are talking about accommodating, especially accommodating anxious behaviors in our kids. Sometimes accommodating is also known as enabling. This happens when an anxious person asks another person in their life to do something specific that relieves their anxiety. Like when your kid is fearful about going to bed and you lay with them until they fall asleep; when they are nervous about going to a birthday party so you cancel at the last minute, or when they are afraid of taking the bus so you drive them to school each day. We all do it. We all accommodate anxious behaviors in our kids–and its never so simple and straightforward.  The post Accommodating appeared first on Simple Families.

Parenthood rarely turns out as we expect. In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Rachel Nielson, the host of the podcast 3 in 30 Takeaways for Moms.  Rachel is a mother, teacher, and writer. In this episode she’s sharing her journey to motherhood. Get in Touch with Rachel: Her Podcast Her Website Instagram The post Idealizations appeared first on Simple Families.

In honor of Valentine’s Day and the Re-Launch of my Partners in Parenthood program, I have my partner, David, on the podcast today. We are talking about the highs and lows of parenthood and about how we have grown together in the process. The post Partnership appeared first on Simple Families.

In today’s episode, Kanesha Baynard opens up about her experience and expertise with the topic of multigenerational family living. This type of living arrangement has become increasingly more common in recent years with the pandemic and child care challenges.  Find Kanesha on her website + instagram + twitter.    The post Multigenerational Families appeared first on Simple Families.

Many of you listening are moving towards a more intentional approach to parenting, so I know you will enjoy this episode. Mr. Chazz Lewis is one of few male voices in the movement towards more respectful parenting. I’m thrilled that he let me pick his brain on topics like mistakes, cooperation, the parent-child relationship, and breaking cycles.   Find Chazz online: Instagram TikTok Podcast Patreon The post Mr. Chazz appeared first on Simple Families.

In today’s episode I’m joined by Laura Fenton. Laura is a writer, editor, and the author of The Little Book of Living Small. She and I are chatting about the ways that small living has impacted our lives and what it looks like in practice. Find Laura on Instagram Laura’s Book, The Little Book of Living Small The post Living Small(er) appeared first on Simple Families.

As the world has grown busier, many of us have moved towards short-form content to get the knowledge and information we desire. Rather than reading a book or listening to a podcast, we want that same information in a tweet, a TikTok, or an Instagram square. That can feel like a firehose of information. But could that move toward short-form content being doing more harm than good? That’s our topic today. I’m joined by my dear friend, Eden Hyder. Get in Touch with Eden: Website Instagram Podcast

In 10, 20, or even 50 years from now, early parenthood may feel like a blur with a few major bookends that stand out in our memories. What will those bookends be for your family? Do you have control over the bookends? Want to join us in The Mental Unload? It starts January 6th, 2021.

Are messiness and minimalism compatible? In fact, we messy people probably need minimalism the most–because we can’t handle having a lot of ‘stuff’. My guest today is Rachelle Crawford. Rachelle and I have bonded over our natural tendencies towards messiness. Rachelle is sharing her journey and introducing us to her new book, Messy Minimalism. Get in touch with Rachelle: On Instagram Rachelle’s Website On Facebook Buy her book

On the podcast I often feature the voices of parents and professionals who support children. As support people, our vantage point is unique. But what about the viewpoint from those with lived experience? Today, I’m speaking with lived experience educator Sonny Jane. Sonny (whose pronouns are they/them) is a queer, agender, physically disabled, autistic ADHDer and provides lived experience education, consulting and advocacy services to neurodivergent individuals, mental health professionals and organizations + services. They believe in listening to and centering lived experience as well as allowing neurodivergent voices to come first when speaking about their own identities and experiences. I hope you enjoy our chat. Find Sonny on Instagram Sonny’s Website: The Lived Experience Educator Books recommended by Sonny: The World Needs More Purple People Different Like Me The post Lived Experience appeared first on Simple Families.

It’s that magical time of the year…you probably started to feel it back in October when the decorations hit the stores. The pressure to shop early and the FOMO has never been stronger. There’s a good chance you have kids that are excited for the holiday season due to the anticipation of the gifts that are to come. If that sounds like your kids, you aren’t alone. Today, we are talking about staying focused on what matters the most: the real reason for the season. I’m joined by Meg Nordmann, author of Have Yourself a Minimalist Christmas. Meg is mother of two and also the voice behind the podcast, Journey to Freedom. You can find her on Instagram at Meg Nordmann. The post Minimalist Christmas appeared first on Simple Families.

I’m thrilled to welcome our first Mother-Daughter duo to the podcast today. Quyionah Wingfield and her daughter Serenity are entrepreneurs. They’ve written books, launched online dance classes, and now their first family game app. All their ventures have a common theme–building family connection. You can find Qui and Serenity here: Cool Moms Dance Too Website Cool Moms Dance Too on Instagram Gen Connect Game Quyionah Wingfield, mother of two, founder, creator and CEO of Cool Moms Dance Too! (CMDToo!), founder and host of Set An Intention For Your Day Morning show is a family health and wellness provider and advocate. Quyionah Wingfield co-founded CMDToo! an organization that focuses on family dance wellness and play to help improve physical and mental health for mothers and their children. Quyionah studied Psychology at Georgia State University and is an AFAA/NASM certified fitness instructor and CEU training provider. In 2018 Quyionah was an award recipient for Atlanta’s A3C Action Summit for

Do your kids have too many toys? When it comes to toys, there is no perfect number. But in today’s episode we are talking about why children don’t need a lot of toys. Having an abundance of toys is not only unnecessary but could be harmful. Want to join Tame The Toys? Use the code NOV21 for 20% off through the end of November.

What do I do if I think something is “wrong” with my kid? How do I know if my kid is developing okay? I hear these questions a lot. Today I’m talking about how to choose a professional and how to know what the best step is to find the support your child needs. The post Diagnosis appeared first on Simple Families.

I frequently hear from women who are diagnosed with ADHD after entering motherhood. Those who are diagnosed with ADHD often struggle with executive functioning. In short, executive functioning is our ability to plan, organize, and coordinate life. And as you know, parenthood has a way of pushing our executive functioning skills to the max. In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Yakini Pierce of ADHD Love. Yakini and her two children are diagnosed with ADHD and she’s sharing her journey and work with us. How to reach Yakini: Instagram Website Podcast The post ADHD in Motherhood appeared first on Simple Families.