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Social media is commonplace today. Chances are that if you as a mom aren't using it, your teenager probably is. How in the world do we control something that seems so vast and uncontrollable?

Well, we can't. But we can train up our kids to use and navigate social media in a healthy way. Or you can be like me and just ban it completely from the house! 

Today's guest, Nicole Nakamura, has several children in her home using social media, and this episode was chalk FULL of wonderful and challenging advice. 

One of the key takeaways from our conversation was the issue of privacy. When it comes to your child's social media accounts, privacy does not exist! You as a parent should have direct access at all times to every account that your child has. It's also a great idea to set up time limits, limit wifi usage, and always keep devices out of your children's bedrooms. 

Make sure to always keep open communication about any issues that may will occur. Ask questions, be...

Hey Mamas,

Summer is in full swing but school is just around the corner. Whether you are thinking about jumping into homeschooling for the first time (do it! but pray first...), or you are a seasoned homeschooling mama, today's episode is full of good reminders and hopefully some points that will bring a healthy challenge to your homeschooling ways.

Our guest Amber Schrey, mom of four boys and one girl, has been homeschooling for eight years. She and her husband both went through the American education system and have college degrees. Amber shared with us her story of obeying the Lord's voice as He called their family to move from the public education system and enter the world of home education.

There are SO many different varieties of what homeschooling looks like. Amber challenged us to not compare our kids to public school kids, and to not compare our homeschooling style to other families' styles. God made each of our families and children unique--so as mothers we need to be...

Welcome to the episode where we talk about failures! No matter how big or ridiculous the failure, when you know Jesus, He redeems even our smallest mistakes and flaws for His glory and our good. What an incredible God that we serve! 

In this week's episode we asked a bunch of moms that we know to share some of their #momfails with us, and most of them were humorous, so we think you’ll be able to relate to all of them in some small way.

Failure is a feeling no one likes, but as a mother it's inevitable. You can either let your failure get you down or keep plugging along with God's new mercies everyday. 

When we make mistakes it is a wonderful opportunity to grow and to let the Lord mold us to be more like Him. It's also a great time to learn to say sorry to your kids!

Don't miss this week's episode on Mom Fails, and be sure to go back and listen to our Father's Day episodes.

Don't Mom alone!

Rachel and Stacy

On this week's episode we talk about listening. Listening is actually a learned skill; it’s much easier to talk than to listen. As a mother, perhaps you feel as though all you do is listen to your kids. You listen to them cry, argue, laugh, joke, whine, and a host of other things. 

But there is a kind of listening to our kids that goes beyond the normal noise that fills our homes. When your children speak to you, it can be easy to be thinking about what’s for dinner, your crazy schedule, or be engrossed in your phone while nodding your head at all the appropriate times. That is hearing, but it’s not listening.

Our guest for this topic was our friend Rebecca McKay, a homeschooling mom of five. We have known Rebecca since we were all in high school together. Since then she has lived in Costa Rica, Texas, and currently she lives in Nevada, where her husband pastors a church. 

Rebecca reminded us of the importance of taking advantage of those...

Happy Father's Day to all you awesome dads out there. Without you, we could never be mamas! We had the privilege of inviting our husbands, Joe and Jamie, on the show for a special Father's Day episode. You won't want to miss it! Then stay tuned for a surprise Diving Deeper, where Stacy and I stepped out of the studio and the guys took over. We honestly have no idea what they talked about!

For most of us, being a mother is a partnership with our spouse. Our roles can be very different from one another, and that's a good thing! God did not create us as men and women to be the same. There are beautiful differences between what moms and dads offer their kids. Something we are learning is that through every season of parenting, those roles morph and change. It's important that we have patience and grace with each other as we step into our ever-changing roles. 

God has designed us as wives to help and support our husbands. He has designed our husbands to love us and our...

If you are currently in the stage of being a single mom, we hope this episode is encouraging to you, and if you aren’t in this stage, perhaps you may walk away with a deeper understanding of what single moms face and you can be an encouragement and help to them. 

On this episode of Mom·ing we interviewed our dear friend Kari Marsolais, who is currently homeschooling her two children, a boy age 7 And a daughter age 9. She happens to be currently battling cancer and all that goes with that. 

Kari gave us some very honest insights to the challenges of raising children without a spouse, as well as some really wonderful stories of how God has met them in many ways, big and small. God often uses the body of Christ to fill in the gaps and meet the needs of other people. Kari encouraged us to be on the lookout for single parents in our circles, workplaces, churches, or neighborhoods that may not ask for help, but would certainly welcome it. 

Motherhood...

Happy Mother's Day, Mamas! Stacy and I had an awesome time in May recording some sweet episodes for y'all. 

For our first episode we were invited to be interviewed for Mother's Day by our pastor, Rob Salvato, on his podcast, The Basics of Life Conversations. He asked some funny and serious questions, and it was fun to be on the other side of a podcast interview for a change :)

For the next two episodes Stacy and I interviewed the two moms who have had the most influence on us as moms: ours! We both know how incredibly blessed we are to have had these incredible women raise us. Moms have such a HUGE role in their children's lives, in fact, I would go so far as to say they have the most influence over their kids in most families.

Rachel’s mom, Yvonne, has been married for 39 years, has three grown daughters, and two grandsons. She helps to oversee the women’s ministry at our church among many other things. 

Stacy’s mom, Anita,...

Today’s topic is one that you either love or you hate. Depending on your personality and perhaps how you were raised, you either thrive on this or you despise this. What are we talking about? CHANGE! Change is inevitable in the mom world, but some moms roll with it much easier than others.

Today on Mom·ing we have our treasured friend, Michelle Williamson, who knows a thing or two about change. She and her husband have lived in multiple countries, states, and cities, she is currently homeschooling three very busy boys, and has been through countless seasons of ever-changing ministry. 

Michelle walked us through some of her most trying times of change, and shared some of the positive fruit that came out of it. Remember, God uses ALL things for good for those who walk according to HIS purposes! 

We also touched on walking through painful changes with our kids. Moving homes, schools, and churches can all be more difficult on our children than on ourselves. Change...

It can be difficult in today’s culture to be intentional about anything; it’s much easier to just let life happen and take things as they come. In the mom world, however, there is great value in parenting with intent: the intent to listen to our kids, to teach them how to make good choices, the intent to raise good students with great work ethic, etc. If we are not proactive in training, teaching, and guiding our kids, the world and its influences will do that job for us. 

Moming with intention sounds great, and it’s definitely easier said than done. This episode we had the pleasure of welcoming Christy Duff to the show. Christy is an awesome homeschooling mom who is currently raising teenagers and young adults. She is a pastor's wife, speaker, and all around FUN mom! She has made it one of her goals to be a mom who is intentional about raising her kids. 

On this episode, Christy highlighted three key areas that we can (and should) live with intent...

When I look in a general sense at American culture today, I don’t think ‘respectful’ is on of the top 10 words I would use to define what I observe. Respect must be taught and modeled as children grow, and unfortunately I don’t think that is happening on a large scale.

Why is respect important? First off, God requires it in the Bible. It’s actually one of the 10 Commandments, “Children, obey your parents for this is well pleasing to God.” “Husbands, love your wives, and Wives, respect your husbands!”  I believe that when you earn someone’s respect and learn to show respect, it not only pleases the Lord, but it also opens up opportunities in your life for great blessing.

Our guest on today's episode, Sarah Frenzel, is mom to five, founder of Behold Community Schoolhouse in Franklin, TN., and all around wonder-woman! Sarah gave us some amazing and practical tips on how to address disrespectful behavior, but...