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Say what?!

YES! It's been one year since we started this podcast. Here are some of our stats:

• One episode a week for 52 weeks
• Two incredibly understanding and supportive husbands
• Three emotional breakdowns (What are we doing? Why are we doing this? I can't do this!)
• Four children from whom come inspiration, content, and experience (and lots of mistakes)
• Twenty-three unique and amazing guests
• Innumerable: God's faithfulness, strength, and grace as we run hard after His calling

The goals of Mom·ing is threefold: 1.) Create a platform for moms to share their stories and journeys, 2.) Create a show for other moms to listen to and be encouraged by other moms so they know they're not alone, and 3.) Create a platform to bring glory to God through parenting and share the love of Jesus with those who may not yet know Him.

The ABCs of the Gospel are a simple, childlike way to share the Gospel (or Good News) with others and to teach your children to do the same:

Admit you are a...

The teen years can be brutal. One minute you're raising a whining (but very cute) toddler and the next an immature mini-adult who longs for independence and freedom. Helping our teens realize that freedom comes with responsibility is the tricky part.

Not to mention all the lies our culture is constantly throwing at them. It can definitely feel like a losing, uphill battle.

Our guest Krissy Mattison is a mom to three adult children, and on this episode she focused on the key to raising teens: a healthy family unit. When Mom and Dad are submitted to the Lord and their marriage is on the right track, parenting falls under that in the order of God's design. It doesn't mean it's easy, but it's definitely right in God's economy. 

Krissy also talked about setting the baseline standards in the home, but then praying for wisdom in the grey areas. Not every battle with your teen is the hill you need to die on. It is a natural part of life to let them begin to make their own choices...

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...

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,...

The daily routine is pretty much ‘survival mode’ for most moms. From cooking, cleaning, working, and driving around town to wiping tears, snot, or other unfortunate body parts, moms are only thinking about how to get through the day. Who cares what’s going on in the world, because honestly, we should be proud that everyone in our family is alive, fed, and clean, right?!

While caring for our families is one of our top priorities, it’s still crucial that we are at least vaguely aware of what is going on in our world and in our country. It does affect us and our families!

On this episode of Mom·ing we talk to homeschooling mom of five, and the founder of A Mom on Politics, Jamie Reitenour. Jamie encourages us to know the source of what you're reading, to ask yourself questions like, "Who wrote this? Can I find another source to confirm it? Was it taken out of context?" So much of the 'news' these days is not information or facts; it's opinion and...

Resources are listed at the bottom of this post.

The heart attitude of our children is probably at the top of our prayer list as a mother. As moms who love Jesus, it's safe to say we can narrow all of our parenting goals into one: we want to raise kids who hear God's voice and obey it!

On this episode of Mom·ing our guest Debbi Bryson gave us some wonderful encouragement about feeding our spiritual health as mothers. It takes intention, purpose, and loads of grace. 

When it comes to alone time in God's Word, some moms are floating adrift in a sea of anxiety, despair, and too high of expectations. Others feel shame and defeat for not being in God's Word for a week (or months! or years!) 

You cannot stay in that place, Mamas. It's time to be intentional about reading God's Word and letting it soak into your soul. Take time everyday. Set realistic expectations for yourself depending on how old your children are. Don't let busyness crowd out your time with...

Hope is a word most of use throughout our lives. "I hope this new recipe turns out. I hope my teenager is being honest. I hope my marriage will survive." In the Bible, the word hope has so much more weight. 

We can define Biblical hope as: the absolute expectation of coming good. I don't know about you, but I need me some good news these days!

How can we have hope in a topsy turvy world? When up is down, wrong is right, dark is light, and bad is good, it can be hard to find the truth, peace, and grace we need to walk through each day. 

On today's episode we invited familiar Mom·ing guest Nicole to talk about keeping an eternal and heavenly perspective as we raise our kids and make plans for the future. Nicole shared with us the loss of her daughter Sadie, and how that experience changed the way she viewed her life. Eternity was all of a sudden much clearer. Whether you're in survival mode or cruise control, knowing the end game and what waits for us...

Stress and anxiety oftentimes go hand in hand with motherhood. Because we have so many plates in the air, it's definitely a balancing act to make sure nothing drops. 

How do we manage stressful moments? How do we cope with anxious thoughts? How to we cope when we are exhausted and it's only 7AM? Our Mom·ing guest Shanti gives us some great practical steps to stop stress in its tracks. She also shares with us some of her personal story in dealing with anxiety and depression.

If you are struggling with depression, anxiety, or stress, it's important to know you're not alone. It's also important to develop healthy coping mechanisms so we don't implode into ourselves or explode onto our families. 

Using unhealthy coping mechanisms like escapism, distraction, busyness, denial, control, or retreating inward doesn't deal with the root problems, and they often have very negative consequences for ourselves and those around us. 

Learn how to prioritize...