Simple Families

Latest Episodes:

SFP 139: Q&A – How Do I Get My Kid to Play Independently? Dec 27, 2018

Show notes

Independent play doesn’t come easily to all children. In today’s episode we are discussing what to expect from independent play as well as how to support our children to do it more often. When it comes to independent play, it’s important that we do three things: gauge our expectations as parents; assess the individual personality types of our children; and set them up for success.

Show Notes/Links:

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SFP 138: Q&A – Is Your Social Media Actually Real Life? Dec 18, 2018

Show notes

About 95% of everything I put on the internet is real life, not staged. The other 5% includes things like the photo in this post, because I generally don’t frolic in fields in pretty dresses. Today I am answering a question from a reader about how much of what I share with you is representative of my real life: my home, my parenting, and the activities I do with my children.

The post SFP 138: Q&A – Is Your Social Media Actually Real Life? appeared first on Simple Families.

SFP 137: Let’s Stop Hurrying our Children [with Janet Lansbury] Dec 12, 2018

Show notes

I don’t know about you–but my kids have the tendency to move slowly. They function on their own timeline. The result is that as parents, we often find ourselves “hurrying” them to speed up and get on our agenda. In today’s episode I am chatting with Janet Lansbury about hurrying our kids through their days and through their lives.

Show Notes/Links:

Simple Families: The Masterclass (30% off this week!)
Janet’s Website/Blog
Janet’s Podcast: Unruffled
Janet’s Books: No Bad Kids + Elevating Child Care
Book mentioned: The Hurried Child by David Elkind

The post SFP 137: Let’s Stop Hurrying our Children [with Janet Lansbury] appeared first on Simple Families.

SFP 136: Taking the Road Less Traveled [with Rachel from Sage Parenting] Dec 04, 2018

Show notes

Taking the road less traveled is not always simple. During the holiday season the list of obligations grow rapidly and saying “no” can seem out of reach. Today I am chatting with Rachel Rainbolt from Sage Parenting. Rachel and I are talking about the idea of “doing life differently”. Many of us are raising our own families in ways that are different from the way that we ourselves were raised–and it can lead to conflict.

Show Notes/Links:

The post SFP 136: Taking the Road Less Traveled [with Rachel from Sage Parenting] appeared first on Simple Families.

SFP 135: Choosing Great Toys [with Lizzie Assa from The Workspace For Children] Nov 28, 2018

Show notes

Buying new toys for our children can be exciting–but it can also be overwhelming. There are so many options out there and our children are inundated with marketing materials. Today I am chatting with Lizzie Assa from the Workspace for Children. She and her family buy toys outside of the mainstream options–that means they lean towards simple, open-ended toys made of more natural, non-plastic materials.

We are chatting about buying toys that are durable and will hold the interest of children across different ages, genders, and interests.

Show Links:

Lizzie’s Instagram: The Workspace For Children

Lizzie’s Toy Guide

Website

Simple Families Holiday Guide

The post SFP 135: Choosing Great Toys [with Lizzie Assa from The Workspace For Children] appeared first on Simple Families.

SFP 134: Happier for the Holidays [with Gretchen Rubin] Nov 19, 2018

Show notes

We all believe that the holiday season is the happiest time of the year. But is it really? Today I am chatting with Happiness Guru Gretchen Rubin about finding happiness in the holiday season. You may know Gretchen from one of her New York Times bestselling books, her top ranked podcast, or perhaps most importantly her legendary quote, “The days are long, but the years are short”.

In our conversation today Gretchen and I are talking about seeking happiness in the midst of a complex season of expectations, that includes: balancing how we spend our time, gift giving, traveling to visit family/friends, managing “toxic” relationships, and staying connected to the people we love the most.

Show Links from Gretchen:

The Days are Long But the Years are Short Video
Sign up for Gretchen’s newsletters
The Four Tendencies quiz
Gretchen’s site
Listen to the podcast Happier with Gretchen Rubin
The books: The Four Tendencies—New York Times bestseller
The Happiness Project—#1 New York Times bestseller
Follow her on social media: Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Facebook

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SFP 133: Holiday Q+A [Part II] Nov 14, 2018

Show notes

Welcome back to Part II of the Holiday Q&A (If you missed Part I, catch it here!). Rachelle Crawford from Abundant Life with Less and Zoë Kim from Raising Simple are joining me to answer the rest of your holiday questions. Today we will chat about minimal decorating, envy amongst children, simple holiday meals, and more. We will bring examples from our own lives and little bits of wisdom that I hope will carry you through the season.

The post SFP 133: Holiday Q+A [Part II] appeared first on Simple Families.

SFP 132: Holiday Q+A [Part I] Nov 07, 2018

Show notes

The holidays are upon us. I am here to tell you that you don’t need to do or buy all.the.things. Today is the first of a two-part series focused on answering your questions about living a more intentional holiday season. I am joined by Rachelle Crawford from Abundant Life with Less and Zoë Kim from Raising Simple. Together we are moving through your questions and bringing examples from our own lives and small pieces of wisdom to take forth into the holiday season. Cheers!

Show Notes/Links

The post SFP 132: Holiday Q+A [Part I] appeared first on Simple Families.

SFP 131: Rewiring Our Brains for Gratitude [with Josie Robinson of The Gratitude Jar] Oct 31, 2018

Show notes

Dare I say that developing a gratitude practice is actually easy? I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly small acts of gratitude have changed my life. In today’s interview I am chatting with mother and gratitude expert Josie Robinson about her unlikely, yet transformative journey.

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Show Links/Notes:

The Gratitude Jar book Give Thanks Gratitude Journal Josie’s Site Facebook page Instagram Pinterest

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SFP 130: Letting Go of Unrealistic Expectations in Motherhood [with Natalie from Better Postpartum] Oct 24, 2018

Show notes

Starting in the early days of pregnancy we set expectations for ourselves. Perhaps your kids won’t have screen time. You will breastfeed for one year or more. Your kids will only eat organic. In today’s episode Natalie Telyatnikov [from Better Postpartum] and I are sharing some of the unrealistic expectations of which we have let go and how we are taking better care of ourselves as a result.

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