Solo Parent Life | Single Parent | Divorce | Single Mom

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49: Your Money Matters, but Don't Let It Drive You Crazy with Jen Hemphill Aug 31, 2017

Show notes

Let’s talk money! You might hear that and get excited, or you might hear that and start to groan. Money can be a source of both security and anxiety. Which is it for you? Have you ever had a time when an unexpected expense pops up? You know the kind—big birthday gifts, replacing those heavy (and expensive!) winter coats, or a once and a lifetime opportunity to do something you’ve always wanted to do. How did you handle those expenses? Did your budget last? OK, how about this question: do you have a budget?

If your mind is already swirling, take a pause and rest assured that my guest this week is about to make your money madness so much better. Today, I am talking with Jen Hemphill, host of the “Her Money Matters” podcast. I love Jen’s podcast, and it has really helped me keep an eye on my finances without driving me crazy in the process. She has tons of tips and resources to get us through those unexpected expenses. I am excited that she gets to share with you today!

Also in this episode:

Jen shares her own experiences as a Solo Parent as a Military Wife.
The inspiration behind the “Her Money Matters” Podcast.
Tips and tricks for the coupon-leery
Budget mistakes we all tend to make.
Tackling unexpected expenses with practical, monthly steps.
Planning for life with a single income.
Focus on what you can control

Resources

Get caught up on the “Her Money Matters” Podcast and seek out Coaching and Community:

http://jenhemphill.com

48: How to Talk to Your Children About Sexuality and Gender Identity with Melissa DaSilva Aug 24, 2017

Show notes

Hello and welcome to another special and encouraging episode of Solo Parent Life. Today, my very informative guest is Melissa DaSilva, an LGTBQ+ community activist, and therapist. Melissa’s mission is to support parents and children as they navigate LGBTQ+ issues, and educate the public in the middle of a rapidly changing world. We know more about gender identity and sexuality than we ever have before. So how can we as single parents educate our children and teach them to respect everyone regardless of gender and sexual orientation?

I am thankful that Melissa took the time to educate me in my limited experience with the LGTBQ+ community, and I know that each one of you will take away something encouraging and inspiring from our talk. As parents, we have the exciting privilege of teaching our children respect and love. Let’s let that love grow today!

Also in this episode:

Learning the letters of the LGBTQ+ community.
Navigating gender issues early in life.
Kids accept transition better than we think!
Melissa’s best advice for parents seeking to teach about LGBTQ+ issues.
How do we have good conversations about sexuality?
Talk through the difference between what you know in the mind and the heart.
Join in with a local group like P Flag!

Links:

Pride Connections Podcast: https://prideconnections.com/podcast/

Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @PrideConnections

47: How to Be Truly Happy as a Single Parent with Dr.Robert Puff Aug 17, 2017

Show notes

Welcome, everyone! I am so excited to share with you today the pearls of wisdom from fellow podcaster Dr. Robert Puff. Dr. Puff runs the show over at The Happiness Podcast, where he shows you just how easy it is to be happy. This is a show I listen to, and it certainly feeds my positivity as I navigate single parenting.

Robert believes that everyone can be happy, and there are easy, practical steps that we can take as single parents to make that happen. Today’s show is filled to the brim with easy ways to start taking care of ourselves. When our cup runs over, we can better teach and grow our children to mirror that positivity. Single parenting definitely isn’t easy, and I am thankful for Robert’s unique insight into a happier life. I certainly cherish his words, and I know they will make your day just a little bit brighter.

More in this episode:

Getting a happy life is like staying in shape—you have to work at it.
We have to model healthy behavior for our kids.
Treating ourselves well when life changes.
Starting your day with a healthy mindset.
The power of the “Pause.”
Learning to ask yourself: “What can I learn from this?”
The skills the bring into parenting through our community.
Channeling awareness with your current situation so you can increase the quality of your time.
Practical tips for “filling your cup” straight from Dr. Puff.

To connect with Dr. Robert Puff and Listen to his Podcast http://www.happinesspodcast.org/

46: Regaining Balance Through Mindful Self-Care with Liz Salin and Ruth Jaeger Aug 10, 2017

Show notes

Today, I am delighted to sit down with Elizabeth Salin, MFT and Ruth Jaeger, LCSW two therapists in my local community that have worked for many years with families in transition. They created a program for parents going through a divorce that teaches mindfulness skills to help reduce stress, anxiety and self-critical thoughts.

I am so amazed by the support and love that Liz and Ruth provide and the wealth of knowledge between them about families going through a divorce is incredible. I can’t wait for you to hear all the wisdom these ladies have to share with you today. Enjoy!

Liz’s experience working with kids and families.
Ruth’s passion for supporting families through mindfulness.
Exploring the ways that a Mindfulness practice can fortify your relationship between you and your children.
What is R.A.I.N? Can it help you during the inevitable overwhelming moments?
Tools you can use to practice mindfulness, both formal and informal.
Self-care you can begin today.
Offering a place of support for parents so they don’t feel alone, but empowered.

Our Featured Poem today is “Love After Love” by Derek Walcott:

The time will come when, with elation you will greet yourself arriving at your own door, in your own mirror and each will smile at the other's welcome, and say, sit here. Eat. You will love again the stranger who was your self. Give wine. Give bread. Give back your heart to itself, to the stranger who has loved you all your life, whom you ignored for another, who knows you by heart. Take down the love letters from the bookshelf, the photographs, the desperate notes, peel your own image from the mirror. Sit. Feast on your life.

Check out Regaining Balance for Parents for mindfulness resources.

http://www.regainingbalanceforparents.com/

45: How to Cope with the Highs and Lows of Summertime Aug 03, 2017

Show notes

Hello, everyone! This week, I wanted to pause a moment to speak to you all directly about this wonderful (and sometimes exhausting) summer season. Summertime is filled with so many wonderful opportunities for our kiddos, including the ubiquitous summer camp. Camps are fabulous: they help our children socialize, they encourage them to spend time outside, and they provide a creative outlet to fill the long summer hours. But when our kids have been “on” all day, inevitably they are going to melt down. We’re talking tantrums, tears, and too many biting words. So what do we do when the meltdowns happen? How can we support our kids in love without losing our sanity?

It turns out that it is all about connection. Dealing with meltdowns is not easy, but it would be harder to try to stifle those feelings. Anticipate that this summer, your post-camp kiddos will quite possibly be a big, hot mess. Here is your opportunity to slow your life down during the tantrums to be there and listen. Let your kids express some of that exhaustion and frustration. I promise it will be well worth your time and busted eardrums!

Show Highlights:

Summer camps and the inevitable end-of-camp meltdown.
Normalizing the melt-down moments.
A summer camp case study with Sofia.
Creating space for our kids to express themselves.
Anticipating the meltdowns as school begins and camp ends.

Interested in joining a listening group or parent coaching? Feel free to reach out to me!

soloparentlife@gmail.com

44: Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and Difficult Circumstances Shamelessly with Sara Dean Jul 27, 2017

Show notes

Life can really get you down, can’t it? As a Solo Parent, there are already so many limitations that seem like they are well beyond our control. We all sometimes feel alone, scattered, or misunderstood. No one could possibly know what I’m going through, right? Well…maybe not. This week, I am happy to share the story of one Mom who wasn’t content to let limitations be her master.

Sara Dean is a Seattle-based podcaster and gym owner. She runs the show at Shameless Mom Academy, a podcast all about sharing stories of parenthood in full honesty. Sara says that her podcast was born out of the struggles of parenthood, and she knew that if she shared how she beat her own limits, you and I might walk away with our heads a little higher. Our stories, our struggles, and our triumphs shape who we are, and transformation begins when we share them. I am consistently being inspired by Sara’s vulnerability, and I know you will be too.

What limits are you holding on to? Let them go today!

Also in this episode:

Sara created a business based around her motherhood, but it didn’t look like she thought it would!
Created a podcast to inspire and transform conversations with other women.
Sara’s steps towards “shamelessness.”
Learning from the power of our stories.
Be inspired by Sara’s challenging IVF journey.
Find spaces who know you and can listen to what you are going through.
Discover the Adaptive App for personal wellness and self-care.
Daily routines for cultivating peace.
Sara’s favourite personal development books.

Links

Work with Sara through her website:

http://shamelessmom.com/

43: Single Mothers, It's Time to Talk About Dating! with Nicole DiRocco Jul 20, 2017

Show notes

Hey there Solo Parents! This week is all about dating, with a fairly heavy emphasis on women and how they navigate relationships. For all our male listeners, we need your feedback too! There are tidbits of wisdom for everyone in this episode, and what a fun topic too. Dating, for better or for worse, is an exhilarating, complicated task. To help us out we sat down with Nichole DiRocco, a dating and life coach with an eye towards the kinds of struggles single parents will inevitably face once they step out into dating.

Once she started coaching, Nicole noticed that women in leadership positions, while seeing success in the working world, had a much more difficult time in the dating realm. The same could be said for a Solo Parent. As Nichole says, we are essentially the “CEO of our lives.” Used to initiating, taking charge, and setting terms, it can be difficult for a single mom to sit back and be pursued… Not to mention all the other vulnerabilities and anxieties we go through waiting for the phone to ring!

So how do we do it? How do we date with grace and respect towards ourselves and our unique stage of life? Check out this episode to see!

Nicole’s real world inspiration to form Dating With Grace.
Nicole discusses the biggest setback for “Alpha Females” in the dating world.
Initiating and taking charge in relationships.
Learning to say “Thank you,” without initiating. Receive his pursuit.
Self-care to combat the anxiousness within vulnerable moments.
Character, consistency, and communication.
What is the love-bomber? Nicole spills all the details!
Technology has changed the dating game. Save getting-to-know-you for in-person!

Links

Nicole DiRocco, ACC

Dating and Relationship Coach for Executive Women

Visit: Dating With Grace.me

Follow:Twitter Facebook, LinkedIn

42: Successfully Co-Parenting After Divorce with Katrina and Sandra Abramek Jul 13, 2017

Show notes

This week, let’s sit down and do something a little different. I really wanted to share a co-parenting success story that is very near and dear to my heart. Kat was our beloved babysitter, and her parents divorced when she was young. If two parents managed to handle divorce the “right” way, it was Sandra and her husband.

I have Kat and Sandra on the show this week, and together they tell the story of their family, just so we can all gain a little perspective. Sure, their family may look a little different than what they had hoped it would be, but with sacrifice and intrepid spirits, their family still had two supportive parents doing everything in their power to be present with their children. Just like it takes work to make a marriage, it takes work to make a divorce too! I think Sandra’s courage and compassion is so inspiring, so join us this week to see how.

Also in this episode:

Learn from a divorce done “right.”
Learn from a divorce done “right.” The importance of a support system, even from the grandparents!
The importance of a support system, even from the grandparents! Family dynamics, cultural influences, and parental accountability during the divorce process.
Family dynamics, cultural influences, and parental accountability during the divorce process.
Being resolved to bite their tongue and make things work for the kids.
Letting go of the things we can’t change.
Showing compassion and kindness in co-parenting.
Keep regrouping! Work through the tough spots and grow together.

41: Self-Care When the Kids Are Away Jul 06, 2017

Show notes

One of the best things about this podcast is that we have such a fabulous community. I am thankful for all the comments and questions, and so this week I wanted to change the pace just a bit and tackle one such questions I’m seeing more and more often: How can I take care of myself while my children are away?

Ah, yes. Times of separation from our kids can be painful, uncertain, and difficult to manage. When we spend so much of our time and energy making sure our children are happy, healthy, and cared for, it can be jarring to not have those concerns 24/7. What can we do to take care of ourselves when we have this time? I want to show you in this episode that time away from your kids can be a gift in disguise. I’ll share some of my best ideas, and I hope to hear your self-care ideas in return. Together, we can do this thing!

Want even more cools ways to get involved? Sign up for the Solo Parent Newsletter, and find all the information about the Single Parent Summit coming up soon!

In this episode:

What are we doing for ourselves when our children are away?
Understanding and working through the grieving process.
Not just dealing with loneliness, but embracing it.
Healthy habits you can use to work through childless times.
How to handle anxiety when your kids are away.
My suggestions for re-filling your bucket.
Plan something to look forward to.

Books I love

Radical Acceptance by Tara Brock

True Refuge by Tara Brock

Links

Join the Newsletter on my Website!

http://soloparentlife.com/

40: Divorce and Your Money with Shawn Leamon Jun 29, 2017

Show notes

When a marriage ends, the effects are far-reaching—from the emotional, psychological, logistical…and financial. I’m sure for so many of us, the last thing on our minds when we begin our Solo Parent journey is our finances. Eventually, the bills start rolling in, and we have to look at the bank statements up close. Houses get sold, finances that were once shared are no longer in a joint bank account. Who can you turn to when you start swimming in dollar signs?

Enter Shawn Leamon, host of the “Divorce and Your Money” Podcast. Shawn is a Financial Planner and guru who is passionate about being there for folks who are living through a difficult time. Separation and singlehood can bring us many complications, so Shawn is here to help. Let Shawn’s experience and savvy be your guide in this info-packed episode of “Solo Parent Life.”

Shawn shares his first suggestions for post-divorce financial decisions.
Putting your finances in perspective with the long-term.
Hear Shawn’s three major goals for your finances.
When it comes to reaching your goals, start somewhere and start small.
Discussing the differences between the types of financial planners and advisors.
Removing the fear out of finding a financial planner.
The Big Question you need to know before choosing a financial planner.
What is this crazy word “Fiduciary” and how can it impact your future finances?
Interviewing as a free education process for the world of finance.
Common money management practices. Get informed now!
Preparing for all live events, both big and small.
Start investing today with “Robo-advisors.”

Links

Find all of Shawn’s episodes and advice at

https://www.divorceandyourmoney.com/show/

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