The Balanced MomCast | For Overwhelmed Christian Moms Seeking Time Management, Work Life Balance, and Focus

Latest Episodes:

133 | How to Build Healthy Habits and Routines that Stick Jan 20, 2022

Show notes

It’s January and that means a fresh start and new goals for the year. According to Forbes, 80% of New Year’s Resolutions will be abandoned by February. Why is that? And what can we do so we don’t become part of that statistic? Today I welcome back to the podcast my friend Mary K. Tiller. And in Part 1 of our conversation, we share with you our favorite strategies for building healthy habits and routines that stick. Listen in.

Top 4 Reasons Resolutions Fail:

Unrealistic goals
Not keeping track of progress
Forgetting resolutions
Too many resolutions

Strategies that work!

Habit stacking/Habit pairing
Start small and build as you grow
Don't create unnecessary barriers
Don't commit to something that requires money until you are sure you will stick with it
Reward yourself for reaching milestones
Avoid all or nothing thinking
Set yourself up for success/make your new habit convenient
Create barriers to help stop bad habits
Plan for disruptions in your new routine
Keep track of your progress
Take advantage of a Clean Slate (you have a clean slate every new day!!)

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/133

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

132 | What I Learned in 2021 Jan 13, 2022

Show notes

Welcome to 2022! One of my favorite practices at the end of every year is reading through my journal and taking note of what I learned. Doing this helps me know where I am, how far I’ve come, and what I should do next. So, today, I’m sharing 12 things I learned in 2021. Listen in.

For more show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/132

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

131 | Helping Your Family Transition to Healthful Eating with Char Nolan Nov 24, 2021

Show notes

Today I continue my conversation with chef Char Nolan. She addresses some of your most common struggles like “I want to cook more healthfully but I’m already stretched so thin” and “I took the time to make this meal, now how do I get my family to eat it?” and “My kids are so busy in the evenings it’s just easier to grab fast food” and so much more. Lean in to this conversation mamas because you have a wise mentor in your earbuds today.

Highlights of this Episode:

"On day-10 [of eating a plant-based diet] I didn't have one ache in my body...this food-as-medicine thing must be real"
Advice for moms wanting to transition to a healthy lifestyle
- Shop the perimeter
- Meatless Monday
- Get kids involved (they eat what they make)
- Start gradually
- Don't remove things from your child's diet that will make them miserable
- Read labels
- Make smoothies for your kids and let them pick the ingredients
- Give kids a say on lunches and snacks
- Use precut and frozen veggies, as well as the deli counter and rotisserie chickens to save time
- Make eating dinner as a family a priority
- Be nice to yourself!
- Find a good crossover meal (don't start with tofu!)
- Mix take-out with home-cooked
- Have an alternative meal if you are introducing something new
- Organize a meal plan
- Consider a meal swap with neighbors
- Try frozen veggie burgers

For more show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/131

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

130 | Less Stress and More Joy This Thanksgiving with Chef Char Nolan Nov 18, 2021

Show notes

We are one week away from what is arguably the biggest cooking day of the year: Thanksgiving. And I have a treat for you. I’ve invited my friend Char Nolan to join me today. Char is a wife and a mom, but she is also a professional chef. And she’s here to bestow upon us her decades of wisdom, both personally and professionally, in the kitchen and out. If you want less stress and more joy this holiday season, you’ll love this episode with my friend Char Nolan.

Tips for a Less Stressful Thanksgiving (aka, the family will feel the tension we emit)

Ask yourself, how can we make this easier?
Delegate side dishes to guests
Buy store-bought sides and plate them/garnish them beautifully
Assign tasks to kids
Shop off-peak time
Use grocery pick up
Make whatever you can in advance
Ask the family what they actually want and only cook that

Tips for cooking any time and for life in general:

Batch cook: cook for a whole Sunday and eat all week
Save money and the environment by only buying whole produce and cut up at home
Put that phone down
Be as good as you can be to yourself
Learn to say no so you don't overcommit

For more show notes, please visit: thescooponbalance.com/130

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

129 | 7 Things You Can Do THIS WEEK to Avoid Holiday Overwhelm Nov 11, 2021

Show notes

Well, it’s November, and the holiday season is officially descending upon us. If you’re like me, your feelings about this are a mixed bag of “Awww...I love Christmas” and “Oh my gosh, I have so much to do!” If you are already struggling with balancing your day-to-day life, adding all the decorating, shopping, cooking, and partying can push you over the edge. Have no fear. I’m here to help. Today I’m giving you 7 Things you can do this week to help you avoid holiday overwhelm.

Create your holiday to-don’t list.
Knock something off your to-do list.
Declutter something.
Write out your shopping lists and set your Christmas budget.
Plan out your Thanksgiving menu and make out your grocery list
Update your calendar with all the holiday happenings.
Take extra good care of yourself.

For episode show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/129

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

128 | Creating Your Holiday To-Don't List Nov 04, 2021

Show notes

If you struggle with balance on a regular day, the holiday season with all its obligations and expectations can send you into complete and utter chaos. What is aggressively marketed as the most wonderful time of the year, feels more like stress, and debt and five pounds of fat around your midsection. We can change that. This is a replay of an episode that aired exactly 2 years ago in November of 2019, where I’m helping you sort through your holiday obligations so you can get something off your plate. Today I’m helping you create your holiday to-don’t list.

For more show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/128

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

127 | Finding Your Purpose , Passion, and Identity Beyond Motherhood Oct 28, 2021

Show notes

Today’s question is a mash-up of multiple comments:

"My biggest balance struggle is finding me-time. I have no time for my own interests, like reading or exercising or spending time with friends. I cannot keep up with my hobbies--hobbies I need to keep me sane--because keeping up with my kids and my house takes up all my time. I don’t even know who am right now. How do I figure out who I am outside of being a mom when my whole life has been all about my kids? How do I find my purpose in life when motherhood is all-encompassing?"

Take-aways:

1. Me time is not a luxury or self-indulgent.

2. Christian moms are called to a life of self-sacrifice--but in doing so, we find real life.

3. Physical exercise and time with the Lord are not hobbies but essential daily practices.

4. You should absolutely pursue a passion beyond motherhood--but not the way the world tells you to pursue a passion, purpose, or identity.

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/127

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

126 | Listener Q&A Oct 21, 2021

Show notes

In all of Season 8, I’m addressing your specific questions and balance struggles. Today, I’m responding to two listener emails: One asks about loneliness and finding community with a baby at home. The other asks about how to make quality time for her husband while raising 4 small children. I have lots to say about both of those things, so if you struggle with any of that in your own life, you’ll love today's episode. Listen in.

Please take a minute to rate and review this show!

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/126

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

125 | 5 Things You're Doing to Sabotage Your Efforts to Be Healthy Oct 14, 2021

Show notes

Caring for your physical health is one of the best things you can do to lead a well-balanced life. But what is going on when you decide to start cooking healthier meals or begin a workout program and by day-3 you are sitting on the couch eating peanut butter straight out of the jar? Maybe the problem is self-sabotage. Sometimes our sincere efforts completely backfire on us. Today I’m offering you 5 things that undermine your best efforts to live a healthy life and what you can do differently instead. Listen in.

Also, I address a listener's concern about me assigning "moral value" to food.

Thing 1: Depriving yourself of food or food you love

Thing 2: Allowing yourself to be intimidated rather than inspired by other women

Thing 3: Believing Bad Information

Thing 4: Believing Exercise is Torture

Thing 5: Setting setting the wrong kind of goals...specifically, a weight loss goal.

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/125

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

124 | Making Time for What Matters (When You Homeschool and/or Have a Large Family) Oct 07, 2021

Show notes

Today my friend Kirsten Vossler joins me for Part 2 of our discussion. She’s a homeschooling mom of 8 and the creator and host of the podcast Rejoicing in Motherhood. Last week we left a tired Kirsten after she described her typical day right at the point of getting her kids to bed. Today, she drops her pearls of wisdom as she describes how she makes room for her priorities--Spoiler alert: she lets a lot of things go. By the end of this discussion, you will feel completely free to be the mom God has called you to be.

For show notes, please visit thescooponbalance.com/124

While the Balanced MomCast is on hiatus, you can find me at Behind the Balance on Substack, Writing Off Social, or The Scoop on Balance.

Substack Newsletter: Behind the Balance

Website: The Scoop on Balance

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