The Family Lab: Experiments in Parenting and Home Management

Latest Episodes:

Archibald (and McGavin) Experiments: Summer 2025 Sep 30, 2025

Show notes

My friend Ashley McGavin and I share all the experiments we tried this summer–in Ashley's case with a brand new baby! We talk about feeding kids in the summer, keeping them entertained, summer jobs, chores, personal development, a senior trip, and how to achieve a throwback 80s and 90s summer.

We both have 5 kids, but our families are in very different stages. My kids now range from 10 to 19, and her kids now range from four months to 14 years old.

Join us at our weekly Open Labs! Tuesdays at 10:00 MT

www.familylab.com/events

Top 5 Rollover Meals Sep 18, 2025

Show notes

What's for dinner tonight? How about tomorrow? This episode helps you answer both questions--with favorite rollover meals from me and my guests Andrea Clark and Hillary Hess. Rollover meals allow you to take parts of one meal and roll it into another meal, to save time, money, and the tedium of leftovers.

Hillary Hess shares great recipes and resources at helpingofhappiness.com

Andrea Clark offers courses and printables at apurposefulhome.com

Andrea

1. Chicken and Rice/ Hawaiian Haystacks/Fried Rice

2. Tacos (Pork or chicken) to Nachos

3. Scrambled Egg and Sausage/Breakfast Burritos

4. Rotisserie chicken with veggie, sourdough bread, or in a tortilla/leftover chicken to Thai Coconut Curry: https://everyday-reading.com/simple-thai-chicken-curry/

5. Navajo tacos- use the chili leftover for baked potatoes, cornbread

Bonus:

Meatballs: spaghetti/meatball subs

Pot Roast/sandwiches on french bread with meat and peppers

Hillary

1. Chicken with salsa/taquitos or enchiladas

2. Tri-Tip-leftovers into stir-fry or fajitas

3. Hawaiian Haystacks/chicken pot pie

4. Leftover rice/rice cereal, pudding

5. Mashed potatoes/potato cheese soup

Bonus: Watermelon/Watermelon feta salad/watermelon juice/watermelon popsicles

Whitney

1. Mashed Potatoes/Ajiaco (Columbian Chicken and Potato soup) (Link: https://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/ajiaco-bogotano-colombian-chicken-and/

2. Mashed potatoes/shepherd's pie

3. Chicken or pork/ lettuce wraps

4. Roast Beef and veggies/Ropa Vieja

5. Salmon/salmon patties with avocado

Archibald Experiments: Back to School Roundup Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Archibald Experiments: Back to School Routine Roundup

https://youtu.be/vRngguIVeas

Transitioning from a lazy summer schedule to a back to school routine is no joke. So I went through past podcast episodes looking for experiments we've tried here in the Archibald home to make our morning, afternoon and bedtime routines run more smoothly during the school year, from waking kids up to getting them into the car, to cleaning up that car, to connecting with them during the after-school runaround.

Here are links to listen to the full episodes about our past fall experiments:

How Whitney Experiments: Fall 2022

https://youtu.be/PUdQI9vod40?si=OGwcf47XprCYXMRw

How Whitney Experiments: Fall 2020

https://youtu.be/4Af4Ae9DkAw?si=607HOeh1ozfcQ5nP

Routine Experimentation (Fall 2019)

https://youtu.be/8Zbu456GGEk?si=Xm7jKoqmMRsEfakA

Encore: How Dana Declutters Aug 18, 2025

Show notes

Dana K. White is a decluttering expert for the rest of us. The ones who struggle. We discuss her decluttering process, her Cinderella story from slob to home management guru, clutter thresholds, and teaching our kids to declutter (or at least attempting to).

Encore: How Mary Parents Spicy Ones Aug 11, 2025

Show notes

Mary Van Geffen is spicy. Which is why she's made it her mission as a parenting coach to help parents understand their own spicy children. In this episode, Mary teaches how to manage our own reactions as we parent these amazing kids.

Encore: How Bryce Manages Mom Guilt Aug 05, 2025

Show notes

Bryce Reddy is a family therapist specializing in maternal mental health, and one of the most quotable people I've ever interviewed. In this eisode, she shares her insights about mom guilt, judgement, and how we can support each other.

Encore: How Jessica Jackson Goes from Surviving to Thriving Jul 29, 2025

Show notes

Jessica Jackson's framework for transitioning from surviving to thriving might just transform your whole way of looking at motherhood and life (because survival mode isn't exclusive to motherhood). Best of all, Jessica has given me words to describe the transition from survival mode to re-entry to normalizing to exploring to thriving and even soaring. Don't worry. She'll explain the whole thing.

Encore: How She Manages Family Photos Jul 22, 2025

Show notes

This week, we discuss the challenge of managing family photos and its importence. Various moms share their insights into how they organize their pictures.

At the Family Lab we investigate all things parenting and home management. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video episodes and shorts @thefamilylabpodcast, and find us on Instagram @familylabpodcast. You can also find us at familylabpodcast.com.

Encore: How She Cultivates Talents Jul 15, 2025

Show notes

This week, we discuss the balance of cultivating children's talents while also allowing them to explore and fail, sharing insights on prioritizing activities and knowing when to push or let go.

At the Family Lab, we investigate all things parenting and home management. Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for video episodes and shorts @thefamilylabpodcast, and find us on Instagram @familylabpodcast. You can also find us at familylabpodcast.com.

Encore: How Maria Makes It Fun Jul 08, 2025

Show notes

Maria Eckersley shares her insights on navigating motherhood, family traditions, and creating fun meaningful connections with your kids.

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