Mama Says Namaste Podcast

This week I talked with the Chief Knowledge Officer of Better Speech, Lenora Edwards, to hear about what they offer and tips for navigating speech, food and processing issues with kids. We talk about speech therapy, who all it helps, and how to support our kids at any level. 

Join me this week as I talk to Laura Hernandez, mama of ten and creator of Mama Systems, as she shares how to keep your sanity even with a busy household, special needs, or any other exceptions that are causing chaos in your home. Hop over to www.MamaSaysNamaste.com/podcast-mama-systems-laura to get the corresponding blog post and access her free self-care guide. 

Joy. Just Own it Yourself. Can you? Or are you so focused on making or bringing joy to others that you've sabotaged it with your own stress overload? In this short and sweet episode we help you with reframing so you keep your sanity and actually enjoy the upcoming weeks, as well as a few ideas where we've let go of tradition and added more simplicity and ease. 

As we're nearing Christmas, we want to share four quick tips that will help you navigate the holidays - and beyond - with an attitude of abundance and gratitude. What do drop? What's on your "don't do" list? What do you fill, and what do you accept? Check out the blog post and podcast episode - what is something that helps keep you calm and enjoying the holidays?

Not sure what to gift? Here are ideas that make a positive impact, as well as take into account the different personality styles in your life! I've added to a previous gift guide with even more ideas, and Nathan and I share about the gifts with meaning that truly leave a ripple effect of positivity vs. clutter. 

Is a wall always a brick wall of negativity? Or is there a chance to put clear boundaries around the life you want to create? As we've moved from our RV into a stationary house for the next six months or so, it's an opportunity for us to reflect on what we've created - and the walls we "kiss" - and what we choose to bring awareness and gratitude to. What might you be missing in the rush of your life? How are you teaching others to treat you? As we discuss boundaries, awareness and gratitude, we share stories from our experience and a challenge for and your family. What have you cultivated and created in your home? Are you instilling true sanctuary at home, both in the walls you do reinforce and in the awareness and gratitude of the present moment?

It's the week of Thanksgiving. While we don't celebrate the history that caused pain to so many, we do focus on what true thanksgiving is. Gather your family around to hear what we're grateful for, and follow along with our ten-year-old, Juliette, as she leads on a meditation of gratitude!   

Are you healthy...really? Does this include all aspects of mind, body, and soul? We've compiled 12 tenets for wellness to open the door for health in all three areas - mind/body/soul. Are you reinforcing the LIFE you want to live, or the death you want to avoid? Let me know which of these 12 tenets come easy for you, and what might be a struggle.

Have you considered you're the narrator of your life? What story are you telling yourself? Is it one that is fueling you forward, or affirming what you wish would actually change? This week Nathan and I talk about the books we've been reading, and boy are they deep. So what do Dr. Bernie Siegel, Viktor Frankl, Nathan and Ashley all agree on? What, truly is the meaning of life? How do we write the stories on our own realities? And how to they manifest and check us in the process?  

Struggling with sleep in your home? I used to believe "you can sleep when you die"...and I see now how that can be a recipe for a much sooner death. As we're digging into what people are tolerating in their homes, lack of sleep was another one stated - and not just because of littles! Having TWO teenagers now in my own home, I know sleeptime can be a struggle for any age, and we're huge advocates of keeping it sacred. This week we share three myths we used to live by that we've thrown out the window - and tips for your family for better sleep - and why. So how about you - do you feel you get enough sleep?

You know that old saying about how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time. Well that's definitely the case for clutter. It can get out of hand, and then you're hit with way too much and not sure where to start. Well look no further. Let's take it a "bite" at a time and see how clutter can be curbed, and your home can be a place of joy. 

I've asked a question in the Mama Says Namaste communities - "What are you tolerating that you'd like to change at home?" While I'm still gathering responses, this week lays the foundation of what to ask yourself if you're in this "stuck" point of tolerating (or, even worse, resenting) the life you're in.  Here are three questions to ask yourself if you're feeling trapped in a life you're tolerating. And, if you can share your story with me, I'd love to share it on an upcoming podcast - you can read the blog and comment at MamaSaysNamaste.com/family-trap

This is the Mama Says Namaste podcast...so what does that mean for our home life? Are we all zen and "namaste" all the time...and what does namaste really mean?  We address how we create a namaste vibe in our home by using an acronym of NAMASTE for open communication. And nope, we're not zen masters -we have plenty of high emotions with a tween and two teen daughters (not to mention strong personality styles to begin with).  If we can do it, so can you. It's not eliminating the crazy as much as it's shifting your focus. How do you add more namaste vibe in your home?

Hurricane Ian has come and gone through our country and the aftermath is still happening. The flooding and destruction will be a long haul of recovery. As we share about our experience over the past week, and what all we saw, it opens the door to what this makes possible.  It can seem pretty bleak when you're hit with something catastrophic. Yet there can be so much that can come from a "clean slate" and starting over. While we can't go back, we can move forward, and we encourage you to listen in and take on our challenge this week to convert this hurricane to a new headline for the life you want to create. 

Well, we're recording this today, Wednesday, September 28th, 2022, as we're waiting for Hurricane Ian to make landfall here in Florida. We've been evacuated from where we were volunteering down in the Florida Keys and are at another campground watching the weather, and bracing for how hard of a hit our house in Venice, Florida is going to get.  As friends and family come out of the woodwork from all over asking us how things are going for us, we figured we'd give a real-time update of the ups and downs of the past few days as we've evacuated a campground and prepped for a hurricane.  Now, we're going to wait to worry...

As we near Juliette's birthday, we asked her to reflect on what ten things she might want to share on the podcast. She came up with ten things she's grateful for, and I absolutely loved her answers.  Join us to hear Juliette's gratitude list of the top ten things she's grateful for as she completes her first decade of life - and see what it sparks in you.  What are you grateful for? What are your children grateful for...and aware of? This is an insightful way to learn so much about your children, and we invite you to do the same with your own children. 

How do you discipline your child so they aren't just punished, but they learn other options for navigating this world on their own? Here are 6 tips to help them feel what they feel, bring awareness to what they don't see, and cultivate options in their toolbox to navigate life in a healthy way.  Nathan and I share examples of "natural consequences" and how we help our children learn best choices without just punishing them for immaturity or lack of knowledge.  We reap what we sow in this world, and our kids know that "every action has a consequence" - whether that's one they enjoy or not is often up to them!

In this guest conversation, I talk with Kimball Lewis of Empowering Parents a second time (first was episode 252) about a specific behavior: lying.  He shares how to navigate it in your home as well as the keys to effective consequences. This episode is up on video as well as a blog post. As we address why it happens and what you can do about it, he shares several key elements to ensure you create a culture of honesty and integrity in your home.  Lying isn't just reserved for children - we can be guilty of it throughout our lives. And my first tip for parents with any behavior they don't like in their home is to first look in the mirror. 

Nathan had a beautiful insight this past week on rage and how to shift into more grace in our lives. Moving from rage to grace can be tricky when it's become a part of our identity. We share three tips on how to shift your perspective and reset, especially as parents.  

Climate change can be scary and overwhelming...and that's not counting the weather in your own internal climate! How are you weathering...from within? This week Nathan and I share a bit about how we're learning about ways to support our planet with our kids, as well as sharing the three Ps to navigate the climate we're bringing to our families, and beyond!  Do you feel a sense of personal responsibility, pride and purpose that creates a "climate of possibility" in your home, as Sir Ken Robinson says?  I'd love to hear how you and your children are creating an impact beyond yourselves - as we work on our own personal excellence, we're also learning about how we can take our strengths to go beyond our home to a greater impact on our planet.