Family Looking Up

All marriages have their up's and down's.  Dr. Lynyetta Willis is with us this week talking about the down's and how to get them back on an upward path.  She refers to these "down" times as "stable misery".  In this episode she walks us through 5 steps for turning "stable misery" into joy again. Lynyetta is full of energy and insight.  We hope you love this episode!

Happy Mothers Day Mom Squad!!!  We wanted to bring you the gift of laughter this mothers day so we called on our Mom Squad to bring in the funny, and boy did they!  Caution:  This episode should not be listened to with a full bladder, while running in public, or while using knives in the kitchen (or anywhere else for that matter).  Enjoy!!!!

Did the COVID-19 pandemic affect your financial well being?  It did for millions across the globe.  Ericka Young, from Tailor-Made Budgets is with us this week talking us through the most important financial steps we should be taking right now to shore up our financial defenses.

So how are you actually doing?  We have all made it to the last week of April in quarantine and each of us are dealing with the isolation in our own ways.  The three of us join up in this episode to talk about how we are each coping and NOT coping.  We talk about what things we are learning, what things we have no desire to learn about any more, and what things we will always be grateful for.   Stay tuned for some laughs and some serious relatability!

Are you so over the idea of a quarantine?  Yasss!  Well, it's a slow death for all the extroverts out there.  How about using this time to lay the groundwork for a killer come back party when all this ends?! Darcy Case is with us this week.  Darcy is the definition of a party host that slays it every time.  She has some on fleek tips for making YOUR party snatched!  (That means really good)

When our children act out the one thing parents aren't likely to do in the moment is to simply listen.  At that point parents have usually reached their boiling point. Patty Wipfler is a mother as well as the founder of a non-profit organization called "Hand in Hand Parenting".  She is with us this week teaching about the powerful tool of simply listening.  In this episode she discusses her book "Listen: Five Simple Tools to Meet Your Everyday Parenting Challenges".

During this stressful time of quarantine it's more important than ever to find ways to get outside as a  family.  John Muir Laws has spent his career helping kids to do just that.  He's with us this week to talk about the amazing effects nature has on children.  Tune in for inspiration, fantastic ideas of how you can help your kids, and a good laugh.  We hope you enjoy!

If you feel like you are living a hectic and harried life, full of pressures to be things you aren't, then this episode will speak to you!  Too often parents are pulled in too many different directions.  Trying to live up to the persona we think we should be, or even just want to be, is exhausting.  This episode gives you permission to decide that being you is enough, and gives you the tools to say "no" to things that are imposed and "yes" to things that actually have value.  

If you are done with feeling anxiety over COVID-19 (or anything else in your life) and you just need a good laugh, then this is the episode for you! We decided that what mom's need most right now is just to laugh so hard they cry.  During this episode of Family Looking Up we play the game "Table Topics" and laugh until it hurts! We hope you laugh with us!

Randa Canter is a mother of 5 amazing kids, one of which, Parker has Spina Bifida and is in a wheelchair.  As Parker started kindergarten his kindergarten teacher approached Randa asking what she could tell the other kids to help them understand Parker.  Randa's book "Uniquely You" is her response to that question.  This interview is a fantastic look at how to help your kids embrace rather than shy away from differences in others!

In a world focused on imperfection, those of us who are flawed really have it rough!  Unfortunately none of us are going to reach a state of perfection while in this life, so it makes sense that we are going to need to learn to be a bit kinder to ourselves when we make mistakes .   This weeks guest is Jonathan Aslay, author of the book "What the Heck is Self Love Anyway ."  Jonathan teaches us 5 ways that we can start implementing a bit more kindness toward ourselves...even when we are flawed. Enj

It is an easy thing to fall into negativity in the challenges each of us face.  Often, we don't realize how much our perspective on a situation influences the outcome of the situation. This is especially true in parenting.  Brad Barton is with us this week talking about positive parenting and the power that minor adjustments in our perceptions bring to the realm of parenting.

Most parents have at least one strong willed kid.  Sometimes these kids bring some interesting challenges to unsuspecting parents.  Larry and Kami Kerby from "Parenting Rocks" are with us this week sharing lessons they've learned from Parenting With Love and Logic as they have dealt with strong willed kids in their home and in their practice. This episode is filled with lots of laughter, insight, and encouragement in your parenting journey!

"Parenting teenagers" is often spoken in dreaded tones.  Though it is true that some teens are harder than others (like any child in any phase) parenting most teens can be an exhilarating roller coaster ride that is both fun and challenging.  Watching this age group develop and fly is an amazing experience.  This week Beth, Andrea, and Camille talk teens.  We discuss the hard things as well as what we've learned from our teens.  It's a fun and enlightening discussion that we hope you enjoy!

Triggers.  We all have them no matter how much we wish we didn't!  How does the saying go?  To trigger is human, to parent is divine.  Something like that.    Amber Lia, author of "Triggers: Exchanging Parents' Angry Reactions for Gentle Biblical Responses" and "Marriage Triggers" is with us this week helping us to identify exactly what our triggers are and giving us the tools we need to respond in more loving ways than we initially feel.   We hope you enjoy (rather than feel triggered) by this