Hi Friends! My newest book, The Cure for the Perfect Life, came from my deepest desire to help the women in this world live fuller, richer lives at exactly where God wants them. This week Cheri Gregory (who co-wrote The Cure for the Perfect Life) and I sat down to discuss the concept of rebelling against the ideas of perfectionism, and procrastination. (don’t worry! People-pleasing and Performancism are coming soon!)

Now this podcast is only for you if you deal with one of the four bullies we talk about:

• Perfectionism
• Procrastination
• People Pleasing
• Performancism

You are invited to take part in our rebellion against perfectionism.

Win 2 copies of The Cure for the Perfect Life– just comment below and tell us one small thing you are doing to fight procrastination or perfectionism, and who you are going to ask to be your bravery buddy (she can have the second copy!).

FREE DOWNLOAD

Let’s just call these Bravery on a sticky note! Download, print and use these adorable sticky notes to spur you on against the “P” bullies in your life.

TIP: To get “sticky” notes, 1) print the page, 2) place blank sticky notes (the full adhesive with the one non-stick edge work the best for printing on top of the printout), 3) and reprint on TOP of the new page, 4) peel and stick.

Click to Download.

When it comes to being a mom, have you ever felt like you wish someone would just tell you what to do? (Or at least talk you down after you kid has told you that he wishes Jake’s mom was his real mother?)

My dear friend Stephanie Shott joined us this week to discuss mentoring, a topic that is near and dear to her heart as she lacked a true mentor and community when she was a teenage/single/unsaved mom. She started the Mom Initiative specifically to help women be the mentors other moms need. And guess what, she shares the secrets with us today.

Some of the things we discuss:

• Mentoring makes us better women
• Great mentoring isn’t difficult!
• Why mentoring is so important
• REAL friends can be our mentors

When you are in the thick of it, knowing someone is there for you makes all the difference. We shouldn’t do this mothering things alone friends. Take this first step to learn how to find your tribe and your mentors.

FREE DOWNLOAD

Stephanie has generously given us a taste of her new book, The Making of a Mom, with the FREE download of the first chapter. I dare you to read it friends! Because it is SO good!

From the intro:

“When I was a young mom, I longed for a mentor, yet wondered why I could never seem to find one. I had just turned 18 when my son was born and I didn’t have a clue what it meant to be a mom. Oh, I thought I did. In fact, I thought the whole mom thing was going to be a breeze. I quickly learned that my dream of motherhood was very different than the reality of motherhood.”

Download Chapter 1

This first podcast is for earbuds only – no listening in the minivan with the kiddos in back (unless they are plugged into their own listening device…)

My friend and speaker, Michele Cushatt hasn’t had the prettiest life. It has been down right hard and the things God have called her to haven’t always been pretty. Michele has handled the not so pretty with such grace that I wanted her to speak about her experiences because no matter how ugly, she always inspires me. I think she’ll inspire you too.

In this episode of So Here’s the Thing, we discuss how following God isn’t always easy. We deal with some of the tough questions like:

• Should I be a working mom or stay-at-home mom?
• If God has called me to this, shouldn’t it be easy?
• Why do some decisions have only comprises for answers?
• How can I even think of reinventing my life with all of the responsibilities I already have?
• How can/do I say NO to the wrong things so I can say YES to the right things?

After listening, tell me how you have reinvented a part of your life whether it be your work, the way you juggle the needs of your family, your ministry or the relationships with your extended family. Two people will win pack of books from me- The Cure for the Perfect Life (being released in August!) and Praying God’s Word for Your Life.

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From the moment you awake until your head falls, exhausted, on your pillow, one question haunts at every turn: Am I enough? From your relationships and appearance to your career and faith, you fear the answer is “no.” But God says otherwise, and believing His words can set you free.

Download now. 

“You don’t get a pass on your faith because of a curve ball.” OUCH! Would your best friend be willing say the same to you if you needed to hear it?

My co-host this week is Gillian Marchenko, author of Sun Shine Down: A Memoir. Gillian’s life as a mom, wife of a pastor and missionary in Ukraine was completely rocked when their third child was born with down-syndrome. In this experience, Gillian learned what deep faith, true friendship and real appreciation for life was all about.

Through our discussion, Gillian shares how:

• it’s possible to feel two opposing emotions at the exact same time
• it’s ok to dislike the diagnosis and still love
• to react when your friend goes through a hard time

Join us for an inspiring discussion about how dealing with the curve ball isn’t always pretty but absolutely survivable.

What is the event in your life that you weren’t sure you would ever see the “sun shine again”? Share it with us for a chance to win a copy of Gillian’s memoir.

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When we are in the middle of darkness, sometimes it’s hard to reach out to God. This quick reference has seven complete verses that speak to God’s presence in our time of need. Go to them when you need encouragement, hope and assurance that HE is with you even in the darkness.

Download now. 

It’s easy to get bogged down with commitments- us moms have a knack for it! But then we start feeling exhausted, over committed and frustrated that our parenting, our physical, emotional and spiritual lives aren’t exactly what we had in mind. Join host Kathi Lipp as she welcomes guest Kasey Johnson, author of a new book and bible study specifically for moms called Mom Essentials. They discuss:

• the differences between essentials and extras
• how to best identify what each are in your life
• and why getting back to the “essentials” can be key to an overall healthy mama.

“It’s not about being perfect, it’s about being smarter.” Kasey Johnson  

FREE DOWNLOAD

Want to try out the first study in Mom Essentials for free? Download it at http://t.co/ev3YOgNvvx/s/QCX0.

Some parents are excited when summer comes. They get to be around their kids all day, everyday. This was SO not my experience. I loved the first day of school, not having to hear my kids whine that they were bored, or try to figure out what to do with them without breaking the bank.

So this episode of So Here’s the Thing is all about keeping the fun in Summer Fun. If you’re just starting to run out of tricks in your summer bag, you will want to hear this conversation with Kathi and her co-host Erin MacPherson.

Erin gave us some great ideas about creating a CAMP MOM and offers us her ideas from last years Pintasttic Summer.

Finally, I promised you a picture of what my brother in law made in less than 15 minutes: A life-size Jenga.

He took a bunch of 2x4s, cut them each to 10.5 inches long, until he had 48. Standard Jenga rules apply. (I promise you it took Randy all of 15 minutes to make the entire game.) I’ve seen directions for these floating around Pinterest. Some say you have to sand, but ours were unsanded and worked just fine.

Roger contends that the reason it’s so much fun is the real threat of bodily harm. (The blocks are light enough they wouldn’t hurt anyone, but you may want to keep small children and dogs at a fair distance…)

FREE DOWNLOAD

Summer is here and the kids are already complaining that they are bored. You want them to have fun, and let’s face it, you want to have some fun too without breaking the bank. Download this summer bucket list for 100 things to do this summer with the kids that both you and they will enjoy.

No boring summers here! Download and have some fun!

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