Now That We're A Family

Dr. Nicholas Kardaras, an expert in screens' impact, discusses how screen time affects children's brains, comparing it to addictive drugs. Topics include challenges of diagnosing screen-related problems, effects on brain functioning and behavior, negative impact of social media on mental health, and the influence of echo chambers and algorithms on extreme viewpoints.

The Growth Initiative: Winter session dates are January 11 - February 15 LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinar Get it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Is your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Grow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout

The Growth Initiative: Winter session dates are January 11 - February 15 LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinarGet it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubIs your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass:https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubGrow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout-Books mentioned during episode: - "Atomic Habits" by James Clear - https://amzn.to/3U4zSa7 - "The Gap and The Gain" by Dan Sullivan - https://amzn.to/3H75Z1a- "The Compound Effect" by Darren Hardy - https://amzn.to/41NcwHu

The Growth Initiative: Winter session dates are January 11 - February 15 LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinarGet it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubIs your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass:https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubGrow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout-Today, we are going to chat with you about chores, allowances and what we are currently doing for our children. Some of this is going to be theoretical because we are going to talk a little bit about how money was treated in our homes growing up and what we may or may not do as our children start to get older.   Of course, we have our own experiences growing up in households that had various rules for chores. It seemed to ebb and flow, depending on the season. The age you were placed a big role on what chores were assigned to us. There were set chores that we all had and didn’t get paid for. In Katie’s family, you were able to do special chores/extra jobs and earn money for them. It was a very slow trickle of money coming in. Because of that, she would store her dollars because it would take forever to save up to buy anything. She got very used to delayed gratification.   Based off our experiences and what we want to create for our children, one thing we want to avoid for our children is complacency. We don’t want them to be entitled in any manner. We also don’t want our children feeling too independent from us too early. For example, we don’t want them to feel like they have all their own money and they can go buy what they want to buy and then have a battle with them from the time they are 11 years old of them saying “hey, I want to wear this, it’s my money.” We didn’t buy our clothes until we were older. We wore what our parents bought us.   Growing up in the families that we grew up in, we got to have a lot of unique experiences. We got to do a lot of cool stuff. One way that it was counteracted so we didn’t grow up entitled, was by us all developing a really strong worth ethic and realizing how hard it was to earn money.   This was a fun walk down memory lane, sharing with you all our money earning journey and what we are currently doing with our children. We gave a lot of context as to where we are coming from and will see how this goes as our children grow up.-  Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage  Whether you have been married for 30 years, or are just starting out on the adventure of a lifetime, this course is for you!  https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/Marriage-MaximizerFree webinar: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/marriage-maximizer-learn-more-1-  Top 5 Tuesday  Join our weekly email list to keep up to date with the highlights of what is going on in our family life.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/top-5-tuesday-newletter-  Looking for more Now That We're A Family resources?  We got 'em!  Website:  https://www.nowthatwereafamily.comOUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.comFREE CHRISTMAS PIANO MASTERCLASS: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/XNwm6tzK/checkoutInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool

The Growth Initiative: Winter session dates are January 11 - February 15 LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinar Get it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Is your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Grow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout -As we wrap up the year 2023, we have been thinking a lot about how we are planning our next year. Today, we are going to share some of the new things we plan to do, as well as some of the old things and our general philosophy on setting new years goals, planning the year and reviewing the previous year (which is a huge deal for us). Overall...we are going to take you inside our minds and what we are thinking about this time of year! :)  It’s encouraging to go back and reflect on the past year because we really love to look at how far we’ve come instead of looking at how far we still need to go. The horizon is always moving and that is just a fact of life. As we grow, that horizon grows. If you’re fixated on the horizon, that is where you find yourself discouraged, overwhelmed and not able to acknowledge the wins and growth in your life. Instead of trying to resist the horizon moving, we just accept that our goals will never feel like we have arrived. You really need to enjoy the journey. One way that you can do that is to look back and say “wow, we’ve come a long way” and measure backwards. One way it’s encouraging to measure backwards is see all the things we have put time and energy into that don’t necessarily show up on a progress report or monetization chart. There are a lot of things that won’t show up on those lists, but they are still such worthwhile investments of our time.   We love the idea of pictures on a dream board instead of writing out goals specifically, because it captures this feeling or general direction you want to go in. It’s less like you miss the mark or hit the mark. We like just going in a general direction and making sure we keep realigning with that direction throughout the year.   We are always grateful for the time and energy that goes into planning. Planning takes effort and time. We have spent hours going through our last year in review and then planning our the next year and putting stuff on the calendar. We are grateful for all these things that keep us aligned though. They have been so helpful for us!We would love to hear what you do to plan out the new year! Please let us know in the comments below. :) - Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage Whether you have been married for 30 years, or are just starting out on the adventure of a lifetime, this course is for you! https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/Marriage-Maximizer Free webinar: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/marriage-maximizer-learn-more-1 - Top 5 Tuesday Join our weekly email list to keep up to date with the highlights of what is going on in our family life.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/top-5-tuesday-newletter - Looking for more Now That We're A Family resources? We got 'em! Website: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com FREE CHRISTMAS PIANO MASTERCLASS: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/XNwm6tzK/checkout Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/ Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool

The Growth Initiative: Winter session starts January 11th.LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinarGet it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubIs your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass:https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubGrow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout - We get to talk about young love, marriage, early relationships and all of that fun stuff. We are going to answer some questions that listeners have asked on this topic. Our kids are obviously not of the age where they are getting into relationships, but it has already become a conversation in our home. Some kids become aware of the opposite sex a lot sooner than others. Today, we are going to talk about how our parents navigated that from our perspectives and some thoughts around young budding friendships and romance.   How are you navigating children who are becoming adults who maybe establish these attractions earlier? What are some ways to slow down the attraction and timelines until they’re ready to actually do something about it? Communicate with your children that there’s a certain timeline for this type of stuff. What is your endgame with this person?   4 things to avoid / timeline extenders:1. Declaration 2. Alone time 3. Exclusivity  4. Physical touch  If you have a goal for your children to date to marry, how do you balance protecting and guarding vs. freedom when they start to have an interest in each other? You aren’t dating for just a friend, companionship, romantic outlet or the world’s recreational dating term. It’s a serious thing when you are dating. It’s not recreational to play with your whole life. It’s very foolish to throw it around like a sport you play. -  Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage  Whether you have been married for 30 years, or are just starting out on the adventure of a lifetime, this course is for you!  https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/Marriage-MaximizerFree webinar: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/marriage-maximizer-learn-more-1-  Top 5 Tuesday  Join our weekly email list to keep up to date with the highlights of what is going on in our family life.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/top-5-tuesday-newletter-  Looking for more Now That We're A Family resources?  We got 'em!  Website:  https://www.nowthatwereafamily.comOUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.comFREE CHRISTMAS PIANO MASTERCLASS: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/XNwm6tzK/checkoutInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool

The Growth Initiative: Winter session starts in January LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinar Get it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Is your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Grow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout -This is our last review of the books we’ve read this year. We really enjoy sharing quarter by quarter the books we’ve read that quarter. Something that we’ve really found ourselves loving is reading. We were both really big readers before the advent of the online world. We fell off the bandwagon for a few years when the internet came out. Everything we were creating and consuming was online, aside from self-development books here and there. The last two years, since we got rid of our smartphones, we have dove back into the world of written literature. It has been incredible blessing to our family!  If you’re looking for recommendations, we hope that you find a book to read while listening to this episode! We love book recommendations, so if you have some, leave them in the comments below :)  Shop our Library - https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/shop-my-library  “Pirates of the Sea” by Brandon Dorman - https://amzn.to/3v17ZVN - Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage Whether you have been married for 30 years, or are just starting out on the adventure of a lifetime, this course is for you! https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/Marriage-Maximizer Free webinar: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/marriage-maximizer-learn-more-1 - Top 5 Tuesday Join our weekly email list to keep up to date with the highlights of what is going on in our family life.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/top-5-tuesday-newletter- Looking for more Now That We're A Family resources? We got 'em! Website: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com FREE CHRISTMAS PIANO MASTERCLASS: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/XNwm6tzK/checkout Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/ Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool

OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.comUse coupon code: YOUTUBE for 10% off each month Check out our Free Christmas Piano Masterclass - https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/XNwm6tzK/checkout-    A few episodes ago, we mentioned in passing that we disapprove of VeggieTales for our children. That comment sparked some inquires from you listeners and you wanted clarity as to why we don’t approve of it. We both discussed it and asked ourselves if this was beyond our opinion and preference or if we do actually have a conviction against VeggieTales. Come to find out, we both have some convictions regarding it. We are going to share what those are in this episode and answer some of the questions that you have about it.  First of all, VeggieTales is disrespecting and degrading to Scripture. There is no reverence to history and how God chose to tell history. It also doesn’t paint a high view of God for our children. It reduces the Christian heroes of the faith and God’s presence in Scripture as this comedic, foolish nonsense that is worth laughing at and getting a cheap joke from. It is not with awe, holiness and reverence like it should be.  My issue is the danger with the specific VeggieTale videos that are based from the Bible. It is skewing Scripture and making it a laughing stock and treating it in a very trivial manner. It’s confusing when the message is way off and it’s supposed to be Scriptural based. It’s very foolish and disrespectful to God and Scripture and what He’s done through His people. As well as the really dark things that these people have walked through in faith.   Our children are capable of so much more than the little crumbs that we feed them. Their brains are very capable of absorbing big concepts and themes. We don’t need to shy away from the truth, elegance and beauty of Scripture.   "What comes into our mind when we think about God is the most important thing about us." A.W. Tozer -  The Growth Initiative: Winter session starts in JanuaryLIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinarGet it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubIs your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-clubGrow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout-  Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage  Whether you have been married for 30 years, or are just starting out on the adventure of a lifetime, this course is for you!  https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/Marriage-MaximizerFree webinar: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/marriage-maximizer-learn-more-1-  Top 5 Tuesday  Join our weekly email list to keep up to date with the highlights of what is going on in our family life.  https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/top-5-tuesday-newletter-  Looking for more Now That We're A Family resources? We got 'em!  Website:  https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com  Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool

The Growth Initiative: Winter session starts in January LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinar Get it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Is your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Grow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout - "Mom-guilt" is a subject I really like to speak about, because we can get condemnation, guilt, shame and conviction all lumped into one pile. When we sort through them, we are able to determine what is conviction, condemnation and how the two types of guilt can flow into either funnel. We can then determine how we can take action on that. We think there is a healthy guilt and an unhealthy guilt. Usually this term is related to moms, but really can be parent guilt, marriage guilt and all kinds of guilt. If you’ve felt guilty or have never felt guilty (and you probably should), then this episode is for you! :)  We got this episode idea from a question we recently got from an Instagram follower during a Q&A poll - "How to overcome the guilt of leaving children with caregivers (like grandparents) for events?"  This questions is specifically about how you do it. The first thing you should do is go to Scripture. That is the way you should do everything! You should go to Scripture and say “What is God’s hierarchy and what does He say should be my priority here? Should this thing be my priority in this season or should it not?” It really is seasonal depending on what age your children are in. The only exception to this rule, that I would encourage, is you can’t put your marriage on pause for any season of life. Regardless of how hectic, hard or a big deal financially it is, you can’t just say we will come back to this in five years. You can’t get those five years back. If you’re getting confused when it comes to raising your children and things are getting cloudy, I think the healthiest thing I did was be off of social media, so I am not seeing other women’s opinions on how they’re raising their children. As long as you have a loving, God-fearing husband, the only voices that you need and pertain to your situation are the Lord’s (getting in Scripture) and your husband’s voice. - Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage Whether you have been married for 30 years, or are just starting out on the adventure of a lifetime, this course is for you! https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/Marriage-Maximizer Free webinar: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/marriage-maximizer-learn-more-1 - Top 5 Tuesday Join our weekly email list to keep up to date with the highlights of what is going on in our family life.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/top-5-tuesday-newletter - Looking for more Now That We're A Family resources? We got 'em! Website: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com FREE CHRISTMAS PIANO MASTERCLASS:https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/XNwm6tzK/checkout Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/ Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool

Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool For 15% off the course, use discount code: YTHOMESCHOOL - Today we are going to be responding to a question that we got during our Q&A poll - How do you deal with all that’s going on in the world? There are certainly things that we have learned while contemplating this question. We are not totally ignorant or naive to what is going on in the world. We do think it is incumbent among Christians when they are aware of wars and catastrophes to be earnest in prayer. Beyond prayer, if there are things we can do with our dollars or time to support people in need, then we think that is what Christians should do. We were never intended to be as informed as we are of all the bad that’s happening in the world. There comes a threshold where we need to look at what the Lord has for us here in our homes and tend to the needs of our wife, children and then local community. After that, we can see what kind of bandwidth we have to start working outside of those three. We don’t know what the future holds. We can sit around being dreary about it our entire lives and what we’re scared of never ends up happening. What a waste of anxiety! We are told to be anxious for nothing (Philippians 4:6). The big reason for that is because the Lord is currently reigning on His throne and in control. Theology really comes into play when it comes to how we view the world. When you have this perspective that nothing can stop God’s gospel from going out and more people are getting saved, we can celebrate regardless of what happens to our particular country or lives. God’s mission is being accomplished. Nothing is happening outside of Him allowing it to happen. When you have this complete belief that things are going according to God’s plan, there is incredible peace you can have in knowing that. As Christians we are to: “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” - Philippians 4:6-7-The Growth Initiative: Winter session starts in January LIVE calls will be Thursdays at 7am or 3pm PST. https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiativeRegister here for the Free Growth Initiative Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/growth-initiative-webinar Get it All Done Club: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Is your life just too complicated to ever feel peaceful? Check out Katie's Free Home Management Masterclass: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/get-it-all-done-club Grow as a couple and get the couple's package! You can get over $150 off if you sign up for the Growth Initiative and Get It All Done Club together.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/S3GJdvSm/checkout - Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage Whether you have been married for 30 years, or are just starting out on the adventure of a lifetime, this course is for you! https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/Marriage-Maximizer Free webinar: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/marriage-maximizer-learn-more-1 - Top 5 Tuesday Join our weekly email list to keep up to date with the highlights of what is going on in our family life.https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/top-5-tuesday-newletter - Looking for more Now That We're A Family resources? We got 'em! Website: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.comFREE CHRISTMAS PIANO MASTERCLASS: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/offers/XNwm6tzK/checkout Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/