Now That We're A Family

Today we have a very fun episode for you! I have seven incredible sisters and today I’m here with two of them. These two are currently pregnant with me. Karaline is in her first trimester and Kyla is in her second trimester and I’m wrapping up my third trimester any day now. I thought it would be fun timing, because who knows when this will happen again, and talk about pregnancy, postpartum, big families, having a lot of kids and our vision for family size. Kyla is 27 and lives in Lexington, Kentucky with her husband Adam. They have two children, ages 3 and 1 1/2 and currently 16 weeks pregnant. They have been married just under 5 years. She is a stay at home mom and also manages and runs Now That I’m A Mother Health. Karaline is 22 and lives in Eagle, Idaho (just outside of Boise) with her husband Austin. They have a 9 month old baby girl and currently 8 weeks pregnant. They have been married almost 2 years. She is a stay at home mom and also has a home based business with Monat. She loves homemaking and organizing her house. Clean spaces are her thing. Listen today so you can get a different perspective/response than just mine to some of these questions: - Did you want a big family growing up? What were your husbands thoughts about it? - What has been the hardest part for pregnancy, labor and postpartum? Anything catch you off guard? - What are you most worried about regarding potentially having a lot of kids? - Karaline, what was the hardest thing about being the middle child? - How do you feel Mama prepared you for keeping a house and raising children? - How do you practically do all the things in a day? Take care of kids, spend time with your husband, run a successful home based business, hospitality, etc. - Have you ever felt unfulfilled in motherhood or like you’ve lost yourself? Karaline’s quote - “Don’t live a life out of motivation, but out of commitment”   You can follow Kyla & Karaline through the links below: - Karaline's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/__thelifeofagirl/- Kyla at Now That I'm A Mother Health's Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/nowthatimamother.health/- 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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool For 15% off the course, use discount code: YTHOMESCHOOL 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

Today on the podcast we are answering a listener question: Are you raising your daughter to become a career woman or a homemaker & wife? We thought that it was an interesting question because we have seen this exact same question asked to multiple different people that we follow online and it’s been interesting to hear their responses.   One gal said specifically that she was not raising her daughter to be either and she could be whatever she wants to be. We thought if you don’t have the target in mind, then you’re going to miss it every time. We do think we should have objective goals for our daughters. Today we will be talking about how to navigate that in the 21st century when there are so many career opportunities and obviously being a wife and mother is a big blessing.  The problem is, is that something or somebody or multiples things/bodies are going to be shaping our daughter’s worldview and shaping them into something. If we’re not proactive in doing that as parents, then again, somebody is. It is of the utmost importance that we take the responsibility seriously as parents in being the prominent voice. We don’t want to be the only voice. We want to find other resources and people that can speak into our children’s lives too.  When it comes to our daughters and equipping them, we want them to grow in capabilities and tactics to be able to add value in any situation that they might find themself in. We also need to speak highly of being a wife and mother to our daughters, just like God does, because the voice against them is so loud. When you look at the narrative in the news, media, songs, all sorts of art and entertainment, education, etc, it has this strong narrative that does not promote being a Godly wife and mother. God thinks and esteems so highly of them. As parents, we need to be extremely vocal in advocating and speaking well of those things and equipping our daughters to thrive in any situation! Mentioned in the podcast: - "2022 Didn't Go As Planned // What We're Changing in 2023 // Elisha's Dream Board" - https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/podcasts/now-that-we-re-a-family-10/episodes/2147843123- I Timothy 5:9-16 - 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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com Use coupon code: YOUTUBE for 10% off each month Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool 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

Dr. Sean McDowell is a gifted communicator with a passion for equipping the church, and in particular, young people to make the case for the Christian faith. Sean still teaches one high school Bible class, which helps give him exceptional insight into the prevailing culture so he can impart his observations poignantly to fellow educators, pastors, and parents alike. In 2008, he received the Educator of the Year award for San Juan Capistrano, California. The Association of Christian Schools International awarded Exemplary Status to his apologetics training. Sean is listed among the top 100 apologists. He earned a Ph.D. in Apologetics and Worldview Studies from Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in 2014. In April 2000, Sean married his high school sweetheart, Stephanie. They have three children and live in San Juan Capistrano, California. Sean played college basketball at Biola University and was the captain his senior year on a team that went 30-7.  Listen today as Dr. Sean McDowell shares (among other topics) that if you want to pass on your faith to your kids, the effective way to do that and data shows, you have to: 1. Model your faith to your kids. If you don’t model it, it doesn’t matter what you say.  2. Build close, warm, intimate relationship with your kids. 3. Engage them in spiritual, natural conversations, not lectures.  Always look for ways to ask questions and engage them. Affirm that asking questions are great and welcome in the Christian fold.   You can follow Dr. Sean McDowell through the resources below: Website - https://seanmcdowell.orgInstagram - https://www.instagram.com/seanmcdowell/YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC321oNTD2yrszfYoz3-X1wPodcast - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/think-biblically-conversations-on-faith-culture/id1300837524- 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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool 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

Do we have friends outside of our family? Do we have church friends? Do we have community? If so, how do we allocate our time accordingly with friends and family? How do we protect our home, but still be a part of the community? Is there some hospitality linked in there?  We have gotten these questions more and more since we have spoken on family. We are clearly advocates of family time. Our interaction with family, whether that be immediate family outside our home, in-laws, our children, and each other, are the highlights and the things that we choose to talk about on this channel. It might sound a little cloistered or people wonder how do we have friendships outside of those familial bonds. We thought it would be fun to share and go through a week/month and share the things that keep us engaged with our church community and local friends and how that looks like in the midst of our every day life.   Our church has facilitated a lot of relational growth for us. I think there is a biblical obligation to the local church body. We are supposed to be there for one another, but I also think there needs to be wisdom for each individual and what that looks like for them, their capacity and bandwidth for their home. It’s about tending first to your primary commitments. You need to look first and foremost to your marriage and to the well-being of your children.  We love everything we get to do right now. Our families get to visit and we are grateful for that. People are coming through town all the time. We get to stay in touch and have fun with them. We go on roadtrips to visit them as well. Our week in and week out friendships are so great! We are richly blessed by the friends in our life right now. God is really really gracious in that area.Mentioned in the podcast: - "Mom Friends: Finding Them, and Creating Time to Spend with Them" - https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/blog/mom-friends-finding-them-and-creating-time-to-spend-with-them - 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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool For 15% off the course, use discount code: YTHOMESCHOOL 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

Lisa Bass is a mom of 7 (expecting #8 in July) who shares wholesome from scratch recipes, natural living, handmade projects and her simple life in their 1860s farmhouse. Blogging is her family’s full-time gig. She has a podcast called Simple Farmhouse Life where she shares the same thing, but in audio form what she shares on her blog and YouTube channel, Farmhouse on Boone. After the pandemic, she was known for her sourdough. She also does DIY, family recipes, sewing, and is a homeschool mom. Listen today as we talk about how Lisa is preparing to add baby #8 to her family, her summer routines, handling a perfectionism mindset in parenting and homemaking, how to stay motivated when you feel depleted and homemaking systems that help make her home run smoothly. Lisa also talks about how they don’t own a dishwasher and why she thinks it’s easier to not have one. She loves wearing an apron and working in the kitchen. She enjoys cooking, trying new things and experimenting with recipes. Obviously her business relies on that too, so that makes it easier to stay motivated to be in the kitchen. You can follow Lisa Bass through the resources below: - Blog - Farmhouse on Boone - https://www.farmhouseonboone.com- Youtube - Farmhouse on Boone - https://www.youtube.com/@FarmhouseonBoone- Podcast - Simple Farmhouse Life - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/simple-farmhouse-life/id1494284839Check out Katie's conversation with Lisa on the Simple Farmhouse Life Podcast:- https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/simple-farmhouse-life/episodes/190--Do-Homemakers-Have-Too-Much-Time-on-Their-Hands---Katie-of-Now-That-Were-a-Family-e25unar/a-aa1aqpo - https://youtu.be/xjmWo_G6yeU - 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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com Use coupon code: YOUTUBE for 10% off each month Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool 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

Here we are once again tackling one of those topics that I think at one point we said we never wanted to talk about. We don’t want to talk about parenting from a “here’s how you do it" perspective because our oldest is six and if our children ever listen to this one day, they know that we were imperfect parents. We love them very much and we want to get better and better at this. That said, there are some things that are very, very wrong in our opinion about gentle parenting. While we are called to be gentle in parenting as Christians, subscribing to the gentle parenting philosophy is not something that we should be pursuing. Biblical parenting is gentle, but gentle parenting is not biblical. The Bible says man is born into sin. As parents, it is our job to make our children aware of their sin and their need for a Savior. It is also our job to train them up in the nurture and admonition of Him. These are God’s children. They are given to us to steward. When we are going to an expert and philosophy that is completely godless, it is not going to be neutral. We cannot expect it to be anti-god. Satan wants to take our kids. They are the next generation. He wants to take their hearts and eliminate the authority that God has placed in their lives as a protection, guidance and support to them. There is an agenda behind this and it’s not neutral. Punishment is love and love is punishment when it is done in an appropriate and loving way. The most valuable gift a child can receive is a parent's love, time and support. Setting boundaries, having clear expectations and consequences, being able to share the Gospel with our children as often as we can, being as consistent as we can as parents in love and not in anger is so important. We need to go to God’s Word and His Scripture and continue to learn. We pray that the Lord speaks to some of your through this and He continues to grow us as parents! - Ephesians 6:1-3 - “Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.” - Proverbs 22:6 - “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” - Jeremiah 17:9-10 - “The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings.” - Hebrews 12:11 - “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.” - Proverbs 22:15 - “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” - Proverbs 29:17 - “Correct thy son, and he shall give thee rest; yea, he shall give delight unto thy soul.” - Proverbs 29:15 - “The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.” - Proverbs 13:24 - “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.” - Proverbs 3:11-12 - “My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” - Leviticus 5:17 - “And if a soul sin, and commit any of these things which are forbidden to be done by the commandments of the Lord; though he wist it not, yet is he guilty, and shall bear his iniquity.” - Job 5:17 - “Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:- Marriage Maximizer - Build A Masterpiece Marriage - TODAY, June 13 at midnight, enrollment will be closed for this Beta launch. Sign up today!! 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 - 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.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.comUse coupon code: YOUTUBE for 10% off each month Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool 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

I thoroughly enjoyed the interview you are about to listen to with Skyler Kressin. Skylar is local to this community and has become a friend of mine. He really is an example of somebody living out Christian values and it going noticed. I just noticed Skylar a couple years back when we were working together in the same co-working space. I noticed him bringing his kids to work with him and how he handled himself differently. From that point forward, I wanted to get to know and talk to him. Of course, I’ve been able to do that since then so I was really grateful he was willing to take the time and come on the podcast and share some of his story with you. I got so many insights from this conversation and I know you will too! Skyler and his high school sweetheart that he married 17 years ago, have 6 children whom they homeschool. He is the founder and CEO of Archer Strategic Advisors, a specialized CPA firm offering high value tax accounting advisory services resulting in unmatched performance. He is a director for the society for American Civic renewal and knows more about GK Chesterton than anyone I’ve ever met.   You can follow Skyler Kressin through the resources below: - LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/skressincpa- Twitter - https://twitter.com/SkylerRKressin- 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- 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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com - Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool 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

Today we get to answer more of your questions. Oftentimes, these episodes turn into our favorite episodes! We get to hear what you’re thinking, some of the concepts you’re throwing around your household and the conversations you’re having with your spouse and then we get to have those conversations here in real time. If you follow us on Instagram and have any questions you would like us to answer, put them in the Q&A box that is in our stories on Mondays! Listen along today as we answer these ten questions: 1. What are your thoughts on circumcision? 2. How has your home life changed since decreasing your online work? 3. How do you manage gift givers? We have so many toys and clothes gifted to us and both sides are overwhelmingly gift heavy. What do your parents and family get for your kids? 4. Do you ever get tired of trying to be so intentional?  5. How do you balance it all? I find myself implementing and then failing. Do you guys ever relax? What do you do to relax? It seems like you’re always so productive all the time. 6. How do you practice more self-discipline?  7. Do you worry about boys and girls sharing their rooms together? How to navigate that? 8. Do you think the public sees you as you see yourself? And to what extent? 9. How do you handle Sabbath when you plan to travel? Any guilt if you can’t take it? 10. Do you feel pressure to bounce back quickly after having each baby physically? Mentioned in podcast: - "The Gap and The Gain" by Dan Sullivan - https://amzn.to/3MT8IPj - The Growth Initiative: Now open for enrollment! https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiative- 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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com - Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool 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

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs is an internationally known public speaker on the topic of marriage, parenting, communication and more. Based on over three decades of counseling as well as scientific and biblical research, Dr. Eggerichs developed the Love and Respect Marriage Conference which he presents to live audiences around the country. This dynamic and life-changing conference is impacting the world, resulting in the healing and restoration of countless relationships. Dr. Eggerichs has authored several books, including the national bestseller Love and Respect, which is a New York Times bestseller, Platinum and Book of the Year award winner, and sold over 2 million copies. Emerson and his wife Sarah live in Grand Rapids, MI and have three adult children. He is the Founder and President of Love and Respect Ministries. Emerson has blessed Katie and I in a tremendous way. The term love and respect is a common part of Christian vernacular all of a sudden now. It’s a household term in Christian marriages. It’s impacted countless homes. Ephesians 5:33 - “Nevertheless let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself; and the wife see that she reverence her husband.” is the verse that the Love and Respect message is based off. I hope that listening to this interview today will bring as much value to your life like it did mine! You can learn more and follow Dr. Emerson Eggerichs on his podcast, blog and other resources through his website: https://www.loveandrespect.comEmerson's books mentioned in podcast: "Love and Respect" - https://amzn.to/3MsAbWK "Mother and Son" - https://amzn.to/3oo185I -  The Growth Initiative: Now open for enrollment!https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/thegrowthinitiative -  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/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com - Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool 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

Today we’re sharing with you the most influential preachers and Bible teachers in our lives. Some of these may be controversial…ok, maybe all of them…just a warning :) To list off a few that we discuss: - Dave Hunt - Shield of Faith ministries - Douglas Phillips - Vision Forum - Bill Gothard/ATI/IBLT - Michael & Debbie Pearl - No Greater Joy- Lifeway Bible studies - Mark Driscoll - Mars Hill Church - John Piper - Nancy Campell - Francis Chan - Voddie Baucham - The Bible Project podcast- Phylicia Masonheimer- Canon Press Overall, we want to be able to draw from a wide variety of resources and tools when it comes to educating our children, of course in Scripture and also growing up in the culture and practical things. Our parents did such wise job!. They didn’t elevate man. They elevated God’s Word. We took everything back to Scripture. We never thought a man, leader, pastor or church was infallible. God is keeping us and He’s the only one keeping us. We never had an idolization of a certain person and watched them fall from grace and thought our world was rocked. The Lord is so gracious and faithful! So many people have spoken into our lives. These are the big ones that you are going to know about. Obviously there are a lot of individuals that don’t have big ministries or aren’t easy to pin down on paper exactly what they believe. God has been so gracious to bring in different teaching and wisdom to be able to compare and think “I used to think that and now I think this.” It’s all a part of our walk. It’s all about growing in our faith. Some of these teachers we don’t agree with now, but the foundation of their teaching has really helped us to understand teaching that we have come under later in life. It can make you aware of things that you might not have been aware of before or to prove to be a helpful comparison. The one thing we can point to as being the rock is God’s faithfulness and the infallibility of God’s Word. We want that to be our reference point. When we are reading Christian literature, we want to have God’s Word on our heart and mind and that be the standard. Every single one of these people that we have listed off have one thing in common - they are fallen, just like all of us! It makes you so grateful for the Word of God.Mentioned in video: - Victory Over Pornography // Interview With Chad Johnson - https://youtu.be/Ufhi3GZlcnw- Our Personal Testimonies - https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/podcasts/now-that-we-re-a-family-10/episodes/2147568023 - 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.comInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/nowthatwereafamily/ OUR FAMILY MUSIC ACADEMY: https://www.voetbergmusicacademy.com - Homeschool Course: https://www.nowthatwereafamily.com/homeschool For 15% off the course, use discount code: YTHOMESCHOOL 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