The Monica Swanson Podcast - boy mom, build strong families, Biblical worldview, women’s wellness

Carl Laferton, best-selling author of The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross, joins us today to talk about his brand-new book, The God Contest.  I have such passion for this topic because my four sons’ early years were impacted so deeply by good stories.  Bible stories, stories about heroes of the faith, and other creative, even silly stories -- shaped my boys’ character, faith, and interests.  This new book by Carl Laferton tells the story of Elijah up against the prophets of Baal up on Mt. Carmel (see 1 Kings 18.)  It is an exciting, humorous, and profoundly faith-building story that will inspire our kids to put their faith in the One True God.  Carl and I not only get to talk about this particular story, but Carl reminds us of the importance of helping our kids build their own faith based on the Word of God and equipping them to respond to questions about their faith.  I love this chat so much and I think you will too!    Find show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today’s episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-88 Find the God Contest wherever books are sold!  Thank you to the Good Book Company for sponsoring this episode!! Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Prominent Pastor and New York Times best-selling author, Mark Batterson joins us for such an inspiring interview to prepare us all for the new year. I love talking about positive habits, goal-setting, and, well – winning just about anything, and this chat just hit the sweet spot for all of that!  Mark is sharing from his brand new book (releasing today! -- December 29th!) called Win the Day: 7 Daily Habits to Help You Stress Less and Accomplish More. In this episode we talk about some of the habits he covers in his book and I am so excited to not only put these into practice, but to help my sons embrace these as well! What a fantastic way to prepare for a HAPPY NEW YEAR (we pray!) ahead!  💥 Find show notes:  monicaswanson.com/podcast Today's episode: monicaswanson/episode-87 Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Merry Christmas!!  In today's short episode Josiah and Luke join me to talk story (as we say in Hawaii) about Christmas memories and traditions.  We talk Christmas music, (look for this year's playlist in show notes) favorite movies, the most memorable gifts, and what they each love most about the true Christmas story.  This is a fun episode to share with your kids!  Sending much love and Mele Kalikimaka, from our family to yours! Show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today's episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-86   Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Alexandra Kuykendall joins us today with such a refreshing, endearing message about Loving Your Actual Christmas.  Drawing from her book (by that name,) Alex reminds us that Christ did not come for the people who have it all together, but for the weary,  grieving, and hurting.  He came for us real people who sometimes struggle our way through the holidays. When we don’t have our act together, Jesus meets us in the most real way.  Alex talks about the meaning of Advent as well as Christmastide (the “12 Days of Christmas”) and how we can truly savor this season – yes, even 2020 – more than ever before.  Find links and notes below!   Find show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today’s episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-85  Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Over the past years, I have heard from countless families about their greatest challenges in parenting during the holidays. One thing I hear every year is the frustration of kids being on screens and feeling like technology is stealing their precious family time.  In today's episode I offer some practical ideas about being proactive and making a tech-smart plan for your family this holiday season.  For those listening this week (Dec. 8-11th) I have a brand new, helpful resource available called "Raising Tech-Smart Kids".  This mini-course has guidelines for raising kids with technology and screen time, social media, and video gaming.  It includes 2 interviews, helpful downloads, a top-notch resource with the best filters and accountability software, books, websites, and much more!  Read more about the course and sign up here: Raising Tech-Smart Kids Mini-Course PODCAST SHOW NOTES:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast This episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-84 Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Kate Merrick and I wanted to share a chat about gifts in the holiday season.  Because, as Kate said, "There are a lot of gift guides out there, but not a lot of guidance on gifts."  So true.  So join us for a fun conversation where we share favorite holiday memories, expectations for the season ahead, and some guidance for choosing gifts that last this season.  Kate shares memories of being raised by divorced parents and has some encouraging words for single moms. We talk about the most important gifts we can give (hint, they aren’t the kind you get on Amazon.)  And then we get practical about actual gifts (yep, some of those are on Amazon,) that will not soon be forgotten (or put in the Goodwill bin ☺) This is the most fun and inspiring episode to kick off your Christmas season.  Find links to everything we chat about in show notes:    Find show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today’s episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-83  Support the amazing work of this podcast host, Christian Parenting by giving today at www.cpgive.org *Your gift will be doubled!!   Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Krista Gilbert, author of Reclaiming Home, joins me for a practical and inspiring conversation about gratitude.  Krista and I share ways we can teach our kids to be grateful -- from ideas for Thanksgiving day, to things we can do throughout the holidays (and into the New Year!)  Krista shares some awesome ways we can show our appreciation to others-- from service workers to cleaning staff, to our friends and neighbors. I think this episode will inspire you and give you some awesome ideas for things you can do with your family now!    Find show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today’s episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-82 Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

My guest today is Amy Carney - author ("Parent on Purpose"- an excellent book) speaker, content creator, product maker, and Mom to five. Amy knows a thing or two about sibling relationships!  Shortly after her triplet sons were born (*gulp*), she had a daughter, and a couple years later, adopted another son. Amy and her husband have made some upstream choices to parent their children with great intention in many ways -- including establishing intentional bonds with one another, while intentionally growing as individuals. This interview inspired me to continue parenting on purpose and I think you’ll find lots of practical helps for sibling relationships, too. Find show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today’s episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-80 Be sure to grab the giveaways I mention in the episode over at monicaswanson.com – scroll to the bottom of the homepage and you’ll see two free downloads! Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

David Thomas joins us again for part 2 of our conversation drawing from his book, “Are My Kids on Track? The 12 Emotional, Social and Spiritual Milestones Your Child Needs to Reach.” In Episode 78 David and I talked about the 4 emotional milestones our sons need to reach, and today we cover the 4 social milestones they need to reach.  David offers such valuable insight into boys’ development and how we, as their moms, can help them reach the most important milestones. I love this topic so much, and I think you will, too! Find show notes:  www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today’s episode: www.monicaswanson.com/episode-80 Get Monica's book, Boy Mom: What Your Son Needs Most from You Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Wendy Speake’s new book, The 40-Day Social Media Fast, is an invitation to exchange your online distractions for real-life devotion. Today, Wendy joins us to talk about all of the things we Moms tend to run to on hard parenting days -- social media being a big one in today’s culture, but not the only one! So, if you (like me) ever catching yourself mindlessly scrolling…turning to Facebook or Instagram, Amazon Prime or Netflix, (just to name a few) to numb you or distract you from the things (and people) in your life, I think today’s episode will hit home.  No condemnation here, just a ton of love and support, and some practical ideas for how we might exchange those draining distractions for life-giving, real-life devotion.  Find show notes at: www.monicaswanson.com/podcast Today’s episode:  www.monicaswanson.com/episode-78   Thank you to the Good Book Company for sponsoring this episode!  Be sure to see show notes to find out more about an amazing new Family Advent book called “A Better Than Anything Christmas.”  (It's darling!!)  Find out more at thegoodbook.com. Privacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy