Messy Family Podcast : Catholic Conversations on Marriage and Family

"You know that feeling you get after a good night's sleep? Yea, me neither." - Every Parent Ever If you feel like you are living in a state of almost constant exhaustion, you are not alone. It's not just the sleepless nights and crazy days - that's a reality that parents have always had to deal with. We believe parents are more exhausted today because there are certain elements of our culture that do drain our energy more than parents in the past experienced. In this podcast, we pinpoint those elements so you can see them, recognize them for what they are, and learn how to manage them. You do not have to be worn down all the time! Managing the stressors of parenting is possible and hopefully we can help you with these tips and tricks! Play and Pray Challenge - www.messyfamilyproject.org/challenge/ Catholic Couples Getaway - www.catholiccouplesgetaway.com/ Watch here - https://youtu.be/inI8NPgFzsg

"Men do not fear a powerful hostile army as the powers of hell fear the name and protection of Mary." -St. Bonaventure One of the questions we ask parents as an icebreaker for our in-person events is "How many of your childrren have used rosaries as weapons?" This is a common experience of families with young children as parents try to pray. We get it. For a long time, we found it hard to encourage devotion to the rosary with our children, but we have grown and learned a lot over the years! As we launch into the month of May, we wanted all our listeners to take some time to reflect on why the Blessed Mother is so important to families. In this re-release of an earlier podcast, we talk about devotion to Our Lady, how to pray the rosary as a family creatively, and how she can inspire us in our family life. Listen in and be encouraged and inspired! Find all this and more at www.messyfamilyproject.org Play and Pray Challenge - www.messyfamilyproject.org/challenge/

"Before we began the adoption process, before we could be the parents our children needed us to be, I had to grieve those losses. I had to offer my broken dreams to Jesus, and trust He would not permit me to carry the cross of infertility unless He could bring something beautiful out of it." - Emily Stimpson Chapman This interview with Emily and Chris Chapman is an amazing conversation about some deep and painful topics, but sprinkled with laughter and joy! Emily Stimpson Chapman is an accomplished author and Insta personality, but she is also a wife, mother, and friend to us! Through their own journey in the ups and downs of single life and then marriage, Chris and Emily have learned many lessons that they share with us in this podcast with wisdom and humor. It's amazing to hear how you can go from living alone, to living with a husband, to living with 3 babies in a very short amount of time. Add to that a basement flooding with sewage, ailing parents, and adjusting to family life overall makes for some interesting conversations! Join us for this visit with the Chapmans and be encouraged on your unique journey with the Lord. Find all this and more at www.messyfamilyproject.org Watch here - https://youtu.be/QBesLrHJ4vw

"How can there be too many children? That's like saying there are too many flowers." - St. Theresa of Calcutta There is great confusion in our world, even among good Catholics, about the purpose of marriage and even the purpose of having children. Catholics do not "discern having another child". Instead, our default is that we are always open to new life in our families, but in grave circumstances, we can postpone pregnancy for the overall good of our family. In this episode, we discuss how we can form our conscience to come to a deeper understanding of the role of children in our marriage that includes, but also goes beyond, financial considerations. Discerning this area of marriage can be tricky, so we called a lifeline for this one, and invited Jonathan and Amanda Texiera, founders of WalletWin, to come on and help us to navigate this issue and give couples good questions to discuss with each other and options to consider. Watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/x_vnTYkxO9Y For more information on this and other topics visit: https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/

"Its better to be wrong together than right alone" - Mike and Alicia There are many things that spouses need to navigate in life - finances, educational choices, work issues, in-laws - and for all of these issues there is an "X factor" that makes all the difference - UNITY. Without unity, even the most perfect of scenarios will not bring peace, but with unity there is nothing that life throws at a couple that they will not be able to handle. The question is, how do you forge that unity with each other when you have two different visions of what your family should look like? In this episode, we tackle this difficult question by encouraging couples to "push up"; to look at your life from the 50,000 foot level. Instead of starting with the details, start with the big picture. Those are the conversations that are most helpful. Listen in as we give couples some concrete questions to discuss with each other to build that unity that is absolutely essential to a flourishing marriage and family life. Find all this and more at messyfamilyproject.org Watch episode here - https://youtu.be/q365bqR8NTI

"Dream big, plan simple, act now." - Mike and Alicia Hernon Dreaming is an integral part of living a life to the fullest. But dreams that take us away from our vocation are fantasies and actually detract from living an abundant life. What is the difference and why is it important? Dreaming in the best sense is an essential skill to have. Not everyone is a natural dreamer, but we can all learn to be! In this podcast, we discuss having a Growth mindset versus a Fixed mindset and how that affects our family life. We also give some tips for how to rise above the everyday work that we do and create a vision for your family that will motivate and inspire you to grow. Watch here: https://youtu.be/Sh-X0FGePeo Find all this and more at messyfamilyproject.org

"Who we are and how we engage with the world are much stronger predictors of how our children will do than what we know about parenting." - Brene Brown The emotions of young people can be overwhelming to us, but we have to realize that they are overwhelming to them as well! How can parents help children to regulate their emotions in a healthy way? Not every emotion needs discipline, sometimes kids need understanding and empathy to assist them in learning how to move through their own feelings. In this podcast, we give some practical steps for parents to help their child to recognize, express, and get in control of their strong emotions. This is an issue that can be tough for parents, especially if they have never learned this skill themselves, but it is essential for the well-being of every child. Family Board Meeting Course - https://messyfamilyhood.com/ Find information on this and more at https://messyfamilyproject.org/ Watch episode here - https://youtu.be/ZGS5dMBEMCc

Children are really the supreme gift of marriage and contribute in the highest degree to their parents' welfare. - Gaudium et Spes, 50 Listener questions are back! We had a wonderful time visiting with listeners all over the East Coast and as we traveled we collected questions from them. Here are a few of those questions including how to emotionally handle the mess and chaos that inevitably comes with young children, getting kids to behave at mass, and family of origin issues. We also talk about bringing the Montessori philosophy into how you view your children and the importance of living with purpose. Listen in to our conversation with Katie who asks us these questions from the perspective of "every parent" who deals with these issues on a daily basis. Family Board Meeting Course - https://messyfamilyhood.com/ For more information on this and other topics visit: https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/ View the episode here - https://youtu.be/ICRiQC2bftA

When we look at the lives of those who have faithfully followed Christ, we are inspired with a new reason for seeking the City that is to come and at the same time we are shown a most safe path by which… we will be able to arrive at perfect union with Christ, that is, perfect holiness. - Lumen Gentium, 50 One of our great gifts as Catholics is the "older brothers and sisters" that God has given us in the saints. There are saints for every personality, vocation, and even job type! In this episode, we interview the creators of the podcast "Saints Alive!" who tell dramatizations of the life stories of the saints. This is a great tool for parents in this digital age when we are all looking for good media to put in front of our children and into their minds. We hope this will be a valuable resource for parents looking to fill their children's minds with good and holy things! Saints Alive Podcast - https://www.saintsalivepodcast.com/episodes Family Board Meeting Course - https://messyfamilyhood.com/ For more information on this and other topics visit: https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/ View the episode here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cBVi8fszH6k

Since parents have given children their life, they are bound by the most solemn obligation to educate their offspring and therefore must be recognized as the primary and principal educators. This role in education is so important that only with difficulty can it be supplied where it is lacking. ~ Pope Paul VI, Declaration of Christian Education Educating children is one of the most important and daunting tasks parents must face. For some parents who have good resources at their disposal, the choice may be easy. For other parents, the choice is agonizing - charter school, Catholic school, homeschool, or public school…. What is the best thing for my child at this time? But the needs of your child are not the only thing that you need to consider. In this episode, Mike and Alicia give parents a framework for the conversation they need to have with their spouse on educational choices for their children. There is not only one answer! Listen in to this reboot of a classic conversation on marriage and parenting. Interested in Cana90 for your parish or yourself - https://messyfamilyproject.org/cana90 Family Board Meeting Course - https://messyfamilyhood.com/ For more information on this and other topics visit: https://www.messyfamilyproject.org/ View the episode here - https://youtu.be/zK3fPkNt2Oc