The Happy Home Podcast with Arlene Pellicane

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. It's time for the 25 Days of Christmas here at the Happy Home! Kids love animals right? So why not use a story about animals to bring Christmas alive to kids of all ages?  One of my favorite AccessMore podcasts is Science and God with Dr. G. Today we have Mrs. G on the podcast! Laurel Guillen has written a new novel titled A Bellwether Christmas starring a spunky sheep named Bart. You'll find out about the real life Bart and the profound effect animals have had in her son's life. You won't want to miss the unique way the Guillen family opens their Christmas presents (it's an idea to copy for sure).  In today's conversation about faith, family and Christmas, you'll learn about:  3:08 Living with Bart the Sheep 4:30 Do sheep really know the voice of their shepherd?  5:20 My sheep, the escape artist  7:20 You adopted your son from a foster home…how did you help him catch up on reading?  9:50 How to make the most of moving around a lot  11:00 Try this on your next road trip  12:46 How nature and animals had a major impact on my son  17:00 A totally new way to give out your Christmas gifts  20:00 The holiday decorations of Dr. G  21:50 Falling in love with Italy and Francis of Assisi  23:00 My first idea of a book never materialized…but it led to a Christmas novel  25:00 How did you and your husband Dr. Michael Guillen meet and find Jesus at Cornell 29:00 How science led Dr. Guillen to God  33:00 Here’s what I would tell a younger mom  Laurel Guillen is a Cornell University graduate and former radio, newspaper, and television journalist who has always loved medieval tales. She helped her husband, Michael Guillen, PhD, produce the award-winning family movie Little Red Wagon. Her novel A Bellwether Christmas was inspired by a life-changing trip to Italy and years of caring for some remarkable farm animals. Get a 15 percent discount on Laurel's book, A Bellwether Christmas, here: faithfultext.com Learn more about Laurel here: fb.me/LaurelGblog It's not too late to pick up a few family activities and family devotions from Arlene's free guide, The 25 Days of Christmas. Just subscribe here to get it today. happyhomeuniversity.com/subscribe

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. It's time for the 25 Days of Christmas! After explaining that Christmas is about Jesus' birthday, what else can you say to your kids about the meaning of the season? With fresh ideas from ancient Scriptures, Asheritah Ciuciu will help us introduce our kids to the names of Jesus in a fun way. More than 100,000 families have gone through Asheritah's advent devotional Unwrapping the Names of Jesus, and now she has a new children's book to bring the names of Jesus to life to your littles titled Unwrapping the Names of Jesus for Kids. During today's 25 Days of Christmas conversation, you'll learn: 4:00 Why is multi-generational discipleship valuable? 6:50 Ask grandma or grandpa this question to get conversation going 8:40 How to help kids understand the different names of Jesus 10:55 Detecting challenges your kids face 12:25 Two roses, one thorn 15:00 What are some of your favorite Christmas traditions? 16:10 You were burned out with Christmas, what turned it around for you? 20:35 Writing a children’s book wasn’t easy… 22:20 Creative ways to read to your kids 24:20 How to say no to a Christmas activity invite Asheritah Ciuciu is a writer, speaker, and founder of One Thing Alone Ministries. She grew up in Romania as a missionary kid and married her high school sweetheart. They have 3 children and live in Ohio.  Find out about her new children's book Unwrapping the Names of Jesus at moodypublishers.com Get Arlene's free 25 Days of Christmas - your family guide which includes 10 devotions, 10 fun and easy family activities, and 5 ways to serve at happyhomeuniversity.com/subscribe

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. If you have a wild, spirited, strong willed kid, this episode is for you!  Instead of constantly fighting with your child, what if you could learn how to harness the superpower of having a strong will? Parent educator and coach Wendy Snyder has learned how to raise a strong willed child with integrity (and sanity!) based on her own experience. On today's episode, you'll hear:  3:20 She came out of the womb strong willed! 5:20 If you describe your child as demanding, insistent, bossy, fixated, rebellious…  7:30 These strong willed leaders helped me see my daughter differently  8:20 Strong willed kids need to have their power bucket filled  9:45 Do this to prevent power struggles  11:20 When your kid wants to have a pop-up business  13:50 Try this language when your child doesn’t do what they are supposed to do  17:00 How do I break generational struggles? How can I stop yelling at my kids?  20:30 Doing things differently than how I was brought up  24:00 When you have a strong willed kid, the degree of difficulty is so much higher  26:00 You’re living in this way that feels good - you’re making a positive change  27:30 How is your strong willed child now that she’s a teenager?  30:45 When your kids are hiding things…what if they are not trustworthy? 32:00 How has surfing helped you as a mom? Wendy Snyder is the founder of Fresh Start Family offering online seminars, coaching, courses & a membership program to give parents the support and tools they need to raise their children. Wendy obtained her BS in Marketing from San Diego State University and Parenting Certification from the International Network for Children & Families.  Check out her free online power struggles class at freshstartfamilyonline.com Get Arlene's free monthly resource, The Gratitude Workout - 10 ways to build the muscle of thanksgiving in your child's life at happyhomeuniversity.com The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Dwell Bible App. Save 30% off Dwell for Life at DwellApp.io/HappyHome.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. Are your kids good at saying thank you? Kids and teens have gained a reputation for being entitled, but what if your kids were known for being grateful?  Dr. Gary Chapman joins me to talk about beefing up the A+ skill of appreciation as we write about in our book Screen Kids. In our conversation, you'll learn:  4:00 Were kids grateful in the generation you grew up in? How did your parents teach you gratitude as a young child?  5:25 The milk toddler tyrant  6:15 The enemy of the A+ skill of appreciation: indulgence  8:35 the value of saying no as a parent  10:00 What if gifts is my child’s love language and I don’t buy what they want - will they feel unloved?  13:00 But everyone else has one!  14:45 These kind of things show gratitude to moms  17:00 Work hard to have a mealtime everyday together  20:20 Dr. Chapman gets a lesson in being thankful  21:35 How do I start with my teenager if he or she hasn’t been grateful?  23:00 It starts with being thankful to God ourselves  25:50 Try this at Thanksgiving  Dr. Gary Chapman is known around the world as the author of The Five Love Languages (20 million copies in print). You (or your child) can take the quiz to find out what your love language is here: 5lovelanguages.com Learn more about Screen Kids, co-authored by Dr. Gary Chapman and Arlene Pellicane at arlenepellicane.com  Get Arlene's free monthly resource, The Gratitude Workout - 10 ways to build the muscle of thanksgiving in your child's life at happyhomeuniversity.com The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. Fund conversations that matter: donate.accessmore.comHow close do you feel to your spouse?  No matter what the state of your union, there are things you can do and say to grow closer to one another. Longtime radio cohost of FamilyLife Today, Bob Lepine has a new book titled "Build a Stronger Marriage." On today's episode, we'll talk about:  3:20 It’s my spouse that needs to change, not me 5:00 Finding a mentor couple 8:00 When you’re a morning person and you marry a night person  11:30 What does this psalm of worship have to do with marriage?  14:40 Four areas of the past that you must talk about  16:30 Patterns and problems from your family of origin  19:45 Hurts need to be addressed if we want to be healed  21:05 How to interest your spouse in changing your marriage 22:55 What issues should you confront and what should you overlook?  26:45 Four horsemen of marriage apocalypse 30:00 Try this to celebrate your spouse  Bob Lepine serves as the teaching pastor at Redeemer Community Church in Little Rock Arkansas, and was the long time radio cohost of FamilyLife Today. Bob speaks at marriage and pastors events across the country. You can read Bob's blog here: redeemerlr.org Learn about his new book, Build a Stronger Marriage - The Path to Oneness  Get Arlene's free monthly resource, The Gratitude Workout - 10 ways to build the muscle of thanksgiving in your child's life happyhomeuniversity.com/subscribe The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. It can be hard to nurture your family, faith, and work all at the same time. Yet it's possible in this ever changing world to work and have a strong and established home. Interior designer Jean Stoffer is here to share her hard-won wisdom about marriage, raising kids, running a business and landing a television show on the Magnolia Network. In this heart to heart conversation, you'll learn: 2:30 How did you start working with Magnolia Network? 4:00 The day my husband unexpectedly quit his high paying job  6:45 Listen to your spouse completely before reacting 9:00 Balancing a growing business and being a mom  12:10 Why do moms need a creative outlet? What was yours?  14:50 Being the hub house  16:10 When your plans for your son’s college didn’t happen  21:00 From a design perspective, here’s what is appropriate for kids Jean Stoffer is the star of Magnolia Network’s show, The Established Home. This TV series follows Jean and her design work. Jean is an award winning Grand Rapids based interior designer and her new book is called “Establishing Home: Creating Space for a Beautiful Life with Family, Faith and Friends.” Joanna Gaines says this about the book: "Home is so much more than the sum of its parts, and this beautiful book will encourage you to keep pursuing that which fills the gaps.” Learn more about Jean Stoffer and her book here stofferhome.com Subscribe for Arlene's free monthly resource - this month you'll receive The Gratitude Workout - 10 ways to build the muscle of thanksgiving in your child's life. The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. Is your teenager hearing from Jesus? When our kids encounter Jesus for themselves, everything changes. Drew Hill has worked with teens for more than 20 years and shares how parents can invite teens to (literally) walk with Jesus. In today's conversation, you'll learn about: 2:30 Meeting Jesus as a teenager 4:00 This Christian camp experience changed my life 6:00 Go on a walk - why is this transformational? 7:30 About the documentary Godspeed: The Pace of Being Known 9:10 What if our teens aren’t interested in spiritual things - how can we help them get more interested? 12:00 What is the biggest change you’ve seen in youth ministry since smartphones? 14:10 We imagine things all the time 16:50 When should my kid get a phone? 19:45 I know I’m a phone addict… 24:00 Personal life lessons from Dr. Gary Chapman 28:00 Who is Crash the Rhino? Drew Hill is an award winning author and speaker. He serves as the head of school for the Covenant School in Greensboro, NC. He also works in the leadership of Young Life. He and his wife Natalie have five kids. Learn more about Drew and his book, Alongside Jesus: Devotions for Teenagers alongsideresources.com Watch the documentary Drew talked about: Godspeed, The Pace of Being Known Get Arlene's free Gratitude Workout - 10 ways to build the muscle of thanksgiving in your child's life. Subscribe at happyhomeuniversity.com The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. We live in an age of smart everything - smart phones, smart cars, smart homes, and smart kids. But what about us? Are we being smart in our parenting?  Arlene's pastor Jeff Brawner is here to bring family changing principles from the book of Proverbs that will get you parenting smart according to the Word of God. In this message recorded at Bonita Valley Community Church, you'll learn:  5:00 What does the Bible mean by “train up a child”? 10:00 How long am I supposed to train my kids? 12:30 These boundaries aren’t bad, they save lives 14:30 Your child has been pre-packed by God 17:45 Boys learn in different ways than girls 20:00 There’s no one size fits all - God has never created a child without purpose. 23:00 How can you provide security for your kids? 23:45 Lessons from the biosphere 27:00 Trust God’s promises when you don’t understand the plan 29:00 Deep convictions will keep your kids from falling Pastor Jeff Brawner is the senior pastor of Bonita Valley Community Church in San Diego, California. He and his wife have two adult children who are serving in ministry. Learn more at BonitaValley.com  Get Arlene's recommended reading list for kids and teens at Happy Home University. Just subscribe to Arlene's monthly free resource for instant access! happyhomeuniversity.com The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. Loving your kids is very important, but so is loving your spouse. How can you invest in your marriage this week? It’s worth the effort to get closer to your spouse because a strong marriage makes a strong family. It can be easier to talk about parenting and sweep your marriage issues under the rug. On today's episode, Arlene shares a few things she has learned about marriage.   You'll learn:   3:40 Here’s the weird thing that happened to me in spin class 6:20 Providing stability to your kids  7:25 We don’t live in a committed culture  9:00 Think of commitment like this, not that  11:40 I would be considerate to my spouse if he was considerate to me… 15:00 What’s one thing you could do for your spouse today?  16:00 But my spouse is no longer novel or interesting… 18:00 My husband’s glucose kick 19:50 Create more wonder in your marriage like this (check out Bill Farrel’s interview in the archives)  22:00 Advice for stepfamilies (check out past interviews with Ron Deal and/or Laura Petherbridge in the archives)  24:00 Dropping off our oldest to college with tears If you want to learn more, read Arlene's book 31 Days to a Happy Husband.  You can also take the masterclass here: happyhomeuniversity.com/happyhusband Arlene Pellicane is the host of the Happy Home podcast, speaker, and author of several books including Parents Rising and Screen Kids. The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.

Discover the way ahead at Indiana Wesleyan University. Learn more here. Do you feel stuck in an endless cycle of meeting everyone else's needs? When you are also nourishing yourself, you bring the best of you into the family. How can you tell the difference between being selfish and self-care? Dr. Alison Cook is here to help with powerful truths from her new book, The Best of You. During today's conversation you'll learn: 2:30 You don’t always have to sacrifice 3:50 Is it selfish to ask “what do I want”? 6:10 Selfishness, Selfhood or Selflessness 7:40 If you put yourself aside to an extreme, it’s not healthy for you or your loved ones 9:10 Examples of selfhood from Jesus 10:30 Motive checks - am I pleasing people or being kind? 12:00 How can we help our middle schoolers be true to themselves (not conform for others)? 15:00 Open conversations like this for teens 16:10 Moms who are spiritually strong but emotionally struggling 17:40 Codependency compared to healthy dependence 20:00 The two extremes “I need you to approve of me” and “I’m good” 21:30 The connection between trauma and mental health 22:31 Trauma defined as “unwitnessed pain” 25:30 Your presence, your nonverbals - why is this important for kids? 27:00 Guardrails against narcissism Dr. Alison Cook has been a therapist for more than 20 years. She’s brought faith and psychology together to help thousands of women reclaim their confidence and find purpose. Find out about her new book, "The Best of You: Break Free from Painful Patterns, Mend Your Past and Discover Your True Self in God" on her website.  Learn more about Arlene's book Screen Kids and the masterclass at Happy Home University  The Happy Home is sponsored in part by Talk About. Use Promo Code HAPPYHOME to get 1 month free at TalkAboutDiscipleship.com.