Heart Filled Holidays

Mother's Day is around the corner and that means gifts for grandmas, moms, friends and other special women. Whether you're sentimental, practical or too busy to shop we have ideas for you. It's that time of year when teens are graduating high school and heading off to college and young adults are graduating college and heading out on their own. One thing they'll all need to do is handle their finances. Finances can be tough to teach; it might feel overwhelming to your child, you may not know where to start or you may not feel that you know enough to be the teacher. Susan Schell has taken care of that for you. Susan is a certified financial planner and she's joining us today to give us the inside scoop on shoring up your child's finances as they move into the world as adults. Then, in Christmas Corner, we're talking about family fun and family vacations. Summer is right around the corner and that's when families are itching to get out of town. Whether you're planning a day trip, a weekend getaway or a full

This week's show has you primed and ready for family time! Kicking things off, we have some thoughts on Mother's Day. Mother's Day can be an awkward holiday since the people who typically plan and organize holidays and family activities are the ones who are meant to be honored. We'll talk about ways to avoid the awkwardness of the holiday and how to have the Mother's Day you really want. And we didn't forget about all the single moms our there! We have tips for you so you can celebrate and have the day you dream of. Then we're chatting with Claudette Chenevert, the Stepmom Coach. Claudette will be sharing her expertise for creating a happy and harmonious step family. Hear Claudette's story and how she found her happy ending. Then learn about one simple technique that can get your step family pulling together, creating a happy and successful family. Lastly, in Christmas Corner, we have tips for better photos. Let's face it, photos are the cornerstone of our memorabilia and you'd love to have some great pictu

Water, it's everywhere and we are constantly hearing about how we need to drink 8 glasses a day to maintain good health. You probably understand that in your head, but your heart just isn't in it. Today I'm sharing 5 motivating reasons to drink water, reasons that will make you want to grab a glass right now. Then I'm sharing the details of my last vacation; not to brag, but to show you how going against the grain can really make you happy. Then we're talking about simple living for real families. There's a lot of hype out there about simple living but, for the average family, a lot of what you hear can feel daunting. Today, Andrea Dekker is joining us to share the real scoop about simple living. She's a wife, mom and full time blogger working from home who believes in keeping things real. She'll be sharing ideas with us for making life easier for your family through simple living strategies, strategies that work for real families. And finally we're wrapping things up in Christmas Corner with a chat about t

Easter, expectations, crafts and Christmas on today’s Heart Filled Holidays radio show. With Easter right around the corner you may be looking for new ideas for the kids Easter baskets. And what if you’re trying to have to reduce the Easter candy intake? Or create candy-free Easter baskets? No worries! Sandy Fowler will share great ideas for fun and treats that satisfy kids of all ages (and their busy moms too!) Life doesn’t always go the way you expect. Sometimes it’s the little things; maybe the gift you bought was a bust or the kids kept bickering all through your family vacation, and sometimes it’s the really big things like realizing you’re on the wrong path in your life. Regardless of the circumstance, or how long it’s been going on, when life doesn’t meet your expectations things can feel bad – really bad. Christine Hassler has named that phenomenon; she calls it an expectation hangover. Today she’ll join us to talk about those expectation hangovers, discussing causes, cures and ways to find peace agai

Happiness is all over the media these days and moms are trying to figure out how to live well and be happy. Today we're learning a lesson from beavers. Find out how these little critters can help moms be happier. Then take a look at ideas for filling those Easter baskets! We have tips for filling Easter baskets for older kids and you'll hear some candy-free basket ideas to help you create fun without the sugar. Then we're chatting with Jenny Friedman from Doing Good TogetherTM. She's joining us to explore fun and simple ways for families to volunteer together. Doing Good Together empowers parents to raise children who care about others and contribute to society. One of the ways they do this is by sharing ideas for family volunteering which include children of all ages. Jenny will share some of these ideas with you as well as giving you tips for making the most of your volunteer experience. And in Christmas Corner we're talking about homemade gifts for dads. Dads can be tough to buy for and receiving a hom

Today we are focusing on the family, logistically, emotionally and creatively. We'll kick off with a look at organizing your family from mail to schedules to chores as we talk about the Family Command Center (which I think is more appropriately called a Family Hub). I'll also share a few ideas for fun and games for St. Patrick's day so you can enjoy a little fun with your favorite people. You'll get to hear from Michele Rosenthal today. Michele is the author of Your Life After Trauma: Powerful Practices to Reclaim Your Identity. Michele will open our eyes to the truth of PTSD and how it may be affecting people close to us. She'll show us where PTSD really comes from and how it affects people every day and give us ideas and hope for recovery. It's not just something that happens to soldiers and victims of violent crime. It can happen in everyday life and Michele will show us how to identify it and handle it. And in Christmas Corner we're having some fun! We've done a lot of work lately on planning and organ

This week we have some fun and romance in store. We're coming up with some Girls' Night Out and Girls' Night In ideas to bust those winter blues and beat your cabin fever. Then we're talking about romantic getaways. Let's face it, family life can take a toll on the romantic relationship in your life. Let's infuse a little fun back into your marriage. Then we have Mark Hundley joining us to talk about holidays and how you can use them to live more fully. Mark is an expert on grief and grieving and he'll share some fabulous ideas for using holidays to bring more meaning into our lives as well as talking about the role celebrations can play in helping a family through the difficult time of someone dying. And in Christmas Corner we're wrapping up our Debt-Free Holiday series with some final words on creating income for your family. We've covered everything from planning the perfect holiday to budgeting, saving and now making money. After we wrap that up we'll take a look at a homemade gift idea that's perfect f

This week we're talking about siblings. Every family experiences the joy and frustration involved with living with children who don't always get along. I'll share our experience as well as a few tips from the experts on how to help your kids forge strong sibling bonds. Then we'll be moving on to an interview that I'm really excited about. Today's guest is Al Ferguson, creator of The Dad Network, and he'll be giving us a peek inside the world of dads. Parenthood is a wonderful, amazing, crazy and stressful time. It's a time when adults are reduced to laughter and tears on a regular basis. But moms and dads see things differently, do things differently and don't always communicate well. Today we'll find out what dads are really thinking and what they wish moms knew. And in Christmas Corner we're continuing our Debt-Free Holiday series. Today we're looking at two ways to have more money in your home. Along the way you'll be thinking about what you really want for your family and making sure you're putting your

Today is the day we are going to save you time and energy - two things everyone wants more of! February is National Time Management month so we're taking a look at time management practices and busting 3 of the biggest myths. Then we're taking on our emotions. BB Crawford is joining us to talk about our emotions. She'll show us what causes our stress and anxiety and why we sometimes lose control. We'll talk about what's going on and what you can do about it. In Christmas Corner we're continuing our Debt-Free Holiday series with some more ideas for adding money to your Christmas fund. Then we'll talk travel. The holidays encompass some of the busiest travel days of the year so every little tip that makes those better gets us a little closer to some Christmas joy. Join us at noon ET (11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT) on www.radio.heartfilledholidays.com

This week is a time for fun and memories! Find out why Mardi Gras and Fat Tuesday are about more than parties. Then discover a way to make your daily life a little easier and a little better. We're exploring a simple strategy that will kick your day off in a way that makes everything better. Then we're chatting with David and Veronica James, the authors of Going Gypsy. Their new book gives us a little peek inside their family life with stories from years ago and a chronicle of their activities as their babies flew from the nest. They will share some parenting tips and insights on parenting young adults along with their trademark wit. We'll wrap up with Christmas Corner as we move forward in our Debt-Free Holiday series with a discussion about where to get the money to pay for Christmas. Then we'll shift gears and talk about bringing more meaning to your holiday by bringing the Christmas spirit into the rest of the year. Join us at noon ET (11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT) on www.radio.heartfilledholidays.com

Today we're talking about love. With Valentine's Day right around we the corner we'll be exploring ways to enjoy this special holiday. We have tips including fun games to play and a family activity that strengthens bonds and just plain makes everyone feel good! Dr. Terri Orbuch is joining us to talk about love, lust and our relationships. You know what it's like when you first meet someone and you have a strong attraction. Dr. Orbuch will tell us how to determine whether that attraction is just lust or whether it's really love. Then she'll share tips for reigniting the fires of lust in your long term relationship. Let's face it, we want a comfortable relationship but a little spice and romance is good too. And in our weekly trip to Christmas Corner we'll be sharing one family's story of teaching their teen and tween the power of giving and receiving. We'll also continue our Debt-Free Christmas discussion with tips for handling the holiday money. Join us at noon ET (11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT) on www.radio.he

Today's show contains a full hour of ideas, reflection and inspiration for moms. We're kicking off the show chatting about a favorite topic - organization. I've been reading up on what the experts have to say and today we'll talk about one of their pet peeves, one that sneaks up on my home and might just hit yours as well. Then we're moving on to a little self-improvement. With the New Year in your rear view mirror you may be wondering why that resolution failed, or maybe you're still rolling along but are getting a little weary. Resolutions are about creating change and one of the things that makes change easier is habits. Today we're checking out an article from the New York Times discussing myths we believe about habits, myths that can make it harder to create good habits. And then it's on to our kids. One of the most dreaded questions in a family's day is when a parent asks a child, "How was school today?" Kids get stressed because they don't really know how to answer and parents get frustrated because

Moms are constantly stressed and feel pulled in a million directions. It's exhausting and frustrating and it takes a toll on you and your family. The good news is that you can make it stop! Judy Davis, the Direction Diva, is joining us to talk about how we can stop the madness. She'll share her stories along with simple things we can do that will change the tide, starting today. Before we chat with Judy we're talking Super Bowl! I'm sharing ideas for football snacks and some quick hostess tips that make any party easier. Then, in Christmas Corner, we're continuing our Debt-Free Holiday series. Today we're continuing our work on creating the Christmas of your dreams. After we explore what we really want for Christmas, we'll take a look at some other families' traditions so you can get fresh ideas for your own celebrations. Join us at noon ET (11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT) on www.radio.heartfilledholidays.com

We're kicking things off with more tips and tricks for keeping kids occupied and helping you enjoy those snow days more. The best part is these ideas can be used any time you're home with the kids; rainy days, sick days, Saturdays and more. We'll also take a look at a favorite storage solution, one that keeps your home both tidy and attractive. Jude Bijou is returning to continue our chat about her four rules of good communication. Last week Jude showed us how easily we sabotage our happiness and gave us a path to more joy, love and peace in our lives and in our homes. We covered the first two rules and Jude shared so much information and so many insights that we ended up bringing her back this week to cover the next two. If you missed last week's show (January 12, 2015) you can get it at radio.heartfilledholidays.com or download Click Here to download podcast OR Click Here to listen on iTunes In Christmas Corner you can hear about the gift I made that has garnered me half a dozen thank you comments includi

Winter is here and that can leave moms scrambling to deal with snow days. These are the days we dreamed about as kids but they can be a nightmare for parents when you have to find child care or occupy cooped-up kids. We'll talk about ways to handle them and even enjoy them as much as your kids. Then we're moving on to communication. This is a hot button topic and the key to so many things in our life. It's something we assume we should be able to do and yet may never have been taught. Jude Bijou will join us to talk about how to get better at communication so we can live more peacefully and solve our differences more easily. She'll cover her four rules of good communication and share the two-steps to resolve any difference. In Christmas Corner we're continuing our Debt-Free Holiday Series plus I'll share the details of a homemade gift that has gotten me three phone calls thanking me for making it.

January is a time for a fresh start, with or without making New Year’s Resolutions. It’s a chance to add something good and uplifting to your life, to clear, sort and declutter or to shift ideas and attitudes. Personally I’m not a fan of resolutions. They seem to add a lot of pressure to my life. So, over the years I’ve looked for other ways to make changes. And today I’m sharing one of my simplest strategies with you. Use it instead of resolutions or to support your resolutions. And speaking of resolutions, losing weight always tops the list. While losing weight can be good for our health, it can also run over into an eating disorder. Joining us to explore food in our life is Paula Galli, author of Weighing Love. Paula says dieting is a gateway to developing an eating disorder. Join us to find out why, how to handle weight without the danger as well as the warning signs to watch for that can alert you to someone you love developing a dangerous relationship with food or even an eating disorder. And in Christ

The New Year is right around the corner and it gives us another reason to celebrate. So if you’re hosting a party with multiple generations be sure to tune in for five ways to bridge the gap and keep everyone entertained. Then, as you begin to evaluate your life and shift things so it's going the direction you want you might be ready to make some New Year Resolutions. But those pesky resolutions can be so elusive. You stress over creating them then struggle through making them happen. So should you even do it? Is it worth it? Guests Beth Buelow and Lisa Giruzzi join share their wisdom for creating real change in your life. And in Christmas Corner we're talking about handling the financial side of Christmas, kicking off with the most important thing you need to do when dealing with the Christmas bills. Join us at noon ET (11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT) on www.radio.heartfilledholidays.com

We're dealing with stressful situations today; the last few days before a big event, Christmas gifts and picky eaters. These are all situations that can send a mom over the edge but we have some tips and strategies today that can pull you back and help you relax. First we'll share an exercise you can use to help you get through these last few days before Christmas with less stress while ensuring the most important things get done so you can enjoy your holiday. It's pretty quick to do and it can be used any time you feel overwhelmed or are planning a big event. So kick back, relax and find out how to dramatically drop your stress levels. Then we'll be talking about something almost every parent has dealt with at one time or another - the picky eater. Tara Kreitz is a mom whose son went to the extreme on this and she'll be sharing her story along with the strategy she used to move through it while keeping her son healthy. Then we'll wrap up in Christmas corner with ideas to help you navigate the last days bef

We have so much to cover today! From winter solstice to blanket forts, staying healthy and happy to tips for easier holidays with toddlers we're covering it all. We'll kick off with ideas for celebrating the winter solstice and how enjoying this holiday can get you out of a sticky situation. Then we'll see how blanket forts can actually get you a little peace and some time to accomplish things without the kids under foot. Then we'll move on to a conversation about emotions, tantrums and healthy living. Jude Bijou is joining us for this conversation. Jude is the author of the award winning book Attitude Reconstruction and today she's talking to us about the healthy way to process our emotions. And when life is busy those emotions can run high so this is a perfect time to get some tips. Then we'll wrap up with Christmas Corner, including seven more ideas for your Elf on the Shelf and some tips for keeping your family healthy for the holiday season. I'll even share my secret to avoiding the family holiday cold

Family life is amazing but it can be hectic and crazy so today we're looking at some helpful hints and tips for staying safe and sane as you go about your days. We'll talk about having fun at family functions, a simple strategy for making life easier and we'll also share some tips for avoiding common scams. Then we're chatting with Dr. Sherrie Campbell as she gives us help in creating a great date night. She'll share her 7 tips for a successful date night. I know December is crazy busy with preparing for Christmas and date night sounds like a far off dream. Well, Christmas is going to be here before you know it and the last week of December is a perfect time to have a date night. It's a chance to reconnect after a busy time. Then, in Christmas Corner, we're continuing with our Elf on the Shelf ideas and following that up with some tips for keeping your home company-ready. Join us at noon ET (11am CT, 10am MT, 9am PT) on www.radio.heartfilledholidays.com