Family Briefs

 

 Standard Podcast [54:55m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (992)

As I find another podcast coming together, I’m very excited to be ahead of schedule! We may actually be finding our “podcast groove.” Maybe - you be the judge!

We started off talking about some of the struggles we’ve experienced with helping our kids get enough sleep. There was a great interview that we heard on a Jumping Monkeys podcast that gave us lots of fascinating facts about how our bodies react to not getting enough sleep. It certainly gave me a lot to think about (especially after I put our podcast intro at both the beginning AND end of today’s podcast! Not to worry, Rylan pointed out my error and it’s been fixed!).

We went on to discuss our kids’ latest idea to manage their screen time. We touched on the subject in a previous podcast when the topic was a fantastic family meeting we’d had. It’s a great system that’s been working beautifully during the school year. We may really put it to the test here in the first few weeks of summer, so we’ll be reporting back on modifications and improvements we make along the way!

Finally we talked about some of our favorite toy companies that stand behind their products (Tonka, Air Hogs, and Melissa & Doug, to name a few). Of course, what we found that we REALLY love are the kinds of toys that you can “add on to.” You know, something you can add to an existing toy to revive it - like a new Playdoh mold or a blender for the toy kitchen. We’ve added a couple of cool pirate accessories to our backyard play set, and the kids haven’t been able to resist playing on it - even though it’s been 90+ degrees!!! It’s been quite a treasure!

We hope you enjoy the show, and we’d love to hear your feedback. We might even build a future show around your comments or questions! If you’d like to subscribe to our show, you should be able to find us at iTunes by searching for “FamilyBriefs.”

 

 Standard Podcast [60:29m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1507)

Don’t you love reminiscing about a wonderful family vacation? I think our favorite trip every year is our family trip to Orlando. When Rylan and I got together to talk about some of the things that made this year’s trip successful, we decided to share the stories with you.

Of course, I had already shared some information about surviving the parks in posts like this one on snacks and this one on some of our favorite rides. And, I know I’ve talked about our trusty stroller that makes managing getting to and around in the parks SO much easier in at least one or two posts!

The information we got from using the TourGuideMike.com website proved invaluable, and we will definitely be using his site again, and again! Anything that adds to the enjoyment of the Disney parks is a winner in my book.

I hope our conversations provide inspiration for your family travels this summer!

 

 A Racey April Podcast - 5 [23:37m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (981)

So here we are with another podcast. We’re still liking our new format, but as always, we’d love your feedback!

The podcast begins with our latest tip - setting a timer at bedtime to make sure we get kids to bed on time when we might be otherwise distracted. Rylan mentioned an alarm he has installed on his computer to make sure we get kids to Tae Kwon Do (and then again so we don’t forget to pick them up ). Here’s a link for the clock he uses, and I’m sure there are lots of others available: http://www.clocx.net/

We then talk about the teleclasses that I’ve participated in with Toni Schutta (http://getparentinghelpnow.com/ and http://familiesfirstcoaching.com/). I’ve really enjoyed the three classes I have been involved in, and I love being able to re-listen to the information on the audio files she sends after the class. She has so many great ideas for parents!

Pinewood Derby racing was our next topic, including some of the the good conversations Rylan had with the kids about winning and losing. It’s hard to be a good loser, especially when you came in second place! If you’re in scouting, you might find some great ideas from our experience this year.

We talked about the scare we had in the parking lot. One day the kids were racing ahead of me a bit, until we realized we were behind a car with it’s back-up lights on. Although frightening, the incident prompted me to discuss some parking lot safety ideas I had never considered before.

Thanks for listening - send us your ideas for podcast topics and be sure to let us know what you like about the show!

 

 A Podcast In The Making [28:25m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (891)

We’ve recorded a few podcasts and just felt like they weren’t clicking, so we’ve been on “sabbatical” and worked on a new format. We’ve tried lots of different things, and now we finally have something to share with you. We’d love some feedback - take a listen and let us know what you think!

During the family meeting segment, we mention Read the rest of this entry »

 

 New Year's Part 2: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1018)

If you didn’t hear the first part of our New Year’s Resolution solutions, listen to the first part here. In part one, we talked about ways to be better organized in the new year and a variety of ways to eat healthy and get our kids to eat healthy.

In part two, we discuss some creative ways to work on spending more quality time with the kids. We also spend some time exploring fun ways to exercise and involve the kids.

We hope you enjoy the show and would love to hear your feedback. Leave a comment with your ideas for the new year!

 

 New Year's Part I [24:48m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (959)

The New Year brings on the desire of many to make New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve never been big on these, probably because I forget what they were before the end of January! **Click on the player above to listen to our podcast to hear about some creative ways to address some common resolutions**

The question posed by Blog Talkers this last week was Read the rest of this entry »

 

 Planning For Christmas [18:30m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (1534)

Hubby and I have been wanting to do a podcast for about six months now. We thought trying to put this together during the busiest time of year when we’re already pulling our hair out would make the most sense. Don’t you agree?

While we should have released this episode (our first) about three months ago, we thought Read the rest of this entry »