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We’re back, and three of our four kids now have braces. Maria is also melting down copper, not for the kids’ braces, but to bust the chemtrail clouds above her house. Life has been as busy as ever with Viv’s birthday party and the twins’ birthday party, plus multiple performances by Chris Brown, Usher and Danielle. We also discuss Mackin’s claim that four times more sex equals four times more money. Danielle gives an update on a fibroid flare-up that disguised itself as a pregnancy scare for a hot minute. And the Child of the Week rankings are back. One kid got straightened out by an expander and shared his sweepstakes winnings when nobody else would have.  One showed up to pickup basketball with a broken wrist just to support the team. One got all A’s and one B, but still no Instagram. And one is just slow. He takes forever to do anything. Thank you for listening. We love you all, and we’ll see you next episode.

This version is much closer to the voice of the podcast. I’d only make a few small grammar and pacing edits: This is Part 1 of our Long Hot Summer. We recorded it at the beginning of summer and then did the responsible thing by not releasing it until summer was over. We made it to summer, which means the kids wake up every morning with one simple question: “What are we doing today?” Apparently, keeping four children alive, fed and housed is no longer considered an activity. We catch up on the IAC show, new cars courtesy of Findlay Toyota, The Family You Choose, Mackin Media growing, and how we somehow almost ended up in Scottsboro, Alabama. We talk about protecting our peace and learning that not every request from our children requires an immediate response. Sometimes they can wait. Sometimes they can solve it themselves. And sometimes Leo just really wants popcorn. And finally, the Child of the Week rankings are back. We’ve got skincare routines, Jesus YouTube avatars, Michael Jackson harmonies, and one child quietly building a case for the number one spot. We love you all! Thank you for your prayers, patience, understanding, and for listening during this difficult time…we call summer.

Welcome to the end of summer and part 2 of this episodic mini-series.  We catch up on our beautiful week in San Diego, surviving the final stretch of summer, and a much harder trip to Buffalo after losing Danielle’s Ninny. Danielle talks about how difficult that loss was, saying goodbye, and everything that came with going home for her services. Somewhere along the way, our parenting standards also started slipping. Gentle parenting has officially entered its “fine, whatever” era. Meanwhile, Mackin hit the end of summer completely burned out while restructuring and rebranding Mackin Media, and trying to grow a business. We also establish that Mackin bringing Danielle coffee every morning is basically his version of sex. The only problem is Danielle gets coffee every day. And, of course, we close out summer with the Child of the Week rankings. We’ve got an active Needoh addiction, video game meltdowns, multiple firings and rehirings from dish duty, and one child quietly accumulating the highest net worth in the family. Part 1 was the beginning of summer. Part 2 is what summer actually did to us. We love you all! Thank you for your prayers, patience, understanding, and for listening during this difficult time…we call summer.

Look at us, back again without any extended hiatus or excuses for not doing an episode. We certainly could have made some if we wanted because we are busier than ever, but we didn’t. Praise the Lord! We are not just busy with work and school meetings, but with family meetings that get us absolutely nowhere. The next family meeting may require a full blown intervention. But we are back at the G-Media studios airing out our dirty laundry about our dirty laundry piling up so high that it has created new home furniture. Our kids (and yours I’m sure) are completely obsessed with Needohs, which has created plenty of things we don’t need, but it is not all bad. We also dive into the kids' social etiquette at parties, or the lack of it. Danielle and I even try to decode the mystery behind Leo's tummy aches right before bed. Speaking of parties, Danielle and her mom Jackie are in peak spring party season. Throwing four kids’ birthday parties in the fall felt off balance, so they decided to help everyone else throw their parties in the spring. We’re trying guys, and we hope you know we love you. Thank you for listening!

We might be the kind of parents who dread a school holiday, but at least we're finally upgrading our video game and filming this episode at the G-Media studios. This episode is a full catch-up on our recent chaos, starting with Danielle performing two sold-out shows with her dad at the South Point and wrapping up her birthday month. We’re just coming down from our exhausting Spring Break staycation. In hindsight, we should have just dropped them all off at Kids Quest, and we all would have been happy. We’re not the only ones who are tired; Mackin ran the boys all week long as his new form of punishment. It doesn’t seem to be working, though, because Leo called a kid at the Red Rock pool a b-word, not a b*tch, a b-word. We’re trying guys, and we hope you know we love you. Thank you for listening!

We might be the kind of parents who forget the Tooth Fairy two nights in a row, but at least we eventually remembered to record a podcast. Just a 1-month hiatus this time, but the chaos is still in full swing. This episode is us catching you up on the recent madness, starting with the 27-minute hostage negotiation that is the twins' nighttime routine.  Danielle is preparing to grace the stage at the Italian American Club with her dad. Mackin is deeply offended that the boys were horrified at the idea of him "babysitting" them while Danielle performs. For the record, it’s not babysitting when you’re their literal father. We also managed to attend a Super Bowl party with the kids. After threatening to abandon them, they miraculously behaved, and we actually got to sit on a couch as adults and watch the game for the first time in Super Bowl history. Say a prayer that we get invited back next year. We try to solve the mystery of how our kids are total angels in public, but turn into absolute messes the second they get home.  In domestic household news, Mackin complains that Danielle is actually too on top of the laundry, wasting an hour flawlessly folding sweatshirts that belong on hangers just so she can watch her shows. We’re trying and we hope you know we love you. Thank you for listening!

Season 6 Episode 10: We Know We know. It’s been a minute. We haven’t recorded since October because life was lifing hard as ever. This episode is us catching you up on why we disappeared and what the last few months actually looked like behind the scenes. My dad got hit with a serious bacterial infection that landed him in the hospital for two weeks. We did manage one big night out at the Findlay Christmas party. Danielle lived her best Kardashian adjacent-life. Mackin is officially in full grind mode with his business. Danielle has promoted herself to Head of Business Development, in addition to becoming a part-time adult ballerina. We do not do official rankings this episode because Mackin did not keep notes and refuses to fake it, unlike Danielle. But we do cover the kids. We also unpack Maria’s visit, including her hatred of Teflon, her refusal to microwave nuggets, and ironic refusal to say the word "no" to her kids. That’s where we’ve been. Thanks for sticking with us. We know and we hope you know we love you. Thank you for listening.

Look at us, we’re back! More prepared, but with slightly less clothing. This was another quick and fun episode covering yet another crazy couple of weeks. Mom and Dad had a great night out at Crusader Knight, the big fundraising gala for our kids’ school. Danielle was the belle of the ball and was excited to show off the look she’s been working so hard on. It was such a great night with even better company, the Galindos. Like everything we do, it didn’t come without its fair share of stress. Leo had a bunch of dental work the same day, but thank God for Dr. Lindsay Row at Summerlin Pediatric Dentistry, because everything went great (only a few meltdowns). Danielle wants to work with Mackin, but she still has no idea what he actually does, so he’s still interviewing other candidates and rebranding the marketing agency. We also attended Danielle’s 20-year high school reunion and got to see so many old friends, most of whom Mackin had to remind Danielle of by name. Shoutout to the Mormons who gave us their drink tickets! Mackin also ranked the kids a little more accurately this episode. Leo is working on subtraction, Dean has a newfound appreciation for cologne, Viv is locking into middle school, and Dom’s broken wrist has healed. And yes, it all counts toward their ranking on Mackin’s list. Thank you all for listening, and remember, if you don’t rank your kids, you’re just lying to yourself because you do.

We’re back (yes, we’re alive) after a little summer chaos. It’s been a hectic season of life, but with the weather cooling down, things are finally settling too. We have a lot to catch up on! From a family holiday in San Diego to Mackin being super busy growing his agency business. Dom dedicated his entire summer to football. Viv is still living her best life, but now adjusting to middle school. Leo is still Leo; he got a little sick, which gave Danielle PTSD flashbacks that somehow made her sicker than he was. And Dean? He’s been pretty chill, probably because he’s always turning the thermostat down to 64 like he’s paying the power bill. We also discuss an important universal truth: no one loves you more than a boomer mom when you’re skinny. And yes, Mackin ranks the kids… sort of. We’ll give him a break since it’s been a while. Thanks for waiting on us, and thank you for listening. Proof of life delivered.

Oh, look, another family deciding to drop everything and travel the world because, why not, right? Meanwhile, we’re just trying to plan a road trip San Diego. But these two? They put the "trip" in "road trip." In this episode, we sit down with our old friends Jimi and Sandi Falin, the power couple behind Try N Something New! These two started their film business 14 years ago with our wedding and have now made capturing their travel lifestyle a full-time gig. Three kids in tow, dozens of countries, and millions of subscribers later, they're still the same amazing people crying behind a camera at our wedding. We dive into what inspired them to sell everything, pack up the RV, and hit the road. Did we say they did this with THREE KIDS? We also talk about the beauty of worldschooling and unschooling their kids while traveling.  Their goal is simple: inspire others to get out there and "Try Something New." So, if you’ve ever wanted to leave your comfortable little corner of the world, this episode is for you. Or, if you're a Type-A Grinch like Mackin and need a little spontaneity in your life, we hope they can inspire you too. Grab your passport (or your couch cushion) and get ready for laughs, travel fails, and tips from two people who’ve somehow survived 9 years of full-time travel with their kids. Spoiler: They don’t always have it all together, but they definitely have a story to tell.

We're back after some technical struggles (shocking, we know). We kick off summer with a shirt-unbuttoning and eye-opening experience at a bra fitting, where Danielle realized she’d been wearing them all wrong her whole life. To camp or not to camp? That's the question. We dive into the chaos of summer parenting. Early mornings, hot days, late nights, and the constant pressure to entertain the kids while also trying to encourage them to learn from boredom. We also weigh the pros and cons of having a living room kid vs a bedroom kid. The struggle is real when it comes to where they spend their time. The kids "Tesla slap” each other every time they see one, which has been super fun. Danielle recaps her "tour" (not "tewer") stop in Cleveland, including her obsession with Machine Gun Kelly's cute coffee shop under a bridge. We talk about our current state of marital communication, therapy, and how faith has helped us get through it all. And, of course, we’ve got the Child of the Week rankings. Here are a few hints: we have a degenerate gambler, roid rages and elite behavior from our front-runner. Thanks for humoring our humor. We’ve got more episodes with some very special guests coming your way this summer that we think you’ll love. As always, thank you for listening!

Lots of life has been happening around here, and we have plenty to talk about. Mackin has been busy fasting, while Danielle has been busy trying out new Mexican restaurants with a side of tirzepatide. We celebrated the resurrection of Jesus by allowing our kids to be spoiled with candy and gifts. The cost of dyeing eggs this year was outrageous, so it was cheaper to just let them eat the dye in Sour Patch Kids. We are excited to finally hard-launch Makin' it Media! Mackin has been running Makin' it Media behind the scenes for the last couple of years, and we’re excited to now start growing the agency. We primarily focus on media buying, creative strategy, and AI automation, but can service or provide partners in any facet of marketing. Mackin has spent the last 15 years leading marketing strategies for Fortune 500 brands, leading creative strategy for billion-dollar companies, and buying media like it was his own money. He’s worked with some of the world’s biggest brands and your local Mom and Pops. And now, Makin' it Media is here to focus on making things simple, fast, and effective—just the way marketing should be. Follow @wearemakinit on Instagram for support and LinkedIn for more updates. Enough business! Maria stayed with us for a few days, even though it felt like a few weeks with all she “taught” us. We’ve realized that the gentle parenting we did with our kids at a young age has come back to bite us as our older kids enter tweenhood. Lastly, is an animal cracker a cookie or a cracker? We’ll leave it up to you to decide while Mackin ranks the kids. We love you all, we appreciate your support, and thank you for listening!

We’re like the marriage that cried wolf. At this point, whatever we say we’re going to do, just expect the opposite, okay? We have a lot to catch up on, and once again, we’ve had continued technical difficulties that kept us from recording last month. But it’s good to be back in our living room with you all. We’re spring breakin’ all the rules! We’ve got a hysterectomy hysteria update, and Danielle’s got sourdough everywhere. The kids are complaining nonstop, and we’ve got plenty to talk about. We didn’t even make it halfway through Mackin’s list of topics, but we had to squeeze in Mackin’s rankings before Danielle faded off to sleep. We’re glad to be back, and we have fewer excuses in the near future to bring you more episodes. We can’t wait to do exactly that. Hopefully… We love you all so much—especially you OGs for dealing with our shit. But also, welcome to the new listeners. Stick around; we might surprise you. Thank you for listening!

We’re finally back recording at home after a little break, and we have a lot to catch up on. It's been a while, and we had a few episodes recorded that never aired thanks to technical difficulties (who knew we’d have this many issues with microphones?). We’re hoping this one makes up for all that lost time. Mackin has rules for sending people videos, and etiquette that he thinks we all should abide by. Also, our kids have been soo much lately! Sick, busy, hungry, they’re always talking! That’s all we do, is talk! We did go to a White Party and talk about what it was like for Mackin to see naked girls covered in sushi. We discuss parallel parking in public, Fine Art or Anxious Activity.  And of course, we cap things off with Mackin’s Child of the Week Rankings. Spoiler alert: Leo is still #4. It’s good to be back and in our kitchen cooking up an episode. We love you all and thank you for listening.

It’s a special episode of Makin’ it with the Mackins because we’ve got two old friends of the podcast, back in the studio for the first time together in almost 2 years! Jeff Kurkjian and Aimee Thomas—formerly of Jeff and Aimee in the Morning—are here, and we’re so happy to have them. Warning: There is no dump button for swearing for these radio personalities, so prepare yourself. We discuss the pros and ultimately cons, of puppy parenting and how it relates to real parenting. Jeff gives Danielle a brief is a brief Geography lesson and Aimee shares how her husband was heartbroken, when Jeff, her then “work husband,” left her.  We also discuss the idea of soliciting catcalls to build confidence, different parenting styles, and the taboo topic of passing gas in front of your spouse. And let’s not forget the classic awkwardness of intimacy with spouses—we’re all about keeping it real here. We’re so happy we got to have both Jeff and Aimee back together and we are so grateful to you all for listening! We know you’ll love this episode. And if you want to hear more from Jeff and Aimee, check them out now on 102.7 in Vegas, 92.5 KXTU in Philly (not Pittsburgh), or Jeff’s amazing baseball podcast with his HOF dad, Tim Kurkjian, Great Game of What!  Also, big shout out to Galindo Media for hosting us. If you’re looking for podcast production, they have everything you need! We love you guys! Support us in Makin’ it: $9.99 Makin' it with the Mackins Monthly Supporter https://buy.stripe.com/cN28AkaYBaPl4Xm5kk $24.99 (One-Time Thank You) https://buy.stripe.com/6oE03O5EhaPlexWaEF  $99.99 (One-Time Thank You) https://buy.stripe.com/5kAeYI1o10aHblK4gi  Shop the Merch 👉 https://www.makinitwiththemackins.com We also have some new merch if you would like to say “thanks” and stay comfy at the same time!