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Some time ago, I read an article called "Afterschooling," written by a mom who was also a teacher. The idea is simple: learning doesn't stop when the school day ends. Parents can use after-school hours, weekends, and summers to help kids stay sharp, fill in gaps, or stretch further when they're ready for more. It works whether your child is homeschooled or attends a private or public school, and it's especially helpful for the child who needs more than the classroom can give. What interested me was how ordinary the ideas were. Join me as we explore some wonderful ways to have fun and learn as a family. They will keep you connected.

At a webinar on the Five Principles of Power, I gave the attendees an assignment to determine which of the principles they felt most resistant to. I received a hilarious email from an attendee. It was hilarious, but also sobering. The principle that caused her to cringe was planning ahead. In her email, she related all the ways that she was constantly interrupted and why planning anything was a disaster. After a conversation, she sent me this email: "I appreciated you addressing my hang-up with preparation. I felt much relieved and empowered after our talk. Thanks for helping me see through another set of eyes!" Join me today as I let you in on what I shared with this distressed mother. It will be life-changing because real-life planning isn't what you think!

When my youngest daughter was getting married, we went announcement shopping. Shopping is not on my list of enjoyable activities! We stopped at a couple of places, choked on the prices, and then found the perfect thing. It was way out of our budget, but being crafty, we can do anything, sort of women, we decided we could recreate it ourselves. We headed to my sister's home for a second opinion. While we were talking about photos, my sister mentioned she thought people looked better in black and white photos. An animated conversation took place over her comment.  The enormity of seeing black and white move to brilliant color in the movie The Wizard of Oz surfaced. Join me as we explore how to move family activities from black and white to color and how doing so changes everything.

Long ago, after a day that started at 7:00 in the morning and didn't end until 1:30 a.m. the next day, my daughter, Jodie, said, "Mom, it's probably a real blessing that you have the grandkids so much. It gives you lots of material for your writing." LOL We were preparing to teach a room full of sixth graders how to make gingerbread houses out of graham crackers. It took over ten hours of preparation. It was a gift to the kids for a fundraiser they'd put together to help with my granddaughter Maggie's therapy. However, a big project doesn't pause the rest of life. So how do you manage a day filled with children that doesn't end until the next morning and remain calm? Join me as I share what I did. It is doable for anyone!

Many of us, without a plan, default to raised voices. We want calmer homes, but when the moment comes, we go straight to frustration and yelling because that's the response we're used to. Staying calm comes from knowing, ahead of time, how to respond when things are out of control or don't meet our expectations. Join me as I share two real-life stories that illustrate perfectly that staying calm requires a plan and that with a plan you can do it.

In today's podcast, I share two real-life examples that illustrate how important it is to laugh and find humor in hard situations. When you do, it can make all the difference. You will love the stories and I bet you will relate. Join me and learn more about the art of remaining calm when parenting.

The little boy, three years old, was out of control, a temper tantrum of sorts. I didn't know what he wanted, but I could tell he felt desperate to have whatever it was. His mother was using a calm voice, talking to him, holding him gently while he twisted and screamed, then leading him away. I could tell that many of the onlooking adults felt upset with her. Why wasn't she doing anything about this terrible tantrum? Why didn't she make him stop? That little boy was my grandson, and his mother is my daughter, Jodie. We were at a family reunion, and this wasn't his first outburst. He was three, that difficult age when a child is learning to control his impulses, to be patient, to wait. It's tough. Today I share how to manage better when others judge your parenting and how to stay true to your decision on how to parent. I will also teach you about the Time-In. An amazing idea for helping children manage big emotions better.

I used to think staying calm with my children was a skill I'd eventually master and move past, something I'd graduate from once they were grown. I know better now. Right now, I'm caring for my 96-year-old mother, who has dementia, and I'm finding myself back in the same classroom I thought I'd left decades ago. The stories in this series are from long ago, mostly from the years when my children were small, or my grandchildren were underfoot. But I keep coming back to them, because the lessons in them are just as true today as they were then. I hope these stories feel less like advice from someone who's arrived, and more like company from someone still on the road with you. Staying calm isn't a skill you master once and keep forever. It's a practice. And you never know when life will hand you a new season that puts you right back in the classroom. I was reminded of that recently when I came across an old story from years ago, back when my grandchildren were small. It's a good reminder that the practice never really ends, and that's okay.  Join me as I share the story of the Honey Bucket and its powerful message on calm parenting.

A friend of mine, a mom with several young children, told me recently that her kids' favorite thing to do is play dress-up. They want to do it all day long, even the boys. Of course, it makes a glorious mess. As we visited, she asked me about the value of this interest she was seeing in her kids, and it opened up a wonderful conversation. Today I will share some effective ideas on how to harness the joy of dressing up and learning in a family activity. They work for little kids and teens. They can be so family-connecting!

My sister Cindy has a job caring for a man with dementia. As I know well, this can be an overwhelming and consuming responsibility. Here was her text to me: "Mary, I need advice. Taking care of D. is draining me. I didn't go to the temple all week. I'd leave his house, and I had nothing left. He wants to be with me constantly. When I'm cooking his food, he stands right next to me, and I have to move away. He asks me what he should do about everything. It's exhausting." After some pondering, because I do know firsthand what this is like, here was my response: "No matter what our current mission, we can survive and even thrive, but we must revive." Today I will be sharing some real-life examples of how to survive caring for and interacting with others: the elderly, kids, teens, and those we work with. It can be challenging unless we have ways to revive after hectic days. Join me and begin to thrive!

When you're engaged in a project, what matters to you? For many adults, it's the outcome. When children are engaged in a project, what matters to them? For the most part, it's the process. There is real value in stepping back and allowing our children to create without worrying about the outcome.  Any time we foster the skills of creation, thinking, and problem-solving, we are helping our children on the path to becoming capable, confident adults. Join me as I share some stellar examples of what stepping back from the outcome looks like and how it can bless the children in your life.

When I moved from Montana to Utah in my late 50s, something stopped me in my tracks. The realization that I was responsible for my responses, no matter the circumstances or the people involved. This hit me hard. I couldn't blame others for how I felt! I was mad and honestly didn't want it to be true. But I am a learner, and the thought wouldn't leave. As I learned and accepted the truth of this statement, my life began to change. I wanted that same growth for my children. Join me as I share my 29-year-old son Andrew's experience. It is enlightening and fun. Especially the part about the drunken snails. : )

I had a deep, interesting, and moving conversation about learning to slow down and being still with a friend, Melissa.  This is something I've been tutored in for over a decade, but it still isn't a habit for me. I'm a mover, shaker, and finisher. Stopping and stillness are not part of my natural energy. Join me as I share what my tutoring has looked like, how it has gone, and the challenges and blessings of working on stillness. It has been enlightening.

When my daughter Marie's children were young, I wanted to stay connected between visits. We only saw each other a couple of times a year, and I wanted more than that. While working on a presentation about the Spark Station, the idea came to me: why not write Spark Station Letters? The idea was simple. I would write letters to my grandchildren sharing something that interested me — a word, a historical figure, a current event, a family story. Something that might spark a conversation in their home and keep us woven into each other's lives. It worked beautifully. Marie told me the kids were all ears when she read the letters aloud. They'd re-read them on car trips. She saved each one in a separate book for each child. She also mentioned that I was frequently sharing values and teaching life lessons — which I hadn't even realized I was doing. Today, I will share some sample letters I wrote to children I loved and show you how you can do the same.

In January, my daughter Jodie gathered a group of friends to work on having a better outcome in 2026. We listened to an interesting YouTube video by Daniel Pink. The premise was that structure beats willpower. We each determined what we regretted from 2025 and how we could do better in 2026 to avoid repeating our mistakes. My regret was not getting my writing in until the last minute. I regretted that because it fed this old story — there is no time in my life for me — and it led to feelings of resentment toward those I care for. I placed my lack of consistency on them and their needs. Here's something I shared early on in one of our conversation threads: "I have a hard time doing my own things even when I try. I do my personal morning routine, but it's interrupted, and I usually don't get any writing done. For the last four days, I rarely sat down, and tonight I didn't even get to eat my dinner until 8 pm. No TV, no internet, no reading, no loafing, just serving and doing what's necessary. I oversee what I choose to do, but I'm obviously doing something less effectively than needed." Today I will share what was causing my dilemma, what I needed to change, and how life-changing it has been.