2 Pancakes of Wisdom

Season 1 finale is about knowing when to let go. Sometimes you are holding on so tightly, you don't even realize it's time to let go. Suddenly you realize it's time. It's time to come back to you.

Hang onto your hats because we're about to go on adventure! I've written a detailed account of our 6 hour flight home to CA and I am bringing you along for the ride. This is a sneak peek into part one of the story which is making its way into my book. What do you think of my voice over skills? My mom says I have a real future in it, so you know it's got to be true, right? Lol And this story you'll hear seems like planning ahead for vacations and changing tactics when things go wrong, determination, excepting help from strangers or setting boundaries with unhelpful strangers. Above all staying calm in a crisis. Sounds like things that could be useful for you? Join me! Subscribe so you never miss an episode. Would you like to read the story also? Check out my blog at http://2pancakesofwisdom.com/2021/08/13/the-long-flight-home-to-california-a-real-life-adventure-story-chapter-1/

Today in this quickie episode we are veering off our normal parenting topics and sharing a very valuable tool I've used to manage my bipolar disorder: a good old fashioned letter. This is a great tool for someone with bipolar, depression, anxiety or anyone who knows that feeling doubt that comes up after you are starting a new creative project. So basically, this is a great episode if you are a human! I am going to be digging into some of the questions you've sent me about living with bipolar bipolar disorder in upcoming episodes. Send me questions or comments on Instagram and FB @2pancakesofwisdom or good old fashioned email maureencoaching@gmail.com. Take care of yourself and each other

Today is my birthday! I am giving myself the gift of not writing a real description hahaha! I will probably write a real one very soon, but I want to send this baby out into the world. ✈️. As usual I talk about what Charlotte is doing to drive me crazy and how I manage to resist resentment. The episode Easter eggs include: speech therapy 3rd person tips, a mummified object in a gas station museum, and a cow sound effect. Have fun! Send me a message on Instagram or Facebook @2pancakesodwisdom if you find an Easter egg

After 10 long months in Rhode Island, we finally returned to our home in California. And while it was nice to be home again, it didn't feel as much like home as I thought it would! I had changed so much in the last year that my home needed to reflect that. Little things like moving my shoe rack to the hall to create a little “closet recording studio” have big meaning. A challenge we tackled with Charlotte this week was going to the dentist. Things like this are always a lesson in letting go of control and just trying our best. I surprised myself by my mama bear coming out. In the end we were all proud of ourselves. Have a comment about the episode? Let me know at maureencoaching@gmail.com

Today I'll share with you the moving story of Charlotte's womb song “Charlotte,O Charlotte” I'll even sing you the song along with a quick reprise when Charlotte makes a surprise appearance in my closet! This is a very special story and I'm delighted to have a way to share it with you today. The “traveling closet” brings us to a closet at my aunt's house where I took a night off from the family. I needed time to decompress after many days with my extrovert husband. I took the opportunity to record in their closet! Thanks Julie, I hope you didn't mind! I put everything back the way it was I swear :). Read the original blog post at https://2pancakesofwisdom.com/2021/06/04/o-charlotte-a-womb-song-returns/

In this episode I share my highs and lows from a typical day with Charlotte. As a special-needs mom it's amazing the little things I celebrate sometimes! The simple act of seeing her throw away her own trash can bring me to tears of happiness. Our lows come from moments where I can't get Charlotte to budge, and she's so big and strong now that sometimes I am helpless to do anything about it. I give myself a gold star for climbing my way out of self doubt by the act of journaling. Doubt and fear is often my stumbling block and I need lots of tools to get myself back on track. I hope you'll indulge me by letting me read the bit of my favorite book to you. It's the one I come back to over and over again because it gives me the comfort and familiarity that I crave when I'm feeling lost. I end with my regular bit of relaxation: Take a deep breath, relax your shoulders, release your tongue from the roof of your mouth, relax your throat. You've got this, mama.

Hello Mama! I created this episode as another bedtime chat: a way for hard-working mamas to wind down at the end of the day. Perhaps you can listen to it as you're waiting for your child to fall asleep beside you. Or maybe you are in your bed, waiting for your busy mind to slow down and let you sleep. If you drift off during this episode, I have done my job well! In this episode I reflect back on the day and give myself a gold star for a small success, and acknowledge where I stumbled. I move onto my main story… Why is Rhode Island like Gilligans island? You'll get to hear a bit of audio from last year when I was getting ready for my “one month” trip to Rhode Island. *I am still experimenting with the proper volume to create a relaxing atmosphere, but not so quiet that you are straining to hear. What do you think? Email me at Maureencoaching@gmail.com to offer your opinion. Thank you for caring enough to share with me!

Today's episode has a different mood. I recorded it late at night in a more contemplative space. I share with you two poems I've written in the last few years. The first called “new yarn” is a love letter to motherhood and to the theater. The second one “pretty” talks about how as women we can both crave and feel trapped by attention about our looks. I hope you find meaning in them, and perhaps they inspire you to write a poem yourself today! I attached the text below. Until next time, take good care. ~~~~~~~~~ New yarn Now a mother I have been unraveled and knit back together My child's sweet essence In every strand I cannot undo this mother I have become (Nor would I want to) And with this new yarn Where our beating hearts combine I stitch together stories on stage I create wife and mother again and again I cannot help but love these families I create For my child's beating heart Is woven into their being My heart stretches until it contains this too A new husband A new child A new mother They all live in a safe sheltered place within me So my arms stretch wider my heart beats stronger And my family grows larger As I give birth to each new story Pretty Please do not tell me I am pretty As much as I may want to hear it As much as you want to see me smile and blush And feel complete It will not last It is a glass of salt water in the desert Please do not tell me I am pretty For I will no longer chase the fantasy which will never complete me And the thrill I feel When you say that word Makes me run faster To catch its ghost Do not tell me I am pretty For I am wise And fierce And whole Do not tie me in pretty chains

In this episode I cover topics like my bad habit with my coffee cup, Charlotte's midnight chats, and most importantly what Tinker Bell has to teach me about losing my cool with the people I love. I also share deep ramblings about 19 years of marriage and my secret to letting the little things go. This podcast includes a recording of Charlotte! Check out my website at www.2pancakesofwisdom.com

Welcome to episode two! For this episode I bring you along in the aftermath of a minor pond water disaster

Welcome to episode one of "2 pancakes of wisdom"... the podcast! Where I don't actually talk about pancakes, and the wisdom is a little dodgy, but you will leave with a smile on your face! I cover parenthood topics like: hiding in your bathroom to avoid your kids, getting creative with your parent dates because you're too tired to have them at night, dealing with your kids' melt downs at home and hearing “but little Jimmy is so good at school!” (Or maybe a little Jimmy is a basket-case at school but an even bigger one at home) And of course I'll be tying it all together with the story of our new favorite show “Superman and Lois!” Spoiler alert, my title is actually misleading... Superman is kind of a BOSS Dad. But sometimes he's lousy, and what sums up parenthood more than that? Check out my website at www.2pancakesofwisdom.com