Parenting Unfiltered

We've talked about how important it is to teach our kids about setting goals and meeting them. How that feels when you hit success and the importance of it too. This week, we lived by example. And learn from our own failures and successes. 

Speaking up for what's right isn't always easy. And when it comes to your kid, you don't want to be the complaining parent, the controlling parent or the un-interested parent. There's a fine line one must take for that perfect balance. This week we dive into the right way to ask for what you want.

Catch on up on how our holidays went. Santa, vacations, family traditions and NYE. 2022 went out with a BANG and 2023 started with a nap.  

It's Hanukkah week! Lots of festivites, sweets and presents all around. But when you're raising your kids in a mixed relgious household, does it get too confusing for them? And should we chose a religion for our kids or let them choose on their own?

Holiday break has officaly begun and the holiday's are right around the corner. Craziness is still happening, I mean DUH! life with kids. But, we're both excited for Hanukkah to this week. We talk about our holiday parties we're throwing, Jessica's ridiciulous baking schedule and some of our favorite Chanukkah memories. 

Jessica is a whole year old at the ripe old age of 36. We talk about what it's like to be in her late 30's, how she celebrated and made sure she got the exact gifts she wanted. We also dive into the holiday spirit with Elf on a Shelf and the magic of believing in Santa. It's almost over for one of our kids. 

We play catch up after a week of Thanksgiving, family and travel. How much shopping happens for you compared to the family? And, how your kids aruging is actually GOOD for them. Jess, save the soap for a curse word or two. 

Happy Thanksgiving to you! We hope you had a delcious day of feasting with family and friends. Tune in to hear how Alicia's handling life these days. A little crazy a little loving and a whole lot of bitching. We are truly Thankful and Grateful for each of you tuning in each week. And hope you have some good laughs as Alicia tries to release some Thanksigivng chaos and nerves. 

We always want to make sure our kids are happy, living thier best lives. We, as parents, can influence them so much in life, what they eat, where they go to school, sports, friends, clothes etc. But how much is too much? When should life teach them a lesson and not us as parents. It's hard. We don't want to see our kids get their feelings hurt. We want to make sure they have the best of everything. But what lesson are they learning if we guide them too much?

Halloween is exhausting! Parties, late nights and waaaayyy too much candy. We've recovered enought to finally tell how our weekend went. From Jessica's Beetlejuice bash, Alicia's walk of shame and the 10 lbs of candy from trick-or-treating (yes, we weighed it).

Fall break has come and gone and we are so thankful. Hear how Alicia did camping (no that's not a typo) and how Jessica handled the last minute plans of her kids fall break. Hint, she didn't know about it until a 2 weeks before. We also get into reminding ourselves that while our kids are still super smart, they're only 8 and aren't all there....yet. The frustration with lack of logic! 

Starting over can be scary. Especially when you have no job, no place to go and 3 little kids in tow. But staying put can be even harder. Sunnie Feedoor was a young mom who knew that getting out of her situation was the way to show her kids, and herself, what doing the right thing means. No matter how tough it may be, growth, change and most importatnly happiness is what you need to chase in life.

This week we dive in lazy parenting. Sometimes it's fine and sometimes it's not. We go over some of our lazy parenting moments and how it kind of bit Alicia in the butt this week.

Last weekend we went on a couples retreat. No, there was no yoga, therapy or fireside chats. It was everything but that! Tune in to hear how we handled it all. 

We've talked about parenting styles in the past. But do you notice the differnce of kid 1 vs kid 2, 3, 4 in your parenting styles? This week we talk about the differences in our kids and how we mature as parents from the first to the rest. And you hear about Syndey's awesome water bottle stickers. Too much?

This week....well, it's kind of just another week. Life scheudles are starting to settle. School routines are working. And per usual, we're tired as Fu*k! Enjoy!

Alicia attended the What She Said event last week, in Scottsdale. An afternoon spent with some strong, determinded women to celebrate our accomplishments. One of the women she got to interview was @taranicolinaa Tara met her forver partner at the tender age of 19. Six years marreid and 2 kids by 25. Not the same lifestyle we were living at 25! Sit back and listen, as we learn how to see the green flags in life. 

Making the decision to have a child is not always an easy choice. This week, we talk to Shannon Melton on her choice to have only one child. A reminder that sometimes we don't put ourselves first when it comes to life choices.  (side note, Alicia's audio sucks. But not the content!) 

Family. We created it. We're a part of it. And while we all complain at some point about it, our extended family is who we are. Where we come from. And let's be real, NO ONE knows the crazy in your family except your siblings and cousins. This week, we talk about the importance of the extended family. 

Alright parents, you made it through the summer. No more whining of "I'm bored" No more vacations needing to planned. School is BACK and it's time for those awesome, amazing, dedicated teachers to take over the daytime babysitting. Tune in as we talk about summer ending, Jessica not knowing when school starts and curriculum questions. 

Summer is coming to an end. Nanny Alicia has hung up her bag of tricks. We talk about summer blues, making core memories and our own favorites past times. 

Alicia finally made it to GA! Whoo Hoo! We (ahem) Alicia is exhausted driving this minivan of rugrats around town. Tune in to hear how great of a job she's doing. Special treat this week! We have Sydney and Jaxon join in. Get ready for some laughs. 

Jessica's sister from another mister is here to talk about being a new mom!! Sweet baby Brooks was born in April and we got to ooo and ahhhhh over him while we talked about all of the ups and downs of being a new mom. We also discuss transitioning from the role of step-mom to mom.

Who doesn't love a nive vacation. From relaxing on the beach, adventuring in the mountains or exploring a new place. All of these things are much needed. Now add in your little people and well, that's a whole new ballgame. Listen to how we vacation with and without kids. 

In honor of LGBTQ+ Awareness month, we'd like to introduce you to retired Scottsdale Police officer Johnnie G. His son came out as gay at the age of 17. Afraid to tell his dad because of the macho police mentally, Johnnie embraced his son with love, admiration and support. It was then that Johnnie knew his passion in life was supporting the LGBTQ+ community. He launced Out is the New In. An amazing organization where a percentage of all purchases go to support other non-profit organizatins. A must listen. Out is the New In

We all have great memories of childhood. Camping, roller skating and swimming all summer long. This week, we talk about reliving some of our childhood memories through our child's lifes. The good, the bad and the funny moments.  

We're back!!!! Did you miss us last week?! Tune to hear how Alicia surived illness while the world didn't stop to care. Jessica chimes in with her two-cents on getting help with the kids. 

May is Mental Health Awareness Month. And being a mom of two, our mental health is always in need of checking in. It's a serious topic that needs to be seriously talked about. Alicia is open about her journey in therapy this past year. Hear how we sisters get through the tough times, and teach our kids to get through the hard times too. 

This week is nothing but good news from this crazy crew. We decided to make a whole episode out of it! 

We have a special guest this week, Allana Robinson of the Uncommon Sense Parenting podcast. But don't let her podcast name fool you, she actually makes a LOT of sense. Buckle up parents, you're about to have a lot of "ah-ha" moments. And, I'm pretty sure we just made a new best friend in Canada. https://www.allanarobinson.com/

Holy Cow! We did it! We survived our first year of Podcasting. And it's all because of YOU! We talk about how this grand idea of starting a podcast started, how we've grown over the year and what to expect for our 2nd year at Parenting Unfiltered. 

Ahhhhh, PTO drama on this week's episode. You know Alicia loves bringing her PTO mama drama to the podcast. This week we discuss how much we should really know about our kid's daily lives. Is important to have every details of every day sent home to us? Or, should we ask our kids more and rely on them to tell us about their day? 

What do Passover, Easter and sex talks have to do with one another? Well, nothing excpet they all happened this week on Parenting Unfiltered. This week, we talk about our successful sedar's how much longer the Easter Bunny will last and how Alicia's sex talk with her son went. 

This week, we had a "Who's more exhausted?!" competition. But seriously, do you ever feel like your well rested and ready to go? How long can one take it before a mommy timeout turns into a mommy vacation? hmmmm..vacation sounds great! There's a clear winner between us. 

We all know that boys and girls are different. But when do they start acting different? This week, we dive into how our girls are outspoken in negative ways. 

Alicia met Wes the beginning of freshman year at Ole Miss. They instantly hit off and have been best friends ever since. Now they're raising kids and the friendship is still just as strong. Listen as Wes and Alicia reminence on life pre & post kids. 

Alicia's birthday was last week. And if there's one thing you should know about Alicia, her birthday is the most important holiday of the year. So if you were going to do one night of celebrating, why not do that one night in Vegas?! Hear her tales of Mom's Night Out, in Vegas.

How good are you at setting a goal and reaching it? How about your kid? This week we dive into ways to encourage our kids to make and reach those goals. Also, have you seen Disney's new Red Panda? 

This week we catch up and recap our family vacation, together. And yes, we also talk about Butt worms. They are just as gross as it sounds. 

This week we feature badass mama Cathleen Butler. We talk about her days as a CIA Targeting Officer, helping to capturing some of the most dangerous criminals in the world. But when it came time to start a family, the balance in life wasn't there. Cathleen talks us through the hard decision of giving up her job to be a stay-at-home mom. And starting a new career as a published aurthur. Her book, Juliet's War comes out later this year.  https://cathleenbutler.com/ Follow her amazing story @formerspy1 

We al feel burnt out on days. But what have you ever gotten to the point where your mental & physical health starting suffering...daily? Kandice Staudt joins us to talk about her struggle to balance life. Ultimatley something had to give. 

Parenting is rough, no matter which country you live in. But what about starting a new life and parenthood in a new country? This week we have Rachel Snare join us. American Rachel, met her Peruvian husband at MBA school. Moved back to Peru with him and started a family. So what's like to learn a new language, start a new life and family as an American? Hear her story as she gets ready to move back to the States. 

This week we have our friend Beth Tate join us to talk about how she put her kid first during her divorce. Leading with your mind over your heart to make sure you child feels nothing but love, from both parents. Sounds hard but it can be done. She also gives us a little tidbit into sex talk with an adolescense. How would you describe horniness?? 

Let's be real, age really is just a number. It's kids, life, and everything else that ages our beauty. This week, we talk about our own beauty routines. What works, what doesn't and what we want to try next. We also are give some sisterly beauty advice to each other.

It's enevitable. We eventually turn into our parents. But when? And why? We dive into the traits we see with out parents. And even call each other out on a few things. 

Some people grow up imaging motherhood. The cuddles, smiles and crying. But no one really knows what their journey to becoming parent looks like. Definitely not the journey Rachel went through. Diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer at the age of 33, Rachel had no idea how that diagnosis would change her journey to motherhood.  

This week, Alicia calls out Jessica on being a prudish mom. She went from a pre-mom who used to twerk it (and was really good at it) to now family edited pop music. The debate goes on with some more stories of our childhood actions. 

We're back! And just in time for 'Ol St. Nick to arrive. Christmas is definitely a little different as a parent. This week we talk about what our holiday plans are. If you can't tell, we're not the kind of parents who buy into the whole "must have" toys. Are you?! We also reminisce about some of our favorite holiday toys growing up. 

What kind of parent are you? This week, Alicia is a hungover, exhausted parent who really doesn't want to parent at all. Jessica, on the other hand, is chirpy, cheerful and baking cakes (again). We dive in to what kind of parent we are, and talk about the feral child in the neighborhood. 

Momming comes in all shapes and sizes. And some people chose not to be parents at all. So why does society feel the need to always ask, "So, when are you going to have a baby?!" Likes it's anyone's business. I'm excited to introduce to my good friend Lauren. She never had the urge to be a parent, and now she's pregnant. What a journey she & her husband went on, to get to this decision. 

Happy Hanukkah to all of you. Ever wonder what it's like to celebrate Chanukkah AND Christmas? This week we talk about our favorite Hanukkah memories, what we're doing for our kids this year and any Chanukah parties we're planning. Think Jessica will do another last minute party like she did for Halloween?