Regular Cool Mom

Hiyeee! We are finally back to recording (at a social distance) and we are here to talk about all our feelings on Covid-19, aka Coronavirus. Join us as we discuss how this virus has completely changed our lives as we know it. The ways this virus snuck into our lives and managed to completely shut it down is astounding! From school closures and e-learning to toilet paper hoarding, business closures to everyone working from home, social distancing and quarantines to maintaining our sanity, we are covering it all. As always, we would love to hear from you! Tell us EVERYTHING. How have the past few months been for you? What are things like in your state? What are your hopes for the future? Leave us a comment and let us know. We would love to hear from you! Thanks for listening!

Hiyeee! We are finally back to recording (at a social distance) and we are here to talk about all our...

This week we are talking about how much we love celebrating our friends (and soon, ourselves) when they turn forty! We have had fun seeing family and friends turn forty over the years, and more recently we have been a part of some really great fortieth birthday celebrations, so we thought we would share some of these experiences and genius ideas…as well as talk (and dream) about all the fun things we are visualizing for our own fortieth birthday celebrations. Join us as we talk about fun ways to celebrate these milestone birthdays and, of course, we want to hear all of the amazing ways you have seen forty be celebrated. Leave us a comment and tell us everything. Thanks for listening!

This week we are talking about how much we love celebrating our friends (and soon, ourselves) when they turn forty!...

It’s that time again! Today we are discussing a truly puzzling case that leaves us with way more questions than answers. Lissi is taking the lead and filling us in on all of the crazy details of the Burger Chef murders in Indianapolis. Join us as Lissi lays out the timeline of events from the night that four teens vanished from their shift at the Burger Chef, and why the evidence from that night has never amounted to enough to bring anyone to justice. Our hearts go out to each and every one of these kids’ families. We can’t imagine the pain from the years of heartache they have endured- not only from losing their children, but from watching many persons of interests come and go and ultimately never seeing justice in this case. This case has haunted everyone who has investigated it. It’s a local unsolved mystery that our city wishes could be put to rest. Do you have a local unsolved case that everyone wishes they could know the answers to? Tell us everything! Join us on instagram and leave us a comment. Thanks for listening!

It’s that time again! Today we are discussing a truly puzzling case that leaves us with way more questions than...

This week Lissi and Joy are discussing the phrase, “We can do hard things.” and all of our feelings relating to that phrase. We talk about when it is useful and fair to use this phrase to motivate ourselves or our kids to put in extra effort to a task that we find daunting or hard. We also dive into how this phrase can be misused with groups of kids of varying abilities and capabilities, and why that can be problematic. Join us in this discussion and let us know, how do you feel about this phrase? Do you love it, hate it, neutral on it? Do you use it to motivate yourself or your kids? We would love to hear all of your thoughts. Please leave us a comment and tell us everything! Thanks for listening!

This week Lissi and Joy are discussing the phrase, “We can do hard things.” and all of our feelings relating...

Do you remember what it was like to be thirteen? Us, too. This week we are discussing an excerpt from the book “Stay Sexy and Don’t Get Murdered” where Karen talks about sitting in a conference and listening to a women who gave a speech defending thirteen year old girls. The speech left Karen in ugly-cry tears, and reading her synopsis of it had us in tears, too. Join us as we hash out the nuances of being a thirteen year old girl and how we are helping our daughters (and ourselves) navigate being in that thirteen year old world right now. There are so many ways that we can help them through, give them confidence, and show them we care. We are responsible for lifting up not only our own kids but all the kids around us. Do you light up when a kid walks in the room? Thanks for listening!

Do you remember what it was like to be thirteen? Us, too. This week we are discussing an excerpt from...

This week we are discussing habits! Habits are extremely smart little suckers! It can be tricky to form a new good habit and even trickier to break an established bad habit….but we can do it together! Join us as we discuss strategies for how to add habits to our life that we want, as well as get rid of the ones that don’t serve us. We love hearing from you, so find us on Instagram and leave us a comment. Share a habit that you are trying to form or break, and what your strategy is for doing so. We are here to support you!

This week we are discussing habits! Habits are extremely smart little suckers! It can be tricky to form a new...

This week we are discussing a thought that has changed the way we see emotional burdens…whether they be from our own experiences, or the experiences of our kids, friends or even perfect strangers. Join us as we discuss ways that we can lighten our load and keep ourselves from filling our backpacks to the top. We would love to hear any of your thoughts, or ways that you keep from taking on too much emotional weight. Leave us a comment on Instagram and tell us everything! We love hearing from you. Thanks for listening.

This week we are discussing a thought that has changed the way we see emotional burdens…whether they be from our...

Today Joy is telling you (and Lissi) the details of the very strange disappearance of ‘Little Bobby Dunbar’. Bobby went missing in 1912 while on a vacation with a family and just when his family had given up on ever finding him, he was discovered with a strange man traveling around in a wagon….or was he? Join us as we discuss all the very strange twists and turns in this case from so long ago. Do you think you would be able to identify your four-year-old after being away from him/her for eight months? We would love to hear your thoughts and theories about who ‘Bobby’ was and what the real story is surrounding his disappearance. Leave us a comment on Instagram and let us know all of your thoughts on this case. We love hearing from you. Thanks for listening!

Today Joy is telling you (and Lissi) the details of the very strange disappearance of ‘Little Bobby Dunbar’. Bobby went...

This week we (Lissi and Joy) are sharing about our experience of adding a child therapist to our lives. Join us as we discuss how we decided it was time to seek out therapists for our kids, how we found the person who worked well with our children, and what our experience has been like working with a therapist. Listen up for some of the best advice we have been given from our kids’ therapist and how it has changed the way we parent. As always, we love hearing from you! If you have learned any awesome tools or tips from having a child in therapy, please share. We have learned some valuable lessons from therapists and we want to learn from your experience, too. Find us on instagram and leave us a comment. Thanks for listening!

This week we (Lissi and Joy) are sharing about our experience of adding a child therapist to our lives. Join...

Today we are tackling a bit of a heavy but necessary topic: how to help others through times of grief. Lissi recently lost her last grandparent, and so this subject feels timely for us to discuss. Join us as we talk about what we have observed during our own times of grief, and things that others have done for us in order to lighten our loads. We also discuss being on an ‘outer tier’ of the grieving process, but supporting those around us who are a step closer to person who has passed away, and how that can sometimes add to our own grief. We may have shed a lot of tears while recording this episode, and we are always here to listen and support you if you are dealing with grief. It’s a messy and painful process that deserves to be heard and supported. We would love to hear any ideas on how to help someone who is grieving, or any amazing ways that you were served during a time of grief. Leave us a comment on Instagram and join the conversation. Thanks for listening!

Today we are tackling a bit of a heavy but necessary topic: how to help others through times of grief....

We’re back!! We are podcasting again after a long winter break and we are excited to fill you in on all the things that have been happening over the past few weeks. Join us as we discuss our Christmas highs and lows, our favorite and least favorite presents, the projects we tackled, the trips we took, the pets we won, the illnesses we beat, and the best things we did over break! As always, we love to hear from you! How was your Christmas break? Were you able to maintain your sanity with your kids out of school for two weeks? Were you able to make it through unscathed by illness? Leave us a comment on Instagram and let us know! Also, if you hear jingling, grunting, and all around strange noises in the background, that’s just the cute pup that Joy is watching for her friend. Thanks for listening!

We’re back!! We are podcasting again after a long winter break and we are excited to fill you in on...

Today we are talking about how to keep the holidays from becoming crazy and over-scheduled. This is something that we both struggle with because there are so many fun, worthwhile, and good activities to choose from during the holiday season- which can take it from the most wonderful time of year to the busiest time of year! Lissi has come prepared to share some tips that we can all implement to keep our lives from becoming unmanageable around the holidays. File them away for next year if it’s already too late for you (like it is for us!) We would love to hear from you! Do you thrive on having a full schedule around the holidays? How do you keep from letting yourself become overwhelmed with activities? Join in the conversation on Instagram, we love hearing from you. Thanks for listening!

Today we are talking about how to keep the holidays from becoming crazy and over-scheduled. This is something that we...

The dust has finally settled from Black Friday and Cyber Monday and we are here to talk about it! This week we discuss the different sales we saw online, some of the best deals we scored, and things we are already looking forward to next year. We are also sharing ideas on how to stop the onslaught of sale emails, ads, and temptations for buying when constantly advertised to. As always, we would love to hear from you! Comment on Instagram and tell us about the best deals you scored over Thanksgiving weekend, anything we should keep our eyes peeled for next year, or the thing you are most excited about buying. We would also love your tips on how you minimize the temptation to hit ‘buy’ every time you are advertised a good deal online. Tell us everything! Thanks for listening!

The dust has finally settled from Black Friday and Cyber Monday and we are here to talk about it! This...

This week we are discussing an article that Lissi recently read detailing how to find happiness in the winter despite the bitter cold temperatures that are hitting us early this year. Join us as she offers tips and ideas for enjoying the winter season and not just enduring it. We would love to hear all of your thoughts and ideas about having a better winter season. Comment on Instagram and join the conversation! Thanks for listening!

This week we are discussing an article that Lissi recently read detailing how to find happiness in the winter despite...

This week we thought it would be fun to discuss some of the original Thanksgiving facts and stories, as well as the historical origins of many of our Thanksgiving Day traditions! Join us for a conversation where we discuss our thoughts and feelings about the first Thanksgiving, as well as the ones that came after that. We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with love and plenty of starches. Thanks for listening!

This week we thought it would be fun to discuss some of the original Thanksgiving facts and stories, as well...

In honor of Thanksgiving, this week we decided to share some lovely ways that we have been served in the past. We both have so many grateful memories of having others reach out to us in our times of need, and we hope to be able to serve others as selflessly as we have been served in the past. Join us as we exchange stories, thoughts, and resolve to find more ways to serve the people around us. We hope our stories will spark an idea for you to be able to serve someone around you! We would love to hear from you. Please share any stories you have of being selflessly served, or ways that you have found make it possible for you to help others more. We are open to all suggestions, and you know we love a good happy-cry! Leave us a comment on Instagram and tell us everything. Thanks for listening!

In honor of Thanksgiving, this week we decided to share some lovely ways that we have been served in the...

We have been waiting for weeks (months?) to chat about today’s topic: Black Friday! We are discussing it now rather than once it’s over because we are hoping we can not only put some things on your radar as far as deals we have gotten in the past but also alert you to deals we are hoping for…and more importantly, we want to hear what deals you are anticipating the most and add them to our lists! We have been making these lists for awhile now and anytime we get a social media ad, hear a recommendation from an influencer, or find a new small business to follow, we add them to our list of things to watch out for on Black Friday. We have also refrained from buying ANYTHING for the last month in hopes of getting a better deal on things we already use and love. Join us as we discuss all the things that have caught our eyes and piqued our interests over the past few months, and we definitely want to hear from you! What sales are you anticipating most this year? What new companies do you have your eye on to try their products? We want you to tell us everything!

We have been waiting for weeks (months?) to chat about today’s topic: Black Friday! We are discussing it now rather...

This week we are chatting about the craziness that comes with caring for kids who have broken a bone.  Lissi shares her experiences with all the different types of broken bone scenarios they have dealt with in their house, from having a spica cast with a toddler to having a broken arm with a big kid. Join us as we talk about the intricacies and challenges of caring for a child with a broken limb. We hope you never have to deal with a broken bone, but if you do, this episode will prepare you with tips, tricks, and what to expect. As always, we would love to hear from you!  What tips do you have for someone who is dealing with a child with a broken bone?  Have you ever had an experience with a spica cast?  We want to hear all your thoughts. Leave us a comment on instagram and tell us everything.  Thanks for listening!

This week we are chatting about the craziness that comes with caring for kids who have broken a bone.  Lissi...

Happy Halloween! Today we thought we would chat about something that Joy hates to think about, paranormal and supernatural activities. We cover so much ground, from haunted cities and houses, to individual paranormal experiences, to collective group hauntings, and also talk about paranormal visits from familiar spirits vs. locations that hold a supernatural presence. We also discuss scientific explanations for hauntings and paranormal experiences, and our feelings towards those theories, as well as psychics and ghost-whisperers. Tell us all your thoughts! What do you think of spirits haunting the earth? Do you think there are lost spirits who are waiting to be ‘crossed over?’ Do you believe that there are specific places that have reoccurring paranormal activity? Or do you like the scientific explanations to all of these experiences? Do you have a haunting story you want to share- you know we want to hear it! Come on Instagram and tell us everything! Thanks for listening!

Happy Halloween! Today we thought we would chat about something that Joy hates to think about, paranormal and supernatural activities....

This week our goal is to give hope to all the moms that are in the young phase of motherhood. Moms with small children, who are in the thick of being needed every hour of every day by everyone in their house. It wasn’t that long that we were where you are, and while it is all still fresh we thought we would share some of our early motherhood stories and struggles with you to offer hope, friendship, and validation. Join us as we share funny times, desperate times, and all of the small details we remember about being moms with young children. We are also sharing how life has become slowly and incrementally easier as our children have grown up, and where our lives are now that our kids are older. We would love to know, where are you in your motherhood journey? Do you feel like independence is light years away? Or are you where we are, with kids who are all old enough to take care of themselves but still in the elementary and junior high years? Or if you have teens and older kids, share with us what we have to look forward to! Comment on Instagram and let us know your thoughts. Thanks for listening!

This week our goal is to give hope to all the moms that are in the young phase of motherhood....

This week we are chatting about a subject we love- celebrating our friends’ birthdays! Nothing makes us more excited than planning the perfect way to celebrate our friends, and throughout the years the way that we have executed birthday celebrations has morphed and changed- from dinners to experiences, we have done it all- and our dreams for future celebrations are getting bigger and better! As always, we would love to hear from you. Some of our questions include: *What are some of the best/most genius birthday celebrations you’ve been to or heard about? *If you are celebrating in a group do you arrange for one large group gift or are you all in charge of bringing your own gifts (or have you gotten rid of gifts all together?) *Are ‘Over the Hill’ parties a thing anymore? Please comment on Instagram and let us know all your awesome thoughts and tips, or stories of awesome birthday shenanigans. Tell us everything! Thank you for listening and sharing the podcast. We appreciate it!

This week we are chatting about a subject we love- celebrating our friends’ birthdays! Nothing makes us more excited than...

This week we are discussing how we have approached teaching our kids about sexual health. This conversation is coming from the experiences we have had as two moms, not experts, and how we have found success around discussing this topic with our kids. We also openly discuss the challenges we have faced based on our children’s different personalities and openness with us, and gauging when the appropriate time is to give them each layer of information. We want you to know that if you are facing challenges, you are not alone! We are all doing our very best as parents and it is okay if conversations aren’t flowing as smoothly as you visualized. There is so much encouragement and information available to us as parents for teaching our kids about their bodies, appropriate anatomical terms, appropriate touching, safety, and so much more. We encourage you to seek out one of the many resources we discuss if you are having any hesitation or uncertainty about what to teach your children and when. We would love it if you share your experiences, resources and any other helpful tips around this topic with us and the regular cool mom community! Leave us a comment and share your thoughts with us, we love hearing from you. Thanks for listening!

This week we (Lissi and Joy) are chatting about different ways we have agitated for change on both small local levels and changes we are hoping to make on a larger (but perhaps less important?) scale. Activism doesn’t have to mean a huge demonstration with signs and marching (although we do love seeing a good march!) There are a lot of ways to get involved in making much needed changes that can be as simples as picking up the phone. We would love to hear your experiences! What have you done to be successful in getting the powers that be to hear your voices and make a change? There is no cause too big or too small to be discussed here, we would love to celebrate any victories with you! Join us on instagram and leave us a comment. We love hearing from you. Also, please don’t forget to rate and review the podcast and share it with a friend. We really appreciate it. Thanks for listening!

This week we are discussing how we have approached teaching our kids about sexual health. This conversation is coming from...

This week we (Lissi and Joy) are chatting about different ways we have agitated for change on both small local...

This week Lissi has chosen a very intriguing case for us to discuss! Join us as she lays out all the mysterious details leading up to a horrific kayaking accident in which one person drowned and the other was an immediate suspect…but did the police arrest a guilty killer or was it just a terrible accident? We would love to hear your thoughts on the final verdict in this case! With all of the unusual behaviors (from the suspect AND from the police) this case has a lot of twist and turns that leave us scratching our heads. Leave us a comment on Instagram, and don’t forget to share the podcast with a friend. We appreciate you spreading the word. Thanks for listening!

This week Lissi has chosen a very intriguing case for us to discuss! Join us as she lays out all...

This week Lissi has chosen a very intriguing case for us to discuss! Join us as she lays out all the mysterious details leading up to a horrific kayaking accident in which one person drowned and the other was an immediate suspect…but did the police arrest a guilty killer or was it just a terrible accident? We would love to hear your thoughts on the final verdict in this case! With all of the unusual behaviors (from the suspect AND from the police) this case has a lot of twist and turns that leave us scratching our heads. Leave us a comment on Instagram, and don’t forget to share the podcast with a friend. We appreciate you spreading the word. Thanks for listening!

This week Lissi has chosen a very intriguing case for us to discuss! Join us as she lays out all...

This week we are continuing our conversation about homebuilding and covering the projects that we still have left to tackle.  Some of the projects are currently underway, some are in the near future, and some are way down the road but always in the back of our minds. Join us as we discuss things we purposefully put off when building, contractor timelines, the struggle and decision fatigue that comes with making too many decisions at once, and how we are picking up the pieces on undone projects all around our houses, inside and out. We would love to hear from you!  Do you have a knack for moving into a new space and immediately knowing how to decorate?  Do you break out into a sweat imagining putting nails in your walls?  Do you have any large house projects that you are currently working on or planning?  We want to hear all about it! Leave us a comment on instagram and let us know if you can relate, commiserate, or have any tips for us when it comes to tackling these future home projects. Thanks for listening!