In our 20th episode, we talk about intentionally looking for the silver linings during a trying season. This mindset comes more naturally to one of us, while the other has to really work at it. We share how we’re looking for silver linings, and encourage you to do the same during this time of social distancing. Post about a silver lining in your Instagram story or feed and use the hashtag #covidsilverlinings!

Resources mentioned in today's show:

• My 2020 COVID-19 Time Capsule provided free of charge lovingly by Long Creations.
• House Party app - a word of caution we discovered after recording

Make sure you’re following us on Instagram @murkymotherhood so we can chat more over there!

As COVID-19 continues to impact every nook and cranny of our lives, we felt like we needed to talk about it. With a couple weeks of social distancing under our belts, we are beginning to grieve the loss of freedom. Jen and Audrey are joined by special guest, Jessica Beer of BeingMrsBeer.com. Each of us has been impacted by this pandemic in a different way. Join us for this conversation and know we’re all in this together.

We are all living in uncertain times right now as we face COVID-19. Today, we talk honestly about how we’re doing during this new normal.

As we all enter into a time of uncertainty because of COVID-19 aka the coronavirus, we wanted to share our thoughts. We’ll talk about how we feel about it, how should we act with our kids, and what behaviors should we model? This situation is constantly changing, so please heed the warnings from those in authority in your community.

In honor of last night’s MOST DRAMATIC FINALE of The Bachelor ever, we thought, why not talk about this dumpster fire? Are you #teambachelornation?

We've all eaten our feelings before, right? I know we're not the only ones. In this episode, we talk about our favorite trigger foods -- the ones we just can't stop eating once we start. We'll also talk about a couple things that may help you create some barriers so maybe next time you only eat one sleeve of Thin Mints instead of two. (We are not medical professionals by any stretch of the imagination.) For more information about the study Audrey referenced during this episode, check out this blog post from New Leaf Nutrition.  As always, if you like what you hear, head over to iTunes and give us a 5-star review! Let's connect over on Instagram and Facebook, too!

Kids birthday parties can be so stressful! Who do you invite? Where do you have it? How much do you spend on a gift? We even talk about the hot, new trend of making a registry for your child’s birthday. Come join us as we tackle this murky topic together. As always, we’d love a 5-star review on iTunes! Be sure you’re connecting with us on Instagram at @murkymotherhood!

Our moms didn’t have to worry about the Internet because it didn’t exist when we were kids. Now, we have this wonderful resource to figure out for ourselves and our kids. Today we’ll talk about setting boundaries, what we post about your kids online, and how we personally navigate these murky waters. If you like what you hear, we’d love a 5-star review over on iTunes. Be sure you’re following us on Instagram @murkymotherhood so we can connect more there!

On this week’s episode of Murky Motherhood, we welcome our very first guest! Lara MacGregor, founder of Hope Scarves, joins us for a conversation about mothering during cancer. We talk about how to ask for help, how to support people going through a trauma like a cancer diagnosis, and more. About Lara Audrey's cousin Lara was 30 years old and 7-months pregnant when she was diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. She talks about the complete and utter shock of receiving a cancer diagnosis during her 3rd trimester (with a 2 year old son at home, too). Lara's journey doesn't end there - years later, her cancer metastasized which makes her now a stage 4 metastatic breast cancer patient. She lives life over cancer daily and chronicles her experience on her blog My Hopeful Life and podcast A Hopeful Life. We are so thankful to Lara for taking time to share her hope with us! Let's Stay Connected As always, we'd love a 5-star review on iTunes, and be sure you're following us on Instagram @murkymotherhood. 

Since Valentine's Day is coming up, we wanted to take a look at our individual marriages -- when and how they began, and how they've changed since having kids. We talk about White Castles, stripper daisies, relationship expectations, and "living in sin." You know, we run the gamut like usual.  As always, we'd love a 5-star review on iTunes, and be sure you're following us on Instagram @murkymotherhood. 

A mid-week mini is where we come to you with polarizing opinions about a controversial topic and duke it out to see who wins. This week’s topic - Botox and boob jobs aka hoisting the sails.

Keeping up with the Jonses...it’s something that has plagued humanity for centuries. Why do we care about what other people have or what they’re doing? How can we learn to be content? We recap No Buy January (Ep 7) - what we learned and what we want to keep around. As always, we’d love a 5-star review on iTunes and be sure to come hang out with us on Instagram @murkymotherhood!

Find out what our (and your) biggest parenting struggles are. We asked you to weigh in and tell us what you struggle with the most. We got some great answers that helped fuel this conversation. We talk about everything from body image, to balance, to patience. Know you’re not alone! We all struggle with one aspect or another of parenting. Be sure you’re following us on Instagram @murkymotherhood so we can continue to connect!

Why in the heck is it so hard to say no?! As women, especially moms, it’s easy to get caught up in the overfunctioning game. We sign up for this and volunteer for that and by the end of the day we find ourselves exhausted and burnt out. Join us as we dive into this topic and learn how to say no together. Head over to Instagram (@murkymotherhood) and tell us what’s the hardest thing for you to say no to!

Is it possible to get through life without mom friends? Sure, but it’s a whole lot harder! Today we talk about finding good mom friends and then cultivating those relationships. We’ll even get into some of our friendship hang ups. 

We also talk about the Dare to Lead workshop we attended with Justine Froelker. 

PS Audrey let's the S word slip once, hence the explicit rating. 

Come one, come all! No need to be a mom to relate to today’s topic. In this week’s episode we’re talking about our No Buy January challenge. What is it? Why is it important not to spend frivolously for a month? What we’ve learned, and who cheated. It’s not just about saving money; we also talk about being content with what we have, and giving away things we don’t need. Follow along on the socials using #nobuyjan2020

This week, we’re looking back at 2019. We reflect on the year, what went right, what we learned, our favorite purchase of the year, the best trip we took, and more! We’re also looking forward to the new year (2020!) and setting ourselves up for a grace-filled, victorious year.

In this week’s episode, we talk about why taking care of yourself is important, and what types of self care work for us (hello heavy metal music in a Volvo). Jen even made us set some winter break self-care goals for ourselves. As we head into the longest winter break of all time for our lovely children, self care is vital for sanity, amiright?

The holiday season is here with all of its magic, wonder, stress, and obligation. Where do you draw the line on gifts? How do you check in with yourself when you start to feel overwhelmed? We’ll tough on these topics and more in today’s holiday special.

To elf or not to elf? Does your family do Elf on the Shelf? Do you love it? Hate it? Is it just one more thing to do in an already packed season? Jen and Audrey discuss this controversial topic in the very first Mid-Week Mini.