Summer is here!
How are you feeling, Momma?!
With the kids home from school, you have extra hours of managing the diabetes that you haven't been doing in a while, so... let it all out! Tell me ALL about it!
That is what a coach is for. I am a safe place to release all the thoughts and feelings and start with a clean slate to intentionally think and feel what you want to in order to create the summer of your dreams!
Sound fun?
I created a special coaching package just for you, T1D Momma! To create the best summer ever!
You need a whole TEAM to help support your T1D Kiddo.
You've got your healthcare professionals and I hope by now you've got a team of babysitters trained and ready to give you a break and time alone with your husband!
You also need me in your back pocket to be YOUR emotional, mental, and spiritual support while managing your child's diabetes.
I can help support you this summer not only with the diabetes drama but also managing screen time, sibling rivalry, stressed out over packed schedules, all the basic parenting issues also.
We will carve out a quick time every week to meet one on one to get you the rejuvenation that you need and you'll start to look forward to our coaching sessions for the well-needed sanity boost to get you through these beautiful summer months.
You ready to get started? So am I!
Hit me up at dropthewar.com/appointments and let's get started!
Who ARE you?
Do you know?
How do you find out?
And live in alignment with your true self?
What is your dream?
Do you feel like you are trying to live someone else's dream?
How do you find out what is authentically your purpose?
Find out in today's podcast and hit me up for help at dropthewar.com/appointments cause sometimes getting to know ourselves is harder than it seems. But definitely work worth doing and coaching could be the method that'll be just what you need to get to living your best life! Let's Go!
We tend to be way way way Way WAY too hard on ourselves as Moms. And then especially as T1D Moms!
So today I am not only giving you permission to let yourself off the hook, but I am begging you to do so!
Just try it!
Try cutting yourself some slack and see what happens.
I promise it is counterintuitive. We think that if we give ourselves a little slack, that we'll just become slackers-and our diabetic kiddos cannot afford to have a slacker mom!
But it actually works the opposite!
When you ease up on yourself, you release the pressure and you can freely be the amazing mom you actually are but it's hard to show up that way when you're beating yourself up with all the unrealistic expectations we put on ourselves.
So drop the war on those expectations.
Give yourself some GRACE!
You don't have to deserve it, but let's face it, you ARE off the hook! So let yourself off the hook, Momma!
You DO deserve it! Just for being you.
God freely gives your unlimited Grace, accept a little of it today and bask in His goodness! It feels so good and then you can more easily share that grace with everyone else around you. But it starts with you. Accept His Grace! It's FREE!
And speaking of free, if all this sounds nice but hard to actually put into practice, I do free coaching calls where I can walk you through how it can practically actually work for you! dropthewar.com/appointments and let's do this!
My neighbor's granddaughter just got diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes so she reached out to me for advice.
I went right over to her house to have a chat and mostly I just wanted to share hope with her. Hope that everything is going to be ok.
Isn't that what we all want to hear?
We're all going through hard. and we just want someone to witness the hard with us. Validate that we're not crazy for thinking and feeling what we are and that everything is going to be ok.
That is what this episode is today.
Hope that it's all going to be ok.
Because it is!
What's the worst case scenario?...
(yes i know what you're thinking)
And Jesus Christ has even overcome death!
So literally, no matter what, it is all going to be ok.
There will be a lot of hard and a lot of emotions to navigate all along the journey. But just as we discussed last week, not only can you have joy in the journey, you can live in an overarching state of Hope!
Sounds like Christmas around here this week!
But who wouldn't want more Peace and Joy all year round?
So today we are going to dive into the HOW of doing just that.
At Drop the War Life Coaching we are all about dropping the power struggle wars with our T1D Kiddos to create more Peace in our Parenting!
Peace is an overarching state of being that you can experience even amidst the chaos of kids and diabetes and life.
So is Joy. We don't need to feel bad that we don't feel happy all the time. But we can feel joy even amidst all of the other human emotions that we are feeling all day- and night!
Learn more in today's episode. Where we dive deep into the source of all True Joy- Jesus Christ! The Prince of Peace Himself.
#1 Stress-Relief Tool today!
Ask yourself, "Is this in my control?"
If the answer is yes, then decide what to do and do it!
And if it's not in your control, Give it Back!
Give the stress back to whoever is in control.
Trust that they will decide and do.
Then you can get back to sleep!
So much more in today's episode.
Check it out, try it out, and enjoy the relief!!
And if it sounds easier said than done, that is where I come in! I'd love to walk you through it cause stopping the stress spin in your brain does need an extra pair of hands sometimes. Get your free coaching sesh to start applying what you're learning at dropthewar.com/appointments
Let's get started feeling less stressed and more calm and confident!
How is your relationship with your T1D Kiddo?
What even is a relationship exactly?
Have you ever paused to think of that?
Relationships are a mental construct. There is not a definitive answer.
Your thoughts, feelings, and actions toward your child make up your relationship with him.
So…. What are you thinking, feeling, and doing in regards to your T1D kid?
Today?
Wanna chat about it?
This is what coaching is.
Getting awareness of the way you’re thinking and taking a judgement-free look at it all.
Because relationships MATTER!
You matter.
Your kids matter.
The diabetes just is.
You’ve got a kid with it.
That’s not changing.
But your experience of it IS within your control!
Let’s get started!
This is what we do in coaching. Sign up for a complimentary coaching session for guidance through the process.
As a mom, I am continually asking my kids what they DO want. If you don't want what I cooked for dinner, then what DO you want? If you say "i dunno" then how am I supposed to know what to get for you?!
This perspective has helped me understand my relationship with God a bit better also.
It is human nature to immediately notice what we do NOT want, but it is a more intense process to figure out what we actually DO want.
But God is very clear (Matt 7:7..) that if we ask, we will receive.
Tune in to the podcast to learn more about the process of determining what we want so that we can get it!
And to empower ourselves so that no matter what our circumstances are, we can get what we want as our result!
This is what we do in coaching. Sign up for a complimentary coaching session for guidance through the process.
There is SO much information coming at us at all times!
We have to develop the filter in our brains and bodies to determine whether someone else's thoughts jive with us or not.
We need to determine whether we are feeling resonance or dissonance with any particular idea.
In a world so saturated with voices, we need to develop the skill of hushing all the outside noise and getting in touch with our own inner wisdom.
God who made our minds and bodies is trying to communicate truth to our spirits through His Spirit and we must learn how to Hear Him!
We don't want to just blindly believe any and everything we see and hear.
We must be sure to be following The only true Shepherd. Not just group thinking into any herd of cattle drinking whatever koolaid whichever influencer is offering at the moment.
As a parent and especially as a T1D Mom, there is so much information out there on how to take care of your loved one, but YOU are the best suited parenting expert for you and your family!
When you hear advice or read a post or see a meme, ask yourself if it is something you'd like to beat yourself up with or if it is actually useful.
Don't just scroll mindlessly pouring content into your subconscious mind.
Be intentional about what you do and don't believe and what works and what doesn't for you and your family.
You've got this, Momma!
Do you feel broken?
Are there some thoughts, feelings, or behaviors that are just so hard for you to change?
Jesus wants us to bring our broken hearts and lay them on His altar in order for Him to bind them up!
He is the way, the truth, and the light. He is the master healer. He can and will work miracles in your life just as he did for the broken back in his day.
In Old Testament times, God's covenant people were required to offer animal sacrifices that were unblemished. These perfect offerings were symbolic of the Perfect Son of God who would come to take away the sins of the world.
We were never expected to cleanse ourselves from sin.
Only an atoning sacrifice from a perfect offering could do that.
Christ came and fulfilled that law of Moses and now requires of us a Broken Heart and Contrite Spirit to be placed on the altar as a sacrifice for our sins.
We only need to humble ourselves and give our shame up to His Grace!
He wants to heal our broken hearts.
We have to submit them to Him and He will heal us!
It is a lifelong process full of mistakes and repairs.
That is how we grow and develop and get stronger.
Through Christ who strengthens us!
It's ok that you're broken. You're supposed to be. It's all part of the plan to make you stronger.
Let Jesus save you.
It's the only way.
A couple weeks ago we talked to my parenting coach Lisa Smith about how Identity can play a HUGE role in our parenting.
Today I am delighted to have Kurt Francom from Leading Saints tap into more Identity work in a more religious frame.
Because of all the Identities we take on, the most important is as a Child of God! And a Disciple of Jesus Christ!
So listen in to hear more about Kurt's new book "Is God Disappointed in Me? Removing Shame from a Gospel of Grace"
and how we can apply those principles in our parenting.
Now that we've explored our central nervous systems and know how to calm ourselves down, the first question I always get is how to I teach this to my kids?
Well, my friends, as a reminder...
Kids do what we do, not what we say.
The best way to teach anything is by modeling it to them.
Show them how to regulate by watching you regulate.
You might already be co-dysregulating.
That's ok. Very normal.
Once we have awareness of that, we can (without judgement) compassionately change and learn how to co-regulate instead.
After we are regulated, we can share the peace with our children when they are ready.
Always remembering that all the emotions are okay.
Feelings are not a problem that need to be fixed.
Feel them through, get the message they are sending, and then come back to regulation.
Assure your nervous system that you are safe and then your brain and body will be back on-line in order to help your kiddos do the same.
Instead of letting the grumpiest kid rule the house.
You be the calm captain of the ship.
But self-regulating first.
We explore more in this episode.
And when you're ready for hands-on step by step support to implement, head to dropthewar.com/appointments to find a time to get together and I'd be honored to join you on your journey do dropping the wars and creating Peace in your Parenting!
Lisa Smith is "The Peaceful Parent" and she is MY parenting coach!
I've been working with Lisa since 2018ish so she has had a huge influence on how I parent and how I coach. I've adopted so many brilliant concepts from her like "get curious not furious" and that we need to scuba dive down under the behavior to find out what's really going on for our kids.
I was so honored recently to be a guest on her podcast "Real World Peaceful Parenting" and this episode is that interview.
In our chat I share a little about my peaceful parenting journey. Thought work, feeling work, identity work, and nervous system work. Whoosh! That's a lot of work! Sounds exhausting!! But it is fun and work worth doing!
If you are ready to join the fun, we can get started with a FREE coaching session today!
We want our kids to behave because their dis-regulation dis-regulates us.
Plain and Simple.
Behave children, so that I don't have to deal with my own big emotions.
We want them to be emotionally mature enough to carry the whole family.
Not. Going. To. Happen!
They are children!!
WE are the adults.
WE need to learn how to regulate our own minds, bodies, feelings, and nervous systems in order to
Co-regulate with them.
We have to go first.
Kids do not do what we teach them.
They learn from what we do.
We have to get this figured out first.
On the Fruit Snacks Podcast this week,
I explain more about our autonomic nervous system and what is happening for us when the thought work isn't working.
If you are finding yourself flying off the handle way too often for the dumbest reasons, please tap in.
And then sign up for a complimentary coaching session where we can meet in a safe place to discuss what is going on for you.
No shame.
We're all human.
I've got you.
Last week we started talking about how to feel less scared.
I have much more to say on the subject so join us today for How to Feel Less Scared Part 2!
We are digging a little deeper into our nervous systems to explain why sometimes thought work by itself isn't quite enough to get us feeling less scared.
When our brains are hijacked by our nervous system, we need to use a different set of tools.
Listen in to today's episode to learn more.
My thesis for this podcast is to help other T1D Mommas feel less sad, scared, and stressed and start feeling more calm, confident, and connected!
Today we are focussing on the feeling less scared part.
When your child gets diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes, you feel a lot of fear. You are living daily with the very real threat to your child's life. This is very taxing on your nervous system!
So, yes, your child will have diabetes for the rest of their life, but you don't have to live in constant fear.
Feeling scared is fine.
All emotions are okay.
We will start as always, with our AAA Battery Framework and get awareness of the thoughts that are causing the scared feelings.
But then we MUST fill our Acceptance/Allowance battery.
It is ok to feel all the feels! and please do!
We are not resisting fear in order to feel less scared.
The opposite in fact.
What you resists persists!
So allow the fear.
Allow the scared feelings.
They won't kill you.
They are actually giving you a message.
They are trying to be helpful.
Receive the message and then the feeling (like a persistent toddler) will leave once you acknowledge it!
I can help you with this process in our complimentary coaching session. Sign up today at dropthewar.com/appointments and let's get started feeling less scared!
Valentin's Day is tomorrow and I want to help you get the experience that YOU WANT!
Listen in for all the tips tricks and tools to have the BEST Valentine's Day EVER!
Because You ARE a Good Mom!
And when you believe that, you can receive the love and compliments from everyone else around you.
Happy Valentine's Day, my friends!!
Be sure to listen TODAY so that you can make it all that you want it to be!
Happy Birthday to Me!
I have a birthday gift for each of YOU to celebrate! 🎉
Go to the App store on your phone and download The Book of Mormon app and follow along with me as I share one of my favorite treasures in this, Another Testament of Jesus Christ!
We believe the Bible and have been studying the Old and New Testaments the past couple years and now we are diving deep into Another Testament!
Did you know that there is ANOTHER Testament!?
Who wouldn't want MORE prophets testifying of Christ and learning more about the true nature of God and His relationship with US, his children?!!
Happy Birthday! 🎁 🎈 🎂 You're welcome!
So. What we're learning from the miraculous treasure that is The Book of Mormon today is about DOing God's Will with Diabetic kiddos.
I believe in a LOVING God with a perfect plan for our eternal progression.
I do not believe in a God who punishes but who has an omniscient view and knows what is needful for us!
He does NOT Give us trials, temptations, weakness, commandments, tests, tribulations, and hard times from vengeance or self-aggrandizement.
I believe that everything we go through in this life is for our learning, growth, and development. And that growth does NOT come in ease!
He does, in fact, lighten our burdens and carry our sorrows through Christ who strengthens us, IF we will just remember, believe, surrender, and allow that to happen.
When we hit the hard stuff, how do we respond?
Today's most special guest is none other than the one, the only, Creed Wardrop himself!!
Creed is my husband and therefore the T1D Dad in my story!
So I thought it would be fun to have him join me on the podcast to tell our story together.
We now have 5 kiddos under 10 years old and two of them have Type 1 Diabetes.
When our first was diagnosed in Dec of 2020, we only had 4 kids so yes, if you did that calculating correctly, we were crazy enough to get pregnant again even after the diagnosis and then before the baby was born, we got a second diagnosis!
So when I say that I understand how chaotic managing young kids and diabetes (x2!) can be, trust me, we understand!
Why we do this podcast and why I coach other T1D Moms is to show that there is hope. The diagnosis is forever but the way it effects your life ebbs and flows through the seasons of life.
We want to share our love and support with all of you in our T1D community and hope sharing our story will bring you some comfort, resilience, peace, joy, and hope!
And if any of this resonates with you, please reach out! You can DM me on IG or head straight to dropthewar.com/appointments so that we can chat on zoom and if your hubs wants to talk to another T1D Dad, Creed is available also!
You are not alone! We've got this!!
Anger is an emotion.
And if you want to believe that no emotions are "Bad"
Then listen in!
Today we explore how emotions don't need to be a moral issue.
You ARE Good!
You are not your emotions.
You are feeling Angry. Ok. That's fine. What is anger trying to tell you?
What are the more vulnerable feelings underneath and what are they trying to tell you?
All of this is the fun work we do in coaching.
Afterwards.
But what about in the heat of the moment?!
Just FEEL Angry.
What?!!
How?!
And won't that negatively affect those around me?
Nope!
Not if you do it in a healthy way.
This is what we are discussing today and to actually make it a discussion instead of me just rambling to myself, DM me on instagram or go to www.dropthewar.com/appointments to actually chat on zoom! I'd love to get to know you and help you really apply all this theory to your actual life so that you don't have to stuff all your feelings forever until Elisa Fucci does her magic breath-work session with you to clear them out. And ps, for sure DM her on instagram also to learn more about all of that!!
I promise, it's ok to feel however you are feeling.
It might FEEL bad but it doesn't make YOU Bad!!
And really, it just feels.
So feel the feel.
Resisting it is what feel bad.
Let's try it together.
Reach out!
I'm a good time! 🤪