The Real Kathy Lee

This week, the second top podcast episode of all time!  Let’s Get Organized!

Things don’t always work out as planned, but I have learned that it is usually for a good reason. I hope that is the case with this week’s episode. I was scheduled to talk to my good friend, Mary Ann Kohl (author and process art expert). However, Mary Ann had to cancel so I called up my buddy ASH-A-LEE in Nashville. We decided to chat about one of the topics I get asked about THE MOST, organization.

People...

What if we could turn back time?

Seriously. What if we could turn back time? That was a topic of conversation.

THSC in The Woodlands is always a fun conference. One of the reasons I love it so much is that I get to hang out with two of my favorite ladies on the planet, Arlene and Jamie. We even wore the same NAME on our nametags all weekend and enjoyed the confused looks we received.

We decided it would be fun to chat about the things we would tell our...

What if I think my child needs a diagnosis?

This is a common mom-question and today on Momfessions we’re going to tackle that topic. Thank you to today’s sponsor: CTC Math.

I have the coolest friends. Sometimes I forget that they are even more amazing in their careers. This is the case with my friend, Lei Rhyne. Not only did she homeschool her kiddos for several years, is beautiful and funny, she is also a psychometrist… say that three times fast. When she mentioned to me that she helped families who saw their childr...

Why are ages and stages important???

So that we can set developmentally appropriate expectations.

Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is an approach to teaching grounded in research on how young children develop and learn and in what is known about effective early education. Its framework is designed to promote young children’s optimal learning and development.

Our Sponsor! I want to thank Route 60: A Biblical Highway for sponsoring this podcast. Please check out the link here. Route60.movie

Check out this presentation on Ages and Stages from Kathy Lee...

Are you a mom who always questions herself? Guilt has been on my mind so much this past week. It seems everywhere I turn, women are sharing with me how much they are questioning their every decision and how guilty they feel if someone disagrees with them. Oh, ladies, I want you to live a guilt-free life. Honestly, this has been one of my greatest struggles. I am a recovering people pleaser. TBH (to be honest in cool kid lingo), I still struggle with questioning my decisions and hoping I haven’t hurt someone’s feelings in the process.

What is trauma?

This episode is sponsored by CTCMath.com.

trau·ma
ˈtroumə,ˈtrômə/
noun

1.
a deeply distressing or disturbing experience.

What causes trauma in young children?

You don’t need to know what caused the trauma in order to help.
Behavior is Commu...

Keeping Your Calm This School Year

Special Replay sponsored by CTCMath.com

As this school year approaches, I thought I would share some of my plans to have a calm year! This year I have one 7th grader, one 9th grader, two high school seniors, one in Estethecian School and one junior in college. Whew, that is a lot. I will be honest, the first couple of weeks I find myself struggling to get us all on the same page. Between school, jobs, sports, etc… keeping this house running smoothly is a challenge.

Special Replay | Creating Inviting Spaces for Your Homeschool for your Little Ones

When my sweet friend, Misty sent me a Marco Polo (a cool video app) asking my opinion on her child’s playroom, I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts with all of you on creating inviting spaces for your little ones!

Everyone is worthy of feeling as if they belong, especially our children and most definitely in their own home. Before you begin designing an inviting space for your children, I suggest you get on your han...

Tomorrow, I get to share my passion for preschoolers with about 100 preschool teachers. I am sharing with them the Top Ten Things Preschooler Want You to Know. I thought you might enjoy hearing this list, as well.

Get a FREE Organize It! Planner

#10 –Just because I use potty talk does not mean I have to go potty.

When I child calls you poopy head, simply say something like, “What? I have poopy on my head. Nope, I don’t think I have poopy on my head.” Children use potty talk to get the attentio...

Special Replay | Thoughts about my Upcoming Graduate

I can’t believe that I have another senior this year (insert tears)! In just a few short weeks, Grace will be graduating high school and pursuing her passions as a makeup artist and esthetician. I am so proud of the young woman she has become. Before she graduates, we are heading on a senior trip (a Caribbean Cruise) this week. As I was thinking about this upcoming trip and her graduation, I started asking myself if I had covered all of the parenting talks. Of course not. How do we...

Are you an unaware mommy shamer?

Have you ever been guilty of mommy shaming? I sure have. I honestly did not realize I was doing it until years later, but unfortunately, that doesn’t change the fact that I did it in the first place. I hope this episode will encourage you to look at yourself and make sure you aren’t guilty of being an unaware mommy shamer.

Thanks to our sponsor, CTCMath.com – we are pleased for their continued excellence in education and dedication to the homeschool community. It is due to sponsorships that our...

On this episode, I had the privilege of chatting with my beautiful daughter-in-love, Caroline. Last June, Caroline made me a grandmother when she gave birth to the coolest twin boys! Levi and Titus rocked all of our worlds, especially hers. Caroline gets real and vulnerable as she shares her journey of expectations vs reality. I think many moms can relate to Caroline’s story and can empathize with everything she shared.  Caroline shares openly about her many experiences with children leading up to motherhood and the fact that even then, she had no idea what it was lik...

Mothering is a Marathon with Keri Vasek

It had been a while since I had Keri on the show. Actually, it had been a while since Keri and I had talked in real life. It was good to catch up with her and hear what was on her heart. Keri took a few minutes to catch us up on her home and family.  She has been a busy lady since we last chatted. Next, Keri asked about my suggestions for sibling disagreements. I admit that I don’t know all the answers to this one, but I d...

Happy Mother’s Day to my mom and all of you moms listening!! This week I thought I would share some reminders from a talk I have been giving this summer at conferences nationwide. At the end of this episode, I have a BIG surprise; you don’t want to miss it!

This episode is brought to you by CTCMath.com – a wonderful math curriculum for all of your homeschool needs or to brush up on new skills.

During my talk, “What Every Mother of Preschooler Needs to Know,” I share the following:

Unrealistic Mom Expectations with The Real Kathy Lee

Episode #5

I had a great time talking with Keri Vasek about the unrealistic expectations we as moms put on ourselves. You might remember Keri from Episode 2 where we talked about Losing Your Joy in Motherhood. Keri is the mother of three “muddlings” and enjoys encouraging other moms to let their children PLAY.

This episode is brought to you by CTCMath.com – a wonderful math curriculum for your homeschool needs or to brush up on new skills.

In this episode, Keri and I get r...

How to Have Those Big Talks with Your Kids | Momfessions with the Real Kathy Lee

We know we need to have those big talks with our kids. But, where to start?

Thanks to our sponsor, CTCMath.com – we are pleased for their continued excellence in education and dedication to the homeschool community. It is due to sponsorships that our programs continue to come to you without cost. Please visit the website and check out their curriculum.

Christy Montes is back to chat about those BIG talks.

Christy and I have had many...

Special Replay: Even Second-Generation Homeschoolers Make Mistakes

Episode #4

Do second-generation homeschoolers make mistakes? As I travel across the country, I am fortunate to meet some amazing people. Two of those I have met along the way are Mike and Jessica Somerville with Tapestry of Grace. Recently, I met up with Mike and Jessica at the Great Homeschool Conventions in Fort Worth, TX. Mike and Jessica Somerville are homeschool graduates that are now homeschooling their three beautiful daughters. If you are like me, you assume that they must be the PERFECT homeschooling family.

As many of you know, I am getting ready to host some lovely women in my home next weekend. My goal is for these ladies to feel at home from the moment they drive up. A recent FB post in our THGP- Playing Skillfully in Action group got me thinking about genuine hospitality. What makes a good hostess? I thought I would share some of the things I do to make our home a welcoming place to others.

If you are like me, you are freaking out a little that Thanksgiving is in two weeks. Yep, two weeks until the Turkey, Dressing, and Pumpkin Pie. I decided to chat about the rapidly approaching holidays and some of the pitfalls that moms face this time of year.

Ashley Pomerory (formerly known as Ashley Smoot), my buddy from Nashville joined me today and asked some thought-provoking questions about Thanksgiving and Christmas. First, Ashley wanted to know my thoughts on slowing down the Christmas Rush. Both of us have witnessed neighbors and friends skipping over Thanksgiving...

I often get asked how to handle spiritual training with little ones. I believe spiritual lessons should be like every other lesson at this age, taught in a concrete manner. I often suggest parents start with the Fruit of the Spirit when helping little ones understand God and His world. In this podcast, I share practical ways to teach the following lessons:

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-Control

As you have probably heard before, b...

Why Every Mom Should Say Yes
Episode #3

And, why saying YES is a MUST … in this episode I will take you on a trip down memory lane. You should probably grab a box of tissues before pushing play! My goal is for every child to have a childhood full of beautiful memories and that starts with us saying YES! Childhood is dirty, messy, noisy work! You’ve got this!

Visit Kathy Lee – Website here

The Home Grown Preschoolers – Website here

The post Why Every Mom Should Say Yes appeared first on Ultima...

Jan Smith is a rock star when it comes to parenting and homeschooling! She is a mother, grandmother, homeschooling advocate, businesswoman, jazz band member and mentor to many! I first met Jan after she heard one of my talks and invited me to speak at the Louisiana State Homeschool conference a few years ago. I immediately fell in love with Jan (and Roger) and you will too after this episode.

In this episode Jan and I talk about the benefits of letting (encouraging) little ones to get involved in home life. We share how this builds confidence...

I often get asked how to deal with NO and MINE in toddler world. I see them both as positive words for this age. Toddlers are realizing that they are indeed human and separate from their parents. Isn’t what we hope all of our children realize! Up until this point someone has made all the decisions for them and they FINALLY have a voice. NO, they don’t want peas for dinner. NO, they don’t want to take a bath. NO, they don’t want to go to bed. I bet some toddlers are sooooo excited that they can...

Rediscovering the Joy in Motherhood with Kathy Lee

On this episode, I have the pleasure of talking with one of my favorite homeschooling moms on the planet. Keri Vasek is the mother of three muddlings and opens up to share her journey of losing her joy (and rediscovering it). You will see in this episode just why I call my show The REAL Kathy Lee and often refer to myself as a hot mess!

On this show Keri mentioned hearing me speak at the Great Homeschool Conventions is Fort Worth, TX. To learn m...

Special Replay of The Real Kathy Lee:  When my sweet friend, Misty sent me a Marco Polo (a cool video app) asking my opinion on her child’s playroom, I thought it would be a good idea to share my thoughts with all of you on creating inviting spaces for your little ones!

Everyone is worthy of feeling as if they belong, especially our children and most definitely in their own home. Before you begin designing an inviting space for your children, I suggest you get on your hands and knees and crawl around your home. YEP, lit...

What happens when life throws you a curve ball and you suspect that you need to throw out your entire school plan? Holly Giles knows what happens, you throw the plan out the window.  If you have ever considered schooling out of the box, you will not want to miss this episode. Holly shares openly about their medical scare, how this rocked her homeschooling world and how their family is thriving today.

Holly was so moved by her children’s success with out of the box style learning that she decided to create The Giles Frontier. The Gil...

Jamie, Arlene, and I had so much fun recording our podcast for last week, we decided to keep the party going and record a second one. At every conference people ask us how we homeschool children across the ages. We figured it might be something the podcast world would want us to talk about as well, so we did.

Every homeschooling family is unique. Some people homeschool year round, some 3 days a week, some 8-12 everyday. It is hard to tell others exactly HOW to homeschool, but we all agreed on the following for those...

Since Ashley and I were talking summer, we thought we would also talk about the thing that comes right after summer… THE FALL. It seems that as soon as July 4th passes, my brain immediately turns to the fall and making plans.

Over the years I have learned a few things that help me as I face the next school year. We talked about that today on the show.

1. Pray – Get alone and reflect on last year… what worked, what didn’t. What was challenging for the children? For you?
2. Prioritize – Set priorities for your famil...

Special Replay from Kathy Lee!  I have the coolest friends. Sometimes I forget that they are even more amazing in their careers. This is the case with my friend, Lei Rhyne. Not only did she homeschool her kiddos fro several years, is beautiful and funny, she is also a psychometrist… say that three times fast. When she mentioned to me that she helped families who saw their children struggling, I wanted to know more.

In this episode Lei shares the full process involved of having your child tested and diagnosed, putting your fears to rest. She...

Special summer replay this month, Mary Aldrich now has her own podcast on a sister network of this one, the Ultimate Christian Podcast Network!  Go check her out at Fruit Pursuit podcast!

I had the privilege of being introduced to Mary Aldrich at a homeschool convention this past summer. When I heard about Mary’s coaching business, I knew I wanted to hear more. I figured if this was something I was interested in learning about, there was a good chance that you all would want to get to know Mary, as well. In this episode, Mary sha...

Special Replay!  School approaches … can you believe it?  Here’s a special replay with some special tips to help you get ready to have a calm school year!

As this school year approaches, I thought I would share some of my plans to have a calm year! This year I have one 7th grader, one 9th grader, two high school seniors, one in Estethecian School and one junior in college. Whew, that is a lot. I will be honest, the first couple of weeks I find myself struggling to get us all on the sam...

Has anyone watched the Leaving Neverland Documentary or the Oprah special that followed? Well, I did, and boy did it stir up all kinds of emotions for me. While I am a fan of the #metoo movement and the fact that adults are sharing their stories of sexual abuse and hopefully healing through that, I am disturbed for our children. We need to find a way to stop childhood sexual abuse by encouraging them to share their secrets.

In this episode I share my own story of sexual abuse and how it felt to keep the secret...

I think Keri and I could talk for thirty minutes about almost anything, but this thirty minutes was especially fun and went by super-fast. This topic is one of interest to both of us. Honestly, I barely know anything about The Enneagram, but I am passionate about self-care. Not because I do it well but because I know how desperately we all need it. As always, in this podcast we share our honest thoughts about this topic and hopefully encourage you to take a look inside to see what makes you, YOU.

Perfect Vasek Kids.<...

I always have a blast catching up with Keri Vasek. I think I need to purposely schedule to have her on the podcast so we will take time to chat on the phone. This week we decided to talk about the YES I always talk about in my talks, on this show, and pretty much any time I am with young moms.

Keri is a great example of how creating a home full of YES can change everything. As she shares on this episode, her home has become more creative, more di...

I know I have said it more than a thousand times, but I absolutely love meeting young moms and dads, encouraging them on their parenting journey. It has now been four years since I first met Keri at a conference in Fort Worth, TX. If you haven’t heard how we met, check out TRKL – Episode 2. A couple of weeks ago, Keri was in town for a DoTerra leadership convention and I got to sneak downtown to have lunch with her (yes, that’s Christy Montes in the picture, along with Keri’s mom and good friend, Kelly). This week Ker...

Some of you might be wondering why I took the past few months off from the podcast. I thought I would take the chance in my first podcast back to explain. A few days before Christmas, we thought our 19 year-old son, Joshua had the flu. He had a fever, vomiting and sore joints. Most of his symptoms improved throughout the Christmas holiday. However, on December 27th, he couldn’t grip his right hand and still had a low-grade fever. The pediatrician did some blood work and the next day asked us to take Joshua to the hospital. This is wh...

This week, the second top podcast episode of all time!  Let’s Get Organized:  Things don’t always work out as planned, but I have learned that it is usually for a good reason. Hoping that is the case with this week’s episode. I was scheduled to talk to my good friend, Mary Ann Kohl (author and process art expert). However, Mary Ann had to cancel so I called up my buddy ASH-A-LEE in Nashville. We decided to chat about one of the topics I get asked about THE MOST, organization.

People often think that bec...

This week we are running a few “Best of” episodes you might have missed!  This is the #1 episode for my podcast!  If you have listened to my podcast for very long, you have heard me say… You’ve Got This. You might have wondered what in the world I actually mean by that statement. Today’s podcast explains my thoughts as I share such an empowering phrase.

Motherhood is hard. We become parents through pregnancy or adoption, both are hard.  Before the baby arrives we are often exhausted physically and emotionally. Next, we stay up all night and...

I often get asked how to handle spiritual training with little ones. I believe spiritual lessons should be like every other lesson at this age, taught in a concrete manner. I often suggest parents start with the Fruit of the Spirit when helping little ones understand God and His world. In this podcast, I share practical ways to teach the following lessons:

Love

Joy

Peace

Patience

Kindness

Goodness

Faithfulness

Gentleness

Self-Control

As you have probably heard before...

Many of you will be traveling with young kids during the holidays. My friend, Ashley will be traveling too. She and I had a great chat today about traveling with young kids and tips for being remembered as a good guest.