Mama Says Namaste Podcast

We are drawn to people for many different reasons - and what attracts one person may push another away. When it comes to what is truly attractive, it can be relative to each individual.  This week we dig into the concept of "the uniqueness in each of us strengthens all of us", and how differing perspectives create a broader (and way more beautiful) world view.  We're digging deeper than the surface of attraction here, and how people connect and relate. As we dig more into "DISCovering You," this is the first step - recognizing the multitude of perspectives we bring to the table. 

This is part 4 in our series on a "Recipe for a Light-Hearted Relationship". We started with our fears and triggers, then all the ways we can love, then the essential ingredients needed...and now we move forward with our instructions for intention.  A soulmate doesn't just happen - it's created through consistently showing up for one another. The intention of action is that critical element to loving that can keep up the momentum for a light-hearted and healthy relationship.  What step is the easiest for you? What about the hardest?

As we've been brewing on what the ingredients were for a light-hearted relationship, we started with some foundational elements. In Episode 219, we talked about those things that trigger us into reactive behavior, oftentimes those moments when we struggle to see beyond our own fear. In episode 220, we went into the many languages of love and how we can connect with people in a variety of ways.   Now, as we start to lay down specific "ingredients" to a light-hearted relationship batter, these 5 key things are what we believe are essential. This week, we share the top five requirements for a light-hearted relationship with your most intimate partner. Your homework is to go shopping and ensure each of them are qualities you are actively stepping into in your relationship. And next week, we'll wrap it up with the instructions to make it sing.

As we build up to our Recipe for a Lasting and Light-Hearted Relationship, we're stepping into Part 2: the language of love!  We dig into Gary Chapman's Five Love Languages, and share how we believe you not only use them all, but there is more to it than the surface.

What lightens your heart vs. hardening it? Have you looked at what relationship triggers may be setting you off into reaction mode, or not bringing out your best self at home?  Even beyond the house - we have different triggers that will impact how we respond and react in life, and this week we dig into the element of these triggers as our first step in a new series: Recipe for a Light-Hearted Relationship.  Pay attention to where you're triggered, and see what tools may help you flip the script from negativity to ownership and positivity. 

Which is more important - your skillset, or your mindset? While you probably know the answer to this already, we share three key strategies to position yourself for the ultimate success. 

Minimalism isn't just eliminating toys - that isn't the point. It's filtering out the "noise" in our lives to focus on what is truly important. And "noise" can be things, but can also be over-scheduled, maxed out living.  We share five tips for minimalist parenting - five things we ask you to do less of...in order to invite MORE into your life. 

And before you think this is an episode for the bedroom, it's way beyond that. Even a quick, intentional connection can have a lasting effect, and the more we can get comfortable with short bursts of joy in life, the more recharged we are for the long haul!  In this episode, we talk about social "quickies" vs. long, drawn-out playdates that are more stressful than anything, yet parents are longing for a social outlet. Learn some tips for quick social bursts of connection...beyond the bedroom. 

In our world of unschooling, we believe in delight-led learning, and the functional education model of learning as we live life together. So what if our kids want to just watch TV and eat chips all day? Do we allow it? Do we force our kids to step it up, or just cross our fingers and hope they muster up some work ethic on their own?

Remember that Kenny Rogers song, The Gambler? In your family...do you know how to hold 'em, know how to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and when to run?  Are you simply a cheerleader for your child, or are you coaching them through life? Coaching them means not telling them the answers but bringing to their awareness the tools they can use to help them navigate what comes their way. And that means navigating not just the awesomeness of life, but bringing awareness and understanding to when things don't always go as we hoped.  Navigating disappointment, sadness, messing up and anger are realities of life we will all face. Is your child prepared with tools to cope and move forward?

Do you really talk with your family, or are you more likely to talk at, over or for them? How do you really talk to kids in a way that equips them with the tools to find their own voice vs. being an echo of ours?

Do you remember the scene in the Gladiator, where, completely exasperated, Russel Crowe asks, "are you not entertained??" Have you had those moments where your kids come up to you and say the dreaded words, "I'm bored", and you're looking at all of the things to entertain them all around?  We've been there, and have gone from the struggle of constant entertainment and stimulation overload to being able to rock a 6 hour trip six times in the last month with no "entertainment" in the car other than our own minds. How do we do it?  Learn the BORED acronym and all about fasting beyond food in this week's episode. 

When we've talked about our goals as unschooling parents, we ultimately boil it down to "raising good humans". Not that humans are good or bad, but raising up humans who can see the good in the world - those things that light us up, lift us up, and support one another.  We break down four powerful tenets to being a successful leader, and ultimately, just being a decent human being in our podcast this week. 

Last week we talked about toxic behavior we all navigate in our lives. This week we take it a step further - if everything around you stinks...maybe it's time to check under your own nose first!   There are often three ways we can approach life - fight, flight, or freeze. Yet I believe there are two others variables that can occur more frequently - our ability to flow... or fester. Let's dig into our different approaches, and why it may be important to check ourselves before we get too frustrated with others!

Do you have any "prickly" people in your life? Maybe it's not about a horribly toxic person as much as it is that there are people in your life that can exhibit toxic behavior, sit in negativity and cynicism, or just have a bad attitude about life.  Our most downloaded episode continues to be on navigating toxic behavior, so we're bringing up the topic again - not how to avoid it, but how to navigate the reality of what is. Sometimes it is what it is, and we will be with people who don't see life from the same perspective we do. So how do you keep up your own positivity? We'll share 5 tips for keeping your zen and shifting the energy around you. 

This week we bring the whole family on to discuss what all we've been learning while volunteering with the Florida State Parks in the Keys.  We're giving you a taste of our unschooling experience over the past few months as we've soaked in so much volunteering - so listen with the whole family and learn about this area and the life skills that are valuable regardless of where you're located! Kick it unschool with our crew in this family-friendly episode!

My sister-in-law used to say, "take a break from the ones you love, so you can love them better", and was a big fan of "mommy sabbaticals". How often do we allow for space to recharge? Well, we think it needs to happen daily, and we'll share why AND how.    We'll cover three steps to allow you the space to fully show up in life - for your family and yourself. Check out the blog post and podcast in the comments below!

Oh the fun analogies Nathan can come up with. As we discuss teenagers - and our relationship with them - this week, we dig into more than just teens as we address labeling our children and the importance of genuine likability.  As always, along with the podcast is a fully developed blog post that will also link to bonus topics with this subject - just hop over to the home page of MamaSaysNamaste.com to see the latest blog post that relates to this episode! 

In our super connected world, screens can be a love/hate relationship for sure. How does your family manage screen time at home...or does it manage you? We share some tips for "dummy-proofing" ourselves, things beyond screens, and our own personal stories of both eliminating screens and also using them as something that adds to a home life we all thrive in.  You'll have to hear the podcast to determine how crab ankles may sneak into your home. ;-) 

In this episode, we dig into this listener question -  How do we navigate as empowered, inventional parents the decisions that are "BEST" for our children while listening to them and what they need, while pushing them to do what might be harder? There was so much to unpack, this week's blog post that goes along with it leads you to multiple other blogs and episodes to dig deeper into the topics of natural consequences, emotional resilience, "adulting" and more.  And...we tackle a biggie for us as parents to release...and something else to retain.