Life Sunny-side Up

Hey guys! Well, season one is a wrap! Oh my goodness what a fun season! And I just want to thank you guys so much for all of your support, for all the times that you shared Life Sunny Side Up podcast on your social and shared it with a friend because I would not be able to do this without you guys. So thank you, thank you, thank you! And get ready because an amazing season two is in the works right now and is going to be coming your way early 2020! So, you guys, in the meantime, keep sharing, keep blessing people with these conversations and I will be back in January 2020. See you then!

What would you do if you found out that you might not be around your children as they grow up? Would you consider changing anything in your parenting style?Every mom’s biggest fear is leaving their children, and whenever we’re put in front of a challenge, usually our first thought is, “Why me?” We don’t get to pick our trials in life, but what we can do is transform from them and adapt to the changes.In today’s episode, Sarah and I talk about motherhood and how to deal with all the trials that are thrown at us, about technology and how that makes parenting even more difficult than it was when we were growing up.Sarah Turner is the woman behind the blog Memories on Clover Lane. She is a wife and a mother of six children and she had her first baby at 24 and her last at 43. Sarah says that her calling is motherhood and that she’s always felt like it was the greatest gift that she’s ever been given. She started her blog, Memories on Clover Lane as just a scrapbook for her family and it’s evolved into a place where she can write her thoughts on mothering and growing through the vocation. Sarah is also one year out of triple-negative breast cancer and she would be considered a survivor, but she says she just considers herself lucky as heck.So, listen to Episode 20 of Life Sunny Side Up, to hear a super inspiring conversation about the benefits of pacing yourself and seeing the beauty of what you have in life already.Questions I ask:As far as a career, I know you’re doing a new adventure. How do you feel about this new adventure? (10:55)How do you work out the schedule? (13:25)How do you handle social media with your kids? (23:50)How did cancer change you as a mom? (30:07)In this episode, you will learn:About Sarah’s background story. (03:10)How being content with what we have, as our parents were, back in the days, could give us some peace of mind in a constantly changing world. (17:26)How social media and technology influence kids to grow up with anxiety and higher expectations. (21:56)Sarah’s message for mothers all around the world. (36:10)Connect with Sarah:WebsiteInstagramFacebook PageFacebook ProfileEmail: slt3969@gmail.com

Is there a recipe to overcome the difficult times?No two stories are alike, and we all go through turning points in our lives, that define who we become. Amanda believes one of the most important ingredients that everyone needs is faith. It’s having faith in God and in things we can’t see, and faith that our story doesn’t end in the rough times.In today’s episode, my friend, Amanda, and I are having a chat about divorce, blended families, and coming back from the ashes.Amanda Didia has experienced abandonment, betrayal, mutual affairs, losing it all, to coming back to where she is today, happily married to her husband, John. They share four beautiful children together, that make up their blended family. She and her husband are also full-time caregivers of his quadriplegic brother. She says that it’s not an easy task, but God’s grace has taught her to become humble and patient, and it has made her family strong, despite all the odds.She is such an overcomer, and she’s been through a lot!So, listen to Episode 19 of Life Sunny Side Up, to find out the story of a beautiful, powerful and amazing woman, who never gave up hope that her life is going have a happier ending.Questions I ask:You got married at 18. How did that marriage go down? (07:49)You meet your second husband and he has a daughter who is a toddler that you become a step-parent to. Tell us about that. How did that happen? (11:49)How did your relationship to God grow or change or how was it affected? (15:11)How do you handle the pressure of the blended family and of being a caregiver? (24:43)What would your message be, Amanda, to someone that is really struggling and they are feeling like a victim and not seeing the light at the end of the tunnel? (29:29)In this episode, you will learn:Amanda’s background story. (03:12)The story of Amanda’s first miscarriage. (09:24)Why it was hard for Amanda to take the decision of getting divorced again, after her second husband cheated on her. (13:46)The story of how John entered her life and what was it like for her to trust another man. (21:01)Amanda’s advice for successfully blending a family together. (34:44)Connect with Amanda:Facebook

How do you react when your children make mistakes? And what are your parenting strategies and your end goal?I believe every mom has experienced her child crying in a grocery store or refusing to eat their food, and we all have our methods to deal with these situations, but do we always find the best solutions to these problems?In the previous episode, Dorothy shared with us her story of how she became a mom to all her wonderful children, and in today’s episode, we discuss some of the methods that have proven efficient in raising independent, respectful and self-empowering children.Dorothy Dersch is a mom of eight that has had more face to face time with intentional parenting than many people. She says that if you count each child as a unique relationship, she has accumulated a total of 196 parenting years. Her eight children have five different fathers, yet, she’s been married to her first and only husband for 34 years. Dorothy worked as a Registered Nurse for a decade before staying at home and managing their crew.Questions I ask:Are there some things that you guys have done as a family to really cultivate the relationship that your kids have with each other? (01:58)Has there been a struggle for you to sit back and let your children make mistakes? (11:05)What are some questions that you ask your teenagers when you know they’ve made a bad choice? (17:03)If there is one message that you would like to share with mothers, what would it be? (23:02)In this episode, you will learn:What Dorothy did to get her kids to eat their food, and the meaning of a “Thank You” portion. (03:28)How Dorothy found a way to keep her calm, whenever her kids started crying or disagreeing with her. (07:06)Dorothy’s end goal, when she decides how to raise her children. (07:53)Dorothy’s advice on when to give your kid access to a phone or other devices. (19:07) Join our community:Facebook Group

Being a mom is such a big job, and it’s so overwhelming all the time. The relationship with every kid you have is different, and you have to understand that each one of them has a different personality and different needs.In today’s episode, Dorothy and I have a journey into her past, and she’s telling us the beautiful story of how she got to where she is now. She is so authentic, wise, and humble, and I believe she is an example of grace to all of us.Dorothy Dersch is a mom of eight that has had more face to face time with intentional parenting than many people. She says that if you count each child as a unique relationship, she has accumulated a total of 196 parenting years. Her eight children have five different fathers, yet, she’s been married to her first and only husband for 34 years. She worked as a Registered Nurse for a decade before staying at home and managing their crew.Dorothy believes being a Jesus follower is her calling and part of following Jesus is helping others orient themselves towards him.So, listen to Episode 17 of Life Sunny Side Up, to find out the story of a powerful woman and how she is an example of dedication, commitment, and love. Also, don’t miss out on the second part of this interview, where she shares some of her methods of raising independent, respectful, and self-empowering children.Questions I ask:For our listeners who might not know who Dorothy Dersch is, please tell us a little about yourself. (03:22)Have you done the enneagram? (08:37)When did the babies start coming? (11:32)Did you deal with postpartum depression at all? (14:23)I know your faith plays a big part in your life, and you guys have done so much work in the community. How did that help in those early years? (18:39)In this episode you will learn:The amazing story of how Dorothy and her husband met. (05:15)How you can stop having a feeling of guilt, as a fresh mom. (17:06)The story of Dorothy’s miscarriage and how that influenced their future. (19:52)The story of their first adoption. (25:40)Join our community:Facebook Group

How do you fight for your family and maintain a balance in such a crazy, disconnected world?Strengthening a family relationship and creating powerful and long-lasting bonds require a lot of effort, work, and commitment. It doesn’t just happen and in all the chaos of the day, we have to create routines that will enhance communication between parents and kids.One of the best routines that I found works for my family, is having dinner together, every night, with no exceptions. Maybe you have found other activities that fit best for your family dynamic, but in today’s episode, I’m going to share with you my tips for spending quality time with your husband and kids, every day, around the table.    In this episode, you will learn:How to prepare for cooking your family dinner. (06:20)What to do if a member of the family has eaten right before dinner. (08:49)Why paper plates made funnier dinners and simplified my life. (09:06)What you can teach your children at family dinners. (09:47)How you can connect with our community:Facebook Group

Having a family of kids of different ages comes with its challenges. In the beginning, it feels like they’ll always be that small and need you to change their diapers. Then, before you know it, your little ones aren't so little anymore.As my kids are getting older, my husband and I are focused on building a space of encouragement, power, and support within our family. But, as our kids get older the way this looks changes. As our family changes, our dynamic has to change a little bit too.We’ve found that making time for our family--just us-- has been a way to, not only build our relationship with our kids, but also their relationships with each other.So, don’t miss Episode 15 of Life Sunny Side Up, to listen to ways to create time and space for your family to do nothing, but enjoy each other’s company.In this episode, I talk about:How my boys play with each other vs my girls (4:43)We started spending family time after dinner outside, we call it Putzing (6:22)We have to be strict about our family time (9:15)

As moms, sometimes we have no other option than to power through everything. We have other people besides ourselves to think about and we put ourselves on the back burner because our kids, our spouse, our families, our job and everything else is more important. For Nicole, the signs of her disease were hidden under the exhaustion of having to raise three little children, and it wasn’t until her oldest son noticed a lump on her neck, that she went to get herself checked up. The news of having cancer came on top of all the chaos in her life – suffering a miscarriage, having to move to another city with her husband and taking care of her kids. Nicole Jacobsmeyer is a proud mother of three boys, all under five years of age. Since becoming a mom, her life mantra has been, “Embrace the Chaos”, spiritually, mentally, physically and emotionally. Less than a year ago, she found out she has cancer, but her faith in God and her strength and peace, have helped Nicole survive the rough times. So, don’t miss Episode 14 of Life Sunny Side Up, to listen to an inspiring story of a woman that has had her share of bad luck in her life. Questions I ask:Take us back a year ago, and what was life like? (03:34)Where are you right now, as far as your cancer? (22:29)How has your relationship with God changed? Has it changed? (23:54)Do you have any regrets through this whole process? (33:09)Do you have some future plans? (36:41)In this episode, you will learn:Who Nicole is and what’s her story. (02:20)How Nicole processed the news of her having cancer. (16:50)Nicole’s message to women that find themselves in hard places in their lives. (27:10)The difference between happiness and joy, according to Nicole. (31:15)How she handled motherhood, in relation to her health problem. (34:14)Connect with Nicole:BlogInstagramFacebookPinterest

Women, in particular, miss out on incredible opportunities because they are happy with good enough and they feel like they should just be grateful for what they have. And this happens especially with stay-at-home moms.  But who says you can’t be grateful for what you have and at the same time, want more? Life happens and everyone should have a plan B.On today’s episode, Brooke and I are talking about the power of being aligned in your life, about raising kids that are going to make the world a better place, and about marriage and ways of not giving up.Brooke Hemingway is a mom of six. She is a former nurse and she and her husband, who is an ER physician, have been married for 21 years. This girl is in amazing shape at 41 years old because she is a fitness enthusiast. Brooke is a seven-figure earner in her network marketing company. She is a believer in the possibilities, especially yours, and her passions include marriage, motherhood, movement, mindset, and money. She works to encourage all women to keep dreaming, keep working and keep believing.So, listen to Episode 13 of Life Sunny Side Up, to hear a beautiful and inspiring story of a woman who overcame postpartum depression, and who managed to get herself out of the “I’m not worth it” feeling.Questions I ask:By chance, if somebody’s been living under a rock and they don’t know who Brooke Hemingway is, would you just share with us a little bit about yourself? (02:36)Let’s go back to young Brooke. What was it like for you growing up? (07:29)If you had one message to women, what would it be? (37:45)Do you say “No” to your kids? Do you find yourself struggling with that? (44:19)What is the legacy that you want to leave for your kids from all of this? (52:01)In this episode, you will learn:How her father’s sad story gave her the fuel to say, “This is not going to happen to me.” (08:00)How her mother is a strong woman that inspired her to overcome adversities. (09:44)How her husband dealt with the news that she’s starting to work in the network marketing business. (18:34)The reasons why the economy thrives when women are successful. (17:11)What alignment means and what is the difference between alignment and balance. (29:08)Brooke’s philosophy on raising kids. (46:34)Connect with Brooke:WebsiteInstagramFacebook