Regular Cool Mom

We’re back with the third installment of our homebuilding series! This week we pick things back up by talking about the fun decisions that come with building a house such as paint colors, cabinet choices, floors, tile, backsplash options, and more. Join us as we revisit the different types of decisions we faced while putting the finishes in our house, and listen as we discuss the things we are glad we picked, the things we would do differently, along with a step by step recounting of the processes we went through to choose these items. We hope you will join in the conversation with us on Instagram or in our Facebook Group. Don’t forget to rate and review the podcast and share with a friend. Thanks for Listening!

Today we are continuing the homebuilding conversation as we discuss framing, plumbing, roofs, windows, doors, stairs, trim, and so many more decisions you get make when you are building your house! Join us as we share our good, bad, and ugly experiences making all of these seemingly small decisions and how easy it is to get blocked with decision fatigue or overwhelm, along with how we prevented ourselves from getting stuck. We share a lot of design and money saving tips intermixed with things we are glad we chose (and things we wished we had chosen differently!). We will continue the conversation again next week, and we would love to hear from you. Send us your questions and tips! Leave a comment on Instagram or in the Facebook Group, or send us an email! We will do our best to answer them in our next episode. Don’t forget to share the podcast with a friend and thanks for listening! #customhomebuild #buildingahouse #homebuilding #newhomebuild #mompodcast #podcastformoms #podcastforwomen #podcastf

Homebuilding is the most requested topic for us to cover and we are finally doing just that! We are breaking down this conversation into several parts because there is so. much. to. cover. Today we are covering a lot of ground as we discuss how we decided to build, picked our lots, builders, and house plans. We discuss what to look for in each category and how we came to a decision on each of them. We discuss the ups and downs of designing a custom home, working with an architect and things to consider when you are creating plans (like the laws of physics…). Also covered: vibing with your builder, budgeting for your build, timelines and if they are met (nope), coming up with measurements, paying builders, etc. We hope you will join in the conversation! Do you have questions? Have you built a house? Do you have advice in any of the categories that we discussed today? Chime in on Instagram or in the Facebook Group. We love hearing from you!

It’s almost April Fools Day and we can’t wait to talk about the potential pranks we can all pull on our families this year! Joy’s sister, Adrienne, joins us to discuss different ways we have made the most of April Fool’s Day in the past and ways we ourselves have been the victims of past jokes. Lissi talks about all the ways the girls gang up on her husband with their harmless pranks and how delighted her daughters are to watch them play out. Joy and Adrienne discuss the ways they were pranked as children, as well as how they used to play jokes on each other. Join us as we reminisce some of our best April Fools work, along with ways we have been the unsuspecting victims of some very clever pranks. We definitely want to hear from you! We all still have time to make our April Fools Day fun for everyone. Let’s swap stories and share ideas that we can all go forward and use! You can comment on Instagram or in our Facebook Group: Regular Cool Mom. Thanks for listening!

This week we are recounting all the details of cruising over Spring Break. We had SO MANY QUESTIONS before we left: What to wear and when, what types of things to pack for the room, how to navigate things on the ship, how the kid’s club works…and so much more. We found out that you all have just as many questions, so we thought we would share our experience from the past week. Obviously we can only speak to our specific experience (Royal Caribbean Harmony of the Seas) but we hope that if you’ve ever had questions about cruising and how it works, we can be of help to you! We cover a lot of territory in this episode, but we definitely want to hear all of your tips and tricks to cruising. We are by no means experts! Also, if you have any questions, post them and we can help each other out. (Feel free to weigh in on the college cheating scandal as well!!) You can comment on Instagram or in our Facebook Group, Regular Cool Mom. Thanks for Listening!

Today we are talking about the luxurious experience of traveling without your kids, whether it be with your spouse or going on a trip with your girl friends. Is there anything more magical than boarding a plane with nothing but a carry on full of books and snacks for only you?? (No, there isn’t) We realize that planning travel away from your kids can be tricky, and we go over our personal hang-ups when it comes to scheduling time away. Finding sitters, arranging rides, calling in favors, writing down ALL THE THINGS- we’ve been there and done it all and know it can be overwhelming… But. Once you are actually driving away and your newfound freedom washes over you, it is so SO worth it. You can do anything you want! Eat anything you want! Humor your every whim! #youhavenokids! We both agree that the difficulties leading up to the trip are worth it for the relaxation and rejuvenation you will feel. However, we know that just because you’ve left the state doesn’t mean your ki

Today we are laughing our way through a discussion about some of our hilarious and most embarrassing guilty pleasures. A Guilty Pleasure is something you love but maybe wouldn’t readily admit to loving it, but today you are in a safe space of sharing and commiserating. Don’t pretend like you aren’t a fan of at least a few of our favorite 90’s pop artists or interested in the drama of reality tv stars!!! We cover so many topics from tv shows and music to weird foods and ways we love to unwind. Joy talks about the dark corner of the internet everyone has visited at least once (or on the regular) and Lissi discusses her secret love for unconventional foods. We want to hear all about your guilty pleasures and whether or not any of them line up with ours. We are totally on board for a discussion about the best way to eat Saltines and the latest drama on TRHWONY or KKWTK. Tell us everything!!! Join in the conversation on Instagram or in the Regular Cool Mom Facebook Group, we can̵

This week we are learning all about positive affirmations: what they are, how they work, and our experiences with them. This is probably not the first time you’ve heard about affirmations, but just in case, the basic idea is that you repeat a phrase or mantra to yourself (or have a trusted friend repeat them to you!) until your brain replaces a negative thought you have about yourself with the positive phrase. We are really intrigued by the science behind affirmations and are interested in using them on ourselves (if we can get over talking to ourselves out loud in the mirror) and also with our children. We want to know, do you practice repeating affirmations to yourself? Have you seen or felt it make a difference in your life or someone you love’s life? Of course we want you to tell us allllllll the details! Join in the conversation on Instagram or in the Facebook Group, and don’t forget to tell a friend, rate, and review the podcast. Oh, and also don’t forget to weigh in on th

This week we are detailing some crazy experiences we have had with unexpected health crises and how we got through them! Health emergencies are no fun, but luckily all of our stories have some lighthearted moments, and we can look back and laugh now. Joy shares the time she was convinced she had the stomach flu, how a caring friend convinced her it was time to go to the emergency room, and how a wrong diagnosis almost sent her home with a serious ailment. Lissi talks about a faulty family health trait and recounts the time that her sister was in a foreign country at the mercy of other young adults carrying her across town to an emergency room, only to find out that modesty is an American luxury. Join us as we talk and laugh while we discuss the details of these scary (but also funny) experiences and how we got through them, especially how people helped pick up the pieces during these unexpected trips to the hospital. We love hearing from you, so come share your experiences with us on Instagram or in the

This week we are talking all about ways that we can help others through trials- specifically friends who have children going through an illness, staying at the hospital, and being isolated due to germs or caring for their child. Lissi gives tips on what was helpful for her when she was in the hospital with her daughter, as well as shares useful information that she gathered from her friends who have children going through long-term illnesses. She offers advice ranging from what can make good hospital gifts (face wipes!) to how to help lift the load of the parent by helping with siblings by showing them affection and helping them with their daily activities. Joy also shares tips given to her by friends who are going through health issues with their kids, including what people can do to show support from afar, as well as helpful ways to emotionally support the family. We hope you will join in the conversation and add to the list of tips we give, we know it isn’t complete and we would love for you to chim

This week we are sharing some notable dating stories we’ve either experienced ourselves or had the pleasure of hearing about. Join us as we share funny dates, memorable dates, creative dates, and some truly embarrassing and cringeworthy dates. As usual we are in it for alllllllll your stories. Come share with us some of the funniest or most memorable dating experiences! We know you have them, and we love to laugh (or cringe) along with you! Also discussed: The Super Bowl, Maroon Five, manners at church, and our not-so-friendly neighborhood coyotes (how do we rid ourselves of them??) Join in the conversation on Instagram or the Facebook Group and don’t forget to share with a friend! We love to see our community grow. Thanks for Listening!

This week we are chatting all about Valentine’s, Galentine’s, and all the love-holiday traditions! Lissi talks about Galentine’s: a fun way to celebrate with girlfriends, and different ideas for hosting a Galentine’s party. Joy talks about how her Valentine’s have morphed from when her kids were little to now, from kid’s cards to teacher presents. We also discuss favorite valentines we have sent or received throughout the years, and traditions we want to hold on to. We would love for you to join in the conversation! What are your Valentine’s traditions? Do you have any that your kids look forward to every year? Do you have a favorite Valentine you’ve made in the past? Also, at the top of the episode we discuss cold weather school cancelations and we are curious: Do you live in a super cold climate, and what are the cancelation policies? Also, are you a working parent that can share your presences with us? Would you rather make arrangements/find a way fo

Today we are discussing different crazy situations we’ve been in or people we’ve met that we hope to never repeat or meet again. We were alerted to a Reddit group called ‘Let’s Not Meet’ all about different stories along this vein and we thought we would add our own personal experiences to it! Joy talks about the time she had a man undressing on her doorstep in the middle of the night, and also an incident she will never forget as she waited in line at a Dollar Tree. Lissi shares a close call her dad had as a small child that thankfully ended well. Join us as we share some whacky situations we have either been in or heard of, and let us know if you have any ‘Let’s Not Meet’ situations of your own. You know we LOVE to hear them! Also shared: Hilariously entertaining facebook, instagram, and twitter threads. Why are there no awards for people who win the internet? We want to hear about all of the genius threads with hilarious comments you have seen. Comme

This week we discuss some awesome advice that Joy got from her sister this year, which they like to refer to as the ‘Three Day Rule’. We all experience sadness, disappointment, anger, anxiety…all these negative emotions that take time to process, but are we really giving ourselves time to process them? That is where the Three Day Rule comes in. We have found that if we need to process bad news, deal with a disappointment, or even send an uncomfortable email, that sitting on the information for three days helps IMMENSELY. Join us as we discuss different situations we have been in where we have implemented the use of the three day rule, and let us know if you can relate. As always, we love hearing from you! Do you have a rule of thumb for responding to bad news or negative emotions? Are you an internalizer or do you like to have a sounding board? Do you have any awesome ideas for helping your kids navigate digital conversations? Join us on Instagram or in our Facebook group and chi

This week we are gluttons for punishment as we sob our way through a discussion about videos and articles on the internet that make us cry all the (mostly) happy tears. Join us as we hash out all the videos, facebook and buzzfeed posts, or stories that have restored our faith in humanity while tugging at our heartstrings. We feel all our feelings and shed a few tears describing our favorites to each other, so grab some tissue if you’re on the same page with us and just come have a happy cry! As always, we want to hear from you! Share your favorite heartwarming stories or videos that you know will make you shed a tear, and let us know if we’ve covered all your happy-cry bases or not! Chime in on Instagram or in the Facebook Group, and don’t forget to rate and review the podcast…and share with a friend! Thanks for listening!

Happy New Year! We are kicking January off by talking about all things goals and resolutions. We discuss different goals we’ve had in the past, as well as successes and failures we’ve had in trying to achieve our goals. We give tips we’ve found to be useful and share strategies we’ve read about and plan to implement. We hope you will join us in making some goals in 2019 and know that we are here to cheer you on. Together we can make them happen! As always, we love to hear from you. Are you planning to set any goals or resolutions, and how do you plan on achieving them? Do you have any great strategies or tips to share? Join in the conversation on instagram or in our facebook group. Thanks for listening!

Happy New Year! We are kicking January off by talking about all things goals and resolutions. We discuss different goals we’ve had in the past, as well as successes and failures we’ve had in trying to achieve our goals. We give tips we’ve found to be useful and share strategies we’ve read about and plan to implement. We hope you will join us in making some goals in 2019 and know that we are here to cheer you on. Together we can make them happen! As always, we love to hear from you. Are you planning to set any goals or resolutions, and how do you plan on achieving them? Do you have any great strategies or tips to share? Join in the conversation on instagram or in our facebook group. Thanks for listening!

Merry Christmas!   We have a quick mini-sode for you on this beautiful Christmas morning!  This week all we have for you is one question:  What gift were you most excited to give this year, and was the reaction everything you hoped for?  We share experiences from Christmas pasts when we were so excited to give one special gift, and when the gift was a hit and when it was a flop (it happens to the best of us!)  We would love to hear from you!  Did you hit a home run?  Did you get a youtube-worthy reaction?  Tell us everything!  (Except if you had a puppy in the box.  Then we will cry from the cuteness of it all.) We want to wish all of you a very happy Christmas and a joyful holiday season.  We appreciate all of you so much! We’re looking forward to hearing your stories.  Join in the conversation on instagram or in the facebook group.  We can’t wait to hear from you!   #christmastraditions #christmastime #christmaswithkids #chris

This week we (Lissi and Joy) discuss the joy of gift giving during the holidays, and how we decide who brings what… Santa?  Mom and Dad?  Grandparents?   We talk about the traditions we started for Christmas morning and how deeply we are committed to them at this point (whether we like it or not!) We also talk about Christmas lists, what we get our in-laws, spouses, siblings, collaborating on parent’s gifts, and how impossible we are to shop for. We would love to hear from you!  What is your system for gift giving at your house?  Does Santa bring the big gifts or is he in charge of smaller things?  Also, do your kids wake up bright and early Christmas morning?  Do you and your spouse try to surprise each other with gifts or do you buy for yourself? Join in the conversation on instagram or in the facebook group.  We can’t wait to hear from you!  

Tis the season for all the parents of children with December birthdays to frantically prepare for two major events!  We (Lissi and Joy) discuss how we handled having babies and being in the hospital over the holidays, how we prepare for their birthdays now, and how we attempt to make them feel special on their big days.   Listen as we talk about decorations, sugar overload, splitting up the celebrations, and genius half-birthday ideas. We always love to hear from you!  Do you or someone you love have a holiday birthday, and if so, how do you make both events special? What are some genius ideas you have heard for half birthdays or splitting up the big events? Join in the conversation on Instagram!  We love hearing from you!  Thanks for listening! #christmasbirthday #christmasbaby #christmaskids #holidaybaby #holidaybirthday #hospitalholiday #hospitalchristmas #christmasinthehospital #holidaysinthehospital #merrybirthday #mompodcast #podcastformoms #podcastforwomen #parentingpodcast #regularcoolmom