M Is for Mama Podcast

Ep. 63: Passing Down the Good (A Chat with Elisha and Katie Voetberg)

In a world that champions airing every bit of trauma/bad strategies passed down from parents, it’s rare (and refreshing!) to encounter young families who are, instead, holding with the positive traditions of their origin families and being intentional to praise the good (while acknowledging the not-so-good). 

Elisha and Katie Voetberg (who own/run our sponsor com...

Ever walked into a public library with your children, only to hurry them past the displays in the kids’ section because they’re almost all focused on promoting one secular agenda or another?

You’re not alone. Choosing good literature for our kids--especially in light of the blatant bias many librarians proudly display--can be a challenging task in our current cultural climate.

In this episode, Korie Johnson from Good Book Mom tells...

“Child free” is a phrase that populates comment sections on social media, Reddit threads, news articles, and more.

It’s more than a little trendy to at least entertain the idea of forgoing having children altogether. 

But is it biblical?

I sit down with my good friend, Jennifer Flanders from 

Flanders Family Home Life, chat about the biblical implications of a child-free lifestyle. 

We also chat all things birth control and what it...

In part one of this topic, we unpacked why “overstimulation” is such a commonly used term—especially in motherhood—these days. 

In this episode, we take a deeper look at some of the ways we might contributing to our own overwhelm. Because sometimes, all those “tabs” left open in our brain, driving us nuts, are the results of too many bad yeses and not enough good knows. 

Self-awareness and the ability to admit when we have gotten...

Have you ever credited your frustration or overwhelm in a particular situation to “overstimulation?” If so, join the club! 

“Overstimulation” seems to be the word for mothers on social media (and many in-person interactions too). And it’s easy to understand why with so many things grabbing for our attention on top of a need to love and care for our families well.

The good news is there is hope in the midst of the overwhelm, and we ...

This conversation will be such an encouragement to any mama (or woman!) with a dream in her heart but no idea how to steward it well for the glory of God.

In this episode, Lyndsey Mimnagh from Treehouse Schoolhouse chats with me about everything from personality traits (how much do they matter?) to working backwards from your end goal to make it a reality (it works!) to DIY house-building (we’ve both been there) to homeschooling (s...

“Masculinity” might be one of the most hot-button words in our current culture. And one of the most misunderstood. 

Thankfully, my friend, Durenda Wilson, mama to eight, including five young men, is sharing her wisdom and experience with to help us understand the truth about raising boys. With humor, compassion, and practical action steps, she explains how important it is to parent our sons with intentionality and care for the uniq...

Have you ever found yourself nervous to announce a pregnancy, discuss parenting philosophies with a friend, or discuss school choices when your mother-in-law?

Why? Because you’re afraid of what they’ll say! 

If so, you are far from alone. It’s so hard not to let other people’s opinions on the choices we make for our families affect our confidence in them.

And yet, when it comes to issues that aren’t specifically addressed by Script...

I regularly get asked if any of my children have a diagnosis with which we must grapple. 

While the answer is no, I do have firsthand knowledge of both the struggles and the joys of having a child with special needs through my friendship with Lindsay Long, my closest friend, business partner, and the illustrator of both M Is for Mama and Hard Is Not the Same Thing as Bad, and her daughter, Evie. 

In this episode, we talk about the ...

Heidi St. John—homeschool mom to eight, grandmother, author, and speaker—joins me on this episode to chat all things motherhood: finding our giftings, using them for the Lord + our families, and, yes, being willing to accept help. 

Because motherhood (as with most things) is best done in community! 

Join us for a lively conversation about how “bad days don’t make moms”—in fact, they often give us an oppportunity to repent and model...

It would almost take living as a full-on Luddite to not know something about Taylor Swift. The sheer volume of interest, speculation, online posts, and photographs of just one person exemplifies our culture’s propensity to “obsess” over celebrities.

One thing that sets “T Swift” apart is a dogged loyalty to/approval of/fascination with her: music, life choices, and person as a whole.

And this includes many Christians who include th...

When you hear the word “deconstruction,” what comes to mind? An honest examination of biblical truth? An automatic rejection of it? Something in between?

In this episode, my friend, Alisa Childers—author, respected apologist, and, herself, a survivor of the deconstruction movement—does a great job of speaking to the need for defining our terms. 

After all, if nobody knows exactly what the term “deconstruction” means, it’s going to ...

One of the more common buzz phrases I’m encountering on the Internet is the term “church hurt.” 

The problem, as with many popular phrases, is the true meaning of  “church hurt” is hard to nail down, meaning anything from true abuse of power and spiritual neglect to a rightful accountability check of sin.

Not only that, but since we are called to look not only to our own needs but also to the needs of others (Phil. 2:4), the intens...

One of my favorite things as a mom is figuring out traditions that our whole family will cherish for years. 

Our birthday traditions have evolved since we had our first almost 18 years ago until we have them down to, if not a science, a day of predictably fun (but also customizable) customs that everybody loves.

If you’re looking for inspiration for creating traditions of your own, looking to switch things up a bit, or just needing...

When it comes to the topic of “things Christians do” or “organized church,” it’s a bit of a free-for-all. You don’t have to be kind. You don’t have to be truthful. And you don’t have to take into consideration how making Christians/the church the butt of all your jokes affects the way the outside world looking in thinks about either/both (especially on social media).

Except we do. Scripture makes it very clear that 1. The Christian...

For those who watch via YouTube or Spotify, we apologize, but due to technical issues, there is no video available this week.

We did it, friends! We made it through 2023 by the grace of God! And boy, do I mean that! There have been many moments this year that felt like too much, but tor Christ’s power at work in my life. I’m guessing you can relate! 

From book launching to our whole-family European adventure to a house flood to liv...

We're rounding out our Christmas series with a (mostly) lighthearted round of "Abbie's Favorite Christmas Things."

This is such a special time of year to me, but, if I'm honest, this Christmas season hasn't felt particularly festive or fun, so this was a great exercise in reminding myself of the many ways that Christmas brings joy--the ultimate of which is the tiny baby who came to this world to save us f...

It’s all well and good to give ideas for fun holiday activities and ways to bring the Christmas "magic." 

Family traditions are wonderful, and I will always advocate for their importance. 

But what about those for whom Christmas is a genuine struggle? What about the years when you’re just not "feeling it." 

There is hope in Christ for those who find themselves in this place.  

In fact, it is the whole hope of Ch...

One of the primary arguments I’ve heard against skipping Santa is that doing so will rob kids of the “magic of Christmas.” The thing is: Nowhere in the Bible are we exhorted to do things for our kids that make them feel “magical” (in the sense of euphoria or warm, fuzzy feelings). But we are encouraged to “rejoice in the Lord” and to “give thanks in all circumstances.” And one way to do that in the Christmas season is by establishi...