187: Crafting a Life That Serves Mama Well with Rachel Norman

Rachel Norman is a wife, mom of 5, certified baby and toddler sleep coach, blogger at A Mother Far From Home, and author of the new book, “If Mama Ain’t Happy: Why Minding Healthy Boundaries Is Good for Your Whole Family“. She has a passion to help moms be ok, to be able to uncomplicate family life and go back to the basics. Today on the show she encourages and inspires us to craft lives that serve us and our families well.   What We Chat About On This Episode ~Rachel’s new book, “If Mama Ain’t Happy: Why Minding Healthy Boundaries Is Good for Your Whole Family“, what led her to write it, and what readers can expect ~Erecting boundaries for ourselves so that we can guard our hearts and be ok ~How having boundaries for ourselves and taking care of ourselves is actually really good for our kids, too ~Rachel’s own experience of how the way she was living truly was killing her ~How not having appropriate boundaries as a mom leads to our growing anxious, hurried, harried, and as mere shells of ourselves ~Understanding that our struggles are common, and we are not alone ~The importance of slowing down and assessing how you’re feeling and why and what can be done about it ~The problem that can come with putting ourselves as moms into certain camps - crunchy parenting, gentle parenting, positive parenting, etc. ~The problems that can arise with the modern-day concept of “positive” parenting ~The problem with raising our kids (even subconsciously) to think that it isn’t normal to have feelings, express grief, or cry ~The importance of being kind and gentle while also remembering that saying no and having boundaries are important and good for our children’s well-being as the grow up ~Having a big-picture perspective in our parenting ~The benefit of having conversations and seeking to reach the heart of our children as opposed to just slapping a consequence on a behavior ~The problem of toxic positivity ~Normalizing having emotions as moms and children ~Actually making choices to cultivate, form, and organize lives that serve us well and bring us joy ~Taking things off our plates that are bringing inappropriate busyness into our lives ~The importance of stepping back and asking ourselves what our worldview is and assessing whether or not our current family rhythms and routines are honoring that worldview ~Words of advice and help to the mom who is on the other end of the spectrum and has a vice grip of control ~The heavy burden too many mamas have of believing that everything is either their fault or their responsibility; remembering that it is not our burden to bear to be God to our family ~How being too busy is a tool of the enemy to distract us from what is most important ~The warning sign it is if you’re being triggered by the pushback that comes with standards and discipline in your home ~Being freed from feeling like you are the victim of your children ~How not living in the present leads to our being depressed and anxious; what this means for us and our phone addictions ~Advice for how to get started with crafting new rhythms and routines and letting go of the busyness and overwhelm ~And more!   For full shownotes, head to www.hargraveshomeandhearth.com/podcast Get full access to Beyond the Boxes at rebekahhargraves.substack.com/subscribe