Explore every episode of the podcast In the Arena with the Eyre Sisters

This is our last episode of the season! We're grateful you've joined us. In this episode, we chat about transitions that we go through as mothers. We talk about how our parents handled those transitions, how we handle them, what our most challenging transitions have been, and transitions we're currently going through. We'd love to hear about the transitions you're facing and how you handle them. Please also join for the Instagram lives we'll be doing this summer! Come join us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Do you have adult kids? If so, today's episode is for you! We are focusing on how to foster enduring relationships with our adult kids. We focus specifically on how to help our adult kids feel seen, safe, and free. How do you foster enduring relationships with your adult kids? We'd love to have you share with us on Instagram! Join us @eyresisters. 

In today's encore episode, we talk about how to get our kids (and ourselves!) excited about giving during this holiday season. We share our ideas and we'd love to hear yours! Come share what you've done in your family with us on Instagram @eyresisters.   

Show Notes:

• Christmas ad

• The Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt

• Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck

• I Got a Robe SNL skit

We've had a lot of questions about LDS missions, so we decided to devote an episode entirely to sharing about missions. We talk about what a mission is, what it's like to serve, why we go, why some in our family have chosen not to go, pressure around missions, etc. Come join in and listen! Did you serve a mission? Come hop onto Instagram and share your thoughts and experiences! We'd love to hear from you. Join us at @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

How to Know a Person by David Brooks

Enjoy a fan-favorite we pulled from the archives! 

This week, we dive into a discussion about family intimacy. By family intimacy, we don't mean the physical intimacy you share with your partner. Instead, we mean intimacy in the sense of closeness, connections, and a sense of being seen. We discuss things that get in the way of intimate relationships, and we also give some ideas for building intimacy. We would love to hear from you! What's worked well in your family? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Mentioned in the Show:

- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

We're back! It's Season 5 and we are so excited to be on the air again! This week we discuss back-to-school ideas - everything from morning routines and after-school routines to ideas for every-day connectione with our kids. We would love to hear from you as well! Come and share your back-to-school tips with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Mentioned in the Episode:

This week, Charity leads us in a really fantastic and needed discussion on practical ways to find joy in motherhood. There are a lot of reasons it can be hard to find joy as a mom. But there are also a lot of ways to help us change up that narrative and soak in the good things. What tactics do you use to help you find joy in your mothering journey? We'd love to hear! Come share with us on Instagram: @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

This week's topic is very dear to our hearts. We discuss what it means to mother with faith, and specific ways we try to do this. We also expand what we mean by faith - not just a strict religious definition. We know faith within families is so personal, and we know it looks different for everyone. What we hope is that you can glean some ideas on how to mother with your faith. We'd love to hear your thoughts and ideas! Hop on Instagram and let us know your stories @eyresisters. 

We are so excited that we got to interview our brother, Tal, about his upcoming book Dad Mode: 25 Ways to Connect with Your Child. Join us as we talk with Tal about specific, tangible ways dads can connect with their children. We'd love to hear what you think about what Tal shared - come let us know on Instagram! 

Notes:

Dad Mode by Tal Eyre

Episode 25. Positive Parenting

Episode 42. Really Seeing

Egg by C.G. Hanzlicek

Tal's Website

Join us this week as we discuss how to have difficult conversations with our kids. We acknowledge the messiness, discuss ways to prepare ahead of time, and give ideas to each other on how to approach these tricky conversations. We would love to hear your thoughts! How do you approach difficult topics with your kids? Hop on Instagram and let us know! @eyresisters

Show Notes:

How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

We are so excited to have our mom, Linda Eyre, join us in this week's episode as we chat about parenting through the generations. We discuss the differences and similarities between parenting when our mom had young kids, through Saren and Shawni, to Saydi, who's in the middle, and then Charity, who still has young kids. We hope you can relate as we talk about the challenges as well as the good things about our time of parenting. Hop on Instagram and let us know your thoughts! @eyresisters

Show Notes: 

Our parents' free books

This week on In the Arena we're discussing how to have deep conversations with your kids. This can be hard, especially with certain stages and personalities, but it's also important! In this episode, we share how our parents fostered deep connections with us growing up, as well as key elements of deep conversations and ways we've found to foster those deep discussions. We hope you find this discussion helpful. We also would love to hear from you! What do you do to encourage deep conversations with your kids? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters! 

Show Notes:

Father Greg Boyle

https://71toes.com/how-to-foster-deeper-discussions-with-your-family/

https://amzn.to/43AzzbQ

https://a.co/d/howyXZV

It's natural for moms to worry about their kids! And, if you're like most moms, you tend to worry a lot! In today's conversation, we discuss the nuances and complexities of worry, some detrimental things that happen when we worry, as well as some actionable steps to take to help move through worry and find more peace. Come join us on Instagram and share with us your thoughts about worry! @eyresisters

Show Notes:

• Arthur Somers Roche quote 
• Sister Runia's talk
• Randy Armstrong quote
• Courtney Carver quote
• Alison Curfman 10 Reasons Not To Worry About Your Child

In this week's episode, we discuss the basic human need to be seen. We share ways we have felt seen or not seen. Saydi brings in her therapist wisdom to help us understand why being seen matters so much, and what some signs are that maybe our children aren't feeling seen by us. We brainstorm ways to help our kids and others around us feel seen.

We would love to hear your thoughts and experiences on this very important topic! Please join us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

• Glennon Doyle quote from the book Love Warrior
• Dan Seigel's quote from the book The Power of Showing Up
• Tamara W. Runia's quote from her talk Seeing God's Family through the Overview Lens
• Steve Young's quote from the book The Law of Love

This week we come together to discuss the wildernesses that we go through in life. We all face them! We talk about ways we can acknowledge the difficulties, feel all the feelings, and also find support and move through them. We would be so grateful to hear from any of you on Instagram @eyresisters. We'd be honored to hear how you manage your own personal wildernesses. We're grateful to have you as a part of our community! 

Show Notes:

Bittersweet (book)

Brene Brown cartoon  on empathy

Everything Sad is Untrue (book)

We are so excited to be back for Season 4 of In the Arena! Thanks for joining us. This week's episode focuses on self-care. We talk about how we define self-care, and how to care for ourselves physically, mentally, spiritually, and emotionally. We would love to hear your thoughts! Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

- Podcast mentioned by Saydi

Merry Christmas everyone! This is our final episode in season 3, and we wanted to end by sharing how we find meaning during the busy, hectic Christmas season. We bring our parents on to discuss ways to slow down and find Jesus. We would love to hear how you do this in your home! Join us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Notes: 

• Times Square Light the World
• Christmas Day in the Morning by Pearl S. Buck
• Other Christmas Book Ideas
• Image of Jesus holding a child's face
• Advent podcast
• A Boring Evening at Home by Gerda Klein
• Saydi's Christmas Mantra

This week, we dive into a discussion about family intimacy. By family intimacy, we don't mean the physical intimacy you share with your partner. Instead, we mean intimacy in the sense of closeness, connections, and a sense of being seen. We discuss things that get in the way of intimate relationships, and we also give some ideas for building intimacy. We would love to hear from you! What's worked well in your family? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Notes:

- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber

Join us this week as we discuss using a village to help raise our kids in our modern age. We discuss how much of the parenting in our modern society falls to the mom and dad (and mostly the mom!), and how sad this is! There are so many great people who can contribute to our kids' lives, let's use them! We'd love to hear your thoughts about this on  Instagram @eyresisters. 

Notes:

Hunt, Gather, Parent: What Ancient Cultures Can Teach Us About the Lost Art of Raising Happy, Helpful Little Humans by Michaeleen Doucleff

We know it's Halloween today, but we wanted to kick off November a day early with a short and sweet episode focusing on the power and importance of gratitude. We're grateful for you! 

Notes:

Gratitude Meditation

We love reading! But not all of us have always loved reading, and not all of our kids love reading. Join us this week as we discuss ways to help our children discover the magic of reading. We talk about connecting with our kids through books, modeling a love of reading, and being patient with kids who are slower to find that love. What are some ways you help instill a love for reading in your home? We'd love to hear on Instagram, @eyresisters! 

Notes:

Books Lists - 

Come listen in this week as we talk with our brother, Eli, about the difficulty of parenting not-so-easy kids. We all have a kid who is trickier to parent - or a kid who's in a tricky stage, and it can be draining and frustrating! We talk with Eli about how we keep our cool, how we remember the kind of parent we want to be, and how we keep on loving them. What do you do when parenting gets tricky? Let us know on Instagram @eyresisters! 

Notes:

• Good Inside by Dr. Becky

• Seeing God's Family Through the Overview Lens by Sister Tamara W. Runia

In this week's episode Saren, Shawi, and Saydi talk about the importance of letting our kids fail. This is a hard one! It's in our nature as mothers to take care of our kids, but letting them experience failure is key to growing resilience and confidence, so we have to let it happen. In this episode we discuss how it was in our home growing up, reasons we struggle to let our kids fail, and a few ideas to help you. We would love to hear your experiences with letting your kids fail! Share with us on Instagram! 

Show Notes:

The Gift of Failure by Jessica Leahy

Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack

We could talk about how much we love nature for hours! Growing up, our parents were very intentional about pointing out the beauties in the world. All of us have taken that appreciation for nature and woven it into the fabric of our own families. Join us as we discuss why nature is so important and share some ideas for getting your kids outside. How do you bring the benefits of nature into your family? Come share with us on Instagram! @eyresisters

Notes:

• Oregon episode

• Last Child in the Woods by Richard Louv

• How to Raise a Wild Child: The Art & Science of Falling in Love with Nature by Scott D. Sampson

• The Nature Fix: Why Nature Makes Us Happier, Healthier, and More Creative by Florence Williams

• National Wildlife Federation - Health Benefits & Tips

• Lost Connections: Why You're Really Depressed and How to Find Hope by Johann Hari

• Huberman Lab - Light, sleep, and circadian rhythm

• Stephen Moss quote 

• Amanda Morgan quote

• David Sobel quote

• Penny Whitehouse quote

• Forcing a Good Memory blog post

• Alfred Wainwright quote

Join us this week as we talk about the difference between seeing our children as growing seeds with inherent complex, internal personalities and traits, or as lumps of clay that we can mold into what we want. We discuss how hard it is to relenquish our desire to push our kids towards what we think would be great for them and share times when we've failed as well as times when we have done a pretty good job. We'd love to hear your thoughts about this - we'd love to know how you nurture your little seedlings. Come join the conversation @eyresisters on Instagram.

Show Notes:

• Dr. Russell Barkley on Parent as Shepherds 

• Ross Green, The Explosive Child

• "We don't see things as they are" Quote

• Episode 25 where we talk about control with Tal

This week's episode features our amazing sister-in-law, Anita. Anita is a life coach and she offered us some simple but powerful principles that can help transform our parenting thoughts and actions. We learned about managing our expectations, being our word, paying attention to our train of thought, and more. Anita generously offered a free hour of coaching to all our listeners so head to her website to schedule your free session right away!

Show Notes:

• Byron Katie, 4 Liberating Questions

• The Power of Words (Maya Angelou Quote)

• Share Your Story (Brene Brown Quote #1)

• Stand Your Sacred Ground (Brown Brown Quote #2)

• Anita's Instagram Feed

•  

  • Anita's Life Coaching Website

     

     

     

Welcome back for Season 3! We are so excited to be starting off another season with you. In this episode, recorded at the tail end of our annual Bear Lake reunion, we share how we do reunions and talk about the things we love and the challenges we face.

How do you handle reunions in your family? What suggestions do you have for balancing scheduled time vs. free time? We'd love to hear your experiences! Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

Shawni's blog post about Grandfather's Secrets and Grammie Camp

Shawni's blog post about Eyrealm Reunion 2023 (this episode of our podcast was recorded at the close of this reunion)

Saren's post: 3 Keys to a Great Family Reunion (from 2018)

Summer is just around the corner! Join us for our last episode of season 2 as we discuss ideas for meaningful and do-able summer activities. We dive into ideas for little kids, elementary-aged kids, high school kids, and even your adult kids. What do you do to make summer awesome in your family? This week's challenge is to come up with the summer plan that best fits YOUR familiy. We'd love to have you share your ideas and plans with us on Instagram! @eyresisters

Have a great summer, and we'll see you next season! 

Show Notes: 

Listen in today as we discuss technology! It's a hot topic, for good reason. We discuss the good that technology brings, and we also discuss the difficulties - setting limits, keeping our kids engaged with the world, the problems with comparison & the effects on self-esteem, how technology affects our ability to focus, the waste of time... there is so much to think about. Come join us for this discussion! We also challenge you to go have a screen competition with someone to see how little you can use your phone this week! And don't forget to check in on Instagram @eyresisters and let us know how it goes. 

Show Notes: 

Book Saydi talked about - Stolen Focus

Technology contract from Shawni - 

Book Shawni quoted from - The Tech-Wise Family

15-minute book summaries app - Blinkist or Headway

Here's another episode of us answering questions submitted by you! We had a lot of fun talking about what we do for fun, how invovled we are in our kids' relationships, homeschooling, meal planning, and more. We love your questions! Thanks for asking. Don't forget to visit us on Instagram and add your thoughts - @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

Shawni's blog post on Family Mottos

Saydi's list of red flags for emotional immaturity

podcast episode where Saren offers ideas about choosing schooling for your kids

podcast episode where Saren interviews her twins about their homeschooling experience

Join us this week as we talk with our brother, Talmadge (Tal). He lives in Switzerland with his wife and daughter. He's a poetry-reading, basketball-playing, book-writing, deep-thinking guy, and he has a lot to share!  Tal talks with us about his experience as a kid who really struggled wtih reading, the challenges that he and his wife had with infertility, and the intentional practices he's taken from his education in positive psychology, including locus of control, explanatory style, and blind spots. We're sure you will love learning from the awesome little brother we used to call "Tam the Lamb." Share what you learned with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

We get asked all the time how we are so close as siblings. In this week's episode, we discuss ways we've built and maintained relationships with each as we've grown up and have our own families. We talk about how we work through differences, issues we've had with hurt feelings and tensions, the bond we have through our religion, and how we try to connect individually with each other. What do you do to build your relationship with your siblings? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

This week we answer a listener's question about what our parents did to help us deal with negativity, and how we're working to build resilience in ourselves and our kids. We loved this discussion!  We share experiences that have helped us develop thick skin - from the time a guy proudly announced that he'd burned the book our dad gave him to dealing with negative blog comments. We share ideas about how our parents taught us resilience and ways we can help cultivate resilience in our kids. What do you do in your home to teach resilience? Come share with us on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

Brene Brown quote

This week's episode is pretty low key, but we hope you find it as fun to listen to as we did recording it. For the episode we've chose to answer four questions we've received from listeners: 1) How do you stay close with siblings, especially when you're in different stages? (And help your kids stay close?) 2) What do you do for family scripture study and personal scripture study? 3) How do you find stillness? 4) What do you do for exercise? 

We've shared our answers, but we'd also love to hear yours! Come share with us on Instagram! 

Show Notes: 

Parenting adult kids is a whole new ballgame, folks! We talk about how our parents approached parenting us in our adulthood then Saren and Shawni share their experiences with adult kids as they've moved from parenting to coaching to cheerleading. Saydi chimes in with a lot of great questions she's been thinking about as her oldest is about to head off to college soon. Do you have adult kids? What works for you? Share your ideas and thoughts on Instagram @eyresisters. 

Show Notes: 

Grandparenting course by our parents

Shawni's post on parenting adult kids

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza (book mentioned by Shawni)

Quote shared by Saydi about having a child is like having your heart walking around outside of your body

In this episode, we focus on a specific age group - little kids! In answer to listener questions, we share our experiences and tips on sleeping, eating, emotional disregulation (temper tantrums!), promoting cooperation, and the joys of little kids. These years can be exhausting, but they are also full of so much fun! Please share your favorite little kid ideas on our Instagram page @eyresisters. 

Show Notes:

Joy School

Still face

Early Childhood Development Class

Don't Carpe Diem

Hand Brain Model

Lava Concept

Documentary on Babies

Zones of Regulation

Book on Cooperation

In this episode, we share our best tips for family travel. We talk about how to make time for travel, how to find the money to travel, how to feed your family inexpensively while traveling, how to involve your kids in the planning, how to travel with younger children, and more!

As with family life in general, traveling with your family can feel pretty un-glamorous when you're in the middle of it but when you look back, the experiences are cherished. We share some crazy stories and some beautiful memories alongside practical ideas for how you can make family travel happen if that's something you'd like to do with your family.

Our challenge for you to sit down with your spouse and make a plan for some sort of trip you'd like to take with your family. 

Show Notes

Ian's post about traveling on credit card points

Saren blog post about making travel affordable

Food you can find and make in pretty much every country:

• Pasta and red sauce with cheese

• Fresh fruits and veggies (produce is typically more flavorful in other countries)

• Fresh crusty bread with cheese/salami

• No bake cookies (oatmeal, cocoa, butter, sugar (it's fine to leave out the vanilla)

• French toast (even for dinner) with honey instead of syrup

• Scrambled eggs 

• Homemade pizzas (local bread topped by red sauce and cheese cooked in the oven)

• Rice and beans with garlic, onions, chili powder (with cheese on top)

• Frozen prepared meals are available in many places (especially frozen pizza)

Our brother Jonah marches to the beat of his own drum and has created a rich and beautiful life for his family while living very frugally. Join us as we interview Jonah and learn more about the unique approach to life and parenting that he and his wife, Aja, have chosen. We talk about everything from killing your own food for meat to moving to New Zealand after being inspired by Lord of the Rings to fixing up cars so they run on old vegetable oil. We hope you find Jonah as inspiring as we do! Join us on Instagram, @eyresisters, and let us know what out-of-the-norm things you've chosen for your family or what you'd like to do after listening to Jonah. We can't wait to hear from you!

Show Notes:

Wagon (Ana's award-winning film about driving cross-country in an old G-Wagon) 

This week we decided to answer a bunch of questions from our listeners. We answer questions about our names, flops in our family growing up, how we take care of ourselves as mothers, etc. Go grab your favorite dessert and come join us for a fun chat! 

Show Notes:

Hunt, Gather, Parent by Michaeleen Doucleff

The Parenting Breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack

Here it is! The episode where we talk about what our parents told us was the most wonderful, beautiful thing in the world - sex!  We discuss the talk our parents had with each of us at age 8, how they followed up on that initial discussion, and what we liked and didn't like about how they handled things. We also talk about the initial and ongoing talks we've had with our own kids. How do you talk with your kids about this super important topic? How do you keep things open? What resources have been most helpful to you? Please share over on Instagram @eyresisters! 

Show Notes:

How to Talk to your Child about Sex - Linda and Richard Eyre

Shawni's blog post

Good Pictures, Bad Pictures

Protect Young Eyes

Instagram: @kristinbhodson

With Valentine's Day right around the corner, we decided to discuss some of the joys and challenges of parenting alongside our Valentines. We discuss how to prioritize your spouse, how to handle the inevitable disagreements, differing ideas about parenting, and what works for us when it comes to division of labor. The challenge this week is to do something for your partner that will be really helpful for them. Hop on Instagram and let us know what you decide to do. Happy Valentine's Day! 

Show Notes:

Gottman institute: The Four Horsemen  

Brooke Romney Post: His Yin to My Yang

Shawni's Blog Post: Valentine's Edition

Love Languages

Little Dad painting by Brian Kershisnik

Dr. Becky, Good Inside

In this week's episode, we share some key aspects of the religious beliefs and attitudes we grew up with and how our parents' take on the gospel and our church affected the development of our faith and our desire to remain active members of our church. We discuss transactional religion vs. transformational religion and share what matters most to us about our faith. We also talk about how to nurture healthy spirituality so our children can have the capacity to really connect with God and Jesus. We would love to hear your thoughts over on Instagram. How do you nurture faith and spirituality in your home? What are the key ideas you hope your children are getting about religion and about Jesus?

Show Notes:

The Chosen Series

God's Many Voices (Michael Wilcox): Searching Foot Podcast

Richard Rohr Meditations

Patricia Holland, "A Quiet Heart"

Blog Post about Lucy

What Mother Teresa Teaches About Prayer

This week we talk about how much or how little we should try to control various aspects of our kids' lives. It can be tough! We want to protect and guide them but we also want to help them become confident and independent as they make their own decisions. Join us as we discuss our parents' approach to control in our family growing up examine the approach we each take in our mothering. Do you lean more towards helicopter or lawnmower parenting? Or do you tend to be more permissive? What tips do you have for striking the balance? Hop onto Instagram and let us know your thoughts! 

References:

Country Bunny and the Golden Shoes

Destiny of the Republic - Candice Millard

Parents.com - Why the Best Parenting Style isn't one style at all, but many

Welcome back for Season 2! This week we talk with our parents about questions that came up during Season 1 - questions like, "Mom, how did you actually feel about Dad surprising you with the land at Bear Lake?!" We also ask them questions about how they came up with their parenting approaches and if they have any regrets. Join us for an entertaining, inspiring episode that will have you laughing at stories of living in the Eyre house, as well as feeling emotional at beautiful reminders like "each child is a seedling."

Don't forget to join us on Instagram @eyresisters! 

Do you ever worry about what your kids will remember when you send them off into the wild world? This week, we discuss how to be intentional with your kids. They grow up so fast - it can feel like they're slipping through our fingers. In this episode, we talk about what it was like in our home growing up and then give ideas for things we're doing. How do you teach values to your kids? What intentional things are you doing in your home? Please share with us on Instagram! 

***

New Serenity Prayer from Saydi 

Come join us for a fun discussion on traditions as we wrap up Season 1. We really enjoyed talking about traditions we had growing up around birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. We also shared evolved and new traditions we have in our homes now. Traditions don't have to be fancy or stressful - they just need to be something that connects your family. We challenge you to do a tradition inventory so you and your family can decide which traditions to keep, which to get rid of, and maybe talk about some new ones to add. We'll be doing this too! Come share with us your meaningful family traditions on our instagram account! 

Show Notes: 

It can be really tricky to know how to get our kids to listen and obey. In today's episode, we discuss ways our parents helped us to "buy in" to the family legal system, how they implemented consequences, and what overall what discipline looked like in our home growing up. We also talk about ways we discipline in our own homes. After reflecting on all of this, we all agree on the key to discipline - connection!

What ways do you build connections and create environments where kids want to behave in your homes? Head over to Instagram and share with us! 

Resources Mentioned:

- Saren's "Home Environment Assessment" to help you see what more you can do to set your kids up for good behavior

- Shawni's Blog Page About Mothering Tips She Loves

Teaching our kids to manage money well is vital! Come join our discussion as we share the way we were raised within the Eyre house money system, as well as ways we've tweaked things for our own families. We've also included a special audio guest appearance! We share snippets of our Dad, Richard Eyre, and his first home video describing the money system we grew up with. 

How do you teach your kids about money management? Come share with us on Instagram! 

Today's episode focuses on the teen years! Saren, Shawni, and Saydi share experiences from their growing-up years, as well as things they're implementing in their own homes now. What do you tips do you have for the teen phase? Come share with us on Instagram! 

Resources We Mentioned:

- How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk

- The Miracle of Mindfulness