Explore every episode of the podcast Little Ones and Messy Buns

In this heartfelt episode, Emily and Alyx sit down with Joee—one of the beloved daughters of TikTok’s @Okiemomof5—for a candid conversation about growing up in the spotlight of social media. Joee opens up about:

• What it’s really like growing up online
• The challenges that come with social media and how she navigates them
• Her dreams and goals for the future
• The important role her parents play in supporting and guiding her

Whether you're a mama raising a teenage daughter or simply a fan of Joee’s vibrant, spunky personality, this episode is filled with insight, inspiration, and authenticity. 

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Welcome to the emotional rollercoaster that is life with a threenager! In this episode, Alyx and Sarah dive into the chaos, comedy, and cuddles that come with raising a 3-year-old who thinks they're 13. From sudden meltdowns over the wrong color cup to surprisingly deep conversations about life, we explore the daily drama and unexpected joys of this wild stage. Grab your coffee (and maybe your noise-canceling headphones) — it's threenager time.

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Do you ever wish you could go back to your "glory days" in college?  Join Emily and Shelby this week as they do just that!  This listener-requested episode covers all of our favorite college memories: joining a sorority, enjoying meals at the campus cafeteria, recruitment, education classes and more.  Grab a drink and enjoy reliving a simpler time!

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Ever wonder what it would be like to raise kids in a different country? Today we are chatting with one of our sorority sisters, Leslie, who moved to Australia to study abroad and never looked back! Tune in to hear Leslie's home birth story and differences between maternity leave and postnatal support. (Can you imagine what it would be like to have a mom-support group handed to you post birth?!) We also chat about the differences in childcare between Australia and the US, cultural differences raising kids in different countries, tips for surviving that long flight back home and how to foster a relationship between your kids and family members who don't live close. This is such an interesting conversation - you won't want to miss it!

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This week’s episode is all about moving with kids. Alyx, Darcy and Emily open up about the unique challenges that come with relocating a family—whether it’s across town or to a new state. They share personal stories, helpful tips they’ve learned along the way, and thoughtful ways you can support friends or loved ones going through this big transition. If you're in the middle of a move (or know someone who is), this episode is full of insight and encouragement.

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Fall is here!  Join Sarah and Shelby this week as they take you on a tour of fall activities throughout Kansas City.  From pumpkin patches to fall festivals, you are sure to find some great recommendations for your family.  Happy Fall!

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In this episode, we dive into the many milestones that come with raising kids—from the big, celebratory moments to the quiet, often overlooked ones. We reflect on the milestones that made parenting feel a little easier, and the ones that were unexpectedly emotional or tough to accept. Join us as we share personal stories, laughs, and honest conversations about what it really feels like to watch your child grow—step by step.

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In this heartwarming episode of Little Ones and Messy Buns, join Alyx, Kara, and Shelby as they sit down with the inspiring TikTok sensation, Tara, also known as Okiemomof5. Dive into a candid conversation about building a supportive family environment, overcoming personal challenges, and the joys and struggles of motherhood. Tara shares her journey from her own challenging childhood to creating a loving home for her five children, offering insights and encouragement for moms everywhere. Tune in for laughter, tears, and a reminder that you're not alone in this beautiful chaos of parenting. 

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Should you give your kids an allowance? What are the options for investing your kids' money? And where on earth do you get started with estate planning? This week Jess and Darcy sit down to talk about all things kids and money. Listen to them chat about the family economy methodology they both have adopted from Simply on Purpose! They also discuss where they set aside money that is gifted to their kids, thoughts on 529s and paying for education, how they talk about money with their kids, wills/trusts and more. We hope this conversation teaches you something new or sparks some ideas for how to manage money in your home!

Want more information on the family economy system? Check it out at https://simplyonpurpose.org/our-family-economy-system-two-best-reasons-to-ditch-allowance/

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This week we welcome a special guest: Janet, Shelby's mom!!  Shelby's sister has autism and Janet has worked in special education for 18 years.  She spent 15 of those years in an early childhood setting and worked with lots of students with autism. Janet shares what autism is, how to get your child a diagnosis and additional services like speech and occupational therapy.  Whether your child has autism or not, this is an educational episode with tips for all parents!

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Have you ever wished for a teacher in your best friend group chat? Here’s your chance! Join us this week as Alyx, Emily, and Kara dive into YOUR questions for teachers.

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This week, Sarah and Alyx dive deep into the challenges of motherhood while navigating loss and grief. Sarah shares her journey of raising little ones and coping with heartache after losing her mom as a young adult. They discuss how to talk to kids about death, handling grief as a family, and what healing can look like.

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This week join Darcy, Emily and Shelby as we discuss making time for yourself as a mom.  It can be so hard to juggle being a mom while maintaining your own hobbies and interests.  We will share our personal favorite “me time” activities, small ways to get started and how to find pockets of time for yourself.  You got this, mama!

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We’re back from our break and ready to talk summer!  Kara, Sarah and Shelby sit down this week to talk about summer in Kansas City.  Get ready to dive into the best summer activities whether you have infants, toddlers, school-age children or a mix!  We share what activities are worth the money and some of our favorite affordable places for kids. 

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Summer days can be a blast, but they can also feel endless! In this week's episode, Shelby and Alyx dive into how they keep a schedule, share their favorite Kansas City places to visit and suggest fun activities to do at home. 

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Looking for toddler-friendly spots in Kansas City? This week, Darcy, Kara, and Emily share their top picks! 

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Are you a Mama debating whether to send your little one to Kindergarten next year or hold off? You’re not alone! Jess and Kara dive deep into their experiences of waiting a year before stepping into the elementary world. 

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In this week's episode, Darcy and Sarah chat with Shanna about how her blog and IG started, finding time for yourself as a mom, making time for your marriage after kids, becoming a medical mom, and more. You’re not going to want to miss this discussion with one of our favorite people to follow on Instagram! 

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Ever had a moment that made your heart race? Join us in our final episode of the April Showers series as Alyx, Darcy, and Jess share their scariest moments of parenthood! Tune in! 

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Our "April Showers" mini series continues as Alyx, Sarah and Kara share their stories of heartbreak and loss while growing their families. If you're struggling with infertility this episode is for you to know you're not alone. We know that, unfortunately, this episode will resonate with many. If you are struggling with PCOS, miscarriage or an ectopic pregnancy we hope you find comfort, support or feel seen as they share their stories. We are sending love to anyone going through this season of life. 

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This week, Shelby opens up about her personal experience in the NICU. If you're a Mama or parent navigating this journey, you’ll find encouragement and support in her story. And for friends of NICU families, Shelby shares the most helpful gestures she received.

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In our first episode of our April Showers mini series, Emily and Kara sit down to talk about the not so fun moments of motherhood. From dealing with difficult tantrums and big emotions, power struggles and "mom guilt" they share how they get through these difficult times of motherhood.

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Family is everything, but how do you know when it’s complete? Join Alyx, Sarah, and Emily this week as they discuss their heartfelt journeys and the emotions tied to this important choice. 

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Boy moms, unite! With a friend group of 15 kids, 11 of whom are boys, we know a thing or two about their energetic, competitive, and curious nature. This week Darcy, Kara, Sarah and Emily discuss the ins and outs of raising young men. This insightful conversation offers valuable perspectives for parents navigating similar journeys. If you’re a boy mom or know one, tune in! 

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Girl Moms, rise up!! As the “girl moms” of the group, Alyx, Jess and Shelby are on this week to talk about raising girls.  Listen as we discuss gender stereotypes for girls, our favorite parts of raising girls and building self-confidence at a young age.

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We are devastated by the news of the Ponch and Nikki Show ending.  But we want to celebrate Nikki and keep her voice alive! Join us for our heartfelt interview with Nikki, where we play "Get to Know Nikki" and discuss the Friday Flex. We also found out her favorite spots in Kansas City that she loves to visit. We miss you, Nikki, and we support you always!

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In this week's episode Jess, Alyx and Darcy discuss everything related to traveling on an airplane with kiddos. Listen in as they share how they prep their kids for airline travel, activities in the airport and on the plane, products that make traveling with kids easier and more. 

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It’s a special episode this week with our first ever guest Kelsey from KelseWhatElse!  Darcy and Emily sit down to talk about how Kelsey got her platform started and her transition from the classroom to stay-at-home mom.  Kelsey shares some of her educational games that teach her sons about body language, conversations with new people and respectfully disagreeing.  Listen this week to learn alongside us from another fantastic mom!

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Something as natural as breastfeeding should be easy, right?! Right?! This week Alyx, Kara, and Sarah sit down and get real about their experiences breastfeeding, pumping, and formula feeding their three kids–the good and the bad, and everything in between! They will also share tips that worked for them and answer questions from our listeners. If you are a mom who has struggled with latching, milk supply, and managing feeding your infants while working and chasing after toddlers–this episode is for you. 

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It’s winter and we are here to help!  Shelby and Jess are on this week to give all of their tips for surviving the winter months.  Whether the temps are “warm” enough to spend time outside or if you’re snowed in, we have ideas for everyone.  Listen this week for all our tips on where to find great winter wear for affordable prices, ideas for both outdoors and indoors during the cold months and how we combat pending seasonal depression.  If we can survive the 2025 blizzard, we can do anything!

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One of our favorite topics is making it out of the group chat and onto the podcast!  Join Alyx & Sarah as they dissect birth order.  They will dive into stereotypes for oldest, middle and youngest children.  Join us in this week’s episode and let us know if you think the stereotypes ring true for your children, too.

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This week we are coming to you with our first episode request: curating healthy lifestyles for our family.  Darcy and Jess are the resident experts in the group and they have lots of great information to share.  Topics covered include: labels to look for, how to use kid-friendly language when discussing health topics and easy swaps to get you started on your health journey.  Darcy and Jess also share their top priorities for having a healthy lifestyle and recommendations of books and influencers to follow to learn even more.

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They say if your family is the house, then your marriage is the foundation. We don’t know who “they” are, but we couldn’t agree more. But how do you make time for your marriage when your kids are little?! Emily, Sarah, and Shelby kick off our 2025 season with an episode dedicated to the ones who were there before the little ones (but not before the messy buns). They talk about how they find ways to make sure their marriage stays strong and they make time for their spouses throughout the various stages of parenthood.

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The holidays are magical, but let’s be honest…we all know who is making the magic happen behind the scenes.  MOMS!  Join Emily, Sarah and Shelby this week covering holiday traditions.  From Santa to Elf on the Shelf, we are giving our unfiltered opinions about our favorite traditions (and the traditions we don’t plan on adding to our list).

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Christmas is almost here! Are you still struggling to find the perfect gift for a kid in your life? Let us help! In this week's episode Alyx and Darcy discuss their favorite toys. They start off by talking about gifts for babies and then go into toys for different ages, gender based toys, gender neutral toys, and finally their favorite books to read with their littles. We hope our tips, tricks and ideas help make your holiday shopping a little easier. 

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In this week’s episode, Alyx, Sarah and Emily chat all about school parties (both leading as a teacher and attending as a mom), school holiday activities, and teacher gifts. Tune in to hear their thoughts on the favorite things their students have gifted in the past and some really awesome (and easy!) ways you can support your child’s teacher on the day of a holiday party or field trip. 

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!  Last week we talked about managing the holidays when you have to travel to see family.  Jess, Kara and Shelby are on this week to discuss how they manage the holidays when everyone lives in town.  Listen to hear our tips about scheduling, communicating with family and making sure to leave time for just us with our kids.  We share suggestions of fun things to do around Kansas City as well as some traditions we have with our families.  Grab some eggnog and press play!

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Santa Claus is coming to town and so are we! This week we officially kick off our holiday series with Darcy and Emily talking about traveling out of town during the holidays. The highs, the lows, and all that comes with merging family traditions when you get married, and creating new plans and traditions when you have kids. Listen to hear our advice for prioritizing our core families while still making time for our extended families. This episode had us wanting to put up our trees and play Michael Bublé on repeat–listen at your own risk!

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Join Alyx, Kara and Sarah share stories of how they got their fur babies, how they introduced their pets to their new baby, and more. They even touch on helping kids cope with the loss of a pet. 

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Over the years, we have heard a lot of comments about how special our group of friends is and in today’s episode we will dive into some of the why.  We have monthly mom dates and a special day off together in the fall.  We also discuss meeting other moms and making new friends.  Join Darcy, Emily, Jess and Shelby to learn more about how we prioritize our friendship amidst the chaos of motherhood.  

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They say teachers make more minute by minute decisions than brain surgeons, and I would venture to say that teachers who are also moms make more than that! Join Emily, Kara, and Sarah as they explore the joys and challenges of balancing lesson plans with family plans, navigating the hectic school year while creating cherished memories at home, and making sure all of their kids (at home and at school) get them at their very best.

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Have you ever looked at your parents as grandparents and wondered, “Where was that person when I was a kid?”  This episode is all about our kids’ favorite people: GRANDPARENTS!  Join Alyx, Emily, Jess and Shelby as we dive into all the wonderful and unbelievable things our parents and in-laws do.  We start at the beginning with announcing pregnancies to grandparents and meeting the babies for the first time.  Other topics include: grandparents living nearby vs. far away, values being passed to the next generation, what we appreciate most about them, and some of the crazy things they let their grandkids get away with!

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This week, Alyx, Darcy and Jess are taking a walk down memory lane as we discuss all things related to a Baby Registry. Join us as we cover topics like our favorite baby items, gimmicks we unfortunately fell for, our favorite gifts to give expecting moms and how things have changed over the last few years. If you are expecting or know someone who is expecting, this episode is for you! 

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Spooky season is here!  Join Kara, Sarah and Shelby this week to talk about Halloween.  We cover important topics like picking costumes, rationing candy and what traditions our families have for Halloween.  We also share our favorite Halloween shows and movies for kids.  If you love all things Halloween, this is the episode for you!

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This week’s episode is all about parties…kids’ birthday parties that is! Join Alyx, Darcy, and Emily as they discuss ALL things birthday, and even ask listeners a few very important questions like: what age do you stop going with your kids to parties? (Seriously inquiring minds NEED to know). Other topics include: first birthdays, favorite places to host birthday parties, the best gifts to give at parties, how to handle who gets an invite, and our personal “hot takes” when it comes to all things birthday. If you have a birthday party coming up (next week or next year) this episode is for you!

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It’s football season!  Join Alyx, Kara and Shelby this week to talk about all things Kansas City Chiefs.  As adult Chiefs fans, we discuss how different our childhood as fans was than the current dynasty our kids are growing up in.  Listen as we share our favorite things about attending games at Arrowhead and what we like to do to enjoy games at home.  We couldn’t talk about the Chiefs without discussing our favorite power couple: Taylor and Travis!

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Do you ever feel like motherhood is constantly balancing kids activities while still making time for everything else that goes on in a house?! This week Emily, Jess, and Sarah sit down and talk about the ins and outs of managing kids activities. What it looks like whether you have one, two, or three children, and how they balance these activities with an already busy schedule. They will also talk about how to handle if kids decide they don’t like an activity they are involved in and what it looks like as kids get older. If you have kids involved in activities, you’ll want to tune in this week.

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This week, Alyx and Kara are on to discuss raising twins.  Kara is a mother of 3, one singleton and a set of identical twins.  In this episode, we cover how Kara found out she was having twins, differences between her singleton and twin pregnancies and what age has been the most challenging.  If you are a twin mom or expecting twins, be sure to listen to Kara’s recommendations of twin products she can’t live without and advice for raising twins. 

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This week, Darcy, Jess and Sarah are on to discuss raising siblings.  Darcy and Jess both have 2 children and Sarah is a mother of 3!  We cover topics like introducing siblings when you have a new baby coming, handing sibling fights or jealousy.  We also talk about learning how to appreciate each child as an individual and celebrate all the fun that comes with having siblings in the family.

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This week Emily and Shelby chat about raising only children in a world that offers a lot of opinions about raising only children. Emily has a son and Shelby has a daughter, both of whom often pack the sass and personality of several children! In this episode we talk about what we envisioned our families looking like pre-motherhood, the decisions that led us to being “one and done,” the positives and negatives of an only child family, and how we combat the criticism and stigmas associated with only children.

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