Ep 33: Season 1 Finale: Extreme Parenting + Stranded Boats, Car Wrecks & New Babies = A Much-Needed Pause to Prepare for Season 2

Ep 33: Season 1 Finale: Extreme Parenting + Stranded Boats, Car Wrecks & New Babies = A Much-Needed Pause to Prepare for Season 2

Hey friends—today’s episode is a little different. ❤️ After a whirlwind family vacation together (with 11 kids, a stranded pontoon boat, a new grandbaby, and a fender bender 🙃), we realized what every mama knows deep down: sometimes you’ve got to push pause and take care of what matters most—your family and your own sanity. So Deena & Christian are wrapping up Season 1 and taking a much-needed break as their kids head back to school and their families walk through some big transitions. They’ll be back in a few weeks with Season 2 of Junk Drawer Mamas—full of fresh stories, faith-filled encouragement, mom-life humor, and practical strategies to help you dig through the junk drawer because what's hidden can't be healed. 👂🏼𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗬𝗼𝘂 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗻: 👉 Hear the behind-the-scenes chaos of our “extreme” family vacation. 👉 See why we’re modeling rest and reprioritizing family for our listeners. 👉Learn what’s ahead for Season 2 (hint: healing for moms AND kids). 👉 Laugh with us as we share how even our breaks end up being “extreme.” 😂 👉 Be encouraged to give yourself grace and take a pause when needed. 🗝️ Key Takeaways: 🩷 Even family vacations can feel like extreme parenting. 💜Christina became a grandma (again!) literally hours before we left. 💛We got stranded on a pontoon boat with all the kids (and survived). A fender bender, urgent care runs, and spiritual warfare—yep, it was all in the mix. 🩷 Family first: sometimes pressing pause is the most faithful thing you can do. 💜We’re asking for your prayers as we prep for Season 💛God always wins, even when life feels messy. We cannot thank you enough for walking through Season 1 with us. You’ve laughed with us, prayed with us, and showed up for us—and we couldn’t be more grateful. 💕 👉 Please stay tuned, keep us in your prayers as we prepare for Season 2, and stay connected with us on social media (especially our Junk Drawer Mamas Community Facebook group! - https://tinyurl.com/5dhr6szp [https://tinyurl.com/5dhr6szp] ). We’ll keep posting reels, encouragement, and updates so you won’t miss a beat. Mama, you’re not meant to do this alone. God’s got you, and so do we. We’ll be back soon—stronger, rested, and ready for more junk drawer sorting together. 🎧 𝗧𝗨𝗡𝗘 𝗜𝗡 𝗡𝗢𝗪 and stay connected while we get ready for a powerful Season 2! 📲 Subscribe + follow: YouTube:  https://www.youtube.com/@JunkDrawerMamas [https://www.youtube.com/@JunkDrawerMamas] Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SZGUt4rEu5x1FZoQSWdLR [https://open.spotify.com/show/6SZGUt4rEu5x1FZoQSWdLR] CONNECT WITH US: 📺YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/pdp7nzpd 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2f6kn 👯Facebook Group: Junk Drawer Mamas Community: https://tinyurl.com/5dhr6szp📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ms4yttb5 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/mvbvbyjf ✉️Email: junkdrawermamas@gmail.com ☑️ Check out what Deena is doing over at Specially Empowered Moms 🌐Website: www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com⁠ ⁠ 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4r8k9e9j 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/yxka7fdt 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/48jan3pc ✉️Email: deena@speciallyempoweredmoms.com ☑️ Check out what Christiana is doing over at Faith Through Foster Care 🌐Website: ⁠www.fatihthorughfostercare.com⁠ 📸Instagram: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4sp4xrud ✉️Email: faiththroughfostercare@gmail.com If you have a question or maybe an item in the junk drawer you want us to tackle in an episode, please email us at junkdrawermamas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you. #JunkDrawerMamas #MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms #fostercaremoms #ExtremeParenting #ParentingPodcast #MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing #RealMomTalk #MomLife #WearyMoms #ChristianMoms #imperfectparenting #SeasonFinale

Ep 32: From Power Struggles to Heart Connection: How to Keep Your Love On When They’re Pushing All Your Buttons

What if your child’s disobedience wasn’t defiance—but a cry for connection? In this episode of Junk Drawer Mamas, Deena and Christina delve into the messy, yet beautiful, work of parenting with love and boundaries—especially when everything feels out of control. Based on the principles of connection over control, they explore what it looks like to build relationships that reflect the heart of God, even when your kids are pushing all your buttons, boundaries are being tested, and healing still feels out of reach. Through stories of parenting teenagers, navigating trauma, and learning to communicate with truth and love, this conversation reminds us that we don’t have to parent from fear or control. There’s a better way. Inspired by Danny Silk’s book Keep Your Love On, this conversation explores how to: 🩷 Parent from love, not control 💜 Learn how to discipline with love, not shame 💛 Understand the root behind your child’s “defiance” 🩷 Break generational patterns of fear-based parenting 💜 Set firm boundaries that protect connection, not destroy it 💛 Heal the mess in our relationships by cleaning up our own first 🩷Creating a safe space for your child to make mistakes without condemnation Whether you're struggling with your spouse, your teen, your toddler, or your adult child—this episode is for the mama who’s tired of power struggles and longs for peace and connection in her home. We’re learning how to stop controlling out of fear, and start leading with love & connection. Mama, you're not meant to do this alone. God's God you, and so do we. Let's tackle this junk drawer of life together. 🎧TUNE IN NOW as we share how partnering with God in your parenting journey can turn even the messiest, most stressful days into moments of peace and joy. FOLLOW for more encouragement and tag a mama who needs this today. 👯💜🩷 New episodes every Wednesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. https://tinyurl.com/5e2nhnae 🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JunkDrawerMamas 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SZGUt4rEu5x1FZoQSWdLR CONNECT WITH US: 📺YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/pdp7nzpd 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2f6kn 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ms4yttb5 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/mvbvbyjf ✉️Email: junkdrawermamas@gmail.com ☑️ Check out what Deena is doing over at Specially Empowered Moms 🌐Website: www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com⁠ ⁠ 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4r8k9e9j 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/yxka7fdt 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/48jan3pc ✉️Email: deena@speciallyempoweredmoms.com ☑️ Check out what Christiana is doing over at Faith Through Foster Care 🌐Website: ⁠www.fatihthorughfostercare.com⁠ 📸Instagram: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4sp4xrud ✉️Email: faiththroughfostercare@gmail.com If you have a question or maybe an item in the junk drawer you want us to tackle in an episode, please email us at junkdrawermamas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you. #JunkDrawerMamas #MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms #fostercaremoms #ExtremeParenting #ParentingPodcast #MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing #RealMomTalk #MomLife #WearyMoms #ChristianMoms #imperfectparenting #KeepYourLoveOn #Boundaries #DannySilk #parentingwithlove #connection Keep Your Love On!: Connection, Communication and Boundaries: Danny Silk: 9781942306054: Amazon.com: Books [https://www.amazon.com/Keep-Your-Love-Connection-Communication/dp/1942306059/ref=sr_1_4?crid=1PIMEE2AAXDLX&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.7-tEcOkly3StXVlScc3qEthHLa2D8TGHB1Bpscl1egd8vU9CCidNdFSzZZ_nQMHg-GDup4dbXM0vkOQaUUQfvAhqxuFRQFUDlKAhhf3yJRasQQS99_5xa37cTtCoTIP2Bvypo6FpTyi_lzkr_NDsK6vm426oJHkJeJcZY3ip5pXYKQgG0r-DRJsZos2QbPSLGclAMFavo2ePKzDhjKo8g2Ve-6KoCWVkJIvjDaC20Zk.vXIQH31mwDTrduRs3IGfsLH4YtZSqIK_oIZCzJNsTD0&dib_tag=se&keywords=keep+your+love+on&qid=1754413187&sprefix=keep+your+love+on%2Caps%2C119&sr=8-4]

Ep 31: Confessions of a Control Freak: When Micromanaging Motherhood Runs Deeper Than Tidy Homes and Well-Behaved Kids in Matching Outfits

Do you ever feel like if you don’t hold it all together… everything will fall apart? In this vulnerable, truth-packed episode, Deena and Christina peel back the layers on why so many moms struggle with control—and it’s not just because we like things done a certain way. Behind the micromanaging, the multitasking, and the meltdown over backwards shoes, there’s usually a deeper root: fear, trauma, and a desperate need to feel safe in a world that feels anything but. They share how childhood wounds, food shame, body image issues, and unmet needs often fuel the drive to control everything. From funny mom moments to gut-honest confessions, this episode is both freeing and faith-filled. If you’ve ever… 🩷Micromanaged your way through motherhood because no one else “does it right” 💜Snapped over something small because it was the only thing you felt you could control that day 💛Fixed everyone else’s mess while secretly falling apart yourself 🩷Struggled to delegate, ask for help, or sit still—because slowing down feels unsafe 💜Controlled what your kids wore, ate, or said out of fear they’d be judged (or you would) 💛Felt anxious when plans changed or chaos hit because you need to know what’s coming next …then this episode will feel like sitting with two friends who get it—and who point you back to the One who’s always in control, even when you’re not. Mama, you're not meant to do this alone. God's God you, and so do we. Let's tackle this junk drawer of life together. 🎧TUNE IN NOW as we share how partnering with God in your parenting journey can turn even the messiest, most stressful days into moments of peace and joy. FOLLOW for more encouragement and tag a mama who needs this today. 👯💜🩷 New episodes every Wednesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. https://tinyurl.com/5e2nhnae 🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JunkDrawerMamas 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SZGUt4rEu5x1FZoQSWdLR CONNECT WITH US: 📺YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/pdp7nzpd 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2f6kn 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ms4yttb5 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/mvbvbyjf ✉️Email: junkdrawermamas@gmail.com ☑️ Check out what Deena is doing over at Specially Empowered Moms 🌐Website: www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com⁠ ⁠ 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4r8k9e9j 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/yxka7fdt 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/48jan3pc ✉️Email: deena@speciallyempoweredmoms.com ☑️ Check out what Christiana is doing over at Faith Through Foster Care 🌐Website: ⁠www.fatihthorughfostercare.com⁠ 📸Instagram: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4sp4xrud ✉️Email: faiththroughfostercare@gmail.com If you have a question or maybe an item in the junk drawer you want us to tackle in an episode, please email us at junkdrawermamas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you. #JunkDrawerMamas #MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms #ExtremeParenting #ParentingPodcast #MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing #RealMomTalk #FaithOverStress #SelfImageStruggles #Stress #MomLife #WearyMoms #ChristianMoms #ChronicStress #momsincrisis #innerhealing #selfcare #imperfectparenting #letgo

Ep 30: When Life Takes an Unexpected Detour: Navigating Emergencies, Family Crisis & Special Needs Parenting with Supernatural Strength

In this episode, Deena and Christina open up about what happens when life takes a sharp left turn, and you still have to keep going and be strong for everyone else. After a sudden medical emergency involving Deena’s husband, everything shifted, including how her special needs daughter processed the crisis. It wasn’t just physically exhausting; it was emotionally heavy, spiritually stretching, and relationally eye-opening. But through it all, God showed up. This conversation is for the mama who’s holding it together when everything feels like it’s falling apart. The one who has to comfort a child with trauma triggers while advocating for a spouse in pain. The one who can’t pause life, even when she needs a minute to breathe. If you’ve ever wondered how you’re supposed to do it all… this is your reminder: you were never meant to do it alone. God is partnering with you even in the hospital rooms, the screaming car rides, the stress, and the unknown. Sometimes He uses the disruption not to punish, but to reveal. To draw us closer to Him. To open our eyes to the people right in front of us. And to remind us that His order brings peace, even when the world feels chaotic. This isn’t about perfection. This is about faith in motion, right in the middle of the mess. 🔑 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: 🩷 How He uses crisis to expose buried wounds in our hearts and homes 💜 Why God will give you the strength to carry what you never thought you could 💛 Moments of unexpected intimacy in marriage & how crisis can reconnect you 🩷 You can have a peace that surpasses understanding in the middle of emotional chaos 💜 You don’t have to carry the heavy stuff alone. God is carrying it while He's still carrying you. Mama, you're not meant to do this alone. God's God you, and so do we. Let's tackle this junk drawer of life together. 🎧TUNE IN NOW as we share how partnering with God in your parenting journey can turn even the messiest, most stressful days into moments of peace and joy. FOLLOW for more encouragement and tag a mama who needs this today. 👯💜🩷 New episodes every Wednesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. https://tinyurl.com/5e2nhnae 🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JunkDrawerMamas 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SZGUt4rEu5x1FZoQSWdLR CONNECT WITH US: 📺YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/pdp7nzpd 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2f6kn 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ms4yttb5 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/mvbvbyjf ✉️Email: junkdrawermamas@gmail.com ☑️ Check out what Deena is doing over at Specially Empowered Moms 🌐Website: www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com⁠ ⁠ 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4r8k9e9j 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/yxka7fdt 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/48jan3pc ✉️Email: deena@speciallyempoweredmoms.com ☑️ Check out what Christiana is doing over at Faith Through Foster Care 🌐Website: ⁠www.fatihthorughfostercare.com⁠ 📸Instagram: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4sp4xrud ✉️Email: faiththroughfostercare@gmail.com If you have a question or maybe an item in the junk drawer you want us to tackle in an episode, please email us at junkdrawermamas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you. #JunkDrawerMamas#MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms #ExtremeParenting #ParentingPodcast#MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing #RealMomTalk #FaithOverStress#SelfImageStruggles #Stress #MomLife #WearyMoms #ChristianMoms #ChronicStress#momsincrisis #innerhealing #selfcare #imperfectparenting #familycrisis #faithinthestorm #supernaturalstrength

Ep 29: This Isn’t What I Signed Up For: Embracing the Messiness of Imperfect Parenting

You imagined park picnics, sweet bedtime snuggles, and motherhood magic. Instead? You’re cleaning up messes (literal and emotional), crying in the bathroom, and wondering how this became your life. 😭🫠 In this episode, Deena and Christina crack open the junk drawer again to talk about what it really looks like to raise kids in extreme situations—special needs, trauma, marriage stress, generational wounds, and all. 💔 From yelling over bedtime battles and bathroom poopy messes to the shame spiral afterward, we’re getting real about those moments when you’re not enjoying motherhood and find yourself asking, “How did I end up here?”—and how Jesus meets you right there in the mess of imperfect parenting. This one’s for the mama grieving the life she imagined... and discovering the beauty, purpose, and hope in the one she’s living now. 💗 🔑 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀: 🩷Grieving the motherhood you imagined is part of embracing the one you’re living 💜Messy motherhood needs honest conversations—not more highlight reels 💛 Your breakdown doesn’t disqualify you—it’s often where your breakthrough begins 🩷Healing begins with honesty—you can’t fix what you pretend isn’t broken 💜God’s not waiting for you to “get it together” before He shows up 💛God never called you to be perfect—just present 🩷There’s power in saying “I’m sorry” to your kids Mama, you're not meant to do this alone. God's God you, and so do we. Let's tackle this junk drawer of life together. 🎧TUNE IN NOW as we share how partnering with God in your parenting journey can turn even the messiest, most stressful days into moments of peace and joy. FOLLOW for more encouragement and tag a mama who needs this today. 👯💜🩷 New episodes every Wednesday on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, and YouTube. https://tinyurl.com/5e2nhnae 🔹 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@JunkDrawerMamas 🔹 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6SZGUt4rEu5x1FZoQSWdLR CONNECT WITH US: 📺YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/pdp7nzpd 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/bdh2f6kn 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ms4yttb5 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/mvbvbyjf 🌐Website: https://www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com/junkdrawermamas ✉️Email: junkdrawermamas@gmail.com ☑️ Check out what Deena is doing over at Specially Empowered Moms 🌐Website: www.speciallyempoweredmoms.com⁠ ⁠ 📘Facebook: https://tinyurl.com/4r8k9e9j 📸Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/yxka7fdt 📱TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/48jan3pc ✉️Email: deena@speciallyempoweredmoms.com ☑️ Check out what Christiana is doing over at Faith Through Foster Care 🌐Website: ⁠www.fatihthorughfostercare.com⁠ 📸Instagram: ⁠https://tinyurl.com/4sp4xrud ✉️Email: faiththroughfostercare@gmail.com If you have a question or maybe an item in the junk drawer you want us to tackle in an episode, please email us at junkdrawermamas@gmail.com. We would love to hear from you. #JunkDrawerMamas #MomLifeUnfiltered #SpecialNeedsMoms #ExtremeParenting #ParentingPodcast #MomEncouragement #Hopeandhealing #RealMomTalk #FaithOverStress #SelfImageStruggles #Stress #MomLife #WearyMoms #ChristianMoms #ChronicStress #momsincrisis #innerhealing #selfcare #imperfectparenting