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Mar 26 • 45:52
The Connecting Power of Books a conversation with Sarah Mackenzie
Episode:

The Connecting Power of Books a conversation with Sarah Mackenzie

March 26, 2024 • 45:52 • Greta Eskridge

In this episode of the Greta Eskridge podcast, I get to talk to the queen of books herself, Sarah Mackenzie. Sarah is a wife and a homeschooling mom to six kids. Three are in college and 3 are still at home. In her spare time (ha!) she is also the creator of the fabulous Read Aloud Revival podcast, the author of two beloved books, Teaching From Rest and The Read Aloud Family, the founder of the boutique publishing house Waxwing Books and author of three childrens books. This is why I say she had a reading empire! Sarah is an amazing lady and just so much fun to talk to. True to form, I get teary eyed in this episode. But talking books and connection will do that to me. Also, in this episode you can hear Sarah and I not able to do math. We talk about books, not math problems, so what do you expect? This episode is chock full of so many great book titles with you. We like to say we sling around book titles like ninjas. Get ready! 

Here's some more of what we talked about: 

Sarah tells us she loves roller coasters. She recently rode one 6 times in a row and read her kindle while in line. 

This quote by Andrew Pudewa launched Sarah deep into the world of reading aloud with her kids: the best way to help kids become better communicators is to read aloud a ton and memorize poetry. 

Sarah noticed that reading aloud didnt just make a positive impact on her kids academically, but there was a relational impact happening too. 

She noticed as her kids were growing up and sometimes she and they were at odds with each other, reading aloud put her and her kids on the same side of the fence. 

Sarah says: reading aloud is a powerful way to connect with our kids in a really noisy world. 

Its simple, free, quick: thats a lot of dividends from a small investment. 

We learn that audio books count every bit as much as reading a book with pages. 

And we learn that data says whether they read early or late, by 8th grade most kids are at about the same reading level if kids are being exposed to good books all along. 

No need to fear if you have a late reader! 

Ive had 3 myself. 

 

And here is the list of all the books we discussed together. 

Each one is linked so you can see the cover and even put it in your cart if you want to! 

For the younger kids: 

Buffalo Fluffalo 

Jonas Hanways Scurrilous, Scandalous, Shockingly, Sensational Umbrella 

Sheep in a Jeep 

Morris the Moose Goes to School 

For the middle grades: 

Umbrella Mouse 

Note: there is some mild language in this book and the ones below. Sarah and I both feel that mild curse words said in a British accent dont feel troubling to us, but handle it as you wish. All Creatures Great and Small (childrens version and beloved by my kids) 

All Creatures Great and Small (book for middle grades and up) 

All Creatures Great and Small (show) 

 

Adventures with Waffles 

Astrid the Unstoppable 

Pipi Longstocking 

Chronicles of Narnia (a must have for every library) 

Tuesdays at the Castle 

Vanderbeekers 

Penderwicks 

For the teens: 

Glitch 

Screwtape Letters 

Surprised by Joy 

Find out more about book clubs for kids and grownups in Gretas book: Adventuring Together 

Sarah tells us she is chasing joy by playing a new board game with her family called : Seven Wonders 

You can find all of Sarahs endeavors in the links at the top of these show notes. Youll want to follow her and glean all the book goodness she has to share! 

 

Dont forget to like and subscribe to this podcast, and Id be so very grateful if you leave a review of the podcast on iTunes.  

Reviews are incredibly helpful to me as a new podcaster. 

Thank you for listening and being part of my team. 

I love you guys! 

Greta 

Podcast:

The Greta Eskridge Podcast

With Greta Eskridge
We're living in a time filled with distraction and disconnection from the things that matter most. Things like faith, family, friendship, and childhood innocence feel harder and harder to hold onto. But I believe a joyful, connected life is possible with Jesus's help because he offers us life to the full! It's time to open our eyes to the wonder God has put all around us, so join me each week on The Greta Eskridge Podcast as some of my favorite friends and I explore ways to create connection in our families and chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.
All Episodes:
May 13 • 44:51
What Nature and Gods Word Teach Us About Rest with Eryn Lynum

My guest today is Eryn Lynum: master naturalist, author, bible teacher, home schooling mom, and podcast host. Friends, shes incredible! And this episode with her is just so fun! We had the best time talking about nature and seeing God at work there. 

Eryns love of nature and Gods word have taught her much about the importance of pursuing rest. But this learning actually began when Eryn was a young teen.   At the age of 14, Eryn learned that she had a potentially life-threatening disease that required rest to keep her alive. This started Eryn on a journey of learning to manage the stress and anxieties of life in a way that was healthy and holy.  

In this episode, Eryn talks about her new book, The Nature of Rest: What the Bible and Creation Teach Us About Sabbath Living, and how it is the story of all shes learned about rest from her own life journey, to studying creation and Gods word. Eryn is a joy to talk to. She is a wealth of fun and fascinating nature knowledge, as well as a wise guide to biblical living. I love this episode, and I know you will too! 

Be sure to get Eryns new book today! You can find it right here. 

 

Resources mentioned in this podcast: 

Find Eryns new book here 

Find Eryns first book here 

Find Eryns website here 

Find Eryns podcast here 

Find Eryn on Instagram here 

Find more about Awana programs for kids here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

May 6 • 59:08
Angel Qthe Kid Safe Browser Weve Been Waiting For with Josh Thurman

Todays guest, Josh Thurman, has a pretty remarkable biofrom being a dad to 6 to a Navy Seal, hes one amazing guy. But one of the things hes very proud of and we can all be very grateful for, is his involvement as a co-founder in a brand-new company called Angel Q. 

Angel Q exists to keep kids safer online by using AI as a buffer and guide while kids are online. Unlike other browsers that have no built in safety features, and that are constantly serving up more and more content for kids, Angel Q curates a childs time online to not just keep them safe from problematic and dangerous content, but also to bring their time online to a natural end after a reasonable amount of time. 

This episode is full of a lot of really important information for parents to be aware of. From the predatory nature of the tech industry, the growing rates of depression for teen girls, and the ways AI can be used for good to keep our kids safe, even though that felt confusing to me at first. I came away from my first, and now my second, conversation with Josh feeling so incredibly impressed by what Angel Q is doing to protect my kids and yours.  

And listen to this! Angel Q has given my listeners the incredible opportunity to get an entire year subscription for free! Just use the code : FOUNDERSFREEYEAR 

This is a limited time offer so take advantage! I cant stress enough how important this tool could be for your family. 

 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Learn more about Angel Q here 

Sign up for Angel Q here  (dont forget to use the free code!) 

Learn more about Josh here 

Find Angel Q on Instagram here 

 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Apr 29 • 37:16
The Best Potluck Dish, Favorite Books to Grow Your Childs Faith, 2 Reasons I Home School and more!with Greta Eskridge

It's time for another episode where its just me and you chatting about all kinds of thingsfrom my favorite dish to bring to a potluck, the one of the most impactful books Ive ever read to my kids and all sorts of things in between! 

This is a fun and insightful episode, albeit kind of random. And I cant decide if my ability to talk about practically any subject at length is my superpower, or just one of my most annoying traits. If its the former, break it to my gently, OK? 

I hope youll get some helpful insight from this episode and be sure to check out the links below as I have included all the things mentioned in the episode. I know youll get a lot out of them. 

Last thing, please remember to order my new book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, if you havent already. Or if you have read it, to leave a rating and review on Amazon. You can do that right here and it is wildly helpful when you do! 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find Gretas favorite stove top espresso maker here 

Find Gretas favorite milk frother here 

Find copies of The Hiding place here (original version) here (young readers) and here (youngest readers)  

Find Instagram post about visiting Corrie ten Booms grave here 

Find my Home School 101 highlight here 

 

Find Greta: 

Find Gretas books here, here and here 

Find Greta on Instagram here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

Apr 22 • 42:13
No, You Dont Have to be Afraid of the Teen Years with Abbie Halberstadt

Home schooling mom of 10, podcaster, author of 2 beloved books and pickleball champion.  

One of the things I love about Abbie is that she is vocal about her how much she loves spending time with her teens. Like me, she really enjoys the teen years and has made it a bit of her personal mission to remind the mamas with littles that the goodness doesnt stop the moment their kids hit puberty. 

So in this episode Abbie and I talk about all things having teens. We talk about parenting with expectant hope. That means determining that well love our kids through their whole life, not just when they are cute and cuddly babies. We discuss ways to connect with our teens and how that starts by enjoying being with our kids when they are little and then continuing that as they grow. 

One of the things our kids will face as they grow up, and especially in the teen years is exposure to pornography. Abbie and I talk about how we can prepare our kids for growing up in a porn saturated world and also share with them about Gods good plan for sex. This part of our conversation was really helpful and honestly so powerful. I just know youll get a lot from it! And friends, if you are looking for more information on this topic, and still havent gotten my new book, Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn, this is your sign to get the book! Its time! Get your copy right here. 

Resources mentioned in this episode: 

Find the Parenting and Pornography video here 

 

Where to find Abbie: 

Find Abbies books here and here 

Find Abbies website here 

Find Abbies podcast here 

Find Abbie on Instagram here 

 

Apr 15 • 1:6:53
Filtering the Noise in a Loud World with Aubrey McGowan

Friends! Have you gotten my new book Its Time to Talk to Your Kids About Porn yet? If not, listen to todays guest give a review of the book at the end of the podcast and be inspired to get your copy right here today! 

I met todays guest, Aubrey McGowan, at a home school mom conference called Wild and Free! What a fun way to meet this guy. Aubrey and his wife Jen are tremendous musicians, and they have performed at many of the Wild and Free conferences I have been a part of. Aubrey is also creative in other ways: hes a passionate communicator and a gifted writer. 

In todays episode we are talking about Aubreys new book, Filter the Noise: how to Hear Gods Voice in a Culture of Chaos

We have so much noise in our life--the noise of the physical world, the noise of the digital world and the inner noisethose voices in our head that so often tell us things that arent true. 

Aubrey asks the question: what does Christ say to this?  

While the world tells us we always need more, Christ tells us He is enough. 

Aubrey shares with us the practice he outlines in the book that can help us filter the noise we dont want or need in this life. But Aubrey reminds us: The power is in Jesus, not in the practice 

This practice is a way to point people to Jesus 

Friends, this is a longer than usual episode, but when Aubrey gets fired up he brings the wisdom and the fire and I dont want to stop him! So sit down, grab a cup of coffee and be inspired by what Aubrey shares here. Lets go! 

 

Resources from this episode: 

Quote from Gordon Hempton: "We have an epidemic of extinction of quiet places in our world." 

Pray Psalm 23 every morning 

Find the book Gods Smuggler here 

Quote by Corrie ten Boom If the devil cant make you sin hell make you busy 

 

Where to find Aubrey: 

Find Aubreys book here 

Find Aubreys website here 

Find Aubrey on Instagram here 

Find Aubreys Family Field Guide ministry here 

Find Aubreys mens ministry Whetstone here 

Listen to Aubrey and Jens music here 

The Greta Eskridge Podcast is a part of the Christian Parenting Podcast Network. For more information visit www.ChristianParenting.org

 

About the Host

Greta Eskridge

Greta Eskridge is a second-generation homeschooler, an author, a speaker, and a podcast host. Greta’s faith in God is the lens through which she sees the world.

Greta loves encouraging parents to pursue joyful, connected parenting. And she is passionate about helping families create connection in a disconnected world through things like purposeful adventures, online safety, and keeping their eyes wide open to wonder. Greta firmly believes that “joy is the serious business of heaven” and is on mission to chase joy through both the peaks and valleys of parenting and life.

Greta lives in sunny southern California with her artist husband, Aaron, and their four kids--1 young adult and 3 teens. Greta loves nature, books and coffee and her favorite place to be is on a hiking trail. 

More from Greta →