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Tag Archive: The Crystal Paine Show

January 14, 2020 | Crystal Paine

Breaking Up With Our Phones

About a week and a half ago, Jesse dropped his phone in the lake while duck hunting. To our surprise, instead of this being something that was a sort of frustrating expense and inconvenience, it turned into an unexpected blessing.

On this week’s episode of the podcast, Jesse and I talk candidly about how addicting the phone can become, changes we’ve implemented to spend less time on our phones, and what has been working for us (as well as some things we are trying!)

We also share some of how we are approaching phones with our kids, the dangers parents need to be aware of, and what we’re learning as we’re navigating having a teen and pre-teens in the age of so much connectivity and technology.

What has helped you to be wise and intentional with your phone usage? I’d love to hear your suggestions and insights!

In This Episode: 

[01:34] Why elderberry syrup is saving my life these days.

[04:37] Jesse’s phone took a swim, listen to hear how it was a blessing in disguise. 

[13:53] How we turned the loss of the phone into a finances discussion with our kids.

[16:20] Why phones have become an unhealthy addiction and how to break up with them.

[19:12] How parents need to be aware of the dangers that are out there when it comes to our phones.

[24:42] What kind of example are we setting for our kids with our phone usage? 

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

photo credit

9 Comments
January 7, 2020 | Crystal Paine

Our Journey to Becoming Foster Parents

Our Journey to Becoming Foster Parents

“What’s your plan for foster care? How many kids are you planning to accept at a time? What ages of kids are you planning to foster? Are you hoping to adopt from the foster care system?”

These questions and many more have been asked by very well-meaning, caring people over the last few months as we’ve shared the news that we were becoming foster parents.

If you know me, you know I’m a planner. I’m a to do list queen. I love having order and organization in our lives. I’m a big proponent of setting goals.

And yet, when it comes to foster care, I don’t have a pre-determined plan or fill-in-the-blank answers. In fact, my answer to pretty much every question is, “I don’t know. We’re open to how God leads.”

That might seem vague or even like a cop out. But it’s the truest answer I have to give right now.

Why We Said Yes to Foster Parenting

You see, we aren’t saying yes to foster care because it fits into a grand plan we’ve written out for the next 10 years of our life. In all honesty, saying yes to foster care feels pretty crazy with our current workload and responsibilities and season of life.

And yet, to the deepest part of our core, we know this is God’s call on our life and we know that He has a plan for our future that is greater and bigger and crazier than what we could dream up.

So we’ve jumped off the cliff of our comfort and plunging into the unknown in full confidence that God’s got this. He knows what the future holds and He’s the One Who holds the future — and we can trust Him to carry us, even on the really hard days.

In this week’s episode of the podcast, Jesse and I share in-depth how we ended up on this journey (it wasn’t one we ever anticipated being on!), why we made the decision to pursue getting licensed, what the licensing process was like, and what we’ve learned along the way. We also answer some of your most often-asked questions regarding foster care.

In This Episode: 

[01:23] My exercise ball and cleaning out our closets have been saving our lives. We share why.

[06:38] I just finished reading Parenting and wanted to share a few of my favorite quotes.

[10:56] Jesse is reading Hunter Killer.

[12:40] The unexpected path that led us to become foster parents. 

[19:37] We talk about what the classes and certification were like. 

[26:00] After finishing all the classes, we moved on to the home study.

[29:18] What the best step to start with to look into fostering?

[32:21] Why we decided to actively involve our kids in the decision-making process.

[34:51] What are some of the best ways others can come alongside and help foster families? 

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

5 Comments
December 31, 2019 | Crystal Paine

My Word for 2020

This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure policy here.

My Word of the Year for 2020

You all had such great guesses on my Word of the Year for 2020. Surprisingly, only one of you got it right (at least, I think it was only one of you!)

Like usual, as 2019 started winding down and we headed in November, I began contemplating what over-arching theme I want to pursue in the following year. My word for the year came pretty easily to me, as it often does.

I sat with it for a few weeks to make sure I really loved it. And then I asked Jesse for his thoughts. He agreed that the word seemed fitting for 2020.

So without further ado, my word for 2020 is: Savor.

What Does Savor Mean?

There are a variety of definitions for savor, but the basic definition is, “to taste or smell with pleasure.” I decided to expand my own personal definition of savor to encompass slowing down and fully experiencing life through my senses.

I love how Vocabulary.com defines it:

Whether it’s a feeling of joy or a piece of pecan pie — when you savor something, you enjoy it to the fullest.

When you savor something, you enjoy it so much that you want to make it last forever. With that in mind, savor carries a connotation of doing something slowly. If you savor that flourless chocolate tart, then you eat it slowly, bit by bit, deliberately picking every last crumb off the plate. The word is often applied to eating, but you can savor any pleasurable experience, whether it’s the winning touchdown or your moment in the spotlight.

Why Did I Choose This Word?

My personality is one that doesn’t tend to do life slowly. I usually have an end goal in mind with almost everything and I can put my head down, my blinders on, and just aim straight for that objective.

While there are good things about this tendency, it also means that I often miss a lot of beauty and experience along the way. This year, I want to take the time to really stop and savor life, to experience the richness of the everyday, and to notice what I’m tasting, touching, hearing, seeing, and feeling.

I plan to not only be aware of this as I go throughout each day, but I also am going to set 2-3 goals per week that are focused on helping me use my senses to more fully experience life.

To hear more about this word and why I chose it for 2020, be sure listen to this week’s podcast episode where I share more about choosing a word for the year, a book I just finished, a remedy that’s helping with my hacking cough, and more about weekly goal-setting versus yearly goal-setting.

In This Episode: 

[01:07] Happy New Year! It feels like it has been forever since we’ve recorded a podcast! Listen in for a quick recap of our holiday!

[05:36] Vicks VapoRub with socks is saving my life this week!

[07:33] I finished An Invisible Thread on the drive home.

[10:15] Why choose a word of the year and what was mine from 2019?

[11:33] My word for 2020 is Savor. I share more about choosing this word.

[14:13] How do I plan to live this out?

[16:35] My goals for week 1 – January 2020 are…

[19:31] What is your word of the year? How are you setting your goals in 2020?

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player here. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

Did you choose a word for 2020? If so, I’d love to hear what it is and why you chose it!

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December 17, 2019 | Crystal Paine

How I’m Changing the Way I Set Goals in 2020

Note: I said in the episode that next week we’d be talking about foster care next week. Well, I completely forgot that next week was Christmas! Whoops! We’ll be taking next week off for Christmas but then we’ll be back the week of New Year’s with an episode on our Word of the Year for 2020. And then the following week, we promise to do the foster care episode! Thank you for your grace!

We’re nearing the end of the year and it’s time to reflect on this year to prepare for next. This is the time of year that Jesse and I sit down and review the past year. How did we do on our goals? What worked? What didn’t? What did we learn? 

In this episode, we talk really candidly about our goals we set for 2019 and what worked, what didn’t work, what we learned, and how we’re changing up our goal-setting for 2019.

If you’d enjoy a personal peek into what goal-setting has looked like for us, what we’ve learned about goal-setting, and how I’m completely changing the way I set goals in 2020, you don’t want to miss this episode.

Psst! You’ll also get some first word news on a little of what you can expect on MoneySavingMom.com in 2020 (I think you’re going to like it — especially if you love my personal posts and enjoy my book posts and goal-setting posts!)

We also give you a framework to reflect on your past year and how to use this as a reference point for setting goals. And by the way, even if you really despise the idea of setting goals, I think you’ll still enjoy this episode!

In This Episode: 

[00:49] Jesse and I are skipping our usual segments to dive straight into goal setting for the new year.

[01:34] We share what our goal setting process looks like now versus in previous years.

[03:27] Learn the three questions I ask myself as I reflect on the prior year.

[03:50] Why should you set goals each year? 

[05:36] Make sure your goals are serving you.

[06:42] Jesse and I share the goals that worked in 2019.

[13:44] Next we ask ourselves, what didn’t work for the year?

[17:34] The third question I like to ask is, what did I learn? 

[26:57] The last focus of goal setting for me is to think about what I hope for in the new year.

[29:11] My two big goals for 2020? Have a baby! … and write a book. Plus, why I’m not setting yearly goals in 2020 and what I’m doing instead.

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player we’ll include in the show notes of each episode. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

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December 10, 2019 | Crystal Paine

Stop Waiting Until Your Kids Are Teenagers to Talk to Them About Money!

“When do you start talking to your kids about money and how old should they be before you talk to them about it?”

We get this question often and we decided to tackle it head on in today’s podcast episode. And by that, I mean we talked about a number of things that might be a little be controversial. 🙂

We approach the conversation of money with our kids much like we approach anything else in our parenting — with the desire to lead by example and raise future adults. In this episode, we share when we begin talking about money with our kids, why we think it’s important to let your kids handle money from a young age, why we involve our kids in financial conversations and decisions, how we offer our kids opportunity to earn money, and why we are okay with letting our kids make mistakes with money.

In This Episode: 

[01:14] What’s saving our lives? It’s all about Christmas decorating, 

[06:14] Off the bookshelf: A Cross to Kill by Andrew Huff and Families Where Grace is in Place by Jeff VanVonderen.

[13:57] Learn four strategies to help kids learn how to think about and handle money.

[14:58] Strategy number 1: Set a Great Example. More is caught than taught.

[18:22] The second strategy: Start Teaching From a Young Age. It’s never to early to begin!

[21:39] Strategy number 3: Involve Your Kids as Much as Possible. Make it a family conversation and work together to achieve your financial goals!

[24:42] The fourth strategy: Let your kids make mistakes. Save them the $3000 and $30,000 mistakes later by letting them make $3 and $30 mistakes now.

[28:12] Why we let our kids earn and handle money and what this looks like for us.

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player we’ll include in the show notes of each episode. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

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November 19, 2019 | Crystal Paine

Feel like a failure?

What do you do when you experience failure in your life or your business? One of our wonderful listeners asked how you get back up and keep going after failure, and Jesse and I had a lively and honest discussion around this in this week’s episode of the The Crystal Paine Show.

Failure is a part of life, but it shouldn’t define who we are. For instance, for a long time, Jesse identified as a lawyer and that title made up his identity in many ways. If he failed or if he perceived a failure, that lack would directly impact his identity. 

For many others, they don’t feel like they are good enough. When this is the case, it’s so easy to see failure and setbacks as defining you as a failure personally.

The truth is that true failure only occurs when you stop trying and give up. Until you stop trying, you haven’t failed!

So keep moving and learning and growing from your mistakes. Also, don’t forget to stop and celebrate your wins. It’s so easy to focus on what we’re doing wrong instead of recognizing what we’re doing right.

In This Episode: 

[01:23] What’s saving our lives? Under Armour hoodies and my Sole F80 treadmill.

[07:36] I’m reading Tasting Grace by Melissa d’Arabian.

[12:25] Jesse shares how he gets up and does the next thing after a big fail? 

[16:03] So many people identify as “failures,” how do you separate the act of failure from your overall identity? 

[19:01] Everyone fails and each failure is a lesson learned.

[21:51] True failure is when you stop taking action. Just keep moving forward.

Links and Resources:

How to Listen to The Crystal Paine Show

The podcast is available on iTunes, Android, Stitcher, and Spotify. You can listen online through the direct player we’ll include in the show notes of each episode. OR, a much easier way to listen is by subscribing to the podcast through a free podcast app on your phone. (Find instructions for how to subscribe to a podcast here.)

Ready to dive in and listen? Hit the player above or search for “The Crystal Paine Show” on your favorite podcast app.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. If you click through and make a purchase, we may receive a small commission — at no additional cost to you. Thank you so much for your support!

Leave a Comment