emotions

Episode 319: Keeping it Real with the Super Mamas: Paulina’s Quarter Life Tune-Up

You’re probably wondering what is a quarter life tune up is. We often talk about self-care for moms, taking care of your mental health making time to do things you love, but what about our physical health? This week, Paulina talks about what’s going on inside her body and the recent feelings that have made her focus on taking care of herself in all ways. Her personal version of tuning herself up. We also talk about the emotions we have felt over the last few weeks, especially with all the tragic events going on in the world. We have been “feeling our feelings”, as we explain during the episode, and we realize that we all have a different healing process. 

Our Conversation

Size 11W shoes

Paulina’s “rejuvenation” - Bulkamid Urethral Bulking

“I’m doing kegels as you’re telling this story” - Bricia

Two kind of incontinence

Bladder tests

“We talk about self care, massages and stuff. That’s great, but what’s going on inside your body?” - Paulina

After effects of traveling to Uvalde, Texas - listen to their experience

Paulina’s vision of time passing

Why it’s okay to feel the feelings

Pick or Tip of the Week

The last few weeks have been a little heavy so Paulina was looking for some laughs. Her pick is Cristela Alonzo’s new Netflix special, “Middle Classy.” These are the types of shows she loves because she watches them late at night after everyone has gone to sleep and she just laughs. She also loves the Ali Wong Netflix special.

Bricia’s pick is Paws of Fury: the Legend of Hank. While she loved the movie itself (it’s a great summer movie for kids!), you have to tune into the episode to hear why attending the movie premiere was such a cool experience for her son, Eduardo.

Links

Paulina refers to Bricia’s nose surgery story - listen to that episode here to hear why Paulina was freaked out for her own surgery

Nordstrom Rack has the best shoes! Even for Paulina’s size feet LOL

We talked a lot about our life coach, Victor Pierantoni Check out his past episode.

We also reference one of our first episodes with Lily Martinez. Listen to that throwback and let us know if we should have her back on the show!

Episode 301: Big Feelings, Changes & Body Positivity: A Girl’s Puberty Talk with Dr. Marni Sommer

“Big feelings are taking over our house!”

The time has come… for the dreaded puberty talk! 🤭 Lucky for us, our guest is making the conversation a little easier. Dr. Marni Sommer, professor at Columbia University and co-author of “A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods” sits down to share more about her book and how parents shouldn’t be embarrassed to talk to their kids about growing up and bodily changes. For many of us growing up, the only source of information was from our girlfriends, but that doesn’t have to be the case for our daughters.She explains that the secret to talking to your daughters, nieces or whichever young girls who look up to you in life about the changes their bodies are going through is by being a source of safe, factual information. Dr. Marni also shares tips on handling big feelings, surprise periods and reassurance that these changes are normal and happen to everyone. We’re taking all the notes for the changes awaiting us with our daughters!

More about Dr. Sommer: Marni Sommer, DrPH, MSN, RN, is a Professor at the Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University and co-author of A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods. Dr. Sommer has been working in global health for twenty-four years. Her areas of expertise include conducting participatory research with adolescents, understanding, and promoting healthy transitions to adulthood, the intersection of public health and education, gender and sexual health, and the implementation and evaluation of adolescent-focused interventions.

Dr. Sommer founded Grow and Know, Inc. in 2010. Her current research focuses on the intersections of gender, health and education for girls and boys transitioning into adulthood around the world. Her research with girls in Tanzania formed the basis of the original book project. She continues to conduct research and advocacy on puberty, periods, and education globally.

Our Conversation with Dr. Marni

Fear of Change

First Period Stories

Where do we start? When does it start and what topics do we cover?

How can we include dad in on this conversation?

How to talk about sex and naming all the parts

What signs should we look for when it comes to puberty and periods?

Period Kits

About the Book

A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods is a body-positive illustrated book that helps girls ages 9-14 understand what to expect about puberty and everything that goes with it. An important point of differentiation from other popular puberty books is that this new offering provides “my first period” stories and advice from diverse girls across the U.S. to help young women understand that everything they’re going through is normal. Parents will also appreciate that the book incorporates factual health content and practical tips developed by adolescent health experts at Columbia University. The goal is to empower girls to feel more confident and knowledgeable about their changing bodies. The book is available for purchase now via Amazon and other major book retailers.

Links

You can get your copy of A Girl's Guide to Puberty and Periods on Amazon now.

Check out agirlsguide.org to learn more more about the book and check out videos like the one below!

Episode 270: Keeping It Real with the Super Mamás - Post-Pandemic Dreams and Acknowledging Personal Growth

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Who else has missed our catch up sessions? We sure did, and this week is a little profound talk between sisters. Not only are we imagining what life is going to be like post-pandemic with family vacations (and maybe trips without them 🤣), going back to school, eating in restaurants and birthday parties, but we’re also getting deep into our feelings. We’re exploring buried emotions and acknowledging that growth from our childhood is just as important now that we’re parents and trying to understand our kids. It’s never too late to grow, sisters! 

P.S. Have you entered our giveaway for the new #TomAndJerryMovie ?! We’re giving TWO movie kits to a lucky random follower and a tagged friend! Check out our Instagram post for all the details on how to enter and watch the official movie trailer below.

Paulina’s Kid Schedules

The pandemic is finally on it’s way to out (we hope 🤞🏽) and Paulina barely started getting the hang of it! She realized that her girls needed to be on a better schedule before and after school, so she used Over to customize the schedules below. When the girls start to bother each other or tell Paulina they’re bored, she just points them to the schedule and asks what they’re supposed to be doing. Whether it’s meal time, school or free time, there’s always something to do.

Pick or Tip of the Week

Bricia and Eduardo tie dyed some shirts this weekend! The tie dye kit was gifted to her by Paulina. It’s a brand called Rit and it came in camel brown color and Bricia ended up buying more colors. She and Eddie went to Joanns for shirts, squeeze bottles and extra dye. Now her $5 shirt now looks like it cost $45 dollars!

Paulina is really into her eyebrows right now. She loves the Microfilling Brow Pen from Benefit. The tip is like three points and it almost feels like micro blading, and gives a much more full look. Elizabeth also recommended a brow gel from Anastasia. Paulina uses the gel first then the pen to fill in. 

Links

Bricia has started working with her life coach Victor Pierantoni again. Check out the episode we recorded with him about staying sane and zen in the pandemic earlier last year!

Episode 255: Learning with our Kids through Digital Play with OK Play App co-founders Chris Ovitz and Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson

Can screen time for kids be a positive experience? 📲 When you give parents activities to learn alongside their kids, it can be! This week we interview Chris Ovitz and Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson, two of the co-founders of the new OK Play App. The startup team created the app to connect children and families through play, and it has produced a learning experience for parents to help kids learn social & emotional skills and more.

Bricia and Paulina are personally big fans of the app. As parents with kids stuck at home all day in this quarantine, we’re always looking for new games, shows, and activities to keep our kids entertained and occupied. The best thing about the OK Play app is that it encourages parents to engage in play and learning with our kids. Together we are doing fun activities, like building a golf course like Bricia and Eddie made in the video below, but we’re also learning, communicating, and bonding through fun . Who knew play would be such serious work?

Super Mamas listeners can get a 90 day free trial of the app by visiting okplay.app/supermamas. Happy playing!

More about Co-founder and Chief Scientist, Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson: Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson is a developmental psychologist with an expertise in children's media and technology who serves as an adjunct professor at Ryerson University and Co-Director of the Ryerson Children’s Media Lab. She is a senior scholar for UCLA’s Center for Scholars and Storytellers and co-author of bestselling children's book, Dino Dana: Dino Field Guide. Colleen previously served as director of research at Sinking Ship Entertainment. Colleen is passionate about disseminating relevant research to parents, teachers, and the children's tech & media industry. She holds a PhD from Vanderbilt University as a National Science Foundation graduate student fellow and now lives in Toronto. She is the proud mom of two dogs and two toddlers, Ripley and Rex.

More about Co-founder and President, Chris Ovitz: Chris Ovitz is a serial tech entrepreneur who has built and advised companies that are inspired by his childhood love of gaming and that expand the possibilities of mobile. Prior to OK, Chris co-founded Workpop (acquired by Cornerstone OnDemand ), which reimagined the job seeking experience for essential workers. In 2011, he co-founded Viddy, a pioneering social mobile video platform that grew to over 70 million users and was acquired by Fullscreen . He led business development and strategy for Scopely and Adly and has served as an advisor to Code.org and Box . Chris is also an active angel investor in companies like Beyond Meat (Nasdaq: BYND), Block Renovation, Songza (acquired by Google), and Seismic Games (acquired by Niantic). Chris is a member of Vanity Fair’s “Next Establishment List” and graduated from UCLA with a BA in History. Chris' single greatest achievement is becoming a dad to his son, Pax.

About OK Play: OK Play is a first-of-its-kind app that sparks creation, conversation, and connection between parents and their children. Through fun activities that are interactive and encourage social and emotional growth, OK Play helps families establish a daily practice of bonding and sharing together. The app was made by parents and entrepreneurs at The OK Company, an LA-based media and technology startup whose mission is to help families be OK with exactly where they are right now. Join OK Play for free at www.okplay.co. 

Parenting Gems 💎 from this Week’s episode

The academic stuff is important but it’s a balance. Play is serious work. - Chris Ovitz

There is no perfect parent, and anyone who is trying to pretend to be perfect in their parenting is doing a disservice to their child. - Dr. Colleen Russo Johnson

Links

Follow @OKPlay on Instagram and Twitter.

Download the app in the App Store or get it on Google Play.

Super Mamas listeners can get a 90 day free trial of the app by visiting okplay.app/supermamas.

Watch Dino Dana and Annedroids on Amazon Prime, Odd Squad on PBS, and Endlings on Hulu.




Episode 233: Quarantine Week #4: Getting Real on Grief & Loss with LMFT Joanne Koegl

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Another week of quarantine went by, and with it came all sorts of feelings. On this week’s episode, we have Dr. Joanne Diaz-Koegl, Licensed Marriage Family Therapist, back on the show to help us sort out what we’re experiencing and feeling.

We talk about the stages of grief and the collective loss of our normality. Of course we are full of questions. How do we make sense of this new reality and how do we even explain that to our kids? Is it ok to be sad, angry or mad or do we have to be positive all the time? Know that there is no right or wrong way of feeling about this, whatever you feel, you have the right to feel. 🙏🏽❤️ We felt so much better and so much more normal after discussing our feelings with Joanne, and we hope this episode can provide more clarity for you too.

OUR CONVERSATION WITH JOANNE KOEGL

The stages of grief

What are some healthy ways to deal with what we’re going through?

What are some ways to explain to our kids what is happening? What is the correct amount of information to share with them?

How do we talk to our kids about death and grief that they’re feeling?

How do we create healthy spaces for ourselves & our significant others when we have to be together 24/7?

How do we tell others that it’s okay to grieve and that we don’t have to be positive all the time?

Pick or Tip of the Week

We brought back your favorite segment! We know not everyone is shopping right now, so we’re sharing our favorite tips.

Bricia’s tip this week are the new parental controls on Netflix. It’s hard to admit, but we’re all spending more time in front of the television right now, and Netflix’s parental controls gives you options to see what your kids are watching and regulate it. It’s a great way to block the shows you don’t want your children to watch and also to block the annoying shows you don’t want to listen to. 😂 Learn more about it on our blog.

Paulina’s tip is from her marriage class. Her homework that she’s sharing with you is to improve your communication skills with your spouse during social distancing. It’s a 10 day challenge where everyday with your spouse, you pray, play and please.

  • Pray together or over each other;

  • Play together - board games, workout, watch a movie, or do other activities with each other;

  • and please each other for 30 minutes each - a foot massage, a long shower/bath while the other watches the children, etc.

Links

Listen to Victor Pierantoni, Bricia’s life coach, podcast - The Zen Stoic Podcast

Learn more about the services Joanne offers and book a Zoom session with her via her website.

Books mentioned by Joanne - “On Death and Dying” by Elisabeth Kubler Ross and "Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief" by David Kessler

What are your plans for the weekend ?Come join us this Saturday! we’re cooking up something STRANGE with @chefashleyshep and @iampaulinalopez! Check out the link in our bio to be a part of a very special STRANGE WORLD Mommy and Me cooking class
I feel like I’ve gotten to know so much more of myself in the past couple of weeks, from my trip to Oaxaca reconnecting to my inner child and the traditions that fill me up so much to meeting with @victor.zenstoic today. I feel so grateful and