Volunteer Time!

On the right is a picture of the kids serving their Daddy in his favorite way--making him chocolate chip cookies! Today on the air, I mentioned that my husband and I were trying to brainstorm ways to get our whole family involved in volunteer work we can do together. Maybe it's massive sleep deprivation... but neither of us could come up with anything great. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU for your wonderful suggestions...a couple of you suggested taking the kids to a nursing home. I'm thrilled with that idea because I'm pretty close to my grandparents and I think bridging the generation gap between grandparents and kids is great for everyone! Another caller mentioned raking leaves and shoveling snow for the neighbors. I'll leave that task to my husband! :)
But I really love the email I got from a tired mom who said, "I'd love to do something extra for service but I'm just way too exhausted!" Trust me, I feel your pain! I'm burning the candle on both ends myself.
A lot of listeners are surprised to learn that once I'm done with my morning air shift, I'm still working at the station until 1:30-1:45 in the afternoon...then I've got a husband and two kids to serve when I come home! But you know what? I wouldn't trade it for anything.
--Catherine

A Good Man = A Good Listener

I concur with Scott...Most women I know love it when their men actively listen to them and validate their feelings. I've just got to take a moment to brag on my husband, Jeff. He takes a lot of heat from my rants on the morning show about his shrinking my favorite fall sweaters (still haven't gotten over it!), being the messiest man alive (why do you think I'm fighting a cold?), and restricting my doll collection (c'mon, who doesn't love Marie Osmond?)...But I've gotta tell ya...Jeff is the greatest husband I could ever ask for. He's a wonderful listener who genuinely tries to make sense of my hair-brained antics. He's consistently loyal and loving...and above all, tries to live his life for the Lord. And frankly, I just think he's the most darling thing I've ever seen! And listen to this, ladies--He thinks I'm beautiful in flannel sweatpants, glasses, and no make-up! Now, THAT'S MY KIND OF MAN!!!

Kid Advice

On the show today we talked about a judge who made a convicted burglar wear a tattoo that said "Daddy don't steal." That's because the defendant admitted that his 6 year-old boy encouraged him to turn from his wayward ways. It got me thinking about advice my kids have given me that has proved to be pretty helpful. Here's the best one..."Dad, don't always try to fix things, just listen." As a man and as a dad, fixing things is my natural tendency. Their reminder is so important, Thanks ladies. --Scott

Allowance Dilemma...Resolved

About a month ago, I shared a dilemma my husband, Jeff, and I were discussing: Should we give Delaney, 9, and Max, 6, a flat-rate weekly allowance for chores or should we give Delaney more because she's older and capable of doing more difficult tasks? I was in favor of giving the same amount of money to each child while my husband wanted to give Delaney a little extra.

Well, thanks to a caller who suggested that we "pay-per-chore" to make things fair AND enforce a rule that any misbehavior is grounds for subtracting allowance, we've decided to do just that! A listener also suggested that we hand out "chips" of some sort instead of loose change so that it could be redeemed for money at the end of the week. Brilliant idea! Thank you!
My husband and I both think it's a great way to teach the kids to work for their money, contribute to their family while being respectful, and learn to spend, save and give to the church responsibly.
--Catherine

A day in the life...

This snapshot of me & Scott in the studio captures the essence of our mornings. Can you see the coffee mug about six inches from my arm? It's the lifeline that pumps energy into my brain so that I can keep up with my witty co-host!
A lot of you ask me what time my alarm sounds in the morning. Well, on a typical morning I'm up between 4:15-4:30 a.m. I get dressed in a mad dash and scurry out the door to be at the station by about 5:00 a.m. so that I can write news updates and prep for the show. But the very first thing I do when I walk through the doors is race to the kitchen to make a pot of coffee--between the two of us, we pretty much tank the entire thing by the end of our shift!
I'm not a morning person by nature so it's been a challenge to force my body out of bed before the crack of dawn every day. But I feel incredibly blessed for the privilege of serving you by playing great music that glorifies our Savior and sharing my life with you! My favorite part of the morning (aside from Scott cracking me up non-stop) is talking to those of you who call into our studio line with colorful comments and stories. I really do love hearing from you! Thanks for making it worth waking up so early in the morning!
--Catherine