For many of us the moment we found out we were pregnant was a moment of sheer bliss! Yes we were terrified, but we were filled with so much joy. Now imagine seeing those two pink lines appear at the age of 21. You are unmarried and only a few months away from graduating with your college degree. Instead of the room being filled with joy, it feels like all the air in the room is being sucked out. 

That is exactly what happened to this week's mama, Jessica Stauffer. Jess is a mom, wife, thriving photographer and owner of J3Designs Photography. For the better part of 15 years, Jess has been documenting the stories of hundreds of people from behind the camera. Today we are turning the tables and documenting her story - The Unexpected Mama - from behind the microphone. 

For many of us the moment we found out we were pregnant was a moment of sheer bliss! Yes we were terrified, but we were filled with so much joy. Now imagine seeing those two pink lines appear at the age of 21. You are unmarried and only a few months away from graduating with your college degree. Instead of the room being filled with joy, it feels like all the air in the room is being sucked out. 
That is exactly what happened to this week's mama, Jessica Stauffer. Jess is a mom, wife, thriving photographer and owner of <a href="https://www.j3designsphotography.com">J3Designs Photography. </a>For the better part of 15 years, Jess has been documenting the stories of hundreds of people from behind the camera. Today we are turning the tables and documenting her story - The Unexpected Mama - from behind the microphone.

Being a mom is hard. Being a mom in 2023 is even harder.

In a world of gender confusion, big tech gone wild, exploding daycare costs and even potty training getting political, being a mom in 2023 is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Your host Kayla Blakeslee has worked in news/talk radio for over a decade and has taken on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. And yet, her experience in news/talk has been no match for being a parent.

As a new mom, Kayla quickly learned not only is her full-time job political, but so is being a mom.

Kayla will share stories and insights, interview guests and have unfiltered conversations about how motherhood and everything in it has become so political. Hopefully, she will also be able to arm you with some tools to take on some of these new policies.

So hop in your car, find a nearby bathroom, or any other spot where you hide from your kids, and get ready to talk everything from potty training to politics. ​

Being a mom is hard. Being a mom in 2023 is even harder.
In a world of gender confusion, big tech gone wild, exploding daycare costs and even potty training getting political, being a mom in 2023 is definitely not for the faint of heart.
Your host Kayla Blakeslee has worked in news/talk radio for over a decade and has taken on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. And yet, her experience in news/talk has been no match for being a parent.
As a new mom, Kayla quickly learned not only is her full-time job political, but so is being a mom.
Kayla will share stories and insights, interview guests and have unfiltered conversations about how motherhood and everything in it has become so political. Hopefully, she will also be able to arm you with some tools to take on some of these new policies.
So hop in your car, find a nearby bathroom, or any other spot where you hide from your kids, and get ready to talk everything from potty training to politics. ​

News Mom

Being a mom is hard. Being a mom in today's world is even harder.

In a world of gender confusion, big tech gone wild, exploding daycare costs and even potty-training getting political, being a mom is definitely not for the faint of heart.

Your host Kayla Blakeslee has worked in news/talk radio for over a decade and has taken on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. And yet, her experience in news/talk has been no match for being a parent.

As a new mom Kayla quickly learned not only is her full-time job political, but so is being a mom.

Kayla will share stories and insights, interview guests and have unfiltered conversations about how motherhood and everything in it has become so political. Hopefully, she will also be able to arm you with some tools to take on some of these new policies.

So hop in your car, find a nearby bathroom, or any other spot where you hide from your kids, and get ready to talk everything from potty-training to politics. ​

Being a mom is hard. Being a mom in today's world is even harder.
In a world of gender confusion, big tech gone wild, exploding daycare costs and even potty-training getting political, being a mom is definitely not for the faint of heart.
Your host Kayla Blakeslee has worked in news/talk radio for over a decade and has taken on lawmakers from both sides of the aisle. And yet, her experience in news/talk has been no match for being a parent.
As a new mom Kayla quickly learned not only is her full-time job political, but so is being a mom.
Kayla will share stories and insights, interview guests and have unfiltered conversations about how motherhood and everything in it has become so political. Hopefully, she will also be able to arm you with some tools to take on some of these new policies.
So hop in your car, find a nearby bathroom, or any other spot where you hide from your kids, and get ready to talk everything from potty-training to politics. ​

The Unexpected Mom - Jessica Stauffer

You’re not even halfway into the school year and ALREADY it’s just not working for you or your child. That is OK mama. Take a deep breath and know you have other options… 

I get it. I too didn’t think there were other options for my family either, but after chatting with shelly Ross – with locally owned closet concepts here in town, she is the one who initially helped me realize…  Hubby and I have other options for our three year old. We just started dipping our toes into the water and exploring ALL of our options – I am looking at Lutheran schools, Catholic schools, Christian schools, public schools! Last episode I had a guest on to explore homeschooling… told ya… looking at ALL the options…  

Shelly knew I was on this fact finding mission so she introduced me to Katie Slee. She is the Director of Advancement at Bishop Dwenger, just so I could start to gather all the facts. I know location and finances are always factors, but they don’t have to be, especially with the recent expansion of Indiana’s Choice Scholarship program. If you are trying to move your child or explore alternatives Katie is a great resource when it comes to a catholic school. The deep dive into education options continues right now here on the News Mom podcast.

You’re not even halfway into the school year and ALREADY it’s just not working for you or your child. That is OK mama. Take a deep breath and know you have other options… 
I get it. I too didn’t think there were other options for my family either, but after chatting with shelly Ross – with locally owned closet concepts here in town, she is the one who initially helped me realize…  Hubby and I have other options for our three year old. We just started dipping our toes into the water and exploring ALL of our options – I am looking at Lutheran schools, Catholic schools, Christian schools, public schools! Last episode I had a guest on to explore homeschooling… told ya… looking at ALL the options…  
Shelly knew I was on this fact finding mission so she introduced me to Katie Slee. She is the Director of Advancement at Bishop Dwenger, just so I could start to gather all the facts. I know location and finances are always factors, but they don’t have to be, especially with the recent expansion of Indiana’s Choice Scholarship program. If you are trying to move your child or explore alternatives Katie is a great resource when it comes to a catholic school. The deep dive into education options continues right now here on the News Mom podcast.

The Catholic School Moms - Shelley Ross & Katie Slee

When it comes to homeschooling, we all have misconceptions. It’s only for the wealthy. It’s only for stay at home moms. Only families who live on homesteads do that. Today we are busting all those myths and by “we” I mean Kristen Bissontz. She is a Representative for the State Homeschool Association in Indiana. She just graduated her first child from homeschool. She also has a 17-year-old, 15-year-old and a 14-year-old. All of her kids have never seen the inside of a public school. 

Believe it or not, Kristen herself comes from the publican education sector. She graduated with a teaching degree and currently pursuing her masters.  When she isn't teaching her kids or studying, she advocates with our legislators to keep homeschooling as regulation free as possible in the state of Indiana.

Before getting married and even having kids, she decided it would be her mission to homeschool all her children. Nearly 20 years later, she is thankful she made that decision and in this episode she is telling us why. 

When it comes to homeschooling, we all have misconceptions. It’s only for the wealthy. It’s only for stay at home moms. Only families who live on homesteads do that. Today we are busting all those myths and by “we” I mean Kristen Bissontz. She is a Representative for the <a href="https://iahe.net/?fbclid=IwAR1iTIYLX3mgJEqlRUlk-9LO9BNPYNpyETi_EmpCZimNohzrvA7JxWPhUpM">State Homeschool Association in Indiana.</a> She just graduated her first child from homeschool. She also has a 17-year-old, 15-year-old and a 14-year-old. All of her kids have never seen the inside of a public school. 
Believe it or not, Kristen herself comes from the publican education sector. She graduated with a teaching degree and currently pursuing her masters.  When she isn't teaching her kids or studying, she advocates with our legislators to keep homeschooling as regulation free as possible in the state of Indiana.
Before getting married and even having kids, she decided it would be her mission to homeschool all her children. Nearly 20 years later, she is thankful she made that decision and in this episode she is telling us why.

The Homeschool Mom - Kristen Bissontz

It is the show many of you have been waiting for. What happened to Emily Franks? Many of you are well aware she was fired from her job at a local salon in Fort Wayne, Indiana after appearing on the News Mom podcast. Today I am spilling the team.

Emily will not be making an appearance. I offered her that opportunity, but respectfully she declined. She has moved on, she is happy and she has found a positive place to continue servicing her guests at 729 Salon and Cosmetics. However, now that the dust has settled, she did tell me she looks back at her initial appearance on the podcast and views her time as an opportunity that allowed her to, “…let other moms know they are not alone." She also wanted to pass along the following message to listeners, "...keep fighting for our children. Whatever that may look like in your home.”  

I on the other hand feel differently. I too have moved on, but this podcast was created in an effort to fight for and preserve parental rights. It was created as a place for moms to share and tell their parenting struggles (and successes) without judgment so we can all learn a thing or two when faced with similar circumstances.  Thus, in sticking to what this show is all about, I feel it is necessary to address what happened to Emily as my goal is to be a good resource for other moms out there.

If you are a mama who cares where you spend your hard earned cash, this episode of the News Mom podcast is for you.

It is the show many of you have been waiting for. What happened to Emily Franks? Many of you are well aware she was fired from her job at a local salon in Fort Wayne, Indiana after appearing on the News Mom podcast. Today I am spilling the team.
Emily will not be making an appearance. I offered her that opportunity, but respectfully she declined. She has moved on, she is happy and she has found a positive place to continue servicing her guests at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/seven29salon">729 Salon and Cosmetics.</a> However, now that the dust has settled, she did tell me she looks back at her initial appearance on the podcast and views her time as an opportunity that allowed her to, “…let other moms know they are not alone." She also wanted to pass along the following message to listeners, "...keep fighting for our children. Whatever that may look like in your home.”  
I on the other hand feel differently. I too have moved on, but this podcast was created in an effort to fight for and preserve parental rights. It was created as a place for moms to share and tell their parenting struggles (and successes) without judgment so we can all learn a thing or two when faced with similar circumstances.  Thus, in sticking to what this show is all about, I feel it is necessary to address what happened to Emily as my goal is to be a good resource for other moms out there.
If you are a mama who cares where you spend your hard earned cash, this episode of the News Mom podcast is for you.

The Unexpected Mom - Jessica Stauffer

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