Archive for overstimulation

How To Manage Downtime During The Holidays

It’s Part 4 of our Holiday How-To Guide, and in this episode we’re giving you practical strategies for managing the (often) dreaded downtime during Christmas! You know how this goes. It’s the school year, and it it certainly has its own struggles. The constant on-the-go of Monday through Friday, and then sports, church, and get-togethers sprinkled in makes the grind a bit exhausting. But it’s structured. It’s routine. What do you do when that changes and you’re suddenly in the middle of Christmas break, with little to no routine, and the meltdowns are starting to arise? On today’s episode we’re

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Creating A Blueprint For Helping Your Sensory Seeking Child

When you’re parenting a sensory-seeking child, you are often exhausted and at your wit’s end. Before you give up hope, tune into today’s podcast episode. By the end of the show, you will have a brand new perspective… We are welcoming our good friend, and fellow foster and adoptive parent, Carrie Blaske to The Honestly Adoption Podcast today. This is an awesome interview! We’re talking about a huge topic when it comes to the foster and adoptive journey: how to create a blueprint for helping your sensory-seeking child. Listen Now: Notes and Quotes: Sensory processing disorder (SPD; also known as sensory integration

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How To Create Structure During The Chaos Of The Holidays

The holiday season, specifically Christmas break, is often a dreaded time for foster and adoptive parents because it means a lack of normal structure for their kiddos. How do you navigate through this time successfully? On today’s episode of The Honestly Adoption Podcast, Mike and Kristin are joined by Licensed Mental Health Counselor and therapist, Ruth Graham as they discuss how to create structure during the chaos of the holidays. This is the conclusion of our 4-part holiday series entitled, “Holiday Survival Tips and Tricks.” Listen Now:

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How To Handle Overstimulation During The Holidays

Trees! Lights! Parties! Presents! Friends! Family! Concerts! Cookies! Candy!  How can you help your child navigate all of the overstimulation they are experiencing during this time of year? The holiday season is full of fun and exciting sights, sounds, smells, treats, and activities. Mike and Kristin have asked their good friend, Jenn Hook, to join us today as they discuss some ways parents can handle overstimulation with their kids during the holiday season.  Listen in now for Part 2 of 4 in our “Holiday Survival Tips and Tricks Series.”

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How To Help Your Child Process Disappointment During Christmas

“One of the reasons Christmas is hard is because of our own personal grief and loss issues.”

Coupled with the losses and grief our children may be experiencing, foster and adoptive families can quickly find themselves wondering just how they will survive this season between Halloween and New Year’s Day!

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Mike and Kristin Berry are the Co-Founders of The Honestly Adoption Company and have been parents for nearly two decades. They are the authors of six books, and the host of The Honestly Adoption Podcast.

Sarah Gray

Sarah Gray is the executive assistant to Mike and Kristin Berry. And she is the best in the land. In addition to providing a warm and friendly response to the many emails our company receives on a weekly basis, she also manages Mike and Kristin’s speaking and meeting schedules, and makes sure that team events go off without a hitch.

Nicole Goerges

Nicole Goerges is a Content Contributor & Special Consultant for The Honestly Adoption Company. She works with Mike and Kristin as a recurring co-host for the Honestly Adoption Podcast, and co-host of Kitchen Table Talks, exclusive video content for Oasis Community, along with Kristin. She is a fellow adoptive mom, and former foster parent.

Matt McCarrick

Matt McCarrick is the Content Production Specialist for The Honestly Adoption Company. If you’ve loved listening to our podcast, or enjoyed any of the videos trainings we’ve published, you have Matt to thank. He oversees all of our content production, from video edits, to making sure the tags are correct on YouTube, to uploading new videos to Oasis, to hitting publish on a podcast episode, he’s a content wonder!

Karen Anderson

Karen Anderson is the Community Engagement Specialist for The Honestly Adoption Company. She spends the bulk of her time interacting with, and helping, people through our various social media channels, as well as providing support for Oasis Community members through chat support or Zoom calls. In the same spirit as Beaver, Karen is also passionate about connecting with parents and making them feel loved and supported. Karen is also an FASD trainer and travels often, equipping and encouraging parents.

Beaver Trumble

Beaver Trumble is the Customer Care Specialist for The Honestly Adoption Company. Chances are, if you have been in need of technical support, or forgotten your password to one of our courses, you have interacted with Beaver. He is an absolute pro at customer care. In fact, he single-handedly revolutionized our customer care department last year. Beaver is passionate about connecting with parents and making them feel loved and encouraged.

Kristin Berry

Kristin Berry is the co-founder of, and Chief Content Specialist for, The Honestly Adoption Company. She spends most of her time researching and connecting with guests for our podcast, as well as direction, designing and publishing a lot of the content for our social media channels, blog and podcast. She loves to connect with fellow parents around the world, and share the message of hope with them.

Mike Berry

Mike Berry is the co-founder of, and Chief Marketing Specialist for, The Honestly Adoption Company. He spends the bulk of his time and energy designing and building many of the resources you see within our company, as well as social media and email campaigns. His goal is to use media as a means to encourage and equip parents around the world. He is also the co-host of The Honestly Adoption Podcast.