#98: Mending Your Family Tree with Elizabeth Oates

Elizabeth considers herself "a poster child for children from divorced families." Experiencing divorce at three different ages and stages while growing up, she regularly witnessed marital strife that came from addiction, abuse, abandonment, and general dysfunction. Now a mother of five (three biological, one adopted, and one foster child), Elizabeth has made it her life mission to mend the broken branches of her own family tree through God's redemption, while equipping and encouraging other mothers in the areas of marriage, foster care, and faith. What we chat about: Some unique challenges of raising foster or adopted children Creative ways to deal with tattling kids The story of how Elizabeth's mother's three divorces at various stages in life affected her Managing motherhood as a natural overachiever Creating a mission statement to help evaluate the best places to focus your energy Advice for those considering becoming a foster parent How her new book, Mending Broken Branches (releasing October 24, 2017), equips and encourages women born into dysfunctional families who want something different for their own families  Links mentioned: Mending Broken Branches: When God Reclaims Your Dysfunctional Family Tree The Road Back to You: An Enneagram Journey to Self-Discovery L'Oreal Voluminous Original Where to find Elizabeth: website // Instagram // Twitter // Facebook // Pinterest Episode Sponsor: JellyTelly Did you know today our kids are consuming more media than ever before? - On average more than 5 hours a day!  For most kids, this means watching shows where God doesn’t even show up in them at all! As a mom, I want my kids to enjoy shows and movies, but I also want those things to point them to Jesus! Which is why I’m excited to tell you about JellyTelly. Head over to jellytelly.com and use coupon code MSW for a free week and a coloring book download! Support the show: Shop Amazon Affiliate Link Share the Struggle! Find me on Instagram or Facebook because I want to hear YOUR thoughts on this episode!  If you've been encouraged by the show, please share it with another mom.  The struggle is real.  We might as well do this together!