How to Raise Humans, Not Just Parent Children

We're looking back at the Zimmerman Podcast episode all about... PARENTING! I'm sharing my 10 best tips for how to parent children like the complex human beings they are, not just like tiny children! Yupp. Now, it's always been my education philosophy that I'm not going to tell you WHAT TO DO, I'm just going to tell you what's worked for me. That's what I do for business and marketing, and that's what I do when it comes to parenting. This is NOT a how-to guide, it's a 'this is what I do' story!

PodcastGuest UserApril 27, 2021family of five, jessica zimmerman podcast, parenting, raising childrenComment

Quarantine and the Family Bubble

I love my alone time. Most people assume I’m an extrovert. Now, that could be because I spend my work days talking— mostly loudly— communicating, teaching, interviewing… you get the idea. But in reality, that’s work Jess! And when I’m off the clock, I’m a true introverted extrovert. In real life, when it’s time to go to a party, I have to spend all evening convincing myself to leave the house.

The idea of ordering takeout and hunkering down at home in my Christmas Pj’s is way more appealing than putting on real pants and motivating to go be with people.

Thanksgiving in California

For Thanksgiving, we flipped the script and traveled to sunny California!

We had the best time, even though it turns out our kids didn't get on board with my plan for adjusting to the time change and woke up every morning at around four!

PersonalJessica ZimmermanDecember 6, 2019family of five, jessica zimmerman podcast, thankful, vacation, zimmermanComment

How to Raise Humans, Not Just Parent Children

On today's podcast, we're officially going there...

PARENTING! I'm sharing my 10 best tips for how to parent children like the complex human beings they are, not just like tiny children!

Yupp. Now, it's always been my education philosophy that I'm not going to tell you WHAT TO DO, I'm just going to tell you what's worked for me. That's what I do for business and marketing, and that's what I do when it comes to parenting. This is NOT a how-to guide, it's a 'this is what I do' story!

PodcastGuest UserNovember 19, 2019family of five, jessica zimmerman podcast, parenting, raising childrenComment

Exuma, Bahamas

We successfully completed our busiest wedding season yet and after all that hard work, I decided a celebration was in order! With only a about ten days notice, I booked a trip to Exuma, Bahamas for our family of five and we fell in love with the island.

Our summer escape to Camp Wandawega

Our kids currently go to preschool year-round. Every July they are off for one week and every July we go somewhere fun. The weather in Arkansas is brutally hot during this time, so traveling someplace a little less hot is always a big incentive, too. This past year, we traveled to Wisconsin and stayed at a lovely little place called Camp Wandawega.

How I get more joy and less stress out of my kids’ birthday parties

I’ve only been doing kid birthday parties for four years, but it only took me two years to figure this thing out. Here’s what I do to make sure I actually get to be present during the parties – you know, like actually talk to the people there, watch my kids as they blow out their candles with my actual eyes and not through the viewfinder on my phone – and have zero clean up when the party's over.

I put on the Swimsuit

I am a travel junkie at heart. I am one of those people who would totally take my kids out of school for a year and travel the world. Maybe one day I will! A lot of our traveling the past couple of years, especially with three little ones, has felt more like trips than vacations. Seaside, Florida is that one place where we go every year that actually feels like a vacation. We rent a beach house for a week and we have zero problem unplugging. We go about the day with no real schedule. We go for bike rides, swim in the pool, and play by the beach. Everything is in walking distance. We eat good food and each day the kids pick a treat, either a snow cone, ice cream, or something from the local candy shop.

Inside My Planner

Appointments on your phone are great, and I used to do that; but I found having EVERYTHING in one place helps my everyday productivity tremendously. I decided to buy myself an annual planner. I use Emily Ley’s simplified planner. I bought it keeping in mind it is going to get messy, but it’s a way to organize my life around the things that matter most! I learned a wonderful tip from Emily Ley: there needs to be plenty of white space in your planner.