Life Happens Laugh Anyway

Episode 13: How To Handle Karens

Hey Humor Consumers,

Life Happens Laugh Anyway is currently sponsored by Muffin and Pooh (aka our husbands).

This is Episode 13, “How to handle Karens”

Three takeaways…

1. What is a Karen?
2. How to handle a Karen?
3. How not to be a Karen.

We struggled a bit with this because neither of us really knew what a “Karen” meant. Turns out, it has multiple meanings. For the purpose of this podcast, we are going with the Wikipedia definition of a Karen: “Karen is a pejorative term for women seeming to be entitled or demanding beyond the scope of what is normal.”

We talked about listening as a skill that we could all benefit from in every relationship. Tracy mentioned Equipping Ministries International and their courses on listening.

Our spiritual encouragement comes from Ephesians 4:29. It says, “Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”

This verse addresses the sin of the tongue and letting words fly like a “Karen.” We share the story of how we were led by the Holy Spirit to overcome that temptation by using what we call a “Trash Talk Bin.”

Below are the steps of how to use a Trash Talk Bin:

Step One: Write it out on paper. (By “it” we mean whatever it is that is bothering you that you might be tempted to spew out onto another person. AKA…sin!)

Step Two: Place the paper in the bin. (We usually tear ours into itty bitty pieces just to be sure they won’t be read by anyone.)

Step Three: Pray and then burn baby burn.

Step Four: Let Go and Let God. Let go of your “stuff” and let God take it. As the old saying goes…take it to the throne, not the phone.

Want to consume more humor? You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Reminders: Help us grow this podcast by hitting the “subscribe” or “follow” button, commenting on episodes, liking episodes, leaving 5 star reviews. We know it is a lot of stuff, but we understand that these things will help the LHLA podcast to get found by others. 

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy & Cathrine

Copyright 2021 Tracy DeGraaf All Rights Reserved

p.s. Check out our socials for extra fun content.

Facebook

Episode 12: Frugal & Fun Vaca's

Hey Humor Consumers,

Life Happens Laugh Anyway is currently sponsored by Muffin and Pooh (aka our husbands).

This is Episode 12, Frugal & Fun Vacas and here’s what you can expect…

Three takeaways…

1. Highlights from our most memorable traveling experiences.
2. Dos and don’ts for traveling on the cheap.
3. Tips that will save you money. Check out MoneyCrashers.com for a great article called 47 Ways to Save Money on Vacation – Easy Tips for Frugal Travel.

Our spiritual encouragement comes Exodus 13:21 and Matthew 11:28-29

These passages bring encouragement to us because God wants to be our guide as we go along in life and He also wants to be our source of rest. Vacations can serve as a time for renewal and refreshment so be sure to bring your Bible with you and spend some quality time with the Lord.

Want to consume more humor? You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Reminders: Help us grow this podcast by hitting the “subscribe” or “follow” button, commenting on episodes, liking episodes, leaving 5 star reviews. We know it is a lot of stuff, but we understand that these things will help the LHLA podcast to get found by others. 

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy & Cathrine

Copyright 2021 Tracy DeGraaf All Rights Reserved

p.s. Check out our socials for extra fun content.

Facebook

 

 

Episode 11: Lessons of Quarantine

Hey Humor Consumers,

Life Happens Laugh Anyway is currently sponsored by Muffin and Pooh

In Episode 11 we share what we learned from Covid19 and the quarantine

Three takeaways…

1. Top ten things Tracy and Cathrine did or learned while quarantined.
2. Why people aren’t meant to be isolated.
3. Why Tracy refused to do “stand-up” online and what she did instead.

Our spiritual encouragement comes Matthew 6:33-34

Want to consume more humor? You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Reminders: Help us grow this podcast by hitting the “subscribe” or “follow” button, commenting on episodes, liking episodes, leaving 5 star reviews. We know it is a lot of stuff, but we understand that these things will help the LHLA podcast to get found by others. 

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy & Cathrine

Copyright Tracy DeGraaf All Rights Reserved

p.s. Check out our socials for extra fun content.

Facebook

 

 

Episode 10: Meal Planning Doesn't Have To Suck

Hey Humor Consumers,

Life Happens Laugh Anyway is currently sponsored by Muffin and Pooh

In Episode 10 we take you along as we discuss meal planning.

• Meal planning is still a challenge even though we’ve been doing it for decades
• Cathrine’s first kitchen fail
• Tracy serving pizza for Christmas Eve
• Formal culinary training or lack there of
• Home Ec
• Kitchen Motto: Everybody Fed Nobody Dead
• How to make mealplanning EASY and FUN
• Cat’s recipe
• Tracy’s recipe

Our spiritual encouragement comes from Eccleiastes 2:24

Want to consume more humor? You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a 5 star review. 

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy & Cathrine

Copyright Tracy DeGraaf All Rights Reserved

p.s. Check out our socials for extra fun content.

Facebook

 

 

Episode 9: Death and Aging Parents

Hello Humor Consumers!

Shout out to our sponsors (aka our husbands) Muffin and Pooh. ;0) We sooooooo appreciate their love and support in creating and producing this podcast.

In this episode we are talking about things no one likes to talk about....death of our parents and caring for aging parents.

We share a three minute comedy bit from my act that introduces the audience to my dad.

We discuss...

• Why we are talking about death and aging on a podcast that is supposed to be humorous.
• Why we pushed this episode back a day when the real rubber was meeting the road in Cathrine's life as she cares for her mom.
• When to start having discussions with loved ones about getting their affairs in order regarding care and end-of-life issues.
• Why should we have these discussions.
• What should you do to prepare for end-of-life.
• Two tips from Tracy of things she would do differently if she could.

Spiritual inspiration: Psalm 90:10,12

Thanks so much for tuning in to the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast. If you enjoyed this episode, hit the subscribe button as that helps us to be found by others.

To find out more about Tracy's comedy ministry go to TracyDeGraaf.com

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy and Cathrine

p.s. Feel free to leave us a message or comment as we would love to communicate with you all. For all caregivers, thank you for your service. It's truly appreciated. ;0)

 

 

Episode 8:Unwelcome Change and Review of Who Moved My Cheese

Greetings Humor Consumers!

This is episode 8 on the topic of "Unwanted Change." We review the classic book Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson, M.D.

We discuss...

• Summary of Who Moved My Cheese?
• Cheese is a metaphor for what we really want in life whether it's a relationship, career, money, lifestyle or something else.
• Four characters in the story: Sniff, Scurry, Hem and Haw. Sniff and Scurry are mice with simple brains and Hem and Haw are tiny people who are the same size as mice but they have complex brains and emotions. In the story, the cheese is permanently moved from Cheese Station C where the four characters live and Sniff and Scurry get to work right away looking for more cheese elsewhere in the maze. Hem and Haw spend their time overthinking the situation and letting their emotions rule the day. 
• Fear is responsible for Hem and Haw hemming and hawing. The author asks: What would you do if you're not afraid? The author points out that: When you move beyond your fear, you feel free!
• Handwriting on the wall: The book talks about clues that things are changing and if one is looking for these clues, it can set you up to be in a better position to adapt to the change.
• Process of Change and Tips to Cope: CrisisNetwork.org
• Serenity Prayer
• Romans 12:2

Thanks so much for joining us on our podcast. To learn more about the ministry, go to TracyDeGraaf.com

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy and Cathrine

p.s. Whatever change you may be facing right now might seem scary. Just know that God will meet you right there in the fear and take your hand to help you step forward. 

Episode 7: Thrifting & Dumpster Diving

Hey Humor Consumers,

In Episode 7 we take you along as we discuss the thrill of thrifting and dumpster diving. We are both addicted to upcycling, repurposing, and just finding great things at low prices or free. What’s not to love?

In this episode we discuss…

• Cathrine’s backstory being a young kid at auctions and her mom bribing her with hot dogs and bushes.
• The power of PAINT and how this inexpensive tool can be used to decorate.
• Goodwill adventures and how we ended up in St. Louis when we were supposed to be going to Alabama.
• We both share how many pre-loved major furniture and home décor items we have in our current homes. The number is pretty high.
• Some of our favorite finds.
• We talk about Youtuber and thrifter Kristin McGowan and her Youtube video 5 household items you should be thrifting.

Our spiritual encouragement comes from 2Corinthians 5:17.

Want to consume more humor? You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a 5 star review. 

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy & Cathrine

Copyright Tracy DeGraaf All Rights Reserved

p.s. Check out our socials for pics of our favorite pre-loved items in our homes.

Episode 6: Insomnia: Stuff that keeps you up at night and what to do about it.

Hey Humor Consumers,

We are moving right along in podcast-land with Episode 6. (If you only knew how many hours and hours of mistakes we have made with the tech stuff, you would definitely be laughing with us over it.)

But, alas, we never give up and never give in. We just keep begging our grown kids to help us for free. He he.

In this episode of the Life Happens Laugh Anyway Podcast, we discuss what keeps you up at night. Yes, that’s right, good old ‘insomnia.’

In this episode we will cover…

• What is insomnia? Difficulty falling asleep, staying asleep, and early waking.
• Sleep hygiene: sleeping in a quiet, dark and cool room; hiding the clock, caffeine reduction, regular morning exercise, maintaining regular sleep schedule, comfortable mattress, not going to bed too full or too hungry, no smoking or drinking and no screen time right before bed.
• Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Insomnia (CBTI): Getting pros on board can help a ton!

Our spiritual encouragement comes from Philippians 4:6-9

Want to consume more humor? You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a 5 star review. 

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy & Cathrine

Copyright Tracy DeGraaf All Rights Reserved

p.s. We truly hope you get a great night’s sleep tonight and that this episode was helpful.

 

Episode 5: Joy: How to get and keep it.

Hey Humor Consumers!

In this episode we chat about how to keep joy in your life even when your life feels like a giant dumpster fire. We cover...

• Chapter 7 of Tracy's book Laugh Anyway Mom
• Laminated Jesus
• How our biggest problem has been solved
• Tips

Spiritual encouragement...

Psalm 51:10-19

You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a 5 star review. 

Episode 4: Gray Hair: When and how to let it grow.

Hey Humor Consumers,

In Episode 4 we talk about gray hair and the journey of letting it show. 

• How to go gray? Cold turkey, shave, partial color, and strip color and add toner. 
• When to go gray? How do you know you're ready?
• Why go gray? The four reasons Tracy decided to go gray: time, money, curiosity, chemicals.
• Surviving the transition by leaning on support groups and sticking to your guns. 

Spiritual encouragement: Proverbs 16:31

Want to consume more humor? You can purchase Tracy's book and check out more about her comedy and ministry on at https://tracydegraaf.com/

Thanks for listening. If you enjoyed this episode, please let us know by leaving a 5 star review. 

Virtual Hugs,

Tracy & Cathrine

Copyright Tracy DeGraaf All Rights Reserved

p.s. If you are transitioning to gray, let us know. Or, even if you're just thinking about it, reach out and connect with us.