THE TRAVELING SPARK STATION – WIDE-EYED AND WONDERING Part 3
Release Date: 05/24/2026
Drunken Snails and Other Miracles
Gotta Love Family Podcast
When I moved from Montana to Utah in my late 50s, something stopped me in my tracks. The realization that , no matter the circumstances or the people involved. This hit me hard. I couldn't blame others for how I felt! I was mad and honestly didn't want it to be true. But I am a learner, and the thought wouldn't leave. As I learned and accepted the truth of this statement, my life began to change. I wanted that same growth for my children. Join me as I share my 29-year-old son Andrew's experience. It is enlightening and fun. Especially the part about the drunken snails. : )
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Two Mintes and a Moment of Stillness
Gotta Love Family Podcast
I had a deep, interesting, and moving conversation about learning to slow down and being still with a friend, Melissa. This is something I've been tutored in for over a decade, but it still isn't a habit for me. I'm a mover, shaker, and finisher. Stopping and stillness are not part of my natural energy. Join me as I share what my tutoring has looked like, how it has gone, and the challenges and blessings of working on stillness. It has been enlightening.
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Spark Station Letters: Keeping Kids in Your Heart (and You in Theirs)
Gotta Love Family Podcast
When my daughter Marie's children were young, I wanted to stay connected between visits. We only saw each other a couple of times a year, and I wanted more than that. While working on a presentation about , the idea came to me: why not write Spark Station Letters? The idea was simple. I would write letters to my grandchildren sharing something that interested me — a word, a historical figure, a current event, a family story. Something that might spark a conversation in their home and keep us woven into each other's lives. It worked beautifully. Marie told me the kids were all ears when she...
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I Thought I Had Committed (I Hadn’t)
Gotta Love Family Podcast
In January, my daughter Jodie gathered a group of friends to work on having a better outcome in 2026. We listened to an interesting by Daniel Pink. The premise was that structure beats willpower. We each determined what we regretted from 2025 and how we could do better in 2026 to avoid repeating our mistakes. My regret was not getting my writing in until the last minute. I regretted that because it fed this old story — there is no time in my life for me — and it led to feelings of resentment toward those I care for. I placed my lack of consistency on them and their needs. Here's something...
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The Pink Refrigerator-A Book About a Spark Station, Of Sorts!
Gotta Love Family Podcast
I received this email in the early days of teaching parents how to use The Spark Station. “You may have seen this. It’s a picture book called The Pink Refrigerator by Tim Egan. This illustrates the secret of the Spark Station in an inspiring way. A junk dealer who likes to do–not much–finds a pink refrigerator that holds something new for him every day, and he gets excited about life and learning, closes shop, and sets off to explore the world. I thought you might enjoy this if you hadn’t seen it. Happy reading, Cathy D.” I was intrigued, so I went to the library and found the...
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The Traveling Spark Station – Holidays, Memories, and a Basket Full of Wonder Part 4
Gotta Love Family Podcast
Holidays have a magic that no other topic quite matches. Children feel them coming weeks in advance. They carry memories, traditions, food, and family stories all bundled together. They are, in many ways, the punctuation marks of a child's year, the moments against which everything else is measured. I can remember family holidays when I was a child, and my children still talk about theirs. That's what makes them perfect Traveling Spark Station territory. In this final installment, Part 4, of the series on The Traveling Spark Station, we're going to look at six holidays that have found their...
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THE TRAVELING SPARK STATION – WIDE-EYED AND WONDERING Part 3
Gotta Love Family Podcast
Here we are — Part 3. If you've been listening along with and , you already know the rhythm. You pick a topic, you gather a few books, a simple activity or two, and maybe something to eat. You show up, and something small and good happens. Part 3 is where the Traveling Spark Station gets wonderfully wide. We're talking about the entire world — its creatures, its seasons, its countries, its history, and the people who shaped it. These topics help children understand that they’re part of something bigger than themselves: a family with a history, a country with a story, a planet full of...
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The Real Problem With Kits Isn't The Kit
Gotta Love Family Podcast
While working with individual families, this question came up often - should I let my kids use kits or have them work from scratch? I had listened to speakers and read articles that said absolutely no kits. By then, I had stopped living in a black-and-white world. I had learned to take my family, their needs, as well as my own, into consideration when deciding what was good for connection and learning. I had gotten brave enough to say, "I'm the expert in my home." I surely didn't know everything and still don't, but I observed, pondered, and used my good sense. With that in mind, listen to...
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5-10-26 The Traveling Spark Station - Numbers Needles & Faries Part 2
Gotta Love Family Podcast
Welcome back. If you heard , you already know that the Traveling Spark Station isn't about content — it's about being present. It's about showing a child that the person standing in front of them finds the world interesting and wants to explore it together. In Part 2, we're going to explore two areas that might surprise you: math and the arts. I say "surprise you" because math has a reputation for being dry and intimidating, and the arts sometimes get dismissed as less important than "real" subjects. The Traveling Spark Station disagrees with both of those ideas. Math is everywhere — in...
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A Spring Story - A Principle Taught
Gotta Love Family Podcast
It's spring — that season of newness, freshness, and quiet beginnings. It seemed the perfect time to share a story from Jaroldeen Asplund Edwards' book The Daffodil Principle, because it beautifully illustrates something I've come to believe deeply: that lasting change happens 1% at a time. Not in grand gestures or overnight transformations, but in small, consistent efforts that grow into something magnificent. Join me as I share portions of a story that illustrate that we make a difference and leave a legacy 1% at a time.
info_outlineHere we are — Part 3. If you've been listening along with Part 1 and Part 2, you already know the rhythm. You pick a topic, you gather a few books, a simple activity or two, and maybe something to eat. You show up, and something small and good happens.
Part 3 is where the Traveling Spark Station gets wonderfully wide. We're talking about the entire world — its creatures, its seasons, its countries, its history, and the people who shaped it. These topics help children understand that they’re part of something bigger than themselves: a family with a history, a country with a story, a planet full of remarkable things worth knowing about. Join me and lets have some fun!