Moms Take Ten

Lyssa Stoyko

A place for Christian Moms to refuel and refocus in the midst of your busy days. Join us as we talk about Jesus, motherhood, foster care and adoption. Lyssa is a wife, a foster and adoptive mom of three, a Bible teacher and a Connected Families certified parent coach. Since leading her moms group at church, she has a desire to see moms in community, discovering who God has made them to be. Learn more at lyssastoyko.com. Follow me on Instagram @lyssastoyko

  1. 7h ago

    Foster Care and Adoption with Nina Buttermore

    What happens when God leads your family into foster care—and then the journey looks nothing like you expected? In this episode of our Foster Care & Adoption series, Nina Buttermore shares how God led her family to say yes to foster care, the long wait to become licensed, and the roller coaster that followed. Through unexpected twists, hard moments, and plenty of uncertainty, God has been teaching Nina to release the control she never really had, trust Him with what she cannot see, and lean into the community He has placed around her. Whether you're in the foster care and adoption world yourself or simply navigating a season that looks different than you imagined, Nina's story is a beautiful reminder that God is trustworthy—even when we don't know what comes next. Nina Buttermore lives in southeastern Connecticut with her husband, children, and a number of pets. They have been a foster family for about two years and have enjoyed coming alongside the families and kiddos they've met along the way. Nina loves Jesus, her local church, and a bowl of ice cream regardless of the temperature outside. Lyssa is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach offering small groups for moms, individual parent coaching, and workshops. To learn more, head to https://www.lyssastoyko.com/ Help other mamas find encouragement through Moms Take Ten by rating and reviewing this show. Thank you for your time! Want to say hello? Follow on Facebook and Insta @lyssastoyko Email at momstaketen@gmail.com

    Foster Care and Adoption with Nina Buttermore
  2. 4d ago

    Parenting Practicals--The Connected Families Framework with Laura Way

    What if parenting wasn't primarily about getting our kids to behave—but about shaping the messages they believe about themselves, about us, and about God? In this episode of Parenting Practicals, I'm joined by fellow Connected Families Certified Parent Coach Laura Way to go back to the basics and walk through the Connected Families Framework. This framework guides all of our Parenting Practicals conversations, so whether you're new to the series or have been listening for a while, this episode will help you understand what's behind the tools and strategies we share. Together, we unpack the four core messages we want our children to experience through our parenting: You are safe with me. You are loved no matter what. You are called and capable. You are responsible. We talk about looking beneath behavior, recognizing the strengths that may be showing up "sideways," coaching our kids before correcting them, and approaching correction as an opportunity for restoration rather than punishment. And perhaps most importantly, we remember that these aren't just messages we offer our children—they reflect the way our compassionate Heavenly Father meets us, too. If you're longing for parenting that builds trust, connection, purpose, skills, and wisdom—not perfect behavior—this conversation is a great place to start. Connected Families is a ministry providing biblically grounded, research-informed help for everyday parenting. Learn more about them and their parenting framework at https://connectedfamilies.org/ Laura Way is hanging onto Jesus for dear life as a 'sensitive & intense' mom parenting two neurodivergent girls. She loves working as Content Manager at Connected Families, because she gets to think and write about the Framework—even while she works! After living overseas in China for 7 years, she and her husband live in Orlando, Florida, with their vibrant girls, silly standard poole, and backyard hens. Lyssa is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach offering small groups for moms, individual parent coaching, and workshops. To learn more, head to https://www.lyssastoyko.com/ Help other mamas find encouragement through Moms Take Ten by rating and reviewing this show. Thank you for your time! Want to say hello? Follow on Facebook and Insta @lyssastoyko Email at momstaketen@gmail.com

  3. Sep 21

    Moms in the Bible--Martha with Kathy Tuan-MacLean and Tara Edelschick

    Are you familiar with the story of Mary and Martha? Of all the women in Scripture, Martha may be one of the easiest for moms to relate to. We know what it's like to work hard, carry responsibilities, care for everyone around us—and sometimes feel unseen or unsupported in the process. In this episode of Moms in the Bible, Kathy Tuan-MacLean and Tara Edelschick join me to talk about how Martha's story challenged them both, particularly when it comes to resentment. But Martha's story offers more than conviction. It also gives us a beautiful glimpse of how Jesus responds when our frustration spills over and our emotions come pouring out. If you want to hear more from Kathy and Tara, listen to their previous episode with Moms Take Ten! Kathy and Tara have published two Bible studies for moms that I highly recommend! Check out their newest book is Moms on the Way: Following Jesus Through the Challenges of Motherhood. Kathy Tuan-MacLean (PhD, Northwestern) serves as faculty ministry national director for InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, where she invites and resources faculty to follow Jesus together. She's a mother of three adult children and an overly anxious labradoodle. Since joining InterVarsity in 1990, she has led numerous students and faculty in Bible study, spiritual formation, and leadership development. She is also a spiritual director who has led marriage ministry and women's retreats. In herchurch, you can find her occasionally preaching, often teaching, serving as an elder, and regularly cooking for and hosting gatherings. Tara Edelschick (EdD, Harvard) is a teacher, writer, mother of three, and grandmother. For three decades, she has worked as an educator, teaching public high school students in New York, graduate students at Harvard's School of Education, homeschoolers in Massachusetts, and incarcerated men taking college courses through the Emerson Prison Initiative. In her church, you can find her speaking at a women's conference or marriage retreat, teaching Sunday school, gathering mothers for prayer andBible study, or leading retreats for families. Lyssa is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach offering small groups for moms, individual parent coaching, and workshops. To learn more, head to https://www.lyssastoyko.com/ Help other mamas find encouragement through Moms Take Ten by rating and reviewing this show. Thank you for your time! Want to say hello? Follow on Facebook and Insta @lyssastoyko Email at momstaketen@gmail.com Image from John Heseltine / Pam Masco / FreeBibleimages.org.

    Moms in the Bible--Martha with Kathy Tuan-MacLean and Tara Edelschick
  4. May 25

    Parenting Practicals--Working through Aggression with Julie Maas

    In this final episode of the season, Moms Take Ten closes out the Parenting Practical series by stepping into the complex and often overwhelming topic of childhood aggression. Host Lyssa Stoyko is joined by Connected Families Certified Parent Coach Julie Maas for an honest, hope-filled conversation that many moms quietly need. Together, they move beyond surface-level behaviors to explore what's really happening beneath the outbursts—reminding moms that aggression is often a signal of deeper needs like fear, frustration, overstimulation, or disconnection. With practical wisdom and gospel-centered encouragement, they help parents shift from simply reacting to behavior toward responding with curiosity, empathy, and self-awareness. Julie shares tangible tools for those heated moments—how to regulate your own responses, prioritize safety when needed, and lean into connection through calm presence, empathy, and even playfulness. The conversation also highlights the importance of repair: what it looks like to reconnect after things escalate, model humility, and guide children toward growth without shame. Most importantly, this episode reminds moms that even in the hardest parenting moments, God is at work—not only in their children, but in their own hearts. With grace and truth, Lyssa and Julie paint a picture of parenting that values relationship over perfection and sees every meltdown as an opportunity for deeper connection. If you've ever felt isolated, overwhelmed, or unsure how to handle aggression in your home, this conversation offers both practical help and lasting hope. Guest Bio: Hi! My name is Julie Maas. After saying "Yes" to Jesus to move to Belize as a missionary in 2008-2018, our family was never the same. Since we have become parents, we've grown in having biological, foster and adopted children and experience with traumas, abuse, ADHD, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, self harm, and how to best serve our family with sensory needs and intense behaviors. Because I have learned, failed, and read so much over the years, the Lord has taught me abundantly. I want to serve other families with encouragement, grace-filled truth, practical suggestions, equipping and a listening ear in crisis. I am an RN, American Holistic Nurses Association (AHNA) Board Certified Nurse Coach, and Connected Families Certified Parent Coach. Connect with Julie here. Lyssa is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach offering small groups for moms, individual parent coaching, and workshops. To learn more, head to https://www.lyssastoyko.com/ Help other mamas find encouragement through Moms Take Ten by rating and reviewing this show. Thank you for your time! Want to say hello? Follow on Facebook and Insta @lyssastoyko Email at momstaketen@gmail.com

  5. May 18

    Moms in the Bible--Lois and Eunice with Judy Loosa

    In this final episode of Moms of the Bible for this season, Lyssa is joined by a very special guest—her mom, Judy—as they reflect on the quiet yet powerful legacy of faith seen in the lives of Timothy's mother and grandmother, Eunice and Lois. Though only briefly mentioned in Scripture, these women are remembered for something deeply significant: their genuine faith in God, passed down from one generation to the next. Together, Lyssa and Judy explore what it looks like to cultivate that same kind of faith in our own homes. Through stories, Scripture, and personal reflection, Judy shares how God's Word shaped her parenting—from prioritizing church and Scripture memory to creating a home where conversations about the Lord were a natural part of everyday life. She also offers encouragement for moms in the thick of raising children, reminding us that God is faithful to continue the work He has begun in us and our families. This episode is a beautiful reminder that faith doesn't have to be flashy to be impactful. As we walk with God and invite Him into the ordinary rhythms of our homes, we are planting seeds that, by His grace, can bear fruit for generations to come. Verses Referenced (all from NLT): 2 Timothy 1:15 Acts 16:1 Proverbs 3:5-6 Psalm 62:6&8 Lamentations 3:21-23 Isaiah 26:3 Deuteronomy 6:5-7 Joshua 24:15b Proverbs 22:6 Philippians 1:6 Colossians 3:16-17 Ephesians 3:20-21 Judy Loosa is wife to Alex, mom to four and grandma to ten. She loves Jesus and has served him over the years in a variety of ways from playing the piano at church, to leading small groups, and now welcoming other widows into her home for monthly encouragement. Her quiet faith has been a beautiful testimony to many, both in her family and beyond the walls of her home. Lyssa is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach offering small groups for moms, individual parent coaching, and workshops. To learn more, head to https://www.lyssastoyko.com/ Help other mamas find encouragement through Moms Take Ten by rating and reviewing this show. Thank you for your time! Want to say hello? Follow on Facebook and Insta @lyssastoyko Email at momstaketen@gmail.com Images from John Heseltine / Pam Masco / FreeBibleimages.org.

    Moms in the Bible--Lois and Eunice with Judy Loosa
  6. May 11

    Parenting in Scripture--Letting God's Word Speak

    In our final episode of this season's Parenting in Scripture series, Lyssa reflects on the heart behind the series—looking beyond traditional "parenting passages" and instead allowing all of Scripture to shape the way we think about and engage in motherhood. Each verse, encountered through quiet time, sermons, and everyday moments, serves as a reminder that God's Word is unchanging, yet always speaking fresh truth into our lives. In this episode, Lyssa shares a personal moment from a recent Sunday at church, where a passage from Romans 12 met her in the middle of a difficult parenting morning. Rather than teaching through the text, she invites listeners to experience it alongside her—by simply receiving it. As Romans 12:9–21 is read, this episode creates space for moms to slow down, reflect, and listen for what the Lord may be speaking to their own hearts. Whether you are able to pause in stillness or are tuning in on the go, this episode offers a gentle invitation to breathe, be present, and consider what God is inviting you to hold onto today. Lyssa is a Connected Families Certified Parent Coach offering small groups for moms, individual parent coaching, and workshops. To learn more, head to https://www.lyssastoyko.com/ Help other mamas find encouragement through Moms Take Ten by rating and reviewing this show. Thank you for your time! Want to say hello? Follow on Facebook and Insta @lyssastoyko Email at momstaketen@gmail.com

5
out of 5
9 Ratings

About

A place for Christian Moms to refuel and refocus in the midst of your busy days. Join us as we talk about Jesus, motherhood, foster care and adoption. Lyssa is a wife, a foster and adoptive mom of three, a Bible teacher and a Connected Families certified parent coach. Since leading her moms group at church, she has a desire to see moms in community, discovering who God has made them to be. Learn more at lyssastoyko.com. Follow me on Instagram @lyssastoyko

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