“Did we just become best friends?!”

I’ve known Tony for 20 years but his wife is my new favorite gal pal. We talk about:

• Us being banned a bunch of times for Facebook comments

• Meeting mom friends but then things get weird

• We create a new character that is a real estate agent that thinks he can win fights, isn’t afraid of blood but is afraid of the dark and a bunch of cool things

• Texas vs. Florida

• Robots

• Day Drinking with Seth and Lizzo

• New careers: Ancient Alien Theorist and Paranormal Sketch Artist

• Roasting Tony because Melissa forgot that he was at her parent’s house for 40 minutes

Its one of those conversations where we go back and forth to make each other laugh. So there’s a bunch of laughing.

Mental Health with JP part 2 – 2023’s New Year’s Self-Improvement resolutions

The part 2 of 2 episode revisiting last year’s observations of what needs improvement in our lives so we have the goals to keep each other accountable for, We touch on:

• Damar Hamlin – The wake up call we all needed

• Moments in pop culture that were a big deal

• Personal wins and losses in 2022

• Which areas in your life we will focus on next year

• Personal development

• Parenting flaws

Big Time Fresh, Bella Mars and JP are not professional mental health professionals, so the suggestions are based on personal experience. To the listeners: a certified mental health counselor/therapist etc. is where you should start.

For more information on Mental Health, here are a list of resources:

https://mhanational.org/

https://www.mentalhealth.gov/

MentalHealth.Gov – Get Help Now

Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Veterans Crisis Line

Dial 988 then press 1

Text 838255

With the most drastic changes to lives in recent years – lockdowns, job loss, school shootings and other topics – taking care of your mental health is more important than ever.

JP and I talk about our individual lives and the dark days that brought us to the breaking point where mental health became a priority. Divorce, foreclosure, job loss, death of family members and a bunch of life events can be easier to deal with when spaced out, but when compacted back to back, we talk about how it changed the way we looked at the world.

I wish everyone a very happy new year! 2023 is here.

Big Time Fresh, Bella Mars and JP are not professional mental health professionals, so the suggestions are based on personal experience. To the listeners: a certified mental health counselor/therapist etc. is where you should start.

For more information on Mental Health, here are a list of resources:

https://mhanational.org/

https://www.mentalhealth.gov/

MentalHealth.Gov – Get Help Now

Call or text 988 or chat 988lifeline.org

Veterans Crisis Line

Dial 988 then press 1

Text 838255

As two former Californians, JP and I discuss our stance on guns now that we live in deep red states. After 25 years of friendship, we talk about a subject that we probably wouldn’t even consider relevant if we stayed in California. Unchecked mental health undoubtedly plays a part in how young people decide to use their firearm, so we also talk about the ways we are raising our kids so that mental health is a key component of their development.

Quick caveat: Neither of us are fully educated on the specific details of what we talk about so if it sounds wrong, you are probably right 🙂

What happens when the ones you count on to be there for you decide to leave the decades of good times, memories and promises of best friends forever without warning or reason? My friend of over 20 years joins me as we talk about the paths we embarked upon after high school and the lows, highs, achievements, loss, love and the reality of expectations. More importantly, we get into how what we separately thought what was rock bottom actually was the step that changed life for the better.

Thanks JP for being my (unofficial) therapist for the episode!

The subject matter that is referenced in this article may cause distress or discomfort to some sensitive topics around child trauma, abuse, neglect, assault and other potentially triggering information. Reader discretion advised.

With the overturn of Roe v. Wade, the implications are catastrophic on so many levels. If the baby is born to a mother under the age of 13, how will she legally work? Does this mean the grandmother is given custody? What if the grandmother is unstable? If a 15 year old can’t work, doesn’t have a place to live, can’t pay for diapers, electricity, water or food then where does that life that began at conception go?

Read the related article written by Bella Mars (contains links to references)

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Power to the Public: Tackling Child Welfare and Foster Care

Foster Shock

Bastrop foster care facility under investigation for reportedly trafficking children I FOX 7 Austin

Texas foster care organizations prepare for increased demand

Judge loses trust in Texas’ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiry

Texas Trends in Foster Care and Adoption

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