The Epik Life

Today we talk about how and why I (Neysa) ran away from home at the age of 15. How my abusive past almost made me commit suicide and how a multitude of events saved my life. I share my emotional story regarding my time in foster care and dealing with the court system. 

How did I overcome this season of my life? What pushed me forward to where I am now? Stick around and find out!

Check out our new Merch!

Why we can’t have nice things… why is that?

Today we talk about how kids, especially toddlers, can make your pretty things, not so pretty in a short amount of time.

How do you deal with the messes, the drawing on the wall, the broken furniture? Let’s chat!

Later, we tell a story about the first nice couches we bought and why we regretted it. We share why we shouldn’t be angry over kid messes and how to still be joyful.

We answer your questions about our favorite and not so favorite places we have lived!

Don’t forget about our MERCH! Limited time only!

Today we share our emotional journey with our son, who has PANDAS syndrome. 

We talk about how it started, his diagnosis, the trials, and our emotional rollercoaster.

We share things we never have before and update you on where he is now, and what we are doing for his current treatment.

PANDAS Syndrome is not rare but is not widely recognized We urge you to have your child evaluated by a specialist if your normal child suddenly has a dramatic change in behavior. The symptoms are usually dramatic, happen “overnight and out of the blue,” and can include motor and/or vocal tics, obsessions, and/or compulsions. In addition to these symptoms, children may also become moody or irritable, experience anxiety attacks, or show concerns about separating from parents or loved ones.

What is PANDAS? 

PANDAS is short for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections. A child may be diagnosed with PANDAS when:

• Obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) and/or tic disorders suddenly appear following a strep infection (such as strep throat or scarlet fever); or 
• The symptoms of OCD or tic symptoms suddenly become worse following a strep infection.
  The symptoms are usually dramatic, happen “overnight and out of the blue,” and can include motor and/or vocal tics, obsessions, and/or compulsions. In addition to these symptoms, children may also become moody or irritable, experience anxiety attacks, or show concerns about separating from parents or loved ones. 

What causes PANDAS? 

The strep bacteria are very ancient organisms that survive in the human host by hiding from the immune system as long as possible. It hides itself by putting molecules on its cell wall so that it looks 

nearly identical to molecules found on the child’s heart, joints, skin, and brain tissues. This hiding is called “molecular mimicry” and allows the strep bacteria to evade detection for a long time.

However, the molecules on the strep bacteria are eventually recognized as foreign to the body and the child’s immune system reacts to them by producing antibodies. Because of the molecular mimicry by the bacteria, the immune system reacts not only to the strep molecules, but also to the human host molecules that were mimicked; antibodies system “attack” the mimicked molecules in the child’s own tissues.

Studies at the NIMH and elsewhere have shown that some cross-reactive “anti-brain” antibodies target the brain—causing OCD, tics, and the other neuropsychiatric symptoms of PANDAS. 

Today we talk about the dangers of putting our family on social media, particularly our children. We talk about the implications it can cause and how to not live in fear. 

We tell stories of our personal experiences and share how to avoid comparison.

Do our kids have their own social media? We answer!

How does real life coincide with social media? Learn why.

We answer your BURNING QUESTIONS! 

Today we talk about not having a poverty mindset and how to overcome poverty and become successful. We share our stories of how we grew-up, and where we are now. 

Don’t forget to stick around till the end to hear your voicemails as we answer your burning questions!

Today we talk about how to deal with not fitting in or feeling rejected. We banter about kids making messes and laugh about our lack of football knowledge. Stick around until the end to hear some hilarious stories!

Beginning: why do kids always spill a million gallons of water during bath time! 

Giving thanks to our sponsors (that’s you!)

Topic: We discuss how to deal with being the new person in a group and how your past can impact your future, especially if you have insecurities. We chat about staying strong and being the person you were meant to be. 

Ending: We talk about our lack of football knowledge, and really laugh at ourselves. You’ll have to listen for yourself! 

Burning questions: 

-Will we send our kids to collage?

-Does Neysa or has Neysa ever worked outside the home?

Thank you again to our sponsors:

*Jessica Hammond

*Sarah Blihteness

*Jon Wellman

*Lilly Baker

*Shipt

Today we talk about the effects of being pregnant, unemployed, and having our car repossessed. We chat about living your dream, even if the road is hard getting there. We also answer your dying questions about our move to Hawaii! 

Beginning: We talk about how cold it is and our chilling experience with North Dakota. 

Middle: Unemployment and how it affected our marriage and family. Getting our car repossessed, and how that caused a lost relationship with Jason's brother. How to deal with overcoming unemployment and how you can help someone in that situation, plus the steps to bettering yourself. 

End: Answering your questions about Hawaii and a discussion on raising your kids to have good character and be honorable people.

Welcome to the very first episode of The Epik Life Podcast! 

This episode we discuss what to expect from our show, funny stories (the brownie problem), parenting advice (diaper cream incident), marriage tips (I'm always right, no I'm right!) all raw and authentic.