Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark - How a Mom of 6 Runs Her Home Without Losing Her Mind | Wife School #2 Katie Voetberg

Episode Date: September 4, 2026

Wife School continues — and today's professor is about to become my sister-in-law. 👯‍♀️Katie Voetberg married a Voetberg son before I did, so she's graciously agreed to give me a little training before I officially join the family. She and her husband, Elisha, live in a barn in North Idaho with their six children, host the Now That We're a Family podcast, help run Voetberg Music Academy, and just celebrated ten years of marriage. This episode gets extremely practical: how to create peace in your home, stop micromanaging your husband, stay on top of the never-ending laundry, run a household smoothly, host a giant dinner, and figure out what actually matters when you're building a family.Thank you to our sponsors!SAVA: Use code "ALEXCLARK" for 15% offCROWDHEALTH: Use code “CULTURE” to get your first three months for only $99/monthLOVEBIRD: Use code 'ALEX20' for 20% off your purchaseA'DEL NATURAL COSMETICS: Use code "ALEX" for 25% off first time ordersPUORI: Use code "ALEX" for 32% off Puori Creatine+ when you start a subscriptionBIRTHRIGHT: Use code "ALEX" for 15% off your first orderOur Guest:Katie VoetbergKatie's Links:InstagramYouTubeTheir PodcastTheir WebsiteTheir NewsletterTheir SubstackFOLLOW ALEX:Instagram | @realalexclarkInstagram |⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@cultureapothecary⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠X | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@yoalexrapz⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠YouTube | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@RealAlexClark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcast | ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Culture Apothecary with Alex Clark⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Subscribe to ‘Culture Apothecary’ on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. New episodes drop 6pm PST/ 9pm EST every Monday and Thursday.DISCLAIMER: This content is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Always talk to a qualified healthcare professional for any health-related questions or decisions.

You married a Voteberg. You're my soon-to-be sister-in-law. What was your first impression of Vance as a kid? Oh, everyone loved Vance. Everybody has a ton of kids, but there's not a bunch of junk toys. People have a purchasing problem, not a decluttering problem. In our home, we're really big on builder toys. So, you know, we've got a box of Lego, Lincoln Logs, Magtiles, dress up. And that's all the toys the kids have. When you pair things down to what you actually use on a regular basis, then it's a lot easier to organize that. and I have that hierarchy in our marriage. That said, he listens to my opinion. He's still the one that ultimately makes the decision, but I feel like he does so in my favor. They're so excited to have you in the family. You're so good for Vance, and we couldn't be more thrilled for you guys. You're such a

fun aunt. You're already so much more of a fun aunt than I ever was. I like see you with all the nieces, and I'm just like, wow, I need to be more like Alex. What? Today is a first on culture apothecary. It is my first time having an almost family member on the show. Katie Voteberg is my soon-to-be sister-in-law, which means she married a Voteberg son before I did and has graciously agreed to give me a little wife's school before I join the family. Katie and her husband, Elisha, live in a barn in North Idaho with their six children. Together they host the Now That We're a Family podcast where they talk honestly about marriage, parenting, homemaking, and building a family culture rooted in biblical. values. She also helps run Voteburg Music Academy and writes music because, you know, apparently

raising six children, almost seven was not enough to keep her busy. Katie comes from a family of 11 children herself. She married Vance's brother, Elisha, who comes from a family of 10. And recently, together, they celebrated 10 years of marriage. So today we're getting extremely practical, how to create peace in your home, how to stop micromanaging your husband, manage the never-ending laundry, run a household smoothly and efficiently, host a giant Voteberg dinner and figure out what actually matters when you're building a family and life together. Watch this episode on the real Alex Clark YouTube channel or Culture Apothecary on Spotify. Now, if you're new here on this podcast, we're in the business of healing a sick culture and every episode talks about how to

do that, either physically, emotionally, or spiritually. If you could pause for five seconds before we start, leave a five-star review, share how long you've been listening, whether it's one day or two years, we would be so grateful. Please welcome Katie Voteberg, co-host of the Now That We're a Family Podcast to Culture Apothecary. You're the first family member, I guess right now almost family member that I've ever had on the show. You married a Votberg son and you're my soon-to-be sister-in-law. And you guys also have a podcast, which covers marriage and parenting all from a Christian, biblical perspective. So I knew I couldn't do wife school without you. Like it just, you know, I'm doing this series as I'm getting ready to be married and I knew that you had to be a part of it.

So I'm really glad that you came on. Thank you so much for having me on Alex. It's an honor to be here. And it's kind of intimidating, honestly, being the first one of Vance's family, but being an in-law on your show. Yeah. No, I love this. And the audience loves you guys. A lot of my audience actually does know who you are because as soon as I finally announced who I was getting engaged to, They were like, wait, a Vogueberg, we know them. And so they were so excited and they have been badgering me ever since to have you or you and Elisha, which I know eventually we want to do on the show. So I think this is going to be awesome. But for those that don't know you guys, talk a little bit about your upbringing and how you met Elisha. Yeah, so we have kind of a fairy tale story in that it ended up working out. I was eight years old and he was 12 and we went to a family camp. And I saw his tamely.

hand legs under, you know, looking back, they were like the skinniest little things ever, you know. But I thought he was so muscular and I saw him under the trampoline. I was sitting under the trampoline, which is a bad idea. And I was just like, that is the cutest boy I have ever seen in my life. And I went back and I wrote in my journal, I want to marry Elisha Voteberg at that family camp. And so I struck up a friendship with his two younger sisters. We stayed pen pals. I lived in Southern California. He lived in Washington. We would only see each other once a year at this camp. He didn't even know who I was, but I was pin pals with his little sisters. And then I was 18 and he finally noticed me and asked my dad to date me.

And I was just like mind blown. Like he knows my name. Are you kidding me? Now in the meantime, because that's, you know, from eight years old to 18, you said. So in the meantime, in your teenage years, had you dated anybody else? Or were you holding out for Elisha this whole time? So if you talked to his sisters, they knew he was always my like celebrity crush. Yeah. But, you know, he played on stage with his siblings and a band. And yeah, so he was totally a celebrity crush. But then there were other boys that I was definitely interested in in our family. You didn't date until you were 18. So that kind of, I didn't have any official relationship until Elisha. And actually my dad, I was the first girl to start dating. I have seven younger sisters. And so he told four different guys right before my 18th birthday that had.

been interested, okay, Katie is going to be dating, you know, material now, so may the best man win. And he said, I'm telling other people this, too. So that's what he told Elisha. And Elisha was like, what on earth? Is this like a rodeo? Just like the way my dad does things. And your parents, also, your parents do like marriage counseling or marriage retreats and stuff, right? They do. And this was their first time getting a daughter married. So they wouldn't recommend that. now. But anyways, that's how it worked out with me. And so Elish and I, we wrote letters. My dad felt like I was still a little young. Like she was 22 at the time. So he wrote letters for like year and a half and it's very much a courtship type relationship. Like I always had chaperones with sisters and

stuff like that. And it didn't really, it was hard for us to gain traction in that type of relationship. And so Elisha broke up with me. I was like, well, it was too good to be true anyways. What was his reason? He said, I think he just said like we aren't. going anywhere. Like, yeah. And my dad was very involved in our relationship. And so looking back, he was like, yeah, I can see that was, you know, it was just stifling the organic growth that would have happened there. It just wasn't fun for either of us. And I was really insecure around Elisha. And yeah, I was just... What do you mean you were insecure around him? Well, I just, I didn't think I was good enough for him. You know, like, I just idolized him my whole life and I couldn't believe that he

was interested in me. And so I just was, you know, I was super confident. And so I just was, you know, I was super confident around anyone else, like other guys and stuff. And then with Elisha, I just like clam up. Yeah. You know, I never tell him I liked him and stuff like that. And he's like, she doesn't even, she's not even into me. You know, how long, once you were 18, you guys, you tried the dating thing. How long did you do that before the breakup? I want to say that it was about a year. Okay. He came to one of my high school volleyball games. And he was like, I'm too old for this girl. Like, I mean, that's kind of fair. When you see them in that environment with that age gap, it is a little weird at that age, you know? It was, yeah. It just kind of like made it like,

Okay, we're on different playing fields. So then we both dated other people for a year and a half and broke up the same spring with who we were dating and went road trip to a wedding together. And there we like hit it off and started texting. And I'd say like three weeks after we started really hitting it off the second time. We went ring shopping. Wow. So we were like really committed. Okay. So from the time that you guys got back together to engagement, how much time was that? So we got back together in October and we got engaged February 15th. Oh my gosh. And we would have gotten engaged sooner, but it was just really convincing my family at that point. It was a good idea because they were like, you guys were terrible together the first time. But then you guys, I mean, what did he say changed his mind then? If he was like, I don't know that we're really on the same playing field anymore, there might be too big of an age gap to then like, I think I want to marry her. Yes.

You know, that's a good question. I think we both, so we both came from homeschool families, big families. There was a lot we had in common and a lot that we just assumed we knew about the other person and kind of took for granted. And then we both dated outside of our regular circles. And I think we started to appreciate things that the other person had in common with us. And so I think he came back the second time and was like, one, I'd grown up a little bit. So I think there was that.

And I was a lot more just confident in my own skin. and able to affirm him and have a more natural dating relationship the second time. And so we were actually able to have, like, chemistry, you know, with my dad and sisters not in the room. So that was helpful. And so then you got married at what age? And so I had just turned 21. You're married and you've been married for 10 years. Yeah.

You're pregnant with your seventh. Mm-hmm. And so the oldest is how old? Nine. Nine. Okay. Yeah. Wow, that is crazy.

So I have to ask. I think, and the audience is going to be wanting to know. When you got back together with Elijah, I mean, Vance must have been very little because they've got quite a big age gap between them. What was your first impression of Vance as a kid? Oh, everyone loved Vance. I mean, he was this cute little kid with his little glasses, like a big flirt, like with older girls. Like, I don't know where he, like, knew what to say, but he had all these little, like, coy one-liners. I was really intimidated by Vance because, you know, Vance's family plays music.

and they were all very good at the violin. And so I got a violin because I wanted to be good at violin. I was like 12 or 13 at the time. And Vance is four years old. And he's just ripping out these tunes. And I'm standing next to him. I'm like, this is not the instrument for me. So I was very intimidated by Vance.

He's like insane. And he's judgy to you. He'll tell you you are off-key or whatever. He will let you know. Yeah, put you in your place. So he was just very confident from my first memories of him at three and four years old. That's cute. That's really cute. Like I said, a lot of my audience knows you guys listens to your show. For those that don't, though, how would you describe

your family's mission and kind of what you believe and what you want to put out into the world? That's a great question. And it's something that we circle back around to, you know, because there's so many things you can talk about. And I think it's really come down to wanting to encourage Christian families. Just in the Christian family is just very under attack. And that relationship of like you can have so much joy in marriage. It could be a wonderful thing, you know, with effort, with work, but it's just, it's such a gift. And then there's so much joy that comes from having children. And I think we both were able to experience that joy in our own families and now together. And so Elisha and I just want to encourage people in that because I think a lot of families feel

isolated and kind of like maybe I'm the only person valuing these things where I live. And we want to help them know they just aren't alone in that. You come from a family of 11 kids. Mm-hmm. Elijah comes from a family of 10. Have you guys dealt with some pretty funny stereotypes of what people assume you guys are like, just based on your upbringing of these conservative Christian large homeschool families? Yeah. And you know what's funny?

It's like they aren't always wrong. Sometimes we have to laugh at ourselves, you know, because it's like even when we tell our dating story or whatever, it's like it is bizarre. You know, there are elements to it that are very strange. And we both really respect our dads. they wanted something different than how they were raised. But I would say some of the stereotypes, it's like, you know, people are surprised when they meet you and you're a personal person or something like that. But then sometimes when they hear stories of how we were raised, I do think it fits into the stereotype. Yeah. You guys are weirdos, you know? It's a little fair. When did you and Elisha

start deciding, I think we want to start podcasting and blogging about our marriage and raising kids? I want to say right when we got married. Really? Yeah. And I don't know why. that was an interest to us. I'd always wanted to be a writer and he had. We both wanted to write a book. And so we had talked about that prior to marriage. And I think when you start looking into how do you, you know, get a book deal, it was like at the time it was blogging. And so both of us thought, oh, we'll try blogging. And then we had friends who were podcasters. And Alicia's like, I want to get into the podcasting space. He's like, it would be so cool to be able to learn from people that are further ahead and interview them.

And so he really headed up the podcast side of it. And we talked to a mutual friend, and he was like, it's hard to line up interviews. You guys better just do it yourself and put in interviews when you can. So that's kind of what we did starting off to make it easier for us. Yeah. And it's called Now That We're a Family. And I guess one thing that I'm really curious about, because these are conversations that Vanson are having and trying to figure out ourselves with what my job is,

is how did you guys decide what to share publicly and how did you decide what to keep private when it comes to raising kids in your own marriage? It's funny because I was raised in a much more public family than the Voteberg family is, I would say. But the funny thing is, is Elisha was a lot more, kind of risky, I guess, in public settings in real life than I was. Like, he was more out there in real life settings. that I felt more comfortable being out there online. And so there were definitely times I'd post things. And he's just like, what are you, what are you posting? You know, he just had a different sensitivity to that. And a lot of our first disagreements were on that where I was like, this is good. This is going to be helpful for someone. And he's like thinking of his friend on

Facebook that's going to, you know, be offended by it or whatever. So it was just a process of learning, okay, how do I represent you well? How do I, how do you want your wife to present online? You know, I am a, you know, a representative of our family. Right. And him. And so I think that was a learning curve. And then him learning to trust me as well and be like, okay, I see your heart behind this and all that. I think once we had kids, we became a lot more unified on what we wanted to share and not.

Because once the kids started becoming kind of fodder for conversation, we kind of drew back that side of our public life. And did you guys go through and decide like, okay, these are the different types of suburb? like we're not going to touch. Like we'll never share X, Y, Z. Did you, did you set parameters like that or just kind of as they come up like, do we want to talk about this? Do we not? I feel like it was kind of as it came up. Yeah. Initially. Yeah, where I'd be like, oh, let's talk about this is a hot topic right now. And he's like, no, no, no, I'm not okay with that. And then with the kids, though, we set specific parameters. And I would say we set them late. We weren't on the on the front edge of like protecting our children. I would say we were all, very comfortable with having them online, vlogging, stuff like that. Yeah. Times have changed. Yeah, they have. It's crazy. Just the internet landscape between even 2016 and now, just 10 years, how much is different, especially with AI and all these other things. What is something that you kind of assumed about marriage? You were absolutely convinced about something. And then you got married and then you realized, wow, I could not have been more wrong

about this. So I think the biggest thing that I noticed is in marriage, I thought there were couples you just figured out how to have a good marriage and then you had a good marriage. Like I thought there was a set of steps that if you could like figure them out, like I'm a rule follower kind of a person. I was like, I just want to figure out how to do it and then do it well. And while there's truth to developing tool sets and skill sets, it's like your spouse is going to keep changing and keep iterating. And, you know, a new grief is going to happen. Like maybe they'll lose a parent later in their 40s or a sibling or you could go through something traumatic with a child or there's just going to be things that bring out a side of your spouse, I think at any stage in

marriage that you aren't going to have anticipated. And it's not like, oh, well, I know Elisha, down cold. This is what always works. You know, I think just watching my parents, watching his parents. And then now just having 10 years of marriage, it's like, oh, I feel like we know each other very well. We're best friends. We have good communication. But then you just walk through hard things with someone at different stages, I guess. And you have to keep learning, keep learning your spouse. And I don't think that ever is going to go away. What is the first thing you should do if you start to feel a little bit of distance between you and your spouse? Like just, I don't know, ebbs and flows of the days or you guys are both traveling or just something is off. You feel a little

distance, like, what do you think is the best way to kind of repair that? This might be just personal to me in our marriage because love languages, you know, mine's quality time. So I'm going to always say have a conversation, you know, that would like make me feel closer with Elisha. For him, I feel like often it's physical intimacy, which sounds like such a stereotypical answer. But in our marriage, that has been something to just prove like, hey, I'm close. I got you. We're together. So I think It's different things at different times, but just distraction-free connection. Yeah. And you guys are big on distraction-free because do either you or Elisha have a smartphone? No. He's been six years now without a smartphone. And I've been five. So what do you use?

So we do have a, well, we have flip phones. Okay. Like $30 Walmart flip phones. And I know there's so many different options out there now, but I just feel like the flip-phone just is the best. And did you notice, have you noticed a massive difference in just your old's relationship, your family dynamic, just not having a smart device like that in the home? Yeah, I think I noticed it mainly for myself with the kids. Not so much Elishes in my relationship, but with the children. And I would say him not having his phone, I notice more with our dynamic. I feel like he's more present for me without his phone. Yeah, so I mean, we both have computers. So it's not like we're like, you know.

Yeah, because you guys have a substack. You're obviously uploading your podcast, so you have that going on. Yes. So we have internet. We have Wi-Fi and all those things. But just, you know, you don't really casually pull out your laptop. Yeah. So it definitely just sets up a little bit more friction there.

Every September, Pumpkin Spice stage is a hostile takeover of this country. You walk into a store looking for toothpaste, and suddenly there are pumpkin spice candles, pumpkin spice cereal, pumpkin spice dog treats, and yeah, maybe pumpkin spice toothpaste. At some point, you're like, does my laboratory? need to experience autumn? But I will absolutely participate when it involves protein. I don't know about you. Sava just launched their seasonal pumpkin spice protein, so you can have your fall personality

without your breakfast becoming dessert. Here's what I would make with Sava's new pumpkin spice protein powder, pumpkin spice protein muffins, okay? Mixed mashed banana, eggs, a scoop of Sava pumpkin spice protein, a little almond flour, baking powder and cinnamon, bake until set, done. Sava's everyday protein is made with 100% grass. fat bone broth with 20 grams of collagen-rich protein. It's dairy-free, gluten-free, and has zero-added

sugar, totally organic. It's formulated around clean, quality nutrition by a functional medicine practitioner, my friend Taylor Dukes. So yes, surrender to pumpkin spice. Just make it productive. Go to SAVA Nutrition. Use code Alex Clark for 15% off. Sava Nutrition.com, code Alex Clark for 15% off. I just finished reading this book. Came out in 2023. It's called the Frozen River. 10 out of 10. and I was completely obsessed. It's based on the true story of Martha Ballard, a real-life midwife in the late 1700s. And one of my favorite parts is when this Harvard-trained doctor comes to town

acting like he's God's gift to medicine, wanting to deliver everybody's babies, and things are not going great. Meanwhile, of course, he doesn't know anything about birth. He's like 24 just graduated, but he's got the white coat and the ego and the credentials, this fancy education. And then there's Martha,

who's actually delivered hundreds of babies and has decades of real-world experience. right? It's funny how little things have changed since the late 1700s. We're still taught that the biggest institutions automatically know best, right? If it's a doctor and he has a degree, well, he must know everything and we just have to trust. Well, just like Martha, back then, I agree. We shouldn't just be handing over our control of our health care without asking questions. That's one of the reasons I appreciate crowd health. Crowd Health is not health insurance. It's a community that helps people fund major medical expenses without the traditional insurance middleman. Because here's the

reality. Paying cash for routine care, like having a baby, is often dramatically less expensive than people realize. And when something truly catastrophic happens, crowd health's community steps in to help with those big bills. And you're like, no, they win it. I'm going to be on the hook if I have cancer or crazy surgery or a car accident. No, no, no, no, no. Crowd health has a 99.9% funding success rate. Okay. That is way more than a traditional insurance company who did not. one out of every four claims. Crowd Health lets you choose your own doctors, including functional medicine providers, natural pass, whatever you want. They even provide $300 annually toward wellness support. They will give you a dedicated care advocate to help negotiate bills. My mom has one. My mom

has just joined crowd health as well. If you have been feeling trapped by the traditional insurance system, it's time to start asking better questions. Go to joincrowhouthealth.com. Use codeculture to get started for just $99 for your first three months. That's join crowdhealth.com codeculture. Crowdhealth is not insurance. When it comes to disagreements, how do you decide basically, like, who needs to give in to compromise without always making it that one person is always getting their way? Okay, so I'm going to say kind of the, I guess, fundamentalist answer first, which is, you know, the Bible verse wives submit to your husbands. So Elish and I have that hierarchy in our marriage that is clear. That said, he listens to my opinion, like he won't listen to anyone else's opinion, you know, because he wants me at the end of the day to be.

happy. So when you're in a loving marriage, there are so many times when Elisha goes for my preference because I've just made it so clear, this means the world to me. And he's like, okay, this is a way I can love her. And so he lets me have the preference, you know. So if it comes to big decisions or stuff like that, he's still the one that ultimately makes the decision. But I feel like he does so in my favor, I mean, nine times out of ten. You know. And then it's more up to me to be like, okay, I won't make your life miserable if we go through your preference because, or with your preference here. Because I do think that the wife has a lot of power to say, okay, you know, we'll go with your preference. But like, I'm going to make your life stink because I don't want to go with it.

Yeah, I totally. I know what you mean. And I can totally be guilty of something like that for sure. Has there been a time where, okay, he did choose something, whatever it is that you didn't necessarily agree with. and then it didn't pan out. And then did you find yourself having to learn that like hold my tongue, not nag or berate him? Like, I told you so. We should have done that. Like, have you experienced that? Well, my mom gave me really good advice early on in marriage and she said, never say I told you so. Okay. She's like, if you are right, he will know you are right. And she's like, you might not even say you're right,

but trust me, he will know. So she's like, never say that. And so I don't think it's ever been something I said in our marriage, you know, Elisha isn't here, but that has come to mind often where it's just like, oh, that I was actually right there. And he just said, you know, I was right. And Elish is not like this proud person. He's totally willing to be like, oh, man, you know, you were right. But I think there are some times where, yeah, it's been kind of fun to see. It just, I would never say it. Because then you don't end up winning. Right. Even in the relationship. You know, it's like he's going to, because he'll probably be more likely next time to be like, I'm going to make this decision. and prove I can make good decisions and make it right without her. You know, it kind of like

sets up a losing battle versus him coming for advice next time. This is kind of controversial in Christian circles. What do you and Elisha think about the Enneagram for Christian couples? Do you think that it's helpful for marriage or do you think it's something that nobody should touch? I have mixed feelings about the enneagram because Elisha hates personality tests. You know what's so advanced. Is this a Vogue thing? I don't know. Is it a Boatberger guy? It could be either. They don't like women putting them in boxes or something. Yeah, Alicia's like, don't put me in a box.

I'm like, okay, you're the non-box guy. Which one are you? Check, he's the non-box guy. Yeah, so what's funny is the enneagram. So we did the enneagram before a lot of research came out of people saying like it's a cultic or it's bad for Christians or all this stuff. I never went down that rabbit hole. I've never done my own research on it. So it's not like I'm sitting here with conviction saying one way or the other. It's funny, though, because the enneagram is the only time when Elisha said, I feel so understood by a personality test. Wow. And I think it's because the test said he was a four something that said you feel misunderstood. And he was like, yes. Wait, so he's a four? Thank you. That's what I am too. Are you? That's shocking. Wait, I have to ask this. Now, see, the people that are like anti-enogram are like,

like, what? I know, I know. First of all, I am not when it comes to, I think it's like a fun, like, that's interesting type of a thing. It's not like every move I make. I'm like, did I do that because I'm a four? You know, did he do that because he's seven or what? I've never done that. I basically never even think about it unless like right now I'm bringing it up just because it's fun. So does he like think sad things are beautiful? Oh yeah. That's so funny. So I do too. Like I could listen to a really intense sad like movie score. And I like, I'm like, this is the most beautiful thing I've ever heard. It's like, and Vance is like, this is so depressing.

So that's funny, but that's what they say is like a four thing. So you guys think it's fun, but you don't put a lot of weight on any type of personality test in the marriage because I do think sometimes people can use their personality test, not necessarily any gram, but anything, as an excuse for sin. Do you ever feel that way? Yes, definitely. I think you hit the nail on the head there. I think using personality test and saying, well, this is my weakness, kind of using it as an

excuse instead of like, well, I need to grow as a person. It's not like I just need to stay stuck in this box forever. I think there can be a ditch that we fall in. And Alicia's helped me see that because I was just personality plused out. Like at my family, with my family, we talk personality tests, business tests. Like everything is just test language when we're home. Elias's like, what honor? Okay. One thing that's very different between you and I is I am very disorganized. I am not a scheduler. I am a procrastinator to the max. I finished your interview questions last night. This is something that definitely bothers Vance. I think, I don't know that it, I would say this, it panics Vance. He's like, I'm just worried for your well-being. Like, how are you

going to get all this done? I'm like, don't worry about it. Like, I will do it. And I always do. But he's like, I just feel like there's a better way to live than like, you know, just by the, like, skin of your teeth type of a thing. Like, it's like the night of, it's five o'clock. And I'm like, oh, what should we have for dinner? I guess I should go to the store and figure it out. So my question is, I know that you are really good with all of this stuff. It's kind of like what you're known for. When I ask people that are familiar with your podcast and your family, what should I ask Katie about?

They're like, ask her about her whole, like, house running system. And you call it the Get It All Done Club? The Get It All Done Club, yes, is like my home management program that I started when we had a two-year-old, one-year-old and, I don't know, infant. And then have kind of just added to over the years. But it's funny that you say that, Alex, because they say that people try to solve solutions to things that they struggle with. And I'm actually very much a deadline-oriented person, too. I think I created the Get It All Done Club out of like, I need help. Like, I have three little kids and I need systems. I feel like I'm drowning in motherhood. I would like to get a lot out of life. And I don't just want it to be changing the diapers and going on play dates. Like there's other things I want to do with my life. But I need to get more organized. to get there. And so I think a lot of what the Get It All Done Club is is actually like helping my naturally disorganized state. If it had come natural, I don't know if I would have even known how to break things down to be able to teach it. So when you guys first got married, did you guys have really big differences in, you know, what is messy to you and things like that?

So growing up, I like had a super messy room and things like that. I knew I didn't want a super messy house. My mom was really good about keeping the house clean. So I think like when I started managing my own home, I just thought like, oh, it always needs to be clean before I go to bed. Like that was always her rule. Like, don't wake up to a dirty house. So I think I had seen things that my mom did. But Elish was super gracious because he's like not the husband to come home and just drop his pants on the floor. You know, like he puts everything away. So it would bother him if there were dishes left in the sink. And I was like, oh, I like tidied the rest of the house, but like, don't look in the laundry room. Don't look in the sink.

You know, I had my like hidey holes where I'd put stuff. So I think realizing that he's very affirmative when I do clean the house. So that's a big positive motivator because I think some husbands come home. They like don't notice stuff. And Elish is like, oh my goodness. You know, he came home last night. This house is so clean. Thank you so much.

Whoa, the bathroom's so clean. Like, talk about a motivator for a wife, you know? You notice? One thing that is going to be a total. culture shock for me. And I'm thinking about this with getting married. So I'm 33. And I, you know, this is my first time being married. And so this is a long time. I moved out, you know, very, very early 20s. I've been on my own for a long time. I put things where I want. I, you know, do dishes when I want. I cook when I want. Sometimes I just want to have chips and salsa for dinner. And I just have girl dinner.

You know what I'm saying? So this idea of like, we're going to get married. We're going to go on our honeymoon. And then we're going to come back and we're living together because we obviously we don't live together now. And I just feel like I'm going to be like, this is so weird. How do I even begin like starting some kind of routine to make sure that I'm doing a good job at making my house a home and making it peaceful and not overwhelming and cluttered and organized when I, you know, I'm only used to taking care of me. You have more experience with managing a home than I did when I got married, you know, having lived out on your own. I think something that's really helpful for couples and that I found in my marriage is asking your spouse, okay, what's your prime mover?

So what is the one thing that I can do that makes the house feel peaceful? Or what's the one thing that I can do that makes the house feel clean to you and you feel like you can unwind? Because, again, like I said, the laundry and the dishes were not that for me. I was like, I want a tidy living room. I feel like those questions are even great to ask even if you've been married for a while. Oh, yes. If you've been married for 20 years, just to check in and asking your husband or whatever, you know, hey, what, what is it for you that, like, you come home if this is done, like you feel really great. I think that's a really good tip. It's really nice to be like, pick one or two things. And I think a lot of moms feel this that have, you know, four or five,

six kids or they're in the thick of it with little toddlers. And they're like, I can't do everything. They feel like they're dropping the ball. And it's like, well, just, you know what matters to you. Pick one space that matters to you. Maybe it's your bedroom, whatever it is, your bathroom. And then ask your husband, what's the one thing I can do for you? I'm in an overwhelmed state right now. And then I think he can understand, oh, she's doing this out of love for me. Even if the rest of the house is a disaster, she did this specific thing for me to make me feel at home and at peace here. And so I think it kind of takes the pressure off whoever's managing the home.

And it also lets your spouse know you're trying, even if it's in a busy overwhelming season and they can feel loved. Any other things like when it comes to, I don't know, coming up with choreless or grocery planning or anything like that? You know, I'm still on the like Walmart to show up at my door, drop off my groceries thing. You guys here in Arizona, you have like incredible grocery stores and all that. I might enjoy going out a little bit more if I can. Vance loves to grocery shop like that. He's obsessed with it. Because I said that before.

I was like, why don't I just order groceries? Like that would just make things so much easier. And he's just like, no, he loves being at the grocery. So I'm like, that's fine. If he wants to take on that chore, then great. As long as I don't have to do it, I don't really mind, you know? as long as it's getting done. How can you be sure as a wife not to micromanage your husband? Because you know what I find myself doing is like, hey, have you made that eye doctor appointment?

Hey, did you make that eye doctor appointment? And it's like, I don't want to be that naggy wife that's, you know, a constant dripping faucet. So when you ask something that's not getting done, but you know it's important to do, how did you handle that when you first got married? Okay, so this is another, but this is like my grandma's advice, okay? My grandma told my mom, My mom told me. So my mom was married to a guy that was younger than still is. He's still younger. And he hadn't really, my dad was really irresponsible. And so she called my grandma and she's like, Chad doesn't pay the electrical bill. Like he always forgets about the electrical bill getting paid. And my grandma said, well, light a candle. And I think that's just great advice. Like when you, you can make the most of it and have a great. time or like, and then next time he's going to pay the bill, probably if you let the lights turn out. Because he's like, weren't the lights turning on. And then you're like, well, I don't know. I guess the building didn't pay by here. Let's light some candles. It'll be very romantic dinner.

Exactly. And just like, you know, the embarrassment of that would make him be like, okay, I'm going to make sure this doesn't happen again. But I think for something that matter to me that they haven't shown up as a big deal to Elisha. Like, you know, you mentioned appointments. Like he hates going to the dentist or he had like this skin thing that needed to get dealt with with the dermatologist. I just put it on my to do list. Okay. So we're making the appointment for them and say, hey, you got an appointment here this day. Yeah. Like if it's something that's really irking me that I can do, it's kind of like, you know what, I can do this. You apparently don't think it's a big deal. So I could take it on myself. And then, yeah, because it's like he's just going to have different

priorities. And so sometimes if I'm making something a really big priority for me, I'm just like, well, I just, maybe I should just do it. Okay. And then what about tasks, around the house. I hear this from wives all the time of how annoying it is to ask your husband, you know, 100 times. Can you please take the trash out, for example? How do you handle things like that? Elijah was raised to take the trash out. It's like he's obsessed with taking the trash out. I never have to. But what's funny is some of my sister's husbands, their husbands don't do things like that or like they don't mow the lawn or they don't do maybe the stereotypical like husband duties. And maybe it's from growing up in a family where we're primarily girls. We just did the thing.

You know, and so I don't think it's the end of the world to like take your own trash out or just, you know, do things. I feel like you can petition your husband be like, hey, this would mean a lot to me if you could do this thing because it's uncomfortable or it's a stinky job or whatever. But some things, it's just not that big of a deal to just do if it's never going to hit their radar. Like some guys are just not going to notice the trash is overflowing long after it's been bugging you, you know? And so it's like either when they come home being like, hey, hon, the trash is overflowing. Would you mind taking it out? Like they might just need you to ask in that moment. They're never going to be, you know, just notice it when you do. And I think that's something in marriage that is really easy to do. It's just if we want something done, just ask for it in the moment and don't feel like, I've told you this a hundred times. You know, just being like, oh, well, it's never going to be a pain point to them. So if it's a pain point to you, just ask. And they'll be like, oh, sure, no problem. Let's talk about breakfast in America, which is essentially dessert, marketed to children. You wake up, you pour a bowl of something that's been engineered in a lab by a man named Greg, who hasn't seen sunlight since 2004, and you're like, this is a great way to start the day.

Meanwhile, it's loaded with pesticides, refined sugar, artificial dyes, basically a chemistry set with a cartoon bird on the front so you don't ask questions. And even the healthy cereals, oh, don't even get me started. It's like, now with ancient grains. Okay, great, still poison. You walk into the store, you're like, I'm not buying junk cereal. I'm getting Cheerios. I'm a good person. Let's talk about Cheerios. You're eating 729 parts per billion of glyphos. Oh, and if you really want to treat yourself, how about Honeynut Cheerios? Over 800 parts per billion. This is why Lovebird exists. Lovebird is a cereal brand that was invented by a dad who worked in big food. And he was like, I'm not feeding this garbage to my kid anymore, which is the most radical thing you can do in this country. Care. Lovebird took out all the fake stuff. No synthetic pesticides, no refined sugar, no weird lab ingredients, and replaced it with actual food. We're talking organic cassava, prebiotic fiber, lightly sweetened with honey, things your body recognizes instead of rejects.

And now they've gone even further with their new protein cereal. 11 grams of protein made with grass-fed way, sweetened with organic coconut sugar, gluten-free, non-GMO, third-party tested, and it tastes phenomenal, which is rare because most healthy protein cereals taste disgusting. I'm not going to lie to you. I love the cinnamon one. And if you're trying to get your kids off ultra-process junk, this is the move. You swap in something familiar, right?

you're not totally changing their life. They're used to cereal in the morning, but now you're going to start with something non-toxic. Also, Lovebird donates 20% of profits to fight childhood cancer. They're family-owned, independent, and they even have a program to swap junk cereal in schools for real food at the same price. So you can email them, find their info on their website and tell them about your kids' school, and they'll send cereal for free, which is insane because they're basically losing money just to fix the system. These are the types of companies that I sponsor on my show. Okay, so now do you understand. I am so picky. I want the game change. I want the real parents making a difference. You can grab Lovebird at a grocery store near you, but if you want 20% off, go to Lovebirdfoods.com. Use code Alex20. That's code Alex 20 for 20% off at Lovebirdfoods.com. Code Alex 20 at Lovebird Foods.com.

Summer makeup in September is like keeping your Fourth of July decorations up until Halloween. At some point, we have to accept that the season has changed. And one of the biggest beauty shifts for fall is skin that looks expensive and hydrated, not aggressively matte and also not glaze like a crispy cream donut. Think healthy, polished. You know, I drink bone broth and own cashmere. That's why I love Adele Natural Cosmetics and their Blue Lagoon face balm. After a summer of sun and travel and chlorine, whatever crimes you committed against your moisture barrier,

this is a really good transition product. It has marula oil and gives you lasting hydration without feeling suffocating, and I love to use this before my foundation so that my makeup actually looks like skin. Then use Adele's loose foundation for buildable coverage instead of spackling your face for fall. Adele is a Christian family-owned company in Texas. Their products are formulated in the USA and they're proudly pro-life, which you know I love supporting. For September, use code culture apothecary at adele natural cosmetics.com for 20% off your entire order, whether you're a new or returning customer.

Now, usually you only get a code with them if it's your first time. So if you've been needing to stock up, this is a great time. Adele Natural Cosmetics.com code culture apothecary this month, only. Adelnaturalcosmetics.com culture apothecary for 20% off, whether you are a first-time customer or long time. You're really big on creating what you call a rhythm in the home as opposed to like a strict schedule. What does that look like? Rhythms, I think children really like to know what they can expect. And so when you aren't going on exact times, that gives you freedom to be out later or, you know, shift things around, but kids still know what to expect.

So I think I like the rhythms of, you know, my morning rhythm, getting up in the morning. Breakfast is always the same for the kids. They know we're going to have school time in the morning and then lunch and they're always going to go down for a nap. So like even if we come home from something at one in the afternoon or two in the afternoon and they're used to going down for nap, say at one o'clock, they still know we're going to eat lunch and you're going to go down for a rest time. You know, so there's certain things with rhythms. Maybe we aren't doing bedtime exactly at seven because people are over. And so now it's nine. But we're still going to go through our bedtime routine.

So I like that. I've been with those families where, you know, their kid is supposed to be in bed. Their baby is supposed to go to bed at 6.45, okay? And we're at dinner. And the dinner, it's 615 and it's taking a little bit long. And we still haven't eaten. And then we still have to drive home. And they've literally gotten up in the middle of waiting for the food.

said, well, I guess we're telling our waiter, we got to go because it's taking too long. And if our baby is not in bed at exactly 645, the whole schedule's off and all of this. And I'm just sitting there like, what? And I'm like, I don't know. I don't have kids. Maybe I'm crazy. But I'm just like, you can't, you know, adjust a smidge. I think that's smart to do the rhythm thing. Because with sleep training and everything, that kind of gives you a little wiggle room there too, right? Yeah, it totally does. Yeah, because I do sleep train. But again, it's controversial on the show. I have to warn you. Oh, yeah, I know. Oh, yeah, I know. It's controversial on everything.

No, I really thought it'd be half and half. Like 98% of this audience co-sleeps. It's really fascinating. Sometime, like once I have kids, it'll be very interesting and juicy, I think, to have Vance on to share his opinions on that. He has the strongest opinions on baby sleep of anyone I know, and he literally brought it up on the first date. That's how passionate he is about it.

Really? I need to ask Vance about his opinions on baby sleep. You should ask him tonight at dinner because it's really funny. No, I mean, and it makes sense. Look, he's one of the youngest kids in a family of 10. You know, you guys all have big families. He's watched everybody raise their kids and gets to sit in on all the conversations. What's working? What is it? What do we do? What do we do? And so he's just picked up on so much stuff with child rearing, you know, so he's got his little, he's got his ideas. It's so funny. I like to say like the first year of a child's life, everyone is just cutthroat about what you do with your child. Like it is going to set them up to like, succeed as a human or totally fail. Like it's like it feels like a salvific issue almost. And then you get out of those years and you're like, you know what? I meet all my friends and I really can't point to which one was sleep trained and which one co-slept or who would a binkie and who suck their thumb, you know? So it's like, what age were you potty trained? Yeah, that's a good point. And I think, you know, that should lighten people's load to hear that.

Other moms that are in the think of those little years like one wrong move, one 50s. 15 minute late bedtime and I've messed them up. They're not going to college now, you know. I think that's great. I think that's really encouraging and just like a sweet reminder. What does it mean to simplify the home before optimizing the home? Well, I think sometimes we can just try to optimize all our piles of clutter and move them from one place to the next place to next place when maybe they just shouldn't be there at all. So when you pair things down to what you actually use on a regular basis, then it's a lot easier. to organize that and label that and take care of it.

Everything that you bring into your home becomes a maintenance issue. And so I just think that instead of seeing things as, oh, this is going to make my life easier, this is going to make my life easier, kind of looking at it as how much work is it going to take to maintain this item once it's brought into my home? That really helps me simplify on the front end before. Again, don't optimize stuff that you're just going to end up getting rid of. You know what I think is interesting about the Voteberg families? I don't, obviously everybody has a ton of kids, but there's not a bunch of like junk toys.

I don't know. It just seems this way to me. Like it seems like everybody's pretty dialed in on like, okay, what's like a necessary toy to keep? Do you do that like with seven kids, almost seven kids? Do you purge a lot of toys and like try to get rid of things and declutter often? Because I just imagine with families that big, you would be up to your eyeballs in junk if you didn't. And toys, you know what's funny is I think most often people have a purchasing problem, not a decluttering problem. And so if I was having to purge my toys all the time, I'd be like,

okay, how are they getting here in the first place? You know what I'm saying? Like when people on YouTube are doing like another decluttering video, I'm like, well, how can you keep doing these decluttering videos? You should be out of things to declutter at this point, you know? You just keep buying more junk. So I think in our home, we're really big on builder toys. So, you know, we've got a box of Lego and a box of Lincoln Logs and a box of mag tiles. And we have a box of dress-up. And that's all the toys the kids have. It's three bins and the dress-up box. So you live in Idaho. I mean, so that's a couple toys. But you live in Idaho. I mean, there are times where you've got snow up to your ears. So, like, what do you do in the middle of many, many, many months

of winter inside. Do they get bored with just those four toys? You know, we do read a lot of books. Okay. They are very creative with the way they actually come up with using all those. They don't really get tired of them because I end up keeping, they have to ask to get one of them down. And so then it's like a fresh toy. It's kind of like my toy rotation system. They're all builder toys, but you pick which one you want to rotate. Then we actually taught them all to knit when they were like four and five. So they all knit, sit around and knit sweaters and not sweaters, scarves and hats and things like that. And so that's fun for them. They all sew and they all embroider. And it's funny to say this because they have one daughter. By the way, five boys.

I just need you to hear this and understand that I'm marrying into this family and guess what my talent is? I can lick my elbow. That's my talent. I don't play any instruments. I can't sew. I've never owned a cow. You know, it's just like I suggested at the family Christmas concert. I was like, I can do the triangle. I could do that. And that's about it. So it's just so funny. think any of us can lick her elbow. I mean, I don't know. That's pretty cool, Alice. So that's what I bring to the table. So your oldest daughter is going to have to teach me how to knit. I do want to learn. Some of these things I think is fun. And honestly, I'm really excited. So I have no nieces and nephews. I've one little brother who doesn't have kids. And so I am so excited to be

marrying into a family with all of these kids that are so smart and creative and funny. And I'm like, I think it'd be great to sit down with all the nieces and be like, teaching and Alex, please, how to knit a hat. Like, I've never done it. And I think it'll be fun to have some six-year-old school in me. Oh, you're such a fun aunt. You're already so much more of a fun aunt than I ever was. I like, see you with all the nieces. And I'm just like, wow, like, I need to be more like Alex. What? Listen, I'm just, I'm barely, I'm just trying to learn names at this point still. So we're getting there. I'm doing pretty good. I'm doing pretty good. Oh, yeah. You're crushing it. Why is it important as a wife and a mom to make sure that your home is not just Instagram,

but that your home is useful. Something that is interesting is I feel like our homes have become very utilitarian, almost to a fault. So I get the desire of wanting things to look beautiful. It's funny because I was just talking with a couple of Vance's sisters. Why do all house brooms have to be bright green? You know, it's like you go to the store to try to find a broom that you're going to use every day and just like green, you know?

Why is that? I don't know. I've never thought of that until you said that. Like, it's just going to make you hate your job. So, like, I have got out. And what's funny is I'm not on Instagram anymore. But, like, I have the most lovely, like, brown handmade broom. And I just love sleeping with it. And everyone who comes to my home is like, I love your broom. Would you get at some farmer's market or something? No, it's like online, some urban, natural or something. It's probably better because of the bristles plastic. No, yeah, the bristles are, like, natural fibers.

And that's good. Because, you know what people don't ever think about when you're sweeping with those plastic brooms. You're still sweeping microplastics everywhere. I mean, this is a aha show, you know. So I think you're ahead of the game. Now everyone's going to want to link. Everything in our kitchen. So Elish and I lived in a tent before we moved into the house that we are in. I'm sorry. What? With six children? Yeah, I was pregnant with our sixth. You lived in a tent? And a canvas wall tent for six months in North Idaho. Wow. Now see, we could have done a whole podcast on this. I didn't know this. Yes, it was a life experience. Yeah, we were off grid. And yeah, we did it on our property while we were building. How long? It was six months and we like cooked on a wood stove and it was very like little house in the prairie. I lost a lot of hair over it, but it was a great experience too. I have so many questions that probably aren't appropriate for the podcast, but I just am like, my mind is spinning of like how this is possible. Anyway, so you're living in the tent. Yes. And so we didn't have a lot of stuff when we moved into our new home. And so it was a time to really thoughtfully curate, hey, what are the

plates that I want to use every day, you know, and enjoy taking out? Or what are the cups that I want to use? And what's funny is you don't actually spend a lot more an expense, but you enjoy the process. I think so often we've dumbed down things in our laundry room, things in our kitchen to like, just get it done, just utilitarian. And I do think when we're trying to make something aesthetic for someone else's benefit, we still don't get the joy out of it. But when I make something aesthetic for my benefit, you know, and I get to use my wooden spoon, I get to use the copper strainer that I love, like I have so much more fun working in my home with these things that can be utilitarian and beautiful, too. Yeah, I think you make a good point. And something that modern society has really lost

side of, in my opinion, is making things beautiful. When it's something as simple, as architecture or even the buildings that we send our kids, you know, if you're choosing to send your kid to traditional school, the buildings that they're sent to you are so ugly and depressing. There's no natural light. Everything is stark white or millennial gray, which I can't stand. So like it's not inspiring. And I like your point of like even those little things of choosing the type of spoon you want to cook with every day or the type of broom you're going to sweep your kitchen with, very inexpensive, minor things that add a little bit of beauty to much. mundane activities, probably does a lot for your attitude as a wife, too. Oh, yeah, absolutely. I love

doing tasks that would probably, I would have seen as like chores or drudgery or things before. It's like, oh, I really like looking at this stuff. Some of my favorite things. Yeah. I have never cooked for more than two people. Every apartment I've had, it's always been like a very small like bistro set or just, you know, two bar stools. I've never had a big kitchen table, so I've never hosted big parties. I come from a very small family. So one thing that I'm literally so panicked about with marrying Vance is I'm like, oh my gosh, I have to figure out how to host like 60 people in my home. Now, how in the world, you grew up in a big family, so did Elisha. I know Vance is so helpful. He's an amazing cook. He already kind of has this down of like how to, you know, maximize recipes to

feed a lot of people. But I don't know. What tips do you have for me for hosting now? All of these new Vogue family members I'm inheriting. Well, I think it's impressive that you already have the vision of hosting everybody because when I got married, I was like, I don't want to have a whole family. Yeah, but I do think sometimes we were in a really small space and just not letting that inhibit you. You know, people love to come over and sit on the ground or whatever. But something that I've learned later that has been really helpful is setting stuff out when you have kids. and people to get, like, irritable with low blood sugar, setting, just having things to set out while you're making the meal, I feel like really takes the pressure off.

And it allows parents, like, if you're making a meal and their kids don't like the meal, to have alternatives for their kids. So something simple is like mandarin oranges, chopped up watermelon or chips and salsa. Or, you know, I often do, like, grapes, like kind of a turquotery board before breakfast. But I just feel like that really takes the edge off and then takes. the pressure off of me to try to get the meal together. And early on, I mean, I couldn't cook anything, Alex. When we got married, Alex- You couldn't cook? Oh, no. I'm shocked by this. Oh, yeah. Does your mom cook? Yes, she's a fantastic cook. So I just not like either. I didn't see any

reason to learn how to cook. See, that's how I was. Yeah. Yeah. My mom's great. She's a great cook. And then my, the three sisters below me were excellent cooks. And they'd all fight over cooking dinner. And my mom was like, Katie, you have to learn how to cook. And I'm like, I don't want to. Like bagels and cream cheese are enough for me. That's right. Yeah. No, I relate to that so much. I only know how to cook because during the pandemic, I got red-pilled on all the health stuff, completely changed my life. Because all I did was go to Chick-fil-A, go through the drive-thru multiple times a week, or I did, you know, pigs in a blanket frozen, like from a box. Disgusting. That's, like, literally what my dinner was for years. And so during the pandemic,

I got totally mind-blown by all the stuff I was learning about why we are so sick, where our food comes from, how the quality of food can be, like, medicine to your body, all these things. So I bought myself a subscription to a, you know, a box that gives you the recipe and the, and the produce and the meat and you just put it together with like a step-by-step picture direction. Oh, yeah. I love this. So that's how I taught myself how to cook. And I'm like, I don't know, how old were we, when was this? I don't know. I was like 27 or something. And this is how I learned. So that was way late in the game. I wish I would have learned a lot earlier. So at least I know how to cook, but I have to follow the recipe exactly.

Okay. Yeah. So what's funny is I, yeah, I didn't, I went from not knowing how to cook. We did like home chef back in the day where I still have some of the recipes. You know, I just buy my own ingredients and make some of my favorite pizzas and stuff now come from them. So, but then I just went to straight like dump and go cooking. Like I found like I enjoyed that way more not following a recipe. But like when we had people over, it was like spaghetti. with gluten-free noodles or tacos, you know, taco bar. And that is like, those are my two recipes we were making for crowds. That's easy.

Yeah. I love when people say, I don't take creatine because I'm not trying to look like the rock. Really? Neither am I. By that logic, I shouldn't drink water because I'm not trying to become a whale. People hear the word creatine and then they start picturing some guy named Blade screaming at a squat rack while dry scooping pre-workout and punching drywall. Meanwhile, there's actually a ton of research looking at creatine, not just for physical performance, but for cognitive function and mood too.

At this point, I'm interested in anything that helps me remember why I walked into the kitchen. That's why I started taking Peory Creatine Plus. What caught my attention is that they combined five grams of creatine monohydrate with 400 milligrams of torrine in every serving. Both support energy during high-intensity workouts, and there's exciting research looking at their role in supporting cognitive performance and mental clarity, too. But honestly, the biggest reason I trust them is that Puri for creatine publishes the third-party testing results for every single batch, looking for heavy metals or anything else weird that you want to avoid. Just scan the QR code on the back and you can see exactly what's in your product. They're also the only supplement brand with the clean label project transparency certificate,

meaning every batch is independently tested and the results are published online. Use code Alex at peory.com. That's P-U-O-R-I-P-R-I-C-R-E-R-R-E-R-R-E-R-E-R-C to get 32% off your first order when you start a subscription. That's more than $233 in savings. That's P-U-O-R-I-com. just code Alex at checkout for this exclusive offer. At some point, we collectively decided that being a woman means spending one week a month

wondering why everyone you love has suddenly become deeply irritating. You're crying because the dishwasher was loaded incorrectly. Your genes are offensive. Somebody choose near you and you're considering whether the relationship has a future. And society goes, hormones! Being a woman is crazy! Maybe we should be asking whether our bodies are getting the nutrients they need so that we're supported during these crazy moments.

That's what I like about Revive from Birthright. I take this every day. Instead of another neon powder invented in a lab that tastes like blue raspberry divorce court, Revive from Birthrite is whole food hormone support made with ingredients like grass-fed liver, grass-fed kidney, red raspberry leaf, and bee pollen. Real food in capsules because I support eating nutrient-dense foods, but I'm also not sauteing a kidney at 7.30 in the morning like I live on Little House on the Prairie. Revive is designed to support women in their cycles with nutrient-dense whole-food ingredients.

birthright news. Code Alex for 15% off. Birthright.com. Code Alex. Your hormones are communicating. So perhaps we should stop responding exclusively with ice coffee. That's birthright.

dot co. Code Alex for 15% off. Birthright.com. Code Alex 15% off. Birthright. dot co. Code Alex for 15% off. The best hormonal supplement,

prenatals, all the things. This is the brand I recommend. I have like quick hit questions of just, I think people are interested in big families, how you guys, like run your lives on a day-to-day basis, what it's really like. So what time does your day on average start? To be honest, I have two different start times. I have my, depending on where I'm at in a pregnancy, I'm my 5 o'clock start time at my 630 start time. It's like when I'm well rested, like I'm in

a second trimester right now, I feel great. Five o'clock is a really like decent time for me to get up and I can get an hour of work done, like computer work done before the kids get up and I can get it in a 30-minute workout. So those are the two things that suffer. if I get up at 6.30 because I start, and I just have like 30 minutes to do Bible time and get dressed for the day before the kids start waking up. But we do have a, the kids aren't allowed to come out of their rooms until 7 and summer and 7.30 in winter. Do you guys do that colored alarm clock thing? We did with the little guys back in the day. And now, you know, there's enough big kids in the room that have watches. Yeah. So they know how to tell time. So when Vance and I first started dating,

And we were talking about, like, ideas of how we want to raise kids. And I was like, I just know you. And I know that you've got some, like, interesting things that you've picked up on from your family. And tell me something that you've seen your siblings do that you really like, that you want us to do. And he's like, there's this color-coded alarm clock that's, like, red and green. And when it's time that they're allowed to come out of their rooms, then it'll go green. And then they know they can come out. But they cannot come out, even if they're awake until that goes green.

So that it gives Mommy and Daddy time to do devotions, have quiet time to give. together, start breakfast, whatever it is you like to do. And I was like, that's great because I'd never heard of that. So you guys are one of the families that use that. Yes, Mela. She's like a old friend. We've used Mela for years and years. Okay, I love that. Do you make your bed every day? I do. Yes. Who usually wakes up first between you and Elisha? I'd say we're on the same schedule. On weekends, we differ. He usually lets me sleep in one day and I let him sleep in one day. What is the most important to you to get done before you have breakfast? Reading my Yeah, that's really it. I mean, if I'm going into the day in my pajamas, that's fine. I'll get dressed after the breakfast rush. Do you meal plan every week? I meal plan dinners. I love breakfasts, so they're easy to cook. And my kids love making breakfast. And then lunches are usually just, I cook extra meat the night before, and then I can put that on a salad or in a tortilla for lunches. Do you grocery shop once a week or multiple times a week? I guess you said you do delivery.

I do delivery. I do it once a week. And then I do like a big Azure hall for like all my raw cheese and grains and stuff like that. Probably once a quarter, honestly. And then Costco's probably once a quarter too. What is always in your freezer to make life easier? I would just say frozen meat. Most of my freezer is just like ground beef fish and chicken, which is nice to have those things on hand. But I mean, I'm the queen for like putting the frozen ground beef in the pan and scrape. being in. I can't say it makes my life easier. That's great. Okay, when I first met, actually, you might have been sitting there. When I first met Vance's mom, one of the questions I was dying to ask with just raising 10 kids was about how she does laundry. And I was just blown away. I was like, tell me how you kept up with it, you know, because I'm just imagining piles and piles and piles if you go a couple days. So what is your all's laundry philosophy? Are you doing it every day, all day? Because that's what she said she did.

I love my laundry system. So I don't have a folding room or folding table in my laundry room. I hated seeing piles of laundry like on beds and couches and folding tables. And so I actually have all my kids' clothes in the laundry room. They're stored there. Like it's their dressers. Oh, yeah. So I have a bunch of wicker baskets. So each child, I'm very minimal with my kids' clothes because that's the biggest thing that cuts down on laundry is just, just not having a lot of inventory. And so they have enough outfits for a week, max. So my kids, it's like they can go three days. Yeah. I need a wash. I have two outfits out that hang up on a rack that are their Sunday or nice, like, town clothes, I guess. We live out in the middle of no more. So it's like I know they're always going to pants in a nice shirt for church or something, even if I'm behind on laundry, because those are kept out of the regular bins. And so it's really nice because I just, I wash a load in the morning. Right when I get up, I throw in a load of laundry. And then I just take whatever's in the dryer and chuck it in all the kids' little wicker baskets.

They look really cute. It looks like a French laundry system. I think it's cuter than like bins. Yeah. But it's still the same idea. I don't fold anybody's clothes. And then it's done. In like four minutes, I've thrown in a load and put away a load. You don't fold just because they're kids clothes and it doesn't matter if they're a little wrinkled or whatever. They're just playing. Yeah, you know, like they're cotton T-shirts and their jeans or my daughter's dresses. It's like they don't need to be folded, I guess, and then my kids dig through their stuff anyways. Yeah, this is a brilliant life hack. It makes laundry so easy.

This is really, I love this idea. People should copy that for sure. Do you hang their Sunday clothes? Do you do deep cleans once a month or constant small cleans? I relate with you saying, hey, I'm a deadline person. Like, I have to have a reason to clean my toilets. Yes. So I deep clean toilets when someone's coming over or our kids do sports a couple nights a week. My big kids, I have the little kids at home. And my deadline is just kind of like Elisha coming home, I guess. And I deep clean the house then. And so that's when I do bathrooms and floors and things like that. So maybe once or twice a week, I do a deep clean when he's gone. Who owns the family calendar? And is it digital or paper?

So we have this calendar we love. It came from my dad because he used it for a long time. It's called the Big A calendar. Actually, it's just a giant plastic year-at-a-clan's calendar. It is not cute. But anyways, we put it up in our pantry and Elish and I dry erase everything on there. What age do chores start with your kids? As soon as they love to be included, so you know, maybe 18 months or 2 years old. When it comes to having guests over, what are you willing to be imperfect? I mean, my whole house is probably imperfect. I did design it with that in mind in terms of having wooden baseboards, like I hate cleaning

baseboards. So it's like when they're wood, no one knows. It's like, it's rustic, you know? Who cares about the dust? So, I mean, you know, with the whole maha thing, though, you know, dust is a big deal, so I should probably be more on top of my dusting. I've had a guest on that talked about vacuuming your wall. Okay. Yeah. So that's next level. I would say my walls in general, I don't always get to washing the walls and living out in the country. They get dirty. And then I would say dusting. What is something that you've stopped caring about that made your home dramatically happier? I don't know if I could say I've stopped caring about something. Like, I feel like just teaching the children expectations, walking them through. Because sometimes I'll get very frustrated. Like, why are the shoes everywhere? And then actually,

sitting down like I haven't taught you this. So this is the new expectation. Here's where I expect your stuff to be. And teaching them systems has really helped me. So I don't know if that's not really letting go of something, but it's bringing the kids into training them on things that irk me. How much of the culture in your home kind of just happened naturally with you and Alicia's marriage and how much did you guys intentionally create? I think the biggest things that we intentionally created our rest times and our family. We've intentionally created a few rhythms that are very specific. I would say almost everything has been pretty intentional actually. When I go through like even things that we enjoy, like we both enjoy literature, but it's like we've been intentional to

curate our libraries, you know, and have physical books around the house. And so even though there's things that we both naturally are interested in or same with like his music, like Elisha loves music, but we've had to be intentional to teach the kids and have the instruments out and invest. And, you know, so I don't think very much has come just, I mean, we'll find out what came naturally when our kids are older and say, this is what our home was like, you know, but I feel like we've had to intentionally curate most of it. Every family, even amongst the Vogue's, has, you know, different parenting styles, different personalities, opinions.

How do you disagree with family members while still staying close? We're figuring this out every year more, I think, because as more people marry into the family, there's more variation within the family, which is a real gift. And it's really fun. You're I am the black sheep. You're hardly the black sheep. I wouldn't know. I'm like, I wouldn't know who that was. So maybe it's me. But I think it's really wonderful because you get all these different opinions and you get out of this group think mentality. And people have to start giving credence to other people's opinions or lifestyles or, you know, ideas that they have and cultures that they want to create. And so I think it's a growing experience. I think at least for

Elisha and I, there's some things, like our list of just don't bring it up, things, has gotten a lot longer. This is probably just immaturity. But it's like, you know, when you grew up in a family, you're used to like, it's my family. I can say whatever I want, you know. And then you start realizing like, they've created their own families. They've created their own families. And that's wonderful. And we get total jurisdiction over creating our family. And that's wonderful. And so let's just pour into that. And like, I don't think disagreements come up that often. Because it's just kind of like, well, it's your prerogative. And like different families value different things. And so just getting to enjoy your nieces and nephews and their family cultures for what they are. And then just kind of focusing on our own. Yeah. Speaking of the nieces nephews, you're about to have the 40th grandchild in the family. which is crazy. I know. Milestone.

So 25 years from now, what do you hope the next generation of Voteberg cousins says about growing up together? Well, I think I just want them to look back and be like, remember that one time? You know, like give them enough opportunities of hanging out together. Our kids are the only ones that don't live right now in Centralia. And then, you know, you guys are, we're kind of grateful you guys are here in Arizona. I know. Speaking of black sheep, it makes us feel better not living with the family. Well, Vance and I've talked about that once we have kids is, you know, that our kids are also going to be like kind of out and not as tight knit with them because everybody else lives together in the same area.

So we're like, hey, summers, we're just shipping them up there. You guys are good with grandma and grandpa for the next month. We'll see you later. Just so they have that time. Yeah. And it is so fun, though. When we do bring our kids over when kids come and visit us, you know, they're just like, best friends and have all these wonderful memories together. So I just want to provide that

opportunity. What is something new that your family is embarking on that you're really excited about? Well, actually, we've only done online business since being married. Elisha and I started our first business, Vopberg Music Academy, when we were dating. So I feel like I really went out on a limb there and was like, yeah, let's call it your last name. But we're opening our first brick and mortar music school in our in Hayden, Idaho this fall. So we're excited. It's like a whole new experience, like a lease and a sign and designing the space. And so I'm really excited to have like in-person students again. What is Voteberg Music Academy? Because my audience may not know this. Yeah, Votaberg Music Academy. After Elisha grew up in a family band and his parents spent thousands of

dollars every month, you know, taking the kids to lessons and all that. And I grew up in a musical family as well, although I, you know, I don't call myself a musician since being married to a Vogue. I'm like, forget that. And we wanted to make music lessons affordable for families. And so we started Vogue Music Academy where students, families learn together. So families might pay, you know, $40 something for a monthly piano teacher online. And all their kids can take from the same teachers. So instead of paying per child, they just pay a one-time membership. And it's kind of set up like Boy Scouts or Girl Scouts where they earn physical badges mailed to their door when they complete certain music challenges. And it's become a really fun community where a lot of families create these family bands and play together. It's just been really cool to see.

What kinds of instruments can people learn on there? Piano, ukulele, violin, or we teach specifically fiddle. Drums? Fiddle, no drums. Okay. We don't teach any drums. I can't do the drums. Not in our house. When kids are doing Vogueberg Music Academy, do they need to have some sort of beginner knowledge?

Or can you start, like, I've never even picked up a violin? Yeah, no, we start with, like, unboxing your instrument. Okay, great. Yeah, so there's live calls. Some of Alicia siblings and in-laws have been wonderful. They get on the live calls, and we'll walk kids through, like, here's how you tune your instrument, here's how you unbox it. So there are pre-recorded weekly lessons, but there's also. just really live hands-on experience.

So if there's going to be a brick-and-mortar version of the company, does that mean you guys are going to be teaching classes? Are you hiring people? Or how's that work? Elish is teaching a lot. And then, yeah, we've hired some incredible teachers that are being trained in, like, the Vogue method. Is that going to be weird to have him out of the house, like doing work?

Oh, yeah. It's going to be a total new phase for our family. I'm like, I'm probably going to be driving into the music studio all the time. Like, I miss you. That's cute. So I'm really excited about that. Yeah, it's phenomenal. And I've even had, like, friends when I started dating Vance, they're like, wait a minute,

what's his last name? I'm like, Voberg. They're like, wait, my kid is doing that class. Like, is that his family? And I'm like, yep, it is. So it's pretty cool what you guys have going on. Tell everybody about the name of your podcast and then what you all cover and when new episodes come out.

Yes, it's called Now That We're a Family. And episodes come out Tuesdays and Thursdays. So that's kind of the flow. Elisha keeps us on track. And yeah, we just want to encourage families. And you guys do interviews. You've interviewed a lot of people I've had on the show. Yeah, it's fun to see. Yeah. So you've interviewed some people. We don't have them come in person, though. You're like next level having them come in person. Well, I couldn't do that on my own. That's all turning point. It's a blessing doing the show through them. I have that opportunity. But you guys do interviews, but then you also just talk yourself. Yes, we do. And that's just like a fun aspect of our marriage. You know, people will listen. in and be like, were you guys, like, figuring that out real time on the show? Yes. Yes. Absolutely.

No, you guys do, you cover some really thought-provoking, interesting discussions. Like, I love to listen and then ask Vans like, well, hey, Katie and Elijah talked about this on the show. Like, what do you think about this? Like, it's given me a lot of great topics, just even in this pre-marital stage. So I have you guys to thank for that. Okay. I ask every guest. this at the end of the show, if you could offer one remedy to heal a sick culture, physically, emotionally, or it could be spiritually, what would your remedy be? So when I think about this, you know, the first, like, Christian thought goes the gospel. But what's funny is the more I thought about that, I was like, I don't think the Western world needs more of the gospel.

I think we all know Jesus, like even non-believers know Jesus died on the cross for sinners. But I think we need a yearning for righteousness. I'm really seeing this outside of the church and inside of the church just a, like not desiring to be like Christ and have this righteous, this unity, seeking to love other people to give them the benefit of the doubt. I just feel like it's really become like a cutthroat world. And we see this both in and out of the church. And so yeah, at least for myself, I just feel like that craving for righteous.

righteousness is what's going to force growth in unity within Christianity and draw people to it from outside. Yeah, that is so, so good. I am so blessed to be marrying to this family, have people like you that I get to learn from and call up and say, I need help. I don't know what I'm doing here. I need advice. As you guys can see, every woman in this family is incredible woman of God, amazing mother, amazing wife. And so I have the best people around me as I'm entering this season and having no idea what I'm doing and get to learn from the best. So you guys are no exception. It really, really means so much. I'm so honored that you get to be on the show. So thank you for coming on. Thanks so much for having me, Alex. And we are so excited to have you in the family,

just like your personality and your excitement for life. You're so good for Vance. And we couldn't be more thrilled for you guys. Thank you. When it comes to nailing down managing your home, what has been the hardest part for you? Is it the laundry? Is it meal planning ahead of time? Is it time management? Share in a five-star review or the cute service Facebook group or the comments below. New episodes come out every Monday and Thursday at 6 p.m. Pacific, 9 p.m. Eastern, wherever you listen to your podcast. Find the show on Instagram or me at Real Alex Clark. I'm Alex Clark, and this is Culture Apothecary.