Sunday, April 03, 2016

A few favorite podcasts

{image courtesy of istockphoto.com}

Back about two years ago, I had mentioned my newfound love of podcasts in this post.  Well, I STILL love podcasts, and I keep finding new ones to enjoy!  Sometimes I listen to one while exercising, and other times I listen while I'm doing housework, especially dishes or cooking supper or folding laundry.  It's kind of like reading encouraging books or blog posts, but in the form of a radio-style show...but the best part is being able to pick one that is just what I need right now!!  And being able to multitask while listening.  So cool.

Because of the stage of life I'm at, my favorite podcasts are usually on the topics of home, family, homeschooling, or just general encouragement for moms.  I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface of all the great shows that are out there, but here are some of my current favorites, in no particular order:

Read-Aloud Revival: I love, love, love this show.  Sarah MacKenzie is just such a fun and bubbly host, and she has some fantastic guests.  Reading aloud to my kids is one of my passions (and a big part of why we homeschool with Sonlight), so this podcast about "building a family culture around books" is right up my alley.

Your Morning Basket: Pam Barnhill hosts this wonderful show all about doing "morning time"...a great way to bring "truth, goodness, and beauty to your homeschool day."  We haven't really called it morning time in our home (although I now think of it as that), but we started the practice of all meeting together and doing our read-alouds and memory work, etc. first thing in the morning for school this year, and it has really improved our school days.  Before, I always felt behind on our read-alouds and like we weren't fitting in the really good stuff that I wanted to share with all the kids together.  Now, I pretty much have a revolt on my hands if I decide to skip morning time!  It has been such a great way to start our days.

Homeschool Snapshots: This is Pam Barnhill's other podcast, which is also a great one!  She interviews a different homeschool mom for each episode, and they are such fun to listen to.

At Home with Sally: Sally Clarkson is one of my heroes.  I love her wisdom, her books, her homeschooling advice and inspiration to make my life and home beautiful, and to be the best wife and mom I can be.  I am currently savoring her newest book, The Lifegiving Home (co-written with her daughter Sarah), and I was so thrilled to discover she also had started a podcast!!  Since I have never had the opportunity to go to one of her conferences or events, you'd better believe I am soaking up this chance to listen to her.  Most of the episodes are co-hosted with her friend Kristen Kill, and I love hearing her perspective and wisdom as well.  Good stuff here!

The Busy Mom: I've been vaguely familiar with Heidi St. John for a while, but only just recently discovered her podcast.  So far I've only listened to a couple episodes, but I'm eager to hear more.  She's practical, down-to-earth, passionate and funny.

HomeschoolingIRL: This is one of my new favorite homeschooling podcasts...wish I'd discovered it sooner!  Andy and Kendra Fletcher are homeschooling parents of a large family and they tackle all kinds of homeschooling topics with wisdom, grace, and humor.  Lots of humor!  Over the past week I listened to two of their episodes (#39 and #58) on homeschool burnout (which I've been feeling a LOT lately!).  It was so good to hear that I'm totally normal in that regard...and I came away encouraged to keep on keeping on. :)  They have done a whole bunch of episodes, so I have lots to catch up on!

Cultivating the Lovely: Mackenzie Monroe is a young mom like me, and I enjoy her sweet personality and the different guests she has on her show.  She's talked with ladies like Crystal Paine, Sally & Sarah Clarkson, and many others, about all kinds of topics.  She has a heart for the Lord and I've enjoyed the devotional materials she puts out for free on her site, too.

Inspired to Action: One of my original favorites, Kat Lee's podcast continues to be encouraging and inspiring!  Her heart is to encourage moms in their walk with God and their mothering, and she touches on other topics like organization, health & fitness, etc.

Now in case you didn't know this (I didn't for a while!), you do not have to own a "device" such as an iPod to actually listen to a podcast. :)  You can listen to them right from the sites I linked above, in most cases!  So if your computer is located in a central part of your home, or you can turn your volume up loud enough, you can still listen while washing dishes!  Or if you do have an iPod or tablet and some earphones, that's a handy way to listen while exercising, or vacuuming...something where you're moving around a lot.

Hopefully this will give someone a little podcast inspiration.  And if you have your own favorites, please share so I can discover some new gems!


1 comment:

Jenny said...

Thank you! Good to know I can click and listen! Podcasts are still in the deeply mysterious technology zone for me! Haha!