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At the end of recording my last podcast episode (#026), I asked Megan a few bonus questions to be able to share with you EVEN MORE awesome content! Megan gives some great advice about healthy food, a well as a few recipe ideas for feeding kids! Show Notes: Feeding Littles website Dirty Dozen list Megan's recipe & nutrition blog Megan's protein pancake recipe My protein pancake recipe Have a great day y'all!  

This episode is all about feeding our young children solids, from 6 months through toddlers.  Megan McNamee gives awesome information about the Baby Led Weaning method, and just tips in general that will go a long way when feeding our young children. You guys, I am so excited to be back podcasting!!!  Thank you so much for stopping by.  Here are the show notes for this episode: Show Notes: Feeding Littles website Feeding Littles Facebook Group Page 

Hello!! I am literally in the middle of super mild contractions as I finish up this episode for you guys this week! I thought that since all my brain could do lately was think about (and read about and listen about) birth stories, I would share with you my little Mia's birth story. I wrote it down not long after her birth over 2 years ago on my personal blog. There are a few photo gems in this post for your enjoyment if you want to see them :) As I said in this episode, I'll be taking a little break from podcasting while we focus on new baby's arrival, but I will be sending out the newsletter every Friday with some fun content, as well as updating Insta, as always.  Subscribe to the newsletter, or find me there!! I also realized after editing this episode that my late-pregnancy-brain forgot to say the prayer at the end of this episode!  Bummer!! Please feel free to throw up a prayer or two for a safe delivery for us. Thank you so much! Mentioned in this episode: My original blog post + photos Ina May Gaskin's Guide to Childbirth * Have an awesome day!! Kristin  

Hello!  On this episode I chat with Rachel Kratz from EfficientMomma.com about simplifying and de-cluttering your home, plus her new ebook Minimize the Mess!  It was perfect timing for me since I'm in getting-ready-for-baby#2-mode.  I hope you enjoy it! Rachel + her husband Show Notes: Rachel's blog - Efficient Momma Rachel's Minimize the Mess e-book Baby items Rachel can't live without: Ergo baby carrier* Happy Wrap* + Rachel's Happy Wrap Review Amber teething necklace* (I love ours too!) Boppy pillow* Organized Simplicity by Tsh Oxenrider* Random note related to only needing a canvas bag for a diaper bag: the cutest canvas tote!! TIL Podcast Episode 014 with Courtney Carver about Project 333 and simplifying your wardrobe Lastly, Don't forget to sign up for the newsletter over in the sidebar of this page!  I may not be releasing as many podcasts the month or two after the baby comes, but I will be sending our a regular newsletter to stay connected and keep everyone up-to-date on This Inspired Life happenings.  I'd love for you to stay connected!! You can also follow me on Instagram for some cute newborn photos sure to come... :) Have a great day! Kristin  

This week I interview an old college friend of mine, Lauren Blair!  She was just promoted to the Regional Vice President level at Arbonne, an amazing network marketing company, and I really enjoyed picking her brain all about it. She talks all about how she started with her Arbonne business, the early fears and struggles, the steps she has taken to build a successful business, and some great, tangible tips for anyone interested in starting or growing their own at-home business - whether it's a network marketing business or not! Show Notes: Lauren's Arbonne page Lauren's email The other interview I've done with a fellow Little Flower - Sister Faustina! Lastly, I hope you enjoyed this episode!! Feel free to drop me a line anytime with any feedback or suggestions for future episodes!  I'd love to hear from you! :) Kristin

**Again, this episode will contain some sensitive and graphic / explicit content.** This week I continue with my conversation with Aubrey about the struggles she's faced in motherhood so far, and Aubrey shares the in-depth experience of going through a miscarriage. For the recording and show notes from Part 1, click here. Her story is actually pretty incredible, since she delivers the baby whole and intact, which is somewhat uncommon.   Her message today is of real-life experience, and of hope and encouragement for all mothers and families who may have experienced a similar loss. She also gives some great advice to friends and family of those who are experiencing a miscarriage, which I find super helpful to keep in mind. Show Notes: Aubrey's blog posts (Part 1 and Part 2) about her miscarriage (note: some graphic photos included) A great post she did called 12 Tips to Help You Navigate Miscarriage Heaven is for Real book she mentioned JJ Heller's song Oliviana she mentioned Thanks for coming by today!! If you ever have any comments or questions or show ideas for the future, I'd love to hear them!  Feel free to email me anytime. :) Have a wonderful weekend! Kristin

**This episode contains some explicit, sensitive material!  Please be advised!!** This week I am speaking with a friend of mine, Aubrey Mecimore. She is a wife, mom, and blogger at Parenting the Pipsqueak.   She has experienced her fair share of challenges already in her short parenting journey, and has graciously agreed to share her story with us. This is part 1 of a 2 part interview.  In part 1, Aubrey shares about her struggles with breastfeeding her new infant, as well as her realization that she needed post-birth reconstructive surgery, including all that was entailed with pre- and post-surgery.  Again - be advised, there is some graphic content here. In part 2, which will be released next week, Aubrey will share the story of her and her husband's recent miscarriage. {Click here for Part 2.} Aubrey is very open to anyone contacting her if you have any questions!!  Just visit her about page to find out how to contact her. There are no other show notes for today's episode, but definitely check out Aubrey's blog if you want to learn more about her or read her great content!! Thank you so much for listening and stopping by here today! Kristin  

On today's episode, Alicia Hernon  helps me dive deeper into what it means for wives to "submit" or "be subordinate" to their husbands as laid out in Ephesians ch. 5. Alicia is a wife and mother to 10 children ages 2 to almost 20 (!), and co-hosts a weekly podcast with her husband about parenting called Messy Parenting. She obviously has a great deal of experience in marriage and family dynamics, and I appreciated her take on this subject so much!! I hope you get a lot out of it too. Show Notes: {Some links below are affiliate links (*).  See disclaimer for more info!} Bloom2Bloom's awesome flower delivery service!!  Don't forget to use code "Inspired25" for 25% off your order!!!!!!* Messy Parenting Podcast Like Messy Parenting on Facebook! Ephesians 5 excerpt from the USCCB EWTN's Franciscan University Presents archives ReginaDoman.com (Alicia's sister) MartinDoman.com (Alicia's brother) The Catholic Stuff You Should Know podcast

This week I chat with my all-time favorite blogger (!!!!!) Grace from Camp Patton!! Since we are both gearing up for baby mode again, I thought it would be so fun to chat with her about what it's like transitioning to more kids in the family!  We talk all about going from 0 to 1 kid, 1 to 2 kids, 2 to 3, etc. and how each of those stages is different.  Since I still consider myself a new mom, I got so much out of this conversation. I hope you enjoy it! Show Notes: Camp Patton website Camp Patton on Facebook

This week's episode was so much fun!  I chatted with an awesome blogger and writer, Nicole V Bennett.  She recently re-branded her "Gidget Goes Home" blog to the new NicoleVBennett.com, and we talk all about that, plus reading routines, books she's into, reading to her kids, reading resources, and of course her new {FREE!} ebook entitled Read More!  I hope you enjoy this week's show! Show Notes: Nicole's Website: NicoleVBennett.com Where you can sign up to get Nicole's free eBook Read More: why and how to make time for reading amidst the busyness of life Nicole on Facebook Formerly Simple Mom and Simple Living Media: www.theartofsimple.net The book Nicole mentioned by Jeff Goins - The Art of Work: A Proven Path to Discovering What You Were Meant to Do* The similar book I mentioned - The War of Art: Winning the Inner Creative Battle* Jeff's podcast The Portfolio Life Nicole's Good Reads page My recently started Good Reads page (!) Read Aloud Revival Podcast (Love this podcast!!) My recent blog post about our Little Free Library The hilarious Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan* Nicole's Motherhood and Jane Austen Book Club on Facebook Anne's (Modern Mrs. Darcy) 2015 Reading Challenge And of course a photo of Nicole's beautiful family: Phew! I think that is all the show notes from this jam-packed episode.  I hope you enjoyed it! :)  Now go sign up to get Nicole's ebook, find us on Good Reads and let's encourage each other to read more!! :) Kristin    *These links are amazon affiliate links, meaning if you purchase something from this link, I will receive a tiny percentage of the sale. Thank you for supporting the podcast! 

This week I talk all about what it's like being a doula (and student midwife!) with my friend Laura Correia! She has had the amazing experience of being present for over 100 births (which include the laboring part - don't forget!!)....can you imagine that!?  I am so excited to share with you all that she has to say about this! She talks all about her decision to become a doula and midwife, how this field has impacted her life, what it's like having a family in this "flexible - inflexible" type of job, the beauty and similarity between birth and death, and she describes the certification processes for doulas and midwives. I hope you enjoy it! Show Notes: Laura's Facebook Page Laura's Birth Doula Website and Blog  - Lots of info about Laura, as well as many other doula resources! Laura in action: Laura's Book Recommendations: {Or her preferred alternate title: "Books you should read after throwing away What to Expect When You're Expecting:"}  :) The Complete Book of Pregnancy and Childbirth (Revised) by Sheila Kitzinger* The Birth Partner - Revised 4th Edition: A Complete Guide to Childbirth for Dads, Doulas, and All Other Labor Companions by Penny Simkin* - great labor tips, especially for coaches Any Book by Dr. Sears* Also - Laura recommends the documentaries The Business of Being Born and More Business of Being Born, which can be found on Netflix or probably your local library! DONA International website - information on how to become a Doula through the DONA Certification Process (very highly regarded) DONA International Required Reading List* - A great list of books for Doulas even if you're not becoming DONA certified! NARM - North American Registry of Midwives Lastly, Thank you so much for stopping by!!  I'd love to hear from you if you have any comments, questions, or ideas for future shows!  Email me anytime!! :)  And don't forget to join my mailing list over here -------> to hear about all upcoming shows and to get some fun extras! Have a great weekend, Kristin   *These links are affiliate links, meaning if you purchase anything from here, I will receive a tiny percentage of the sale at no additional cost to you.  

Hello Friends!! First of all, if you couldn't tell, I have switched to an every-other-week release schedule for my podcast for the time being.  I am hoping this is a little more manageable with my schedule, allows me to blog every once-in-a-while (which I miss!), and overall helps me keep my sanity. ...Moving on to this week's episode!!  I am SO excited to share this week's interview with you, with one of my favorite online people, Nell O'Leary!! Of course, here are her beautiful kids: Show Notes: Nell's Blog - Whole Parenting Family Design Mom's feature on Nell's family home! Nell's Etsy Shop - Whole Parenting Goods  -->Plus, my 3 favorite items in her shop right now: This Bandit Bib, This Children's Blanket, and  These Elk Print Baby Leggings. For realz! Here are some pictures of some of her other beautiful work: And HERE is where you can sign up to hear about Nell's Women's (and MATERNITY!!) Leggings!!!! Word on the street (i.e. an email I got from Nell) is that there will be a Limited Quantity, so.. you better sign up!!! The article Nell talked about regarding our gut bacteria and it's connection with our sugar cravings -- super interesting!! The Whole Parenting No Sugar 30 group on Facebook The Whole Parenting Facebook page The latest weekly meal plan from Nell and the rest of the link-up participants in her Week Eats link-up!! The Cookbooks Nell mentioned (They are all going on my wish list!): The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters* The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook* Ad Hoc at Home by Thomas Keller* Episode #005 of This Inspired Life where I interview another Etsy Shop owner - Megan Yeats from Her Bunnies Three! The blog post I wrote last summer with some great kid's snack ideas Lastly, Thank you so much for stopping by!! If you liked today's episode, I would be so grateful if you could head over to iTunes, click the little blue button that says "view in iTunes," and write a review for the show!!!!  And be sure to tune in next time - two Friday's from now. It's going to be another great episode!! Have a great weekend, Kristin  *These links are affiliate links, so if you purchase anything after clicking I will receive a teeny tiny commission at no cost to you.  Thank you for supporting This Inspired Life Podcast!!

Hello Friends!! This Inspired Life is finally back!!!  I am so excited for the episodes I have lined up already for 2015.  Seriously.  And to start it all off, I have an awesome story of conversion, reversion, and making the courageous leap off of birth control with an amazing woman, Andrea Boring. Andrea has such a beautiful story to tell, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I have! Show Notes: Andrea's 4-part blog series on her conversion & reversion to the Catholic Church Andrea's blog posts about her decision to remove her IUD The Diocese of Phoenix Office for Natural Family Planning Andrea's Web, Marketing and Brand Development Business - Shine Avenue Creative Andrea's personal site - AndreaBoring.com My 16 weeks pregnant belly VS. my 20-month-old toddler's belly Lastly, If you have enjoyed this podcast, I would appreciate it so much if you would write me a SUPER QUICK review on iTunes!  It helps keep my rankings high which helps others find the podcast. Thank you so much everyone!! Kristin

Have you guys heard of the Capsule Wardrobe idea???? Of course you have. If you haven't, stop what you're doing right now and Google it.  Or Pinterest it!  (Will "Pinterest" ever become a verb you think??)  Anyway...It's such a cool idea.  And rumor has it that Courtney Carver started it all with Project 333.  And lucky for you...she's on the podcast this week!! One of my favorite things about the Capsule Wardrobe is for someone like me, who buys clothes ALL THE TIME and doesn't like 95% of them, something like this would really help me narrow down my style and love the clothes I wear. And one of the main reasons I like the Project 333 method is that it really honors simplicity and doesn't expect you (in fact, it urges you not) to buy an entirely new capsule each season, and to work first with what you have. Especially after talking with Courtney, I can not WAIT to go to town on my closet.  You can rest assured that I will be sharing all about it over on my poor neglected blog as it happens! (Stay tuned!) Links & Things: First of all, the amazing photo of Courtney's closet for her fall capsule. Whoa right??!! Courney's microcourse on creating your own Capsule Wardrobe!!* Courtney's list of ebooks and microcourses she offers Info on The Simple Year course (registration starts again January 1st!) A list of great posts from Courtney about Simplicity Getting Started Guide to Project 333 A list of helpful posts for Project 333 ...Including the great post with 15 Tips for Beginners ...And The Minimalist Travel Capsule Wardrobe What a few others are doing: Kendra Tierney's capsule wardrobe adventure here AND her link-up for other bloggers' posts here! Jenna from A Mama Collective shares about her experience Black Friday Reminder: Don't forget the coupon code for 15% off your Advent Calendar at Inspired Life Shop!!  Just use the code: BLACKFRIDAY15 all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!  

I am so excited to share my recent chat with Kendra from Catholic All Year!  I am so glad she came back on the show to talk about her family traditions for Advent and Christmas. I love Kendra's take on Advent, Santa, her family's 12-Days-Movie-Marathon, a Birthday Cake for Jesus, everything.  If you are looking for some ideas on how to fully experience and honor both Advent and Christmas, you've come to the right place. Links & Things: Kendra's post about Advent that we talked about on this episode What Kendra's house looks like a few days into Advent A short excerpt from GK Chesterton about Santa Kiwi Crate -- What Kendra is giving her kids this year! (And her affiliate link!) LEGO City Advent Calendar* (I reeaallyy wish I had this when I was a kid!!) An Advent Carols CD!! Advent Carols from St. John's* The super awesome Nativity Play that Kendra wrote! Kendra's favorite family read-alouds for Advent Kendra's favorite Christmas Picture Books The Christmas Novena Kendra talked about 7 reasons Kendra's kids don't need toys this year My Advent Calendar for sale on Etsy!  And since we talked about shopping early for Christmas gifts -- some gift ideas for you: I always loved getting a new movie for Christmas.  Here are a few good ones I found at Ignatius Press: Nicholas: The Boy Who Became Santa* Bernadette, Princess of Lourdes* (This was one of my favorites as a kid!) Francis: Knight of Assisi* Some more great ideas: The Ignatius Press Advent books and items list* The Ignatius Press Christmas Gift Guide* *These are all affiliate links.  If you purchase anything through these links, at no additional cost to you, I will earn a small commission.  Thank you for helping support this podcast! Lastly, I would love to hear what YOUR family traditions are for Christmas and Advent!  Share in the comments below, and feel free to share a link to your blog if you have a post about it!! And have a wonderful Thanksgiving next week!!!!! Kristin  

This week I have an amazing treat for you!!!  I was lucky enough to have the chance to speak with an old college friend and Sister of Life, Sr. Faustina!! I knew Sr. Faustina (then just Faustina of course) at Franciscan University.  She was an upperclassmen, and so much fun to be around.  We were in a Household together (sort of like a spiritual sorority) called The Little Flowers. This is at a bequeathing ceremony - myself, Sr. Faustina, Maggie, Lauren, and Kristina. I was beyond thrilled to have the chance to speak with her about her new life as a Sister of Life, and both of us were completely shocked at how it all came about.  I hope you enjoy our discussion about her beautiful vocation story, being a Sister of Life, prayer, and faith. Photos of her and her Sisters that she allowed me to share with you! {Sr. Faustina is the first Sister on the left ^^} {Sr. Faustina in Rio! ^^} {Sr. Faustina kneeling at the bottom ^^} {Sr. Faustina is the fourth from the left ^^} Links & Things: Sisters of Life More beautiful vocation stories from some of the Sisters of Life A very similar version of Sr. Faustina's vocation story (can also be found at the link above) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rn1yFZl1nZs I mentioned the Advent Calendars my friend and I made in the beginning of the show. If you'd like to purchase an Advent Calendar like this: Click Here!! Books Sr. Faustina mentioned: With God in Russia by Walter J. Ciszek S.J.* Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe* Fire Within: St. Teresa of Avila, St. John of the Cross and the Gospel-On Prayer by Thomas Dubay* Redeemed: Stumbling Toward God, Sanity, and the Peace That Passes All Understanding by Heather King* My Sisters the Saints: A Spiritual Memoir by Colleen Campbell* *These are affiliate links -- if you choose to purchase something from the link, at no additional cost to you, I will receive a small percentage of the sale.  Thank you for your support of this podcast! :) Lastly, Thank you so much for coming by today!! I appreciate your support so much.  If you'd like to support the podcast by giving it a rating or review in iTunes, you can head here to do that.   Just click "View in iTunes" and it will take you to where you can write a review. THANK YOU SO MUCH!! Have a great week! Kristin

This week I have an awesome chat with Bonnie Engstrom.  She is a wife, a mother of 5 under 6 (see below how adorable they are)  and a blogger at A Knotted Life.   She also was the co-founder of the Behold Conference, and is a speaker and baker!  Taking a picture of 5 kids is as hard as it looks apparently. Not only does Bonnie have an amazing miracle story to tell about the birth of her third child, she is also on the show today to chat about blogging, her Sheenazing Blogging Awards, and her consulting business!  She ends this episode with 5 awesome beginner (or reminder) tips for bloggers!! Links: A Knotted Life Blog A Knotted Life on Facebook More information about James' miracle, and the Fulton Sheen cause for canonization A Fulton Sheen website where you can listen to his speeches for free More information about Bonnie's Blog Consulting business All past nominees and winners of the Sheenazing Blogging Awards Marshmallows - the best way to keep your kids happy while on an hour-long phone call Inspired Life Shop - my new Etsy shop!!! Lastly.. Thank you guys so much for all of your support!!  If you can, please don't forget to leave the show a rating or review in iTunes!  This helps keep the rankings high so others can find it easily.  I really appreciate your help!! Have an awesome week! Kristin  

Hello! On this - the 10th!!! - episode of This Inspired Life, I am interviewing Sherry Boas, one of the most inspirational mothers I have ever met [over the phone]. She has such a beautiful pro-life message and so many amazing words of wisdom about motherhood and God's plan for us, I literally teared up both during the live interview, and then again when I was editing it. Here are a few pictures of her lovely family: And Sherry - ...where the writing magic happens. Links & Things: Sherry's Website -- All about her books & publishing company One of a few Bible quotes about being adopted Children of God: Ephesians 1:5: "He destined us for adoption as his children through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of his will" A list of all of Sherry's books, along with some that are published by Caritas Press. Press coverage and other amazing interviews Sherry has done   As Featured On... This week I was honored to be featured in a podcast that is all about reviewing other podcasts!  It is called The Best Podcasts Reviewed, from Mr. Podcasts, and his review can be found here!! I also have to give a huge thank-you to his wife who apparently introduced him to my podcast. Thank you thank you thank you Mr. (and Mrs.) Podcasts!!!! :) Lastly, It was so amazing to be in the Number 1 slot in the Christianity section's New and Noteworthy.   And I have YOU to thank for that!!! Thank you so much to everyone who has helped spread the word in so many ways, and to those especially who have written reviews.  This helps my rankings immensely!!  I would love to climb higher in the other sections I am featured in, so if you have a minute I would appreciate your review so much! Here is a link that will bring you to iTunes on your browser.  Once you are there, if you click the blue button "view in iTunes" , you will be taken to the place where you can write a rating or review.  I know it's super confusing, so if you have any trouble at all let me know!! Thank you all so much for your support!!!  Have an awesome weekend, and of course Happy Halloween!! Kristin

In this week's interview I chat with a mentor and good friend of mine, Mary Peterson. In 2000, when Mary was 22 she had an idea for a community of people loving and serving those in need.  That idea became Maggie's Place, a now $1.5M dollar nonprofit that helps pregnant women who are in need of a place to live and a loving, supporting community especially for when their baby arrives. Mary was the Executive Director for the first 13 years of Maggie's Place's existence, and I was privileged to work along side her for 5 of those.  I learned so much from my time at Maggie's Place, and especially from her.  Lessons about leadership, about trusting in God, about perseverance, about humility, and especially lessons about love. And not just the happy kind of love that you might think of right away.  But the reeeally hard "I don't feel like doing this right now" kind of love.  The messy kind of love, as Mary so aptly puts it. I really hope you enjoy this conversation with her as we talk about the lessons of Love from our time at Maggie's Place,  as well as the maternity housing side of the pro-life movement. Links: A Really Awesome short video about Maggie's Place:   Mary's consulting business - Caritas Initiatives  The book about the founding of Maggie's Place -- Maggie's Place: Building a Community of Love Heartbeat International, the umbrella organization that supports pregnancy help resources and maternity homes across the country  Lastly, If you like this show and wanna help keep the ratings for the show high in iTunes, I would be so grateful if you could write a review or give a star rating.  Thank you so much for your help!! Thanks or listing and have a great week!! Kristin

This 3rd and final episode is the perfect conclusion to the Child Development and Identity series.  It is absolutely jam packed with very applicable insights and advice about raising kids to have a healthy self-esteem and body image, among so much more! The main themes MaryRuth and I spoke about were: Self-Esteem & Self Efficacy Body image The daddy-daughter relationship Language and labels Family culture & social reproduction You guys, this is definitely my favorite of the 3 episodes - it is just so good!!  So much of what MaryRuth brings up is so applicable and easy to understand. And if still need to catch the first 2 episodes, check'em out here: Part 1 - The 8 Stages of Identity Development Part 2 - The Four Temperaments and Birth Order  Links: MaryRuth's Blog -- Parenting with Peer Review Beyond the Birds and the Bees* by Gregory Popcak (