FoC 088: Opening Your Heart to Life and Love Through Fostering with Annie Tillberg

 

We’ve had it on our hearts to do an episode on foster care and we realized that Annie Tillberg was the perfect guest to share on the topic! Annie and her husband Dan have an amazing story about fostering–both beautiful and heartwrenching. Annie is a blogger and the biological mother of two beautiful girls on earth (and a baby on the way!) and is currently fostering a sweet baby girl as well.

In this episode we talk about the calling that all women have to motherhood and how that calling is not always to biological motherhood but sometimes to spiritual motherhood, adoption, or foster care. You will learn so much about the practical side of how foster parenting works and the goals of foster care (hint: it’s not typically to adopt the child in your care) as well as the discernment process that the Tillbergs went through in their journey of choosing to become foster parents. We also touch on the sacrificial nature of foster parenting and how it can be a living out of the pro-life message. So grab a cup of tea (and maybe a box of kleenex) and enjoy the conversation!

To connect with Annie:

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

FoC 087: Should Jo Have Married Laurie and Other Thoughts on Little Women

A new film adaptation of one of our favorite classics, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women has just been released to US audiences and so it seems like the perfect time to discuss this timeless coming-of-age novel. In this episode we tackle the big questions: do each of the March sisters grow and develop to the same degree? Should Jo have ended up with Laurie? What is the deal with Meg and John’s weird marital relationship? And is Amy the literal worst?

We really dive into the romantic relationships in the story as well as determine which March sister we most identify with. We also discuss the pros and cons of the various film versions of the story.  This episode was a blast to record, so grab yourself a cup of tea and enjoy!

In this episode we talked about:

Haley’s review for America Magazine of the new series for BBC/PBS 

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Books and films we talked about:

Little Women

2017 film series

1994 film

 

 

 

 

1949 version

1933 film

Big News!

The book Haley has been working on for over a year with Ave Maria Press JUST became available for pre-order! AND THERE WAS MUCH REJOICING!

You can gain Haley’s undying loyalty by pre-ordering your copy of The Grace of Enough: Pursuing Less and Living More in a Throwaway Culture today! Pre-orders are crucial to getting Amazon and bookstores to stock a book, especially for new authors, so pretty please support your neighborhood podcasting writing mama.

What’s this book all about? It’s part memoir and part reflection and guide to essential elements of intentional Christian living that Haley’s family discovered during an extraordinary year on a farm (with no flushing toilets!) and that they continue to practice today in their little house in the city. You’ll be inspired to:

  • live simply
  • offer hospitality
  • revive food culture and the family table
  • reconnect with the land
  • nurture community
  • prioritize beauty
  • develop a sense of wonder
  • be intentional about technology
  • seek authentic intimacy
  • center life around home, family, and relationships

And people who aren’t just Haley’s mom read it and liked it! Here’s what they said:

“If you’ve ever yearned to make radical changes to your life that will bring you lasting satisfaction, this is the book for you.” —Jennifer Fulwiler, SiriusXM radio host and author of Something Other Than God and One Beautiful Dream

“This book is an antidote to the Throwaway Culture, a blueprint to living a fulfilling life. What St. Benedict did for the early monastics, Haley has done for modern suburbanites and families: provide a compelling rule, a practical life plan, one centered on community, simplicity, and charity.” —Brandon Vogt, Content director of Word on Fire Catholic Ministries and author of Why I Am Catholic (and You Should Be Too)

“Prophets wake us to our true state, call upon us to be better than we are, and demand that we think hard about the life we are living. And thus we shy away from prophets. Haley Stewart, however, won’t let us escape so easily. Hers is a genuinely prophetic voice, but one so full of fun and the sheer joy of living that she thoroughly charmed and convinced me. A wonderfully wise book for our confusing and misguided era.” —Paula Huston, Author of One Ordinary Sunday

So pre-order your copy today!

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.

FoC 086: Living Out Your Creative Dreams to Love Your Family with Jennifer Fulwiler

Can women “have it all” when it comes to creative fulfillment and nurturing their families? Jennifer Fulwiler says “yes,” but redefines what it means to “have it all” in her new (fantastic!) memoir about pursuing her passion to write in the midst of having 6 babies in 8 years. We have wanted to have Jen on the podcast for ages and this topic is so dear to our hearts (and it’s why we spend time producing a podcast even though we have 8 kids and one on the way between us).

Our creative pursuits matter. God wired us all with certain passions and talents. But how do we nurture these talents without sacrificing our family’s wellbeing? That’s what this episode is all about: saying yes to live-giving creativity that empowers us to serve faithfully, and saying no to “mom guilt” for structuring our lives differently from other families.

You probably already know her, but for the two of you who don’t, Jennifer Fulwiler is a best-selling author, radio show host on SiriusXM The Catholic Channel, speaker, and force of nature. Her whole family of 8 is currently traveling up the eastern seaboard to promote her new book, One Beautiful Dream that releases TODAY!

Whether you’re married, a parent, or single, Jen’s insights in this episode about the Christian call to serve and how pursuing the dreams God gives us helps us live out that calling are for you. So grab your running shoes and headphones or (if you’re like us) grab a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy this engaging conversation!

Jen’s books: (links to Amazon are affiliate links)

One Beautiful Dream

Something Other Than God

Links we discussed:

‘I regret having children’: Macleans

And Haley’s reflection on the article above: Is this why some women regret motherhood?

To connect with Jen:

 

 

Come hang out with us!

Haven’t joined in on the fun with 3,000+ other FoC listeners in our facebook group? It’s your direct line to some fantastic folks who also care about faith, culture, books, and whatever our current masterpiece theatre craze might be! Join in with the link below.

You can listen to us on iTunes, and we’d love a quick rating or review. If you have an android device we’re also on Stitcher. And as always, you can find all links, show notes, upcoming guests, and listen to all episodes at Fountains of Carrots.com.