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Well, folks, it seems like whenever we have Jenny Uebbing on the show we always talk about sex. We’re teasing her that it’s just her brand now. Jenny is a mom of four (with one on the way!) living in Colorado. She is the voice behind the popular blog Mama Needs Coffee where she isn’t afraid to get into the nitty gritty of topics like NFP.

Today we are getting into some real talk about natural family planning: what it looks like in real life, how the Church can better support couples, and why we should be honest about the ups and downs of our experiences with it. So grab a cup of tea and enjoy the conversation!

Links discussed in this episode:

Jenny’s posts:

• What do you want/need from the Church in order to “live” NFP
• NFP survey headed to the USCCB
• What I learned from the NFP survey

Christy’s NFP talk

Haley’s post about how NFP should be a part of parish life

The last time Jenny was on the podcast

Connect with Jenny:

• Jenny’s blog
• Facebook
• Twitter

Our sponsor: 

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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When we were brainstorming topics for our “just us” episode, we remembered our undying love for British female monarchs. We made it the topic of this episode since there have been two great series recently about queens beginning their reigns and since we don’t turn down a chance to chat about a good costume drama! So we give you a conversation on The Crown streaming on Netflix and Victoria that recently aired on PBS.

We had a blast chatting about the these two great shows of queens navigating monarchy, Christy’s love for the British monarchy, a little bit of history, and our adoration for Dame Judi Dench. We really dived into the challenges of their unconventional lives and the toll on their marriages and their experiences of motherhood. So grab a basket of laundry and join us!

Links to what we talked about in this episode:

The Crown (available on Netflix)

The Man in the High Castle

Article about how Queen Elizabeth watches The Crown

The Young Victoria

The Queen

A Magnificent Obsession (book on Victoria and Albert Christy recommends)

Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown

Victoria & Abdul trailer

The White Queen

The King’s Speech

Our next book club read:

And don’t forget that we’ve picked Father Brown: The Essential Tales as our next Fountains of Carrots book club read, so grab a copy and get ready for a discussion episode in a few weeks!

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Our most frequently asked question we get from listeners is how do you practice self-care in your busy lives? And how do you find a balance in nourishing your body and soul to be fit for service to your family without diving into self-absorption? That’s exactly what we got to chat with Kate Wicker about!

Kate is a mom of many as well as a wife and writer living in Georgia. She used to be a frequent blogger (and Christy and Haley were avid readers) and is the author of Weightless and a new book from Ave Maria Press titled Getting Past Perfect: How to Find Joy and Grace in the Messiness of Motherhood.

We were so inspired by what Kate had to share about our primary identity being children of God rather than being mothers, finding time for self-care before we’re drowning, asking for help when we need it, and staying real about our struggles in our vocation. Grab some laundry to fold or a cup of tea and enjoy!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Kate’s books:

Getting Past Perfect

Weightless

Connect with Kate:

• Kate’s site
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Sometimes Providence really just takes the wheel when we’re looking for good podcast guests. At least that’s the way it happened with this interview with Dr. Jessica Hooten Wilson. Christy read a fantastic piece penned by Jessica on a topic dear to our hearts, told Haley about it, and Haley realized she knew Jessica from back in the day at Baylor when they were both students!

Jessica is a mother, speaker, author, and Associate Professor of Creative Writing at John Brown University. She has published on the works of Flannery O’Connor, Dostoevsky, and Walker Percy. She’s releasing A Guide to Walker Percy’s Novels in 2018 and is currently preparing Flannery O’Connor’s unfinished novel Why Do the Heathen Rage? for publication.

We had a great conversation about reading works that make us really uncomfortable and force us to wrestle with difficult ideas and spiritual realities. We chatted about how writers like O’Connor, Dostoevsky, and Percy offer a mirror to their readers to examine dark parts of their souls. Jessica shared wonderful advice about how to dive in to some of the greats that aren’t easy reads.  And we even touched on some TV shows and films with stories that are worth wrestling with. We know you’ll be inspired by this conversation so brew a cup of tea and enjoy!

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

Links to what we mentioned in today’s episode:

Jessica’s interview with Hallie Lord

Jessica’s article about scandalized reading

Walker Percy Weekend

Mad Men

The Brothers Karamazov

St. Augustine’s Confessions

Moana

Our podcast episode about why we love Flannery O’Connor

Jessica’s books:

Giving the Devil His Due: Flannery O’Connor and The Brothers Karamazov

Walker Percy, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and the Search for Influence

Connect with Jessica:

• Jessica’s site

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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After Haley met Justina Kopp at a recent gathering for Catholic bloggers, we knew we had to have her on the show for this episode airing just before Mother’s Day. Justina lives in Minnesota, blogs at Love Multiplied, and is a Catholic wife and mom to….wait for it….quadruplets!

In this episode Justina shares all about discovering she was pregnant with quads, her pregnancy, birth, and surviving her first six months as a mother to four sweet babies. We also discuss issues in maternal care, support for moms in stressful circumstances, and more. It was such a treat to talk to Justina and hear her absolutely crazy story!  So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy.

Links to what we mentioned in today’s episode:

Sancta Nomina’s baby name consultation post for the quads

Justina’s book recommendation for moms of multiples:

When You’re Expecting Twins, Triplets, or Quads

Connect with Justina:

• Justina’s blog
• Instagram
• Twitter

And a huge thanks to this episode’s sponsor: Sister Moon Graphics, a Catholic card company.

Their online shop provides both greeting cards and blank correspondence cards for all seasons of the liturgical year!  The designs are inspired by traditional Medieval illuminated manuscript, and seek to bring the beautiful dignity of the Christian faith to all who receive them. Cards are sold individually as greeting cards and blank correspondence cards, and also as sets of six. Through May 31, Fountains of Carrots listeners can receive 20% off their order with the coupon code “fountains” at check-out. Head on over to visit sistermoongraphics.com!

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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We’re excited to welcome Brandon McGinley for a second time on the podcast! Brandon is editor of EWTN publishing and he also edited a great book about Catholic fatherhood titled The Joys and Challenges of Family Life. He lives in Pennsylvania with his lovely wife and three kids.

In this episode we discuss whether the Church should aim to be attractive to modernity by aligning it’s liturgy and evangelization with “the spirit of the age” or whether we should focus instead on offering beauty, goodness, and truth. We bemoan the past few decades of unfortunate church architecture and music (we may or may not bring up a few of our least favorite “hymns” and ugliest church sightings) but we focus on the transcendent, even unfamiliar nature of our Catholic faith and how we can really bring that to the forefront of our liturgy and evangelization. We cover a lot of ground and have a great time tossing around some weighty ideas so grab a cup of coffee and join us!

Links to what we mentioned in today’s episode:

Our first episode with Brandon: The Challenges and Joys of Catholic Fatherhood

Dappled Things (a Catholic quarterly of ideas, faith, and art)

Brandon’s book:

The Joys and Challenges of Family Life

Connect with Brandon:

• Brandon’s web site
• Twitter

And don’t forget that you can get Haley’s ebook Making Big Life Changes Together: Pursuing Your Dreams as a Couple for 97% off as part of the 2017 Ultimate Homemaking Bundle! (As well as the Literary Medicine Cabinet printable.) The sale ends Monday, May 1st at midnight so be sure to check it out before it’s gone!

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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We’ve been big fans of writer Laura Kelly Fanucci for years. Haley and Christy have had the pleasure of meeting her in person and she’s been on our list of folks we’d love to interview for ages. Our conversation with Laura was beautiful, poignant and compelling and we know you’re going to be inspired and moved by her story.

Laura, her husband, and her three little boys live in Minnesota. In addition to her vocation as a wife and mama, Laura is an author and theologian and blogs at MotheringSpirit.com. So many people have been touched by her vulnerable writing about her family’s journey in grief after the death of Laura’s newborn twin daughters early last year. Laura generously shares that story in this episode and how she and her husband Franco experienced something very supernatural in the NICU as they were saying goodbye to one of their daughters. It’s truly amazing.

While there is plenty of heavy material in this episode, we did a lot of laughing, too. We discussed the idea of vocation or calling.  We confessed how different the reality of motherhood is from how we imagined it would be. And we talked about the intertwining of love, grief, and joy and how Christ is present with us in suffering. So grab a basket of laundry (and maybe a box of kleenex) and listen in!

Links to what we mentioned in today’s episode:

Bridget Jones Baby

Man’s Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl

Shadowlands (film about C.S. Lewis based on his experience shared in A Grief Observed)

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Laura’s books:

Everyday Sacrament: The Messy Grace of Parenting

Living Your Discipleship: Seven ways to express your deepest calling

Mercy: God’s Nature, Our Challenge

Connect with Laura:

• Laura’s blog: Mothering Spirit
• Twitter
• Facebook
• Instagram

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Every so often we tell the listeners ahead of time about a great book we want to discuss and have a little FoC “book club.”  This time it’s The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery–author of the beloved Anne of Green Gables series.  It’s a book we’ve both been meaning to read for ages and it was so wonderful that we wish we’d read it sooner! It is definitely a comfort read worthy of being enjoyed every year.

The main character, Valancy Stirling, is a 29-year-old “spinster” in the eyes of her oppressive extended family. When she discovers that she has a fatal heart condition with only months to live, she decides to go out and live her life like she’s never had the courage to do before. The result is an absolutely delightful tale of sacrifice, joie-de-vivre, and….since it’s LMM, a great romance.

We delve into everything from how to pronounce “Valancy” to the controversial “did they or didn’t they” conversation and everything in between  in today’s book episode! Whether you had a chance to pick up the novel or not, we think you’re going to love this episode.

Today’s book:

The Blue Castle by L.M. Montgomery

Other books we talked about:

The Anne series by L.M. Montgomery

The Emily series by L.M. Montgomery

And check out our previous book episodes!

We’ll definitely be chatting more about The Blue Castle in our Facebook group so be sure to join in over there!

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

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We are so thrilled to have the wonderful Lisa Hendey, founder of CatholicMom.com with us for this episode! Lisa is the bestselling author of the Chime Travelers children’s fiction series, The Grace of Yes, The Handbook for Catholic Moms and A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms. Her work is all over the Catholic internet! She currently lives in Los Angeles with her family and we’re jealous that she lives in Bishop Barron’s diocese.

In this episode we talked about spiritually guiding our kids during those sweet sacramental years when they receive First Holy Communion and nurturing the ownership they begin to have in their faith as older children. We love that Lisa’s Chime Traveler fictional series about time traveling into the lives of the saints is written for that age range because there’s not enough good stuff for kids between the picture book stage and the middle school stage! Introducing our kids to the stories of the saints is such a great way to help them get engaged with their faith.

It’s been a few episodes since we got deep into “mom stuff” so we took the opportunity to ask for Lisa’s wisdom on loving our kids, keeping our own dreams alive, and modeling faith for our kids.

We know you’ll be inspired by all that Lisa has to share so grab a pile of laundry and a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Links to what we mentioned in today’s episode:

Catholic Mom

Chime Traveler’s series at Amazon

ChimeTravelerKids.com

UnBound

Connect with Lisa:

• Lisa’s blog: CatholicMom.com
• Twitter
• Facebook

Next Book Club Episode:

And remember — we’re reading Lucy Maud Montgomery’s The Blue Castle for our next book club episode coming up in two weeks. If you’d like to read along get your copy today!

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.

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Nell O’Leary of the Whole Parenting Family blog is just one of our favorite people in the universe. She is a mom of four, a former lawyer, an Etsy shop owner, and she works for the ministry Blessed Is She as an editor. We’ve both had the treat of visiting her beautiful historic home in St. Paul, MN that she and her husband Anthony bought from her parents. So she’s raising her family in the house she grew up in, how cool is that?!

Anyone who has experienced Nell’s positivity knows that after 20 minutes on the phone with her, you feel so encouraged and loved. In dreary February with Lent looming, we definitely needed some inspiration from Nell and thought you might, too. We’re thrilled that she agreed to join us on the podcast to talk Lent!

In this episode we shared about preparing for Lent and talked about the practical plans we have for making the most of this special liturgical season. We also discussed dealing with discouragement in that mid-Lent slump and reflected on the big picture of what this season can help us achieve in our pursuit of spiritual growth and holiness.

So grab a pile of laundry and a cup of coffee and enjoy!

Links to what we mentioned in today’s episode:

Blessed Is She ministry

The Blessed Is She Lenten Journal (as a digital download–the print journals are sold out!)

The Passion of the Christ (film)

Our episode Taking the “Womp Womp” Out of Lent with Bonnie Engstrom 

Our episode Get Inspired for Lent with Meg Hunter-Kilmer

Connect with Nell:

• Nell’s’s blog: Whole Parenting Family
• Instagram
• Facebook
• Nell’s Etsy Shop: Whole Parenting Goods

Next Book Club Episode:

And remember — we’re reading Lucy Maud Montgomery’s The Blue Castle for our next book club episode coming up in March. If you’d like to read along get your copy today!

Come hang out with us!

• The Fountains of Carrots Raspberry Cordial Social Club on Facebook (our Facebook group)
• Connect with Haley on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and her blog
• Connect with Christy on Facebook, Instagram, and her blog

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.

This post contains Amazon affiliate links.