My Current Fave Podcasts (and how they're making my pregnancy better!)

Hello, sweet friends!
I have been less than consistent here at CR&T, but I'm still trying to get my feet back under me (and my overall schedule back in order) after all the first trimester yuckiness. I'm still super duper tired though, and homework and housework come before blog work;)

But! One thing that has been an awesome addition to my pregnancy tiredness has been podcasts!

Back in December, I read a blog post by one of my blogger-friends, Bethany, at Dandelion Pie about her favorite podcasts. Not only was her list fabulous and helpful, but she pointed out something that I had not recognized in my own life.
Bethany wrote that she found herself keeping Netflix shows on while she was home because she missed the chatter of living with a big family after she got married. And I realized that that was the very reason I kept the tv on so much during the day!
I still tried to keep it on positive tv. For a long time, I watched everything Food Network (gotta love those competition cooking shows!!). After the first trimester nausea and consequential food aversions, I took a break from Food Network (honestly it felt more like I was breaking up with someone) and instead turned to Chip and Joanna Gaines and tiny house shows for company. And I was working while the tv was on, but it did offer a lot of opportunity for distraction.

SO, I started gathering podcast suggestions (including Bethany's list) and I slowly grew obsessed with listening to them throughout the day. And I'm always on the hunt for more!

My current faves:

Joyce Meyer's "Enjoying Everyday Life: (video & audio options) This daily podcast is only 30 minutes (or less) and a great way to start your day. I've started using is almost as a devotion in the morning to start my time with the Lord. (You may have seen that on the Thistlefish Knits Instagram last week!;)

Her messages are positive, encouraging and spiritual without being super "sermon-y." My favorites include:

- Marriage (Part 1 and 2) - great practical tips for marriage!!!

- Seize the Day (Part 1 and 2) - ways to live your life wisely and intentionally

- Focus on the Positive Things in Life

The Birth Hour: (one of Bethany's recommendations). This podcast is all about birth stories!! Bryn Huntpalmer interviews a different mom every episode about their birthing experience. Not only is it interesting to hear about the different experiences and what it is like to bring a life into the world, it is also pretty educational because Bryn tries to side-note with interesting facts alongside the stories. 

I don't have a list of favorite episodes but episode 128 was about a woman who didn't know she was pregnant until 33 weeks!!! 😱

Sorta Awesome: Ok, this is another one of Bethany's suggestions, but this podcast has quickly become my #1. Every week, Meagan and one of her co-hosts talk about... well, everything. If you crave chatter like Bethany and I do, you will love Sorta Awesome! One week, all they talked about were their favorite people to follow on social media accounts. Last week was all about Meagan interviewing her husband about men's fashion! Some of my favorites:

- Ep. 77: 18 ways to celebrate surviving

- Ep. 75: Social media tips, tricks, advice, and more

Mud Stories with Jacque Watkins: Jacque is all about talking to women about the "muddy places" in life. I mentioned her podcast here and I am still listening! She has interviewed some crazy influential women, including Ann Voskamp (episodes 104 + 105), Jennifer Rothschild (my fave!) (episode 103) and Shauna Niequist (another fave!) (episode 96). These women have incredible stories, and I can't wait for Jacque to upload more podcasts.

Radiolab: This is one I'm not actually subscribed to because some of the topics don't interest me as much, but they are a super random podcast that just shares facts or research or history things. My absolute fave episode is called Alpha Gal and it is all about food allergies, specifically, an allergy to red meat that comes from tick bites!!! Absolutely fascinating. It had me on the edge of my seat.

Podcasts I'm checking out:

The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey: This is one that has been recommended to me twice but I kept forgetting to find it! Finally downloaded a couple of episodes and I'm starting to listen to them this week.

The How They Blog Podcast: Another one recommended by Bethany, but one I haven't paid too much attention to... Honestly just because I didn't want to listen to anything that would make me feel bad for not blogging a lot recently! But it looks really cool, and helpful.

Side Hustle School: I haven't listened to this one at all, but it was recommended by Grethen Rubin (you know, the Happier Project gal) and so I'm going to give it a try.

Edited to add:
Uniquely Woman: I just started this one as I'm writing this note, and I already like it a lot! They talk about womanhood, motherhood, and faith, and so far I've gleaned some really cool tips from them! They may become a fave.

Also checking out:
The Busy Mom with Heidi St John and At Home with Sally Clarkson!

Podcasts I unsubscribed from:

The Minimalists Podcast: I watched their Netflix documentary and thought it was so cool! But their podcast just wasn't as interesting... I think I just didn't enjoy listening to two guys chat about stuff, either. It's also pretty long (always over an hour) and I think they could shorten it. So this was a helpful podcast, it just didn't grab my attention.

Young House Love Has a Podcast: At first I subscribed to them because my mom had given me one of their books (which is TOTALLY cute, btw). And I still think it's a GREAT podcast to be subscribed to if you love chatter and you're into house/renovations/DIY stuff. The only reason I unsubscribed (which is totally shallow) is because I didn't like the guy's voice. 😂😁 You should still look into that one.

And there you have it! These podcasts have kept me company on my long days at home, my drive to and from classes, and entertained while I'm working on my projects for Thistlefish Knits. They're helped me feel like I had some "chatter" and company in my life without having to keep the tv on all day. Especially in these days when I'm home more than I'm gone and my energy is next to nothing, podcasts are making my life more enjoyable (and more productive;)
I hope you find this list helpful, or at least interesting!

What are your favorite podcasts??

P.S. Hopefully next week I'll be sharing some ways that I'm making my current closet "stretch" into pregnancy as much as possible, along with some thrifted maternity finds!

(Linking up with some awesome parties here!)

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