Podcasts for People Who Don't Listen to Podcasts

I am a committed podcast listener, but maybe you are not.  I didn't think I would be either until I listened to a podcast on a run a couple of years ago.  It felt like having a friend along and kept me occupied far longer than music on the long, slow, half-marathon training runs.  I can't do audio books without my mind wandering, but a podcast is different.  It's my way to politely eavesdrop on an interesting conversation.

Now I can scarcely find time to run since between school, laundry, and having a baby, running has slipped to the bottom of my priorities list, but I still keep up with my podcasts in the car, while doing dishes, or while nursing Macie.  

I don't deny that I have OCD tendencies (more accurately, OCPD) so I used to feel that if I listened to one episode of a podcast, I needed to listen to every episode of that particular podcast.  Lately I've been finding joy in sampling a wide variety of podcasts and only listening to the topics that grab my attention.  (Novel idea, huh?)

So maybe you don't think podcasts are for you, but if you are wanting to test the waters, these three episodes were my favorites from the past two weeks.

"Assigned Versus Free Reading", episode 46 of Read Aloud Revival

The highlights for me:

• a surprising thing that often happens with late readers
• What is light versus difficult reading?

"Crushing Misconceptions About Homelessness", episode 59 of Sorta Awesome

3 questions that were addressed:

• What are the best ways to help?
• Should people who help the homeless earn a salary?
• Is refusing to give money to someone on the street the "wise" thing to do?

"Resolving Sibling Conflict", episode 126 of God Centered Mom

Convicting words:

• As parents, we should focus on relationships and true reconciliation rather than simply squelching arguments.
• We need to model correct attitudes for our children before we can expect them to have proper attitudes.

Do you listen to podcasts?  Where?  In the car? Around the house?

Do you listen to audio books?

What I'm Listening To, Reading, and Watching

What I'm Reading...

I went through a major reading slump when I had morning sickness during the summer.  I lost my motivation, plus moving my eyes to read exacerbated my nausea.   Even after I felt better, my reading habits changed and I started reading less, but I am taking advantage of the early postpartum period to sneak in a few extra minutes. 

I'm about three-fourths of my way through  The Brontë Plotby Katherine Reay, a fun, light (but not fluffy) novel with many literary quotes and references. Before Macie was born, I read the birth part of Gentle Birth, Gentle Motheringby Sarah Buckley. Now I need to read the parenting part.  If you can get past a some woo-woo parts in the early chapters, this book is full of great information. When both of those are done, hopefully I'll have time to read the highly-recommended Being Mortal by Atul Gawande before I have to return it to the library.

What I'm Watching...

I mentioned on my Facebook page that I'm watching the final season of Downton Abbey.  When the first episode came on, I was largely pregnant.  When the second episode aired, I was less than five hours postpartum and watched from my hosptial bed.  I watched episode three with my new baby and struggled to keep my eyes open at the end.  

Right before Macie was born, I borrowed More Business of Being Born from the library.  I only watched the first disc (of four) before she arrived so I'm watching the remainder now.  I also have Spirit of the Marathon II waiting in the wings for a lazy afternoon.

What I'm Listening To...

Don't hate me, but I have a baby who likes to sleep.  I do not feel like the stereotypical, sleep-deprived new parent!  I try to nurse her late in the evening before we go to bed, sometime between 10:30 and 11:30.  She wakes once in the night to eat again, and that's it until morning. In fact, I've had to wake her  two mornings.  I've found that those quiet moments in the wee hours of the night are the perfect time to listen to podcasts.  I only put in one earbud so I can hear any stirrings in the house.

I've listened to multiple episodes of Birth, Baby, and Life Podcast.  I've also listened to 2-3 episodes of The Popcast, but I'm not loving it.

What have you read, listened to, or watched in this new year? 
Do you like it, love it, or wish you'd skipped it?
What should be on my radar?

My Guilty Pleasures

Dark Chocolate Peanut M & Ms'

 

People magazine

Podcasts (like this one)

SURVIVOR
  scary movies

reading in the bathtub

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What are yours?

The Whats and the Wheres

{This post contains some affiliate links.  If you choose to purchase, my family receives a small commission at no additional cost to you.  This post also contains just-for-fun links for your pleasure.}

As of today, Thursday, August 27:

What I'm Reading:

I'm only reading one book!  My whole reading pattern has changed since I've been pregnant.  I'm in the middle of The Waiting: The True Story of a Lost Child, a Lifetime of Longing, and a Miracle for a Mother Who Never Gave Up, but next up is God and Jetfire: Confessions of a Birth Mother.  Do you sense a theme?

What I'm Watching:

Until fall and winter TV returns (hello, Survivor and Downton Abbey), I'm exploring TV on DVD.  Currently I'm watching The Bletchley Circle: Season 2, which I can only describe as Call the Midwife-era British murder mysteries.  In a totally different direction, I plan to re-watch  The Business of Being Borntonight if Brian works late.  (He watched it with me once years ago, but I doubt he wants a see it again!) 

What I'm Wearing:

I discovered thredUP a few years ago.  Quality used clothes in name brands?  Sign me up!  A few weeks ago, with birthday money in hand, I scoured the (literally) thousands of maternity choices and picked out four pieces.  Less than a week later, they were in my mailbox.  My absolute favorite is this Old Navy dress.

photography by Owen

I'm excited because this dress is so versatile!  I can wear it as an everyday dress with flipflops and shades (left), dressed up with some pretty jewelry and shoes (middle and below), and then transition it right into fall (right). 

thredUp has selections for women and children.  If you sign up with my link, you get a $20 credit and I get one, too.  It's a win for both of us. 

What I'm Eating:
I made this meatball sub casserole earlier this week and LOVED it!  My family? Not so much.  The good news is I get to enjoy the leftovers for lunch.

I'm also craving and eating a lot of Mexican food.  We've had quesadillas twice in the past seven days because they are easy to throw together, filling, and healthy.  We made a batch of chicken, black bean, cheese quesadillas and were eating within 20 minutes of coming home from the pool last Friday.  Serve with a side of chopped tomatoes and lettuce or with sour cream and salsa and a sprinkle or two of cayenne. 

What I'm Drinking:

I am all about water.  I love water.  My kids laugh when I say it is my favorite drink.  However, I've been drinking more herbal tea since I've been pregnant.  I'm not normally a fan of hot tea, but fruit teas with a pinch of sugar or a drizzle of honey is working for me right now.


What I'm Listening To:

Podcasts are my thing right now.  Since I'm all about the experience, not the speed, while I run, podcasts are like having a conversation with a friend. My faves right now are Mystery Show (non-Christian but totally clean) and Sorta Awesome (I pick and choose the episodes that are interesting to me.).

What I'm Looking Forward To: 

We have our big ultrasound in less than two weeks!  We're planning a fun way to do an informal gender reveal to our friends and family.

 
Where I'm Going:

We're going to the beach for a few hours this weekend.  We plan to get there in the afternoon and bring our dinner.  Last September we spent a day at the beach and I read for hours while the kids and Brian played in the waves.  I had the best time I've ever had at the beach, but they all felt sorry for me.  This time, I've promised the kids that since I bought a maternity swimsuit, I will get in the water with them if only for a little while.  I am not a beach kind of girl-- never have been-- but I'm making a effort to make memories and this is important to them. 

What is on your radar right now? What should I read or listen to or watch?  Any great recipes to share? 

My Favorite Podcasts

I want to start by saying I am not an audio learner.  I zone out on audio books and if you try to explain the direction to a game out loud to me, I'll politely nod and then read the instructions for myself.  

I've discovered this school year that one of my children is also a strong visual learner. We read a large part of our history and science curriculum together, including every child and grade level in a group learning environment.  It's becoming obvious that this method is not working with my visual learner.  He appears to listen, but when asked a question or asked to retell what he's heard, he remembers nothing. Sometimes he can't even tell me the name of the person we spent the past 20 minutes studying.  We are working on developing a new plan of action for him that I'll share on the blog soon.

Having said all that, I am surprised at how much I enjoy listening to podcasts. A couple of times per week I go out for a long, steady run and podcasts keep my mind occupied while I go the distance.  (For shorter speed runs, music is best because it doesn't require as much concentration.)  I also occasionally enjoy podcasts while I'm folding the laundry, when I'm in the car alone, during quiet time, or before I go to sleep at night.  (I generally don't wear earbuds when my kids are in the room.)

Here a few podcasts I enjoy and you may, too:

The Inspired to Action Podcast
If you're not sure which to choose, start with this one: My Story: How God Takes Brokenness and Makes it Beautiful.

The Simple Mom Podcast

It's the next best thing to having someone to talk to while I run.  A great conversational podcast? All the Sheets with Myquillyn Smith (The Nester)

Another Mother Runner Podcast

This is a secular podcast that covers a variety of running topics for women (specifically mothers) at all fitness levels, but it's not boring.  I promise!  My fave episode lately is this one: How to Run a Sub 2 Hour Half Marathon.

Read Aloud Revival Podcast

If you've read my blog for very long, you know this episode is right up my alley: A Lifestyle of Reading Aloud.

Do you listen to podcasts?  Any to recommend?