I share my four non-negotiables for balancing work and motherhood successfully. Here "successfully" is understood to mean "staying sane".

Contrary to the order of the title, I discuss my Word of the Year first in today's episode, then I take a look at Pope Francis' latest comments about the goodness of sexual pleasure. Obviously, I listed the latter first because click bait.

See more on Pope Francis' comments here.

Way back, someone asked whether cussing was a sin. Naturally, I thought it would make a great podcast episode.

Mentioned in today's episode:

Catholic Answers Article

Father Mike Schmitz video

Were our grandmothers happier? Were things in general better in the past? Should we adopt lifestyles or hobbies from days gone by to be happier or even holier? In today's episode, I answer these questions using lots of non-cuss words.

An introspective look about where I started with Total Whine, where I am now, and where I hope to go. If you're new to the podcast, I recommend skipping this one in favor for one of my sex episodes first ;)

Suffering sucks, but it's part of life. Unhelpfully, most conversations talk about it in terms of needing to embrace it, smile through it, or avoid it like the plague. If none of those have worked for you, good news, there's another option. If you've ever wanted to have your pain taken away, or wondered why we suffer at all, this episode is for you.

Dream come true, I got to have a chat with Emily Stimpson Chapman about her new book, The Supper of the Lamb, a children's book about the mass adapted from Scott Hahn's The Lamb's Supper. It's an exquisite book that will capture your child's imagination, and probably yours too.

Of course, I had to talk to Emily about motherhood as well, and she shared some wonderful words of wisdom on how to pass the faith on to kids, and to cultivate a rich prayer life in the chaos of motherhood.

You can purchase the book at 10% off using code "Frase10" directly from the publisher St Paul Center: ⁠https://stpaulcenter.com/product/the-supper-of-the-lamb/⁠

It's an absolute delight to bring you such a fun conversation with my dear friend, Christina Valenzuela, about her new book, Cycle Charting for Single Women.

You can purchase the book here

And be sure to follow Christina on Instagram @pearlandthistle

Christina Valenzuela is the owner and creative director of Pearl & Thistle, LLC, where she offers a unique blend of theology and science to bring better body literacy to Catholic families and parishes. She has been a certified instructor in the Boston Cross Check™ method of Natural Family Planning since 2013 and her signature course, Cycle Prep, was a 2021 OSV Innovation Challenge finalist. She holds an undergraduate degree in Philosophy and Theology from the University of Notre Dame as well as a Masters in Theological Studies from Harvard Divinity School. She is a life-professed member of the Lay Fraternities of St. Dominic and resides with her husband and four children outside of Boston.

It's the Feast of the Our Lady of the Rosary, my 11th renewal of Marian consecration, and I want to talk about my relationship with my Heavenly Momma. I think most Catholic women have struggled in their relationship with Mary at some point, and I want to share my experiences with her, not as a way to tell you where you need to be, but to invite you to think about Mary maybe in a way you haven't before.

In this episode, you are treated to the big ball of wire that is my brain where these wildly un-connectable dots - Catherine of Siena, Trad Bros and Ayn Rand - somehow connect. Find out how a conversation with a friend about the woman's experience of sex got my wires buzzing.