NOTES

Fiction author Amy Schisler shares about her work, her family, and how she balances a life of origin “CLEAN” romance novels with her busy life as a wife and mom raising girls.

You can check out Amy’s work and learn more about her at her website. I know you will enjoy her books! And then be sure to leave her some good reviews at Amazon! 🙂

Some Places Danielle Will Be:

I hope to meet you!

March 24
Danielle will be speaking that the Catholic Women of Faith Conference in Nashville, TN

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
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About Danielle Bean
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NOTES

Children’s Mass behavior is such a common topic in Catholic family circles! At the very least, those of us who struggle to manage our children’s behavior at Mass can know that we are not alone.

This week, I share an email from listener Lori who received a nasty comment from a fellow parishioner after a recent Mass (where she actually felt her children were pretty well behaved!). This nastiness left ore feeling discouraged and wanting to give up on the whole “Catholic family life” thing because she really ought to be able to expect support from her parish community.

After commiserating and offering some words of encouragement and support, we then share some ideas for ways to improve your chances of having a positive Mass experience, even with very young children.

Some Places Danielle Will Be:

I hope to meet you!

LA-REC

March 15-18

Come see Danielle at the CatholicMom booth!

March 24
Danielle will be speaking that the Catholic Women of Faith Conference in Nashville, TN

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
Subscribe to Girlfriends in Stitcher
About Danielle Bean
Danielle’s Books on Amazon
Catholic Digest
Subscribe to the Danielle Bean newsletter

Contact:
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NOTES

Lent! It’s all about the fasting and sacrifice, right? We’ve already talked about a few different ways we can add prayer and almsgiving to our Lenten observances this year, but this week I would like to focus on fasting. Especially fasting as a spiritual practice.

I have been experimenting with fasting this Lent and wanted to share some of my thoughts and experiences with you all. These are notes from a newbie!

1. Be creative and flexible.
Fasting can of course mean going for a length of time without eating anything, but you can experiment with different lengths of time, different times of day, etc. Also, you might consider only fasting from certain foods (a common Lenten practice) if you are pregnant, nursing, or have some other reason why fasting is not a good idea for you this year.

2. Make sure prayer is part of it.
They say fasting without prayer is just a diet. True! Make sure you add a prayer component to your times of fasting.

3. Do it for someone else.
Fasting is a sacrifice that you can offer up for someone else’s benefit, or for a specific intention. I have been fasting/praying for specific people this Lent, and I find it is a powerful way to “pray all day” as well as remind myself of the power of prayer.

4. Start small.
You don’t need to begin with declaring a 5-day fast. Try skipping lunch, or not eating after dinner instead. If that turns out to be too easy, you can always add to the fast later.

5. Stay busy.
Distract yourself with work or other activities during your fast. Do not sit around thinking about how hungry you are.

6. Drink lots of water.
Drinking water will keep you hydrated while fasting, which is important, but also can help ease hunger pangs and replace the “habit” of eating regularly during the times you are fasting.

7. If you mess up, try again!
Don’t give up just because you broke your fast one time. That’s what the devil wants for you to do. Get back in there and try it again!

Some Places Danielle Will Be:

I hope to meet you!

March 10
Danielle will be speaking at the Rochester Catholic Women’s Conference in Rochester, NY

March 24
Danielle will be speaking that the Catholic Women of Faith Conference in Nashville, TN

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
Subscribe to Girlfriends in Stitcher
About Danielle Bean
Danielle’s Books on Amazon
Catholic Digest
Subscribe to the Danielle Bean newsletter

Contact:
Email Danielle Bean
Rate and Review Girlfriends in iTunes
Leave voice feedback
Girlfriends on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Facebook
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NOTES

After our recent podcast about how to Own Your Day, I heard from listener Emily who wanted some more nitty-gritty about how to make efficient use of your time. “Is it all just about will power?” she asked.

Well, there is a little of that involved, but also there are some easy ways you can set yourself up for a greater chance of success. Here are some small ideas I wanted to share:

1. Begin the night before
Make a plan for your day the night before, and do some of the “prep” involved ahead of time. Make the appointment you want to have, make sure the right clothes are clean, fill the tank with gas, lay out the right equipment for the household chore you want to accomplish, etc.

2. Banish the snooze button
Just do it! Getting out of bed is sometimes so hard, but it gets easier in a minute or so, and you will start your day with a small success instead of a defeat. NO MORE SNOOZE!

3. Make a list
This can start with your night before prep, but every day you should have written down at least 1 or 2 things that you want to accomplish. This is also freeing of your mind because you do not have to keep a running to-do list in your head if you have it on paper.

4. Break up with the internet
Have regular times of your day where you are “offline” and not distracted by social media, websites, email, etc. You’ll be amazed by how much you get done this way!

5. Stop waiting for the perfect time. Use what you have.
Just admit that you have some pockets of time in your day that you normally waste. Use these bits and pieces of time to work on things you want to be doing. The “perfect” time to do it all “perfectly” will never come, so make your peace with the imperfection. Get started, doing whatever you can, today.

6. Be firm in your plan.
Once you’ve set your goals, do not allow yourself to negotiate them away in favor or smaller fleeting pleasures or distractions. Be honest about what you are doing and refuse to sacrifice larger goals for the smaller, less important things.

7. Take control of interrupting thoughts.
Do you have distractions? Write them down. You may have 1000 great ideas, but don’t let a single one of them to pull you away from doing the work you set out to do at any given time. Write down your distractions and ideas and then get back to the task at hand.

Some Places Danielle Will Be:

I hope to meet you!

March 10
Danielle will be speaking at the Rochester Catholic Women’s Conference in Rochester, NY

March 24
Danielle will be speaking that the Catholic Women of Faith Conference in Nashville, TN

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
Subscribe to Girlfriends in Stitcher
About Danielle Bean
Danielle’s Books on Amazon
Catholic Digest
Subscribe to the Danielle Bean newsletter

Contact:
Email Danielle Bean
Rate and Review Girlfriends in iTunes
Leave voice feedback
Girlfriends on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Facebook
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NOTES

Are you working on generosity this Lent? This week I’m sharing some ideas for ways in which we can all work on being better servants to the people God has placed in our lives – in marriage, parenting, work, and in our communities. This si something I have been especially praying about and working on this Lent, so I am hoping you you will have some ideas to share as well. Give me your feedback!

Some Places Danielle Will Be:

I hope to meet you!

March 10
Danielle will be speaking at the Rochester Catholic Women’s Conference in Rochester, NY

March 24
Danielle will be speaking that the Catholic Women of Faith Conference in Nashville, TN

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
Subscribe to Girlfriends in Stitcher
About Danielle Bean
Danielle’s Books on Amazon
Catholic Digest
Subscribe to the Danielle Bean newsletter

Contact:
Email Danielle Bean
Rate and Review Girlfriends in iTunes
Leave voice feedback
Girlfriends on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Twitter
Danielle Bean on Instagram

NOTES

This week we talk about the beginning of Lent and I share some of my plans for the coming 40 days. I also share a recent conversation I had with Dr. Ann Garrido, a professor and author.

Ann Garrido, Doctor of Ministry, is associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, MO and a consultant with Triad Consulting Group, a conflict mediation and communications team based in Cambridge, MA. She is the author of six books and numerous articles in the field of Church leadership and ministry.

Ann’s website

Ann’s Books mentioned in this episode:
Living the Gospel: Daily Devotions for Lent 2018
Redeeming Conflict

In this show, I also share some feedback for Taylor, who is the young wife, newly-pregnant with twins who asked for prayer support last week.

Some Places Danielle Will Be:

I hope to meet you!

February 17
Danielle will be speaking at Together in Holiness marriage conference in Tulsa, OK

March 10
Danielle will be speaking at the Rochester Catholic Women’s Conference in Rochester, NY

March 24
Danielle will be speaking that the Catholic Women of Faith Conference in Nashville, TN

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
Subscribe to Girlfriends in Stitcher
About Danielle Bean
Danielle’s Books on Amazon
Catholic Digest
Subscribe to the Danielle Bean newsletter

Contact:
Email Danielle Bean
Rate and Review Girlfriends in iTunes
Leave voice feedback
Girlfriends on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Twitter
Danielle Bean on Instagram

NOTES

Do you need healing in your life? Of course you do! We all suffer, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. In this week’s show, we discuss some Gospel passages that are helpful to reflect on when in need of healing, and also see ways we can “get out of our own way” when it comes to finding peace and healing from God.

Gospel passages cited:

Mark 2:16-17

Luke 13:10-17

In this show, I also share some feedback from taylor, who is a young wife, newly-pregnant with twins and has some concerns about her babies’ health. Pleas,e let us remember to pray for Taylor, that God might give her peace and strength throughout this pregnancy.

We also share a question about fair trade and the ethics of shopping from listener Maggie. Let me know what you think!

Some Places Danielle Will Be:

I hope to meet you!

February 10
Danielle will be speaking at the Phoenix Catholic Women’s Conference

February 17
Danielle will be speaking at Together in Holiness marriage conference in Tulsa, OK

March 10
Danielle will be speaking at the Rochester Catholic Women’s Conference in Rochester, NY

March 24
Danielle will be speaking that the Catholic Women of Faith Conference in Nashville, TN

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
Subscribe to Girlfriends in Stitcher
About Danielle Bean
Danielle’s Books on Amazon
Catholic Digest
Subscribe to the Danielle Bean newsletter

Contact:
Email Danielle Bean
Rate and Review Girlfriends in iTunes
Leave voice feedback
Girlfriends on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Twitter
Danielle Bean on Instagram

NOTES

Do you often feel overwhelmed by multiple responsibilities pulling you in different directions? Do you often feel like you are failing at many things — important things — that others count on you for? Do you feel there is never enough time for you, for your spiritual life, for you work, your kids, and your marriage?

If so, JOIN THE CLUB. So many of us struggle to find balance in our lives. In this show, we talk about some steps you can take to begin to take more responsibility for how you spend your time and energy each day. We talk about how you can begin to live your life more purposefully and with intention, in line with the many priorities you care about. I offer these steps:

1) Recognize that you get to choose.
Take responsibility for the fact that you are not a victim. You are in control of your life and you get to decide how you will spend your time.

2) Decide what your priorities are.
Take time to think about what things are important to you and how much time you think you should reasonably spend on each of them on a regular basis.

3) Make a plan.
This can be a formal, written plan, or it can be an informal one you have in you mind. Figure out what works for you.

4) Start now!
Stop thinking you will “get organized” later. Begin these steps today and then enjoy the peace of mind that comes amor having a thought-out plan for your life, in whatever way it works for you.

And tell me what does work for you! I want to know your thoughts and ideas about taking better control of your days. Let me know what you think!

Referenced in this show: A Mother’s Rule of Life by Holly Pierlot

Contemplative at Home podcast

SUPPORT
Girlfriends is on Patreon! Thank you to our Patreon supporters! Find out how you can pledge your support for Girlfriends and get an invite to our Girlfriends LIVE session each month!

RETREAT
The You’re Worth It! Retreat for Women
Find out more about bringing this unique event for women to your parish, group, or community. Read more and request more information here.

Or find out more about having me come speak at your parish or conference.

My newest book is available!
You’re Worth It! Change How You Feel About Yourself By Discovering How Jesus Feels About You

Subscribe to Girlfriends in iTunes
Subscribe to Girlfriends in Stitcher
About Danielle Bean
Danielle’s Books on Amazon
Catholic Digest
Subscribe to the Danielle Bean newsletter

Contact:
Email Danielle Bean
Rate and Review Girlfriends in iTunes
Leave voice feedback
Girlfriends on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Facebook
Danielle Bean on Twitter
Danielle Bean on Instagram