We're wrapping up season four by revisiting some of our most loved episodes. Don't miss these - each episode has a brand new intro and wrap up, with Indiana, April, and Ashlee! Today is Indiana’s favorite, where we talk about some of the hardest seasons in life that we've walked through. From miscarriage and postpartum depression to infidelity and cancer diagnoses, we're sharing some stories publicly for the very first time and inviting you into our little "circle of trust" this week. This isn't...
Dec 03, 2019•45 min
We’re so thankful for the support you’ve shown the Coffee + Crumbs podcast over the past four years! Today’s “State of the Podcast” is a simple message from Ashlee about what’s in store for our show in 2020. Visit us at Patreon to learn more about how you can support us next year.
Nov 27, 2019•10 min
As mothers, we've received plenty of advice—solicited and unsolicited—over the years. Today we wanted to close out the season by sharing the tips, tricks, and reminders we've received that make motherhood (and life!) a little bit easier. From permission to slow down to how to help our kids deal with big emotions, this season finale is centered around taking some of the mystery out of motherhood as we pass along advice and wisdom you'll want to return to again and again. Visit Coffee + Crumbs for...
Nov 26, 2019•56 min
Today, we're recapping our favorite things and moments from 2019. Our conversation runs the gamut from the trends we tried and loved to the new habits we've instilled and want to keep as we roll into a new decade (!). We hope our roundup of recipes, podcasts, little luxuries, life hacks, and more inspires you to spend some time reflecting on the goodness of the past year. Visit Coffee + Crumbs for links to everything mentioned in this episode and to support us by supporting the sponsors who made...
Nov 19, 2019•57 min•Season 4Ep. 80
Today, we’re diving into the dynamics of in-law relationships. We openly acknowledge our good fortune in having involved, loving in-laws, but there’s always some adjusting that comes with marrying into a family. We talk about balancing the way we honor traditions and ties to our families of origin while still building our own family habits and way of doing things. Plus we discuss the kind of in-laws we aspire to be some day and offer our best advice for how to communicate when there’s a problem ...
Nov 12, 2019•34 min
In this week's episode, we're talking about priorities: the ones we have, the ones we think we should have, and the ones we'd like to reorder, if we're being honest. We push back a little against the myth of balance and having it all, choosing instead to view life through the lens of seasons—where sometimes we have the capacity for "full steam ahead" in multiple areas and sometimes it feels like everything but survival is on the back burner. We also discuss how priorities aren't prescriptive; ou...
Nov 05, 2019•36 min•Season 4Ep. 79
In this week's episode, we're talking about the everyday deals and coupons we use to save on our household necessities (and the occasional splurge, as well). From promo codes and our favorite apps to how we shop sales and use referral credits, today we're sharing our best tips and tricks for saving a buck or two. This is not a deep dive into the nitty gritty of monthly budgeting, but rather a lighthearted chat about our individual approaches to how we stretch—and spend—our dollars. Visit Coffee ...
Oct 29, 2019•34 min
This week, Ashlee and Indiana sit down with Beth Silvers and Sarah Stewart Holland from Pantsuit Politics to talk about something important that seems to have gotten lost in today's culture: nuance. Beth and Sarah explain how their communication approach—rooted in curiosity and a desire to understand—highlights the middle ground between argument and apathy. They also talk about how they've learned to move toward each other and a better relationship, even though they hold opposing viewpoints on m...
Oct 22, 2019•41 min•Season 4Ep. 78
Today we're talking about our approach to the holidays—from April's Buddy the Elf level enthusiasm from October straight through New Year's to Indiana's more measured approach. We chat about our favorite holiday traditions and how we balance all the time grabs by extended family and friends. Whether elaborate baked goods for the whole neighborhood are your thing or, like Ashlee, you're more comfortable with every boxed mix Trader Joe's offers, you'll feel right at home in this week's conversatio...
Oct 15, 2019•42 min
At the end of September, most of the Coffee + Crumbs team came together live and in person (!!) for four days in the Pacific Northwest. We weathered an unexpected blizzard, ate all the food, passed around babies, and spoke truth and encouragement into one another's dreams. On our last night together, we sat in the living room of Katie Blackburn's parents' home (who graciously welcomed all 15 of us when we had to evacuate from the mountain), and captured our conversation—and giggles—for your list...
Oct 08, 2019•35 min•Season 4Ep. 77
Today we're talking all things toys: the ones our kids have loved and played with endlessly, the ones we don't let across our thresholds, and the ones that will haunt our nightmares forever (ahem, we're looking at you, April, and your ventriloquist dummy, Charlie). We cover avoiding the lost lovey disaster and controlling the stuffed animal collection that threatens to take over the bed, plus we run through our favorite, road-tested toy picks in every age group. You'll want to bookmark our show ...
Oct 01, 2019•43 min
Today's episode is coming from a more serious and somber place, as we talk about some of the hardest seasons in life that we've walked through. From miscarriage and postpartum depression to infidelity and cancer diagnoses, we're sharing some stories publicly for the very first time and inviting you into our little "circle of trust" this week. This isn't just about clearing the skeletons from the closet though; we're also talking about the most helpful ways our people showed up for us during thes...
Sep 24, 2019•41 min•Season 4Ep. 76
This week we're talking about what mornings look like in our households. Spoiler alert: they're a far cry from our pre-kid days of leisurely sipping coffee while meticulously applying makeup and thoughtfully pulling together a coordinated outfit. In this conversation, Ashlee breaks down her new-ish routine designed to make mornings as non-chaotic as possible, April extols the virtues of doing allthethings the night before, and Indiana blows our minds when she confesses her children get up before...
Sep 17, 2019•48 min
This week we're continuing our conversation with Dr. Juli Slattery and kicking things up a notch. From figuring out how to have an orgasm to what place masturbation has in a healthy marriage, we think you're going to love the frankness and candor in today's episode. Once again, this is not a show designed for little ears, so grab some headphones (or maybe make it a date night in with your husband after the kids are in bed) and listen in as we tackle another round of questions from our Patreon su...
Sep 10, 2019•27 min•Season 4Ep. 75
We're back from our sabbatical and comin' in hot with a two-part episode you've been begging us to cover: SEX! Today we're tackling your sex and intimacy questions with expert and psychologist Dr. Juli Slattery. From frequency and mismatched sex drives to how to spice things up, no topic is too taboo. This is not an episode designed for little ears, so grab your headphones and settle in for a frank, honest, and encouraging conversation about connecting intimately with your partner in a hectic se...
Sep 03, 2019•27 min•Season 4Ep. 74
This week's episode is airing in tandem with Sarah and Meagan from The Mom Hour podcast —we're both talking about motherhood and the fear of missing out (FOMO). Sometimes we avoid talking about FOMO at the risk of sounding ungrateful, but the truth is there's an opportunity cost with every big decision in life ... and motherhood is no exception. From the temptation to compare ourselves with what we see on social media to actually missing out on things because we couldn't line up childcare or the...
Jul 30, 2019•33 min•Season 4Ep. 73
From Indiana’s face blindness to how April balances introversion as a mom, today we're answering questions from YOU, our listeners and Patrons! You asked about everything from April's novel to Indi's thrift shopping to that "conceiving a girl thing" Ashlee mentioned once. We tried to answer as many questions as we could fit into the 100th episode (!) of this show. Plus, we get a little sappy at the end and talk about our favorite things about each other. Thank you for listening and sharing this ...
Jul 23, 2019•57 min
From nip slips to lactating armpits (!) to feeling confident whipping out a bottle of formula, today we're getting honest about the time-consuming and (often literal) draining work of feeding our babies. In this conversation, we're talking about the products and perspectives that make the job a little easier and the importance of giving ourselves permission to see that fed is best. Whether you're formula feeding, exclusively pumping, or it's just you and your B-O-O-B-S on demand, we hope you'll ...
Jul 16, 2019•41 min
This week, we're talking about all the things we didn't know that we didn't know before kids. From a false sense of control (surely good behavior is just a matter of consistent and firm boundaries ... right?) to the things we swore we'd never do only to end up doing them (we're looking at you, goldfish crackers for dinner and weekly baths), there's a lot about motherhood that's upended who we thought we were. But then there are also the parts of us that are unchanged or have only been brought in...
Jul 09, 2019•31 min•Season 4Ep. 71
This week we’re finally talking about the topic April has been dying to cover for two years: laundry. From personalized Ziploc bags for collecting stray socks to how to avoid ironing forever, we’re covering every strategy we have for making laundry easier. If you’ve got last week’s towels still piled haphazardly on the couch because washing AND drying AND folding AND putting away is just two steps too many, shove them to the side and join us for our hacks and hangups about the dirty work of clea...
Jul 02, 2019•36 min
This week, Indiana chats with Sophie Hudson—aka “BooMama”—about raising an only child. Sophie laughs about the preconceived stereotypes she’s long-since abandoned (Surprise! Only kids can thrive in team sports!) and shares her tip for making sure a family vacation is fun for all three of them. Plus, you won't want to miss her wise words of encouragement as a mom of a teenager for moms of littles. Whether you find yourself raising an only child by choice or by circumstance, we hope you feel encou...
Jun 25, 2019•36 min•Season 4Ep. 70
In this week's episode, we're talking about personality typing systems. From Enneagram and Myers Briggs to less official tools like Hogwarts houses and Cosmo quizzes, we have endless options for identifying who we really are and why we do the things we do. We chat about our own lightbulb moments in terms of self-understanding and how that knowledge impacts our relationships with our spouses, children, and friends. While we have plenty of fun and more than one laugh in this conversation, we also ...
Jun 18, 2019•41 min
This week we’re talking about minimalism—but don’t worry, we’re not coming to Marie Kondo your closets. Whether you’re a self-identified maximalist like Indiana, an aspiring minimalist like Ashlee or somewhere in between like April (does owning jewel tones disqualify one from being a minimalist?), we hope today's conversation sparks joy for you. Rest assured: this isn’t an episode about how to be a minimalist; rather, we’re exploring the connection between how we feel about what—and how much—we ...
Jun 11, 2019•45 min•Season 4Ep. 69
This week we're talking all about creativity—and before you declare yourself uncreative, we've got a pep talk to prove otherwise. From embracing creative sparks in the shower to the hard work of putting our butts in the chair, today we're dishing how we make space for creativity alongside motherhood, and how we're better off for it. Whether you call yourself an artist or not, we hope today's conversation reminds you that motherhood is bursting with creative inspiration. Visit Coffee + Crumbs for...
Jun 04, 2019•30 min
With summer around the corner, today we’re bringing you an important episode about water safety and drowning prevention. Drowning is the number one cause of death for children under the age of five, but for today’s guest, that’s not just a statistic. Nicole Hughes is with us to share the heartbreaking story of losing her three-year-old son, Levi, to drowning last summer. She also shares the mission behind Levi’s Legacy, which she began in his honor to educate parents about drowning prevention. W...
May 30, 2019•34 min
We’re concluding our three-part postpartum series today with a very honest conversation about physically healing from giving birth. Julie Kwong, a pelvic health physical therapist, joins us to talk about how complex and unique the healing process can be, what’s normal and what’s not, and how to advocate for better healing care in the postpartum recovery process. This is a frank conversation about anatomy and bodily processes—we’re talking about prolapse and pain during sex, hemorrhoids and incon...
May 28, 2019•38 min•Season 4Ep. 68
This week we continue our three-part postpartum series with a deeper look at postpartum anxiety. From irrational fears to the crushing weight of expectations, C+C art director Lottie Caiella walks us through her personal journey with postpartum anxiety after the birth of her daughter. In the second half of this conversation, we're joined by licensed counselor Dr. Emily Shupert who explains the difference between PPD and PPA, as well as how to differentiate normal new parent worry from anxiety th...
May 21, 2019•33 min•Season 4Ep. 67
This week we begin our three-part postpartum series with an honest conversation about postpartum depression. In this episode, friend of the show Christina Kposowa shares her experience with postpartum depression following the births of her two sons, and we're also joined by licensed counselor Dr. Michele Harding who walks us through the difference between "baby blues" and PPD. She also provides some great suggestions for how we can support other moms who are struggling with postpartum depression...
May 14, 2019•32 min•Season 4Ep. 66
Fear not: this week’s episode has nothing to do with screen time dos and don’ts. Instead, join us for a (very) lighthearted chat about our favorite books, podcasts, and TV shows. From how we score affordable books to our individual headphone preferences, today we're discussing when and how we consume different types of media. We're also making quite a few confessions, so feel free to giggle along as we learn who loves to make friends at the library, who's obsessed with polygamist escape memoirs,...
May 07, 2019•39 min
Between the meals and the snacks and the laundry and the messes, some days it’s hard to view parenting as anything more than surviving those pre-bedtime hours. But we know parenting is not a short-term gig—we're in this for the long haul. In today's episode, we're chatting with author and speaker Krista Gilbert about how we can maintain our long-term priorities in the immediate chaos of motherhood. From the importance of building trust to keeping a sense of humor, this conversation is full of wi...
Apr 30, 2019•52 min•Season 4Ep. 65