The Intentional Household: A LifeCraft Podcast
Take a deep dive into radical renewal of homelife, from crafting the personal relationships at its heart, to everything from planting time to porch time to prayer time.
Join John Cuddeback, and his friends, colleagues, and other guests in seeking timeless wisdom for life in our time.
Episodes
34 episodes
Episode 31 - What Happens to Children Raised to be Different?
We know that how we raise our children will make them different from many of their peers, but often we don’t recognize just what this really means for them. John and Sofia discuss how the challenge of being different calls both for a careful ex...
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41:37
Episode 30 - 5 Ways to Bring the Power of Great Music into Your Home
You want to bring the power of great music to your home but don’t know where to begin. It can be daunting. Here are five concrete steps that anyone can take. Join Sofia and me in addressing how to act on the principles discussed in
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1:04:44
Episode 29 - Celebrating Easter Like We Mean It
Easter is the feast of all feasts. It undergirds all true festivity and leisure. Yet we often struggle to celebrate it well. John and Sofia offer a practical approach to how our Easter celebration—including before and after Easter Sunday—can tr...
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44:01
Episode 28 - Walking for Recreation: A Path to Renewing Homelife
Finding truly enriching activities that are enjoyable and don’t require a lot of planning can be difficult. Walking—whether just around the cul de sac or across hills and dales—has the potential to transform life in our homes. Join John and Sof...
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37:42
Episode 27 - Interview with Fr. Gregory Pine: How Dad Can Be Spiritual Head in the Home
Being spiritual leader is perhaps the most difficult, under-examined, and central aspect of a man’s place in the home. Renowned theologian and online celebrity Fr. Gregory Pine, O.P. joins John Cuddeback in discussing the challenge and beauty o...
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49:14
Episode 26 - Movies in the Home: Challenge and Opportunity
Anyone living an intentional life needs to reflect on how to do movies right. This is especially crucial for parents in view of the challenge of screen time and world-view formation—for young and old. Join John and Sofia as they offer a realist...
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1:05:53
Episode 25 - Making and Transcending Time in the Home
Central to our problem with time is that we miss the real issue, and so real solutions evade us. It’s not about becoming more productive, but becoming more alive, by rediscovering ordinary daily practices. Join John and Sofia in taking a fresh ...
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58:37
Episode 24 - Music in the Home: Trojan Horse or Genuine Gift?
Boethius wrote: "Music is part of us, and either ennobles or degrades our behavior.” Plato and Aristotle saw it as central in education and in living a fully human life. Join Sofia and me in a hard-hitting discussion about how the music we list...
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1:03:05
Episode 23 - Self-Care: Integral but Elusive in the Household
Many of us, especially spouses and parents, struggle with it. But self-care is crucial for everyone, and is an opportunity to deepen a marriage and become better parents. Join John and Sofia in discussing a rich notion of self-care, offering pr...
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1:01:51
Episode 22 - The Power to Make Others Happy: Scrooge's Dance as a Feast for the Ages
We have both the power and calling to make others happy, a truth portrayed in stunning fashion in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, one of the great stories of all time. Join John and Sofia for a dramatic reading and reflection...
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56:03
Episode 21- Five Ideas for a Household Christmas
Christmas stands out as perhaps the most significant annual opportunity to craft a certain kind of life in our home. It’s when we show ourselves and those around us who we really are and want to be. Join John and Sofia as they share specific id...
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51:00
Episode 20 - Preparing your Home for Christmas: Decorating with a Purpose
It’s about so much more than keeping up with the neighbors. Decorating our home at Christmas can be an essential part of a deeper preparation for the holy days and so also a great tool in the art of crafting the good life in our home. Join John...
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57:25
Episode 19 - Singing in the Home: Is it Essential?
It was once so ordinary that people couldn’t picture life without it. Singing together is a basic form of shared life in the home, and Sofia argues it is a wonderful part of God’s plan for the household. Join us as we discuss overcoming fears a...
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50:20
Episode 18 - Beyond Interior Design: Seeking a Better Plan for Our Home with Paige Rien
Interior design matters. Given our bodily nature, the spaces in our home have significant influence on life-in-the-home. Paige Rien, an author and designer who had five seasons on HGTV on a top-rated show, combines the best of design with a cou...
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1:17:40
Episode 17 - Why Good Food Matters: Eating Healthy to Renew Homelife
What we eat is a major determinant of our bodily health and much more. The right approach to food nourishes us in many ways and is a central feature of a flourishing household. Join Sofia and me in discussing just how food can be an ‘instrument...
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1:06:11
SPECIAL EPISODE - Wifery: The Womanly Art and its Concrete Forms
Wifery refers to something beautiful that every woman is called to be as well as to a very concrete art at the heart of life in the home. The richness of the term comes from the richness of what it is to be a woman. This lecture defines, ex...
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45:14
Episode 16 - Finding a Better Way to Bury Our Dead
How we bury our dead expresses our basic view of life. But we have lost our traditions of burial, and so our lives are impoverished. Renewing how we bury our loved ones is part of renewing life in our home. Join Sofia and me in discussing princ...
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59:49
Episode 15 - Why Personal Pursuits Still Matter as a Mother with Nell O'Leary
If motherhood demands all, can there still be space for anything else? Does being a good mother mean having no personal projects? Nell O’Leary shares her journey of discovery about what motherhood demands. Join Nell and me in discussing how the...
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1:10:32
SPECIAL EPISODE - Husbandry: The Manly Art and its Concrete Forms
Husbandry names the heart of what every man is called to be; it also names a very concrete art that is the foundation of life in the home. The richness of the term comes from the richness of what it is to be a man. This lecture defines, explain...
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1:04:02
Episode 14 - Authority and Submission: Is it Necessary in Marriage?
One of the hardest things to understand is even harder to enact. Authority and submission are essential to marriage, and yet today we have a cacophony of voices attacking and defending what often are caricatures of reality. Join Sofia and me in...
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1:07:27
Episode 13 - Five Non-Negotiables to Instill in your Children
A very difficult part of intentional parenting is knowing what to focus on. Specific goals allow for more focused and fruitful labors. Sofia and I made a list of 5 things we know we want to instill in our children. Join us as we discuss them an...
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1:19:39
Episode 12 - A Green Thumb: Why you DON'T Need One to Homestead
All men and women can be stewards and have the joy of ‘taking care’ of things. It is written deep within our nature. No prior experience necessary. Join Sofia and me and discover how every home can be a homestead, regardless of your background ...
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58:30
Episode 11: Optimizing the Role of Grandparents in Children's Lives
Now more than ever, our children need grandparents in their lives; indeed, it can make a profound difference. Are we doing all we can to facilitate this? Join Sofia and me as we look at challenges and opportunities from both sides—how parents c...
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1:03:56
Episode 10: What if my Spouse is not on the Same Page?
Crafting the good life together calls for a shared vision. But what if spouses disagree, or one spouse isn’t really engaged in the same way? This happens quite often and need not induce panic. Join Sofia and me in discussing what all of us must...
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1:04:42
Episode 9: Household: What are we making together anyway?
What does a man really ‘propose’ in a marriage proposal? What is the project, if she accepts, that they set out on together? Our understanding and practice of ‘household’ has been eviscerated, so it’s no surprise spouses often don’t know what c...
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1:09:23