Relationships, marriage wisdom, fashion advice and hunting tips. Yes, hunting tips. NYT Best Selling Author Melanie Shankle (and one of my favorite bloggers ever) leaves no stone unturned in this episode of the Inspired To Action podcast. Her new book The Antelope in the Living Room is one of only a handful of "I just can't book this down" books I've read.

She is wise, funny and has a Southern accent that you could listen to all. day. long.

Grab your headphones, join us for a chat and keep reading to learn more!

Melanie Shankle is a wife, mother, writer and host of Lifeway's dotMom events. She blogs at TheBigMamaBlog.com and has authored two books Sparkly Green Earrings and The Antelope in the Living Room.

Here are a few highlights from today's show...

Get Inspired

Melanie shares encouragement on surviving those potty-training toddler years, what to look forward to as your little ones get older, what makes her friendship with Gulley so strong, and how she's noticed similar characteristics in her best friend and her husband.

Tweet to Inspire: "It's not our job to hold it all together." - @BigMama on @Inspired2Action --> Click to Tweet! 

Marriage Tip #1: It's okay if you don't enjoy doing all the same things!

Marriage Tip #2: Stop comparing your marriage to the people you see in the grocery store.

Tweet to Inspire: "Your marriage is as unique as the two people who make up your marriage" - @BigMama on @Inspired2Action--> Click to Tweet!

Fashion Tips from Melanie Shankle

Every mom needs:

1. A good pair of jeans that are NOT mom jeans (you can't go wrong with Gap)
2. A good pair of cute shoes
3. Fun accessories

Bonus tip: Spend your budget on the staples and then save money on the trendy items.

Take Action

What did you learn from Melanie? How will you take action on what you learned? I know I need to do some shopping... :) What about you? Click here to share.

Quick Links

1. Get Melanie's new book - The Antelope in the Living Room: The Real Story of Two People Sharing One Life
2. Love the song in the outro? It's called God Day. It's by Jen Stanbro and you can get it on iTunes by clicking here and check out Jen's site by clicking here.

Connect with Melanie Shankle

Melanie Shankle

Blog:The Big Mama Blog
Social media:
Twitter
Facebook
Pinterest
Instagram

How to Listen to This Podcast

If you're new to podcasts, think of them like little radio shows that you can listen to at your convenience. They are perfect to listen to and learn from as you workout, fold laundry, wash dishes or conquer the world.

1. Listen right here on the blog. Click through to the site and click the little play button at the beginning of this post.
2. Listen on your smartphone, iPad or iPod Touch - There are a lot of great podcasting apps. Apple has a free one in the app store, but I like one called Downcast. It allows me to search for shows, subscribe to them and even speed up the audio.

You can also listen via a free app (IOS and Android) called Stitcher.

3. Subscribe to the Podcast - just click here to access the podcast in iTunes. You can also search for it on your smartphone app (like the ones listed above) and subscribe.