Veil + Armour: Holiness in Motherhood and Daily Life

How to teach the faith and form saints in the family: The Inspirational Story of Carissa Douglas, Mother of 15, Canadian author and illustrator

Send us a textMerry Christmas Eve, Friends in Christ!We sincerely appreciate your prayers! Every listen, like, comment or subscription is like an answered prayer that the Good News is being heard on the Internet - a space where the battle between good and evil is being fought every single day. Thank you for joining us in that battle, especially with your prayers!This week, we continue our conversation with Carissa Douglas, homeschooling Mom of 15, author of The Little Douglings and Dougling Adventures series. Carissa also debuts her new baby board book!The sound of a restless toddler in the pew isn’t a nuisance—it’s a sign of life. We sit down with Carissa Douglas, homeschooling mother of fifteen and creator of the Little Douglings books, to explore how a real prayer life grows in the middle of noise, laundry, and car seats, and why bringing kids to church is an act of hope that shapes souls for years!Carissa opens up about building a daily rhythm that blends simple prayers with a constant, organic, authentic conversation with God. She shares how lighting candles, praying the Holy Rosary without pressure, and how Eucharistic Adoration with little ones turns doctrine into relationship. We dig into the surprising power of occasional daily Mass to train attention for Sundays, how to navigate discouraging looks with grace, and why praying for your priest changes the culture of a parish. Along the way, Carissa offers practical tips parents can use this week—everything from sippy-cup strategy to letting teens overhear your honest prayers when patience runs thin.We also tackle homeschooling with nuance: initial fears, the role of community, and the fruit of a gentler schedule that still leads to academic success and real-world dialogue. Carissa explains how she adapts for different learners, including dyslexia, and why the home can foster virtue in a way schools often can’t. Then we face the smartphone question head-on. Hear why their family chose a phone-free, creative play path, and what kids gain—focus, resilience, deeper friendships—by delaying devices in a culture built on instant scrolls.Threaded through everything is Mother Mary: a living model of dignity and tenderness who protects purity, calms fears, and teaches daughters to be set apart without apology. Carissa’s newest baby board book, "Mother Mary’s Heart," flows from childhood images of Mary’s care that still steady her today. Come for the ideas, stay for the courage to try one small change. If this conversation strengthens your home or gives you a fresh start, subscribe, share the show with a friend, and leave a review to help other families find this hope.To find Carissa's books, you can visit https://amazon.ca and https://scepterpublishers.org and search for "Carissa Douglas" or visit https://littledouglings.comIn Canada: https://www.sunrisemarian.com Sunrise Marian Book Store in Waterloo, Ontariohttps://primaryeducators.caSupport the showTo reach Veil + Armour, please visit:https://veilandarmour.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmourhttps://www.x.com/@sheilanonatohttps://www.sheilanonato.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmourWhat resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know!Email: veilandarmour@gmail.comIf our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

68. From Grief To Grace: A Mother Of Sixteen On Faith, Family, And The Feminine Genius

Send us a textAs we prepare to celebrate Christmas, please join us in this conversation about Canadian author and children's book illustrator Carissa Douglas: It is a story of how turned a family tragedy into a calling to become a mother of a large family. How did Carissa embrace this noble vocation that's shrouded in much mystery, and sometimes confusion or derision from an anti-Christian world?Start with a "Yes" and watch your world widen. That’s the heartbeat of our conversation with children’s author, illustrator, and homeschooling mom Carissa Douglas, whose fifteen children (and Carissa lets us in on a surprise in this conversation!) aren’t just a headline but a living testimony to courage, vocation, and trust. We explore how a childhood loss formed a family rooted in hope, how Mother Mary’s Fiat reframes modern fears around motherhood, and how creative work can flourish right in the middle of family life without sacrificing presence.Carissa shares the origin of "The Little Douglings," a series designed to help children build a real friendship with Jesus in the Eucharist from an early age. As culture grows louder, she chose formation over panic: teaching kids to go directly to Christ so they can withstand the pressures of the culture to abandon faith. We talk about the creative process with toddlers underfoot, the surprising grace of detachment when a Sharpie hits a finished illustration, and how digital tools opened new ways to write and draw while staying close to her kids.We also lean into big questions many families carry: Is a large family too expensive, too chaotic, too hard? Carissa answers with lived wisdom how it's all rooted in God's grace and His Divine Providence —prudence, a mentality of sharing God's blessings, generosity from our neighbours, and God’s quiet provision that shows up right on time. Beyond logistics, a large family becomes a school of virtue where generosity, work ethic, and other-centeredness take root. For teens, faith becomes adventure, not afterthought, with saints like Padre Pio guiding stories that rival any superhero arc and direct young hearts toward purpose.If you’re discerning marriage, craving deeper meaning in motherhood, or searching for a way to form children who can withstand the cultural headwinds, this one’s for you. Subscribe, share with a friend who needs courage today, and leave a review to help more listeners find these stories of faith, family, and fearless yes.Are you in search of faith-filled, Christian books for your teens, tweens or littel ones? You can find Carissa's books filled with beautiful illustrations that she designed and a story that was crafted from her lived experience in her family of 18 here on this website: https://littledouglings.comThey are also available at Sunrise Marianhttps://sunrisemarian.comhttps://scepterpublishers.org/products/copy-of-little-douglings-series?srsltid=AfmBOoqCZGzZ-PhSAHiQN0oOWHIQ7Wt3bb0ljrqiu7mnDH1FU8UqrkmPWishing you and your family a Blessed Christmas and Happy New Year! Please join us next time for the continuation of the conversation with Carissa Douglas about how to pass on the faith to our children, and continued exploration of the feminine genius of Support the showTo reach Veil + Armour, please visit:https://veilandarmour.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmourhttps://www.x.com/@sheilanonatohttps://www.sheilanonato.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmourWhat resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know!Email: veilandarmour@gmail.comIf our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

67. How A Pilgrimage To Lourdes Restored Hope After Miscarriage

Send us a textHappy Third Week of Advent, Sisters in Christ!Please allow us to re-introduce Day 7 of the Mother's Day Retreat, with a bit of a background story to accompany it. It's a busy time for everyone, especially mothers, and it would be a good time to slow down, reflect, and spend time with Our Lord in prayer.This week, we share a mother’s path from grief to consolation through a family pilgrimage to Lourdes and a renewed Advent focus on peace, prayer, and quiet healing. Along the way, we pray the Immaculate Conception Novena and reflect on faith, hope, and love in the busiest season.• Advent peace through simple daily prayer • Novena to the Immaculate Conception • Why contemplative prayer and communal prayer sustains mothers • Offering sorrow and stress during Advent • Lourdes pilgrimage after miscarriage and deployment • Consolation versus physical cures • Faith, hope, and love as a way of life • Litany to Our Lady and closing blessingPlease subscribe to our podcast and YouTube channel and please spread the word! Thank you + God bless!00:00 Introduction and Purpose of the Retreat00:46 Welcome to the Veil and Armour Podcast01:21 Advent and the Mother's Day Retreat01:41 Novena to the Immaculate Conception03:39 Continuing the Retreat and Community Prayer05:18 Personal Pilgrimage to Lourdes08:30 Reflection and Healing at Lourdes10:33 Closing Prayers and Litany12:16 Final Blessings and FarewellThe 9 Day Novena to Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception:https://www.praymorenovenas.com/immaculate-conception-novenaHozana Prayer App (Free)https://www.hozana.orgSupport the showTo reach Veil + Armour, please visit:https://veilandarmour.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmourhttps://www.x.com/@sheilanonatohttps://www.sheilanonato.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmourWhat resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know!Email: veilandarmour@gmail.comIf our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

66. From Postpartum Darkness To A Veil Of Hope in Jesus Christ with Veils by Lily CEO Lily Wiilson

Send us a textA mother’s raw account of postpartum crisis turns into a story of God-inspired healing: spiritual, psychological, and physical. We trace the years-long birth of the Merciful Love Veil, why veiling expresses dignity and freedom, and what is the future for Lily at Veils by Lily, and does she have a new adventure waiting for her in this season of life?• postpartum anxiety, depression, insomnia, and hospitalization • parish and family support as lifelines • therapy rooted in Catholic teaching and dignity • St Elizabeth of the Trinity’s call to be loved • medical roots: elevated copper and low vitamin D • designing and launching the Merciful Love Veil • veiling as sign of sacred identity and humility • quality craft, ethical sourcing, lifetime warranty • Black Friday and Cyber Monday offers and shipping deadlines • practical veiling questions on length, fit, and discernment • stepping back from leadership and sustaining the mission • Advent hope, confession, Eucharist, daily conversionPlease join us every week on the Veil in Armor podcast, where stories come alive through a journalist's lens and mother’s heart.To see Veils by Lily's veils and connect on social media:https://veilsbylily.comhttps://www.instagram.com/@veilsbylilyhttps://www.youtube.com/@veilsbylilyIf this episode resonated with you, please share with a friend!Thank you + God bless!Support the showTo reach Veil + Armour, please visit:https://veilandarmour.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmourhttps://www.x.com/@sheilanonatohttps://www.sheilanonato.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmourWhat resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know!Email: veilandarmour@gmail.comIf our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!

65. How Losing A Child Led One Creator To Heal, Build Community, And Guide Mothers and Women Online

Send us a textFor this first week of Advent, let us reflect upon Hope, Hope in Christ.We are honoured to welcome our next guest, Camille Mendoza, who is the designer of our podcast apostolate's logo! She is a brand designer, and newly expectant mother! Congratulations, Camille!Camille shares the beautiful, heartfelt story of her daughter Lilo a lived a radiant, albeit short life, and how grief reshaped Camille's faith, family, and creative work, purpose, motherhood and passion. From counselling and prayer to charity and branding, she shows how small projects can become instruments of hope.• finding mission in motherhood and loss• Craft and Being as a blend of craft and sanctity• practical counsel for grieving parents• Lilo Café fundraiser and community support• using digital tools wisely for good• accessible branding for mission-led creators• discernment with spouse and seasons of family life• Christus Vivit, Mary at the Cross, and hopePlease join us every week on the Veil in Armour Podcast, where stories come alive through a journalist’s lance and mother’s heartCamille Mendoza's creative work can be found on: https://craftandbeing.comShe is on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/@craftandbeingCamille's online course on Substack for business women is available here:https://camillemendoza.substack.com/Support the showTo reach Veil + Armour, please visit:https://veilandarmour.comhttps://www.youtube.com/@veilandarmourhttps://www.x.com/@sheilanonatohttps://www.sheilanonato.comFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/@veilandarmourWhat resonated with you the most about this episode? Feel free to email us and let us know!Email: veilandarmour@gmail.comIf our podcast helped you in some way, or could help someone else, kindly share our podcast with a friend!