Well friend, this is my last episode of Work & Play before I take a two month break from the podcast and a six month break from work and social media. I just want to use this time and space to encourage you. And I want to speak life over you. And I want to encourage you to speak life over the people around you.

Today, Will and I are going to be sharing about how we are debt-free again, as we just paid off our house! Our hope more than anything is that you would be inspired and know that with some hard work and intentional planning, this could be possible for you, too.

So I have decided to take six months off of social media. No Instagram, no Facebook, no Twitter, no social media. As soon as our fourth baby arrives, I'm going to be spending time with my family and friends in real life, being present and free myself from any obligation to post or share anything for six whole months. In today's podcast episode, I'm going to share more about why I'm doing this and why you might consider doing it, too.

Today's book is Parenting by Paul David Tripp. He outlines 14 Gospel Principles that can radically change your family. This book isn't as much a practical book on how to handle a tantrum or discipline your child or what to feed your kid or how to raise teenagers. Instead, it's a book that speaks to the “why” of parenting the heart of parenting, and really how to view our role of parents as believers.

Today's episode is the last of a three part series, giving you a glimpse into the new course I'm releasing TODAY at noon eastern time. So today is all about work, and my foundational approach to it.

Over the last several months, I have been working on a project I haven’t told anyone about, but you, my dear work and play podcast listener, are going to be the very first to know about it.

Today’s episode is part 1 of a three part episode series giving you a glimpse inside this new audio course (I honestly hesitate to call it a course because it’s more of a comprehensive way that I look at my life broken down into three categories: faith, home and work).

Over the last several months, I have been working on a project I haven’t told anyone about, but you, my dear work and play podcast listener, are going to be the very first to know about it.

Today’s episode is part 1 of a three part episode series giving you a glimpse inside this new audio course (I honestly hesitate to call it a course because it’s more of a comprehensive way that I look at my life broken down into three categories: faith, home and work).

Today's episode is going to cover all of the work and play of going on a babymoon. I'm going to summarize each of the babymoons we've taken: how they've all been different and how we've budgeted for each one.

Welcome to the Nancy Ray Book Club, where every month I share a book worth reading and invite you to read it along with me. Today's book is The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer—highly recommending this one friend.

My mom is the kindest wisest, warmest, funniest woman I know. It is really an honor to have her as a mom. She's so trustworthy. She's the best listener in the world, and every time I ask for advice, it seems like she always has the exact words I need to hear. The world needs more people like my mom, and today I get to share her with you.

Welcome to another episode of May is for Mamas! Today, I’m going to be brief and hopefully encouraging. And I don't say this lightly—I believe the secret to getting the most out of motherhood, and life in general, is to simply lean in to your season.

Today we are diving into one of the most difficult seasons of our friendship, the season of five years where my best friend and sister-in-law, Sam, was walking through infertility and I had three babies. I'm just so honored to share today's podcast episode with you, because what it feels like for me is a precious gift that I'm giving to you, that you can hear Sam's heart and her story. And it feels like we are sharing this really vulnerable part of our journey together as friends and sisters with you.

This episode feels extra vulnerable for me because I don't feel like I got to this path of motherhood that I'm on like most women do, but I'm realizing that every story of motherhood is different and hard and beautiful and every unique way.

And so in hopes that I'm going to make someone who's listening feel a little less lonely and a little more normal, I am going to be vulnerable and share how I got here, how I got to being a mama of almost four kids.

I'll be honest—I almost took this book off of my reading list this year, because I felt like it was cruel and unusual punishment to myself to read a book about sleep the year that I would have a newborn baby. BUT I'm really glad I read it anyway, because it's helping me now in pregnancy and it will help during that newborn phase, as hard as it's going to be, as well as prioritizing sleep for our whole family for years to come.

I get pretty nerdy today—fair warning!

Every mother is stuck in this paradox of wanting so badly to photograph and keep and preserve heir children's lives and childhoods with organized baby books and photos, but the very thing that keeps us from doing that are our children. They consume so much of our time and mental energy, it feels impossible to stay on top of our photos. Today, I'm going to tell you how I plan to keep my photos organized with four kids.

Today, I'm going to share with you the value of doing this, the value of giving up something in your life that's easy and convenient and even good, to challenge yourself; and specifically the value of the Contentment Challenge this year and what I learned this time around.

Today we are celebrating two whole years of this podcast, Work and Play with Nancy Ray. I have a really fun, unique episode planed—it’s like a birthday party that I want to celebrate and encourage you with.

I'll be honest—I almost took this book off of my reading list this year, because I felt like it was cruel and unusual punishment to myself to read a book about sleep the year that I would have a newborn baby. BUT I'm really glad I read it anyway, because it's helping me now in pregnancy and it will help during that newborn phase, as hard as it's going to be, as well as prioritizing sleep for our whole family for years to come.

I get pretty nerdy today—fair warning!

In a lot of ways my work has really been simplified for me. I have been forced to be really strategic and simplified with my time and my plans. Today, I'm going to share ways that I took things off of my plate, got organized and really simplified my work and my goals this year, and moving forward.

While I was running my photography business and my team, we had to get an email system in place and I turned my inbox into a little game. Over the years I have put a lot of disciplines into place and match that up with this little game that I play and all of that has really helped me to get control over it and not feel as overwhelmed, but instead, feel more like an #EmailNinja.

Today, I'm going to teach you how to be an Email Ninja, too.