Remember the good ol’ days, when you could send your kids off to school, come home to a quiet, empty house, make things clean and sparkly, and they would stay that way for upwards of 5 hours? I do too. And one of my favorite parts of that idyllic time was the ability to listen to a podcast- uninterrupted- while I went about my menial household tasks.

But now we’re quarantining due to COVID-19. That means we moms don’t get much free or alone time to do things like binge podcasts or pee alone. But I’m still trying to find time- sometimes in 5-10 minute segments- to listen to a few of my absolute favorites. Last summer, I posted my Top 10 Podcasts, but since then I’ve had to pare my favorites list down to a precious few. If you, like me, need a little auditory escape these days, try one of these podcasts from my absolute favorite Top 5 Podcasts.

1. The Armchair Expert - Hosted by Dax Shepherd, this is a long-form podcast where episodes regularly cross the 90 minute mark. It takes me several days to get through one episode. But they’re all so interesting! On Monday episodes, Dax welcomes various famous people for chats about their background, their challenges and triumphs, and everyday life stuff that everyone deals with, regardless of fame, prestige, or wealth. On Thursdays, Dax hosts Experts on Expert where he has real experts come in to discuss their field (think Bill Nye, Steve Madden, Elizabeth Gilbert, etc.). This is my absolute favorite podcast, at least currently. But be forewarned: This podcast comes with a language and content warning (not safe for little ears or work).

2. Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend - This is another podcast in which a celebrity host welcomes fellow celebrities in for a chat. The podcast began as Conan inviting guests he didn’t personally know well and wanted to get to know better, but has morphed into a podcast chock full of household names discussing interesting things together. In true late-night comedian form, this podcast also comes with a language and content warning (not safe for little ears or work).

3. The Popcast with Knox & Jamie - These two hosts- Knox and Jamie- are hilarious! They have the absolute best chemistry and make me LOL at least a few times every episode. The opening line of every episode describes it perfectly: “The Popcast is a show dedicated to delightful idiocy, and we’re committed to educating you on things in entertainment that do not matter.” The Popcast keeps me up to date on what’s going on in current pop culture without having to follow any Kardashians on Instagram. Knox and Jamie do a great job keeping it light and clean.

4. The Bible Binge - Brought to you by Knox and Jamie of the Popcast! Each season of The Bible Binge focuses on a different area or theme of the Bible. The hosts, both Christians, do a deep dive into Bible stories in a fun and inventive way by “casting” each of the stories as if it were a movie. Did you know that Leonardo DiCaprio is a perfect fit for King David at all stages of Leo’s/David’s lives? But seriously, I learn a lot from this podcast, and have a lot of fun while doing it.

5. For the Love! with Jen Hatmaker - Jen Hatmaker is my girl. She loves Jesus, keeps it real, and makes me laugh. Win, win, win. Her podcast is excellent as well. She welcomes a wide variety of guests and chats with them about everything from broad “let’s save the world!” topics to the most recent episodes of The Bachelor. Her podcasts always involve a large element of faith, which I love and appreciate. It’s always a delightful and uplifting 45-60 minutes.

What are YOUR favorite podcasts? Please let me know in the comments. I need some new toilet-scrubbing material!