I have been pregnant ten times (six healthy deliveries, hopefully awaiting the seventh). I have delivered both naturally and by c-section. A great many things about pregnancy are difficult and painful. But with most of the difficulties and pains, I find I am able to kind of detach myself, or, at least, feel the pain […]
When Bible Studies Fail
Crisis Magazine recently published an article addressing the common failure of Catholic men’s groups. I know exactly what the author is talking about— but it’s not just a problem with Catholic men’s groups. Despite the ways in which women may be more socially inclined, I have found that our “groups” often fail too. Single women […]
Palm Sunday
The palms we wave around like children, All children, Unable to resist the peeling and the bending and the twisting into crosses and crowns, And marveling at the funny fact of bringing giant leaves into Church— The palms we wave around like children Are later ground into the dirt that’s later rubbed upon our foreheads, […]
Why I’m a “prepper” and what that actually means.
Almost three years ago, my family and I moved to the country and started homesteading. Every day, it seems, we are learning new things— we are learning about raising and slaughtering, fermenting and curing, chopping and heating, planting and harvesting— all new things to us, but not to the world. These are old skills— and […]
Reflections on a Twelfth Night
The first time I really understood that Christmas was twelve days was when I visited Mexico as a child. I think the churches in America were probably still singing Christmas songs but nothing ever really felt like Christmas after New Year’s the way it did in Mexico. Ever since experiencing that, my family and I […]
Mysteries and Miracles
One recent Wednesday morning in September, my almost-two-year-old son wandered away from our house and into the woods, completely out of our sight. After a quick search of the immediate, usual areas, we called for help from neighbors, and then 911. Help came in abundance. Multiple fire departments, law enforcement agencies, canine units, volunteers on […]
Diapers, Flies, and Humility
I was twenty-two and pregnant with my first child. We were attending a high school graduation. In the bleachers in front of me was a new mother who was probably even younger than me. I watched her, reflecting on the wonder that awaited me, when suddenly I saw her undress her baby and change him. […]
Let’s Talk About The Weather
A few years ago I got off of social media. Along with getting off of social media I mostly stopped following any news source on a regular basis. But there is still one website I still check every morning. The Weather Channel. Sometimes I even find myself checking it multiple times a day. Especially if […]
My Homeschooling Philosophy
As a homeschooling mother of a lot of little kids I often get asked what kind of curriculum I use, how I do it with so many babies and toddlers, what our schedule looks like, etc. So I thought I would share— especially for those who are considering homeschooling but maybe find the possible answers […]
So do all who live to see such times…
It feels like the church is falling apart. It feels like our country is falling apart. It feels like the world is falling apart. These are things that many of us feel right now. And rightfully so. Corruption seems to reign supreme. You find it in one corner so you run to the other corner, […]
Why Sheep?
When we moved to the country we knew we wanted to get more animals. We went back and forth about which kinds of animals but we eventually ended up with sheep. Why sheep? I am often asked, and I sometimes struggle to answer. Of course, sheep have many uses: wool, meat, milk, and lawn mowing— […]
A Theology of Birthdays
A birthday can be a lonely sort of thing. After all, no matter how much other people may be celebrating you, it really is all about you, and as Pooh says, “it’s so much friendlier with two!” I believe this is part of the reason adults often have trouble celebrating their birthdays at all. Sure, […]
The Blessing of a Worn Out Body
For most of my adolescent life I struggled with insomnia. When I was 23 I had my first baby. He kept me up all night. But I finally learned how to sleep! Next week, I’ll turn 31. I have spent the last decade pushing my body to the point of total exhaustion. It hasn’t always […]
The Sadness of Easter
Now that it’s Easter I’m going to turn on some happy Easter music! I told my kids when we got in the car. Gabriel’s Oboe came on first, followed by Morning Has Broken. In response to each of these songs my five-year-old remarked, but Mommy, those songs sound sad. We then launched in to a […]
Why My Christmas Tree Is Still Up
There are all sorts of debates about when Christmas actually ends. Liturgically speaking, we know that it does NOT end on December 26th. In fact, it is just as much Christmas on December 26th as it was on December 25th. It is, liturgically speaking, full-strength Christmas through January 1st. After that things get a little […]
The Latin Mass: For Distracted Children Like Me
I first went to traditional Latin Mass when I was a teenager. I remember it feeling cold— both in temperature and in mood. I did not want to go back. Now, whether it was actually cold or simply unfamiliar I do not know. I do know that, at that time, most of the devout Catholics […]
Surviving and thriving with lots of little kids
As a mother of five little boys seven and under I often get asked how I manage. Of course, two alternative answers are that 1) I don’t. Or 2) By the grace of God. But here are the more specific strategies: Be intentional about your village. It is tempting, especially as a mother, to try […]
Mass in the Time of Covid
We have been going to in-person Mass with our four children since May. I have had a lot of other people ask us how we do this, if we feel safe, if it’s been difficult, etc. Now, everyone’s risk factors are different and no one person can decide for another person whether in-person Mass is […]
My New Book: A Storybook of Saints
My children’s relationship with Saint Nicholas is complex and, at times, confusing. When we had our first son we decided not to “do Santa” in the traditional American way. Because of the questioning personality of our oldest son and the deeply secular, often antagonistic-towards-faith culture we live in, we felt uncomfortable insisting upon the down-the-chimney […]
Coronavirus and the Soul
If the coronavirus had hit seven years ago, I would have been terrified. I’m immunocompromised, but I’m also prone to anxiety and worst-case scenario thinking. I always tend to assume that if it is going to happen to someone then it is going to happen to me or the ones I love. But then I […]
New Book on the Way and Smartphone Vacation
I have not posted on my blog in awhile because I have been focusing all my writing attention on a book that will be published in April. I am very excited to share more details about it soon! I am also revamping my blog with a new layout and name on the way. In the […]
Lenten Music
A little late, but I wanted to share the playlist that helps me focus on the season. I hope it can help you too!
Pregnancy is Strange
This is my fourth time feeling a tiny person kick around in my belly. And it’s not any less strange than the first time. In pop culture, when pregnancy isn’t being stigmatized or avoided at all costs, it’s being glamorized. I think of pregnant celebrities, baring their bellies on the covers of magazines like fertility […]
Life Without Social Media
After mulling over it for months (years) I finally permanently deleted my Facebook, thereby removing all social media from my life. Here’s what I’ve learned: I am shocked by how nosy and gossipy I really was. I had already hidden at least 80% of my newsfeed because the content was either distracting or irrelevant. I […]
Christmas Does Not Belong to Me
I just want to make sure we have OUR Christmas. I’ve said it to my friends and my friends have said it to me. Somewhere between college graduation and thirtieth birthdays Christmas becomes super, super busy. And we feel like it’s all about other people. All about extended relatives. All about work parties or neighborhood parties […]
How We Advent (And Advent Music)
When I was about ten my dad first introduced us to the old custom of Adventing before Christmas and Christmasing until Epiphany. At first, it was quite difficult for me to accept. My dad and I had many debates about how early was too early to turn on the real Christmas songs and all the […]
A Baby, The Catholic Church, and Hope
It was the Eve of the Feast of the Assumption when I got an unexpected positive pregnancy test. I’ve been pregnant every year since 2012 and my youngest child is only ten months old. While I felt joy and excitement that I would get to know and love another tiny human, I had all sorts […]
Fingers and Toes
Counting their fingers and toes… I had heard the phrase before but I didn’t really get it. Why would you count their fingers and toes? You already know how many there are. It wasn’t until my third baby that I finally tried it. One, two, three, four, five… The other little chubby hand was cramped […]
When We Play All Day: Part Two
I’ve always thought it would be nice to really celebrate Sunday like a “sabbath”— not just with Church or a break from school or work, but like a true holiday. After the birth of our first child, I realized that this was not simply an intriguing idea; it was something we actually needed. A sabbath […]
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