Don't look now, but Lent is nearly upon us. Here are a few ways to make sure we get to the end of these 40 days a bit holier than we were when we started. 1. Choose Lent Disciplines that Challenge You It took me a while to understand that tendency folks seem to have...
--- 1 --- Don't adjust your screens ladies and gentlemen (mostly ladies), you read that correctly. I am getting rid of our toys. WITH MY KIDS' BLESSING! Last year's big toy closet organization scheme helped. But the playroom is still a major source of heartache and...
It was time. It was really time. I have a purse I love, that I am so excited to pull out every fall. But it was full of junk. Full. of. junk. Time for a big purse dump. And since I have a blog, you get to share the fun . . . Here is my purse: At 11.2 lbs, it is...
Discipline. It's a scary word that conjures up images of switches behind the shed and nuns with rulers in hand. But I'm here to tell you that it's the thing that makes me not only love my children, but genuinely enjoy being around them. We live in a Chicken Little...
Happy Feast of the Chair of St. Peter! Yes, there is an actual, physical "Chair of St. Peter" housed at the Vatican. I've seen it! Jimmy Akin, can tell you everything you need to know about it and this feast, if you click here. But what to do about it, today, with...
Sean McCabe I've got problems. They are lame problems, but they are MY problems. It's a real . . . well, let's just get on with it. --- 1 --- Grocery Bag Problems My biggest problem in the whole world right now is the county (and soon-to-be state) -wide ban on "single...
I just happen to have a super-adorable baby, who, like all my other babies, does not like to be put down. I often wear her in a carrier so I'll have both hands free, but if she's fallen asleep nursing, I usually just carry her around in one arm rather than risk waking...
I'm pleased to announce that my little book and I will be making an appearance at the Behold Conference in Peoria, IL on March 1, 2014. What will you get if you come to see me? Well . . . I plan to offer copies of the book for sale, a meet and greet...
Through my various Lenten fails over the years, I've learned a different way of approaching Lent. In our house, we now view Lent as a time to try adding or taking away things from our personal and family lives to see if we are improved. We make it a time, not of...
Figure skating and other spinny judged sports might be getting more attention, but I am confident in my conviction that the Biathlon is really where it's at. Here's why . . . --- 1 --- You have to be pretty much the perfect athlete to succeed at biathlon. Biathlon is...
Dear People Who Are Mad About Valentines, There is a post going around called Overachieving Pinterest Moms Should Stop Making Valentines for Their Kids. "You know which parents I'm talking about. They spent hours on Pinterest, scrolling through idea after...
As subscribers to Lego Club Magazine AND Lego Club Junior, my boys have been breathlessly filling me in on various details of The Lego Movie for months now. I have to say, those details did not fill me with confidence. The bad guy is Lord "Business"? Only the...
We moved to Los Angeles when Jack was four, but we didn't make our first family trip to Disneyland until his sixth birthday. We really think that's the ideal age for the trip. At six our kids are old enough to be familiar with the characters, but not too old to hug...
So, what do you think of the new digs? Thanks to the husband for giving me the redesign for Christmas, Kristin at Designer Blogs for making sense of my emails and putting up with my waffling, and Micaela of California to Korea and back again for taking the photos!...
Well, I finally saw Frozen. After . . . "Frozen is the most Christian movie Disney has ever made! Anna IS Jesus. Get it?" No, wait. "Frozen is the most pro-gay movie Disney has ever made! Elsa is singing about coming out! And the shopkeeper has a whole gay...
Fencing, fighting, torture, revenge, giants, monsters, chases, escapes, true love, miracles . . . The Princess Bride is my favorite childhood movie. And unlike all the other movies from my childhood, I never had to go diving for the remote in horror as I tried to...
Today you get links. Lots of 'em. And me trying to be smart in order to keep up appearances. etsy, obviously Wait, not THOSE kind of links. Although, can I just say that is totally amazing? --- 1 --- This nonsense has taken the interwebs by storm: I Look Down On Young...
The good news is that I WON a Sheenazing Award. Seriously. I'm flabbergasted. Unless someone calls for a recount, or I wake up . . . Catholic All Year won Smartest Blog and came in second place for Best Lifestyle Blog (Congratulations Haley!) ...
Living our faith is a learning process. It is our privilege and our responsibility to know and understand as much as possible about our Church. But with great knowledge can come great frustration. I know, I've been there. As I lived my slow and steady reversion to my...
When my eldest son was in preschool, I made the mistake of handing the buck to the Pope when it came to some of our parenting practices. When Jack would ask why he couldn't watch a particular show that his friends were watching, I'd say, "Well, we're Catholic and...
In the comments of this blog and on the blogs of others, there has been speculation that I am a robot. Today, I am here to say that . . . I am probably not a robot. Now, I have watched Battlestar Galactica so I know that no one can really be sure...
It's time for the Sheenazing Awards over at A Knotted Life! These awards last year were kind of my coming out party as a blogger. So I have a very special place in my heart for them. Last year, I was nominated as Best Lifestyle Blog. I lost to Like Mother, Like...
You guys. I love these books. When I was a kid I my grandmother gave me one of those personalized children's books where you fill out a questionnaire about the child and get a book back. It said something like "Only KENDRA and her best friend KRISTEN could save their...
Move over Grilled Cheese Virgin Mary, make room for Toothpaste Jesus. That's right. Toothpaste. Jesus. He miraculously appeared on the back of my medicine cabinet nearly two years ago. Probably as an encouragement of my lax inner-cabinet housekeeping, but I...
I wanted to go see The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, because Iris said it was good (and made such a pretty cake). BUT that was sold out, so we went to go see the husband's first choice instead: Lone Survivor. UPDATE 2024: The recipe originally linked above is no longer...
First things first, can you spare a moment to say a prayer for Bonnie's son and Micaela's friend? And now for the quick takes . . . --- 1 --- Heather sent me a link to an article that claims that the eldest children in big families are exploited by their...
Sure, you could send some cute baby clothes, babies definitely need those. But these are my five favorite outside-the-box new mom gifts. If you know a new mom, I'm willing to bet she'd appreciate one or all of the following . . . 1. A Shower Not a baby...
Here's why I don't like babywearing: 1. I can't physically do everything I'd be able to if I had a baby who slept in a swing or bassinet: like sew, or exercise, or bathe, or unload the dishwasher, or not be touching someone. 2. It can get a little achy. 3. They...
--- 1 --- Contrary to reports you may have heard . . . the blog is not dead. Maybe it's different than it used to be (it is according to Waltzing Matilda). Maybe it's not what teenagers are doing (it's not according to this guy). But, I'm not a teenager, and I'm okay...
movies. It's a movie about the creative process, and the investment of creators in their creations. It's a movie about charming doggedness triumphing over crabby nitpickiness. But mostly, it's a movie about fathers. A really good movie about fathers. The Big Story of...
