For grownups, this movie would be worth watching just to see Merida's hair, and the dark and wild and beautiful setting. For kids . . . I have my reservations. Things you've probably heard elsewhere . . .It has magic: Yes, but fairy tales do, and that's not an...
As a Catholic and a mother of sons, I was disappointed with the recent decision of the Boy Scouts of America to change their policy to allow the participation of "active and avowed" homosexual scouts. I have long championed the Boy Scouts an an organization that has...
By the time you're reading this I'll have been on a retreat for a whole day with another day to go. I know I OUGHT to make time to go on a retreat every year. I know I'm always glad I went when I get back home. But there were a few years, those years with all little...
--- 1 --- A pregnant lady at rest stays at rest and a pregnant lady in motion stays in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an unbalanced toddler. --- 2 --- Great Moments in Homeschooling . . . The husband to a boy on Betty...
Hey guys, it's me Frankie. You may remember me from such posts as: An Open Letter to the Church Lady Who Yelled at My Mom and What Cranky Frankie Taught Me About God (my Mom wrote that one, but it's about me!) So when Adam from Equipping Catholic Families...
If you remember my review here, you'll know that I really enjoyed The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart. It's smart and exciting, the writing is clever, and the characters make the right choices when faced with moral dilemmas. It even...
Seriously. And don't try to pretend like you already knew. Unless, like me, you have kids who use the 1963 Saint Joseph First Communion Catechism for school. In which case, like me, maybe you found out that Pentecost is bigger than Christmas in front of your first...
The movies edition: Iron Man 3, Anna Karenina, Life of Pi, Looper, Wreck-It Ralph, Argo & I Confess . . . --- 1 --- Iron Man 3 Eh, it was okay, I guess, if you're looking for an action movie. I just didn't find it nearly as clever as the first Iron Man,...
The Gosnell verdict + Abby Johnson's post + unpleasant comments on Abby's post + The Making Excuses Game + unpleasant comments on MY posts = my thoughts on the Three Stages of Right and Wrong. As a teenager my moral sense was a product of high school culture, rather...
I teach my children to make excuses for bad behavior, and I don't even require that the excuses be particularly believable. It's fine if they are, but sometimes the most outlandish excuses are the most fun.And before you figure I've finally gone off the parenting...
So now that Mother's Day is winding down and all the kids are in bed, I can take a minute to consider their usefulness. Their usefulness beyond serving my mother and I and our dates a lovely dinner at Tierney Bistro for Mother's Day, I mean. My number one goal as a...
--- 1 --- So . . . holidays and holy days first. Happy Ascension Thursday (yesterday) to those of you in Boston, Hartford, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and Omaha. I wish wish wish our Bishops wouldn't take feasts away from the rest of us! I wanted to take the...
And I don't just mean because I'm pregnant, I mean I don't do it ever (anymore). Not to worry, I don't do anything ELSE either. I just find, that in my particular circumstances, NFP is WAAAAAAY more trouble than it's worth. And way more trouble than just having...
Exactly as I had always planned it and in no way because I totally forgot about it, today you get a recap of Lent . . . And there will be prizes. Extra prizes. So keep reading.I had a big list of stuff that I wanted to try doing or not doing for Lent, but the main...
Not MY ten year reunion, but still . . . I have thoughts. The husband and I were married in August of 2001. <so. many. tangents. resisting . . . okay, here we go> We left immediately for the honeymoon, then were back in San Diego just long enough to move our...
--- 1 --- You Can Never Go Down the Drain You can never go down Can never go down Can never go down the drain. You can never go down Can never go down Can never go down the drain. You're bigger than the water. You're bigger than the soap. You're much bigger...
I have lost track of the number of people who have asked me about what kind of homeschool preschool curriculum they should be using with their kids. Dozens anyway. And me being, well, me... I have actually looked into it for them (especially since some of them were...
Back a few years when we lived in Chicago, and I only had three kids, something horrifying happened to me. The kids and I were in line at the cutting table at the fabric store (which takes a long, long time) behind a young black man with a big pouffy afro. Jack was...
Let's face it, as awesome as it is to have all these kids, it does make some things more complicated. Mealtimes, driving, traveling, okay, most things I guess. But it's worth it, of course. All my efforts are rewarded with love and laughter and jewels in my crown...
(Note: this giveaway is now over!) I have a giveaway for you! But it got a little lost yesterday. As it turns out, if you mention Doctor Who, you really shouldn't try to mention anything else. Anyway . . . Reader Heather sent me this Flexi Hair Clip from Lilla...
--- 1 --- Now that Bobby has had his First Holy Communion, he qualifies to be an Altar Boy at the Old Mission. I so love it there. No classes, no sign-ups -- if you've had your First Communion you show up and suit up and the older boys start showing you the ropes....
My children seem to genuinely not much care for pop music, which is a blessing, since if I ever do flip on the radio I can get through one song, maybe two, even on the "soft rock" station before I have to dive for the buttons over something inappropriate (Your sex...
A friend asked me to weigh in on this really, REALLY long negative take on Opus Dei, written by an unhappy former member, and the resulting back and forth on her facebook timeline. But, it got way too long for facebook, so I'm putting it here. So . . . what Opus Dei...
The Dove Real Beauty Sketches took Facebook by storm last week: filling my newsfeed with passionate comments about how TRUE it was and how all our daughters needed to see this. I have some thoughts. Baby Jack posing with some rival soap. 1. This is an ad for...
So here we are back the the good ol' U. S. of A., and after spending every waking hour with my kids for ten days in Italy (and more non-waking hours than I'd prefer with them since we've been home) maybe I'm starting to embrace my boys' philosophy that everything...
In the interest of coherence, I'm posting the trip a bit out of order, but the last two sites to discuss are the Shrine of St. Pio in San Giovanni Rotundo and Pompeii. Both were lovely and if you're in the area, I'd heartily recommend stopping by each. Here's Anita in...
When I was planning this trip, the aspect that caused me the most heartache was deciding how to get our party of ten from one place in Italy to another. Feet and buses are great for Rome, but then we wanted to see a number of spots in Southern Italy while keeping one...
This is the second in a series of posts on our family trip to Italy. If you missed it, the first is here. Well, first thing after we arrived in Rome and checked in to our apartment near the Vatican, we had to head straight for St. Peter's Square. We've been...
Okay, so I may have underestimated the difficulty of getting First Communion from the Pope for your son. Again. After all, last time it came together so swimmingly. But this time, with all the scheduling upheaval of a new Pope and this particular Pope's way of doing...
--- 1 --- --- 2 --- --- 3 --- --- 4 --- --- 5 --- --- 6 --- --- 7 --- That is all. For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary! And thanks to Kate from The Rhodes Log for linking this up for me! Update: We're off to Pompeii this morning, then...
