I usually try to create content that is "evergreen" as they say in the blogging world, that can be useful to people for many years. I sincerely hope that this post is not useful for long and that soon churches will be open and Masses will be public again and we, the...
The ranks of the homeschooling have grown exponentially in the last, well, yesterday. Maybe you find yourself making a face like Saint Anne here 😒. As an accidental homeschooler myself (for the past twelve years) I figured I’d share a few tips on how we manage...
We are a week into Lent. Probably we've all had some moments to be proud of, and some fails, right? That's to be expected. The spring Ember Days begin today, Wednesday, and continue on Friday and Saturday. Ember Days are seasonal days of fasting and repentance that...
People seem to believe that cell phone use is this new, unprecedented behavior about which there are no established customs that could govern our conduct. George Washington and I beg to differ. The technology might be different, but human desires remain pretty...
Baby Barbara and I recently accompanied two-year old George for most of his five week stay in the hospital as he fought and recovered from bacterial meningitis. I've had people mention since then that I should do a post on what I learned during our little sojourn, but...
So, you've got a nursing baby. Hey, me too! And sometimes it's nice to go out in public and look cute and also feed the baby, right? You are the Mother of Incarnate God, free from all stain of original sin by a singular grace and privilege granted by the Father. *I*...
I currently have four kids in "regular" school, three in homeschool (and three not-yet-school-age), so I often get asked why we transition our kids out of homeschooling, and how we make the decision when to do that. This post is my answer to that question. <note:...
Liturgical Living heads up! Lent is quickly approaching. Ash Wednesday is February 26th this year, so we've only got a couple weeks to get our acts together here and figure out what we're going to do. I've written SO MUCH about Lent over the years, and I'll link to...
The Catholic All Year Liturgical Living Show wrapped season one with a December episode on our At Home Nativity Play that I never managed to share here on the blog, because . . . baby > blog 😆🤷♀️. So, I figured I'd share it...
I've had something on my mind for a while, and as today is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, I figured I'd finally sit down and type it up. I'm generally a social media apologist. The Catholic mommy blog little pond of the internet (which is also peopled with...
Usually I can sneak a Christmas blog post in during the Christmas octave, or before Epiphany, or at the VERY latest before the Baptism of the Lord, and get to say, hey it's late but it's STILL Christmas! Even *I* think it's pushing it now, but watch me try. On the...
Very long story short, two year old George has been hospitalized with bacterial meningitis since November 7th. We started at Urgent Care, were sent to the ER, admitted to Intensive Care, and then to a regular hospital room. He was a really, really sick little guy....
Last December, my book launch was over. We had had some time to sit with the diagnosis and treatment decisions. The current baby was almost a year and a half old and pretty easygoing, and I was un-expectant for almost the longest time in our marriage. I was finished...
The new episode of the Catholic All Year Liturgical Living Show is here a bit early! For November, I want to share some Catholic traditions for All Souls' Day, and that comes right at the beginning of the month....
YOU ASKED FOR IT! This is probably my most requested not-yet-posted post ever. So here it is: Every single read aloud we use on saints' days all year long! (This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through those links, I receive a small commission,...
Happy October! In honor of the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7th, and the whole month of October, which is dedicated to the Rosary, this month's Catholic All Year Liturgical Living video is about . . . saying a family Rosary. We know we should be doing...
When I was expecting Betty, and Jack was a (very chatty) one and a half year old, he used to tell kids at the park, the grocery store check out guy, old ladies at church, etc. that the new baby was going to "blast out" of mommy. When asked if it was a brother or...
September is traditionally a more somber month, liturgical calendar-wise. The month is dedicated to Our Lady of Sorrows. On September 14 and 15 we observe the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. The fall Ember Days are...
It's been a while since I've updated you all on the goings on around here, so here goes . . . BABYMOON The husband and I ran off for a little pre-baby vacay on Santa Catalina Island, to celebrate our 18th anniversary and our 10th baby. The trip was a perfect mix of...
You've probably heard about the troubling study recently released by the Pew Research Center, stating that only one-third of self-professed Catholics believe in the Catholic Church's teaching that the Eucharist is the actual body and blood of Christ, and nearly half...
Happy August, month of the Immaculate Heart of Mary! There are quite a few Marian feast days this month, including today's historic feast of Our Lady, Queen of Angels (August 2nd), the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary on August 15th (a holyday of obligation), and...
Just a reminder: The August Prayer Booklet is available in the CAY Marketplace as a print-at-home PDF, and here as a paperback booklet. The first devotion for the month is Our Lady, Queen of Angels and the very cool associated Portiuncula Indulgence of St. Francis of...
Summer birthday season is happening around here. I've shared some of these photos on social media, but since not everyone is on there, I figured I'd get them on the blog here too. And since the Princess Bride Quote food pun food tags proved pretty popular with you...
Hey guys! The Catholic All Year Liturgical Living Video for July is here! It's about the brown scapular and other sacramentals. What are they? Why are they? How do we use them? What do we do with them if they break or get worn out? All your burning questions . . ....
It's July! Get this month's booklet of prayers and devotions here as a print-at-home pdf or here as a paperback booklet. The July installment of the Catholic All Year Liturgical Living Show is ready to go, I just need to get it captioned and write a post for it, so it...
The shows Good Omens (Amazon Prime) and Lucifer (formerly of Fox, now on Netflix*) have quite a bit in common on the surface. Both are about angels and devils who decide to come hang out on earth with we mortals, and find us surprisingly compelling. Both shows are...
The June Catholic All Year Liturgical Living Show is here! The feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist isn't until June 24th (the eve is June 23rd), but I wanted to give you plenty of time on this one, because I'm really hoping some of you are going to want to...
The historic sanctity of the seal of confession is being reconsidered by courts around the world—in England, Ireland, Australia, Louisiana, and in my own state of California, among others—specifically in regards to the crime of child sexual abuse. It begs the question...
The husband and I were invited to give a parenting talk at our older kids' school last week. We LOVE this school, and just had to say yes. It was a good time, although I will say that it was a different experience than my usual public speaking, as we were giving a...
I don’t want to fall into hyperbole, but the apostolate of bringing a meal really and honestly changed the way I see the world. It changed my heart when it happened to me, and practicing it for others is something that brings me great joy. While I was expecting my...
