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....
If You Want to Make God Laugh, Tell Him You’ve Decided Not to Go into Public Speaking
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...
Memento Mori for Kids: Other People Died and You Will, Too. Or, A Very Catholic Hallowtide
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....
The Ultimate Liturgical Library Post: Saint Books for All Year Long
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,...
The Family Rosary: Why is it SO Hard?
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...
Introducing Barbara Josephine, who Blasted Out but is not an Elephant
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...
The Holy Cross: A Guide to Exalting and Sorrowing in September
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...
Babymoons, Baby Names, Brains, and Cartwheels at Nine Months Pregnant: My Thoughts
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...
Being Weird Catholics: Seven Ways We Help Our Family Believe in the Real Presence
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...
An Easy At Home Marian Procession
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...
Family Movie Nights, Are They Even Possible? . . . Our Favorite Movies (Mostly) Appropriate for All Ages
Just a reminder: The August Prayer Booklet is available in the blog shop as a print at home PDF, and on Amazon 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...
A Shortage of Perfect (Chicken) Breasts: Another Princess Bride Birthday Party (with free food tag printables!)
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...
The Brown Scapular and Other Sacramentals: Using Them, Losing Them, Not Confusing Them
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 . . ....
Some Thoughts on Scandal (NOT the TV show, as I have at least temporarily learned my lesson)*
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...
‘Good Omens’ and ‘Lucifer’ Are Both Wrong About Angels and Devils, but One of Them Is also Wrong About God and Human Beings
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...
Bonfires, Blessings, and Building Community (also eating actual locusts) for the Feast of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist
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...
Is the Seal of Confession Worth Protecting?
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...
Our One Parenting Rule for a Less Hectic Home
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...
Changing the World One Casserole at a Time
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...
A Spy Wednesday Activity We Love and Good Friday Activities We Avoid
Spy Wednesday "Spy" Wednesday 🕵️♂️ is the name traditionally given to the Wednesday of Holy Week. This is the day Judas betrayed Jesus, telling the high priest when Jesus would be in a place where he could be more conveniently arrested, in exchange for thirty pieces...
Now Available: The Real Thing
Seems like a good time to update you all on a few of the goings on around here, shop, home, and family-wise . . .
Poor Nathan Pyle (I’m Thinking We Didn’t Help His Situation)
Nathan Pyle is the creator of a comic called Strange Planet, in which blobby aliens do regular people stuff and describe it in unusual ways. It’s gentle and amusing and, until very recently, utterly uncontroversial.
Pope Joan?
Rather heavy things loom on the horizon around here in general, and on Friday specifically (click for details here, but only if you have a hankie handy) . . . and Lent is here and Holy Week is coming for all of us. But we Christians know there is always a light in the...
Feeling Grateful . . . Anyway
New prayer booklets for April, and other new printables for Easter and the sacraments are up in the shop, details at the bottom of the post, or see here. If you're new around here, you can get up to speed on this particular issue here. And the recent, not so great...
Hooley at the Tierneys’ 2019: FAQs Answered
Another epic Hooley at the Tierneys' is in the books. I shared some photos and videos on Facebook and Instagram . . . and you guys had some questions. So even though it's St. Joseph's Day, I shall attempt to answer all your St. Patrick's Day party queries here. What...
Stations of the Cross Clickbait Title Alert: Are You Doing This One Important Thing Wrong?
There's an all new Catholic All Year Liturgical Living Video up, all about the Stations of the Cross! Scroll on down to check it out. And because I love you guys . . . you get a bonus video this time. I die. every. time. It's the cutest. If it looks like Mary Jane is...
Lent vs Advent: Penance or Preparation, Counting Down or Counting Up
Mailbag Question! Q: I've heard people talk about Advent and Lent both being seasons of penance during the liturgical year. Can you help me understand how to explain the differences in the seasons to my family, and how to observe them in the home? A: Ooh, good...
All of Them, or: I Have an Announcement to Make
It is with great joy and relief that we announce that we are expecting Tierney baby number ten in September, as I think we can all agree that nine is a very odd number of children to have. I mean come on, Your Highness, get these kids under control. What are they even...
The Catholic Mom Bundle Lent 2019
Lent . . . is coming. Finally. It's super late this year. Almost as late as it can possibly be. The latest since 2000 and the latest until 2030 when Easter will be on April 23 again. In 2038 it will be on April 25th, the latest possible Easter! I might be the only...
Taking Up Something for Lent
The Catholic All March booklets (physical booklets are available here), plus a bunch of new printables for Lent, are available now in the shop. More details below. 👇 Ash Wednesday is coming up in less than two weeks! (It's super late this year.) The actual...