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...
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...
--- 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...
I already wrote and posted quick takes this week. But it turns out I am bursting with takes. So here we go again . . . --- 1 --- The husband took the five big kids to our homeschool group ice skating trip. The kids were abuzz about it all week. SO excited. How...
Hooray! I've been blogging for one year. To celebrate, I'm going to attempt two linkups, a recap, and a giveaway all in the same post! 1. Post With the Most Clicks I love the idea of a "Most" of 2013 linkup. What a fun idea, right? And easy. The posts are...
It has been almost a year since I started this here blog. And what a year it's been. You guys are the BEST! I can't believe I get to harangue the interwebs with my opinions on everything from Irene Adler to Cryin' Babies to Quitting NFP and you good folks are here to...
On the off chance that I don't have your address, I figured I'd share our Christmas card for this year with all of you! And I've got seven kids, and a take on each. So, I'm calling this my quick takes . . . So, here's the front, middle, middle, and back of the card:...
--- 1 --- CCM Just when I think I'm the controversial Catholic blog, Haley goes and makes the internets mad by insulting CCM (that's Contemporary Christian Music for those of you who, like me, didn't know what CCM was). Anyway, I think her larger point was lost on the...
--- 1 --- . . . by a Saint Happy St. Nicholas Day! Think Santa is all pipe-smoking and belly-laughs? Think again. Dude totally punched a heretic in the face AT THE COUNCIL OF NICEA! Seriously, you're going to want to read all about it here: When Santa...
Quick Takes late Saturday afternoon, because I just had a baby and I can . . . --- 1 --- So, things are still mostly great around here. Thanksgiving was delicious, Baby Lulu is sweet and squishy and sleepy. But also, there was barfing. Some on Thanksgiving, but...
I had intended to write up a few posts in advance of the new baby, and schedule a couple each week. But that hasn't happened. Instead, this is my tenth post in as many days. Apparently, the new plan is to make you all so sick of reading my blog that you'll be grateful...
--- 1 --- So it was kind of a big week, blog-wise. Between guest posting for Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas, impressing Heather from Mama Knows, Honeychild with my (admittedly hilarious) moustache party food tags, and my wildly popular (for me) handmade Jesse Tree...
Baby's due in less than three weeks (!) so the husband and I spent last weekend in Santa Barbara. Just us. It was very fun and very relaxing, and I may have even learned a few things . . . --- 1 --- I spend a lot of time each day planning and preparing food. I...
Happy All Hallows Eve, Feast of All Saints, and Commemoration of All Souls everyone! Here's how we celebrated/are celebrating/will celebrate. For Halloween, we carved pumpkins and went trick or treating around our neighborhood. It was lovely. The weather couldn't have...
update: I've edited this post to remove links and references to other people's articles, for fear of having misrepresented the positions expressed within. You're stuck with just my opinion now! --- 1 --- I have witnessed a lot of back and forth recently about the...
I'm pretty sure you're going to want to thank me for these awesome links, so: --- 1 --- I wasn't surprised when my Open Letter to Breaking Bad and Flannery O'Connor inspired other posts, but now I'm going to go ahead and take credit for the existence of a whole new...
I love the tradition of Catholic schools and homeschool groups doing All Saints dress up days in lieu of Halloween costumes. (When my son was enrolled in Kindergarten at our parish school, the Halloween costume parade was the straw that broke the camel's back for us....
--- 1 --- If you have ever seen Michaelangelo's Moses at St. Peter in Chains in Rome . . . okay, now you have You may have noticed that he has, um, horns. Odd right? We saw it in person in Rome and were all rather perplexed. Well, since the Feast of St. Jerome was...
--- 1 --- I think it's clear that for whatever reason some people in the "mainstream media" are willfully misunderstanding Pope Francis. They seem to have decided that anything Pope Francis says is awesome and revolutionary, while everything that Pope Benedict said...
This week, I solve your problems. (I know, people hate that. But it doesn't bother me when *I* do it.) --- 1 --- Problem: You think cutting onions is unpleasant. Solution: I hate cutting onions, too. They make me cry. And not in an awesome BBC period miniseries kind...
It has been an interesting week on the ol' blogstead . . . --- 1 --- One of the main goals of my blogging has become trying to affirm the different but still good choices that different moms make. My audience is mostly other Catholic moms. We share the primary goal of...
--- 1 --- So, this happened during a family rosary in the car this week: All: . . . He will come again in glory to judge to living and the dead . . . Jack (11): What about the living dead? Will He judge the living dead?Me: Zombies? Well, since that issue isn't...
--- 1 --- Okay, maybe that's hyperbole. But SCIENCE says that women tend to have allergies and auto-immune diseases at a statistically higher rate than men, perhaps because they don't get exposed to as much immune-system-boosting mud and dirt as children. So here my...
--- 1 --- I cannot explain why I find this so amusing. It defies explanation. I just really, really like it. I want to put a bunch of these up in my house and not caption them or anything, but just chuckle to myself every time I go by one. Or maybe if I ever have a...
--- 1 --- Simcha, Hallie, and Charlotte have opened up a can o'worms (which is great, I do love me a can o'worms) about how different types of blogs affect different people. the header graphic from Simcha's Blog: I Have to Sit Down Apparently, some moms (including...
--- 1 --- Me: Hey, remember when we watched the Royal Wedding? The Duke and Duchess are having a baby today! Bobby: What's he the Duke of? Me: Wales, I think. Bobby: The Duke of WHALES? How does that work? well, something like this, I'd imagine As it turns out he's...
--- 1 --- I was so sorry to read Dwija's sad news that they lost baby Nicholas at 21 weeks along. I have felt so identified with her struggles since I am also 21 weeks pregnant. It's been such a joy to witness how she dealt with the challenges of this pregnancy with...
--- 1 --- The effects of Felix Felicis, as described by Harry Potter Wiki, are thus: Felix Felicis possibly works by providing the drinker with the bestpossible scenario. This usually registers in the drinker's mind in theform of an unusual urge to take a certain...
--- one --- Overheard at the swim meet between two five or six year-olds: "No, you have to kiss him on the lips, THAT'S how you get babies." Good to know, good to know. --- two --- So, I did it again. I'm going to have to change the name of this blog to:...
--- 1 --- Two weeks ago, I had a quick take about how the internet can bring out the worst in people. But this week, oh THIS week, the internet has brought out the best in us. The fundraiser that Cari is running for Dwija is hands-down the awesomest thing I have been...
