The month of November fast approaches, and that means liturgical living is about to crank into high gear. We've got All Hallows' Eve, All Saints' Day, and the Holy Souls all month long . . . then the SO MANY (too many?) beautiful devotional opportunities of Advent....

The Catholic All Year Easter Gift Guide for Kids, Grownups & Home
Welcome to the Easter 2021 Catholic All Year Gift Guide! Below you’ll find items by Catholic artists and shops perfect for Easter giving and for any time. These are items and businesses that my family actually use and love. I reached out to them and they generously...
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 . . .
A Memorial Day PSA, a Prohibition Party, St. Philip Neri, and Mugs, Mug, Mugs
1. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your love and support on my last post. I knew you guys were going to be the BEST, but I was still blown away by it. 2. It's Memorial Day weekend here in the US of A. This is a FB post the husband shared a couple years back. I...
The Ten Things I’m Glad My Kids Got for Christmas
I've already written about how we are planning a more simple and a more toy-free Christmas than we've had in the past. Not because we are AGAINST toys but because we have reached the natural conclusion of a few years of more mindful toy-buying, more discerning...
A Book You Should Know: An Interview and Giveaway with Stefan Salinas of Catholic Churches Big and Small
I've got a birthday coming up this month, so over the next couple of weeks, I'm pleased to be able to offer you, my dear readers, some hobbit-style birthday presents in honor of the occasion. First up: a book and a fine art print! I am really excited today to...
Baby Stuff Worth The Splurge
I am a baby stuff minimalist. I'm also generally not that concerned about name brand things. If it's cute, I'm usually just as happy with the Target knock-off as the real deal. But I've found a few things that I really think are worth spending some money on, if you...
Beautiful, Handmade, Catholic Mother’s Day Gifts for Current and Aspiring Mothers {a giveaway}
Last year, I shared some Mother's Day gift ideas for mothers of many. This year, I have been fortunate enough to meet some very talented Catholic artists, at the Behold Conference, through the blog, and by just walking right up to them on Etsy and asking them to...
An Easter Present for All of You but Mostly Bonnie and a Triduum / Easter Recap
Happy Easter everyone! He is Risen. . . Are you guys getting tired of that yet? Sorry. I just found out about it this year. It's possible I'm getting carried away. Also, I've eaten a LOT of candy. They're always saying how easy it is to take candy from a...
In Which There are Things I Like
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!...
Our Favorite Family Read-Alouds for Advent
Advent is fast approaching, preceded by Thanksgiving of course, and (around here anyway) a new baby. Last week, I shared how Advent traditions have changed in our family. We really try to focus on Advent as a time of waiting and preparation. So, rather than watching...
Halloween Movies to Spook the Whole Family
I've already posted about some of the spooky books we like to read/listen to around Halloween, but there are also some shorts and movies we like. Here are five of our favorites, then I need YOUR advice for where we go from here! 1. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow The...
Spooky Stories for the Whole Family (and how to get them for free)
I like scary stories. I like them for me, and I like them for my kids. Especially in October. On our recent family vacation, I knew we'd have many, many hours in the car, so I downloaded some spooky audiobooks I thought could be enjoyed by all three generations along...
Five New Picture Books That Won’t Ruin Your Kids
Have I mentioned that I do not like sassy, disobedient picture books? I have? Well, let me say it again: I doanlikum. Sometimes a trip to the library can feel like I'm slashing through a jungle of fart jokes and hating the new baby and running away from home so dad...
Pregnancy Survival Secrets from a Grand Multigravida
Doesn't that sound fancy? And once baby number seven is born I get to require that everyone refer to me as a Great Grand Multipara. So, I've got that to look forward to. But in the meanwhile, I have to/get to be pregnant. I've had some very easy pregnancies and some...
Another Award and Some Things About Me and My Blog
Thanks to Stephanie at I Found Him Whom My Soul Loves, who nominated me for a Very Inspiring Blogger Award, you get to learn seven MORE things about me. If you also saw this post, then you now know 40 whole things about me. one My husband asked me to marry him 10...
Mother’s Day Gifts for Mothers of Many (you might just want to leave this open on your browser)
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...
Lilla Rose Giveaway
(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...
And Then There Were Seven: 7 Quick Takes VII
--- 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...
A Prestigious Award and 33 Things About Me
Woo-Hoo! God Bless Pope Francis on his Installation Day and Happy St. Joseph's Day! It's a solemnity, so you have to eat dessert. Seriously. We're planning waffles for breakfast and a youTube replay of the installation Mass for this morning. To see what we've got...
From the Trenches: A Survival Guide to Air Travel With Small Children
Thanks to a reader question from my dear sister-in-law (Hi Brie!), today's post is on flying with kids. Ah yes, that's it. Safety first. Although this way is also fun. And this. I have done A LOT of traveling with kids. From a trip to Hawaii with the husband and our...
Picture Books: They Don’t Have to be Pre-WWII to Have a Message Worth Sharing
As a homeschool Mom who follows a Classical Catholic Curriculum, I do not lack for excellent recommendations for lovely old-timey picture books. Someday, I will do a post on those, in case you don't have access to the same. But today I want to talk about NEW picture...
The Essentials Only Guide to Baby Gear: six months to one year
This post is number two in a series on essential baby gear, see here for the first. For parenting book recommendations, see here. My six to twelve month old babies are still using most of the gear from my newborn to six month old recommendations, but I've also...