Oh, hi. Sorry, you caught me just reading this book in a completely regular, natural manner. 😉 It's my book launch day! The Catholic All Year Prayer Companion is officially available wherever books are sold, but, to be specific, you can get it from me here in...
Hey, you ever announce you're going to start blogging again and then behind the scenes stuff goes sideways and then your dad has a stroke and you spend the beginning of Advent dealing with hospitals for the second year in a row, but this time it's 2020 so you can't...
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 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...
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...
Update: the books are back in stock on Amazon! MY SUPERHERO PRAYER BOOKMY FAIRY-TALE PRAYER BOOKMY WOODLAND PRAYER BOOK Well, that book launch didn't go exactly according to plan. I was going to wait to publish this post until I could tell you the books were available...
Something I get asked about quite often is what we're doing with our kids to help to raise them to have an understanding of and an appreciation for our Catholic faith. It's a tough question, but a very important one. Whether our kids are homeschooled, or go to...
Mailbag time! As school winds down for the year for many of us, homeschoolers and traditional schoolers alike, many of us are looking for ways we can make the summer an educational time for our kids, but without trying to keep up the same rhythm of the school year. ....
It had been many, many years since I had read The Country Bunny and the Little Gold Shoesby Du Bose Heyward, when we got it out of the library last year. And I was like, "GET OUT OF MY HEAD, children's book from 1939 about how to become the Easter Bunny!" Because,...
Happy Palm Sunday! Hosanna! Easter is one week away! Just in case you haven't finalized your family's Easter baskets, I thought I'd give you a glimpse of what is going to be in ours' this year (and yes, I pretty much JUST took care of all of this) . . . I've been...
Dear Lady Who Commented on My Instagram Photo, I can't remember your name, because I deleted your comment very quickly. I don't usually delete comments, but I just didn't want a whole big thing to get started. I had a party to plan. The photo was this one . . . of the...
Jack, my oldest, said of his baby sister the other day, "I think she's probably tied for the third best baby who ever lived. Jesus and Mary were probably better, but she's got to be at least tied with St. John the Baptist for third." Now, I don't have any way to...
Okay. Are you guys tired of this yet? I hope not. Because I'm still giving stuff away! To recap, here are the giveaways still ongoing . . . The Sacro Handmade Glass and Wooden Cross Giveaway at: How to Use Instagram Without an iPhone, and Why You Should Bother ...
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...
Continuing my mailbag week, another thing I get asked about sometimes is: Books. I didn't want to say "Homeschooling Books" specifically, because even though WE use them for homeschooling, I think any or all of these books could be used by all types of families,...
One of the great things about a good novel is how it allows you to transport yourself into a place or time or situation completely unlike your own and see what that's like for a while. Great picture books can do the same thing, and help my kids delve into new and...
First, some updates . . . I have a very special giveaway and a very special request, both ongoing. If you have a moment, please check them out here. Whatever my mystery itchiness is, it has subsided almost completely, which is just awfully nice. There's nothing like...
Frankie here. My favorite pastimes include throwing things away in the trash can, getting my fingernails clipped, and banging on stuff in quiet places. But a very close fourth is finding Goldbug in this book. So when the fine folks at Quirk...
You guys. I love these books. When I was a kid I my grandmother gave me one of those personalized children's books where you fill out a questionnaire about the child and get a book back. It said something like "Only KENDRA and her best friend KRISTEN could...
Reading this post from Haley at Carrots for Michaelmas and this post from Charlotte at Waltzing Matilda has made me realize that I really, really, really want our family to have 24 Advent/Christmas picture books that we love. Books that are pretty to look at and fun...
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...
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...
The first I ever heard of Michaelmas was in Pride and Prejudice and Middlemarch and other olden-timey English books. Apparently, it was one of the four days during the year on which servants were hired and rents were collected, so it comes up a lot in books....
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...
It's not you, it's me. I get that. I totally get that you guys are brilliant and challenging and that people love you. But I don't. I just can't. You guys are huge bummers and you make me want to drown myself in the bathtub to escape the futility and pointlessness...
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...
Just a couple of weeks ago, in my seventh quick take, I mentioned that I'm not a believer in that oft-spouted mantra: "Hey kids! You can be anything you want to be!" Well, I still believe that (or I still don't believe it, I guess), but I recently read something that...
--- 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 --- Earlier this week, I wrote a post entitled: Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts: A Difference in Kind, not Just in Degree. It was the Boy Scouts' much-publicized policy decision regarding gay boy scouts that prompted me to finally get to writing, but I've wanted to...