Dear Friends and Family, Thank you so much for all your prayers, Masses, cards, gifts, kind words, rides for the kids, and other support since Jim passed away in July. I am so grateful. Even if you didn't receive a personal thank you note from me, please know it was...
In our quest to give Advent and Christmas distinctly different characters, we have a strict family policy of not watching Christmas movies during Advent. Then, once Christmas comes, we watch a different family Christmas movie together for each of the “twelve days of...
Christmas Eve greetings, dear readers! Our Christmas cards shipped out on the 21st, which might be a personal best. So, if you get a card from us . . . you might already have it! But if not, and for all of you out there on the interwebs, here’s a virtual update on...
Christmas Eve greetings, dear readers! Our Christmas cards are currently chilling with all their pals in a USPS sorting facility. So, if you get a card from us . . . it's coming! But in the meantime, and for all of you out there on the interwebs, here's a virtual...
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...
Happy sixth day of Christmas! I hope you are all enjoying your holidays. I wanted to pop in here to share our 2018 Christmas Card with all of you. For reasons I explained here, I'm redacting a bit of the text, but if you zoom in on the image of the card itself down at...
Why yes this IS a new blog-do . . . 💁♀️ What do you think? I really REALLY love this tradition. With my book out and the approximately 4672 radio and print interviews I have done in support of it, I am very often asked what is my favorite...
Today is January 6th, which is the traditional date of Epiphany, the day that the three Wise Men arrived in Bethlehem, having followed the star to meet the baby Jesus. But for Western Catholics, we celebrate it tomorrow, on the Sunday after January 1st. Liturgical...
I had every intention of not wading into the Elf on the Shelf debate, because it's really not a matter of faith and morals, and is therefore something about which good Catholics are free to make their own choices, and follow their own consciences, and disagree. But...
This is the time of year I start getting emails and Facebook messages from parents who are trying to decide how to handle the cultural traditions surrounding Christmas, and how to balance them with their Catholic faith. There is genuinely a lot of worry that they'll...
I hope everyone is having a lovely Christmas! School starts up again around here today, for better and worse. I do like a break, but . . . Especially this year. This holiday season has been an absolute blur of new house stuff. There was some back and forth as to...
Dear Gentle Readers, Thank you so much for being the best online community a gal could have. Thanks for your comments and opinions, your questions and your encouragement. Thanks for making this blog one of my favorite spaces. I wish you and yours a most beautiful...
When I was expecting my second baby, lo those many years ago, my oldest would happily tell anyone in earshot that the new baby was going to "blast out" of mommy sometime soon. He also thought that maybe it was going to be a baby elephant, "like Dumbo." He was wrong ....
Last year, I wrote about all our favorite Christmas movies, but I had to update it for this year because -- you guys -- Santa Claus Conquers the Martians is no longer available on Netflix. If you missed it, all I can say is I'm so, so sorry. But there ARE still some...
Mailbag time! I know, I know, it's not even Halloween yet. But someone asked, and it's a good question, and I've already gotten two versions of it, so I'm answering it here, now. Question: Hi Kendra! I really enjoyed your post about being a missionary to...
Well, I was away from the blog for a couple weeks. And many things happened. This happened, more than would have been my personal preference, but I'm not in charge. But that wasn't the ONLY thing that happened. And I felt LESS horrible in the mornings, and didn't get...
Well, for those of you who are just dying of curiosity over which photo we went with for the Christmas card this year . . . it was the rocks one. In case your card got lost in the mail, here it is in blog form: And in case you couldn't read that, here's the...
Every year, I see rabble rousing Christian websites trying to get folks to boycott businesses that use Happy Holidays in their advertising. Obviously, I support people's right to do as they please with their own money. But as for me, I'm not a boycotter to begin with,...
Keep reading all the way to the bottom for the winners of the two most recent Advent giveaways, and my next to last giveaway of the season, which just might help you enjoy these Netflix recommendations a little more. Speaking of that . . . As I've written about here...
It's the million dollar Christmas question, right? And I've been asked it many times in the lead up to Advent and Christmas: Do our children "believe" in Santa Claus? But . . . I don't think it's the right question. Hang in here with me. Seriously, let's look at what...
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...
Don't you just love this song? I do. But naughtiness isn't why there's not going to be much under our tree this year. It's just that there are plenty of reasons my kids don't need any toys. Seven, in fact. Here they are . . . 1. We Have a Lot of Stuff We have a...
Merry Christmas to you from the gang at Catholic All Year. It's been quite a day. (And we haven't even had dinner or the Nativity Play yet!) Yesterday we chopped down our tree and decorated it, despite the (sunny and 85) weather . . . This morning we awoke early...
At our house, we've been making a concerted effort to wait to celebrate Christmas, until . . . about now. It gives us at least a chance of keeping up with the kids' enthusiasm for the whole twelve days. (Or however many days of Christmas you like.) So, in case you're...
Maybe it's the new baby, but Advent has FLOWN by in our house. Christmas is almost here! I just had to re-type this because I'm pretty sure I have to say my favorite part of our Christmas celebration is the Mass. But a VERY close second is our At Home Family Nativity...
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:...
I've been working on our Christmas cards this week. Every year, sending and receiving Christmas cards is one of my favorite parts of the season. We have friends all over the country and all over the world from the various stages of our lives: childhood, college,...
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...