Mother's Day is coming and it seems like as good a time as any to open that evergreen can 'o worms, a topic of discussion in Catholic circles since, oh, 62 AD . . . the ever-controversial question inspired by Ephesians 5:21-33: Must Catholic wives submit to their...
I've had something on my mind for a while, and as today is the feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, I figured I'd finally sit down and type it up. I'm generally a social media apologist. The Catholic mommy blog little pond of the internet (which is also peopled with...
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...
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...
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...
October is the Month of the Rosary . . . Sometimes I imagine Saint Bernadette, eagerly and devoutly praying the rosary at the feet of Our Lady. She reverently hold the beads, she carefully recites the prayers, her heart and her mind full of Mary's love for her son...
Look out world, 'cause Answer Me This is back . . . for a limited time. It's the McRib sandwich of blog linkups, so get it while you can. Here's how it works . . . today, I will give you six questions. NEXT Sunday, I'll answer those questions here on this blog. If...
Dear Mr. President, So, you gave a speech last weekend, huh? And . . . three, two, one, BOOM went the mommy wars. I'm pretty sure you didn't intend to say that being a stay at home mom isn't "a choice we want Americans to make." I mean, that IS what you said, but it...
I'm going to let you in on a little secret. A secret known only to everyone who knows me in real life and all the people who like Catholic All Year on Facebook but no one else. Sometimes I put the Bumbo on the table. Okay, maybe it would be more shocking coming from...
This is me. I'm 37 years old. My hair is probably sixty percent gray now. And neither one of those things bothers me. Here's why: 1. I have no interest in misleading people about my age. Mostly because I would much rather people think I look good for forty than kinda...
Living our faith is a learning process. It is our privilege and our responsibility to know and understand as much as possible about our Church. But with great knowledge can come great frustration. I know, I've been there. As I lived my slow and steady reversion to my...
--- 1 --- This is Trevi Fountain: When we went to Rome for Jack's First Communion, we threw coins in, because when you actually ARE in Rome . . . well, you know. Some folks think that means we're destined to return. Of course, we're not superstitious, because...
--- 1 --- I have to admit to being a Pope Benedict XVI kinda gal. He's been the Pope for most of the time I've been paying attention. He gave my oldest son his First Holy Communion. He's a writer and a thinker of thoughts. And, like myself, he...
As the light of Easter morning slowly begins to lighten the horizon of our Lenten journey (seriously you guys, can you believe I'm writing this stuff for you for FREE?), I thought I would address a concern that seems to plague good Catholics all year, but especially...
--- 1 --- Two of my boys can say they were named for a Pope, but only one can say that a Pope was named for him. (Sorry Gus!) When Gus was a toddler, a priest once remarked to me,"If you didn't want him to give you trouble,you probably shouldn't have...
What a joyful day! For me, it really felt like a collision of new and old worlds. I found out that the smoke from the burning paper ballots (pretty old school) was white from a text message I received from Pope Alarm (that's new). I was leaving a very cute, but...
--- 1 --- A quick lesson in SCIENCE . . . The Flat-tailed Horned Lizard looks like this: to blend in perfectly with his surroundings. The Chapman Zebra looks like this: to momentarily confuse its predators by motion dazzle. Frankie looks like this: to...
--- 1 --- My sister and her two little girls are visiting from Iowa this week. Hooray for cousins! Is Frankie finally surrendering? I doubt it. My sister's baby likes to really rub it in by being super-smiley and charming AT ALL TIMES. The...
If you usually read my blog, you'll understand how much of a challenge "quick" takes are for me. Let's see how I do . . . --- 1 --- Happy Chair of St. Peter! In this house we celebrate the fasts AND the feasts, so we always look forward to the feasts...
This is me on my last day as a flight instructor: Scanned from a Polaroid, but isn't it awesome?My student is totally pointing at my belly. Well, I guess not quite. This was my last flight, one month to the day before Jack was born. But I was still teaching a...
This is part of a series of Catholic Toddler Letters. Dear Adam, Pack your bags, we're moving to San Diego! I found a Church Lady who wants us! If you'll recall, that hasn't always been the case for me. It's okay, San Diego is where my Nana and Grandad live. We can...
We have a great love for Pope Benedict XVI in our house. That's Jack, receiving his First Holy Communion from Pope Benedict XVI at the canonization Mass of St. Nuno (among others) in April of 2009. It feels like a good day to share the story. The husband wrote...
This is the post I had scheduled for today. In light of current events, I also wrote another post. But please feel free to enjoy some winter frivolity alongside the more important stuff. Hey it's another Catholic Toddler Letter! Confused? Click here to learn more....
Hey Guys, Frankie here. Adam from Equipping Catholic Families has written back to answer my question about Mass survival tips! Head over there to check it out, then check back here next week for my post about what our family does.This post is third in a series on...
I have to preface this by saying I don't "get" video games. I don't play them myself. Not since my dad and I conquered Myst anyway. If I'm going to sit down and stare at a screen for two hours I at least want to have a blog post to show for it. I have...
Okay, the DIY haircut! Financially it's a no-brainer. A set of hair clippers, like the Wahl Haircutting System that I use at home, costs about $35. I have four boys, aged 1-10, and a husband. Let's say they average a haircut every two months, from age 1...
Sometimes, baby makes four, or five, or six, or well . . . you get it. I think I had the standard reaction to finding out I was expecting baby number two: crying, for no reason. But right after that . . . I was excited, but worried about how a new...
Hey All, For today, you get a roundup of how things sounded around my house this week and the important lessons we learned. 1. I am not an acceptable substitute for Julie Andrews.Anita (3) in the car: "Mom, could you not sing? I'm trying to hear Mary...
It feels so easy now. The kids can still surprise me, and each one is different of course. One, in particular, is especially noisy. But mostly, I feel like I know what's coming, and how to handle it when it does. It's easy for me to forget now how overwhelming it...
Our "School Table" up until yesterday And mom and dad can hardly wait for school to start again . . . Well, it's happened, school has started again. But, as a homeschool mom, I have to say that my perspective on school vacations may be a bit different than the folks...
