Hey all! Father's Day is coming up soon, and I wanted to share some Catholic Dad Gift Sets we've put together for you guys, along with some free printables and our family favorite movies for the day. You'll find those at the bottom of the post. Note: Since drafting...

Big Families and Sick Kids: Catholic All Year Mailbag Is Back!
Dear Kendra, First, thank you for your blog. I've been reading it for a while now and it's been a big help [to] me as a convert of a few years ago . . . . I wanted to ask how you guys handle sick kids, as we move into our umpteenth minor illness of the year so far. I...
Being Open to Life Is Being Open to a Person
More from the Catholic All Year mailbag today . . . Question: Dear Kendra, I have followed you for over a year now and it has been wonderful adding more liturgical traditions to our year! I'm pregnant and it's a big shock. We have always been generally open to life,...
How to Encourage Your Kids to Get Tattoos (based on my personal experience)
Hey, it's been a while since we took a peek in the mailbag around here . . . let's see what we've got. QUESTION Hi Kendra, Thank you for all that you do. I enjoy reading your blog. The articles are thoughtfully written and also very helpful. If you are able, I would...
Kids & Tech: What We Do and Why We Mostly Don’t
I’ve received many reader questions on this topic over the years, and just discussed them again this week in a Q&A session after an online talk I gave to a parent group, so I figured it would be a good time to go ahead and get it in a post. Updates on The...
Family Movie Nights, Are They Even Possible? . . . Our Favorite Movies (Mostly) Appropriate for All Ages
Just a reminder: The August Prayer Booklet is available in the blog shop as a print at home PDF, and on Amazon as a paperback booklet. The first devotion for the month is Our Lady, Queen of Angels and the very cool associated Portiuncula Indulgence of St. Francis of...
Lent vs Advent: Penance or Preparation, Counting Down or Counting Up
Mailbag Question! Q: I've heard people talk about Advent and Lent both being seasons of penance during the liturgical year. Can you help me understand how to explain the differences in the seasons to my family, and how to observe them in the home? A: Ooh, good...
What to Do When They Won’t Stay in Bed
It's been an AGE since we dug something out of the old mailbag. Let's take a peek, shall we? The Question: Hello Kendra, I know you are very busy but I have a few questions from something on your blog. You said the kids can’t get out of bed during nap, how do you...
Ash Wednesday vs Valentine’s Day: the February 14th Catholic Conundrum
Mailbag time! The Question: Hi Kendra, I was wondering if you were going to write a post about how Valentine’s Day is on Ash Wednesday & how you guys will address that at your house. My thought was to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day the day before like the vigil....
Do Catholics Need the Elf on the Shelf?
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...
Don't We Have This Modesty Thing Backwards?
I tend to get mailbag questions in bunches. All of a sudden, I'll get a flurry of questions on similar topics. Maybe it's facebook? Maybe it's some sort of hive mind phenomena? But there you have it. It's a thing. The most recent wave was on kids and modesty. And the...
Where Do Pets Go When They Die?
Mailbag time! The Question: Hello, my name is Mollie and I am a big fan of your blog. I lost my pet of 17 years this weekend and I am struggling with the thought of breaking the news to my seven year old son this afternoon. We have been preparing him for her passing...
Should Catholics Attend Easter Egg Hunts on Holy Saturday?
Mailbag time! The Question: Hi, Kendra! Thanks so much for your blog. I was hoping you could offer some advice on a question regarding living out the liturgical year with young kids. Our parish Easter egg hunt is scheduled for Holy Saturday morning and I don't know...
Women’s Work: Do I Ever Feel Guilty About Not “Using” My College Education?
Mailbag time! The Question: Hi Mrs. Tierney, My name is Sanasi and I am a 21 year old university student. I stumbled across your blog when I was looking for more Catholic blogs to read in my free time and it's kind of weird, but I feel like I see so much of...
In Which We Discover if I Really Meant it About Not Doing NFP
Mailbag time! The Question: Hi Kendra, I find myself at a point where I am needing to sort of “vent” out some frustrations with NFP, and storing children’s clothing in a too “small” of a house. I went searching your blog for “storing clothes” and somehow found your...
When There Is So Much to Fear
Mailbag time: What to do when it all seems like too much . . . (and if you make it to the bottom there's news and shopping, yay!) The Question: Hi Kendra, I found you blog a new months ago and have so enjoyed going through your old posts and soaking up all the...
Why My Daughters Are Not Altar Servers
Mailbag time! A few weeks ago, I argued that learning traditional homemaking skills in an all-girl environment was beneficial for my girls. I'm back today to support something for just the boys . . . the question: I had a question about your kids and altar...
Our Father Who Art in Stop Hitting Your Sister: praying with regular kids
If the figurine genre has taught us anything, it's that children love to kneel reverently and piously recite their prayers. But if your children happen to not be figurines, maybe they sometimes complain about saying their prayers. Maybe sometimes prayer time turns...
How to Get Less Stuff This Christmas
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...
How to Get Your Kid to Stop Doing That
Mailbag questions sometimes come in waves around here, and recently I've gotten a slew of them on the same topic: How to get your kid to stop a certain entrenched behavior. Hitting, fighting, throwing tantrums, refusing to go to school in the morning, and screaming ....
On Being a Missionary to Your Extended Family
Mailbag time! Here's one about how we maintain our family's religious practices on vacations with friends or family members who aren't living their faith the same was we do. -question- Hi, Kendra! My question for you has to do with traveling. We currently...
What If I Can’t Afford to Send Them to College?
Mailbag time! It's the million dollar question for big Catholic families: How can we keep having them, if we don't know whether we can afford them? - question - Hi Kendra, I feel a little silly emailing someone I have never met such a personal question, but I've been...
Enforcing the Rules When Family Isn’t Supportive
Mailbag time! Today, you get two for the price of one, on a really challenging topic: how to handle family members who undermine our parenting. - first question - Hey, Kendra! I was at the funeral for one of my relatives, and after at the cemetery, we went to visit...
Motivating Reluctant Helpers
Mailbag time! You're not going to believe this, but some kids are NOT super excited about doing chores. Here's what we do about it. - question - Hi Kendra! My question is this: I've recently begun having my four- and two-year old children set the table for...
Mailbag: What if I’m Pregnant but My Two Year Old Hates Babies?
Mailbag time! This is a variation on a parenting topic I've addressed a lot on the blog. But I know it's something a lot of us struggle to figure out how to handle. So here we go again . . . - the question - Hi Kendra, I'm a new fan of your blog, and I love all of the...
Strategies for Mealtime Battles With Toddlers
Mailbag time! Toddlers. They keep us on our toes. One question I get asked quite often, is how we handle toddlers that just. won't. eat. Not to worry, we've got a method for that madness. - question - Hi Kendra, I love your blog! The babies, the Catholic, the parties....
What to do With Unwanted Sacramentals
It's mailbag time! I've received this same question from a number of different readers. So, perhaps you've been wondering about it as well. -question- Dear Kendra, I am cleaning up the house and happened upon some mail that I wanted to ask you about. Namely, ever...
Toddlers and Younger Siblings: How Could YOU Make Our Baby Happy?
Last time, I answered a different mailbag question about this same topic: babies in a house full of their sibling's toys. That post was about babyproofing (or, more specifically, about NOT babyproofing). Today, I'm going to approach that same topic from a slightly...
Babyproofing the House vs Babyproofing the Baby
I've received a couple of related mailbag questions over the past couple of weeks about how we handle the issue of babies in a house full of their siblings' toys. Today I'll discuss the idea of babyproofing, specifically how I DON'T do it, and in a different post,...
How Could Jesus Have TWO Daddies? Explaining the role of St. Joseph to young children.
Today is the feast of St. Joseph the Worker. And I just happen to have a mailbag question that is particularly well-suited to the day. Let's get to it, shall we? the question: Dear Kendra, Hi! First, I enjoy your blog very, very much. I am on my way into the Catholic...
Homeschooling is a Scary Proposition
It's the last installment of homeschool week on the blog. For earlier posts see here and here and here. Today we'll be looking at some obstacles to homeschooling, and how to overcome them, if you feel like homeschooling is something you'd like to try. The question: Hi...
Homeschooling Multiple Grades: MODG hacks and other things I’ve learned the hard way
It's still homeschool week on the blog. For earlier posts see here and here, and come back Monday for one last installment. Today, I'm answering another mailbag question, and sharing how I handle six kids preschool through middle school all at once, plus a toddler and...
Homeschooling for Beginners
All this week, I'm sharing questions I've received from readers about homeschooling, and my answers to those questions. Just in case they might help you decide if homeschooling is right for your family. See the first installment here. Today's question is all about...
How to Get Your Husband on Board With Homeschooling
So . . . it's spring, and that means decision time for a lot of folks on how to school the kids next year. Of course, you can always change your mind. We did. Our oldest son went to our parish school for a couple of months, before we decided to give homeschooling a...
How To Introduce Kids to Poetry, Fine Art, and Classical Music
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. ....
How to Celebrate Your Nameday When Your Name Isn’t a Saint’s Name (yet)
Between nearly twenty weeks of all-day morning sickness and my failed going to bed early for Lent experiment, I ended up with quite a backlog of mailbag questions. Over the next few weeks, I'll be sharing them . . . I received this one after linking to my...
Weaning: my hows, whys, and whens
Sometimes when I get a mailbag question, I can't believe I really haven't ever written on the subject before. This was one of those. I've written about breastfeeding (those posts always spark quite a discussion) and getting babies to sleep (conversation AND, um,...
What is Spiritual Direction, and How Can I Get It?
There are a few mailbag questions that keep popping up again and again, but this is the one I get the most frequently. I reply privately to many mailbag questions, but I think it's time to put this answer here on the blog, in case it would be of interest to anyone...
Other People's Kids: controlling the chaos on preschool playdates
It's mailbag time again. Today we're going to discuss managing unruly children in your home . . . when they're not (exclusively) yours. The Question: Hi, Kendra! I enjoy reading your blog, and I find your posts on discipline and family culture particularly...
Mothering and Morning Sickness . . . at the same time
Today's mailbag question is near and dear to my barfy little heart . . . illustration from Richard Scarry's Best Mother Goose Ever Question: Kendra, I know you're all pregnancy icky, so you're probably not the person to complain to, but I need some...
Celebrating Birthdays That Fall During Lent?
I'm once again striding boldly into the dangerous, churning waters of Lenten "breaks." This time to answer a mailbag question . . . Question: Hi Kendra! My youngest is celebrating his first birthday next month and I'm wondering how to celebrate a birthday in Lent. I...
Are Older Siblings Overburdened by Responsibilities? Or Are They Empowered by Them?
I have a backlog of great mailbag questions I got during and since the ol' hiatus. So, here's another one. The idea that I might be overburdening my kids with responsibilities around the home is something that I have definitely worried about myself, but, so far, what...
How to Teach Catholic Kids About Creation and Evolution
More from the mailbag! This time it's a homeschooling faith vs reason question I received on the Catholic All Year Facebook page from reader Karen. Question: We are new to homeschooling and love your blog! We are starting our journey through the history of the world ....
little kids & BIG CHANGES: how much help does an older sibling need when a new baby comes along?
What do you do when you want to blog, but you ALSO really, really want to take a bath and hit the sack? Why, fish something out of the mailbag of course. It's already written and at least one person in the universe is interested in the answer. Today's question is from...
Maybe Unmedicated Childbirth Isn't For Me?
MAILBAG TIME! Question: How you have accomplished drug-free births? I have about 7 weeks to go and I'm toying with the idea of no epidural. But I'm scared. So far my birth experiences have been: emergency c-section due to late (i.e. during labor) discovery that baby...
Maybe Homeschooling Isn’t For Me?
MAILBAG TIME! Question: My oldest is now approaching Kindergarten age and, honestly, I am getting cold feet about the whole homeschooling thing. Sending him to a Catholic school nearby is oh-so-tempting. Even though I'm drawn to it, the whole homeschool thing is very...
Mailbag: How Do You Stop the Fighting? (and a liturgical year heads up)
Question: How do you stop the fighting between your kids? What do you do with them? I've tried many things like separation, spanking (which I hate but it sure works on my older one!), toys taken away, stickers toward new toy for good behavior, etc. but I get the...
Mailbag: Please Stop the Screaming!
I got this mailbag question a week or so ago, and responded to it. Since then, my Cryin' Babies Go To Bed post was shared on a parenting forum, to GREAT misunderstanding, confusion, concern, and general unpleasantness. Sometimes I kind of forget that my blog is...
Mailbag: Getting Babies and Toddlers to Sleep Successfully, Together (or not)
Mailbag time! Question: I came across one of your mailbag questions and thought I'd ask you for your advice as well. In a month or two, we would like to put our two daughters (2 1/2 and 8 months right now) into one room together. By then, the baby will be sleeping...
Babies and Discipline: When, Where, and How Much?
It's our first day of school! So . . . I'm going to throw up a question from the mailbag, since it's already typed up. Perhaps it would be of interest to some other newish mamas out there. Question:(it was a long one so I'm going to excerpt it here . . . )Dear...