St. Joseph is the patron that we have chosen for our family this year. So needless to say I absolutely had to do something special to share about our St. Joseph traditions with you! WATCH NOW Though he was a quiet man, who left us not even a single quote, there is...
Catholic All Year at Home, Ep. 4: St. Frances of Rome
Calling all homemakers, wanna-be homemakers, and reluctant homemakers! I've got the perfect saint to introduce you to in the latest episode of Catholic All Year at Home! WATCH NOW This episode is all about St. Frances of Rome, a young woman who wanted to dedicate her...
Happy Father’s Day, now Answer Me This!
It's Father's Day here at Answer Me This! And, um, all other places in America. Let's get to it, shall we? Here are THIS WEEK's questions . . . 1. What's the best thing about your dad? My favorite things about my dad are his indomitable positive attitude and can...
Ten Quick Tips for Throwing a Great Party as Illustrated by the 2015 Hooley
This is a sponsored post. See my disclosure policy. Happy St. Patrick's Day! Did I mention we throw a St. Patrick's Day party? I DID? Once or twice? Well, this year's Hooley was last weekend, and it was our biggest. party. evah. A very fine time was had by all,...
If Irish Eyes Are Smiling, You Can Bet They’re NOT Watching an Irish Movie, or: Eleven Irish Movies That it’s Entirely Possible That You Would Want to Watch
But then again, maybe you wouldn't. I watched a LOT of Irish movies over the past few weeks, in the hopes of finding a few to recommend for a fun St. Patrick's Day family movie night. But I found that many them made me want to throw myself into the pit of despair....
Idle Threats, the Miracle of Waffles, St. Patrick’s Day Printables, and a Winner
I don't do these family glimpse posts as much as I used to, because I tend to share that stuff on the Catholic All Year Facebook page and on my Instagram account now. But I forget that not all of you are all those places. And I share different stuff on Facebook than I...
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...
Eating With Your Hands for St. Joseph’s Day and How To Find Out What I Think About My Book
Hey, if you like radio or books or squeaky voices or awkward silences, you're probably going to want to check out my radio interview debut on the Son Rise Morning Show tomorrow morning. I'll be on at 8:40 am Eastern time. It's possible that we'll be talking...
My Apostolate of Parties and What a Hooley Is
As I chop and measure and mix and bake (and try to decide if finger-batter counts against Lenten disciplines) in preparation for our big annual Hooley at the Tierneys.' hooley: Irish slang for party or celebration; by extension, some substance with which you...
An Open Letter to the Internet About My Being Wrong
UPDATE: I'm now back on board with my original post, thanks to some advice from Scott P. Richert of the About.com Catholic page and your comments. Whew. But I'm leaving this up because it happened, and because the photoshopping is pretty profound. Dear...
What We Did Ash Wednesday
Pshew, we did it. It took a whole day, and we didn't get ANY schoolwork done (double day tomorrow!) but we went to Mass, got our ashes, decorated the house for Lent, and . . . Cleaned Out the Toys! Here's our day in pictures . . . ashes remember, baby, you are...
How to Win At Lent
Don't look now, but Lent is nearly upon us. Here are a few ways to make sure we get to the end of these 40 days a bit holier than we were when we started. 1. Choose Lent Disciplines that Challenge You It took me a while to understand that tendency folks seem to have...
Outside the Box: 66 Things to Give Up or Take Up for Lent (in beginner, intermediate, and advanced)
Through my various Lenten fails over the years, I've learned a different way of approaching Lent. In our house, we now view Lent as a time to try adding or taking away things from our personal and family lives to see if we are improved. We make it a time, not of...