(question edited for clarity) Hello, Thank you for the work you put into your webpage . . . . I scrolled through the Manual of Indulgences to clarify a question I had about praying the rosary in church. But found that it just states: praying the Rosary IN...
Our Catholic Morning Prayer Routine with Kids
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...
A Spy Wednesday Activity We Love and Good Friday Activities We Avoid
Spy Wednesday "Spy" Wednesday 🕵️♂️ is the name traditionally given to the Wednesday of Holy Week. This is the day Judas betrayed Jesus, telling the high priest when Jesus would be in a place where he could be more conveniently arrested, in exchange for thirty pieces...
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....
How to do Santa Without Lying to Your Kids
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...
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...
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...
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...
The Triumphant Return of Answer Me This!
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...
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...
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...
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: What Is Up With Old Testament God?
I've got a couple more mailbag questions I want to share with you guys this week. The first is one I really struggled with myself. Question: I was raised Catholic, but apparently, there is a lot about our faith I was never taught. Now that I'm raising children, I am...
My Top Ten Books for Teaching Kids
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,...
I Do Not Cook Two Dinners: how we avoid mealtime battles
Kaitlin from More Like Mary wrote me asking about how we deal with toddlers' picky eating habits. I fired off a quick email back to her before I remembered the super-frustrating food allergy issues her family is dealing with. Our family does not have any allergies or...
A Prestigious Award and 33 Things About Me
Woo-Hoo! God Bless Pope Francis on his Installation Day and Happy St. Joseph's Day! It's a solemnity, so you have to eat dessert. Seriously. We're planning waffles for breakfast and a YouTube replay of the installation Mass for this morning. To see what we've got...
Survival Guide to Air Travel II: This Time With Babies
On Tuesday, I wrote about how I keep my two-and-ups entertained during air travel. But what about babies? Just look how entertained he is. For me, six months and under is EASY. They just nurse. The whole time. Trans-Atlantic, trans-continental,...
From the Trenches: A Survival Guide to Air Travel With Small Children
Thanks to a reader question from my dear sister-in-law (Hi Brie!), today's post is on flying with kids. Ah yes, that's it. Safety first. Although this way is also fun. And this. I have done A LOT of traveling with kids. From a trip to Hawaii with the...
Chores for Enthusiastic Toddlers
Two-year-old Jack (and his black eye) doing a little mopping. I have had two different readers request that I address the subject of chores and chore charts. For us anyway, this is an area that has seen a lot of flux over the years. Since...
The Myth of Me-Time
Thanks to Diana for sending in A READER QUESTION! It still counts if I know her in real life right? What things usually look like from where I'm sitting. So, the question is: How do I take care of myself in general, and specifically during the homeschool year? The...
My Favorite Parenting Books
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...