This is just plain exciting, sweet friends. I’m thrilled to announce that I will be offering a Lenten parish mission in New Orleans this spring! The mission, which will focus on the domestic church – Jesus Christ, marriage, children and then some, will be at Mater Dolorosa. I’ve accepted pastor Rev. Herb Kiff’s gracious invitation and I’m […]
The Thrill of the Dull & Mundane Life
Vocation involves monotony; there is so much sameness played on repeat; work and sleep without much in between, and I tell you what, I have been really feeling this reality lately. The moment my toes touch the floor, the morning is hurried and the rest of the day thrown together. The kids are my alarm as I […]
NaPro Technology – Pro-Woman, Pro-Marriage, Pro-Baby
I wrote the cover story for this month’s Catholic Connection, our diocesan magazine for which I write a regular column called “Domestic Church.” Because the October issue is thematically pro-life, I thought covering NaPro Technology – something I had only heard of, but knew it was effective and Catholic – would be perfect. “Great!” my editor […]
The Pope at Home – the Need, the Timing, & Our Response
Catholicism is a faith of remarkable depth. From our knowledge of and love for Jesus, innumerable teachings emerge all directing us to eternal life with God. This world is temporary, the Church teaches us, and the one beyond is worth setting our sights and lives on. Scripture from Genesis all the way to the great […]
15 Non-Toy Gift Ideas for Children
Toys are necessary for kids’ education and I’m a big fan of cultivating imagination and creativity in my Fantastic Four; but I also like investing in things that will enhance their little lives or in experiences that give sweet memories, closeness in our family, and wonderful, timeless joy. After polling the Facebook crowd and offering my own ideas, we’ve come up with a knockout list of non-toy gifts.
The *PERFECT* Christmas Gift for Your Little Girl PLUS a Coupon Code!
There’s no toy more classic than a doll. A simple, sweet thing perfect for imaginative play, companionship in solitude, and sentiment to last for years and years. As a little girl, there was nothing I wanted more than an American Girl doll – a tangible image of the child heroines I read about in the […]
The Theology of Tired (and a prayer for the sleep-deprived)
I’m drinking my afternoon cups of coffee. Cups. So many of my friends have babies now; newborns, infants, or restless toddlers ready for adventure at all hours of the night; but the truth is that baby or no baby, so many of us are Tired – note the capital T. If it’s not physically, it’s […]
{MORE of} The Best Catholic Books for Kids
Our family is thirsty for good, quality reading. Good, quality, Catholic reading. As a mama who devours book after book with her kids, I want our library to be full of selections that not only they like, but ones that I look forward to reading as well. My kids might be over the moon for The Monster at […]
WoW Wednesday: The NFP Edition
It’s Natural Family Planning Awareness Week and I tell you what – in our house, we’re all too aware of NFP. It’s downright one of the most meticulous, tangly aspects of our marriage and at the same time one of God’s greatest blessings – a tool that enables us to follow his design for marriage and family. […]
I was 12 when I fell for him
We hadn’t met. I hadn’t seen his face or heard his name. We wouldn’t go on a date for another 7 years, but I was just 12 years old when I fell for Andrew. As a kid, I was perpetually wide-eyed and open-eared to my big sister Jen. Whatever she said was gold and I took […]
