Yesterday I took the kids to the doctor for physicals. Liam is still behind on his vaccines, so he was scheduled to get two, MMR and Varicella. The physicals went great, the kids thought the doctor was hilarious, and everyone cooperated. Liam of course screamed through the vaccines and had to be held down, but directly afterward he was appeased by a Spiderman sticker. Five minutes after the vaccines we had gathered our things and headed around to check out.... Read more

#7 This picture isn’t strictly relevant, but I found it so dizzyingly awesome that I had to post it  Well, this week certainly has been…interesting.  First, there was this. I’ll let you skim the thread and come to your own conclusions about what’s more offensive, my shirt or the comments on this forum. #6 Then there was Sienna. I mean, she’s always interesting, but this week she was in rare form.  On Tuesday before we started school she was playing... Read more

I don’t talk about homeschooling much, either on my blog or in real life. I think I’ve written a total of one post about it, and that wasn’t even really about my practical experiences with homeschooling, it was more about why we’re homeschooling. When the subject comes up with other moms around Ave Maria, the extent of my contribution is usually to say, “I’m homeschooling because we won’t send our kids to public school but we can’t afford private school.... Read more

This marks my fourth post this week, and I’m doing quick takes on time! I’m very proud of myself. My house is a disaster, it’s true, and last week it was clean, but we all have shifting priorities from time to time, right? #7 Yesterday was a momentous occasion. At long last, I finally found the most perfect, the most divine, the most awesome chocolate chip cookie recipe.  I’m sort of a cookie-oholic. Not so much when it comes to... Read more

 Warning: The following is a rant. Other medicine is not. Last night I got in bed at 10:00. I said some prayers, sitting up occasionally, trying to breathe in between “Our Fathers”. Finally I gave up on sleeping and arranged a million pillows behind me, opened my book in front of me, and tried to take my mind off my rapidly worsening asthma attack. Asthma is a scary condition. I’ve had it all my life. I had severe asthma as... Read more

Andrew and Cristina I meant to post about this a few days ago. Two of my fellow contributors at Ignitum Today, Andrew and Cristina, are newly married, newly pregnant, and facing some pretty tough times. Their unborn daughter, Maria Isabella, has spina bifida. They were approved for the in-utero surgery developed by doctors at the Children’s Hospital in Philadelphia, and the surgery was successfully completed this morning.  However, this family is not out of the woods yet. The next two... Read more

On Sunday, the girls and I took an afternoon trip into Naples. I desperately needed some new bras and the Ogre, who was tired of my $10.99 Target bras falling apart every few months, insisted that I go to Nordstrom’s and be properly fitted (which I have never been) and get some high-quality brassieres. (When they cost over $30 they earn the title “brassiere”.) The plan was for me to take the girls directly after Mass, but since I’m pregnant... Read more

#7 I swear this isn’t going to become a thing. I promise to not become so navel-gazing during the duration of this, my fourth pregnancy, that I only blog once a week and even then it’s a day late.  Actually, this past week was Ave Maria’s spring break and my in-laws came to visit, so we’ve been just a little busy. As in, I have neither updated my Facebook status nor checked my email in five days. And now I’m... Read more

Better late than never, right? #7 Yesterday I went down the street to have a play date with a neighbor. We were outside swinging the kids (people have backyards here! With swing sets!) and talking for a while. She kept mentioning people and asking if I knew them, and after about the fourth “no, er, well, um I’m not sure I may have met them” she finally said, “Do you ever go outside?” I tried to explain that living in... Read more

I finally got my contribution to the Catholic Education Symposium up at Ignitum Today. It’s a day late and probably a dollar short, but it’s there! Go check it out if you feel so inclined! Read more