After the recent Federal Court ruling on California’s Proposition 8, we thought Gianna could remind some of the adults about the Church’s requirements for a valid marriage. Warning: this is not for young children who can read! And for those who disagree, please bear in mind that this is a Catholic website that, like Gianna, intends to adhere wholeheartedly to every doctrine of the Holy Catholic Church. Read more
On Friday I ventured to the the local Lakeshore Learning Store in search of some “school” toys for my 2 year old Gus. I am putting the finishing touches on school year planning for the fall of 2010, and I learned last year that occupying my 2 year old is a huge key to successful homeschooling. One of my many techniques–put aside special “school” toys that he can play with when the bigger kids are doing school. It was with... Read more
My husband has been traveling for two weeks for conferences and research, so it’s been just the kids and me, in England out of our usual element and without outside support or company. In spite of desperately missing our hero, we have been having a truly delightful time together. For quite a few years, for the most part, I felt like the most delightful part of motherhood was my husband’s return home at the end of the day and the... Read more
We learned about these handy helpers from our friend L, who orders them in bulk and sells them as a fund raiser for her LaLeche League group, and they have made picnics such a snap for me – no more baggies to buy and throw away, and the kids have a plate for their sandwich when they open the mat. You can choose from many different fabrics, so each child can have their own and you won’t need to be... Read more
I just finished reading Interior Freedom by Jacques Philippe, and I highly recommend it. It was suggested to me on my March Opus Dei retreat, and I used the book for spiritual meditations over the last few months. I thought I would share a passage from the book this morning: “The worst kind of suffering is not that which we experience; it is represented suffering that grips the imagination and makes us adopt false attitudes. It is not reality (basically... Read more
Call me crazy, but for me, buying a new pair of running shoes is like buying a new lease on life. The squishy, bouncy, brand-newness of new sneakers seems to defy gravity and seep upward into my body with energy and vigor. Today I am experiencing such wonder. The box arrived the other day and sat with a sparkle on our front porch. I was giddy like a child at Christmas as I ran out to fetch it and tore off... Read more
I have my fall school plans all set and they involve very busy days — which is a good thing — we will be doing school in the morning four days a week and have extracurricular activities in the early afternoon four days a week. This means that we will be back home for dinner and our family story and bedtime routine and I will have my evenings free to wind down or be with my husband. My only fear... Read more
Several times over the past couple of years, I have almost started a babysitting co-op in my neighborhood moms’ group. The idea behind a babysitting co-op is that mothers take turns watching each others’ children, which is appealing on many levels. First, IT’S FREE, so the only payment involved is, of course, watching someone else’s children for an equal period of time. Second, because mothers are the “babysitters,” moms can generally feel comfortable with the person who will be watching... Read more
We have been having a blast traveling around Europe and England since March for my husband’s dissertation research. It’s academic tourism at it’s finest; the kids and I have been enjoying ourselves immensely, taking on Europe by triple stroller. The drawback is, amid this foot-loose and fancy free adventure, we’ve been quite antisocial and apparently have forgotten our manners. And the English are not especially charmed by children who have forgotten their manners. Cute barbarians in London We are now... Read more
Today we graphed family shoe preference on our living room floor as our Kindergarten math lesson. Examine blue row: “crocs.” Ha! Take that, MA. and you are the one who recommended the Saxon math home school curriculum! We love it, but we love plastic Swiss Cheese shoes more. Read more
Building Cathedrals
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