Here is a theme in modern marriages. Husband wishes for wife to set aside a little more time and care for romance; to look forward to date nights rather than worrying so much about leaving the children; to linger together in the evening instead of darting off to chores or projects; to insist that the children go to bed on time and stay in their own bedrooms; to try to present herself nicely when he arrives home. Meanwhile, wife resents... Read more

Lately we are loving Pasta with Fresh Cherry Tomatoes, from The Barefoot Contessa Our version uses either linguine or (my favorite) penne: 1 pound pasta 1 clove garlic, minced 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved Salt to taste 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper 5-6 leaves basil, sliced into thin strips 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated Directions While the pasta water is boiling, halve the tomatoes and stir them together with all the other ingerdients, reserving... Read more

Tonight as I escorted a young man of mine to timeout, my finger slipped on the microwave timer and punched 40:00, rather than our usual 4:00. And boy, was I tempted to keep it that way! lol Read more

On this Tuesday morning, I would like to know if anyone else out there has created a Land Before Time name for one of their children? You know, do you have a Spike, or a Flyer or a Swimmer? I have recently deemed my soft, chubby 18 month old son “Warm Neck.” I truly love getting into that neck. Yum. Which characters populate your home? Read more

The laundry is a microcosm of my spiritual life. Allow me to explain– Last week, in the confessional, among other sins, I confessed to disorganization and a general lack of discipline with certain household tasks. While I try to maintain an orderly home, my house contains certain “hot spots” or regular problem areas where disorganization is the rule, rather than the exception. Throughout the years, the laundry is consistently one of these areas. With each child there is more laundry,... Read more

Every since we moved to Virginia over a year ago, I’ve been searching around, trying to find my place in this big city. We came from the thriving “Catholic Disneyland” of Notre Dame, where we were surrounded by budding Catholic families, ample fellowship, playdates galore for the kiddos, and faithful encouragement. My Catholic faith soared as I shared weekly Bible studies with 8 other women and had regular community with like-minded believers, gals walking the walk and talking the talk.... Read more

Can I get an amen? My secret: laundry detergent in hot water, LOTS of blotting with white towels; wetting, blotting, wetting, blotting… finished off with a steam cleaner. Voila! Thank goodness! Read more

This clumsy mama dropped blue finger paint in the kitchen only to look up in horror at the splatter distance!! That stuff can fly! Read more

Last night while I was finishing up bathing the twins, Leo (18 months) locked himself in the girl’s bedroom. I could not get the windows open from outside the house, but I did finally figure out how to take apart the doorknob. Once I rescued him, I (cleverly) put the door knob back on in the other direction, so he couldn’t lock himself in the room again. Tonight, while I was helping the twins get their pajamas on, he locked... Read more