After a particularly grumpy, uncheerful boy came downstairs from spending some time in his room by himself I made the mistake of asking my extrovert kindergartener the rhetorical question, “Did you enjoy spending so much time by yourself this morning?” To which he replied sassily, “Mommy, I wasn’t by myself, My guardian angel and Jesus were with me.” Read more
The day this summer that my son jumped in front of the computer with his arms flailing back and forth, chanting “Noooooo, don’t get back on the computer, Mom!,” was a sad, sad day for me, but also a huge wake-up call. As someone who prides herself on being somewhat detached from technology in general, and who wants to set a good example for her children, I was initially defensive. I reassured my son that I certainly do NOT spend... Read more
A number of years ago I ran a mothers group at my parish. It was the only one of its kind in the Diocese, and so the group drew from a large geographic area. On the day of our February meeting, the weather was poor. I checked the forecast and our area was expected to receive only rain. About an hour north, the forecast called for some freezing rain and light snow. In the morning I checked in with the... Read more
The beach is the best! Although if you don’t plan things correctly, you may wind up just doing all of your typical mom duties in close proximity to the ocean. A beach view for dishes is nice, but you are still doing dishes. I had to laugh at this. We just returned from a great week at the Jersey Shore. I pre-cooked meals, we ate off of paper plates, and we brought a babysitter along with us, so it was... Read more
On our family vacation this year, we had the opportunity to visit Hershey’s Chocolate World. My 3 year-old daughter, who is usually tagging along with her 9 and 5 year-old siblings, was totally in her element from the moment that we walked through the doors to the moment that we left. Hershey World offers a free ride, where families sit in a little car that takes them through process of how the chocolate is made. We rode this ride not... Read more
We have just introduced the kids to the wonderful world of Looney Tunes, thanks to old shows on DVD available at our local library. As a purebred conservative, I tend to think older things are better in most circumstances, especially where technology and media are concerned. I spent hours a day during my childhood enjoying Bugs Bunny and his friends, and so it’s been charming to keep the tradition alive. My walk down memory lane was just interrupted by my taciturn... Read more
Mothering in our culture is a juggling act. We balance tending to little ones, housework, big kid schedules, sports, academics, music, and Church obligations. You name it, we juggle it. And with a larger family, the juggling is both chaotic and expensive. It only takes one brief trip to the grocery store corralling my 5 young children for a complete stranger to ask me how much I spend on groceries in a given week or how am I going to... Read more
As you may already know, two of my children will be going to school outside of our home this fall. I have been laughing as I think that they are not going “back to school” in September, but rather “to school” for the first time at ages 10 and 11. I’d like to know what advice you have for me – not for them this time, though I may ask for that later, as I adjust to being a school... Read more
Being in a wedding is a big deal for a young boy. Measure him for a tux; size him for fancy shoes; promise him that he’ll walk down the center aisle with his brother as ring bearers–these are BIG things. Big, exciting things. With a month to go, wedding talk pervades a lot of our every day family life. Four of five of my children will play a part in the wedding of my brother-in-law and future sister-in-law in September.... Read more
For most of my life, sleep could be sacrificed for any and every reason. Sleep was the optional item on my to-do list. In high school, I finished homework and then stayed on AOL/instant messenger until late, but still managed to soldier on to school the next morning and through extra-curriculars into the afternoon and evening. At Princeton, the candle burned at both ends of the night, with all-night editing shifts at the student newspaper, cramming for exams and meeting... Read more
Building Cathedrals
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