Ok, maybe I don’t want you to answer that question. I’m going to narrow it down a little, and simply ask why is it that every time I try to open one of these containers, it looks like this? Don’t worry. I am usually able to purchase one of these with a twist top. I avoid the above style like the plague. And when I have no other options, I don’t panic. I wait for Mr. Red to come... Read more
Happy Feast of All Saints, dear readers! I thought that I would share an excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s All Saints Day message from this year – enjoy! Dear brothers and sisters! With great joy, we celebrate today the feast of All Saints. Visiting a nursery garden, one remains taken aback at the variety of plants and flowers, and spontaneously begins to think of the Creator’s fantasy that made the earth a marvelous garden. These same sentiments come to us... Read more
My kids are in to Harry Potter, and I told them that I relate a lot to the Weasleys, the large family with lots of hand me downs and a crazy but affectionate mom. They told me that there are two differences between us and the Weasleys. One, we are not poor. Two, our house is not upside down. They didn’t say anything about the crazy. Read more
The seven year old girl down the street cocks her hip out, extends her opposing leg, tilts her head, and plays with her fingernails as she and my daughter chat. Where in the world did she learn this MOST unbecoming teenage girl posture that communicates “I don’t respect myself, and I don’t give a d*** about you”? My malleable six year old has definitely noticed, and I can tell she is contemplating whether she is drawn to that sass posture or whether she disapproves.... Read more
I am reposting this so that anyone who is interested can be prepared. I know that it is super dorky, but Candy Math has become a big part of our halloween tradition, and we really do visit lots of concepts which then help the children with math throughout the year. Even with very young children, you can do a lot of math with one pack of m&ms! Halloween Candy Graphing | Building Cathedrals. Read more
So, this is sort of a post about running, but also a post about life. Now that I am running a lot, you all may have to be listening to a lot of drawn out analogies on how running is teaching me about life. I run really slowly, so in the course of 10 miles I have way too much time to think! I am training for half marathon, which is coming up in just a few weeks. Last Saturday... Read more
Okay, so my joy at this product reveals how pathetic and desperate my life is, but a minute or two saved and less frustration is worth a lot around here these days. My kids often load and run the dishwasher, and I love that they don’t have to spill or measure the detergent, lift a heavy box of powder, etc. Just grab a tab, toss it in the little door, push a button. We run our washer on “speed cycle”,... Read more
Since there is a noticeable dearth of October baseball posts from MaryAlice and Red this year and we all miss Mr. MA’s poetry, I will fill in the void before it’s too late. I grew up in St. Louis, my husband was born in Dallas. Our family has an AL and an NL team that we root for…the Rangers and the Cardinals. So this World Series is epic…determining bragging rights for all future family Thanksgivings, Christmases, etc. for possibly the... Read more
When I first spoke to my mom following the delivery of our fourth, our only girl, I remarked, “Mom, she’s taking to nursing right away; I can’t believe it!” My mom, mother of two daughters, replied, “Oh honey, that’s a girl thing. Enjoy it!” Never before had I truly recognized gender differences until having my own children. Three XY children in, I thought I had children figured out or at least generalized into some pattern of growth and development. Then... Read more
Brace yourselves! Christmas is just around the corner, and like it or not, trying NOT to think about Christmas will not make Advent a more holy season in your life. As our family has grown we have desperately searched for a system that will make Advent a time of joy and spiritual preparation, not a time of intense insanity and panic. With 4 children, a very pregnant belly, 8 nieces and nephews, 5 Godchildren, 4 Advent/Christmas birthdays, and the other... Read more
Building Cathedrals
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