On the formation of Charity

Last updated on: January 14, 2011 at 10:12 am By Bethany "B-mama"

Matthew Kelly’s Building Better Families (Lighthouse Catholic Media) offers an alternate view of family life to the one proposed by Amy Chua. He advocates encouraging our children to grow up to be the best people God has designed them to be, but doing so by engaging them and dialoguing with them as they grow. When we engage children morally, ethically, spiritually, he says, they develop and discover for themselves how to make good decisions, form good habits, which ultimately leads to... Read more

Flip Diapers?

Last updated on: January 13, 2011 at 2:12 pm By texasmommy

Has anyone used the flip cloth diapers? Our velcro is wearing out on our BumGenius 3.0 diapers and, while I know it can be replaced (by someone else–I don’t sew), I am intrigued by the new Flip system, which seems to be what the BumGenius has morphed into. I definitely wish we had gone with a snap closure versus the velcro. And the flip system is a LOT cheaper than regular all-in-one cloth diapers. Anyone have any experience with the flips? Read more

Thoughts for Thursday

Last updated on: January 13, 2011 at 9:11 am By Mary Alice

What am I cooking? My mother in law is bringing dinner tonight 🙂 But, I have been following the advice here to double up, so I made two rice and bean enchilada casseroles the other night, and a double batch of meatballs the night before. It really is just as easy to cook twice as much and have a meal to freeze. I am eating grapefruits, which I have grown to really love, now that they are in season. What... Read more

Superior Parenting

Last updated on: January 12, 2011 at 3:29 pm By Kellie "Red"

So I saw the article Why Chinese Mothers are Superior on Saturday and I’ve been meaning to blog about it, but, as usual, our family is very busy. The article is now making the rounds on facebook, and I think it impacted a lot of people similarly to me–I was appalled, intrigued, and inspired, all at the same time. If you haven’t read the article, please do, but here are my thoughts. It was immediately obvious to me that Ms.... Read more

If I ordered this on Amazon, I’d have it by now…

Last updated on: January 12, 2011 at 7:49 am By Mary Alice

Errands with six kids are tough. Trips to Target never seem to cost less than $80, by the time I buy the extra things that the children beg for or that I decide I “need.” Or, I pay a babysitter and then come home stressed out after an hour under the florescent lighting, having forgotten at least one thing that I meant to buy. When I avoid going, a list of small things that we really do need piles up. ... Read more

Amusing Santa Exchange

Last updated on: January 11, 2011 at 3:17 pm By Kellie "Red"

I’ve been meaning to post this amusing exchange between my daughter Gianna (age 6) and me for several weeks. Better late than never. Gianna– “Mama, how does Santa get to our house?” Me–“How do you think he gets to our house?” Gianna–“I’m asking you mama.” Me–“Well, the story says he travels around by riding on a sleigh pulled by reindeer.” Gianna–“Yeah, I’m not buying the reindeer. Real reindeer can’t fly.” Me–“What about Rudolf?” Gianna–“Mama, is Rudolf real or pretend?” Me–after... Read more

Traditions Old and New

Last updated on: January 10, 2011 at 6:00 am By Katrina

Recently, ET and I have been talking a lot about traditions, both those from our childhood and those that we would like to establish for our own children. Perhaps this is because we now have three kids, or because we have hosted Christmas for four years in a row, or because we have been married long enough to know that it is important to have conversations like this from time to time…But the past couple of months have been full... Read more

Praying

Last updated on: January 9, 2011 at 11:40 pm By Kellie "Red"

Please join me in praying for all those impacted by the tragic events in Tucson, Arizona. A friend from law school is a former law clerk of one of the victims, Judge John Roll. By all accounts, Judge Roll was a wonderful man. The reports I have read indicated that Judge Roll went to Safeway after attending First Saturday morning Mass. You can read my friend’s account of Judge Roll here. Read more

Calling All Bakers…

Last updated on: January 9, 2011 at 9:10 am By Katrina

…Seeking a great recipe for whole wheat bread for the bread maker. My loaves have all come out very dense, but I like using whole wheat flour for the added nutritional value. Any tips? I haven’t tried the oatmeal bread yet, but that could be a good compromise between white and whole wheat bread, right? A blessed Sunday to all of you! Read more

Getting the Wiggles Out

Last updated on: January 7, 2011 at 9:55 am By Bethany "B-mama"

Jump, shimmy, and shake… I can think of no better way for my children to expend the insurmountable energy they seem to harvest during the winter months. How am I achieving this in my living room in the dead of winter? Workout videos. You got it. Bring it on, Jane Fonda. Hello, Jillian Michaels. Welcome, Billy Blanks. Not only is mama getting a workout, but the kids are too! I happened upon this wonderful phenomenon a few weeks ago... Read more