Over at CatholicMom.com, I tell you why I finally went to a homeschooling conference when my always-homeschooled child was in 7th grade. And why I’m going to another one this year. And then I ask you to tell me, and all the Catholic Mom readers, about the conference you love. Read the whole thing & share you links at: “Why Bother with Homeschool Conferences?” Read more
Sometimes people ask me, “How did you become a blogger for Patheos?” (Patheos whose birthday we are celebrating in this post – Happy 5th Birthday, Patheos!) Allow me to confirm your suspicions by quoting you the letter* I received from our Catholic Channel editor asking me to join on this spring: February, 2014 Dear Jennifer, As you know, blogging about the Catholic faith is a sure path to fame and fortune. We who write for Patheos are filthy rich —... Read more
This week Archbishop Gregory of Atlanta announced that there’d be no concealed carry in his parishes. The context was a recently passed Georgia law that gave the pastors of churches the discretion to decide whether their facilities were or were not legal concealed carry locations. It is unclear whether the Archbishop’s decision applies to the other dioceses in the province as well. –> A quick Google indicates that while the state laws vary, pastors do have the power to prohibit... Read more
Fr. Longenecker argues in favor of pomp and ceremony here, and I have a story to go with. The background: My husband is a cantor at our parish. To improve his skill, he’s been training with the choir at a neighboring parish. My eldest daughter turns out and sings with them as well. Since they have a fantabulous music program, we’ll call the other parish St. Cecilia’s. So St. C’s goes to make a parish directory. One of those books... Read more
My friend Karina Fabian points me to her latest DragonEye, PI short story, now running at Liberty Island. Vern the Dragon isn’t to everyone’s taste, and I haven’t pre-read this story so I can’t promise you you’ll love it. But if Catholic Dragon Detective sounds like your genre, take a look. Read more
About the time my eldest was born, it seemed like everyone was coming down with autism. I’m not sure I’d even heard of such a thing during my youth, and I asked a friend: Why the sudden surge? Improved diagnosis, she explained — think back to the weird kid at school that always got picked on. Ah. There was a darker side to that sudden surge of public disability, and to make my case let’s start with the stories you’ve... Read more
I’ve been following a friend’s adventures getting ready to fight for the USA in the Armored Combat League’s Medieval Combat World Championship. Competition begins tomorrow May 1, Spain time, and continues through the weekend. From the Facebook page: Reminder – Live Tweeting (and updates to Facebook) starting on May 1 for the tournament. #ACL #IMCF #swordfighting Enjoy! Read more
The prospect of death does not make cry. The prospect of choosing between another around of Dr. Maybe’s Office Staff Craziness Circus, or giving up on the local guy and driving two hours down the road to the next nearest guy in the same specialty . . . that makes me cry. Appointment w/ Dr. Maybe is in 9 days, and if ever there were need for the Nine Annoying Things Novena, that need is now. Those who followed me... Read more
If you search Google images for the word “No”, a bazillion variations pop up. If you search Wikimedia, all you get is lovely Nobelium, an element about which I know nothing. It might kill you. Or not. I stink at the word No. My kids charm me, everyone charms me, and I cave. When Lisa Hendey mentioned she was writing a book called The Grace of Yes, I retorted that my husband would burn the book if he saw it... Read more
I was chatting with Rebecca Frech the other week, who is both blessedly familiar with intense fitness trainfully, and dreadfully familiar with chronic illness. One of the ironies of my own recent illness, I told her, was that some of the most useful information came from articles geared towards serious athletes. One of those useful clues has been information on heart rate monitoring as a way to avoid overtraining. The situation normal people face: In the quest to get fit,... Read more
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