“Your kids rock!” A friend of mine told me the other day, and she was right…they do rock.  They’re phenomenal children and more importantly, they’re really nice people.  I don’t think I’ve had a lot to do with that, it’s more in spite of me than because of my handiwork.  These children are the direct result of a lot of prayer. A lot. Huge. Seriously. There’s something about having 7 children which seems to fool people into thinking that I’ve... Read more

Helping LarryD take over the internet one meme at a time! 1. Snapped this great picture of the “boy who loves his sister” yesterday and had to share it with you! #’s 3 and 7 Did you notice her OU shirt?  Some of the people around here are still pining for Oklahoma. 2. When she was a little tiny girl, #1 was obsessed with Cinderella.  She could quote the whole movie at 2 years old.  She used to tell me,... Read more

It’s that time of year again, the last week of school, where I feel the mental and physical exhaustion of an entire school year catch up to me.  As I crawl across the finish line, I wonder if I have the strength and stamina to do it again next year (or ever!)  In my mind I know that it’s mere weeks until I start perusing curriculum sites and getting excited for the new year to begin, but for now I’m... Read more

Chastity and the Teen Girl Some time ago, Jennifer Fitz asked LarryD from Acts of the Apostasy all about chastity and teenage boys: So here’s a two-part question I still need you guys to answer for me: How should a boy deal with the, shall we say, overwhelming physical urges, that are known to afflict young men? And how does a mother, or father, provide these bits of practical advice without making the boy die from embarrassment? The going advice... Read more

Helping Larry D take over the internet one meme at a time. 1. The neighbor’s boy was at our house yesterday telling my children all of the reasons he wishes he were homeshooled.  He mentioned things like not having to do as much work, there being no math, and his getting to play video games all day.  My own children were a bit incredulous that this was his vision of their days, and if that’s what other homeschoolers do….why hadn’t... Read more

” I know who you’re voting for this November,” I laughingly said to the other big family mama at the pool this morning. “Really?” Her eyebrows went up. “Because we live in this neighborhood so we must be Republicans?” “No.” “Oh, we have a big family so we must be LDS?”  (That’s another way of saying Mormon, y’all.) “Uh-uh” She frowned a bit. “Is it because we’re white?” “No.  It’s because I overheard you talking to your 4 year old,... Read more

“I’ll do it, mom,” my 10 year old son said as he grabbed the baby out of my arms for a diaper change.  It was the 3rd time of the day he had volunteered to change her diaper.  Now, he’s a nice kid, but what person volunteers for a diaper change? “You’re offering to do it?” I queried. “What have you done and how much is it going to cost to fix it?”  He just smiled at me and shook... Read more

Once there were grandparents who longed for Catholic grandchildren.  They had raised their own children in the Church, but they had fallen away and taken their children out of the Church with them. The grandparents went to Mass and prayed their rosaries faithfully and asked God to soften the hearts of those they loved, wouldn’t He please give to them Catholic grandchildren? Across town, a mother held her new baby and prayed.  She was falling in love with the faith... Read more

Helping LarryD take over the internet one meme at a time! While chatting with LarryD this morning **cough beating him at Words with Friends cough** he casually mentioned (threatened me with bodily harm) that I had not yet done this week’s 3 1/2, and in fact had not done one for last week either.  I asked him if that meant I owed him 7 Quick Takes, he muttered something about Jennifer Fulwiler and then told me to get to work.... Read more

Yesterday morning, our beloved #4 received Her Lord in the Eucharist for the first time.  She was beautiful and resolute as she approached the altar.  At last the day she had waited for had arrived.  She walked up the aisle with only a small limp, so vastly improved from the awkward lurch of a month ago.  God had heard her prayer that she not have to do it “with my cane or a wheelchair.  I want to be able to... Read more