The Catholic Working Mother Is Now on Patheos!

March 12, 2018 By JoAnna Wahlund

If you’re reading this, likely you’ve already figured out that my blog has joined the Patheos Catholic channel, but I thought I’d say hello anyway. I’m very excited about this move! I’ve long admired other Catholic writers who are or were part of the channel (shout out, in no particular order, to Rebecca Bratten Weiss, Mary Pezzulo, Cynthia Schrage, Scott Eric Alt, Timothy Putnam, Dave Armstrong, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Leah Libresco, Simcha Fisher, and Melinda Selmys) and I’m frankly amazed that... Read more

How Can Catholic Parishes Make Baptism Easier to Access?

February 2, 2018 By JoAnna Wahlund

This is Part 3 of a series about the problem of some Catholic parishes/dioceses holding the sacraments hostage. Part 1 and Part 2 also discuss baptism. In no particular order, here are some thoughts on what we can do as a church (both upper and lowercase C) to potentially fix this issue, as pertains to baptism: End the custom about no baptism during Lent. It has no basis in canon law. Interestingly, I was informed by another person in my... Read more

Stop Holding the Sacraments Hostage: More About Baptism

January 31, 2018 By JoAnna Wahlund

It appears that Part 1 of this post resonated with a LOT of people! I have heard so many stories over the past few days in response regarding parishes that have instituted similar ridiculous requirements prior to baptism, and the heartbreak and frustration that has caused many, many Catholic families. I wanted to add some clarifications based on some of the feedback I received. One commenter brought CCC 1256 to my attention: 1256 The ordinary ministers of Baptism are the bishop... Read more

Leila Lawler’s Post About Working Mothers

January 29, 2018 By JoAnna Wahlund

Edit 1/30/2018: Leila Lawler has edited her post to clarify, so I will too. I should have slept on this instead of posting it right away. I let my anger and indignation get the best of me, and that wasn’t wise. Mea culpa. I apologize to Leila Lawler for being uncharitable and unkind. I have sent this to her via e-mail as well, but I am posting it here because a public error requires a public apology (I would comment... Read more

Dear Catholic Parishes: Stop Holding the Sacraments Hostage

January 25, 2018 By JoAnna Wahlund

This is Part 1 of what will be a two-part post. I’m a Catholic mother of six living children, and I’m here today with a plea: stop holding the sacraments hostage. Don’t erect arbitrary and unnecessary obstacles to the sacraments, obstacles that have no basis in canon law. In particular, stop making it harder for parents or parishioners to access baptism. By doing so, you’re denying members your flock the grace they need to live strong Catholic lives and grow... Read more

Possessive Last Names Make the Baby Jesus Cry

November 25, 2017 By JoAnna Wahlund

Originally written for my old blog, but I thought it was worth putting here as well. A Christmas card PSA from your friendly neighborhood copy editor. (Like Spiderman, with great power comes great responsibility.) When signing your Christmas card/letter (or creating return address labels), do not sign them like so: Merry Christmas from the Wahlund’s! If your intention is to send Christmas greetings on behalf of your entire family, then you want your last name to be plural, not possessive.... Read more

Setting Up an Emergency Fund in 2018

October 17, 2017 By Guest Contributor

2018 is right around the corner. That means you need to be prepared for it. You never know what next year will have in store for you, and it is important to plan ahead. With a little bit of determination, you can have a nice emergency fund saved up throughout 2018 and going forward. The below tips are designed to help you get started. If you do not have an emergency fund, you are not alone. In fact, most people... Read more

Lessons Learned from a Layoff

July 30, 2017 By JoAnna Wahlund

As those of you who follow this blog’s Facebook page are aware, I was unexpectedly laid off from my job of eight years in April. April 19, to be exact. I was absolutely blindsided by the layoff, as was the rest of my former team (one other team member was let go besides myself). From what I understand, it was purely a cost-saving measure, and my former company gave me a generous severance package, including two weeks’ pay in lieu of... Read more

The Instant Pot: A Working Mom’s Best Friend

May 11, 2017 By JoAnna Wahlund

“Oh no,” you’re probably thinking, “not another lunatic raving about the wonders of that Instant Pot contraption.” I too was initially skeptical of the Instant Pot, but I’ve come around. What Is The Instant Pot, Anyway? In a nutshell, it’s a pressure cooker, which is a device that cooks food by heating liquid to boiling, which forms steam within a sealed pot. The steam cooks the food rapidly and also forces liquid into it, which increases moisture and helps quickly tenderize... Read more

And The Dinner Daily Winner Is….

May 6, 2017 By JoAnna Wahlund

The winner of the six month subscription to The Dinner Daily is… SaraLynn G.! Congratulations, SaraLynn, and I hope you enjoy your subscription! For those of you who didn’t win, I have exciting news for you. The great folks at The Dinner Daily have created a special 10% off coupon good until May 14th. The Coupon Code is TCWM10 and you can use it on the signup page to receive the discount. As always, the first two weeks are free to... Read more