A few weeks ago I shared something with my email subscribers--one of the more intimate "secret" posts I send to them that I do not post to the blog. (Psst! If you want to get them, too, you can sign up for free here). It was all about what my priest taught me in the confessional. When I confessed losing my temper with my kids and being consistently impatient and frustrated, he told me to pray. … [Read more...]
Why I Pulled My Daughters Out of Ballet
I was so excited when my daughters were old enough to take ballet classes. Dance was such a precious part of my girlhood. I studied ballet from elementary school through high school, performing in ballet companies and musical theatre productions. I rediscovered ballet after my oldest child was born when I started teaching at my former studio and working as a rehearsal assistant for the ballet … [Read more...]
Has Parenting Perfectionism Killed Self-Care?
If you’re a parent, you definitely understand the whole parenting perfectionism phenomenon. It tells us, don’t EVER take your eyes off your child. Interact with them every day 24/7 --no breaks for laundry, sending a text message, or talking to your spouse! Sacrifice your health, your sanity, your passions, and everything else in order to make their childhood perfect. Everything from food … [Read more...]
I Took a Month Off from Being a SAHM. Here’s What I Learned.
photo source This summer I was feeling “sort of stretched--like butter spread across too much bread” in the words of Bilbo Baggins. And I was trying to figure out where my discontentment and general worn-out-ness was coming from. Because Daniel had a month off of work between his internship and his new job, we had the rare opportunity to switch around our family responsibilities. I left … [Read more...]
The Conversation We Have to Have with Our Kids
This post is sponsored by Covenant Eyes. My oldest child is seven years old. In a perfect world, I would not have to worry about protecting him from pornography. But, this is not a perfect world and I absolutely have to worry about it. But at age SEVEN? Surely, I don’t have to worry til my kids are teenagers, right? Recently, my friend Jenny shared a great series on her blog about porn … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Climb Out of a Really Bad Day of Mothering
You know those mornings that just start out all wrong? Whatever your expectations were.....they don't come to pass. Maybe you're woken up at 4:30 am by a child who just refuses to go back to sleep. Maybe you set your alarm and dragged yourself out of bed early to spend some quiet time with your cup of coffee and prayer only to hear little feet pitter pattering stomping like elephants down the … [Read more...]
10 MORE Books You Must Read to Your Daughter (Semi-Inspired by Kathleen Kelly)
"When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does." - Kathleen Kelly, You've Got Mail Three years ago one of my posts went viral for the first time. I shared about using good literature to raise strong daughters. I featured heroines that had a lot more backbone and a lot less vampire-obsession than Twilight's Bella Swan … [Read more...]
Why You Should Take Your Kids to Caves, Monasteries, and Fancy Hotels
As loyal readers will know, my family of five is currently on a six week road trip around the United States before we begin our new life in Texas. We’re in week three and it’s been 90% wonderful and 10% sibling bickering, unexpected traffic, and unreasonable requests for snacks. We’ve camped, been hosted by friends, and stayed in hotels over the past 17 days. We’ve visited national parks, big … [Read more...]
The Secret to Not Fighting With Your Kids About Their Messy Room
Want to know the secret? Get rid of all the toys. Ok, ok, not ALL of the toys. Just a few garbage bags worth. Seriously. After weeks of begging, threatening, and fighting over the kids' messy room, we finally wised up and realized that they weren't trying to be uncooperative little stinkers, the task was overwhelming. When our five-year-old sat down in the middle of his room and cried that … [Read more...]
Recalibrating! (How Parenting Is Like Following a GPS)
You know where you’re trying to go. You thought you were on the road that would get you there, but suddenly everything looks wrong and your intuition is confirmed when the know-it-all voice of the GPS on your dashboard barks, “RECALIBRATING!” You took a wrong turn and the lady inside your GPS is frantically trying to get you back on track. For a blogger, I have surprising Luddite tendencies. I … [Read more...]
