One Monday night a few months ago, I lay curled on top of my bed, still dressed, at 9 o'clock in the evening. I was done, done, done with the world for the day. A copy of Mansfield Park lay beside me where I'd tossed it onto the bed, more like a favorite teddy bear in function rather than something ... Read More about 10 Questions I Ask Myself When Discerning My Family’s Schedule
Blog
A family vision and a year in review
I almost burst into tears as Faith and I walked in the door of my friend Wendy's house last week. Breaking up with wonderful, understanding piano teachers is hard. I had to tell Wendy that we weren't going to put Faith back in piano with her in the fall. "It's not you, it's me!" I tried to ... Read More about A family vision and a year in review
Why I’m thankful that mommas-of-many don’t have it all together either
When I lived in Houston years ago, I often carpooled to monthly Opus Dei Women's Evenings of Reflection with my friend Kathy, a mother of nine. I'll never forget one night when Kathy and I met in the church parking lot to head downtown. As I slid into Kathy's SUV--five minutes late--I chirped ... Read More about Why I’m thankful that mommas-of-many don’t have it all together either
We’re THAT family now
When we bought our first house, the owners were a nice young family with four children. The father was an engineer, and the mother stayed home and homeschooled the kids. The interior walls were covered with fingerprints and crayon scribbles. There were plenty of dents and dings and holes in the ... Read More about We’re THAT family now
When Your Good Enough is Good Enough for God {a book review}
I don't remember who told me I needed to invite Colleen Duggan onto my podcast back in 2015 (waaaay back two babies ago when I podcasted...nuff said), but I'm so glad I did. The interview I did with Colleen on The Right Heart is one of my favorites. Her brand of honesty about what real Catholic ... Read More about When Your Good Enough is Good Enough for God {a book review}
Ladies, let’s put our blinders on
Did you know that I used to ride horses? (Check out this sweet and really old post I wrote). Growing up, I competed in hunter jumper, cross country, Pony Club, and eventually dressage. I haven't ridden in years, but I still love horses, and I really treasure my memories of my days as a horse-crazy ... Read More about Ladies, let’s put our blinders on
Growing into it
During one of my monthly phone calls last fall with my homeschooling program counselor, Debbie, she said something about flashcards (of all things) that spoke some extra peace into the rest of my life. In math, I was supposed to be having my oldest two students drill one addition fact family per ... Read More about Growing into it
Lightening up is golden
Aside from a frequent prayer to Jesus during the day, there's something else I've been trying to be intentional about telling myself lately: Lighten up. I've been trying to be really intentional about noticing the gifts and pleasures of my motherhood, and not letting the lots of little ... Read More about Lightening up is golden
A reading season
I think I've read more books more over the past six months than I've read in the past four years combined. A little fiction, a little nonfiction, and a healthy dose of self-care and spiritual reading. It's been lovely. I credit a lot of this newfound time spent reading to staying mostly away ... Read More about A reading season
Waiting for THE baby
Michael and I have two particular married couple friends who have struggled for years with infertility. This year, one of the couples adopted a beautiful baby girl, and the other couple finally conceived and gave birth to a baby girl as well. Both of these couples have waited the majority of their ... Read More about Waiting for THE baby