Talking
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Are You Too busy? Figuring Out the Non-Negotiables in Your Life.
Right now life.is.crazy. I am currently in the process of a career change. That’s right, I’m moving into the exciting world of graphic design. So, yay for me! Actually, the truth be told — I naively took on the job of re-designing my husband’s website — after which time, I will gladly retire from the world of web design and return to part-time blogger and full-time wife and mother. The thing is, my husband is an amazing designer. His web site used to reflect that, but we’ve been busy with life, and work and all the craziness of having six kids — only to realize that our website is beginning to look a bit outdated. It…
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The Importance of Leisure
Leisure is an important thing. This statement might seem obvious to some — and slightly offensive to others. In fact, our American work ethic might make it difficult to believe that leisure is an important part of our lives. You might even equate leisure with laziness, sloth, or vice. Spiritual direction over the years has made one thing abundantly clear: filling your day with lots and lots of work is not necessarily a virtuous pursuit. Perhaps even more shocking: moments of leisure help to shape you into the person that you will become. It is really that important. A recent visit to Italy reminded me of this truth. We were sitting in St. Peter’s Square,…
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Children Waiting Everywhere: Living Simply So Others Might Simply Live
There was a recent in-depth study on giving, and it found that those who give to others are actually much happier than those who just spend money on themselves. Of course, we shouldn’t give to others in order to be “happy” — but there’s no denying that one of the “side-effects” of generosity is happiness. The truth is, when we live according to how we’ve been created — we experience greater happiness — and this study supports what Christians have known for centuries: we were created to give ourselves to others. This call to generosity is clearly conveyed by Jesus in Matthew 25. It is a call to conversion — to cut unhealthy ties to…
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Random Thoughts: Keep Marching Baby
The March for Life was amazing! I gotta say — it was definitely worth the 18 hours of round-trip travel time and every other chaotic moment that comes with traveling with 6 kids. So glad we went! It was such an impactful experience that it’s hard to put my mind around it all — but I’m gonna try. To gain better perspective on the reasons for the March, you might like to check out last week’s post Why We March. But for those of you who’d don’t mind a few random thoughts here or there — I offer you my “Random thoughts on the March for Life”. Enjoy. First Random Thought: Preach it. Pope John Paul II got the importance of…
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Why We March…
My mother is one of the founders of the March for Life — in fact, she was pregnant with me during that first March — and the story of how it all came about is an interesting one. A few years prior to the March, my mother found herself in a convent in the South. Though the “nun” thing didn’t work out, this time did help her to gain insight into the plight of the African-American living in the South at the time. Having a heart for what they were suffering, she decided that she was going to help black men and women register and exercise their right to vote. She marched with Martin Luther King,…
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The Cry Room: A Parents’ Guide to Survival
Okay, we’ve all been there — we’ve all been in the cry room. That awful, horrid place were children and parents are left to live sad, lonely lives — spurned by the families with well-behaved children. That room where all your hopes and dreams have been dashed to pieces amidst the cheerios, that awful diaper smell, and the other equally pathetic parents who find themselves there. That room where you are will ultimately find yourself asking questions like, “What is wrong with me?” “Why can’t I get it together?” or “Where did I go wrong? ” Well I’m here to tell you that you are just fine — in fact, you are more than…
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Blue Monday — We Got This!
Blue Monday is a name given to the day in January (typically the third Monday of the month) reported to be the most depressing day of the year for those in the Northern Hemisphere. So, according to my calculations, today promises to be the most depressing day of the year for most of the people reading this post — yay for us — not really. 🙁 You know, the Church foresaw Blue Monday way before Wikipedia made it a thing — it’s called Ordinary Time — and coming off of the highs of the Christmas Season can be hard for all of us. The parties are over, family has returned to their…
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Let’s Get Hygge With It
Okay, first a disclaimer: I didn’t sleep last night — at all — babies just being babies. Whoever came up with the phrase “I slept like a baby” clearly didn’t have any. Anyhow, I’m currently at the slap-happy stage of my day and will most likely crash mid-post, so please don’t hold it against me if this is the worst post you’ve ever read, okay? We are just 2 days away from Christmas — can you believe it? It’s been a challenging Advent, but a fitting one. I’ve actually seen the blessings amidst the chaos and challenges — and I know that is a grace from God. But I’m…
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7 Ways to Make Advent More Meaningful
It’s the most wonderful time of the year — or is it? I really, really love Christmas — and if you’re anything like me, you have really fond memories of Christmas trees, twinkling lights, and the building anticipation of wonderful things to come — but hold your horses, it’s not Christmas yet! I know, I know — it’s hard to not jump right from Thanksgiving to Christmas. It is especially hard because the days are getting shorter, the mornings are getting harder — I’m hitting snooze at least 3 times on most days — and we want a little Christmas cheer to get us through the darker days. But I’m going to suggest something that…
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The Problem of Santa Claus
This time of year brings with it all sorts of challenges — some serious and some not-so-much — but one question any family with kids has to decide this time of year is, “Will Santa be coming to our house?” You can get away with ignoring this question if it’s just you and your husband and possibly for the first few years after having a child. But if you have kids, eventually this question will become an important one, because it will influence what Christmas will look like in your house for many years to come. We’re talking important stuff here, and if you make the wrong decision, your children will be…
