Or: On Being Intentional About What We Watch Yesterday I woke up feeling fretful—about my kids, about their safety...and so I did something that almost always helps: I drank a fifth of vodka and went back to bed. (Totally kidding! In truth, I’m currently taking a break from booze.) What I did do was go to daily Mass, and while there I … [Read more...]
Oh dear, I fear I missed the Eclipse.
Alas, the solar eclipse was neither total nor partial for this Minnesota family. We had clouds, clouds and more clouds, with just one or teensy random peeks at the pac-man-like appearance of the sun. We were giddy regardless, as evidenced by this Facebook video: ...because a solar eclipse is a fun and familial … [Read more...]
Sacred Space: (Or) How to Keep your Brain from Completely Exploding
August is amping up, is it not? I hate to say it, but with BACK-TO-SCHOOL! looming in the back at the front of our minds, the last two weeks of this month can be pretty much a wash. Well, you know what? It doesn't have to be this way. I have spent most of my summer fighting the many mental lawn gnomes that try their pint-sized best to drag … [Read more...]
{Selfish} Gains
I'm being somewhat tongue-in-cheek with this blog post's title, because I have to admit that the more improvement I make in achieving some of my goals, the more I tend to obsess about them! It's a win-win-lose scenario: 2 Steps Forward (i.e. logging 15,000 steps, making a great new recipe from the Trim Healthy Mama book, reading two more … [Read more...]
Boot Camp: Ten Ways to Cope with Missing Your Recruit
In Brief: Our son left for boot camp one short week ago, and this mom's gonna do what this mom's gotta do to survive 13 long weeks of basic! First of all, some background for those of you that don't know me. I'm a 50-year-old stay-at-home mom of seven—yes, seven—although as of last Monday, we've only got five kids at home. As of last Monday! … [Read more...]
On Having (or not Having) an Addiction-Filled 4th
In a nutshell: The food & the booze are meant to give glory to God but can become an addiction when used as a means to an end. How's that for a happy 4th of July blog post? :-) This morning I went to confession face-to-face. "My mom died two months ago," I began. "My dad is dying and my son leaves for the Marines in two weeks. … [Read more...]
Words of Advice from a Grateful Heart: Ten Funeral Tips for the Grieving
This blog post has been on my heart since the funeral. Many of you are or will be going through this process with your parents. With that in mind, I'd like to share ten funeral tips to hopefully help you along the way. * * * We buried our beautiful mother on May Day, four short weeks ago. We laid her to rest on the Feast of St. Joseph the … [Read more...]
Rest in Peace, dear Mama
We’re never ready to lose the people we love, even when we know they are ready to go. My dear sweet Mama passed away on Monday morning—peacefully, in her sleep, around 9:00 a.m. in Breckenridge, Minnesota. It was a bittersweet departure, as she was to be joining my father that day at his Assisted Living facility. God has a greater plan, … [Read more...]
A God Moment Morning for a Poor Miserable Mom
I had a God Moment this morning—greatly needed, believe you me, after the sad, self-pitying night before! I took this picture on my way to bed. Much like the random spoon lying on our book of poetry, I felt out of place in my own home, annoyed by the "selfish" behaviors of certain family members (while completely ignoring my own wooden beam) … [Read more...]
Love, Love, and more {Valentines Day} Love
Six of my six at-home kids are sick, falling like flies to the stomach flu. Poor sweeties. As I was setting out their Valentine's treats this morning, 16-year-old Cate smiled weakly. "Thank you for the puke ammo!" I laughed. This post will be heavier on photos than on words, I think, mainly because I've been taking pictures daily but … [Read more...]
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