Mothering the Skeptic
Every once in a while you get lucky, as a parent, to encounter a teacher who completely understands your child. My daughter’s third grade teacher was a wonderful angel in...
A Mother's Prayer for Summer
I’m sure I am not alone in thinking that the winter of 2017/2018 will go down in history as the longest winter ever. Well into April, freezing temperatures and snowfall...
Longing for Motherhood
I sat in the pew, clenching my husband’s hand and biting my lip to numb the pain and fight back the tears. All the mothers stood to receive a special...
Spiritual Advice for the First-Time Mom
I became a mom nearly a year ago. I still remember, vividly, the moment the doctor pulled my son out of me. His fair skin, small arms, a head full...
Mom Guilt and Answered Prayers
“Are you telling me you’re upset because you have more time on your hands than you know what to do with?” questioned my husband, John. Tears welled up in my...
From Counting Shortcomings to Counting Blessings
I’ve been running around the house the last few days like a drill sergeant with a severe case of OCD. “What?!” I shriek at my lovable toddler as he tracks...
Helping Our Daughters Be Free and Confident
Throughout the Gospels, there seems to be a growing awareness, astonishment, and even discouragement in the disciples about how difficult it is to enter the kingdom of God: When the...
Not-So-Typical Unique Catholic Baby Names
When my husband and I were expecting our first baby, we knew we wanted to give our baby a name from the tradition of our Faith. Of course, choosing a...
Finding Joy in the Teen Years (Plus Advice from the Trenches)
I recently Googled “parenting teens” just to see what would come up. To my complete lack of surprise, here are some of the articles that popped up on the first...
Carrying the Cross of Infertility Through Advent
My husband, Stephen, and I wanted a honeymoon baby. We joked about it at first, then talked about it excitedly, planning how we might share the news with friends and...
6 Ways to Endure and Offer the Sufferings of Motherhood
My calf began to cramp as I bounced my leg up and down, attempting to nurse my 9 month old to sleep on my lap in a too-small plane seat....
How "This is Us" is Making Me More Attentive to the Domestic Church
As a Catholic woman in modern society, I'm always on the lookout for art forms that demonstrate the realities of our fallen world and the redemption that can be experienced...
