4 Tips to Teach Your Children The Passion of the Christ On Good Friday, my parish put together a children-focused Stations of the Cross event at beautiful Marywood, a retreat center filled with nature paths along the river, with countless activities hosted there throughout the year. This was our first time doing the stations with our toddler Sue and infant Heidi, and what an experience it was. We led a group of ~15 families, which included many children running alongside us as we marched through the Passion. Amidst leading the group, keeping Sue contained (it was a…
My Successful VBAC Birth Story
My Successful VBAC Birth Story A Little Bit of Background I adore my husband. He is the most amazing, most kind, most patient person I know. And I love growing our family together. So when we found out we were pregnant with our second little bundle of joy, I realized I needed to try for a VBAC (vaginal birth after csection). I pray God blesses us with many children, so having multiple csections would be dangerous both to my babies and me. My first birth of our beautiful first daughter, Sue, ended up being a csection. I was…
My 11 Unanswered Questions a Week Before My Due Date
My 11 Unanswered Questions a Week Before My Due Date I’m 43 inches around, I’ve gained enough pounds to surpass my toddler’s weight and I feel like I’m hiding a beach ball under my shirt. This pregnancy has not been hard. I’ve had the normal tired days, cranky days, mood swings and sleepless nights, but I know I’ve been extremely blessed with a rather uneventful pregnancy. It has definitely been different than my first pregnancy, because running after a toddler multiplies the pregnancy fatigue. My emotions are also a bit different, I wrote a letter to my toddler who can’t…
5 Unexpected Benefits from Praying with Your Spouse
Need a boost to your marriage? I highly encourage couple prayer! Here are the 5 unexpected benefits from praying with your spouse. I hope this motivates you to grow closer to Christ and your spouse! You hear what is on their heart. We have to admit it, most of the prayers we offer up to God are filled with requests and pleas. We ask God to help us in our daily struggles and challenges. And many times, when a wife and husband are busy parenting their little ones, they forget to share with each other the struggles they face…
The Beauty of the Christ
Below is the letter I wrote to my Protestant pastor in 2008 as I decided to entered the Catholic Church. The Beauty of the Christ converted me. The Beauty of Christ My experience with beauty in the Catholic faith in Europe first went from shocking, to curiosity and yearning, to finally a beginning of an understanding of Jesus’s beauty. Walking into the cathedrals of Europe one is first overwhelmed by the size of the church; it is the center of every little town and towers far above any other building. It is the focal point of the community, the…
Catholic Minimalism: Count Your Blessings, Not Your Knick Knacks
Catholic Minimalism It’s Tuesday morning and I’m driving to the store with my toddler in the backseat. I only have one item on my shopping list. Today I am determined to make a dramatic change in my life. I woke up with a new energy to clean my home before my next baby is born in a month! I am going to buy plastic totes so I can store all my extra ‘stuff’ in my attic. As soon as I returned home I dove into a few articles on minimalism and how I can apply it to my life, and much to my…
