My Deepest Wound and a Story of Healing

"In my deepest wound I saw your glory and it astounded me." - Saint Augustine This is hard for me to write. I feel uncomfortably vulnerable, but I also feel compelled to tell my story and witness to what God has done for me. Six Octobers ago on this day, I shared the story of …

Mommy I Do Not Love You Anymore

Kids say the darnedest things, but there's not a mother on Earth who wants to hear her son or daughter profess they've fallen out of love with the one who gave them life. It's not a good feeling y'all. I know, because my son said these words to me. If you know me in real …

3 Culprits that Steal a Mom’s Joy

First, FYI about a free Mom event for all of us, and then a video from the archives of my motherhood... Every year for the past several years my friend Tami Kiser, author of the book Smart Martha's Guide for Busy Moms, puts on a virtual (usually free!) conference for women. It's really a fantastic …

The Little Way to a Beautiful Home

I first heard about the little French girl who taught the world a "little way" they could love God, love people, and pursue holiness, when I was ten. I was raised a Presbyterian pastor's kid, and when I was nine my whole family converted to Catholicism. Up to that point, things like sacraments, the Rosary, …

Husband Care: 5 Daily Habits

Earlier in our marriage, my husband did not come home at the end of the day. Instead, most nights he arrived at the local circus for his dinner. Sometimes it was the local zoo. Just kidding. It was our house. It just looked and smelled like a zoo. As he pulled into our driveway I …

37 Ways to Romance Your Husband

[From the archives of my previous blog, Little Bit of Paradise...] I recently read an article written by a Catholic woman in which she outlined ways to romance our husbands. I must admit, the article left me more than a little frustrated. The ideas put forth in the article included the suggestions “leave lipstick kisses …

Meet Supermom

(From the archives of my previous blog, Little Bit of Paradise)... I’ve noticed a recurring theme on “mom blogs” as the calendar turned a New Year: lots of moms are writing about once and for all “throwing in the towel” and committing to give up any notion of being – or ever becoming – “Supermom.” …

The Way to His Heart (Recipe Included)

6:00 pm on a weeknight and he steps out of the car, grabs his suit coat and his briefcase and tries to slough off the stresses of the job as he walks up the driveway to the peels of “Daddeeeeeees Hoooommmmme!” emanating from the dining room window. As he opens the door he’s greeted by …

NFP Sucks

Note: Writers and theologians far more qualified than I have written tomes about what NFP (Natural Family Planning) is, why it is important, and how to practice it in your marriage. So for the sake of time and space, I won’t go into those details, and will in fact assume you can find a basic education …

7 Ways to Help a Child Fight Allergies

My son Mark suffers from severe environmental and seasonal allergies. Of all his allergies, he’s most allergic to oak tree pollen. Translated, this month is ground zero for his symptoms. If I left him untreated his face would look like this ^ and his eyes would swell shut all through the yellow pollen dump.  Watching …