You shall not covet your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife… or anything that belongs to your neighbor.   Exodus 20:17

Christmas, and the days following, were magical in my house. All our visiting and traveling took place before the twenty-fifth. So, as the snow fell on Christmas morning, there was nowhere to go, and no have-to’s on the list. Alleluia!!!

For days, we stayed in pajamas, lounged around, watched movies, read books, and played games. Like I said, it was magical.

But all good things come to an end. When we finally ventured out, and reconnected with the world, comparison crept in. Continue reading →

“…. and greet no one along the way.”   Luke 10:4

The Middle School in our town issued Chrome Books to all the students this year. I was thrilled because our ipad keyboards are falling apart.

I thought my kids getting Chrome Books would streamline things, cut down on the amount of time they spend on homework. Although that’s the case with Zack, it’s having the exact opposite effect on Mason. Continue reading →

For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.      Luke 2:11

Seven years ago, when I was pregnant with Jocelyn, I noticed all the windows in my house were dirty. The funny thing is, we’d been living here for three years; yet I’d never noticed before. Regardless, once I did notice, they haunted me, and I became obsessed.

Clearly I was nesting, and in intense overdrive. But I felt like I couldn’t give birth until they were all clean, inside and out, upstairs and down. So I did the logical thing and threw a “window cleaning party” and invited my mom and sister, Kerry, to come.

I myself cleaned one window and had to sit down and rest. While Kerry graciously cleaned my carpets (my other obsession), my then seventy-five-year-old mother was left to finish the job. I was mortified. Continue reading →

He said, “I tell you truly, this poor widow put in more than all the rest, for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth, but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”    Luke 21:3-4

I love Thanksgiving weekend!

Every year, we have dinner with our extended family on Thursday, get our tree on Friday, let the branches fall on Saturday while we run around decorating the house, and then we decorate the tree on Sunday. The weekend culminates with the taking of the infamous Christmas card photo on Sunday night.

We have it all down to a science, including the drama that ensues during the picture taking. This year was no different… Continue reading →

Published on CatholicMom.com

When it comes to family excursions, I never tell my kids where we’re going. Instead, I call every outing an “adventure.” I just tell them what to wear, what to bring, and when to get in the car. So when we went to Crossing Life Church’s narrated Christmas hayride on Saturday night, my kids had no idea what to expect.

For forty-five minutes we waited in line, in the cold. But it was a beautiful night, a splendor of stars in the sky. They had hot cocoa to sip, and we took turns getting out of line to warm up by the bonfire. Finally, after our long wait, we climbed into the haywagon with excitement. Having kept the details a secret, my kids still didn’t really know what was in store.  Continue reading →

But it (the house) did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.        Matthew 7:25

I coached my daughter’s Destination Imagination (DI) team this year. DI is a problem solving program that incorporates engineering, drama, and team work. At each practice, I would have the kids solve a timed Instant Challenge (IC): some problem that needed to be solved in eight minutes or less. The majority of the IC’s required building.

It was fascinating to watch the kids in action. I wasn’t allowed to help them solve the problem; I could only give feedback after the fact. Countless times, my feedback included the lesson that a large and sturdy foundation supports better than a small and weak one. Continue reading →

Published on CatholicMom.com

Freeimages.com (2004), CC0 Public Domain

It was hard to be a good mother consistently when my kids were little. It wasn’t that they were more needy or misbehaved than most; it’s that the job description for a mom with young children is incredibly demanding. We’re asked to constantly give and give, with very little kid-free time or sleep under our belts. It may be wonderfully fulfilling to be a mom, but it’s equally exhausting.

My kids are now thirteen, eleven, and seven. Once this September rolled around, and they were all in school full time, my goal was to be a better mother, more present and patient during those handful of hours between school and bed time. But here it is December, and I’m still struggling to hit that goal. What is my problem? Continue reading →

In that day the heir to David’s throne will be a banner of salvation to all the world. The nations will rally to Him, and the land where He lives will be a glorious place.     Isaiah 11:10

My husband’s office is in our spare bedroom, and the majority of his work is done over the phone. So when my kids have friends over, I send them to the basement or outside to play. That way my husband’s clients don’t hear shrieking kids in the background. But on those rare days when he’s traveling, I let the kids have the run of the house, upstairs and down.

The usual game they choose is Hide ‘n Seek. As the Seeker counts to twenty, off the other kids go to hide in bedrooms and closets, hoping not to be found. Then the Seeker says, “Ready or not, here I come!”

It all reminds me of Advent. Continue reading →

For the first step toward wisdom is an earnest desire for discipline.      Wisdom 6:17

I had Zack’s parent teacher conference the week before last. I chose to meet with his science teacher because that’s the one class he’s really struggling in. It just didn’t make sense; Zack is incredibly bright. I needed to learn more about the teacher’s expectations, and get some insight into why the train was off the tracks.

It was a very difficult and discouraging conference. Continue reading →

I recognized that… all can eat and drink and enjoy the good of all their toil – this is a gift from God.     Ecclesiastes 3:13

Jocelyn adores her second grade teacher. She talks non-stop about all that she says and does. So when Jocelyn was chattering on and on in the car the other day about something she learned, my mind was elsewhere.

I finally tuned in, and was pretty impressed with all she was saying about the topic. When she finally took a breath, I said, “Wow, Jocelyn! You’re pretty smart. Who taught you that?” I presumed she would say her teacher. But to my surprise, that wasn’t the case. Continue reading →