Holy Week is the best time of the year to be Catholic. It’s a tour de force of incredible liturgies. It’s my favorite week of the year and this year...well, it’s going to be different. I’m grieving the loss of our Holy Week Masses. A Holy Saturday without going to the Easter Vigil? Until a pandemic swept the globe it really seemed unimaginable. But here we are. It’s an Easter for … [Read more...]
Easter Basket Gift Guide and Giveaway!
GIVEAWAY ENDED (This is a post from 2019 that I'm re-sharing so folks can support these small Catholic businesses.) Lent is drawing to a close and it's time to get geared up for Easter baskets! Our family usually attends the Easter Vigil late on Saturday night. That means wearing our fancy clothes and really hyping up the Mass for our kids: "There's gonna be a fire! We're all gonna get … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: April 2019 (Holy Week Resources and More!)
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: April 2017 (Holy Week and More)
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]
Last-Minute Easter Basket Ideas (with Discount Codes!)
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. A well-organized blogger would have shared these ideas at the beginning of Lent. But alas, you're stuck with me. But surely there's other folks out there who remember a couple weeks before Easter that Easter baskets are a thing, right? (Just say yes and humor me.) Easter is an important season! So while we definitely don't go nuts with Easter … [Read more...]
New Catholics, Here’s Why I’m So Excited for You
The church was dark but I could see the faces of my children illuminated by the light of their candles, lit from the Paschal candle. And my breath caught in my throat at how beautiful it was. This is the night, sang the priest from the Exsultet, an ancient chant only sung once a year, the night before Easter Sunday. We have the ambitious, some might say foolhardy, tradition of bringing our … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: April 2016
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to … [Read more...]
How to Do Holy Week (And Being Flexible When There Are Kids Involved) {Sponsored}
This post is sponsored by Toadily Handmade Beeswax Candles. See the end of this post for a giveaway of their beautiful candles! I can’t believe how quickly Lent is flying by. Does that mean I didn’t make it hard enough for myself? It’s possible. But that’s the great thing about Lent. You can always take note of how it’s going halfway through and ramp up the penitentialness (is that a … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: March 2016
Getting this one out just in the nick of time as March begins! Last week was busy because I went out of town for a night to speak at the Catholic student center in College Station (such great students! So much fun! And a big shout out to Martha who drove in from Huntsville--thanks for being there!) and then Sunday morning I got hit with a stomach flu that, thankfully, was quick to resolve itself … [Read more...]
Liturgical Living at a Glance: April
I’m always trying to figure out how to make it easier for families to observe the Christian Year because we felt so overwhelmed when we first started that journey (which is why we wrote the book we wish we had then). I thought it might be helpful for our family to have resources compiled for the month ahead so that we can plan in advance which special saints days we want to observe and I hope … [Read more...]