It's a birthday weekend at our house. My father-in-law's birthday was yesterday and I get to share a birthday (27!) with Our Lady today. When Benjamin heard that we would be celebrating Mary's birthday, he asked to make her a card. "Blue paper because she loves blue. And a pink cake with candles on the front." Blue and pink, Our Lady's colors of faithfulness and love. Here's what he asked me … [Read more...]
A Mother’s Love, A Mother’s Fear
It was the night that we brought our firstborn home from the hospital and I was crying like my heart would break. I had a wonderful natural birth, no complications, and a beautiful healthy baby boy. Everything was perfect. Then a storm rolled in. Not a soothing rainstorm, one of those eerie, harsh Texas storms that turn the sky an odd, unsettling color. Our front door was blown open with a bang … [Read more...]
A Trip to the Ancient City
Last weekend my husband swept me away for a weekend in St. Augustine to celebrate our sixth anniversary (we went there for our honeymoon). After a scramble to pack with two little ones underfoot (note to self: next time pack when they’re sleeping) including tears when I couldn’t figure out how to fold up the maddening pack n’play (why do they make them so impossible?), we were off with this … [Read more...]
Getting to Know Mary (And a GIVEAWAY from Trendy Traditions! NOW CLOSED)
Daniel and I both agree that getting to know the Blessed Virgin Mary is one of the most grace-filled aspects of our conversion to Catholicism. It was not so long ago that the idea was absolutely unfamiliar to me. I grew up in the Protestant tradition which, in my experience, completely ignored the Mother of God except during Christmas time when we were sure to mention that she was “just a regular … [Read more...]
The Cover of TIME and the Blessed Virgin Mary
Ok, so I promised I wouldn’t talk about sex for awhile after my two-part ramble on contraception, etc. But then I saw this TIME cover: You guys know that I’m a huge supporter of breastfeeding in public. Breastfeeding is not a sexual act. Breasts are not merely sexual. Breastfeeding in public IS NOT immodest. So, why does this image look so sexual? Some might claim that nursing is an … [Read more...]
Why I Breastfeed in Public: The Blessed Virgin Mary Does It!
There was an uproar recently when a women was kicked out of a church for nursing her child in the service and the pastor compared her public breastfeeding to a stripper performing. What?! I know. Insanity. A blog I read posted the news article on FB and a commenter expressed her view that nursing in church was very inappropriate and that the mother was wrong to do so. She went on to say that she … [Read more...]
10 Ways to Nurture Positive Body Image for Your Daughter
I’m not an expert. My daughter’s a baby and whether she’ll turn out to have a positive body image is yet to be seen. But, I’ve learned a few things about the challenge of nurturing a positive body image over the past two and a half decades from growing up as a girl in our weight-obsessed culture, watching my mother thoughtfully and intentionally raise me, and as a ballet teacher seeing … [Read more...]
First Advent: Repost
This is a repost from last year of a piece I wrote for our beloved Landing Literary Society in Waco about what pregnancy taught me about Advent and I'm thinking of sweet friends who are expecting this year during the Advent season (hi, Jen, Jeni, and Emily!) ---------------------------------- I was huge. Not just big—gigantic. Even before I entered my third trimester, well-intentioned old … [Read more...]
Birthday and Settling on a Baby Name!
I'm awake at 4am with a little pregnancy insomnia, that pregnancy refluxy feeling, and after being awakened by what sounds like a crazy party at our backyard neighbors house (3:30 am...on a THURSDAY morning, people?!). But it's my birthday! 26! AND I get to share it with Our Lady because September 8th is the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. Last night Daniel's family completely spoiled me with … [Read more...]
The Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary
I love Botticelli. His images of Our Lady are probably my favorite. This one is titled "Madonna of the Magnificat" but I thought of it today on the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary because the angels in the upper section are crowning her Queen of Heaven. In the image, she is writing down the beautiful poetry, the Magnificat, from the Gospel of Luke when she tells Elizabeth: My soul doth … [Read more...]
