My 9yo son asked me yesterday if it was easier having a baby in the house with big kid helpers or if it’s easier to just have one baby in the house and no other kids to care for. (We just had our fourth little one in August.) I had to think about it for a minute. Having big kid helpers is so different than having only toddlers! It’s downright dreamy. But life is certainly pretty busy over here, … [Read more...]
What NBC’s “Parenthood” Reminded Me About Marriage
Over the past couple of years, I’ve made my way through the NBC show Parenthood in spurts, finally finishing the series during a pretty epic season of Netflix binge watching. It’s not a perfect show (read: it’s not Mad Men) but I enjoyed it. And some of the themes surprised me. (Psst! Spoilers within! Ye have been warned!) The plot is built around the four children of Zeke and Camille … [Read more...]
You Don’t Have to Go to Grad School (to have a life of the mind)
“If you quit this program, you’ll become intellectually stagnant,” warned a professor, and fellow mom, who was urging me to finish my art history grad program instead of stay home with my 18-month-old son. After graduation, almost all of my college friends went on to grad school. I took two years off while my husband Daniel finished his degree and we had our first child. It never really occured … [Read more...]
20 Picture Books That Will Delight Your Children (And That Won’t Annoy You)
This is a popular post from the archives that has been brushed up to share some of our favorite picture books! These are some tried and true titles that have passed an important test: we've read them hundreds of times to our kids and don't hate them yet (miraculous, no!?). The stories and illustrations of these books are enchanting and they have become classics in our household. Enjoy our list and … [Read more...]
Praying with Your Feet
Sometimes I make the mistake of separating my spiritual life from my vocation as a wife and mother. I see my children as distractions from prayer and spirituality, rather than an opportunity to love God. On a particularly trying morning with a very fussy infant at church, I spent almost all of Mass outside holding my crying baby and watching Mass through the door. Afterwards, I lamented to a … [Read more...]
