When I was first exploring Christianity, one weekend I found myself smack in the middle of the wealthiest part of town. Some family members had arranged for my husband and I to spend a weekend at a resort as a special gift for our anniversary, and it provided us with a rare opportunity to relax for a couple of days.

I spent a lot of time reading my new Bible (the first I’d ever owned) next to the picture window, which revealed a breathtaking view of the lush hills of west Austin. The landscape was dotted with million-dollar houses, each of which looked like something from the cover of Architectural Digest. And every time I saw one of those houses, the Gospel message fresh in my mind, I...READ MORE

One day I’ll be able to write something without linking to Marc Barnes. Alas, today is not the day. I keep thinking about his post, simply titled Be Awesome, in which he issues a rallying cry for Catholics to step up our game. He points out that the world needs to see the beauty of the Faith now more than ever:

The things we do should be fantastic. We’re not just anyone, we’re Catholics! What we do reflects our Church, and our Church is the only sane thing left in the world! Strive for excellence then, glorify God by using every drop of talent He’s given you, because I do believe that—now more than ever—our Church needs to reaffirm that we have brought the world the best literature, art,...READ MORE

The first time I went out to pray in front of an abortion clinic as part of a 40 Days for Life vigil, it felt surreal. Not only am I naturally awkward about public displays of faith, but less than a decade ago I was still a pro-choice atheist. In fact, it felt like such an unnatural thing for me to do that I was tempted to back out at the last minute and see if I could find someone else to cover my hour. I’m very glad that I went through with it, because it ended up being a powerful, eye-opening experience. Here are a few things I took away from it:

1. The pro-life movement is well organized. You can probably guess that from a glance at the impressive 40 Days for Life website, but I really...READ MORE

Is there anything more difficult than having a night where sleep is not on the agenda for one or more of your kids? Wait, actually, there is: When the number of hours of sleep you technically got does not come anywhere near to representing the epic scale of your evening, and thus you do not receive the proper amount of sympathy from the people around you. “Oh, six hours, that’s not so bad,” your boss comments when you drag yourself into the break room for your fifth cup of coffee.

As a service to parents everywhere, I have used my own hours of wakefulness during the wee hours of the night to create a Sleep Index. Like how the Heat Index tells you what you need to know to properly complain...READ MORE

“Okay, guys, it’s time for today’s lessons!” I say in my most positive voice. “We’re going to start with math. Let’s look at—”

“Maaa-aaath? I hate math!” comes a voice from the peanut gallery.

“I’m bored. I don’t want to do homeschool today,” says another one.

Thus began our first day of homeschooling for the season, and it only went downhill from there. The subsequent days have been somewhat better, but I still have to fight at least one battle of wills at the homeschool table every day. I don’t expect perfect behavior, but do ask that I see a slightly better attitude than you might expect from, say, prisoners working on a chain gang. We don’t always get there. And it tests the limits...READ MORE