Motherhood

Let’s Chat about Mentoring Relationships for Moms

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During a recent visit to the Omaha Zoo, I spotted this info board outside the gorilla exhibit and couldn’t help but make the connection to human motherhood as well. Indeed, my motherhood has been shaped and informed by watching seasoned (human!) mothers care for their young. I feel blessed to be friends with moms who’ve birthed several kids across a … [Read more…]

Leaving God at the Altar, Finding Him in My Housekeeping

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“It is most laudable in a married woman to be devout, but she must never forget that she is a housewife. And sometimes she must leave God at the altar to find Him in her housekeeping.” I first read those words by St. Frances of Rome back on March 9, her feast day. Depending on how you feel … [Read more…]

Filling My Spiritual Tank

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I’m trying something new here and linking up with Five Minute Friday.  Here’s the gist of FMF: a writing prompt is given and then I write about it for five minutes. It’s meant to be a free write, which means: no editing, no over-thinking, no worrying about perfect grammar or punctuation. Let me add, I shall not worry about judgment … [Read more…]

Laboring Through Lent

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Today we wrap up our Lenten Soup and Stories series with a terrific post from Marcia Mattern about the spiritual similarities between Lent and pregnancy. “Forty days, forty weeks (or in my case more like 41 or 42 weeks!) Waiting and waiting for that baby, waiting and waiting for Easter.” And we’re also treated to a soup recipe that Marcia prepared right before welcoming Baby #6!

The Das Schmidt Haus Baby Name Game

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Stop me if you’ve heard this one before.

An ancient history professor went to the hospital to be with his wife as she gave birth to their first child. While the baby was born, the professor’s expression never changed. The child was put in the arms of his mother. Still the professor’s countenance never changed. The family moved from the delivery room to the post delivery room. Still the man’s face didn’t change; it remained bland. A nurse noticed this and asked him to go into the hall while they examined the baby.

In the hall she asked the professor, thoughtfully, “What name will you give the baby?” He replied, “Theophilus.”

Make Your Own At-Home Stations of the Cross

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Note: This post originally published last year during Lent, and I’m updating it just a tad and republishing. I’ve seen a few “how to pray the Stations with your children” posts floating around social media lately, and I simply want to share something that works well in our home.

The Symbolism of My Pink Shoes

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I think one of the most beneficial outcomes of this 7×7 blogging challenge is it serves as a blogging closet clean-out of sorts, an opportunity to finish some of those half-finished posts collecting dust in this blog’s queue. Some of them … well, they bore me now and I send those packing. There are a … [Read more…]

How McDonald’s Shakes are Bad for Dogs

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** Disclaimer: Some details may or may not have been exaggerated in the retelling of this story. **

I know I’m not the only one going a bit stir crazy and itching for the first glimpse of spring. I hear people talking about “this crazy winter” nearly everywhere I go. Has it been colder or snowier than normal this winter where you live? It sure feels that way here in Iowa. Because it’s been so cold here, getting out, even to go deposit a check at the bank, requires bundling up kids like this: