About Arwen Mosher

Arwen Mosher Arwen Mosher lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband Bryan and their young children Camilla and Blaise. She has a bachelor's degree in theology. She dreads laundry, craves sleep, loves to read novels and do logic puzzles, and can't live without tea. Her personal blog site is ABC Family.
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Mix and (Don't) Match

Do you let little kids pick their own clothes?

Many days, my son wears more than one t-shirt. The first one is covered with yogurt or similar, so he gets a replacement. I can’t remember him ever doing what he did today, though: wearing two regular t-shirts simultaneously.

I got him dressed as usual, picking a cute blue t-shirt. He ripped it off and brought me an orange one from his dresser. Okay, not surprising - he loves bright colors and always... READ MORE


A Rose from the Flower

and her prayers, too

The feast of the Little Flower is almost over, and in case you didn’t get a rose today, here’s one. I wish I could give every reader a real rose, but virtual will have to do.

St. Therese is my sister’s patroness and ever since I read Story of a Soul in college, I’ve felt an affinity for her too. Today I asked her to say special prayers for all of our Faith & Family readers. I hope that you will feel God’s love through her in an extraordinary way.

Happy Feast of St. Therese!

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Easy Puree-ing

Immersion blenders: got an opinion?

I love pureed soups, and I love squash. Every autumn when the recipes show up online, I long for squash soup. But I have never made it.

In theory, I could. I have a perfectly good blender and you can make the soup then puree it in batches in your blender. With my tendency to spill things, though, I shudder to think of what my kitchen would look like after I tried my hand at pureed soup. So far I haven’t... READ MORE


Go Away, Book. Go Away!

Have children's books that make you cringe?

A while ago I asked about children’s books you love, which led to a thread full of suggestions. It’s been very helpful to me on our library visits.

But - as I’m sure we’ve all experienced - not all literature is created equal, even literature for little people.

I always cringe when my daughter heads for the rack of made-from-TV books. You know the ones: books that consist of the storyline and pictures... READ MORE


First Year Struggles

How'd you get through the beginning of your marriage?

A while ago I got an email from a reader asking for advice on thriving through the first year of marriage.

My first thought: Whoa. I am not the right person to be asking!

My husband and I have a wonderful marriage now. He is my partner in the best sense of the word. I love him and wouldn’t want to live without him. But our first year… well, it was a little rocky.

I think I honestly expected our marriage,... READ MORE


Little Musicians

How do you train them?

My daughter’s birthday is coming up, and she wants a drum.

It takes little to push me into audio-overload, so the idea of a drum makes me cringe, but I want to support her desire to have more music in her life.

(I hope she appreciates that I give her the benefit of the doubt and assume that it’s more music she wants. Even though, being almost-four, what she probably wants is not more music but more... READ MORE


Stimulate with Literature

Here’s a great article: “How to Raise Boys Who Read.”

It’s full of common sense, and the crux seems about right to me: “The secret to raising boys who read, I submit, is pretty simple—keep electronic media, especially video games and recreational Internet, under control (that is to say, almost completely absent). Then fill your shelves with good books.”

Read the whole thing here. Especially if you have boys of your own.

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When Siblings Rival

Got tools for meeting the challenge?

I adore my children, and I’m glad to have both of them. That goes without saying.

But you know what never happened when I only had one kid? Infighting.

Sometimes I’ll be in the bathroom brushing my teeth, and suddenly I hear the telltale shrieking that means I must scrub faster to get those molars clean and my mouth rinsed before I run to the living room and separate the children. If I don’t move... READ MORE


Worried about Pertussis?

What you should know

You’ve probably heard about the whooping cough in California, but did you know it’s in other places too?

When I found out that it’s going around our parish - and that my county has declared a pertussis epidemic - I did more research. I assumed that since my children and my husband and I are all vaccinated, we’d be safe, but I was concerned about what we could do to protect my sister’s newborn.

Did... READ MORE


No Kids, Please?

Choices of the child-free

I read an article this afternoon. I can’t decide whether to recommend that you read it or not.

It’s interesting. It’s well-written. It’s eye-opening. But, if you’re anything like me, it will also make you want to tear your hair out.

This piece in the Weekly Standard is called “There Goes the Neighborhood,” and it’s about the child-free movement.

Have you heard about this? If not, you might not want... READ MORE


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