Room to Breathe

by Rachel Balducci in Family on Friday, August 10, 2012 12:18 PM

When my big kids were babies, I couldn’t imagine being away from them. Here I was, one mom to so many little boys and it never occurred to me that I needed time away. I didn’t. Not at that point. The days were long, but they were also filled with naps and early bedtimes and despite lots of little children underfoot (in a good way!) I never had that urge to get time to myself.

Or so I thought. Because when our oldest turned five and had barely missed the age cutoff for kindergarten, we decided to... READ MORE

Just for Single Ladies

by Kelly Dolin in Family on Wednesday, July 25, 2012 11:23 PM

It’s 1993. I’m a bridesmaid for something like the seventh time in twelve months.

“You’ve been a bridesmaid SEVEN times,” my neighbor Gary exclaims. “What does this mean?”

“I have pastel pumps in every color of the rainbow,” I tell him.

(I should have added that I was also flat broke. When you’re always the bridesmaid and never the bride, your bank balance takes a beating.)

Eventually, of course, I was the bride. Marrying at 32 meant that I was single for what seemed a l-o-n-g time. Those were... READ MORE

Secret to Serenity

by Simcha Fisher in Family on Sunday, July 15, 2012 5:46 PM

I have an almost perfect record in gardening: every single thing that I plant dies.

It doesn’t matter if it’s seeds, seedlings, mature plants, bulbs, or even those seed-impregnated sheets of cardboard for the truly inept. I put it in the ground, I sprinkle some water, and I wave goodbye, because I know I’ve just condemned another little bit of green innocence to death.

I never learn.

There is, however, one thing I have figured out. I should leave the kids out of it. There are some things too terrible... READ MORE

Something Beautiful for God

by Rachel Balducci in Family on Sunday, July 01, 2012 8:38 PM

When I was growing up, my friend Susie was the only person I knew who said a daily rosary. I knew lots of people who said the rosary of course, but no one else came from a family that said it every single day. Seven p.m. sharp. No matter what.

Many a summer evening, I would run across the street to meet up with Susie only to be invited by her dad to stay for the rosary and then we could head out to play. There was no big fanfare about it, no overlording or raised tones. It was just a given: this... READ MORE

What the Meek Inherit

by Danielle Bean in Family on Sunday, June 24, 2012 11:48 PM

Sometimes, looking like a crazy woman with a few kids more than she can handle has its privileges.

Last week, I took some of the kids shopping at one of those mega-store Super Centers. I won’t tell you the name of the chain. Let’s just say it starts with “Wal” and ends with a headache. Every time.

I do not relish spending time in these places. But when you live where I do and every last member of your household needs socks, you don’t have much of a choice. As every country bumpkin knows, when it... READ MORE

A Wretch Like Me

by Daria Sockey in Family on Sunday, June 17, 2012 11:17 PM

I am so glad to be a wretch again. Really.

The offertory hymn was Amazing Grace. I opened our missalette and began singing. For the last ten years or more there had been a politically correct redaction of the lyrics, turning “that saved a wretch like me” into “that saved and set me free”. Put in place, no doubt, by powerful elements of the self-esteem lobby.

But now, the original, powerful phrase had been restored, along with an asterisk and footnote explaining that the change had been made in order... READ MORE

Do What You Are Doing

by Kelly Dolin in Family on Sunday, June 10, 2012 8:44 PM

There’s a story—I true one, I believe—about three priests sitting around talking. Two of them were playing a game of chess.

One of the men posed this question: What would you do if you knew the world would end in fifteen minutes?

The first priest said he would immediately go to the church and begin to offer Mass. The second priest declared that he would attempt to ease someone’s pain and suffering. The third priest said that he’d finish his game of chess.

To everything there is a season and a time... READ MORE

Learning As We Craft

by Jake Frost in Family on Friday, June 01, 2012 8:34 AM

You’ve got to take whatever life throws at you.  And if you’re a parent, you probably have to wipe it up, too.

Especially when it comes to craft time.  Few words can strike more fear into the hearts of parents with young toddlers than “craft time.”  When the paint is flying and the glue is dripping, things can get a little distressing – particularly for your furniture. 

I’m always interested in old parenting “how-to” books from yesteryear, and in one from 1964 called A Do-It-Yourself Guide to Family... READ MORE

Sibling Revelry

by Rachel Balducci in Family on Sunday, May 20, 2012 9:25 PM

We had a feast at my house the other night. It felt like a billion of my closest friends dropped by for dinner, but when I sit and actually count heads I realize there were only about twenty-five of us.

But still, twenty-five. Twenty-five is a big number when you consider all those people are your immediate family — your parents and their children and their children’s children. And that was with a few people missing.

When my family gets together it is animated and loud and exhausting. It’s also... READ MORE

Give What You've Got

by Jake Frost in Family on Sunday, May 13, 2012 8:55 PM

Sometimes I marvel at the creative power of the human mind. Like whoever first thought of grabbing the wind out of the sky and putting it to work for us. Someone, somewhere long ago, needed more grain milled. What to do? Get more serfs, hire more hands, harness more horses. But what if you don’t have serfs or money or horses?

“Well,” the unknown but audacious innovator thought, “the wind is free for the taking. I’ll use that.” Propeller-powered electric-turbines and the TVA weren’t far behind.

I... READ MORE

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