— 1 —
Live! From The Gist!

We’re in Boston today (and yesterday) taping the remainder of the second season of The Gist. It’s terrifically fun, as usual, but also exceptionally exhausting. I have a couple of my girlies along with me this time and the three of us fell into bed for deep deep sleep while watching Kung Fu Panda 2, at an embarrassingly early hour last night. Good bonding stuff.

Also, we are doing a Christmas special for the show! Such fun and so pretty — wait till you see our Very Merry background. Look for it this December!

— 2 —
New Babies

Did you hear the good news that Hallie and Jen have recently shared? I am so happy for these two sweet ladies who are enjoying pregnancy together this time around. Please join me in praying for them and their families.

— 3 —
Year of Faith

At Catholic Digest, we are observing the Year of Faith (October 11, 2013 – November 24, 2013) with some short reflections on the Catechism by the ever-awesome Pat Gohn. Make sure you are a subscriber so you don’t miss out!

Also, for the Year of Faith, I am participating in an Ascension Press newsletter project, called Faith in Action. This newsletter features weekly reflections from Catholic authors that will be sent out during the coming year. I am honored to be a part of it and hope you will sign up to receive the free newsletters. Get all the information you need to subscribe to Faith in Action right here.

— 4 —
Hot Stuff

Is it warm in here? Or is that just me? Or is that … oh, don’t be silly. I’m only 40! It’s definitely not that.

(right?)

— 5 —
5K Update

I was happy with my finish in my recent race, but even happier (and prouder!) of Ambrose’s performance that day. He won his age group! He came in 11th overall! I am so impressed with that big, fast, hard-working boy of mine. He’s even too manly to wear the pink ribbon he won. Way to go, Ambrose!

— 6 —
Planning for Christmas

Maybe it’s the taping of the Gist Christmas special, but for some reason, I have Christmas on my mind. I long ago accepted the fact that I will never be one of those hyper-organized women who gets all her shopping done by November 1, but a little pre-planning/brainstorming can’t hurt.

Inspire me! What’s the very best Christmas present you ever gave or received?

— 7 —
Family Movie Night

I sometimes like to torture my immediate family members by announcing a mandatory Family Movie Night. I say “torture” because choosing a movie that is equally liked and appreciated by everyone, from age 6 to 41, is a tough task. We inevitably wind up catering to the younger crowd, at the older crowd’s expense. I try to make up for it with decent snacks, but it still would be nice to have a list of whole-family movies that have been successful for others to draw from.

What movies have you enjoyed as a family? Ones that meet the usual requirements for decency, but aren’t a total snooze-fest for older kids?
—

That’s all for now! Hope your weekend is great! (Go see the lovely and pregnant Jen for more of these!)

— 1 —
Small Steps

The other day, Stephen approached me with a twinkle in his eye. “You know,” he said, “your book is selling for $999 on Amazon … Don’t we have some of those around here?”

Indeed it is. And indeed we do. Just a very few, mind you. I explained the concept of “out of print” to the child, but still he was not convinced that we should not actually be making a killing on the internet.

Soon, sweetie. Soon.

Ave Maria Press plans to make Small Steps available to everyone in the spring of 2013, and my co-author Elizabeth and I will be so happy when they do. Stay tuned here for updates!

— 2 —
Runner’s Highs and Lows

I have been continuing my running workouts, and as I run, I think about the concept of “runner’s high” often. Sometimes, I experience runner’s lows. As in (usually between miles 1 and 2), I run while thinking:

Why does anyone Ever! Do! This!? Why do I? Do! This??? …

I think my leg is broken. Or maybe that’s my lung.

Whatever it is, something is definitely not functioning properly. I should put an end to this foolishness and seek medical intervention Right! Now!

But then there are highs, too. Usually somewhere between miles 2 and 3, I think I start to lose my mind. It’s then that I begin to think:

This is the awesomest thing I have Ever! Done! … I should Always! Be! Running! Everyone should Always! Be! Running! Because obviously, running is the Best! Thing! Ever! Let it Never! Stop!

Do people know about this? Because seriously, everyone should Always! Be! Running!

RUN! NING! NOW! Whhhhhheeeeeee!

I’m pretty sure both experiences are somewhat removed from reality, and I am currently trying to find a balance between the two. I will keep you posted.

— 3 —
Apple Pie

It is officially autumn in New England, so I baked two apple pies this week. I ignored the piles of laundry, the un-answered emails in my inbox, the unwashed sheets lying filthily in everybody’s beds, and I baked two apple pies from scratch. Yes, I did, and yes, it was worth it. And you should too. Don’t forget the vanilla ice cream.

— 4 —
Sleep Deprived

Earlier this week, my man mumbled these words: “I will drive the kids to school in the morning.”

SEXIER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN.

— 5 —
Wine-ing

Sometimes I think I should not drink so much wine … And then I cry.

— 6 —
Laudamus Te

There is a beautiful new magazine you need to know about:

Laudamus Te

They describe themselves like this:

A seasonal publication which provides the daily Mass readings for the Extraordinary form of the Roman Catholic Mass as well as explanatory essays, commentaries by various saints and the Church Fathers, and devotional essays by Latin Mass priests and religious. The publication is intended to draw the faithful into a better understanding of the Mass and make possible deeper meditation and devotion as well to educate and inform those who are new to the Extraordinary form.

I know that you will enjoy this publication. I happen to know the people behind this project, and they happen to be a little bit awesome. So I hope that you will support them, with your subscriptions/donations/publicity.

Laudamus Te … Thank you!

— 7 —
The Blow Out

I had my roots touched up today, the stylist blow dried my hair before I left, and it looks amazing.

HOW DOES SHE DO THAT?

I have the blow dryer with diffuser. I have the hot air brush with ceramic core. I try to copy what my stylist does, and yet I always wind up a little more Gene than Jennifer.

Help?

Is this do-able at home? Is there a magic product or strategy that I am missing? Help a mom out.

—

That’s all you get! Hope your weekend is great! (Go see Jen for more of these!)

— 1 —
Conflicted

A conversation from my morning …

Daniel: I am so sad that I will never have any children.

Me: What makes you say that? Why wouldn’t you have children someday?

Daniel: Because … I will never kiss a girl.

— 2 —
For the Birds

We took the kids to a live Birds of Prey show at the Audubon Center last weekend. Others might have come to see eagles and falcons, but I was there for the owls. Here’s who was the star of the day, in my opinion:

If it were legal to keep these as pets, I would have several. Dozen.

— 3 —
Homemade Bread

You know, I used to make homemade bread all the time. When the first half of our family was still small, I baked every other day to supply for all our bread needs. I was adorable, I think. Anyway, fast forward about 10 years and I don’t do that anymore. At this stage in my life, I am okay with that, and my bread machine usually gets me through.

But last night I hit an all-time low. In a moment of weakness and desperation, I picked up a box of bread machine mix from the store. I wanted fresh bread to serve with dinner, knew I would have almost no time to even mix up my own batch of bread machine dough, and I had successfully used one of these mixes before.

But not so last night. All I can think was that maybe the yeast packet that came in the box had expired, but this loaf was no loaf. It was a very small brick. I could not even make a packaged box of bread machine mix come out right in a bread machine. It was a very low moment for me.

I might need to redeem myself this weekend by making a batch of these delicious cinnamon rolls — easily the most impressive thing I have ever made with my bread machine before. Here’s hoping.

— 4 —
Pink Eye Update

If you read the post below this one, you might be nervous about even reading on this website today, for fear of contracting the highly contagious and extremely undesirable Death Eye. But guess what? It isn’t Death Eye!

I was thrilled yesterday to discover that I am merely extremely allergic to something in the air, that happens to blast straight into my eyes when I am driving the van with the vents open. I realized this when it happened to me again yesterday. I was weeping as I drove to pick up Ambrose at cross country practice, “It’s not Pink Eye! It’s just a horrible allergic reaction to air! Thank you, Lord!”

— 5 —
Cashless

This having a no debit card while I am waiting for my bank to send me a new one thing? It’s getting old fast. I use that card for everything. EVERYTHING. Now I can do nothing. NOTHING. Amazon doesn’t work, Netflix doesn’t work, and Dunkin Donuts doesn’t take checks. The good news is that I am probably having the most frugal week of my entire life.

— 6 —
Busy Days Ahead

The first week of October, I will run my first 5K in about 20 years, make a quick trip to Connecticut to send the November issue of Catholic Digest to the printer, spend two days in Boston taping the remainder of this season’s The Gist, and arrive home just in time for the weekend of the fair.

Please join me in my denial of what this schedule will mean for my personal sanity, state of my laundry piles, and cleanliness of my bathroom.

— 7 —
Go Outside and Play

I just realized how beautiful a day it is outside today. The big kids will still have to complete their schoolwork, but the little kids are getting tossed out into the yard. Right now.

Hope your weekend is great! (Go see Jen for more of these!)

— 1 —
Robbed

I spent the last 45 minutes chasing down a fraudulent charge that was charged to my debit card at BarnesandNoble.com. The charge is in the process of being refunded and my debit card has been cancelled, but can I just say that this is not fair? When Dan’s card was hacked a few months ago, the crooks were making their way through France and Germany, buying cases of expensive wine, but I get thieves who read instead of traveling the world while drinking? Figures.

— 2 —
The Gist

The new season started last week, but I have been so busy with the start of school, that I have yet to watch a complete episode. Will you check it out with me, and let us know what you think? And then please like us on Facebook, so you can participate in our polls and discussions. See you there!

— 3 —
Running

Late this summer, I picked up running again. After years of debilitating joint pain that made it impossible for me to run regularly, I am healed (I think)! It’s a miracle (I think)! This is great news for me because I really enjoy running and was so sad to give it up. I even signed up to run a 5K in a couple of weeks. My goal is to make it through the race and not come in last. A pretty safe goal, I think, because there is bound to be someone there walking, right? I’m banking on that.

Also, because I am a total dork and unashamed to admit it, I timed myself running a practice 5K last night and then compared my results to the girls’ results in a recent cross country meet that Ambrose participated in. And guess what? I totally beat some of those whippersnappers! Should I call them up and encourage them to enter my race? Nah, just kidding. Sort of. No really, kidding.

Does anyone have running shoes they recommend? Mine are okay (Saucony), but I am really interested in getting a very supportive pair of shoes, to reduce the likelihood that I will go back to my achey joint ways.

— 4 —
Dinner

The cooler temperatures of fall always inspire me to try some new recipes, and there is nothing quite like Pinterest for finding some great new recipes to try. One recent winner in our house was this super easy chicken. It’s called World’s Best Chicken, and I must say it pretty nearly lives up to its name, even if only because 1) it’s not horrible for you 2) you can put it together in minutes, and 3) everyone actually eats it. WINNER!

— 5 —
My Baby

He is six. I am not kidding. But it kind of feels like God must be. How else to explain the fact that my baby — my sweet newborn infant — is now six years old?

— 6 —
Ten Minutes

I really like Rachel’s 10 minute idea, don’t you? Let’s hold her to it.

— 7 —
Catholic Digest

Our October issue, featuring contributions from Sarah Reinhard, Daria Sockey, Simcha Fisher, Karen Edmisten, and more of your favorites, will be arriving in subscribers’ mailboxes very soon. Are you one of them? Don’t miss out — sign up today!

— 1 —
Pinterest, anyone?

I have been exploring the use of Pinterest recently and I must admit that I am enjoying the discovery of a whole new way to waste time on the internet.

But is it really time-wasting?

To me, it feels like (and I use it like) flipping through the pages of a magazine. It’s recreational and relaxing. really enjoy finding and sharing inspiring ideas and images. Do you, too? Come hang out for a while!

— 2 —
The Gist!

I was in Boston last week, taping an all new season of The Gist. Like the last time, it was hilarious and exhausting and so very much fun all at once. Rachel gives you a bit of a behind-the-scenes look here and here, so I will refrain from sharing too much more, except to say what a treat it was to (finally!) meet Carolee’s precious baby boy, Joey. I brought along 12-year-old Juliette to help with watching him while we were taping and he was such a good sport during the whole distracting week.

Look for the second season of The Gist to premiere this fall — we can’t wait to share it with you!

— 3 —
Am I Really Only on Three??

This is killing me.

— 4 —
Small Steps Update

Great news! Elizabeth Foss and I are wrapping up details with a new publisher for Small Steps for Catholic Moms. We are currently sold out of all copies, and yet I hear from people looking for this book nearly every week. We love that it is such a helpful book for so many moms and are doing our best to get it back in print, with a fresh new format, as soon as possible. We will be sure to let you know as soon as it becomes available.

— 5 —
CMN in August

Will you be at the Catholic Marketing Network Trade Show this year (August 28-31)? I will be there for Catholic Digest, and I would love to connect with you. Let me know if I should look for you there.

— 6 —
Did I Mention I Turned 40?

Oh, I guess I did. Well, if we aren’t friends on Facebook or Twitter, you might have missed the amazingly awesome tiki hut Dan built me for my party, so I’ll share that here:

So very awesome, right? Go ahead and tell him so. He seems to like to hear it.

— 7 —
Smells Like Summer

I love summer scents! I couldn’t resist a couple of weeks ago and bought a bottle of this body mist:

I loved its summery fruity scent and was sure Dan would like it too. And he does like it. But he says that whenever I wear it, he can’t stop thinking about a fresh box of these:

A positive association for sure, but maybe not quite the romantic summer scent I’m looking for.

And that’s it! I’m done! And it’s only Saturday! Go check out all the other Quick Takes posts at Jen’s place.

— 1 —
Phone Covers
I have a bad habit of buying fancy covers for my cell phone. The latest is this one. See? Pretty? I feel better having shared this with you.

— 2 —
Great Outdoors
I have never been, but I am determined to go cross country skiing. Seems like I should do something fun with the white stuff that piles up outside this time of year. I’ve been researching and it looks like I can rent equipment for a reasonable price to try it out at some nearby trails. Also snowshoeing? That looks pretty cool too. Any experienced skiers/snowshoers care to share some advice or recommendations?

— 3 —
Anonymous Wine
I am not complaining, but someone sent me some wine. A giant crate of really good stuff (plus a fancy opener) was delivered here to my name yesterday … with no card. If you were the very nice person who did this, please let me know so I can properly thank you. Meantime, CHEERS!

— 4 —
Behold
Have I mentioned that I will be at the Behold Conference this year? Well, I will be. I am really looking forward to meeting old friends and new. With so many friendly and familiar faces confirmed attendees already, this is sure to be an event quite like our Mom’s Day Away with Faith & Family last year. Maybe you could consider making the trip too? We would love to see you there!

— 5 —
New England Catholic Homeschool Conference
Speaking of conferences, I will also be speaking at the New England Catholic Homeschool Conference in Methuen, Massachusetts this year. Have you registered yet? It’s a really large and vibrant event, worth attending for the vendors alone!

— 6 —
Great Little Video
I am shamelessly stealing this one from Jen’s Quick Takes at ConversionDiary. It’s a great (very short) video featuring Kimberly Hahn that really offers a great way to look at our life. Watch it. I promise you will get something out of it.

— 7 —
Sounds of Pixar

Gabby got this CD of Pixar songs for Christmas. She has been playing it every day and I am surprised by how pleasant these songs are in the background of our daily life. So many of them call to mind some of our favorite family movies and characters.

— 1 —
Resolutions
Are you making any? I can’t decide if I want to or not. I’m not usually motivated to make life-changing kinds of commitments until Lent anyway. That buys me more than two months to make up my mind. Perfect!

— 2 —
The Gist
Have I mentioned The Gist here yet? I have? Oh. That’s probably because I am all kinds of excited about it premiering next Wednesday morning. Make sure you check in at Faith & Family Live to join us for live chat during the show (Wednesday, January 4, beginning at 10:15 am EST).

— 3 —
Zits
They are taking over my face. Is it stress? Is it hormones? Is it the Christmas fudge? SOMEBODY! HELP!

— 4 —
Le Sigh for New Year’s
We had such fabulous plans for New Year’s Eve. I was really looking forward my brother and sister and her family visiting us for the weekend. But then some of us started throwing up and all the plans got cancelled. I am doing my best to not wallow in disappointment. We will be making gingerbread houses, ordering Chinese food and toasting the New Year with just the ten of us this year. When I write those words — just the ten of us — the ridiculousness of my disappointment becomes clear. I miss my extended family, but we are our own party.

— 5 —
Phoneless
I have no cell phone these days. Well, actually, I do have a cell phone that we pay lots of money for each month, but I can’t seem to keep it charged. You see, I can’t find my wall charger and using my car charger is soooo inconvenient when it’s 15 degrees outside.

I just can’t bring myself to buy a new wall charger because to do so would be to admit that I did in fact forget my charger in a hotel room AGAIN. And I did not do that. Do you hear me? I did NOT. I’m sure it’s here somewhere and I will find it, just as soon as I search my empty suitcase for the twelfth time or dump the contents of that purse I haven’t used since July. Because I did not forget it in a hotel again. I did NOT.

— 6 —
Gold Rush
Do you watch the show? Dan and I watch sometimes and find ourselves yelling things at the screen like “Get a real job!” and “Give up, already!” But this kid and his relationship with his grandfather make me tear up. I really like that some kids and some families are still sweet and close like that.

— 7 —
Blessings to You
Thank you for being here. May God shower you and yours with many blessings in 2012!

— 1 —
Early Snow

We got a couple of inches last night and they are predicting several more on Saturday night and into Sunday morning. I know we live in New Hampshire, but this is ridiculous. I am not yet ready to begin 6 months of winter. The youngest boys, however, totally are. As the snow fell last night, they shouted and danced on the lawn. Barefoot.

— 2 —
Throwing in the Towel

I wash way too many towels way too often. I am wasting time and energy and laundry soap and water because I have no system. It’s easier to throw once-used towels in the laundry than to to attempt to keep track of them, dry them, and re-use them. There is no way my bathroom can reasonably accommodate the number of drying racks we would need for the number of towels we use daily. My mom installed towel racks in our bedrooms when we were teens (and I think we had color-coded towels) but I am hesitating to take that step. Towel racks in bedrooms? Is there some other alternative? There has to be.

— 3 —
Comments

Guess what? I am opening comments on this blog. Not because I expect all kinds of conversation to be happening in this oft-neglected space, but because I sometimes want the option to ask questions here, and it just feels like a good idea. I do, however, reserve the right to change my mind. Heh.

— 4 —
The Crazy

I had a dream last night that Dan brought me two pumpkin lattes in bed. I rejected them, he got offended, and left in a huff. So irritated was I by his huffiness that I woke up. I lay there in bed at 4 am, really resenting the man lying next to me for his bad behavior. And then I realized that it had all been a dream.

All of this to say: Girls? Sometimes we’re just plain crazy.

— 5 —
Reading & Advent

I had a lot of fun chatting with Sarah Reinhard and Rebecca Teti in yesterday’s Faith & Family podcast. We talked about pleasure reading and (gulp) getting ready for Advent this year. If you have an idea for a topic you would like us to take up on a future podcast, give us a call at 1-413-FAITH-55 and leave a voice recording telling us all about it.

— 6 —
Fitness Update

I am currently in my second month of ChaLEAN Extreme and really enjoying it. I’ve shared my love for P90X before, I still do love those workouts (I still do some of them on occasion, especially Ab Ripper and Kenpo). I found, though, that working out for an hour a day, 6 days a week was getting too intense and time-consuming for me. It just didn’t seem necessary. I find the Chalene Johnson workouts to be a nice compromise in that way. Most are about 40 minutes long, but they still make up a sufficiently challenging weight training program. I like Chalene’s positive attitude and fun personality (But I would not use these workouts with my husband or sons — her fitness attire is a bit revealing).

— 7 —
Scarf Library

Have you seen this? It’s awesome. I shared it with my daughters, and Juliette has been inspired to try out all the cool ideas. She even came to me with a fun idea. She would like us girls to pool our scarf wardrobes (and add to it, naturally) to build a “scarf library” that we all have access to whenever we like. We already (kind of) do this with earrings and some shoes. This having growing daughters who are my size thing is totally fun.

I hope you have a great weekend! And be sure to check out all the other Quick Takes over at Jen’s place.