As he lay in his hospital crib, the newborn’s parents were warned that his mind and body would be limited because of cerebral palsy.  His mom wrote the following: I can and will keep asking for a miraculous full restoration.  But in the meantime I also have to be prepared for God...

When I first heard the rumblings that Betty Beguiles’ Hallie Lord was writing a book I grew eager with anticipation.  When I read the title, Style, Sex, & Substance, I knew I’d like it.  When I saw the list of contributors – several of whom rank among my favorite...

In the middle of a test the teacher caught a boy cheating.  According to her classroom policy she took the test and the boy was given an automatic zero.  The next day after school the boy and his mother sat in the classroom, meeting with the teacher.  The mother insisted her son did not...

Maybe you are a student with a busy life of studying, volunteering, working, discerning.  In the midst of the busyness you have the task of figuring out your life. Maybe you are a working woman with bills to pay, events to plan, decisions to make, and questions to answer.  Every day you...

Looking at pictures of the March for Life makes me happy, with a little twinge of “Oh-I-wish-I-coulda-been-there!”  All these people, many of them still students, interrupting their lives to joyfully support the great gift of life.  And every year when 40 Days for Life comes...

To be honest, I had to look up the word “tribunal” in the dictionary to make sure I knew what it meant.  (I did.)  I share that semi-embarrassing fact for two reasons.  First, so no one out there stops reading this because they think it’s going to be filled with...

This Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, is one of my favorites in the year.  Gaudete Sunday – Rejoice! For two weeks we have been mindful of our sins, preparing our hearts for the coming of the Lord.  We’ve gone to the parish Penance Services.  We’ve built beds of paper...

Dear Santa, First, may I call you St. Nicholas? I’m much more comfortable  with that name. So St. Nicholas, now that Advent has begun I’m writing to tell you that I’m very concerned. I mean, what happened? For hundreds of years you were this beloved saint, a bishop who...

My husband and I are expecting our fifth child! Maybe you’ve noticed that a lot of my posts have included lists lately.  We can blame the morning sickness and fatigue that comes with the first trimester.  (How’s that for a good excuse!) So I am in my fourth month of pregnancy, 15...

I think sometimes I take for granted all the tidbits of Catholicism that I know – and not just the facts, doctrines, and teachings but all the little nuances of how to live a Catholic life.  This was really made clear when I attended a RCIA class with a good friend who has asked me to...

I love music and I love all kinds of it.  I believe that my taste in music is super awesome and therefore it’s really important to me to pass on my excellent taste to my children.  Heaven forbid they are overly influenced by their dad who likes classic rock and techno.* For the most...

I am a Catholic Mommy Blogger and most of my friends are either reading or writing Catholic Mommy Blogs, too.  So we had a great conversation about Julie Rodrigues’ article Give Beauty Slowly (and Mormon Mommy Blogs). To begin, I want to mention a couple of the points made in the Salon...

Sometimes I find myself struggling to find the balance between the intellect, beauty, and excellence of Catholicism and the monotony, poop, and half-hearted tries of my every day life as a Catholic.  This is even more true when I read the occasional article on Catholicism where we Catholics...

My husband, Travis, and I are going on five years - five years of wedded bliss. Of course five years of marriage doesn’t make me an expert but I have learned a few things along the way.  If I could go back to 25-year-old, engaged Bonnie these are a few of the things I’d tell my...

Today my one year old gave me open-mouth kisses as he giggled.  My two-year old ran across a crowded living room and gave me a great big hug.  My three-year old explained that the Eucharist, “the little white cookie,” is Jesus’ blood and we can eat that, but we cannot eat...

Somewhere between the occult and harvest parties lies what Halloween could and should be. I used to think that I had to keep all ghosts, witches, and monsters out of Halloween, no matter how cutesy.  I don’t want to foster in my children an interest in the occult and I thought that...

The cool season of autumn is warmly greeted in my home.  I am eager to take my kids to a pumpkin patch, have my husband haul our decorations out of the basement, and cheer on the Bears while we eat chips and dip.  I look forward to the holidays that fall brings, a warmer wardrobe, cider,...

For the record, I agree with what Marc Barnes said.   Except I would have highlighted Brooke Frasier’s peppy ”Something in the Water“  instead of the beautiful but solemn “Flags“.  As a mom of a 1, 2, and 3-year-old I need peppy, something to make me shake it...

One year ago today I delivered my son, a stillborn.   For a moment he was placed in my arms quiet, blue, and limp.  The midwife and her assistant then took him from me and began CPR.  They could not find a pulse.  He did not breathe.  Because we were at home (it was my third, planned...

Of course I’m not speaking for you, or all Catholics, or even my husband, but nfp is the hardest and easiest part of my marriage, my life, and the living out of my faith. It’s easy because as a married Catholic, faithful to the teachings of Christ and His Church, practicing nfp is...

All over the internet people are commenting on the teachings of the Catholic Church.  We write, read, and argue about what is modest, how NFP should be used, if altar girls are bad, whether guitars and tambourines are reverent enough for Mass, and if women will ever be priests.*  These...

I finally had the chance to sit down and watch The King’s Speech.  Way before it won all its awards I knew I would like it as it possesses the following qualities:  a plot about royalty (check), British accents (check), period costuming (check), and Colin Firth (check).  All of these...