I love how the internet and the media-that’s-not-really-”new”-anymore has opened many doors and windows in my life.

I’ve made friends who are not virtual in any way, though miles may separate us. We drink our coffee via Twitter, share joys via email, follow each other’s lives via blogs. We ask for sudden prayers through texts and even call from time to time to sob and pray out loud.

There is no doubt, to me, that the digital continent is a blessing in my life.

You can read the rest at the Catholic Writers Guild blog.

“Sharing Mary” at New Evanglizers

Sometimes, it’s far easier for me to talk about my faith than it is to live my faith.

Take Mary, for example.

I have a huge and ever-growing devotion to the Blessed Mother, and I’ve even written quite a bit about her. Most weeks, at my blog, I do a whole post about her or inspired by her.

So you might have the (false) impression that my kids know all about Mary. You might assume (wrongly) that my family prays the rosary. You might (mistakenly) think we do all sorts of Marian things in May every year.

Truth is, this year is the first time I’ve actually set up a May altar.

Join me there.

Tech Talk at CatholicMom.com: A Great Rosary App

Without my iPad, my prayer life is vastly different. For one thing, I lose my prayer book.

I added the Rosary HD app from ESB Solutions to my essential apps folder just last week. At $2.99, it’s a bargain. Take it fromsomeone who continues to search for the perfect rosary app.

(No such thing, sorry to say, but this one’s definitely a keeper!)

Let me walk you through Rosary HD and tell you what I love about it.

Read it all.

Review of Great Resources for Kids at CatholicMom.com

Excuse me if I sound a little hurried in this review. My seven-year-old returns from school soon and when she sees this pile, I’m going to lose them all. There’s no way my four-year-old will remain oblivious when her older sister shows interest.

And how could they NOT be interested in the beautiful books Pauline has sent to me for review? I’m still debating if I want to share them…

Read the rest for three great new titles from Pauline.

Celebrating May with Flowers

I’ve been Catholic long enough to know better.

I’m surrounded by blooming flowers: on the side of the road, in various flowerbeds, in the yard.

And I have young kids.

So what’s my excuse for not having a May altar of some sort before now?

Read the rest at Columbus Catholic Women.

Blog Talk at Catholic Writers Guild Blog

There’s something appealing about a good picture with a good blog post. I started using images as a matter of course when I noticed some of my favorite bloggers doing it.

It’s like a challenge, sometimes, finding the picture that expresses the post. Sometimes it’s a way of sending another message in the post.

In the rest of the post, I share my favorite free photo and image sources and a few tips for image use.

Two Little Words, Much Appreciated

It was a strange-looking envelope, made even more so by the fact that no one in the house has a birthday in early May.

Who could be sending a card?

Read the rest at Amazing Catechists.

Win a Kindle Touch and Catholic Family Fun

You can enter a number of different ways, a number of different times, but only through May 11. Read it all and enter to win at CatholicMom.com.

Star of the New Evangelization

The stars were GPS for the sailors of many years ago, and Mary is our GPS when it comes to the New Evangelization. Her perfect knowledge of Jesus will lead us closer to Him, if only we let it. We can look to her example and find inspiration and revival.

She shows us how to become a witness, even as we strive to become teachers.

Join me at New Evangelizers.

Introducing Myself in a New Place

I’m so excited to be part of a new initiative: a blog of Catholic women by Catholic women in Columbus! I introduce myself over there this week, and I hope you’ll join the fun, especially if you’re in the Columbus Diocese!

A Great New Novel

When I heard about Regina Doman’s new novel, written with Rebecca Bratten Weiss, Catholic Philosopher Chick Makes Her Debut, I was ALL ABOUT reading it.

Here’s the gist of my review: I LOVED IT. (Yes, in all caps. No apologies.)

Read it all and enter to win at CatholicMom.com.

May and Mary

May is, without a doubt, a crazy month for most of the people I know.

Lately, I’ve been reflecting on the fact that maybe May is Mary’s month because the only way we moms will get through it is with her help.

Call me a bit cynical. Or overwhelmed. Or considering crawling under the table to hide from my to-do list.

Read the rest at the Catholic Writers Guild blog.

New Evanglizers

It’s a thought that’s been on my mind for many years and it became very true for me in an experiential way when I had my first child. She came to work with me just about every day from infancy until about age three.

It doesn’t just take a village: it takes a parish, it takes a FAMILY.

When I left my job in marketing and advertising for the parish office, I might have had a secret plan to bring some glamour to the three-bedroom house that then served as headquarters for the parish staff of three.

Now, eight years, three kids, and four additional employees later, I can laugh at who I was and what I thought then.

Join me there.

Integrated Catholic Life

I’m “Making the Case for Confession” in my column at Integrated Catholic Life this week.

Things were getting out of hand. I let them get that way, and it was time to do something about it.

So I did what I often do; I called my mother-in-law.

“Can you watch the kids for an hour or so? I need to go to confession.”

She agreed, because she’s wonderful that way. And then she said something that made me laugh, “What could YOU have to confess?”

Well, she’s right to assume I hadn’t killed anyone. At least… I hadn’t killed anyone in a literal sense.

See you there!

Mary Moment at iPadre

On this week’s iPadre, Fr. Jay shares some wonderful insights and history about Pope Benedict XVI. My Mary Moment is about spring.

It’s that time of year when I start to question my approach to productivity.

It’s that time of year when I remember why the outdoors is one of my favorite places to be.

It’s that time of year when I’m glad I live in a part of the world that has distinct seasons.

Listen here.

Tech Talk at CatholicMom.com

I have the Mary app for you!

Thanks to a tip from a reader, I recently downloaded–and fell in love with–the Mary app by the Marians of the Immaculate Conception. It’s free, though right now only available on iOS devices.

As we hover on the verge of Mary’s month of May, I wanted to be sure to share this app with you.

It’s a great way to foster your devotion to the Blessed Mother, whether it’s something you struggle with or something you embrace. You’ll find information, prayers, and much, much more.

Read it all.

Blog Talk at Catholic Writers Guild Blog

In which I share thoughts about blog design (realizing that, um, I’m not expert):

Does design matter? Yes. Yes, it does.

Let’s use the example of books, because if you’re here, I’m assuming that (a) you write and/or (b) you read.

When’s the last time you picked up a book with a terrible cover? Or, even worse: when’s the last time you picked up a book that had terrible interior layout?

Read the rest.

Naturally Fun Parties at CatholicMom.com

Anni Daulter and Heather Fontenot’s new book, Naturally Fun Parties for Kids, arrived in the mail and accompanied me in the car to my favorite crafty-friend’s house.

“Look,” I exclaimed, “A book you can use!”

“Sarah,” she said as she flipped through it, pausing to “ooo” and “ahh,” “This looks like a book YOU can use!”

Yes, that’s right, here is a book that the party-shy, glue-gun-hating, anti-entertaining Sarah Reinhard can not only use, but enjoy.

Read it all.

New Evanglizers and Smiling

I link to a speech from Dolan, share some thoughts of my own, and use a picture that can only be described as cutesy.

The New Evangelization is a dare? I can’t help but think back to the games of Truth or Dare I played in my younger, wilder days, and it certainly gives this work we’re all out to accomplish a different feel.

If it’s a dare, then there’s risk. Possibly a lot of risk.

Join me there.

Mary Moment at iPadre

My latest Mary Moment is a bit of a trip down memory lane.

It’s hard to believe that, in mid-April, I celebrate my 11th year as a Catholic.

When I think of my ongoing Catholic journey, which began about 15 years ago, I can’t help but think of Mary’s role.

And Father Jay Finelli’s Divine Mercy homily is just great.

Listen here.

Tech Talk at CatholicMom.com

I discovered some serious coolness when I found CatholicApps.com, and my Tech Talk column this week shares it with the world.

I discovered my new favorite website quite by accident: I was procrastinating on something I should have been doing and lo and behold! The answer to my Catholic appaholic dreams!

Read it all.

Review at Integrated Catholic Life

I’ve talked with Emily Stimpson and about her book quite a bit in the last week (which got me dubbed her unofficial #1 fan!), and here’s more of that in my column at Integrated Catholic Life.

Emily Stimpson’s new book, The Catholic Girl’s Survival Guide for the Single Years: The Nuts and Bolts of Staying Sane and Happy While Waiting for Mr. Right might seem like an odd choice for my reading list.

Believe me, no one was more surprised than I was when I put my novel down for a couple of days so that I could turn the pages faster. (And it was agood novel!) You could have never told me that not only would I love this book, I would mark passages, dogear pages, and want to share it with a lot of women, both married and single.

Read it all.

Review & Giveaway at CatholicMom.com

My latest review and giveaway at CatholicMom.com is of a great book:

It probably reveals way too much about me that, a chapter or two into Marge Fenelon‘s new book, Strengthening Your Family: A Catholic Approach to Holiness at Home, I was struggling with feelings of inadequacy and wondering if I could hire Marge to come and mother my children.

It speaks highly of this book, then, that I was able to feel pretty hopeful about myself and my future after I finished reading it.

Read it all and enter to win.

Blog Talk at Catholic Writers Guild Blog

I’m not sure when I became an expert on blogging, but I find myself, most weeks, sharing some tidbits over at the Catholic Writers Guild blog. This week, I share some of what I’ve been doing to promote my book through my blog.

Now that I have a few books under my belt, I can speak from experience about using my blog to promote my book.

At least, I think I can.

Read the rest.

At CatholicMom.com: 

Tech Talk: Laudate, An App Worth Downloading

A while back, when I was looking for Rosary app recommendations for Droid users, a friend of mine called Laudate (then Catholic One) her “one stop” app for all things Catholic.

I felt sort of sorry for her, truth be told. I’m an Apple user, and my iPad apps are just, well, prettier than what I saw then on Droids.

The folks at Catholic One changed their name to Laudate (which, near as I can tell, is Latin for “Praise”) and now they’re billing themselves as the #1 free Catholic app on iTunes, too. –> Read the rest.

A Survival Guide & Giveaway You Don’t Have to Be Single to Appreciate

In early March, I was blessed to be participating as a blogger at the Behold Conference in Peoria, Illinois. While I was there, I met a delightful woman who, it just so happened, had a personality that made me want to read her book. She had just penned an article that week that grabbed my attention, and meeting her made me pick up her book right away, despite a review shelf that’s begging to be emptied soon.

How had I never heard of Emily Stimpson before? –> Read the rest.

At the Catholic Writers Guild blog: 

What I Love about Being Catholic Online

Every week, I encourage you to keep going with your blogging. I share tips and advice to the best of my ability. I try to be candid and not too idealistic.

Blogging’s hard work. But, as I was reminded recently, so is life. Period.

Last week, I had a bit of a family emergency. It took over my life, and it also made me appreciate, once again, why I so treasure my online Catholic community. –> Read the rest.

At New Evangelizers: 

Making an Old Story New

When I stand in front of my fifth grade class as a catechist, animated and enthusiastic, and mention “Easter,” I can see their eyes start to glaze over.

“Isn’t Easter just about coloring eggs and icing cookies?” their initial reactions seem to say. ”Isn’t it a chance to eat chocolate and see family? Isn’t Easter just an old story we talk about over and over every year?”

I found this reaction when I started to talk to these kids about the wonder of Christmas, too.

You’ve maybe heard that I have a new book out?

Well, you’re about to hear A LOT MORE about it, because the Book Tour starts NEXT WEEK, on Friday, April 13. The Book Tour page has more information and will be updated with current links each day of the tour.

Would you like to win a copy of my new book? There are a few giveaways scheduled so far:

• April 15-21 at Goodreads

• May 1-11 at CatholicMom.com, where we’ll be giving away an electronic version on a nifty Kindle Touch (perfect for the mom in your life!)

A word of thanks to Amber Fabian, who is responsible for that beautiful Book Tour logo. She charged a very affordable price, and she does incredible work. I met her at CMN last year, and I was so impressed with her work that I kept her in mind for when I’d need this sort of thing. If you need something like this for your blog or website, keep her in mind.

— 1 —

As you read this, I’m probably on my way over to the Behold Conference.

Not to brag, mind you, but I am a LOT excited.

I’m going to be spending a LOT of time with Elizabeth Duffy and Mrs. Darwin. I also plan to harass pursue follow around like a puppy dog see Danielle Bean, Jennifer Fulwiler, Hallie Lord, Arwen Mosher, Kate Wicker, and many, many more of my favorite online friends.

Hoo boy!

— 2 —

In the latest Catholic Foodie, Jeff’s talking fishy Fridays, and I’m sharing a Mary in the Kitchen that reflects on just why Lenten failures are good for me, every single year.

On the newest iPadre, Fr. Jay Finelli is awesome, as usual, and I’m on with a Mary Moment that’s B16-inspired.

— 3 —

Got a new iPod, iPad, or iPhone? I share my 13 Essential Catholic Apps in this week’s Tech Talk at CatholicMom.com.

Got a few minutes to talk New Evangelization with me? Over at New Evangelizers, I’m talking about how we’re all in this together.

— 4 —

You’ve probably long suspected there’s something “not quite right” about someone who names the voices in her head. But did you know I have multiple personalities online too? I talk about my dilemma over at the Catholic Writers Guild blog this week. If you have ideas for how I can reconcile myself…well, I’m all ears/eyes.

— 5 —

“Would you review my new book, Getting #Married: Using Social Media to Celebrate the Sacred?”

I was too curious to say no when the request came into my inbox.

For one thing, I think very highly of Meredith Gould, who is an author, a blogger, and one of my favorite people to follow on Twitter.

For another, when you put both “social media” and “sacred” in the subtitle, it makes for irresistibility as far as I’m concerned.

Read my review over at CatholicMom.com.

— 6 —

I’ve been tempted to start posting links to our priest’s homilies here on my blog. He’s such a talented homilist–he can say more in seven minutes than I can say in a half-hour. Last weekend, his homily inspired a whole column idea for me, among other things. (I need to listen to it a third time to get all my notes down so I can bug him with my uber-nerdy theology questions.)

— 7 —

This is a classic case of saving the best for last, don’t you think?

Visit Conversion Diary for more Quick Takes!

— 1 (Be Proud of Me) —

Yeah, I know. It’s not Friday. The temptation was strong to do two posts yesterday, but aren’t you proud of me? I resisted!

So here I am on Saturday with some Quickish Takes…

— 2 (Book Giveaway Winners) —

If you entered my book giveaway this month, I announced winners the other day and also sent emails (though I have a good hearty appreciation for spam filters, indeed I do).

Be sure you contact me if you won!

— 3 (Papa Rocks!) —

Have you read the pope’s message for Lent 2012 yet? How’d I not find it until now? Here’s a sampling:

The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is one marked by prayer and sharing, silence and fasting, in anticipation of the joy of Easter.

This year I would like to propose a few thoughts in the light of a brief biblical passage drawn from the Letter to the Hebrews:“ Let us be concerned for each other, to stir a response in love and good works”. These words are part of a passage in which the sacred author exhorts us to trust in Jesus Christ as the High Priest who has won us forgiveness and opened up a pathway to God. Embracing Christ bears fruit in a life structured by the three theological virtues: it means approaching the Lord “sincere in heart and filled with faith” (v. 22), keeping firm “in the hope we profess” (v. 23) and ever mindful of living a life of “love and good works” (v. 24) together with our brothers and sisters.

Go read the whole thing.

— 4 (Hearts to Celeste) —

Here’s a great Lenten resource, courtesy of Celeste Behe: 40 for 12.

Throughout the 40 days of Lent, the 40 for 12 Menu Plan will offer a weekly shopping list and menu of meatless meals, along with easy recipes and fun commentary. Each of the recipes is designed to serve 12, in order to suit big happy families with many mouths to feed, small happy families with voracious teens, and prudent wives who know the value of a good leftover.

Here’s the bottom line of this 40 for 12 Menu Plan brilliance:

• Living out the Lenten discipline of abstinence as a family
• Free Mom from undue stress
• Keep kids from being sullen
• Recipes serve big families OR have plenty of leftovers
• Plans can be modified easily
• There aren’t expensive convenience foods
• Shopping lists included!
• Do I really need to go on? Aren’t you SOLD?

Something to help me spend less time in the kitchen? Well, Celeste, let me hug you!

— 5 (My Other Blatherings) —

Total excitement: my interview made the podcast version of The Catholics Next Door. So if, like me, you don’t listen to Sirius/XM (but you long to, if only to hear the awesomeness that is Greg and Jennifer Willits), then you can hear my recent interview.

More excitement: I’m now a contributor over at the Integrated Catholic Life. My first column, “My Reckless Experiment with Fridays” went live yesterday.

Lenten failures: I’m on iPadre this week with a Mary Moment about my Lenten failures.

I love pizza, need I say more? On Catholic Foodie, Mary in the Kitchen is pizza-oriented (after a fun-filled parade-induced show).

Did you know there’s a great new app for Total Consecration? It gets my rave review over in my Tech Talk column this week at CatholicMom.com.

Lent’s on my mind: I’m talking Lent and blogging at the Catholic Writers Guild this week.

— 6 (Share Your Story) —

Do you have a Lenten story about how you’ve grown? Is there a faith story you’d be willing to share with others?

Karina Fabian is collecting them at the Why God Matters website. Here’s the scoop:

In 1996, Karina Fabian, mother of toddlers, made a Lenten vow that launched her career as a writer.  Years later, it led her to share that joy of writing with her father, as they collaborated on an award-winning devotional, Why God Matters: How to Recognize Him in Daily Life.  This year, she hopes to share the joy of Lent through her book and the Why God Matters website.

This year, Fabian and Tribute Books are opening the Why God Matters website to faith stories by others, especially Lenten faith stories.  “I believe that Lent, and Lenten vows, can change lives,” Fabian said.  “I’d like to share that hope with others, and the best way is through sharing our stories.”

“God continues to bless me through that Lenten vow,” Fabian said.  “Not only will I cherish having worked with my father, but the book itself has touched so many lives.  People have written to us that it’s helped them understand their faith better , brought them closer to God, or touched them when they really needed it.  I hope this Lent, through the website, we can do this some more.”

— 7 (Picture, As Promised) —

When she got her hair cut earlier this week, my seven-year-old asked the beautician to do her hair up. This is my glimpse at how quickly time passes…

Conversion Diary has more Quick Takes…though most people do them on Fridays…

The love:

I owe a lot of love, cheering, and a debt of gratitude for my nifty new web design to Dorian Speed of Convolare Design. She has spent more time than she should have dealing with my idiosyncracies, and here we are.

Isn’t that header pretty? And nice? And lovely? And…homey?

She used my actual window for that header. That’s what I see in my backyard. The plan is to update it with the seasons. And maybe I’ll find a way to insert a horse and some kids back there…

I do hope you’ll click through and see the whole new look. I’m still unpacking a few proverbial boxes, figuring out where things fit and all of that. She picked a theme that’s more mobile friendly, which I love.

I love Dorian, period. She was great to work with, did fabulous work, and I can’t recommend her highly enough. She also designed our parish website and does the full gamut of web design work.

You get her sense of humor for no extra charge. (I think it’s worth paying for, myself.)

The links:

Mary can be our Valentine, and that’s just what I consider in the latest Mary Moment on iPadre.

I’m app-happy, in case you hadn’t noticed, but I’m also fed up with ugly in apps. So I gave in to my desire and let loose on a call for beauty in apps in my Tech Talk column at CatholicMom.com.

I’ve asked myself for years if blogging has to lead to podcasting, and inspired by a conversation, I dive into that topic this week in my column at the Catholic Writers Guild blog.

There’s a great new prayer book for children available from the people who brought us our very tattered and loved-to-pieces Beginner’s Bible. My rave review is over at CatholicMom.com.

The folks at the Behold Conference (see you there?) invited me to guest post, and so there I am, talking about the importance of girlfriends.

Leaving you with this thought:

I found this in yesterday’s Magnificat (which I read through the app and which I so love), and I wanted to share it with you.

The danger of Catholicism is its power to help. It is a faith that even to those who do not believe seems to carry with it comfort and reality. Yet it is not wise to come to the Catholic Church because you need comfort. It is never wise to join any cause or any ideal for what one can make out of it or get out of it. We should come in for what we can give…

I think that the best thing of all is your devotion to our Lord. It is to give ourselves to him that we must come. It must be under the inspiration of his unselfishness, of his service to God in man and of man in God, that we seek to join ourselves to him: there were those who followed because they had been fed in the wilderness. This wasn’t enough. “Signs and wonders” are not good enough proofs; the only great proof is that people have followed him down narrow lanes and over uneven paths and wearing thorns and carrying their cross. It is along that line then that you must pray that he would help you to give yourself to him, patiently, indeed serenely. You won’t then bother about arguing or the need of it. You will just follow where he leads you, sure that all will be well: “Be not solicitous.” For the past, remember his injunction to let the dead bury their dead; for the future, remember that the morrow, so he said, would take care of itself. All that’s to be done is to hold oneself in the Everlasting Arms or rather be held by them. The rest is peace that comes of having nothing left.

- Father Bede Jarrett, O.P.