Here are five apps I think she would have on her iPad…

Want to know what they are? You’ll find them at CatholicMom.com.

If you’re like me, when you hear the topic of Mark Shea’s book The Work of Mercy: Being the Hands and Heart of Christ, you might wonder how it can be (a) enticing, (b) non-preachy, and maybe even (c) interesting.

The topic, you ask? The corporal and spiritual works of mercy.

My first thought, I’ll admit, was that it can all be summed up in a poster. Who needs a whole book?

Find out the answer in the rest of my review and enter to win a copy at CatholicMom.com!

I’ve been writing a weekly Tech Talk column at CatholicMom.com for a while. It’s a lot of fun, but I’ve noticed something increasingly in that time:

Lots of people have Android phones and devices.

I do not. I have iOS (Apple) stuff. I can write until I’m blue in the face about these apps (because I am nothing less than an appaholic, oh yes), but it doesn’t really help those people with Androids.

Lisa Hendey and I have been talking, and she gave me the permission to start recruiting.

 So, if you’re interested, here’s what we need:

Someone who can write on at least a monthly (possibly weekly or biweekly) basis about Android apps. Tech Talk isn’t always about apps, mind you, but we want someone who can focus on Android (and neither of us can).

Benefits:

• You’ll have their own column page on our site (which is an increasingly fabulous thing–check mine out)
• You’ll have a basis for requesting (and receiving) free apps.
• You will have  the chance to become an “expert” on this topic, which means radio interviews, speaking about this topic, etc.
• Writing for CatholicMom.com is very flexible.
• It’s great exposure, especially as the CatholicMom.com book line gets launched and the site gets increasing exposure and popularity.
• You get to work with Lisa Hendey and myself. She’s a ton of fun, truly nice and kind, and I add humor to things on a minute-by-minute basis (just see my Twitter feed if you have any doubts).

What’s needed from you:

• A commitment to write on a regular basis.
• Contact me, either in the comments of this post or by email.

And while you’re there, take a peek around at the new layout!

“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.

Over at CatholicMom.com, there’s a contest that takes care of every mom I know: you can win a Kindle Touch, loaded with a copy of the just-released electronic version of Catholic Family Fun! There are a number of ways to enter, you can enter more than once if you qualify, and hey! We’re giving away some hard copies of CFF too!

Join the fun!

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.