family life

Hide-and-Seek with the Holy Family

May 4, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard 1 Comment

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My favorite Nativity Set is part of my decor.

— 2 —

Since Christmas, my four-year-old has had an interest in arranging them. And rearranging them.

And now…they play hide-and-seek.

— 3 —

It took me a week or so to realize they were missing from their usual shelf.

Turns out, Mama Mary, Joseph, and the shepherd were with the Holy Family statue on an upper shelf (let’s not think about how she GOT to that taller shelf, ok?).

— 4 —

The donkey, being quite creative, hid in the printer.

— 5 —

The goat was tucked in between the tissues and my recipe box.

— 6 —

And the oxen? I missed him COMPLETELY in front of the fishing lodge.

I found him days after I thought I had everything reassembled on the correct shelf.

— 7 —

What all this says about my decorating and my ability to ignore things that are under my nose, I don’t know. OK, I DO know. There is room for humor ALL. THE. TIME.

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Making the Meal Blessing More Interesting AND a Giveaway

March 24, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard

It’s challenge enough to get everyone to sit down at the same time while the food is still hot (but not too hot).

Then there’s the challenge of certain children racing through the meal blessing as though their tongues are on fire.

I know they’re not starving. (They just ate an hour ago!) From whence does this impatience come?

I’m sure there are many answers to this particular problem, but here’s my favorite so far:

It’s a Table Grace Die, and it’s larger than I expected. When the mancub throws it across the room, it makes a satisfying THUNK. (He thinks it’s great. I don’t.)

On each side of the cube, there are different prayers. They’re easy enough for my first-grader to read, short enough for my toddler to sit through, and delightful enough for my four-year-old to memorize.

In other words, I love it.

Want one of your own?

The kind folks at Catholic Family Gifts have offered to give one away to one of my blog readers.

Enter in the comments with your biggest dinnertime challenge by Wednesday, March 28 and I’ll randomly select a winner to be announced in next week’s Quick Takes.

* * *

While we’re on the topic of giveaways, don’t forget about the one I mentioned yesterday. You have to buy my book and then let me know to be entered.

This contest is now over & comments are closed.

Filed Under: Contest, Faith Tagged With: contests, family life, giveaways, prayer

Strengthening Your Family: A Review

February 7, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard Leave a Comment

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 put it down after finishing it and feel pretty hopeful.

I can do this, I thought to myself.

I credit this book for my new mommy policy: I will make something homemade once a week for after-school snacks (or end up at my mother-in-law’s, where she will make something homemade). The reason has to do with that warm feeling I get when my kids delight in eating freshly baked cookies and with the light in my seven-year-old’s eyes when she walks in the door and sees the goodies.

Much of what I read in Strengthening Your Family was not news to me, but it was refreshing and well-ordered. Fenelon speaks from experience, but she also commiserates with those of us still very much in the trenches of young motherhood. She offers suggestions, but she also offers prayer. She provides many ideas, but she also provides many caveats. Her foundation is not “being an awesome family,” but rather “getting your family to heaven.”

There’s a big difference between being awesome and getting to heaven, and I don’t know that I spent any time considering that before I picked up this book. It’s designed for Catholic families with kids, though I wouldn’t restrict it to kids of any age. If you have teens, you’re sure to find help within its covers, and if, like me, you have grade school and younger, you will get bolstered and emboldened.

Strengthening Your Family is a wonderful resource and guidebook for Catholic families. I’m glad to have read it, and plan to reference it in the coming years!

Filed Under: Books, Reviews Tagged With: Books, Catholic resources, family life, Marge Fenelon, resources, Reviews

This One’s For You, Grandma

January 12, 2012 By Sarah Reinhard Leave a Comment

My grandma’s been off visiting her sister in upstate New York, and we talked on the phone the other day.

When she told me she had read my blog, there was a thunk as I fell out of my chair.

Turns out, her sister and brother-in-law (my great-aunt and great-uncle, if you’re keeping track of the family tree) are logging her onto the computer.

Then she told me about how they had lunch with some girlhood friends of her sister’s, one of whom is Catholic and…get this!…has heard of me.

Let’s all pause for a good laugh, shall we?

Now, to encourage you to laugh more–it has tremendous health benefits, after all, and hey, it’s fun–here’s a look at my life of late. (These pictures are also to answer all of Grandma’s questions about the kids, who she misses a lot.)

This is the mancub, 13 months old and into everything. He is all boy.

Yes, he is walking now. And climbing. He especially likes stools. And the couch. And the recliner.

He is also a big fan fan of rocking.

The seven-year-old loves reading and math. She hates–with a passion–the reports she has to do about the books she reads for school.

I realized, when I compiled our photo calendar for this year, that I need to take more pictures of the seven-year-old.

Which is how I captured this moment:

And no post would be complete without the four-year-old, whose quirkiness and personality make us laugh hourly (and inspire hair-pulling episodes with equal frequency).

She likes to help. That makes her a good big sister, as you can see:

So there you go, Grandma, a post just for you! (And one that the other grandmas are all enjoying, too!)

Filed Under: family Tagged With: family, family life, life with boys, life with children, pictures

Wordless Wednesday: Crooked Candles, Straightening Hearts

December 14, 2011 By Sarah Reinhard 1 Comment

Don’t forget to send a picture of YOUR Advent wreath for tomorrow’s Advent Wreath Carnival!

Filed Under: Faith, family Tagged With: Advent, family, family life, pictures, seasons

Quick Takes Halfway through Advent

December 9, 2011 By Sarah Reinhard 1 Comment

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Not only did I find my Advent wreath this week, but I set it up.

AND we have USED it.

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In case I’m not the only person just getting started on Advent halfway through, I thought I’d host something fun next week…a link-up (or “carnival” to those of us who remember the days of such bloggy fun) of Advent wreaths.

This is inspired, in part, by the people who keep sending me messages with pictures of their Advent wreaths and my book.

For example, I received this from Larissa Hoffman this week:

Know what that book at the end of the table is?

Welcome Baby Jesus, by yours truly.

Talk about humbled.

So I was inspired: let’s have an Advent Wreath Carnival! We’ll exchange links, post pictures, and have all sorts of fun.

Let’s CELEBRATE Advent, shall we? Hope you can participate!

— 3 —

Part of what inspired me to actually find my wreath (which involved a special trip to the attic of our old house) was the encouragement of Greg and Jennifer Willits.

I had a chance to talk to them on Tuesday afternoon during their radio show, The Catholics Next Door.

It was great fun and yes, I’m feeling a lot like this about it (still):

Click here to view the embedded video.

— 4 —

Speaking of things that excite me, check THIS out:

That’s my newest book, Welcome Risen Jesus: Lent and Easter Reflections for Families. I don’t even have blurbs for it yet, but I have my author copies in hand. (The marketing of pamphlets/booklets is far different than what’s done for “real” books, I’m finding.)

Best place to buy it? Your local Catholic retailer. If you don’t have one, consider Liguori (the publisher), Aquinas and More, or The Catholic Company (though, admittedly, they don’t have it for pre-order). Or, yes, Amazon. But let’s keep our Catholic friends in business first, shall we?

— 5 —

Want a free book? OF COURSE you do!

And it’s not just any book…it’s Ellen Gable’s new book, Stealing Jenny, one that should come with a warning label. You still have today to enter to win one of the five Kindle copies we’re giving away at CatholicMom.com.

But wait…there’s more! Over at Amazing Catechists, the amazing Lisa Mladinich has organized a giveaway that lasts for ten days, and we’re only halfway through. Be sure to enter each day!

— 6 —

Speaking of Amazing Catechists, my latest column is up: Immacu-what?

I was standing at the front of the class, fresh out of Mass. I’d like to say it was a room of fresh-faced fifth graders, but the truth was, we were all tired.

I asked them who had been at Mass.

A few hands went up.

“And why were you at Mass? What were we celebrating?”

“Advent!” They were triumphant. They were confident. They were sure.

And they were WRONG.

Read the rest at Amazing Catechists.

— 7 —

And this post wouldn’t be complete without the obligatory mancub picture:

He’s trying to walk and he’s almost succeeding (with or without something to push). Maybe I should quit pushing him down every time he stands up: it’s just making him stronger and more determined (and goodness, we don’t need any more strong wills in this house!).

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Filed Under: Quick Takes, writing Tagged With: Advent, Amazing Catechists, Baby #3, carnivals, contests, family life, giveaways, my book, pictures, Quick Takes, seasons, Welcome Risen Jesus, writing

A Corner of My Own

September 26, 2011 By Sarah Reinhard 6 Comments

A Mary Moment Monday post

In our new house, I find myself with my own room. It’s a bit disconcerting, and I feel a bit guilty about it.

But…I needed a place for my desk and, really, a place to do my writing work (and pay the bills). And here it is, in its very own room.

In the beginning, I put a shelf with toys in here with me, thinking that while I tapped away and did the things I do, the kids could play. My husband frowned, and I had to admit that he was right after the three-year-old started using my desk items and critical papers as her toys.

It’s not that we don’t have plenty of other places for toys. They’re more organized than they’ve ever been, in fact. (How long will that last? We’ll see…)

It’s not that I can’t do my work in some other room, because I can and have, especially at the kitchen table or the little bar we have.

It’s not that I don’t like having my own space, a corner of my own. I love it.

It’s that I feel a bit guilty about it.

There are many reasons for that guilt, but as I’ve spent time pondering it and examining it, I’ve realized that it’s a lot like the other guilt in my life.

That guilt is not helpful. It’s not leading me closer to God.

There’s a place for guilt. I’m a fan, in fact, of my “Catholic guilt.”

Let me define what I mean by that, because I don’t mean “feeling badly about things.” For me, Catholic guilt is an indicator, not something random. It’s a gauge, telling me when I’m close to (or on) “empty,” in need of a sacramental refill (such as Confession).

Feeling guilty about the blessings God has given me is in no way Catholic (or helpful, for that matter). For me, it’s a path leading me AWAY from the abundance in front of me and a healthy appreciation of it.

How do you suppose Mary dealt with guilt? Did she feel guilty about being chosen to be Mother of God?

It’s all too easy to allow guilt–in the name of “Catholic guilt”–drive my decisions. It’s all too easy to ignore the underlying reasons for my guilt and pretend I can’t help it.

It’s novel to me that I can control my feelings. Aren’t feelings as unpredictable as the weather?

Knowing that I am in control (of my feelings…or maybe, more precisely, my reaction to my feelings) changes things. It makes my approach to guilt in general different.

I suspect that Mary battled feelings of guilt, just as we all do, especially when we have other people’s lives to worry about. Guilt is human, and Mary was human.

What Mary has to teach me about guilt is in her approach to it. I think, instead of feeling sorry for herself or abandoning herself to its effect, she turned first to God. I think, instead of complaining about it, she examined it and thought about it.

In Scripture, Mary didn’t do a lot of talking or responding. She pondered. She thought. She reflected.

And, in that, she turned to God FIRST. Her heart magnified the Lord.

I am going to try to take a lesson from her this week and give my unneccesary guilt to God. He can carry it far better than I can anyway.

image courtesy of my three-year-old