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Faith & Family Live is where everyday moms offer one another inspiration, support, and encouragement in Catholic living. Anyone grappling with the meaning of life or the cleaning of laundry is welcome here. Read the blog, check out our magazine, join our community, learn more about our mission, and come on in! READ MORE

Bloggers

Meet the Faith & Family bloggers. We invite you to join us in encouraging and helping the Faith & Family community grow in faith!

Danielle Bean

Danielle Bean
Danielle Bean, a mother of eight, is Editorial Director of Faith & Family. She is author of My Cup of Tea, Mom to Mom, Day to Day, and most recently Small Steps for Catholic Moms. Though she once struggled to separate her life and her work, the two …
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Rachel Balducci

Rachel Balducci
Rachel Balducci is married to Paul and they are the parents of five lively boys and one precious baby girl. She is the author of How Do You Tuck In A Superhero?, and is a newspaper columnist for the Diocese of Savannah, Georgia. For the past four years, she has …
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Lisa Hendey

Lisa Hendey
Lisa Hendey is the founder and editor of CatholicMom.com and the author of A Book of Saints for Catholic Moms and The Handbook for Catholic Moms. Lisa is also enjoys speaking around the country, is employed as webmaster for her parish web sites and spends time on various …
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Arwen Mosher

Arwen Mosher
Arwen Mosher lives in southeastern Michigan with her husband Bryan and their 4-year-old daughter, 2-year-old son, and twin boys born May 2011. She has a bachelor's degree in theology. She dreads laundry, craves sleep, loves to read novels and do logic puzzles, and can't live without tea. Her personal blog site …
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Rebecca Teti

Rebecca Teti
Rebecca Teti is married to Dennis and has four children (3 boys, 1 girl) who -- like yours no doubt -- are pious and kind, gorgeous, and can spin flax into gold. A Washington, DC, native, she converted to Catholicism while an undergrad at the U. Dallas, where she double-majored in …
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Robyn Lee

Robyn Lee
Robyn Lee is a 30-something, single lady, living in Connecticut in a small bungalow-style kit house built by her great uncle in the 1950s. She also conveniently lives next door to her sister, brother-in-law and six kids ... and two doors down are her parents. She received her undergraduate degree from …
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DariaSockey

DariaSockey
Daria Sockey is a freelance writer and veteran of the large family/homeschooling scene. She recently returned home from a three-year experiment in full time outside employment. (Hallelujah!) Daria authored several of the original Faith&Life Catechetical Series student texts (Ignatius Press), and is currently a Senior Writer for Faith&Family magazine. A latecomer …
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Guest Bloggers

Kate Lloyd

Kate Lloyd
Kate Lloyd is a rising senior, and a political science major at Thomas More College of Liberal Arts in New Hampshire. While not in school, she lives in Whitehall PA, with her mom, dad, five sisters and little brother. She needs someone to write a piece about how it's possible to …
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Lynn Wehner

Lynn Wehner
As a wife and mother, writer and speaker, Lynn Wehner challenges others to see the blessings that flow when we struggle to say "Yes" to God’s call. Control freak extraordinaire, she is adept at informing God of her brilliant plans and then wondering why the heck they never turn out that …
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Win the Day!

I make it through a tough week

One of my biggest vices is sloth, frustrated perfectionist style.

I tend to set the bar low for myself.  When a task comes along that is outside my comfort zone, I balk.  When it’s something I have no choice about, I panic.

But this is why parenthood is so good for me.  Those difficult tasks come along, and when I’m done balking and panicking, the tasks are still there.  I’m the only person who can do the job of being mother to my children, so I have to dive in and get it done.

The two-and-a-half years since my daughter was born have taught me that I am capable of much, much more than I imagined I was.

Last week was no exception.

As I mentioned, my husband was out of town.  I had the help of my own parents, but was the sole person in charge of Camilla and Blaise.  A toddler and a baby are a full-time job in themselves!

Bryan was gone from Saturday morning until late Friday night, and I hit my low point early.  He and I usually share bedtime duties, so Saturday evening found me suddenly out of my depth.  I was trying to bounce the fussy baby to sleep and respond to the toddler’s whining, “I want cold water, Mama!” without losing my cool.  I failed.

But things got better after that.  I made a resolution not to turn down a single offer of help from my parents and younger brother.  I worked out a new bedtime routine.  I focused on the positives.  I decided that in the moments I was feeling overwhelmed, I’d say a prayer for all the people who have it harder than I do.

With those things in place, 158 hours without my husband passed much more quickly than I’d expected.  And although there were a few points at which I felt overwhelmed, there was not a single moment in which I was actually unable to accomplish what I needed to do.  For me, the week was a triumph.

The strength of the human will, driven and blessed by grace, wins the day every time!

image credit


Comments

Page 1 of 1 pages

 

Congratulations!  So proud of you!

 

Arwen, your candid snapshots of your life, and striving for holiness, are inspiring, even for older moms like me.  It helps me remember, and rekindle, that idealism from back when I first became a mom nineteen years ago.

Thanks!

 

Good Job, you’re succeding wildly!!


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