Sibling Revelry
by Jake Frost in Family on Tuesday, February 09, 2010 6:00 AM
My sister Agnes is a hoot—whip-smart, fast with one-liners, and full of fun. I love talking to her on the phone. Calls from Agnes are events. I get a drink, kick-back on the couch, and prepare to laugh.
She always calls me from the road when she’s driving to Mom & Dad’s house. I’m 6 hours and one state closer to the homestead than Agnes, so I usually get there first. One of the states Agnes has to traverse to reach kith and kin is Wisconsin (or Wisco as Agnes calls it). She gets a lot of... READ MORE
Mary Makes a Splash
by Sarah Reinhard in Faith on Monday, February 08, 2010 6:00 AM
(The feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is February 11.)
Mary to the Poor and Simple
At Lourdes, France, Mary appeared to a fourteen-year-old who wasn’t very bright and wasn’t very big. Marie Bernadette Soubirous, called by the diminutive of her name because she was so tiny, was the oldest of six, born to a poor miller. She was weak and sickly as a child, suffering from asthma.
When her parents sent her to live for a time with her aunt, so she would be better off, her aunt gave up trying to teach... READ MORE
God of Girls and God of Thunder
by Tom and April Hoopes in Faith on Saturday, February 06, 2010 6:00 AM
(In this weekly column, Tom and April Hoopes share family-friendly ways of observing the liturgical year and celebrating the Sunday readings.)
Sunday, Feb. 7, is the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C, Cycle II).
Lourdes
Sunday, Feb. 11, is the feast of Our Lady of Lourdes, a perfect occasion to watch one of the famous Lourdes movies: The Song of Bernadette (1943) or the more accurate but less dramatic Bernadette starring Sidney Penny.
But for something new, go to NavisPictures.com and see the... READ MORE
Go to Your Room!
by Dr. Ray Guarendi in Family on Friday, February 05, 2010 6:00 AM
Q. I’ve read that sending kids to their room is bad discipline because it’s taking a special place and pairing it with punishment.
A. I’ll do you one better. I’ve read that sending a child to his room can give him bad feelings toward sleep. If so, since the days of early adolescence, I should have been a complete insomniac.
I don’t agree with these far-stretched warnings in the least. To begin, a similar case could be made against nearly all discipline. If you make a teen write an essay on respect... READ MORE
God is Our Cause
by Pat Gohn in Faith on Thursday, February 04, 2010 6:00 AM
“Cause and effect.” It’s a two-fold dynamic. It’s an expression we use rather liberally.
Parents use it to outline disciplinary measures with their children. As a mother of a newly licensed teen, I have often said, “Bring the car home late after curfew and you will feel the effects of suspended driving privileges.” Indeed, there must be an active choice on my son’s part to comply. It involves surrender of both the intellect and will to the family “house rules” and the driving laws of the state.... READ MORE
The Magic of Cardboard
by Heidi Bratton in Homemaking on Wednesday, February 03, 2010 6:00 AM
I finally did it, and it felt so good!
After months of searching, I found the perfect present for my four-year-old son. One that made his eyes pop out, his jaw drop down, and a squeal of delight spontaneously burst from his lips:
A cardboard toilet paper tube.
You see, my son’s name is Ben, and what with “Bob the Builder,” being a popular, commercial hero, my son has completely assumed the identity of “Ben the Builder.” Last year, for his fourth birthday, we pooled our finances with his grandparents... READ MORE
Light of the World Revealed
by Joseph Pronechen in Faith on Tuesday, February 02, 2010 6:00 AM
If you’ve packed away joy with the Christmas decorations, pull that joy out again as the Church celebrates a feast with three names — the Presentation of the Lord, Candlemas and (for centuries before 1970) the Purification of Mary — on Feb. 2.
This feast celebrates how the Holy Family fulfilled the Law when they went to the Temple for Mary’s purification, a traditional ritual cleansing for mothers, and for Jesus’ presentation, a law that the firstborn male be consecrated to the Lord at that time.... READ MORE
A Choice Worth Making
by Kate Wicker in Faith on Monday, February 01, 2010 6:00 AM
There’s been a lot of heartache in my life lately: Friends facing repeated miscarriages. A 20-something relative needing brain surgery. News reports showing bloody limbs reaching out from the cracked earth in Haiti. Children, mothers, fathers, grandparents all weeping.
Sometimes it’s just too much.
Sometimes I want to hide away in my cocoon of comfort and pretend the world isn’t such a sad place.
Sometimes I wonder if God is so good and so loving and so powerful, why doesn’t He make the suffering... READ MORE
Throat Day and Love Quiz
by Tom and April Hoopes in Faith on Saturday, January 30, 2010 6:00 AM
(In this weekly column, Tom and April Hoopes share family-friendly ways of observing the liturgical year and celebrating the Sunday readings.)
Sunday, Jan. 31, is the Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Liturgical Year C, Cycle II). Wednesday, Feb. 3, is the memorial of St. Blase, and it’s the day Catholics can get their throats blessed with candles at Mass.
Throat Day
St. Blaise is a saint of coincidences. He lived at the turn of the third and fourth century in what is now Turkey. Legend has it that... READ MORE
Pay God First
by Phil Lenahan in Homemaking on Friday, January 29, 2010 6:00 AM
Q. How can I make effective decisions about tithing, saving, and debt reduction right now?
A. An economic downturn can upend even the best of economic plans.
But the principles one should use in setting priorities for generosity, saving and debt reduction don’t change in good or bad times:
- Recognize that all we have ultimately comes from the Lord and belongs to him (Deuteronomy 10:14).
- Be generous with the Lord as a way of thanking him for the many gifts he has given you. The world says pay yourself... READ MORE
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