Day 10: September 5, 2023 Diapers Changed: 5 One showing today, so we power cleaned in the morning then headed straight to Lowe’s for camper renovation materials. Caleb and I really want our big ‘ole desk (remember, the one that caused me to be attacked by viscous ants?) to be a home for our desktop. The only problem is, I *hate* the way a desktop and speakers look. Totally kills my antique vibe, man. Solution?  Caleb is building me a custom desk topper! It’s lovely and big and we are even adding some dremeled details to it to make it fit our aesthetic. If Caleb weren’t already bogged do ..read more

Day 9: September 4, 2023 During naptime today, I finished writing my first eBook on a topic that gets a bad rap around the internet and in real life. The eBook is called: “Submission 4 Dummies” and it is the amalgamation of everything I’ve studied on the topic for the past year and a half trying to understand just what the heck God through the Bible and the Catholic Church wants from me in my marriage! If “submission” in the context of marriage is a word that gets you grumpy, I’ll give you the TL;DR from my eBook: “Husbands must die to themselves as Christ sacrificed himself for the Church. Su ..read more

Is two months postpartum too soon to be super bummed about my weight? The day after giving birth, I felt 20 pounds lighter (and probably was!) In the first couple weeks postpartum, I shrunk from 200 pounds all the way down to 160 (whoop). But now two months later, the poundage dropping has slowed. I’m just not sure what to do with this tummy and thighs. To be honest, weight has never been something I struggled with. Growing up, I was much more concerned about how *ahem* unendowed my lady assets were. But I got by, peaceful with the thought that I was a skinny lady that God designed just as He ..read more

Day 7: September 2, 2023 I am thoroughly shocked I’ve made it an entire week on these reflections. I hope you’re enjoying them (or at least, getting a laugh from my novice motherhood shenanigans). This afternoon, a lovely military couple from good ‘ole Facebook Marketplace hauled off our beautiful chicken coop.  We took a monetary loss overall, but I’m grateful for the bit of homesteading experience it gave our family! We are determined to farm chickens again one day! Remember a couple of days ago I mentioned a tale of chicken murder? Well, I didn’t want to leave you wondering about that ..read more

Day 6: September 1, 2023 Diapers changed: 6 There’s something spectacularly disturbing about toddler vomiting episodes. With tiny babies, their spit-up is as effortless as a laugh. The tablespoon of liquid leaps from their lips and that’s it. It’s over. They might *actually* giggle because their tummy feels better. Toddler puking couldn’t be any more different. It’s explosive. It’s stinky. It’s traumatic for the toddler and mama (at least for the two times it has happened to Abigail). I don’t know for sure why it happened, but at about 10:30 a.m. this morning, Abigail threw up all over the bac ..read more

Day 5: August 31, 2023 Diapers changed: 8 Remember yesterday when I was thinking really big picture? Yeah, me too. That was nice. Now this weekend is going to be all about the next two months aka moving to our home state of Texas. First step? Clean the house for showings to get it sold. At around 9 a.m. today, I got up before the rest of the house (we’re late to bed and late to rise around these parts!) I got to work cleaning the house for our fifth showing. When we sold our first house about a year and a half ago, Abigail was, well, only about 7 months old. Which meant she didn’t have the mob ..read more

Day 4: August 30, 2023 Diapers Changed: 5 (including 2 reusables and a leak) At 10 a.m. this morning, Caleb went to the store to grab some diapers for Abigail. We ran out last night and used our reusable cloth diapers (which were far too expensive for me to give up on using at all . . . even though we can’t use them 24/7 because she’s got extremely sensitive skin!) Unfortunately, about 30 minutes before our diaper hero returned, Abigail padded up to me and said, “Uh oh, peepee.” Oh brother. I laughed at her and asked, “What’s uh oh?” And then I saw the tiny pee puddle on our kitchen floor. She ..read more

Day 3: August 29, 2023 Diapers Changed: 4 I had to check by counting my knuckles how many days there were in August. (It’s 31.) Regardless of the number of days left, I am shocked that September is almost here. Because after September follows October. And that is the month Caleb, Abigail, Elizabeth, and I will travel permanently back to Texas. To begin our life outside the military. This change surges incredible emotion in my heart. The past five years have been filled with loss: the pandemic, the loss of three of my dearly beloved grandparents, and the grief of transitioning from friends and ..read more

Day 2: August 29, 2023 In an effort to do 3 happy things for myself each day, at 11:30 a.m. this morning I decided to head to one of my favorite downtown Beaufort cafes for brunch with the girls. At 11:50 a.m. after finally dressing, wrangling, and buckling them in, the car made a dreadful sound that announced to me clearly that I wasn’t going anywhere fast. To be clear: Being a woman absolutely has its perks. Men hold doors open for me and lift heavy baby car seat buckets. I’m adept at multitasking and keeping the house in order (when I set my mind to it, that is). But one tremendous downside ..read more

Day 1: August 28, 2023 Diapers changed: 6 5:40 a.m. I don’t think that I’m a particularly intriguing individual or that I’ve got my marriage all together. I certainly don’t think that I’m the best writer in the Catholic Mom blogging space. But for some reason, as I sit up in bed feeding my 1.5-month-old, Elizabeth, I feel called to begin this year-long experiment. Write a daily letter chronicling your triumphs and joys and utter failures and disasters in motherhood. Share (with whoever is out there on the internet) the Christian faith from the worldview of a particularly melancholic Catholic c ..read more