My Sunday Best, Vol. 5: Corpus Christi

Sunday, May 29, 2016

Happy Feast of Corpus Christi (observed, if you already celebrated on Thursday)! We're going to our very first Eucharistic Procession this evening and... I'm nervous. 

I mean, I think the kids will do awesome, but my tailbone has been killing me for weeks (yes, you can throw any and all advice at me - this happens every pregnancy but it's started earlier with this one and means I basically can't do anything without being miserable...). So I'm not sure I can actually *participate* in the procession... Maybe I'll just bring a chair and wait for everyone back at the beginning? Or suck it up and walk anyway? #catholicproblems #offeritup #therewillbeicecreamafterwards

I Hate Pants: Skirts for Summer {7 Quick Takes}

Friday, May 27, 2016

It feels like forever ago that I decided to stop wearing pants... But looking back at the archives, it's only been 3 years! I *do* still have a couple pairs for hiking/muddy gardening/whatnot, but every time I put on a pair of real pants (like, with a zipper), I still spend the entire time wearing the hiking them up, adjusting them, and just generally feeling miserable! 

So yes, I'm one of those Catholic women who doesn't wear pants, but you don't see me yelling at the internet, telling them that NOBODY SHOULD WEAR PANTS LEST THEY INSPIRE LUST WITHIN THOSE MEN WHO GOSH DARNIT CAN'T CONTROL THEMSELVES!!! Goodness, people get worked up about pants. Wear pants. Don't wear pants. Whatever. 

Anyway, Amanda and I were talking style, and she's decided to try her own "99 days of no pants" challenge - in 2013 some really fun ladies linked up how they wear skirts every day (because it doesn't have to feel like an earth-shattering thing) and we thought it might be fun to try another Pants-Free July Challenge this summer! I'll post more on that next month, but in the event that you're suddenly thinking, "Hey! I'm much more comfortable in dresses and skirts! But finding decent skirts is so hard..."

Well, I've rounded up some of my favorites right here! 6 skirts that will get you through the summer (and more!) without having to wear the same outfit every day.

Links are affiliate links, which means I get a teeny percentage if you buy through them. Thanks!

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The Patterned Pencil Skirt




I love this striped pencil skirt from Loft (currently only $30!) - pull-on skirts are such a wonderful thing, and the reviews say this is made of a substantial material that won't cling. A great way to add a bit of interest to an outfit, and easy to pair with a basic top!

20/52: Cabin Fever

Tuesday, May 24, 2016

When it rains for approximately 3 weeks straight with very little respite, sometimes we have to resort to indoor foot races...


My Sunday Best, Vol. 4: Trinity Sunday

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Dear photographer,

You're fired.

Pretend Play, Garden Progress, Swimsuits, and Soccer {7 Quick Takes}

Friday, May 20, 2016

Happy Friday!!!

This post contains affiliate links

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Random question: How many swimsuits do your kids have?

We joined a pool and I'm hoping to kill rather a lot of time there this summer (and we've never been members of one before). I *think* each kid has two swimsuits that mostly fit, but I'm considering getting one more for each of them just because they live in their swimsuits every summer! They're outdoors playing in the water nonstop, and it actually really cuts down on laundry for them just to be in swimsuits 24/7!

19/52: Soccer Time!

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Generally every night after dinner I go upstairs to lie in bed and feel horrible for a while before getting the kids down, but tonight I actually wasn't feeling too bad! And the kids were being adorable all playing soccer outdoors with Andrew, so I tried to sneak some pictures...

My Sunday Best, Vol. 3: Pentecost!

Sunday, May 15, 2016

Happy Pentecost! Sing the Regina Caeli one more time before we switch to the Salve Regina (this is a handy website for reminders and chant) and if you're really on the ball, see what red you can wear to be all liturgically matchy-matchy ;)

18/52: Farm Kids

Friday, May 13, 2016


It was a flower crown sort of day - the clover was crazy-high with nice long stems, so I made crowns for all the girls. Cecilia adored hers, Mary Claire ate hers (yes, she ate it.), and Elizabeth (3.5)? Well, you can see how she loved it!

17/52: What Face Do You Want to Make?

Tuesday, May 10, 2016

Fun fact: If your kids ask you to "take a picture of me making this face!" you'll get quite the mixed bag of results!


Blueberry-lipped Elizabeth with her eyes closed...

My Sunday Best, Vol. 2: Happy Mother's Day!

Sunday, May 8, 2016

Happy Mother's Day! Happy Sunday! Happy Ascension-Observed (in most dioceses in the US)!

This can be a hard holiday for many - my sister nailed it in a post a couple of years ago, which you should probably go ahead and share with all your friends who are women:

Happy Mother’s Day to mothers who’ve lost children, to mothers who haven’t yet begotten children, to mothers who ache over their empty arms and mothers whose arms sometimes seem too full... 
If you are a woman, you are a mother. Happy Mother’s Day to you.
Read the rest here.

As a Mother's Day gift to me, Peter slept through the night! Like, all the way until 6 am without needing ANYONE! It's a miracle!

Feral Children, Potty Training, and Mother's Day {7 Quick Takes}

Friday, May 6, 2016

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We are, I think, in the home stretch of potty training for the time being - I don't think Peter's anywhere close to ready (although he keeps *asking* to go to the potty - I let him, and then he stood up and pooped on the floor, so I'm just gonna stick with diapers for now), but Elizabeth's getting closer to finally staying dry through the night. We're trying something new and I actually found a pretty awesome resource that I'm definitely using for all the kids I'll be potty training in the future!

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Of course, I say that now, but I have to confess...

We may have achieved "housebreaking" more than "potty training."



Mother's Day and ModCloth: The Perfect Combination

Wednesday, May 4, 2016

FTC Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links - if you purchase through my links, I receive a small percentage of the purchase price.

Have you browsed ModCloth's website before? It's amazing - full of vintage-inspired clothes, beautiful jewelry, but also totally quirky stuff like this bunny clutch. Honestly, I don't think there's a mother out there you couldn't find the perfect gift for at ModCloth. Check out some of my picks from their site right now:

Did Somebody Say Potty Training?

Monday, May 2, 2016

So far in our parenting careers, we've successfully potty trained 4 children! Hurrah! I feel like I should get a medal, or maybe a bottle of wine?

But it's not quite a 100% success with the four oldest quite yet...

There's one lone nighttime holdout. 

Our oldest was night trained by the time he was 3. Our 2nd was 18 months (I KNOW. It was the BEST.) The twins took longer to day train, so I wasn't surprised that night training took a while as well - both were day trained by about 2.5, but it wasn't until after their 3rd birthday that we started having dry nighttime diapers every once in a while. And then... It stopped.

Well, one of them continued doing really well staying dry every night. The other twin? Had a dry diaper at Thanksgiving and still talks about it.

It's May.

My Sunday Best: Vol. 1 (In Which All of My Photos Are Terrible)

Sunday, May 1, 2016

Last week I asked if you all would consider linking up with me if I started a new Sunday linkup, and at least two people said yes so... Let's do this! 


John Paul was my photographer again, but obviously I chose an inferior location because he backed up as far as he could and... Couldn't get my entire body in the picture.
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