Tag: Family & Home

Once Upon a Time in a Classic Classroom

My 6-year-old granddaughter Maria is a first-grader this year. At this writing, and I pray it continues, her classes are in-person. Her kindergarten days were primarily spent in front of a computer due to the COVID-19 lockdowns. She and I recently spent a delightful time shopping. It was a “grandmother date,” and together we chose…


Never Too Early: Holiday Prep

Holidays? Already? Hear me out. You know that dream you have of the holiday season when your days are spent baking cookies, sipping cocoa by the fire, enjoying all of the local holiday events in your community with your family, and perhaps looking forward to a family getaway right after the holidays? The beauty of…


Wisdom and Wonder: The Magic of Fairy Tales

In my 1967 edition of “The World’s Best Fairy Tales: A Reader’s Digest Anthology,” which sits at my elbow as I write these words, former children’s librarian Marie Cimino introduces this 800-page collection in this way: “In this world, virtue is always rewarded, evil is punished, the weak are helped and the youngest can be…


5 Homeschooling Tips From a Successful Pioneer

Although we didn’t know it then, my family was what is now referred to as a pioneer of the modern homeschool movement. I still remember being stopped at the grocery store—several years after we began our homeschool journey—being asked why I wasn’t in school, inwardly wincing at the alarmed or confused look I was sure…


With Meal Planning, Think Cost per Serving, Not Price per Pound

Pop quiz: Which is the better buy? Pork tenderloin for $2.97 per pound or boneless pork chops at $3.47 per pound—taken from my local supermarket’s weekly ad? If you answered the tenderloin, you’re in good company. Most of us would, but we’d be wrong. Price per pound can be misleading because not all cuts of…


Parenting Matters: Become a Dynamic Parent

In his book, “The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic,” Matthew Kelly describes four characteristics that separate dynamic Catholics from “other” Catholics. While reading his small book, I kept thinking these same characteristics define dynamic parents as different from “ordinary” parents. I have adapted these principles as they apply to parents below. Dynamic Parents Read…


Ask the Vet: What to Know Before Buying From an Online Pharmacy

Q: Our six dogs and cats are on preventives throughout the year to protect them from heartworms, intestinal parasites, fleas, and ticks. We want to continue buying them from our veterinarian, but he can’t match the prices we found online. A friend learned the hard way, though, that some online pharmacies sell counterfeit medications. How…


13-Year-Old Boy Home Alone With 4 Younger Sisters Saves Siblings After House Catches Fire

A Wisconsin family have their teenage son to thank for getting his four little sisters outside when their house caught fire earlier this month. The young hero, 13-year-old Briar Omar, and his siblings smelled smoke minutes after their parents left for the grocery store to pick up dinner Sept. 5. “Me and my sisters smelled…


Widen the Gap With Homemade Bread

If you’ve read my book, “7 Money Rules for Life,” you know that rule No. 1 is so simple it would be easy to overlook it as being too elementary. Here it is: Spend less than you earn. Now, let’s think about this. “Spend less than you earn” is not the same as “Don’t spend…


Lessons From Dad: A Simple List of 10

Dad says to: Be proud of who you are. You’re unique. Be careful with your words. They can easily hurt. Love with all your might. It’s all worth the risk. Laugh a lot. It’s good for your emotional and physical being. Cry when you need to. It’s God’s way of cleansing. Dream. Never stop dreaming….