My family loves the British Christmas tradition of miniature mince pies, which consist of tiny butter pie crusts filled with mincemeat, a combination of dried fruit, candied peel, spices, and brandy.
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Contributing Writers December 16, 2013 6,666 Views
My family loves the British Christmas tradition of miniature mince pies, which consist of tiny butter pie crusts filled with mincemeat, a combination of dried fruit, candied peel, spices, and brandy.
Read More »Abby Sasscer December 16, 2013 7,854 Views
As soon as my baby girl turned seven months old, I started feeling ill. And it wasn't the typical "I'm coming down with a cold" kind of ill. I was having a very difficult time breathing. As a busy mom, I dismissed it as the usual effects of sleep deprivation. I went to the hospital just to be sure, but they sent me home after all the test results came out normal.
Read More »Ginny Seuffert December 14, 2013 9,188 Views
Sometimes it seems like the work for Mom is never ending in our large Catholic families. By Thanksgiving, the first quarter assignments have been completed and the homeschooling is clipping along nicely. Then Bang! Along comes the Christmas season, doubling the work load but halving the class time! It’s more than a little discouraging!
Read More »Kids Corner December 14, 2013 6,437 Views
Download this 'First Christmas' Word Puzzle! A fun activity to for all ages! Search for these words: Stephen, Conception, Original, Advent, Diego, manger, Wise, Bethlehem, Shepherds, Herod, John, pink, Innocents, Guadalupe...
Read More »John Clark December 13, 2013 8,826 Views
Someone mentioned to my wife lately that she doesn’t usually read my fatherhood/homeschooling columns because I use too many sports analogies. For instance, over the years, I have written that baseball is like “raspberry sorbet for the mind;” I have said that life is about “how many shots you take, rather than how many baskets you make;” and I recently wrote that being a good father was like being a “hockey goalie,” and so forth.
Read More »Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian December 12, 2013 11,613 Views
Members of a family know each other too well to be fooled by brother’s daydream to be a millionaire, sister’s fantasy to be a great actress, or grandson’s ambition to be a professional athlete. The family teaches humility, self-knowledge, the art of the possible, and the way things are.
Read More »Lorraine Espenhain December 11, 2013 7,105 Views
I am convinced – utterly convinced – that if we all got together more often in order to celebrate the simple occasions in life, we would be a happier people. Each generation seems to be growing more and more isolated than the generation that preceded it. American society is fast becoming an isolated society.
Read More »Kevin Clark December 10, 2013 6,762 Views
There is currently a program on network television called Undercover Boss. If you haven’t seen it, the premise is that the CEO (or another high muckety-muck) of some large company ...
Read More »Bob Wiesner December 9, 2013 7,165 Views
A rather staid church found itself actively confronting a world which they had tended to ignore, even to shun. Pink Mohawks and chain-bedecked leathers began to be seen at Sunday worship services. A new energy and purpose steadily grew among the congregation; they were forced out of their insular attitudes and petty prejudices in order to confront the vast question, “What does it mean to preach to the whole world?”
Read More »Seton Home Study School December 7, 2013 6,107 Views
As we move toward December, we all think about Christmas. It’s a busy time, and it’s easy to put off schoolwork. However, students in high school don’t have as much leeway as elementary students.
Read More »Kevin Clark December 6, 2013 12,125 Views
Kevin Clark shares 6 home-based and parish focused ideas for celebrating the Feast of St. Nicholas with children.
Read More »Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian December 5, 2013 8,689 Views
In Robert Frost’s famous poem “The Road Not Taken,” a traveler recalls a moment in his life when he reached a crossroads. He comes to a turning point on the journey and pauses to consider which path to follow. Both roads have fair prospects and great allure.
Read More »Deacon Eugene McGuirk December 4, 2013 8,419 Views
The study of a foreign language is an important component of a good education. Many studies have been done that confirm this. A research report “Regarding World Language Education: The Benefits of Second Language Study,” was published in 2007.
Read More »Contributing Writers December 3, 2013 9,513 Views
Have you ever been asked by an evangelical Christian if you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior? What do you say? My answer is simple: Yes. I have indeed committed my life to Jesus Christ and invited Him to be my Lord...
Read More »Abby Sasscer December 2, 2013 9,446 Views
Eight years ago, our sewer line backed up and caused a small flood in our basement. Gray water had entered the garage and the playroom. Our insurance company required us ...
Read More »Kids Corner November 30, 2013 7,973 Views
Download this ‘The First Christmas’ Crossword! A fun activity to challenge your knowledge of facts and trivia on Christmas. For all ages! Answer questions like: 1) Catholics celebrate the feast of the Immaculate ___ of Mary on December 8. 2) The feast mentioned above means that Mary was conceived without ___ sin.
Read More »Marlicia Fernandez November 30, 2013 11,855 Views
The weather is changing and the holiday season is upon us. Decorations have been up in stores for weeks, a bright mishmash of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas displays to entice the consumer to buy, buy, buy. It’s so easy to get caught up in the hoopla and the craziness and lose the true meaning of what we are celebrating.
Read More »Dr. Mitchell Kalpakgian November 28, 2013 6,990 Views
In Kenneth Graham’s The Wind in the Willows Mr. Toad, the owner of Toad Mansion and the great traveler on the Open Road who is always on a new vehicle going to faraway places, cannot comprehend how Mr. Rat can find contentment in a simple cottage on the river where he dwells all year and never explores the wider world of new sights and foreign lands: “You surely don’t mean to stick to your dull fusty river all your life, and just live in a hole in a bank, and boat. I want to show you the world.”
Read More »Lorraine Espenhain November 27, 2013 7,947 Views
I love to teach God’s Word. It’s something that I’ve been doing forever. In the past, I would teach to the elderly in nursing homes. I would teach to groups ...
Read More »Contributing Writers November 26, 2013 13,859 Views
We are not alone in our fervent desire to help our children remain true to their Catholic Faith. The Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Queen of Heaven and Earth, earnestly desires their salvation as well, and she can show them how to stay close to Jesus throughout their lives.
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