Leila Marie Lawler's Blog, page 31
October 13, 2018
Book giveaway with your {bits & pieces}!
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
I am happy to offer our readers a giveaway of two copies of Leila Miller and Trent Horn’s Made This Way: How to Prepare Kids to Face Today’s Tough Moral Issues.
Most advice is wrong when it comes to explaining sexual morality to children — even advice from Catholics. Most people want you to tell your young children about all the immoral things people do, from abortion to mutilation, and then tell them why it’s all wrong but we can’t judge.
I’ve spent a lot of time here explaining how detrimental this approach is — how it was never used by our forbears in faith and ought not to be used now, when it clearly is not working, but harming children instead.
So I was not sure about this book. I was worried!
I feel like I am the lone voice telling you that your children deserve from you innocence and a chance to develop without interference from adult problems — that it’s your challenge to protect them from evil and things that would disturb their growth, just as we would hasten to protect a tender seedling from a sudden frost. We know a plant will be blighted, with no hope from recovery, if left to the elements too soon. But somehow we’ve been lied to and begin to believe that children’s moral development will survive disturbance.
We’ve shifted the burden onto the child.
I’m relieved that on the contrary, Leila Miller and Trent Horn have written a book that helps parents understand their responsibilities and gives them first the background, then the words, to fulfill them.
I also love that Leila (she’s Lay-la, I’m Lye-la!) offers her own experience raising her children to adulthood. We need that. She says all the things I’d say, and offers plenty of anecdotes about how she doesn’t hesitate to get her kids out of a dangerous situation when needed.
You’ll learn solid things about Church teaching on moral questions and you’ll learn what to say to small children and what to say to older children. It’s a book to give to your sister-in-law or your wavering friend.
So leave a comment here for a chance to win one of the two we”ll be giving away!
If you’ve read the book, please leave a review on Amazon — that will be helpful to bring it to the attention of people who are searching for just this sort of thing. You can leave 5 stars and simply say “great book!” or you can leave a long review — up to you!
On to our links!
I know that interest in celebrating Martinmas (November 11 — also — and not merely coincidentally! Veterans’ Day) has grown along with Waldorf schooling, and that’s understandable! It’s so appealing for children to have a lantern procession along with a charming story of charity — a soldier who, for love of God, is renowned for cutting his Roman military cloak in half to give it to a naked beggar – Christ in disguise.
I have been asked on several occasions about music for the celebration and especially for the procession. I’m hardly any kind of expert, but I came across two hymns that I think would be great — if we start learning them now, we should have them memorized by November 11! The first is the traditional ancient hymn for a saint, Iste Confessor. Here is the Gregorian Chant. Here is a transcendent rendition of the Scarlatti setting by The Sixteen:
The other is a hymn which I think is perfect for the day: The Light of the World is Jesus.
(There’s a whole choral wiki page for music for Martinmas!)
If you have trouble breastfeeding your baby, or know someone who does seem to be struggling, know that there is a lot of information. You might have to dig for it, but it’s there. Breastfeeding — at the breast, as opposed to how many interpret it, feeding breast milk from a bottle — is important for many reasons. One is proper formation of the mouth. This can be complicated by deformities of the tongue that make latching and feeding difficult, and then you run across people who try to tell you to compensate for oddities in various ways, when maybe surgery is really required. I came across this medical article and thought I’d share it with you (thanks to whoever on Facebook shared it!): Compensations for Tongue/Lip Tie.
Homeschooling goals: A math notebook from a farm boy in England in the 18th century — beautiful calligraphy and chickens in pants. Here are images that you can download; here’s another report on the find.
From the archives:
My posts on nursing the baby (important reasons why you need to nurse your baby — in the old-fashioned sense — even if you bottle feed, as well as lots of tips about breastfeeding).
The feast of St. Edward the Confessor today!
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October 6, 2018
Porchetta with your {bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
For the feast of St. Francis I decided to make an Umbrian specialty that we tasted when we visited friends in Italy a couple of years ago — Porchetta!!*
*This is pronounced porketta fyi.
I love the people in the meat section of my grocery store. We always have a good chat about the things I’m thinking of making. You think they are just wrapping things up in plastic, but actually they make all the things and have great ideas! “I use pork butt for porchetta — I’ll get you a big one, bone it, and butterfly it for you.”
So the thing with porchetta, besides the amazing flavors, is the wonderful crackling on top that comes from a long slow cooking. Don’t forget to give everyone a bit to enjoy with their slice. The reviews were that this was the best pork they had ever had.
Here’s what you need (I followed this recipe in the New York Times and modified it as one does) (I’m having issues with my camera-computer interface, so pardon the phone picture here!):
A nice fatty cut of pork. You can use a big pork loin, but then you need to put some olive oil or bacon grease in with the herbs. My pork butt here came in at 10 lbs. It was nicely butterflied so that I could rub the herbs all inside as well as outside. Chopping everything up in the food processor goes really quickly, but of course you can do it all by hand as well.
For the herb mix:
A bulb of fennel (anise) with the dark green fronds attached. You want to cut those fronds. You can use the bulb later — slice it up and roast it with some root vegetables like beets and carrots — serve with balsamic vinegar and salt.
Some sprigs of fresh rosemary and fresh sage. These grow in my garden very well. I also have lemon thyme in my herb garden, so I used about a teaspoon of that as well.
5 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup scallions or chives
1 tsp. fennel seed (the small kind if you have a choice)
Grated rind of a lemon or 1 tablespoon of pickled lemon — we happen to have this in the fridge courtesy of Deirdre, so that adds a lovely note
Small pinch of red pepper flakes
Black pepper
Salt
Process these things until finely chopped. If you have a lean cut of pork (which will be neater and slice up nicely later when it’s cold), add some olive oil or bacon fat. If you are using the butt, you don’t need any added fat.
Open up your meat, keeping the layer of fat on top intact. Butterflying just means cutting into it so that it opens like a book or at least so that the layers are of an even thickness (the butt is all uneven, whereas the loin can be nicely cut open so that it spirals up).
Rub 2/3 of the herb mixture over the insides of the meat. Roll the meat up again and secure with skewers underneath. Score the fat on top with a sharp knife and rub the rest of the herbs on top and into the cuts.
Wrap securely with kitchen twine, set in your roasting pan, and roast at 350° for 40 minutes, turning down to 325° until the thermometer registers 170° for the loin (about 1 – 1 1/2 hours) or 190º for the butt (about 3 hours or more, depending on the weight).
Let the roast cool for about 10 minutes and remove the string and skewers carefully, making sure not to pull of the gloriously crunchy bits on top.
Slice as neatly as you can so that the spirals of herbs remain intact.
This will be lovely served cold on a platter another day, with pasta or in sandwiches!
On to our links!
Wow, wow — so many old cookbooks and home ec books all online!
An older talk given by Hadley Arkes, but still relevant today as we consider nominees for the Supreme Court: how does natural law relate to our jurisprudence? A Natural Law Manifesto. It’s very long, but very readable, and I’d suggest it for your high schooler who is doing the Constitution and constitutional law.
“But as I’ve had the occasion to explain many times over, this notion of agreement or disagreement is built upon one of those things the philosophers understand as a “self-refuting proposition.” For it reduces to this claim: “that the very presence of disagreement on any matter of moral consequence indicates the absence of truth.” But all I have to do is record my own disagreement with that proposition and that should be enough, on its own terms, to establish its falsity.”
A good solid primer from Msgr. Pope on the lie of nominalism and how to combat it (hint: tell the truth, have common sense). You could read this one first, before the Arkes one!!
Sometimes there’s a tipping point for an idea — and it’s so frustrating when you’ve seen a problem for years and decades and it really does seem like no one cares. Then for some reason, people do start to notice… maybe it’s just a case of a journalist experiencing the problem! I hope things change: A sick or hurt person in the hospital (not to even mention a healthy mom who just gave birth) needs to sleep.
Today is the feast of St. Bruno, founder of the Carthusians. The Carthusians live the strictest of strict monastic lives; no one gets to visit them… until they invited my husband, Phil, to report on their ways in honor of the 900th anniversary of the death (birth into heavenly life!) of St. Bruno! He wrote about his trip to the charter house in Vermont — a once-in-forever opportunity.
From the archives:
The Reasonably Clean House. You can do it.
I mock myself for this “casual” (read: totally overthought) dinner with friends; but I think I will make that butternut squash lasagna (sans sausage) for tonight with my leftover porchetta.
Do you have trouble getting up in the morning? I have a method…
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September 29, 2018
Another grandbaby! {bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
The babies, they are raining down on us!
Here is little Odelia Day, born to Deirdre last week. I left the house, midwife in charge, to take the older children on an errand, and half an hour later I popped up to the birthing room to find this darling in Deirdre’s arms!
That was easy! (This picture isn’t of that, though. It’s a day or two later, just so you don’t think it’s actually magic!)
The stork was quick this time!
Isn’t she beautiful? She’s as good as gold. Lots of nursing, lots of sleeping, lots of sweet little baby faces.
Just to remind you, last month this little guy, Nicholas Fitz, was born to our Nick and his wife Natasha! Getting big! Also as good as gold. Maybe this is “calm baby” year?
You too can have your own little dynasty of cuties someday — just stay in the fight. Don’t give up! (Odelia is grandchild #14 — I have friends who have literally dozens of grandchildren — one has something like 60! So I’m just getting started. God is so good.)
On to our links!
Europe’s Oldest Intact Book Was Preserved and Found in the Coffin of a Saint
Fr. Schall on ancient morality: keep it or be forced to reinvent it, every time.
I don’t think evangelization means what we think it means. Fr. Heilman lays out what a good parish ought to begin to aim for, in order to do its best to offer true worship, the foundation of evangelization, from which it flows, never to be packaged or programmed. Perhaps you have a pastor who is open to thinking this way and just needs a little encouragement as to particulars.
I appreciated this article, Moms at Mass and Other Heroes, not only because I’ve done my share of kid-wrangling, but because the “other” heroes he mentions are the dads who bear the burden of provision so that the moms can wrangle.
St. Francis — do you know him? “One of the most striking elements of this biography is the revelation that the dominant theme in Francis’ spirituality is not activism, but devotion to the Mass and to the Body of Christ.” “The issue he found most pressing was not poverty, not obedience, but proper reverence for the Eucharist.”
Matthew Mehan (author of Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals) on Wonder.
From the archives:
In case you missed the post about grandchild #13.
Dating rules for teenagers? (Remember, this is a post about TEENS. Here’s another about dating in general.)
The first in a series of posts that attempt to read Romano Guardini’s Spirit of the Liturgy, a short book (available for free online) that will jump-start your spiritual life like nothing else. The whole series is linked here (at the end of the second series reading Cardinal Ratzinger’s Spirit of the Liturgy).
If you wanted to start a St. Greg’s Pocket, these Liturgy books could be a great place to start, since I’ve guided your reading for you. You’d have both — something good to read and the meeting point of the shared interest in our blog.
However, I’ve put together a whole reading list with all types of readings that we have found to work well in the Pocket — pick and choose!
Not from the archives here, but from my Facebook page: my “top 10” movie recommendations — actually more like top 100! I will try to make this into a post at some point, but if you are on FB, you can maybe get some ideas (I have them roughly categorized) and leave comments as to your faves!
Today is the feast of the Archangels. The 1st is St. Thérèse, and the 2nd is the Guardian Angels!
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
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Rosie’s Pinterest.
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Habou’s Pinterest.
Bridget’s Pinterest.
Auntie Leila’s Ravelry.
Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
Rosie’s Instagram.
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September 15, 2018
{bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
Some late harvesting, such as it is, with sourdough rising.
The flowers did very well, and the tomatoes are just now ripening. The truth is, my garden has been going for quite a number of years and maybe a re-set is in order. Maybe more on that later…
We had sourdough pizza with homemade tomato sauce. Since moving in with us, Deirdre has been making the pizza most Fridays — she does an amazing job and I have felt a sense of relief in knowing that she (and really all the girls) can take over this all-important job with a high level of competence. After all these years, it’s nice to be served tasty homemade pizza!
But yesterday I thought maybe she could use a rest (she’s getting towards the end here with the bébé and making pizza is a lot of standing, to be honest).
It really does take a lot of practice to get the sourdough to behave, I find. This iteration was lots better than ones I had made in the winter. By the way, I saw in my 5-year journal that it’s been a year since I started my starter! Despite almost killing it this past week (the tale is in my Instagram), I have coaxed it back to a good place, I think, and making the pizza was a good excuse to give it some extra feedings.
I made the eggplants into a simple relish or “eggplant caviar” (recipes for which you can find in older cookbooks like Gourmet, and always very enjoyable). That’s the dark odd-looking dish in the picture!
Just fry up the eggplant with onions, garlic, tomatoes, and peppers chopped up small, in plenty of olive oil. Add salt and balsamic vinegar for a little sweet “relish” flavor.
I like to serve a little something for the delectable crusts of homemade pizza (sourdough or regular), and this eggplant is perfect. We also like hummus, plain olive oil, tapenade, or even butter (this is Deirdre’s family’s go-to).
The procrasti-baking continues! (That’s when you should be writing but instead are baking!)
On to our links!
Fr. Dwight Longernecker writes about C. S. Lewis’ insight about how fallen man longs to enter an “inner ring,” and restlessly seeking it and sacrificing true happiness and contentment for its sake; and the relationship between this inner ring obsession and the homosexual network in the Church.
It’s worth, of course, reading the original essay, reproduced here: The Inner Ring by C. S. Lewis.
Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Sorrows, which of course comes directly after the Triumph of the Cross. “Steadfast Cross” brings some beauties of 14th Century art and poetry to mind.
There will be a Catholic Women’s Conference in Worcester, MA, November 10, at Assumption College. It’s the first annual conference of a new group — speakers will include Janet Smith. Check out the lineup and register!
If you are in or near Clinton, MA, today, come to St. John’s to pray Vespers with us. We will be singing and praying a new composition from Paul Jernberg — very beautiful and peaceful, for Our Lady of Sorrows. You can come at 5pm to go over the music if you are interested — Vespers begins at 6. Here is a little taste of one of the antiphons (of course, being a new composition, recordings are not yet available, although the project of the Cor Unum Chorale is ultimately to offer them for enjoyment and education; a highlight is the Stabat Mater in four parts!).
From the archives:
Will you need a good recipe for your green tomatoes? We love this green tomato chutney.
Singing sacred music with the children.
I do think using a binder for your homeschool planning is a good way to go, if old-fashioned.
Today is the feast of Our Lady of Sorrows. Hint: if you look up on the menu bar of the Catholic Culture site, you will find a link to the month’s liturgical calendar — you can plan ahead a bit. And there are some good ones coming up!
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
Follow us:
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Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Rosie’s Pinterest.
Sukie’s Pinterest.
Deirdre’s Pinterest.
Habou’s Pinterest.
Bridget’s Pinterest.
Auntie Leila’s Ravelry.
Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
Rosie’s Instagram.
Sukie’s Instagram.
Deirdre’s Instagram.
Bridget’s Instagram.
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September 8, 2018
My Little Paint Miracle with your {bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
Sit tight because I am going to tell you the whole saga of my Paint Miracle-or-at-least-Weird-Coincidence-but-who-can-really-know-these-things-and-what-they-are-all-about.
Or else skip down to the links — that’s fine too.
So I wanted to replace this little wooden shelf. It turned out to be hard to keep clean.
I ordered a glass shelf from Amazon (this one — affiliate link).
Naturally, taking down the wooden one left marks on the wall. But I wasn’t too worried — I actually kept the old paint can in the garage.
Went to the garage: the hard winter meant that the paint had frozen into unusability. Mild annoyance, but…
Okay, I have a binder with notes about what paint colors I have used. Quick, to the bat-binder!
This is where the trouble really started (because, truthfully, I just wanted to touch this up like a regular person, not repaint the whole room like a crazy person who could have just left the shelf up).
Leave aside the incorrect note in the binder, the note of falsehood, that claimed that I used a color (and finish) that I, in fact, did not. Ignore the quart of the wrong color/finish sitting in the mudroom.
Skip ahead to me finding the OTHER note, the note with the actual label, name, and code for the paint I actually used. Phew, right?
No… of course not.
The paint line had been discontinued. Despair.
BUT the clerk had a chip book! She scanned the chip and voilà, right? Hope, right?
No… this is the color that she came up with. It’s not the same. It’s much darker. Despair. (Sorry, I don’t have a pic of the paint on the wall. It was like shades and shades too dark.)
So back I went. For the third time. BUT FIRST —
I carefully removed a swatch of paint from the actual wall. I pasted it to the paint stirrer so we could talk it over.
We talked it over.
She thought they could scan that chip and come up with something. The guy behind the counter with her asked,
“Is that the gallon that was brought back over there?”
She replied, “No.”
I said, “No.”
He responded, “Really, it looks the same.”
She walked over to grab the gallon. She put a bit of it on my stirrer. See it there?
Hmmm… really?
Meanwhile, Observant Clerk said, “I’ll mix you up a sample of the scan of the chip you brought in. We’ll see.”
Here are the three paints, together (ignoring Bad Scan Paint on the back of the stirrer — above — and Dumb Paint of Wrongness Wrongly Notated in Binder — no pic).
Reader, CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?
The random can of paint rejected by an unknown customer angel is exactly, but exactly, the color of my bathroom wall. Better than the scan.
WHAT ARE THE ODDS.
It’s a paint miracle.
They gave me the gallon (which truly, I do not need — I could have been happy with a quarter cup) for $4.
I am leaving these pics here for my own future reference. Perhaps some day, who knows, I will need to repaint the whole bathroom. It’s so tiny, this gallon will easily give it two coats. I will try to keep it somewhere where it won’t freeze.
Here it is as its drying… there’s always that moment where you’re not sure it will be right…
Here it is this morning.
Right??
RIGHT??
I will try to post on Instagram when the shelf is up (that’s what those two dark spots are — the screw holes into the studs). Not only are things complicated around here, they are slow!
So keep your eye out there.
And thanks for reading along with me in the Saga of the Bathroom Touchup. Mwah!
On to our links!
A friend on Twitter directed me to this excellent lecture by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on the subject of Rosh Hashanah and how parenthood relates to the kingship of God. I think your Old Testament students would get a lot out of it. I know I did.
Good reinforcement of the need — yes, the need — to accept that enough is enough in what we do to educate our children, from the Ambleside blog.
Renaissance map-makers — Leonardo da Vinci and Albrecht Dürer.
Another video your older (junior/senior in high school and above, who’ve had at least some introduction to basic ideas of philosophy and science) children could watch and re-watch: Ben Shapiro interviews Prof. Edward Feser about logical proofs of the existence of God and how atheism can handle them — or not handle them. Worth maybe a couple of run throughs — Feser is clear and accessible.
From the archives:
The Saga of the Copper Backsplash in that bathroom.
Should my kids play sports, and when?
Happy Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin! And happy birthday — and name day! — to our dear Natasha! (Can you believe that her name is Natasha [Nativity] Marie [Mary] and her birthday is today? Her parents are not Catholic, and yet, there it is! What a gift! Please keep her in your prayers today!)
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
Follow us:
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Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Rosie’s Pinterest.
Sukie’s Pinterest.
Deirdre’s Pinterest.
Habou’s Pinterest.
Bridget’s Pinterest.
Auntie Leila’s Ravelry.
Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
Rosie’s Instagram.
Sukie’s Instagram.
Deirdre’s Instagram.
Bridget’s Instagram.
Habou’s Instagram.
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September 1, 2018
{bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
See these two guys on the roof of our stable here?
These are homeschooled brothers. They’ve worked with their parents (our dear friends with a lot of kids, one income, a fixer-upper of a house, and endless cheerfulness) enough on carpentry projects and really all projects so that they can fix the roof of my shed pretty much on their own (out of the picture their dad is there — he stopped by to supervise them for a bit to be sure they got it right, but all week they’ve been here on their own). They are earning money for their plans and helping us out, all at once.
They are 16 and 14.
You too can have this in your life. Competent, fun, polite, awesome young people who can do things and carry on a conversation with the three-year-old and the 67-year-old. And who can fix the roof of a stable.
You have to hang in there. It doesn’t happen overnight. And most of it comes with a big dose of sacrifice. Dad working multiple jobs; Mom homeschooling and using up, wearing out, and making do; kids pitching in.
This is our collective memory in action!
This is why we are here at LMLD. Our entire existence is to encourage you that it’s all worth it!
◊ I’ve contacted our winners — if you aren’t one of them, do find your way to Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals and if you are so moved, leave a review on Amazon! It really helps with popping the book up on searchers’ feeds. Thank you!!
◊ And about the St. Greg’s Pockets — if you have started one or are reviving one, feel free to drop Sukie a line (lmldblog at gmail dot com) and we will shout out here so people know to find you.
One question that comes up is “what if I really, really do not want to be on Facebook.” The reason we go through there is that the group can be closed, which makes it safer for you. You can vet someone before they join, but people can find you. It isn’t a normal FB group in that the purpose is not to interact there — other than to say something like “Couples’ Discussion at such and such pub, get your babysitters and let’s meet!” or “I’ll be at the X playground today from 2 to 4 with my kids — swing by if you’re available!” or “Here’s the link for a meal train for so-and-so!”
But if you really, really still do not want to be on FB (and you can’t just use your sister’s login to check on your St. Greg’s Pocket), email Sukie and she will figure out if your group has an email they are willing to share.
On to our links!
99-Year-Old Man Walks 6 Miles A Day To Visit His Wife In The Hospital, Proving True Love Does Exist
The D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths Is Famous. But What About Their Forgotten American Stories?
The masculinizing effects of the Pill. Who would have thought that taking a cocktail of synthetic hormones to correct a normal functioning of the body would have unwanted consequences? (One point: the article states, about the Pill’s contraceptive function: “Even if an egg slips out and becomes fertilised, it won’t be able to settle down and start growing. So far, so good.” Well, no, not good. Preventing a fertilized egg from implanting is aborting a developing child, and the levels of hormones are not high enough to prevent ovulation, as is often assumed. To be honest, the Pill’s purveyors should be clear: the function of this birth control is actually usually achieved by abortion, not by contraception.)
A French illustrator draws what Byzantium might have looked like, with stunning detail.
From the archives:
I’m recovering my quilting energy, I think. Are you making anything these days? Here’s one from a while ago that I like a lot.
Books we recommend about marriage.
Affirmation in the thick of things. The sacrifice is worth it.
Monday is the feast of St. Gregory! This is a saint for our times. Maybe invite a few friends over for Labor Day and have a good talk about how you will build your culture.
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
Follow us:
Follow us on Twitter.
Like us on Facebook.
Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Rosie’s Pinterest.
Sukie’s Pinterest.
Deirdre’s Pinterest.
Habou’s Pinterest.
Bridget’s Pinterest.
Auntie Leila’s Ravelry.
Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
Rosie’s Instagram.
Sukie’s Instagram.
Deirdre’s Instagram.
Bridget’s Instagram.
Habou’s Instagram.
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August 29, 2018
A St. Gregory Pocket Reading List
I thought I’d give you a little pep talk for the St. Gregory Pockets! (The feast of St. Gregory, September 3, is next week, Labor Day, so maybe this is a good spur to action if you’ve been thinking you want to start or join one!)
Probably most of us are asking, “What can we do?” — in response to the crisis of faith that we are experiencing (ours or others’). There seems to be no shortage of attacks from within and without. We feel helpless and little, but the truth is that Christianity spread throughout the world by means of people living quietly, raising their families, loving their neighbor, and being friends.
And that’s what the St. Gregory Pocket is about. We encourage you to make in-real-life friends for the long term. Don’t waste your time with endless Facebook group discussions or forums where you will never meet the people you are talking to. Your children need to grow up thinking “these real people are my people” — good people who sacrifice for each other and who also have a good time together, enjoying each other’s company with a right good will.
(Below is a shot taken by my friend Lina of her St. Greg Pocket gathering. Isn’t it wonderful to see so many children playing with each other — all ages together, while the moms sip iced tea and talk about whatever is on their minds! We love to see your St. Greg’s Pocket snaps!!)
The St. Gregory Pocket is not (or not only) a book club, but we do encourage members to read articles, documents, and books to share with each other in conversation, whether women together, or couples, or men.
My experience is that when people are reading some of the same things, the opportunity is there for a real exchange of ideas — and it comes in handy, too, when the conversation needs a little direction. Using our blog as a touch-point ensures that you will have something in common with the people who join — more even than that you all baby-wear or use cloth diapers!
If you and your friends are too busy to read a book, my posts here on LMLD, short articles, and documents of the Church work perfectly. And there are some books that are a joy to have read together and have in common; these days when we find our own education has let us down, we can do something about it on our own, together! You can take a long time if you want — no rush! And if you are homeschooling older children, you can take the opportunity to read some of their material with your friends; this will help when it comes time to discuss things with your children.
I thought it might be helpful to have a reading list — sort of the LMLD hive-mind (or collective memory, if you will) to dip into if you need suggestions that relate to moral and family life and general intellectual stimulation.
These are not in order of importance, obviously! Maybe more in order of what you could suggest as you get started, and then as you go along and have known each other better. (For background on what Pockets are and how they got started, and for a list of Pockets, go here.)
Certain posts here on the blog. We have a menu bar up above that does have the most important ones gathered for easy reference. I know that could be better; even better would be a book; working on it! Some groups have printed out the menu posts and just hashed them over, for instance. It helps for mutual encouragement! When you have in common that you enjoy reading the blog, conversation flows.
The {bits & pieces} feature obviously links to great articles! So you can browse those. A couple I would suggest especially (but I chose them mostly at random from my archive of articles!):
Why Young Readers Need Real Books by Maura Roan McKeegan
Will Rascals Defend Our Civilization… and What Books Will They Read? by William Fahey
The 3 Characteristics of an Educated Man by Brett and Kate McKay
Essays — maybe for couples’ discussions!
The Necessary Failure of Inclusive-Language Translations by Paul Mankowski, SJ
One of my favorite essays of Fr. Schall’s: On a Small Point of Doctrine
On Sex Education — by me!
Again, if you look through the archives of {bits & pieces} you will come across articles that are fun and worth a glance, but also ones that I have thought are truly worth reading and discussing.
Documents of the Church. Why do I recommend these? People are always making things up about Christianity. Why not do some studying and find out what is really taught?
Casti Connubii — On Chaste Marriage. Lives have been changed by reading this long encyclical. I have a reading help for it: my book God Has No Grandchildren, which is based on posts I did here.
Divini Illius Magistri — On Christian Education. Read especially for Pius XI’s explanation of how the “three necessary societies” work together, and why boys and girls should be educated separately in schools.
Humanae Vitae — On Human Life. Best read after Casti Connubii.
Mulieris Dignitatem — The Dignity and Vocation of Women. I wrote about this here.
Books for the Pocket:
The Restoration of Christian Culture by John Senior. (These Amazon links are affiliate links.)
The Abolition of Man by C. S. Lewis. This can be a difficult read, short as it is. I recommend reading That Hideous Strength, a novel, along with it. You could always start with The Screwtape Letters (and that would make Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Child by Anthony Esolen easier to discuss if people aren’t familiar with the satirical genre).
Planet Narnia by Michael Ward, if everyone has read Narnia and the Space Trilogy, of course.
Any Jane Austen novel! (Persuasion has the virtue of being short.) And then, when you’ve read and enjoyed them all, The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Kantor. (The footnotes of this book are a delight.)
If you want a book to help you and your friends throw off the shackles of feminism and find a different vision of how men and women can interact with social virtue, I highly recommend Return to Modesty by Wendy Shalit.
The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom An incredibly moving story, The Hiding Place contains many bits of parenting wisdom as Corrie recounts her wise father’s actions and words. In our quest to raise our children to be saints and if necessary, heroes, the book is a wonderful help.
Peace Like a River by Lief Enger. Pay attention to the names. This book is full of Biblical imagery and is basically about salvation history, that’s all…
What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty (also highly recommended, this audio version from Audible). An excellent book about marriage.
Vipers’ Tangle by François Mauriac. If you happen to have a group that can handle an unreliable narrator in an epistolary novel, this is the one for you.
The Temperament God Gave You. I’ve written about how I recommend this book highly here; Deirdre says this was the most enjoyable read for her St. Greg’s Pocket in Manchester. It really got everyone talking about themselves and their families — a great ice breaker! — and it’s really extremely helpful to understand everyone better.
Anything from the LMLD Library Project.
This should keep you for a while! Email me if you need discussion guidance, and maybe I’ll update the post with my thoughts!
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August 25, 2018
{bits & pieces} ~ and a new grandbaby!
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
Just getting back from a visit with some grandchildren, including our newest in our Nick’s family, Nicholas Fitz! He is a darling who no one can put down — we had such a wonderful time snuggling with him!
Don’t forget to enter the giveaway for Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals! Two winners from the blog and one from my IG post. Do share, please! We appreciate it so much. We’ll pick winners on Thursday.
I had a lovely interview with Amber O’Hearn on her podcast, Diapers and Disciples! We talked at length about homeschooling and particularly living the liturgical life at home, the means by which we help our children grow in faith — and ourselves too. I would be honored if you would give a listen — it goes live Monday morning!
On to our links! (I don’t have anything here about the current crisis, not because I don’t want to address it, obviously, but because it’s too hard right now to post something definitive about it that expresses what I think. You can follow me on Facebook if you want to join the conversation there and see what I share — my posts are public.)
Lost city in rural Kansas?
Seven misunderstandings about classical architecture.
I always say, reading about C. S. Lewis is the next best thing to reading C. S. Lewis, and this post is about how he came to renew his interest in science fiction. I remember this, quoted here: “Bigness in itself is of no imaginative value: the defence of a ‘galactic’ empire is less interesting than the defence of a little walled town like Troy.”
What is sacred art?
This article is about effeminacy in the seminary, but I think it’s worth a read for parents in general. I would say that in our society, women dominate the raising of children in an unhealthy way, and I would even venture to say that homeschooling can exacerbate this defect. We need to understand how boys should act and how we can make it possible for them to avoid effeminacy (pro-tip: let Dad have his way; try not to interfere). I am not talking about a stupid macho brute mode, but about normal male behavior that has become unacceptable to our feminized culture. The article explains very well what is at issue here.
Fr. Rutler on tattooing.
The restoration of a church that I’m sure many of us would have been grateful for in its “before” (actually “during”) state, so impoverished have we become; now it’s glowing. The final note indicates that the altar rails are back in use!
From the archives:
The moral education of children (this is a series).
A book you should read, if you are up for an epic, soul-jarring historical novel about Italy in WWII that plunges you into the heart of the struggle between heaven and earth.
Two saints today, St. Louis IX and St. Joseph Calasanz.
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
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August 23, 2018
Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals — a giveaway!
Would you love to win a copy of Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mammals*? We are giving away two copies here and one on Instagram!
*Links for the book are affiliate links! A small amount of change comes our way when you buy using the link! Thanks!
It’s been a while now that we’ve been watching the progress of this project, although I never saw anything like the whole thing together until my copy arrived. Little hands took it away from me promptly, and before I knew it a little someone was coming into my sewing room to recite whole chunks!
That is the kind of book this is.
Readers here know that I am picky picky picky, not only about endorsing books but about in general saying that something new is worth your time and money. I like things that have stood the test of time… most often I find that new books want to circumvent the necessary “hidden” quality that art must have. They rationalistically move directly to the message. “We can’t do the indirect thing anymore,” they assert. “Things are too far gone. We have to tell people — especially children — the bare facts of things.”
I couldn’t disagree more. The more in crisis the world is, the more it needs art and beauty! And the more it has to trust in a slow process of building up a sense of what is fitting… and the more it needs the attraction of the Good, the pull towards something it can’t quite name. Delight heals more than precept, the worse off we find ourselves.
This is what is attempted in this book. Only time can tell if Matt Mehan and John Folley have succeeded. But the depth of what we have here makes me hopeful for the slow rebuilding of our culture.
The book reminds me most of Edward Lear (Calico Pie was an early favorite of mine), although many have mentioned Dr. Suess. I also thought of Lewis Carroll, of course — his Jabberwocky lyrics get a nod in M5.
Take The Plee:
Consider the sound of a billion bees,
Then add the crash of a thousand seas,
Next imagine the blue jay’s scream,
But times’d by twelve, or so it would seem;
Add to that a piglet’s squeal,
Only louder, like a siren’s peal,
And then you’ve just begun to see
how loud the tiny Plee can be.
Frankly, and with all due respect to the poet, and with apologies for my bias towards a family member, I find it amazing that the same Artist who can do this can also come up with these fantastically unique and delightful illustrations for M5. I think we can look forward to so much more, don’t you?
Although the book is so reasonably priced for the high quality production that it is (poetry! art! erudition! definitions! wit! wisdom!), I know that you would also appreciate a chance to win a copy. So here you go — just leave a comment here and we will choose two winners at random next week.
You can also go to my Instagram account to enter for a third chance to win! Details on that post!
Enter your comment here for a chance to win Mr. Mehan’s Mildly Amusing Mythical Mammals!
GAIN MORE CHANCES TO WIN (and help us spread the word!):
Share this giveaway post on your own Facebook page (but please, to be fair, be sure your settings are for all your friends)
Share on Instagram
Email your list serve (homeschooling group, church list, etc. — again, please play fair and use an actual list with your friends on it)
“Like” the M5 Facebook page if you haven’t already
For every way you share, please leave another comment here — that enters you again!
We will pick two winners at random!
Thank you!!
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August 11, 2018
{bits & pieces}
The weekly “little of this, little of that” feature here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!
(This will all look and work better if you click on the actual post and do not remain on the main page.)
I do really love my iced tea.
I will tell you how I make it.
Put about six teabags, from which you have removed the paper tags, in a container — tempered glass (like a quart mason jar), enamel, or plastic. Do not attempt to make your iced tea in a normal glass pitcher, because it will break; do not think you can make good iced tea without boiling water.
I do love PG Tips or Barry’s for my cup of regular hot tea; I enjoy Upton Tea for a special pot (try the rose congou for a real treat; the Chief loves his Temple of Heaven Gunpowder green tea).
But for iced tea, I admit I really just find Lipton — normal old Lipton — to give the best balance of very strong but not bitter. Sometimes I put some Barry’s in with the Lipton, but I’m telling you: all snobbery aside, Lipton makes the best iced tea.
Okay, pour about a quart of boiling — really boiling, not almost boiling, not previously boiling — water over your tea bags. Let them steep in there for as long as you like! Many times I just leave the bags in.
It’s best if you can let it cool before fixing yourself your drink, but if you must have it immediately, just make sure your glass (also tempered — I swear by these Duralex glasses (affiliate link) — I’ve had them for ages, and they stack) is full, completely full of ice.
Regardless, you need much more ice in your glass than you think you do. These are the two pitfalls that leave people lukewarm about iced tea:
1. their tea is not strong enough to start with and
2. it doesn’t end up cold enough.
If you’ve left your container of tea to steep until it’s at least cool or maybe you’ve even popped it in the fridge and it’s cold, you can add water to dilute it, as the initial concentration is… concentrated. Maybe another cup of water will do the trick. If it’s hot, the ice that melts will dilute it — so pour it just below the top level of your ice.
The fatal thing is to have a few pathetic slivers of ice in a watery pool of weak tea.
So, strong tea and lots of ice!
I like mine sweet — either I put sugar in the container as I’m making it or I add my spoonful to my glass and stir vigorously.
It’s definitely the best drink ever. Every drink wishes it were iced tea and is sad it’s not.
On to our links:
Marcel Marceau started miming to save children during the Resistance.
The Holy Stairs in Rome will be renovated.
I’ve never read a critique of a poem quite like this one: How T.S. Eliot Predicted the Coming of Male Millennials
Fathers, protect your children spiritually.
Family structure matters when it comes to protecting children from abuse.
Our friend Patricia recommends, for fun listening for the children, an old-fashioned series from a radio program: She says: “Lil’ Orley and …
…the Cricket
…the Haunted House
…the Bubble Gum
…the Happy Bird
…the Barn Dance
…the Adventure with the Cloud
…Adventures with the Parade
… and, as the ads say, so much more! You can find a lot of them on YouTube.”
Here’s one:
From the archives:
Our audio book recommendations (good ones in the comments too!).
My secret to cleaning cast iron pans — and believe me, getting stainless steel pads will change your life, scrubbing-pots-in-general-wise — you will be released from the dumb plastic-scrubber-of-futility fate.
Today is the feast of St. Clare. We went to Assisi and walked in the little cold convent where she lived in complete poverty, following St. Francis — and where she struggled out, ill, bearing the Host that caused the attacking Saracens to take flight. If you can ever go there, go!
We’d like to be clear that, when we direct you to a site via one of our links, we’re not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual post in question (unless we state otherwise).
Follow us:
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Auntie Leila’s Pinterest.
Rosie’s Pinterest.
Sukie’s Pinterest.
Deirdre’s Pinterest.
Habou’s Pinterest.
Bridget’s Pinterest.
Auntie Leila’s Ravelry.
Auntie Leila’s Instagram.
Rosie’s Instagram.
Sukie’s Instagram.
Deirdre’s Instagram.
Bridget’s Instagram.
Habou’s Instagram.
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