The Mom Weekly

Category: The Household Book

  • I’m Glad You Were Born (Replay)

    I’m Glad You Were Born (Replay)

    The Mom Weekly Volume 137: March 24, 2026

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    Notes: 

    (Next week I’ll post the final installment of Eleazar’s Commonplace Book)

    Last Thursday was St. Joseph’s Day, a solemnity, and we celebrated with Savoiardi, naturally.

    (Here’s the recipe.)

    Tomorrow is the feast of the Annunciation, also a solemnity, so time to take a break from Lent (and we are nearing the end of Lent, fortunately!).

    I went looking to see if I had posted about the Annunciation, and I liked what I wrote so much that I am going to “replay” it here. I think I’ve only done that once or twice here, but it’s my Weekly (being “Mom and all, haha), so I am allowed.

    Also, my wonderful daughter-in-law has a birthday the day after tomorrow, and so I’ll be celebrating her tomorrow. I hope all of you will, too.

    Remember how much I love you, whether it’s your birthday or not,

    Mom 

    I’m Glad You Were Born (Replay)

    Today is the Feast of the Annunciation. I’m always surprised that it is not a Holy Day of Obligation. I think I mix it up with the Assumption in August, which is a Holy Day of Obligation.

    Fra Angelico , The Annunciation (from Wikimedia Commons)

    Anyway, this is a great feast day. I have such a vivid memory of my oldest nephew being “overdue” many years ago (I was in high school!) and my Mom’s Irish friends saying novenas that the baby would be born on St. Patrick’s Day. They did this just to annoy my Mom, who (jokingly, I’m sure, being fully Italian) did not want that to happen!

    And then he was born on the Feast of the Annunciation! I remember my Mom being so happy about that. It’s also just a wonderful feast of solidarity with pregnant women and babies.

    There are a lot of birthdays upcoming—today, tomorrow, and the next few months.

    As I pray for those people on and around their birthdays, a prayer that keeps settling in my heart is: “I’m glad you were born.”

    I’m not sure what that means related to the Annunciation—one would think I would have that kind of Holy Spirit Nudge would appear around Christmas. But I’m trying to be more open to the Holy Spirit and my guardian angel. (Re-read “Holy Spirit Nudges” to recall what I mean by that. Every time, I giggle when I think about my guardian angel rolling her eyes at me).

    So there it is. I’m glad you were born.

    Related:

    Mary’s Girlhood by Dante Gabriel Rossetti

    When I taught high school for two years before you kids were born, an English teacher (Mrs. P!) was in the classroom next door. She introduced me to this poem, and we taught a joint class between our two classes on it several times. I love to read it each Annunciation. (And I was “sure” his sister, Christina Rossetti, wrote it, but I was wrong!)

    Mary’s Girlhood

    This is that blessed Mary, pre-elect
    God’s Virgin. Gone is a great while, and she
    Dwelt young in Nazareth of Galilee.
    Unto God’s will she brought devout respect,
    Profound simplicity of intellect,
    And supreme patience. From her mother’s knee
    Faithful and hopeful; wise in charity;
    Strong in grave peace; in pity circumspect.

    So held she through her girlhood; as it were
    An angel-water’d lily, that near God
    Grows and is quiet. Till, one dawn at home,
    She woke in her white bed, and had no fear
    At all,—yet wept till sunshine, and felt aw’d:
    Because the fulness of the time was come.

    Interesting/Notable:

    Sucker: My Year as a Degenerate Gambler: The Atlantic Gift Article

    This is SUCH a great read. It is so important to read because of the proliferation of betting apps, etc. It’s such a scourge.

    An incisive quote from it:

    I had always told people that I didn’t have an addictive personality, believing that to be so. Now I had to consider a different possibility: Maybe I had simply constructed a life with strong enough guardrails that I’d never had to test the premise.

    What would happen to me, I wondered, if those guardrails were removed?”

    An Action Item: Complete Your Taxes

    It is less than one month until taxes are due, and I strongly encourage you to complete yours, this week if possible.

    I normally try to finish mine by the end of February, but that didn’t happen this year. I promise, this is an action item for me as much as anyone else!

  • Meatless Lunch/Dinner Ideas for Lent

    Meatless Lunch/Dinner Ideas for Lent

    The Mom Weekly Volume 132: February 17, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    Notes:

    As I’ve said before, one reason I write The Mom Weekly is to tell myself things as well as you. And I thought of something I personally would like, leading into Lent starting tomorrow: a list of good ideas for Lenten meatless lunches and dinners.

    I typically don’t eat meatless the entirety of Lent, but I know I will need ideas for Fridays, and maybe Wednesdays if I get ambitious. 

    And so writing these ideas ahead of time should help me have a ready-to-go list. I hope it might help you too or inspire you to create your own.A

    Also! Breaking news! I edited this post before it went out, because the Holy Father released his Letter for Lent 2026, and it’s well worth planning to read prayerfully and slowly this Lent. Here it is:

    “Listening and Fasting: Lent as a Time of Conversion”

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Meatless Lunch/Dinner Ideas

    Baked Salmon, rice, veggies.

    Scrambled eggs, salad.

    Frittata, baked potatoes, veggies.

    Curry wraps with peanut sauce (I adapted this recipe in various ways, notably that I add the peanut sauce to the wraps, and I wrap it in tortillas, not the collard leaves .

    Corn chowder made without ham or bacon.

    Grilled cheese, veggies or salad.

    Korean Tofu Bowls or Wraps with rice or tortillas.

    Tortellini with some kind of sauce, Caesar salad.

    Aklit Spiced Ethiopian Vegetable Stew , rice

    Vegetable soup, bread (note to self: look for a good veggie soup recipe!)

    Meatless meatballs (Aldi) in Rao’s sauce, on Turano rolls for meatball subs, sautéed zucchini and onions

    Homemade pizza with fresh mozzarella and/or artichokes, salad. 

    Peanut butter on toast, sliced apples.

    Mexican bean soup (find a good recipe), cornbread.

    Blueberry pancakes made with Kodiak mix and/or coconut flour (for more protein and fiber).

    I am genuinely interested in any ideas or recipes that you have come across that are meatless for Fridays. Please let me know!

    Interesting/Notable:

    Debate: Should We Delete Catholic AI? New Polity podcast (Matthew Sanders, CEO of Longbeard, and Marc Barnes

    Sometimes Spotify annoys me when it auto-plays whatever random podcast I’ve listened to in the past, but this one was a home run. 

    I’m not even 30 minutes into this episode and I have so many thoughts! It’s fascinating, and such a respectful conversation (at least as far I have gotten).

    An Action Item: Download the Prayer of St. Ephrem to your phone

    When I looked at last year’s beginning of Lent post, after I already completed this one, I thought, that was good! (Including my first-ever GIF).

    But that post featured an image of the Prayer of St. Ephrem, which is traditionally prayed during Lent. I’ll feature it again here, and consider adding it to your phone, possibly to your lock screen? So that you can remember to pray it every so often during Lent.

  • The Mind is for Having Ideas, Not Holding Them

    The Mind is for Having Ideas, Not Holding Them

    The Mom Weekly Volume 105: August 12, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    The Mind is For Having Ideas, Not Holding Them

    “The mind is for having ideas, not holding them.”

    This is a famous quote from productivity guru David Allen. He’s the person behind the Getting Things Done system.  

    The theory behind getting those items out of our mind and into a list, or lists, or some kind of system, is this: If we clutter up our brain with all of our to-dos, there isn’t space for thinking, deep work, and things we really want to accomplish.

    That’s why a regular “mind sweep” or “brain dump” is such a good idea. Here is a podcast episode (but with a transcript, so It’s easy to skim for the good content) of David Allen walking through a mind sweep and how to handle items on them.

    I haven’t done a proper “mind sweep” in some time, so I plan to add this an an action item! But I do have a weekly habit of writing out what’s going on for the next week and a half or so. I do this one page per day, on light blue colored paper, that I keep on a fancy clipboard. I can add things to each day. Like many, I enjoy crossing off the items, and I even add things to the list so that I can cross them off. It truly helps me not to miss events and appointments, even ones that are on my calendar!

    Interesting/Notable: 

    How to de-addict Gen Z 

    I had some reservations about some points of this article, but overall these young men are doing good work.

    Action Item: Do a “Mind Sweep” Ahead of September

    Set a time for 10-15 minutes (or more! Some people recommend a half hour or longer to help you capture a lot of items) and write down all the things you need to do—pay certain bills, check on your grocery list, make plans with friends, plan where you’ll be for Christmas or Thanksgiving, make your annual doctor or dentist appointments. You’ll be really glad that you did.

    I have also done this walking through our house, writing down all the little things that I’d like to accomplish—cleaning off a surface, touching up paint on a wall or doorway, or organizing a closet. It’s great to have such a list, so when you are thinking of something to do, you can check the list and do one of the items. And, best of all, you get to cross off that item!

  • Happy Pride & Prejudice Day

    Happy Pride & Prejudice Day

    The Mom Weekly Volume 77: January 28, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the website here. https://themomweekly.com/

    Notes:

    I had another newsletter ready to go this week, that I really want to share!

    But I noticed very late that today is “Pride & Prejudice” Day! It’s the 212th anniversary of the publication of Jane Austen’s beloved novel.

    And since 2025 is the 250th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth (her birthday is December 16), there will doubtless be several newsletters this year that center on her.

    Remember how much I love Jane Austen, and also how much I love you!

    Mom

    Happy Pride & Prejudice Day

    Let’s take a little detour, shall we, to enjoy an especially wonderful exchange from Chapter 56 of Pride & Prejudice. This exchange is between the haughty Lady Catherine de Bourgh and Elizabeth Bennet. This is towards the end of Pride & Prejudice. I initially was going to have the entire exchange as text in this newsletter, but I realized that this scene 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice captures virtually every word.

    So here it is!

    Now, some fun and funny recent P&P related social media. I promise you that these are really worth watching for some comic relief.

    What I mean when I say I like club remixes:

    Jake Phillips, the “Country Bumpkin” who records audiobooks for his YouTube channel of classics read in a Southern accent. Wonderful!

    Finally, is a rendition of a portion of “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes. I have such a vivid memory of Ideagirl memorizing this for declamation back in grade school. Some of the rest of us can still recite at least “The highwayman came riding, riding, riding, the highwayman came riding, up to the old inn door.”

    Interesting/Notable:

    52 Places to Go in 2025 (NY Times Gift Article)

    Note the first location!!! I really hope to make this happen in 2025.

    An Action Item: Get Started on Your Taxes

    Yes, it’s getting to be that time of year… I hope you each have a physical folder that you can refer to to complete your taxes. I prefer to print out the 1099s and similar forms that we get, but usually I can upload them directly to my tax software.

    You don’t have to finish your taxes, but gathering your materials is a good first step. I will actually have another tax-related tip in February, so you may want to hold off on actually filing, even if you are ready. But if your taxes are relatively simple, go ahead and file, and you will have that off your plate.

  • In Praise of the “Completed” List

    In Praise of the “Completed” List

    The Mom Weekly Volume 76: January 21, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    In Praise of the “Completed” List

    I’m sure I am not the only one who has multiple running to-do lists. I have mine both in my head and written down, either on paper or in my treasured ToDoist app.

    I am that person who adds things to her to do list after completing, so that I can cross them off. It’s that satisfying for me.

    And yet, I often feel like I’m not really making progress, especially when it comes to things around the house. Part of that is the nature of keeping a household running smoothly. If you vacuum, it’s going to need it again very soon, and it’s not quite as satisfying as a one-and-done project. But as I go through the house, I typically see things that I keep “meaning” to do, from touching up paint, to organizing a room, and so on. Whenever I’m going around the house, I find myself saying, “I need to get to … (insert small project here).”

    Over the last week, I’ve accomplished three small projects that happen to be related. And I realized, not for the first time, how celebrating our small accomplishments helps to make you happier and more productive.

    Here’s the story: Months ago, I purchased a top-down/bottom-up shade (like this one)  to go in Dad’s library. He wanted the ability to see the sky but also giving him some privacy. We kept saying to each other, “We have to put that shade up.”

    Finally, we set upon a time earlier last week. (That’s another tip—scheduling a time to do a specific project greatly increases the chances you will get to it!). And while Dad went through some things and books in his office, I took off the old shade, and installed the new one, without too much drama. Because I don’t do it very often, I read the instructions really carefully and spent extra time. It felt great to accomplish it!

    I saved the shade in order to install it in the garage, where there was a window without a shade. I put the shade on top of the dryer in the laundry room, and made a mental note to get to it “soon.” 

    The Plot Thickens

    A couple of mornings later, I was opening the floral shade in the laundry room. You may remember it had a weird cord to raise and lower the shade. And … it broke. I was so annoyed! 

    I got out the ladder to take a look at it, and see if I could fix it. It was the oddest contraption, and took awhile to disassemble. And, for good or ill, it could not be fixed, which kind of made me glad.

    I was heading out, and so stopped at Menard’s and get a new shade. They had one just like I wanted.

    When I got home, I started to work on installing it. Feeling confident from my installation of the library shade, I promptly installed the brackets upside down. So annoying! 

    When I discovered my mistake, I also realized that the screws that came with the shade were those evil screws that immediately “strip” when you start to install them (even though I was using a manual screwdriver, not an electric drill). So getting them off was quite the ordeal, and I was cursing whoever creates those awful screws!!!

    Fortunately, I was able to find “just” enough high-quality screws in our tool box , and installed the brackets correctly, put up the shade, and consigned the awful fasteners to the trash.

    And then, I told myself, I am not going to wait another minute to install that shade in the garage, because I don’t want to forget how to do it! I was able to install that shade correctly, and in much less time as the first two, because I had the memory of how to do it.

    The “Things I’ve Completed” Photo Album

    After this was all completed, I took photos to memorialize all my great work (see several of the photos in this week’s graphic). And then I realized how happy it made me to do that. 

    So, that’s the plan in coming weeks. I will take a before/ after photo of different projects that I want to do, and then celebrate them.

    To aggregate these, there is a new album in my Photos called “Things I’ve Completed.” I’m going to come up with a better name for it, but I don’t like the typical expression “Ta-Da List” l. If you have any better suggestions for what to call it, I want to know! And let me know good things that you have accomplished.

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Interesting/Notable: 

    Fighting the Devil with a Spatula—Meredith Hinds

    I’m not sure how I came across this article. But it’s related to what I wrote this week, a great reminder that the “small steps” are a great way to complete things. And that thanking yourself for taking them is a good (and spiritual) practice! Here’s an excerpt:

    So, what small step could I take regarding small steps? Well, in my fancy new 2025 planner, the first resolution I wrote down was, “I will honor small steps.”

    Then I realized how much I sounded like a yoga instructor. Honor? By doing what? I scratched that out and wrote, “I will thank myself for taking small steps.”

    This is a trip. You should try it.

    “Thank you for throwing away three eggshells.”

    “Thank you for picking up the paper scrap off the floor.”

    “Thank you for making the bed.”

    I didn’t realize how little positive internal feedback I had going around upstairs until I really started making a point of it.

    An Action Item: Drink A Big Glass of Water First Thing in the Morning

    Everyone knows how much I enjoy drinking water, but the cold weather recently has made drinking water less appealing for me. This is probably because I love my water with ice, and it just isn’t as much fun to drink when it’s below zero outside! But staying hydrated, especially in colder, drier weather, with dry heat, is even more important this time of year.

    I was having some digestive and other symptoms recently, and I thought it could be from not drinking enough water. So I’ve made a point the last week or so to drink an eight-ounce glass of water (or two) first thing in the morning. It has really helped, and I encourage you to do the same.

  • So A Man Can Stand Up (From the Vault[Replay], January 22, 2009)

    So A Man Can Stand Up (From the Vault[Replay], January 22, 2009)

    The Mom Weekly Volume 75, January 14, 2025

    You can read this, or any other previous Mom Weeklies, by going to the home page here.

    Notes:

    I actually had this “From the Vault” ready to replay for next week, but then I looked up the actual day of the inauguration, and rather than be “behind the news,” I decided to move the publication date up.

    If you are having deja vu, it’s because I ran this same “From the Vault” one year ago. But I thought it was even more apropos this year, when we have an inauguration. And I absolutely stand by what I wrote one year ago, and 16 years ago. We really do live in the greatest country in the world. So I’m calling it a “From the Vault (Replay).”

    “So a Man Can Stand Up” (From the Vault “Replay,” January 22, 2009)

    I saw this post when I was looking around at “likely ones” for “From the Vault” editions (see this post for the explanation). I could share from those blogging days, and I found this post from January 2009. For a minute, I was hesitant to share this reflection, from the inauguration and from the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. Not everyone who reads The Mom Weekly shares my pro-life views, and I don’t want to make anyone feel bad or excluded from this.

    But no one is surprised to know that I’m still solidly pro-life (remember: I’m Team Baby !!!), and I’m not trying to change anyone’s views here. I love everyone in my extended family, and I try to be honest about where I’m coming from. At the same time, I can acknowledge and honor that other people have different views.

    But as I read through this old post, I thought: I would not change a single word. And I didn’t. And I am actually pretty proud of what I wrote, when I was 15 years younger and less mature than I am now!

    Even though a lot of things have happened since this time — and a lot has culturally changed (understatement!!!) — I feel more confident in what I wrote. I am still the goofy corny person who believes—even more so now—that we live in the greatest country in the world.

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    From the Vault: So a Man Can Stand Up (January 22, 2009)

    This year we are studying American history in our home, and corny or not, I keep thinking to myself and remarking to whoever is listening: we live in the greatest country in the world.

    I’m especially inspired by the bravery and the heroism and the intellectual power of the founders of our country. We’ve read tons of books about the American Revolution. I especially like the Jean Fritz ones; they are quick reads and so enjoyable.

    Last summer we listened to the audiobook of Esther Forbes’ Johnny Tremain on a trip to Ohio, and while it could be slow-moving at parts (thus I was so grateful for the long minivan ride), the overall effect was truly “living history,” a novel to help us experience and understand this period in history and some of the people who made it happen.

    I don’t want to give away the end of Johnny Tremain, so I won’t provide the whole context of this quote, but it was brought vividly to my mind this week:

    “You remember that night…that last meeting of the Observers. James Otis came, although we didn’t want him. I can’t remember much of what he said, but I remember how his words made the gooseskin on my arms.’

    ‘I’ll never forget it. He said..so a man can stand up.’

    ‘Yes. And some of us would die–so other men can stand up on their feet like men. A great many are going to die for that. They have in the past. They will a hundred years from now–two hundred. God grant there will always be men good enough.’

    Johnny Tremain was published and won the Newberry Medal in 1944. It was during the midst of World War II, when the Greatest Generation was serving and dying for these freedoms again. And still we have people good enough, who are willing to serve and protect our country and our world. How amazing. So that a man can stand up…

    We had a “television day” Tuesday, and watched the inauguration throughout the day. Apart from the fashions (that’s for another post!) I was teary through much of the traditions accompanying it. We have—not just a peaceful, but a gracious—transfer of power every time there is a new president.

    Other places in the world, even today, have civil war or unrest, coups or dictators. We have the first African-American president, a mere generation away from segregation and a time when it would have seemed impossible. I do not agree with so many policies of Obama, but I couldn’t stop the tears when he took the oath.

    Sir, on the way back from a meeting an hour from home and heading back to the office, stopped at home to watch the actual signing in. He was moved, and that got me teary again, especially by the words of the Reverend Joseph Lowery, the civil rights and spiritual leader who had seen so much, and suffered so much (Sir told me how Lowery was beaten and worse during the civil rights struggle), and yet lived to see this day and give the benediction. So that a man can stand up…

    Today we have another “television day” at our house, to watch live coverage of the March for Life (on EWTN). I am so happy kids got up early enough so we could go to Mass. Our wonderful pastor gave a wonderful reflection about being life-giving, rather than life-draining.

    Our kitchen is still a construction zone, so since work was underway when we came home from Mass, we went to McDonald’s for breakfast. While the kids were eating I read them, for the umpteenth time, Regina Doman’s luminous picture book, Angel in the Waters. I can’t ever read that book without crying, especially on the page, “Then there was light.”

    Homegirl asked why I was getting choked up, and probably thinking, but not saying, why are you crying a lot this week?. I told them that it made me emotional to remember having them as babies, and it made me emotional to see the angel on every page and realize we are surrounded by our own guardian angels, and it also made me emotional, on this day of penance, to realize how vulnerable babies are and how they need to be protected.

    And so I am bracing myself for what President Obama might do to promote or make abortion easier, and I am heavy of heart, and hoping and praying that he does not make it a high priority.

    It is likely that Obama will sign executive orders in favor of abortion—perhaps today—and nothing can really been done about it, except pray and work hard on issues we can, and to support and lift up in prayer those who are wounded by abortion, both those who speak out and those who remain silent.

    We can also be grateful for the tremendous gift of life, and cherish life, and be life-givers. And to remember that there is no liberty, no pursuit of happiness, without life. And we can: “imagine the possibilities….so a man can stand up.”

    Interesting/Notable:

    New Year’s Resolution: Bring Back the Aunties


    This is such a good idea. And honestly, older women are pretty awesome, and I don’t just think that because I am one.

    After Exam Controversy, Georgetown Law Student Urge Policy Change

    I shared this with my sisters in the Sisters Letterloop, but I thought it was worth sharing here as well, exactly as I shared it there!

    A dentist who attends my book group told the story of how she was not accommodated at all 12 years ago when she was pregnant with her first child in dental school (a doctor also shared her experiences around the same time). And that brought up this recent article in The Pillar about a Georgetown University law student who fought for accommodations, not just for herself, but for future students experiencing this. Really worth a read!

    Also, here is some of the backstory of the article from its author, Leah Libresco Sargent (she also linked to yet another fascinating article she wrote about current dating culture. She’s such a good writer!)

    An Action Item: Make some soup this week

    It’s been so cold here today and for the next few days. That has me thinking of soup. I am glad that I made My Copycat Olive Garden Chicken Gnocchi Soup. Now I want to make some other kind of soup. I encourage you to, as well!