The Mom Weekly

Category: Weekly Newsletter

  • Set Up Alerts for All Your Credit Cards (Mom’s Occasional Money Advice)

    Set Up Alerts for All Your Credit Cards (Mom’s Occasional Money Advice)

    The Mom Weekly Volume 130: February 3, 2025

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

    Notes:

    I decided to pre-empt what I had scheduled this week to share about a useful financial housekeeping activity. This one is topical because it happened to be just a few days ago.

    I promise you that you will feel good once you complete this!

    It’s especially good to do these kinds of activities during some of the extra-cold days we’ve had recently when it’s hard to get outside. 

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Set Up Alerts for All Your Credit Cards (Mom’s Occasional Money Advice)

    Just a few days ago, I was checking the Chase app on a newer credit card to see how close I was to the spending I would need to trigger the sign-up bonus. The sign-up bonus for this particular card is a lot of points, so it was definitely worth checking!

    I noticed several small charges from the same merchant, and several from another, and I thought, wait, did I spend money at something called “M Solutions”?

    This can be tricky because sometimes charges will occur that appear odd. We have lunch at the excellent Skylight Commons cafe at the Mayo Clinic on the days we are there—but the merchant name is something strange that I know now, but might have thought was sketchy the first time or two I saw the charge.

    Anyway, I was heading out for my dentist appointment at that time, so I couldn’t do much until I got home. When I got home, I checked on all the charges, and saw a dozen or so charges, ranging from 99 cents to $27, from four merchants I did not recognize. 

    The fraud department representative that I spoke to was very nice, and I went over all the charges with her. She could see they were all connected to the same digital wallet (not mine, obviously), and so she cancelled the card and I’ll get a new one in a few days.

    I realize that I had not set up text or app alerts for this particular card, because it is relatively new. So I took some time that afternoon to check all of our credit cards and make sure that text/app alerts are enabled. Now, anytime there is a charge on any of our cards, I (or Dad) will get a text message or app alert, or both. 

    I do have this set up for many cards, so that I can appear to be a mind reader. I told Dad when I was setting all the alerts up that I already get those. I said, “Didn’t you make a purchase using (certain credit card) at Trader Joe’s about an hour ago?” Dad thought that my knowledge of his wherabouts a state away was pretty impressive, and I agree. 🙂

    The typical way to do this is on the app or website of your card’s bank, look into “profile & settings.” Usually within there or something similar, there is a “manage alerts” section. Just be sure that you save after you change the alerts. I’m sharing a screen from within Chase so you can see what I mean. Be sure to check all of the categories of alerts, especially any purchases!

    For some reason, it was hit or miss with our cards. Some had alerts of all kinds enabled, and some had few or none. It was a good feeling to be able to get all the cards set up that way. You’ll be glad, too, once you complete this task!

    Interesting/Notable: 

    Seeking Beauty — EWTN Studios.

    Erica Campbell, the founder and owner of Be a Heart, a Catholic goods shop, shared this show in a recent email (her emails are great, by the way. I find her very sensible and spiritually mature). 

    I’ve only watched part of the first episode, but it’s got great production value and it’s highly watchable! I was not aware of the actor/producer who narrates it, but he does look familiar. You younger people may recognize him more. 🙂

    They Wanted Another Bathroom. So They Built a $1.3 Million Home: WSJ

    I read this article because of the headline, but it’s actually about a general contractor and architect with a very interesting personal history that led to him becoming a home builder. Worth a read!

  • Love is Patient, Love is Kind, or, St. John Bosco’s advice to anyone in relationship with others

    The Mom Weekly Volume 129: January 27, 2025

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

    Notes:

    This is Catholic Schools Week, which always reminds me of pancake breakfast and other events at parishes over the years. Also, tomorrow is the feast of St. Thomas Aquinas, who is the patron saint of students and of Catholic schools, among other things. And that got me thinking about St. John Bosco, who is also a patron of students. 

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Love is Patient, Love is Kind, or, St. John Bosco’s advice to anyone in relationship with others  

    St. John Bosco’s feast day is January 31, and he along with St. Thomas Aquinas  is a patron of young people and education. The more I read about him, the more impressed I am with him! Connected to last week, he had a great devotion to St. Francis de Sales, even naming the congregation he founded the Salesians after St. Francis. (Of course, we have no idea whether St. John Bosco found St. Francis funny like I do, but let’s hope he does).

    The Office of Readings for saint feast days often includes a writing by or about the saint, and the feast of St. John Bosco features “A letter by St. John Bosco.” It is really worth reading in its entirety, so check out the Universalis app Office of Readings for January 31. But I’m going to excerpt a few lines for you:

    First of all, if we wish to appear concerned about the true happiness of our foster children and if we would move them to fulfill their duties, you must never forget that you are taking the place of the parents of these beloved young people. I have always labored lovingly for them, and carried out my priestly duties with zeal. And the whole Salesian society has done this with me.

    My sons, in my long experience very often I had to be convinced of this great truth. It is easier to become angry than to restrain oneself, and to threaten a boy than to persuade him. Yes, indeed, it is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys. We must be firm but kind, and be patient with them.

    “It is more fitting to be persistent in punishing our own impatience and pride than to correct the boys.”

    Yes! Absolutely.

    I thought, why haven’t I read more about St. John Bosco, or writings of him? So I did a little research and found a website from the Australian Salesians offers downloads of a number of the writings of St. John Bosco. This essay about his “preventative method” of working with children is so forward thinking!

    One thing I appreciate about St. John Bosco is he stresses more than once that kids can do heedless things because they are kids, and adults need to give them some grace. Can I just say that that can be a difficult part of parenting? It does get easier the older you get, fortunately.

    St. John Bosco wants us to understand that kids doing dangerous, mean, foolish, or goofy things is not a reflection on their character, or your work as a parent, but just a feature of kids! He doesn’t write it this way, but he is describing the undeveloped prefrontal cortex in young people before their mid-20s. Lots of impulse control issues! It’s fine, everything is fine, and you can keep being gentle and instructive with kids, and eventually some of it will stick.

    Let me close with the Scripture that St. John Bosco uses frequently when he talks about our life with others, especially children: (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7)

    Love is patient and kind; love is not jealous or boastful;  it is not arrogant or rude. Love does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrong, but rejoices in the right. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

    Interesting/Notable:

    Want a Free Luxury Trip? Talk to a Credit Card Rewards Consultant—WSJ gift link 

    Once again, my hobby is ahead of the curve! I have started sharing posts every weekday on LinkedIn about travel rewards, with the specific goal of showing people how flexible traveling with points & miles can be. If you’re on LinkedIn, make sure to follow along!

  • St. Francis de Sales Always Cracks Me Up

    St. Francis de Sales Always Cracks Me Up

    The Mom Weekly Volume 128: January 20, 2025

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

    Notes:

    This Friday is the feast of St. Francis de Sales. He’s the patron saint of writers & journalists (raising my hand) as well as the baptism anniversary of a certain family member. I still remember that baptism so well!

    Anyway, I’ve had versions of this in my writing file for some time. I hope it conveys the humor that I find in St. Francis de Sales’ writing (intentional or unintentional).

    No matter what, remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Saint Francis de Sales Always Cracks Me Up

    While we were dating, Dad pointed out to me a copy of St. Francis de Sales Introduction to the Devout Life in a Catholic bookstore, and I bought it, or maybe he bought it for me?

    Saint Francis de Sales was a late 16th and early 17th century French/Swiss bishop, writer, and spiritual director. This context from the Wikipedia page really helps see where his idea for “the devout life” came from:

    In 1586, Francis de Sales attended a theological discussion about predestination that convinced him of his damnation to hell. A personal crisis of despair resulted. …. Sometime in either late December or early January 1587, he visited the old parish of Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, Paris, where he prayed the “Memorare” before a famed statue of Our Lady of Good Deliverance, a Black Madonna. 

    De Sales ultimately concluded that God had good in store for him because “God is love”, as the First Epistle of John attests. This faithful devotion to God not only expelled his doubts but also influenced the rest of his life and his teachings. His way of teaching Catholic spirituality is often referred to as the Way of Divine Love, or the Devout Life, taken from a book he wrote of a similar name: Introduction to the Devout Life.

    ——

    I did not know at the time that Saint Francis de Sales is the patron saint of writers and journalists (me!), or that our first-born daughter would be baptized on his feast day. I just know how influential that book has been to me over the decades.

    Anyway, I read it and loved it right away. Something about his style, even with the flowery language and random odd analogies of fruits and animals, I found very spiritually fruitful. And so over the years, I’ve re-read it during many Lents.

    One of the hallmarks of St. Francis’ teaching is that “devotion is compatible with every station of life.” Rather than holiness, or living close to God, being only for priests and religious, it’s really meant for every person, whether a laborer, or a king, or a mom, or a professor.

    Whenever I’ve read Introduction to the Devout Life, the thing that always “convicts” me, or helps me focus on what really matters, are the ten meditations in the first part of the Introduction.

    1. on our creation
    2. On he end for which we were created
    3. On the benefits of God
    4. On sin
    5. On death
    6. On judgment 
    7. On hell
    8. On heaven
    9. On the choice of heaven
    10. By way of Election and choice which the Soul makes of Devout Life

    These meditations are kind of Ignatian in spirit, because there’s a lot of imagining yourself in different situations, such as near death, your judgment. It’s quite moving, despite the flowery language that is present throughout the book. 

    The last meditation, “Election and choice which the Soul makes of Devout Life” is the one that always makes me almost laugh out loud. In the meditation, St. Francis de Sales has the readers imagine themselves in a field, with people on one side who are in hell, and the other people who are in heaven. And among the people in heaven there is this line:

    See the ranks of many married people, who live so lovingly together with mutual respect, which cannot be without great charity. Consider how these devout souls join the exterior care of their households with the interior care of their souls, the love the earthly with that of the celestial spouse.

    Let’s double click on that:

    Who live together with mutual respect, which cannot be (had) without great charity.

    Ya think, St. Francis? I just always find that funny because of course being married demands charity. And while Dad & I love each other, living together “lovingly” like St. Francis de Sales writes, is quite the feat! Sometimes it doesn’t actually happen, so you do the best you can.

    But that line is not only for married people. Just living among people with mutual respect demands enormous charity. In our world today, we have so, so many people who have nothing but contempt for certain other people, and don’t even try to hide that contempt or hatred.

    When people don’t show a basic amount of respect for others, it can be easy to dehumanize them as well, but that’s not the way to go. We have to work really hard at showing respect for others, and even charity, even for people who appear to us to be odious or wrong in every way.

    It reminded me of another quote by Mother Angelica. When she died back in 2016, I came across this quote:

    “If it wasn’t for people, we could all be holy.” 

    Isn’t that the truth? It’s so easy in our minds to be always kind, always truthful, and always patient, always with the right thing to say. At least it is for me! It is so much harder in actual life, in actual interactions with people, to be patient, loving, and having the right thing to say.

    (Digression: I remember years ago sometimes watching Mother Angelica have a Q&A with her audience about various topics, and honestly, she was very funny, with catchy quotes like, “If it wasn’t for people, we could all be holy.” I remember thinking watching her that she might be holier than thou, or harsh with people talking about their faults or unhappy families, but my memory is that she was quite realistic about life this century.

    It turns out that she had a pretty chaotic childhood and early adulthood, and I think that made her sensitive to what others go through, and giving solid advice that was not shaming in any way. Maybe I need to rewatch some to see if my memory is correct!)

    Interesting/Notable: 

    Godsplaining Reacts to “Wake Up, Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery” — Youtube

    A good portion of us watched “Wake Up Dead Man” last week after hearing so many great things about it. It is extremely well-done and moving, despite some strong content at various times, and it’s a little too murder-y for me (I hope that’s not a spoiler). 

    But the Catholic content, while sometimes isn’t quite accurate (Does it bother anyone else that often non-Catholics will write lines like “take Communion” or “take my Confession” when a Catholic would not say it that way—It would be “receive Communion” or “hear my Confession.”), the Catholic content is also literally true and word for word when it needs to be. I won’t say any more if you haven’t watched it.

    This “reaction” video from a Catholic Dominican priest gave me a lot more insight into some of the Scriptural references in the movie that had escaped me. This YouTube channel is by Dominicans, so of course it is going to be great! 🙂 

  • The Sunday Blues

    The Sunday Blues

    The Mom Weekly Volume 127: January 13, 2026

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

    Notes:

    This past Sunday was start of the latest seasons of two PBS shows: Masterpiece Mystery’s Miss Scarlet and Masterpiece’s All Creatures Great and Small. And that got me thinking about today’s topic….

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    The Sunday Blues

    Sunday evenings can be … less than fun. Even if we love our work and our lives, when Sunday rolls around, it’s often less a time of enjoying the last few hours of the weekend and more about a sense of dread. I have not taken a poll, but I honestly can’t think of anyone that I know who doesn’t get this feeling, either every Sunday evening, or every once in awhile.

    Some people have taken to calling the phenomenon “the Sunday scaries” since it often has a sense of uneasiness about the coming week. I read one time that’s why comforting shows (such as Masterpiece Theater and Masterpiece Mystery) are scheduled for Sunday evenings. It helps people to have something enjoyable to look forward to before starting another week. But for some reason, I don’t really like the term “Sunday scaries.”

    I propose “the Sunday blues” as a name for this phenomenon. Recognizing that we have this reaction and naming it goes a long way towards minimizing its effect in our lives. Naming it can also help us to come up with some strategies. Let’s talk about a few:

    1. The fun Sunday evening shows. Streaming services allow us to binge watch shows, but what about saving a favorite show or two for only Sunday evenings? Watching it with others can also make this a community activity, even for those not in the same room or state! (And right now, the mystery series “Miss Scarlet” and the Yorkshire classic “All Creatures Great and Small” air on Sunday evenings.
    1. Making a fun meal. You could have a Sunday tradition of trying a new recipe, in a small amount (in case it doesn’t work out).
    1. Connecting with family or friends in an intentional way.
    1. Journaling about emotions or just anything.
    1. Having a big physical activity earlier in the day. A Sunday hike can be a great way to burn off some anxiety and energy, and leave us pleasantly tired when Sunday evening rolls around.

    What are some of your favorite ways to spend Sunday, or to battle the Sunday blues?

    Interesting/Notable: 

    Four Perspectives on Bing Crosby—The Honest Broker

    This is such an edifying read—I can’t think of a better word for it. Just some good stories about an old-time Hollywood star.

  • And Tiny Tim, Who Did NOT Die!

    And Tiny Tim, Who Did NOT Die!

    The Mom Weekly Volume 126: January 6, 2026

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

    Notes:

    Today is the traditional Feast of the Epiphany, which is 12 days from Christmas. We celebrated it on Sunday this year, but I think in Europe and other places it’s still a feast day and a time to celebrate the three wise men visiting baby Jesus. That’s why I felt it is still appropriate to have a Christmas-adjacent reflection.

    Also, I found myself laughing OUT LOUD as I wrote this week’s selection. Even if you don’t find it funny, I did, so there’s that. As I like to say, “I crack myself up!”

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    And Tiny Tim, Who Did NOT Die!

    If you don’t know the genesis of the headline quote, stop immediately right now and go watch the entire The Muppet Christmas Carol. If you don’t have time for that, please watch this 1 minute and 30 second clip from it. 

    (Also, how cute is the exchange?)

    Rizzo the Rat: “And … Tiny Tim?”

    Gonzo: “And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die!”

    Rizzo: “Aw, isn’t that swell?”

    Variations of “And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die!” have been circulating in our family for many years, and I thought it would be fun to catalog a few of the most hilarious ones, and to encourage 2026 to perhaps be the year of “And Tiny Tim, who did NOT die!” Variations. Because we can all use more laughter in our lives.

    ”And William Shatner, who did NOT die!”

    This has been a perennial favorite, as the oldest of our children has—on multiple occasions—insisted that William Shatner is no longer with us. To great hilarity among the rest of us, who remind her, (not for the first time) that she is wrong.

    As of this writing, Shatner is a hale and hearty 94 years old, and I wish him many more happy years. I’m going to be sad when he passes, if only because we can’t use that expression again. 

    “And Selena Gomez, who did NOT marry Bad Bunny!”

    I laughed so much again writing this because …. I hope you’ll see why.

    Last year, when Selena Gomez was getting married to producer Benny Blanco (I had to look that up because every cell within me wants to write “Bad Bunny”), I mentioned it (no memory why) to one of our children who will definitely remain nameless for obvious reasons. This child assured me that, in fact, Selena Gomez was marrying Bad Bunny, and I absolutely believed the child, because why wouldn’t I? 

    In fact, I so believed this child that I merely expressed surprise and did not immediately try to look it up. That is because this child, like all of my children (except when it comes to William Shatner), is trustworthy and knowledgeable. I said, “I can’t believe that I didn’t know that before! I always thought it was some music producer, but I guess Bad Bunny would be considered a music producer? Ah, well, all the things I don’t know because I am old.”

    The last line is doubtless true. As the expression goes, I could not pick either Bad Bunny or Benny Blanco out of a lineup. If my life depended upon it, I could not name a song by either of them, nor answer correctly (except by a wild guess) if you played me a song, and said, “Is this by Bad Bunny?”

    I vaguely know about Bad Bunny because last year didn’t he have a “residency” of concerts in Puerto Rico, his home, kind of like people like Adele have “residencies” in Las Vegas? I’m purposefully not going to look it up because it is funny either if it’s true and I knew that, or it’s not true, and I thought it was true. We will just leave it at that.

    And that, my loved ones, is the sum total of everything I know about Bad Bunny. Which is more than I know about Benny Blanco. He’s a “music producer” but does he produce his own music? For Selena Gomez? For Taylor Swift? For Lawrence Welk? It’s all a mystery to me. Remember that I’m on the mature side here!

    I do know more about Selena Gomez because she plays Mabel in the entertaining “Only Murders in the Building” series. But again, I could not name a song by her, though I know she is an accomplished musician.

    Anyway, the punchline to the story: Several DAYS after that, I was still occasionally shaking my head at myself every so often, muttering “How did you not know that Selena Gomez was marrying Bad Bunny?” And then this child sent a note to our family team chat to report that Bad Bunny and Benny Blanco are, in fact, not the same person. Cue “And Selena Gomez, who did NOT marry Bad Bunny!”

    All I can say is, I’m glad that I don’t have to pick musicians or producers out of lineups, and I am grateful that my life does not depend on me being able to identify current pop songs. 

    Interesting/Notable: 

    “One Weird Trick to Feel More Relaxed at Home” — The Atlantic Gift Link

    This is all about surface clutter being bad for our emotions and comfort. Takeaway: the time we spend clearing off surfaces is a boon to our health, not just our organization. (Aside: I assume the headline writer meant it kind of tongue-in-cheek, but I find “try this one weird trick” really annoying, like from spam links at the bottom of articles.)

    8 Common Clutter “Blind Spots” —- And What to Do About Them (WSJ Gift Link)

    I found this one when I was looking for the Atlantic article.

    This time of year is great for considering clearing out some spaces! I cleaned out my bathroom drawers the other day, and it was very satisfying, even though it wasn’t surface clutter. Give it a try!

  • Believe What You Read, Teach What You Believe; Live What You Teach

    Believe What You Read, Teach What You Believe; Live What You Teach

    The Mom Weekly Volume 125: December 30, 2025

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

    Notes:

    One of my children—who shall remain nameless—mentioned that I read more books in 2025 than she has, which surprised me since she is quite well-read, and that is a big part of her career! There are two factors that contribute to this. One factor is hers: she does not “count” books that she reads for classes. One is mine: I include books that I do not finish.

    I disagree with her that not counting books just because they are used in class is counter-productive, not the least of which counting them increases your total number! Also, I do like knowing books that I have read or read part of, so I can look back later if something sounds familiar to me. That happened when I saw that The Other Bennet Sister, a recent novel about Mary Bennet, the “dowdy” sister in Pride & Prejudice, is being made into a television show. (

    I could look up and see that I had read The Other Bennet Sister in 2022.

    Perhaps the more controversial question is, can I count books that I do not finish as among my books read for any particular year? I say a firm “yes” under the following conditions: not just that I read the first page and immediately send it back to the library. I give a book a good shot, read several chapters and perhaps more, and then for whatever reason realize it’s not worth my while to finish it. 

    I consider that a book “read,” but imagine that others would have a different opinion! If I don’t count those, my total number of books would go down by a decent percentage. The other type of book I count is picture books or children’s books, and people may take exception with that (But on this, they are wrong.)

    What do you think? No matter what, I hope that you are reading books!

    Remember how much I love you,

    Mom

    Believe What You Read, Teach What You Believe; Live What You Teach

    A few weeks ago, Dad & I attended the Mass for the ordination to the diaconate to someone we’ve known since he was a baby. That was quite an experience! He will be ordained a priest in May, but this liturgy was very very moving, 

    There was one other young man being ordained, and so they repeated several of the vows and parts of the actual ordination portion of the Mass. One part was the “Presentation of the Book of the Gospels.” This took place just after the Litany of the Saints and the actual ordination. The young men each approached the Bishop, who gave each a “Book of the Gospels.” We were seated in the back, so I’m not sure exactly what that it, but I imagined it to be one of the big lectionaries that are held up before the Gospel reading at Mass. And what the Bishop said, and repeated twice, struck me so much that I brought out my phone to write it down. Here it is:

    “Receive the Gospel of Christ, whose herald you have become. Believe what you read, teach what you believe, and live what you teach.”

    Believe what you read. Teach what you believe. Live what you teach. 

    Isn’t that a good maxim to ponder in the new year? I almost want to make it my Lenten expression to meditate on. (Lent 2026 begins February 18). Let’s unpack it a little bit.

    “Believe what you read.” Are we reading (and viewing) trustworthy, noble words and images? A goal to read Scripture—especially the Gospels—could be a way to learn more about Jesus and his life, death, and resurrection, and deepen our belief in Him.

    “Teach what you believe.” If we have our faith, we should be willing to teach it. For a priest, it means being able to teach people, I imagine chiefly through homilies, about the love of God and the Gospel message. For the rest of us, it could mean teaching, but also being able to speak about our faith without reservation. I think that’s a pretty difficult task, but being willing to learn more about our faith by reading not only Scripture, but the Catechism, writings of the Saints, and other spiritual books.  

    “Live what you believe.” This is really the most important part—living our lives in line with what we believe. And it’s obviously the most difficult, and we can fail at it from time to time. But we know that as we keep practicing our faith, as well as the precepts of the Church,

    Also, we can work to practice the corporal works of mercy and spiritual works of mercy.

    All this is possible only through prayer—a relationship!

    Interesting/Notable

    Everyone is Invited to Jane Austen’s Birthday Party —NY Times gift link

    There is a video of English country dancing from the 2025 JASNA meeting in Baltimore that begins the article. Two of my dear friends from my Jane Austen book group are in it! I was actually at that dance, but fortunately not in the video. Can I just say how much fun English country dancing is?

    The article is also a solid read. One of my favorite parts was the description in the byline of the author: “For this story, Sarah Lyall traveled to Bath, England, and Baltimore; saw two exhibits and two plays; re-read six novels; purchased a handbag made to look like a copy of “Pride and Prejudice”; and tried on a Regency bonnet.” To show her bona-fides, I suppose! Works for me.

    Action Item: Time to Update Your Net Worth (Mom’s Occasional Money Advice)

    Wow, that seemed like net worth update time rolled around again pretty quickly!

    We are almost at the end of Quarter 4, which means it is time to update your net worth. I am just going to direct you to one of my many previous calls to begin this helpful process. Let me know if you need any help with it.