+J.M.J.+ A year and a half ago, Ethan and I got rid of over half of our stuff, and we have never looked back. This is the story of our family reclaiming our home, and at the end a list of action steps if you need help starting a similar process. So. Much. Stuff. Despite [...]
+J.M.J.+My former-school-teacher-husband has been wanting for us to choose an official curriculum for this fall, and Philomena has had such eagerness to get to work after so enjoying preschool. In this post about preschool from last year, I shared what books we used, as well my thoughts on play being the most important work she [...]
+J.M.J.+Laundry is a chore I actually don't dread. The following routine is how I have eliminated endless piles of dirty or clean laundry around my home for the last couple years.This system may or may not work for you, but I hope you find at least a couple tips or ideas to help you with [...]
+J.M.J.+Last week I shared my best tips for traveling with kids in this post here, and today I wanted to share how we plan little weekend getaways on a small budget. Consider the Location We tend to make trips in a 2 - 3.5 hour range away for weekends. This is close enough that Ethan [...]
+J.M.J.+ We talked all about breakfast in this last post found here - let's move on to lunch! A lot of people like to make enough of dinner for lunch the following day, but I would rather come up with simple lunches I can throw together and save those precious dinner leftovers for another night [...]
+J.M.J.+ We have paid off $23,031.00 of student loan debt in two years on an income less than the national average. It was our only debt and it is a relief like no other to have this gone. Ethan graduated with his bachelors degree debt free - this was from a post graduate program. We [...]
+J.M.J.+ I am frequently asked about how I entertain my kids, and there has been a huge surge in these questions since I announced our most recent pregnancy. How do I handle morning sickness with other kids? How am I entertaining them? This title is a bit of a trick because the answer really is [...]
+J.M.J.+ A year and a half ago I published one of my most viewed posts ever: My Little Kids Don't Use Screens. Ever. Here's why. (You may enjoy giving that a read then coming back here.) I explained how studies show that the more little kids' brains are hyper stimulated by screens, the more it [...]
+J.M.J.+ When I shared about our general daily routine and my rule of life in this post earlier this month, a lot of you wanted to know what a day in the life looked like with a bit more detail. Every day with a family has lots of variation, but the following is what a [...]
+J.M.J.+ I feel more than slightly under-qualified after just 5.5 years of marriage to be giving tips on the topic. However, since I was asked about it and do think that since this is one of Ethan and I's strong points, I'm presenting 3 ways you can better communicate with your spouse. Know Each Other [...]
The Natural Catholic Mom 