+J.M.J.+ Our family has made two major moves in the last three years. We went from Ohio to Nebraska, and then Nebraska to our now permanent home in South Dakota. I was asked what it has been like making friends - it seems like the older you get the harder it can be to meet [...]
+J.M.J.+Pulled pork is often incredibly dry, relying on copious amounts of barbecue sauce in the final product to try and compensate. I have come up with a delicious recipe that is incredibly flavorful and moist. Seriously, this is the best pulled pork we have ever had. First up will be the recipe, followed by step [...]
I have long wanted to make family photo albums - not fancy scrapbooks with all sort of fun stickers and notations - just plain old photo albums. My parents used to develop all of the film from the family camera once a year and do a massive sorting of the photos, putting them into albums [...]
+J.M.J.+ I am all for less-is-more with gifts. I'd rather find one or two quality items or experiences that actually bring joy or function to the recipient, rather than buying a bunch of random junk so there is "stuff" to unwrap. With inflation and instability rampant right now, remember that "things" may not be what [...]
+J.M.J.+ How to handle taking children to Holy Mass is often a challenge for parents to navigate, as well as a polarizing topic amongst Catholics. Obligatory disclaimer: I am not writing this judging other parents and how they handle their children at Mass, or trying to say this is the best way to handle taking [...]
+J.M.J.+ I am in the dreaded phase of postpartum dressing right now as Felicity is one month old. When it comes to clothes, I have four limitations: 1. Modesty matters to me because it matters greatly to Our Lady and the saints, which means I have certain standards in dress I maintain which are not [...]
+J.M.J.+Felicity Agnes' birth was by far my hardest birth, and was in several ways very different from my other labors. (You can read Philomena's birth story here, and Zelie's here if you want to know what theirs were like before starting on Felicity's). Felicity's birth was my first non-home birth. We've moved to a state [...]
+J.M.J.+ My first two births were wonderful homebirths in Ohio, and I had a super basic emergency bag packed for them in case we had needed to transfer during or after them. Due to a relocation to a state with non-evidence based birthing laws, we are going to be using a free-standing birth center for [...]
+J.M.J.+ There is a lot of information out there on how to prepare for birth (and I have a whole post about how I prep here!), but I feel like a huge aspect of getting ready to welcome a baby is getting ready for the incredibly beautiful and simultaneously challenging postpartum period. Here are the [...]
+J.M.J.+ I have had two completely natural childbirths, and am preparing for my third soon. (You can read my home birth stories here.) I'm going to share everything I do to prepare for birth, and at the end a list of why birthing naturally is a priority for me in the first place. Prepare Mentally [...]
The Natural Catholic Mom 