Family Life
June 2026
: In Summer The school year is over, and the time that we placed so many hopes and dreams on is here: summer. …
January 2026
: In Their Proper Order I think about systems a lot for work, so it’s comical when I find myself obliviously operating …
August 2025
: Last Day of Summer As quickly as it arrived, summer is on the cusp of closing out. The idyllic days of leisure, with …
June 2025
: Common Language Two months ago, we had a power outage after strong spring storms swept through the area. It was …
May 2025
: Domestic Things The Mass readings in the Easter season feature vignettes of the Risen Christ reintroducing Himself …
June 2024
: Play-Based Childhood My first phone was the Motorola Razor. I vaguely remember getting it as I was entering my sophomore …
May 2024
: Breathing Room Impulse shopping is really, really fun. There’s the enticement of an email, the excitement of a …
: IOUs One of the false hopes that our psychology causes us to believe is that if we only had more, we’d be …
March 2024
: Renew, Refresh About this time, every year, Alison and I are bitten by the spring projects bug. There’s something …
December 2023
: Stillness The Jewish people anticipate a great messianic return. Elijah tore off to Heaven on a chariot of …
October 2023
: Fresh Start With the house unpacked, and the children returned, today is our family’s fresh start. We are the …
: Every Single Thing We moved last week. Although I had the benefit of a whole crew to box up our home and relocate it, …
May 2023
: New Beginnings Growing up in a military family, moving was always a fact of life. Now with a family of my own, …
: Garage Doors In my ideal world, our house would be clean all the time. Things pulled out for play would be put …
February 2023
: Ski Trip After a very, very long drive, today begins our family’s annual ski trip. It’s a much anticipated …
December 2022
: Silent Night With last week’s brutal winter weather came all sorts of inconveniences. Plans changed, businesses …
September 2022
: Homeschooling Last Monday, just after breakfast this morning, my children gathered in our schoolroom at the sound …
May 2022
: Parental Love Our long holiday from democratic debate over one of the most contentious issues of our time appears …
June 2021
: Faith Enrichment The Catholic faith offers many wonderful experiences and expressions. Pilgrimages, devotionals, even …
May 2021
: In the Backyard This is our first house with a fence. A simple wooden structure that encloses our backyard doesn’t …
April 2021
: Bribe There’s a truth that is never clear in the mind of a child: everything a parent does is for a …
March 2021
: The Family Home Alison and I bought our first home last year. Leading up to the purchase, I failed to anticipate how …
: A Day of Play This weekend was pretty special. My father-in-law is in town for the week. He came for a visit and …
February 2021
: A Week of Warmth It was a week of snow and ice, sleet and freezing rain. It was a week of downed power lines, rolling …
September 2020
: Reading Together Filling up every minute of the day with activity for my kids is a real struggle. My kids are always …
August 2020
: Four Certainly children are a gift from the LORD, the fruit of the womb, a reward. Psalm 127:5
July 2020
: Our Responsibility Once or twice a month, I’ll take an hour or so on a Saturday afternoon to go to Confession. …
June 2020
: Opening the Domestic Church The center of the daily life of the Church is the Eucharist, but it’s not the whole life. Most of us …
: Contemplating Life Change is on the horizon for my family. Later this summer, we’ll be welcoming our fourth child home. …
April 2020
: Family Walks When I was in high school, we had neighbors who went for a family walk almost every evening. The …
December 2019
: Everybody Helps At the beginning of 2019, I sat down to think about annual themes for my family. I wanted to have a …
August 2019
: Dinner Table Just before moving two years ago, Alison and I went furniture shopping. We had gotten by for four …
July 2019
: Drift All things being equal, I’d like to keep a regular schedule. I’d like to have my day divided into …
June 2019
: Taking Kids to Mass It’s been a number of years since I’ve been to Mass on a regular basis without my kids. When Alison …
May 2019
: On Rest I’ve been thinking a lot about the idea of rest lately. As a parent to three young kids, my days are …
April 2019
: Tiny Saints A few months ago, I was given a “Tiny Saint” for a gift. Tiny Saints is a relatively new business …
: Themes This is a big year for me. My son is starting school in the fall, my middle child is coming into her …
March 2019
: Praying as a Family When we pray in a group, we’re vulnerable. Even if it’s just our family surrounding us, it’s easy to …
November 2018
: Thankful Thanksgiving is a great American holiday. The virtue of gratitude is baked into our national DNA. …
July 2018
: Economics of Staying Home There’s nothing wrong about a family in which both parents work outside of the home. Each family’s …
June 2018
: Integrity in Productivity My days are pretty full; that’s by design. I have my primary job, which is taking care of the kids. …
May 2018
: Set the Bar Low I’m not one to advocate for low bars. I’ve been told that I am particularly hard on people, which, …
April 2018
: Gardener We’re lucky in the summer to have several large oak trees around our house. They give us glorious …
: Controlling Kids in Church Taking kids to Church is hard. There’s getting everyone fed, cleaned, dressed, and out the door on …
March 2018
: Momentum A 10-day stay in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) will drain you. Lucy’s stay was a bit …
: A Successful Day Defining success is elusive. In fact, it’s one of the more personal determinations that we make. …
December 2016
: The American Family Then and Now I’ve always been interested in American history, in particular American military history. As a son …
: The List With just a few weeks until Christmas, I’m sure that your shopping is in full swing. For many of us, …
November 2016
: Count Your Blessings Greetings from the Jersey Shore! My family has gathered once again this week from five different …
July 2016
: The Genius of the Family Experiential knowledge is the most valuable of all. When Alison and I went to the hospital to …
June 2016
: Education Happens Everywhere One of the great tragedies of the American educational system is that it compartmentalizes learning. …
May 2016
: Overwhelmed with Gratitude Life is full of grand adventure. Our emotions, and the circumstances around us, can cast us into …
: The Dinner Opportunity We tend to overlook the dinner opportunity. Thanks to the rise in popularity of cooking shows, I …
: If It’s Broken, Fix It If you take a careful look at the mass produced products on the market today, you’ll note just how …
: Mastering Patience IKEA is not a store that I associate the virtue of patience with. Assembling the furniture is a task …
: Failure to Communicate I often feel that our ability to communicate is falling into the trap of diminishing returns. New …
April 2016
: Learning Happens Everywhere Learning is a life-long pursuit and chances are, at one point or another, you’re going to sign up …
March 2016
: Give Locally Until recently, Alison and I didn’t really have a giving strategy. Each month, we’d go over the …
: Where Are Your Manners? I follow the work of Shawn Blanc pretty closely. Shawn is a writer based in Kansas City who does a …
: The E Word One of men’s greatest flaws is our inability to express, process, or deal with emotions. We know two …
February 2016
: A Balanced Social Life The interview season is in full swing for Alison. We’re about 18 months from graduation and her …
: The Entitled, Envious Millennials I read an interesting opinion article in the Wall Street Journal that took on the issue of a …
: Life In Sync I once read that we ought to make a major decision once and then manage it daily. That’s decent …
: Honor Your Mother During the years when my dad was in the Air Force, he seemed to find himself frequently in jobs that …
January 2016
: Be Social After Mass One of my favorite memories growing up was being social after Mass. This likely had more to do with …
December 2015
: Take Care of Your Things In our disposable culture, there are very few things left that are well made. Quality construction …
: A New Baby I’m happy to announce today that Alison and I are expecting our second child. After two amazing …
: A Christmas List Although Christmas is just a few days away, I wanted to share an idea with you that might make next …
November 2015
: In Heaven Together One of the best theological explanations of the Mass that I’ve ever heard is that when you’re at …
: Change Starts At Home I want to live in a world that doesn’t have me in the center. I want to live in a world where men …
: Take Pride in Your Car Alison and I’s Prius is 10 years old this year. Well, technically, I guess it’s 11. We’ll soon cross …
September 2015
: Finding Wholesome Programming Lately I’ve been really into movies, books, and TV shows based on real life Cold War era spies. …
: Cherish Your Father Benedict has started behaving like a two year old just a few months early. He’s usually loads of …
August 2015
: Behind Every Great Warrior is A Great Family We owe a great debt to our current military members and to all veterans who’ve honorably served. …
: Regroup Weekly I clean our house every Saturday, both inside and out. The laundry is done, the floor is vacuumed, …
: Know Your Story In the not too distant past, I didn’t care much about my family’s genealogy. I knew about my parents …
July 2015
: The Secret to Winning Your Morning The past six months have been a time of great change in my daily routine. With Benedict now walking …
: One Trick to Love Your House More To say that our house has a yard would be a stretch. We have a patch of land next to our house that …
: Open Wide the Doors Over the Memorial Day Weekend, Alison and I didn’t have much going on. She had to work on Saturday …
: Plan A Sunday Adventure While Alison and I moved to Virginia a little over a year ago, it wasn’t until a few weeks ago that …
: A Place for Everything I love living in a clean house. There’s something freeing about having wide open spaces with …
: Cousin Time Earlier this Spring, I took Benedict to my aunt’s house for a play date. My aunt lives about 90 …
June 2015
: Be Neighborly I have a terrible track record of being neighborly. In the five years since moving out on my own, …
: Deck Life Our townhouse has a small and very cheap deck built onto the back. It doesn’t sit very high off the …
: Take Care of Your Home I’ve gotten into a bad habit lately, where I ignore most of my daily to-dos for the sake of getting …
May 2015
: Take Advantage of Living Close Thankfully, for the nearly three years of our marriage, Alison and I have always lived close to …
: Be Okay Being Alone It used to be that I’d take my regular walks alone. Before Benedict arrived, and even in his first …
: It’s Okay to Rest Go, go, go, go. The frantic pace of our lives has gotten really out of control. We run all day at …
: Do Something Amazing this Summer Believe it or not, the summer months are upon us! Schools will soon be shuttering their doors for …
April 2015
: Sunday Afternoons I love Sunday afternoons. Many people don’t really like them since they start to feel the Monday …
: For Granted In life, it becomes incredibly easy to take things for granted. Small joys and simple pleasures tend …
: Peace Starts at Home When we were younger, my brother and I fought. A lot. This was to the benefit of my sister, since …
: Prepare for Adventure I don’t know where I’ll be living in two years. In fact, I can only think of one other time in my …
: Integrate with Your In-Laws One of the biggest changes for any newly married couple is feeling out the relationship with your …
March 2015
: Invest in Your Kids Although Benedict is recently beginning to prefer walking to crawling, I’ve already begun to plan …
: The Joy of Serving In the not too distant past, I engineered my weekly routine to involve cleaning a single room of the …
February 2015
: The Secret of Service When you reach a certain level in a company, one of the perks that you may be given is an …
: Honor the Dead Today is the 12th anniversary of my maternal Grandfather’s death. It’s a special day for me because …
January 2015
: Room to Breathe We all need a little wiggle room. In the course of a week, most of your time is spoken for. Living …
: Tell Your Kids Their Story These days, things are changing rapidly in the world of Benedict. He’s getting pretty good a …
: Family Traditions Growing up, I lacked, in a certain sense, roots. Most children get to experience what I like to call …
December 2014
: How to Schedule Family Time As families grow and mature, they all face the same essential problem: with all of the different …
: Clean House, Happy Wife I love a clean house and a fresh start in the morning. I get up and work for about two hours until …
: Men Do Manly Things It seems that there’s a natural hesitation among men to engage in any activity that’s determined to …
: Don’t Bury Your Talent I used to work for a non-profit. My job was to go into communities and start youth programs. The …
November 2014
: Maximizing Your Time How you spend your day is important. Each day there are gaps of time that could be put to better …
: Your Ideal Day “Begin with the end in mind” is excellent advice. If you’re able to visualize a project at its …
: Block Out “You” Time We all need margin in our lives. Finding that margin can be difficult, but it needs to be a …
: Family Time on a Weeknight Family life is central to the Catholic experience. While we gather as a community to celebrate the …
October 2014
: Handmade Gifts Come from the Heart The tradition of giving gifts to friends and loved ones at Christmas is a centuries old tradition. …
September 2014
: Fun in Your Community One of the tragedies of our technological world is that we’ve stopped using our local resources. To …
: You’re A Chef There are times in the married life when we need to take risks. As men, we don’t like failing. If we …
August 2014
: Keeping Family Prayers Fresh Family prayers, just like personal prayers, can get a little stale. The problem with stale family …
July 2014
: Choose Joy Being joyful about our lives can be a challenge, despite all of the good things we have. It’s all …
: Scheduling Together The most powerful tool in your marriage is your calendar. Your calendar will always show you what …
: Technology Bowl Technology in our lives has really advanced at an amazing rate over the past 20 years. We’ve gone …
: Game Night Families today are busy. Parents are working multiple jobs, kids are going to school during the day …
June 2014
: Working in Your Strengths Lifelong marriage can at times be a challenging relationship. In fact, your marriage will be the …
: Care for the Sick As a part of your wedding vows, you promised to care for your wife “in sickness and in health." …
: Sunday Hero Here’s the easiest way to be a Sunday Hero: take the first shower. She gets a few more minutes of …
: Be Prepared to Give Being married means living selflessly in a selfish culture. I’m constantly evaluating my life. I …
May 2014
: Leave it Better “He always leaves the toilet seat up." This common complaint from spouses shines a light on a major …
: The Fastest Way to Grow in Patience You can’t control the things your spouse does. But you can control your response. When it comes to …
: The Best Way to Unite Your Family As the head of your household, you’ve got a lot of responsibility on your shoulders. You’re tasked …
: Families Can’t Get No Respect Having kids makes life a little bit more challenging. It’s not without joy, but things just take a …
February 2014
: The Importance of Growing Intellectually When we’re learning to drive, our instructors teach us how to pass the test, not how to drive well. …
: Evening Routines The end of today tees up the beginning of tomorrow. The things that you do in the evening can have a …
: Better Each Day My favorite boss had a saying that has stuck with me. “It’s never too late to do the right thing.” …
: Grocery Shopping Our appetite for adventure in life is constantly growing. Once we achieve a new height, we look for …
: Dinner at the Table Managing family life is a challenge. With family members running in all different directions, …
January 2014
: When Your Wife Supports Your Dream Dreaming is a wonderful thing. In dreams, you can release the physical limitations of the current …
: Overcoming Natural Barriers In our daily lives, there are natural barriers that often interfere with our goals. They are things …
: The Richness of Shared Experiences Shared experiences are a powerful force in our world. There are defining events across regions and …
: Maintaining A Household The days of being a slob are over. You’re no longer a bachelor, you’re married. Well, unless your …
: Acts of Thankless Service As humans, we long to be recognized for our accomplishments. From a very young age, we seek praise …
December 2013
: Managing Family Time We are living in a new era of working families. With many families having both parents working, it’s …
October 2013
: Men of Sacrifice Growing up, my Dad always gave up the best portion to us. I could never figure out why he didn’t …
: Transitioning from Single Life to Married Life It’s not hard to make the argument that the transition from the single life to the married life is …
: Support We humans yearn to be connected. We connect in person, on the phone, via text, or on the internet. …
September 2013
: Time is Your Most Precious Commodity Of all of the resources that you have at your command, time is the most precious. Time, once spent, …
: Do You Do you love your wife? Do you love your wife more than your favorite hobby? Do you love your wife …
: Managing Routines One of the most difficult things that I’ve encountered in the married life is how to balance …
August 2013
: Make Evenings Count My job frequently results in me working evenings. It isn’t particularly fun, it is just a fact of …
: Single Life to Community Life When my wife and I got married, I had been living in the apartment that we would live in for about …
: Compartmentalization Kills If you are living a fragmented life, you’re cheating yourself. In the 8th grade, I watched the …
July 2013
: You Marry the Family My grandfather once told my mother that, when you marry someone, you marry their family. In our …
: Going to Mass Together Going to Mass as a family is important. As a married couple, together you form a domestic Church. …
June 2013
: Spring Cleaning Some people don’t like spring cleaning. The thought of spending your entire weekend working is not …
: Toilet Paper The other night, as I was getting ready for bed, I noticed that we were almost out of toilet paper …
: Bringing Roadtrips Home I love taking road trips with my wife. The reason? It provides hours of quality communication. It is …
: What’s the Least I Can Do? American Catholicism is having a rough go. The funny part about it is, none of it has anything to do …
May 2013
: It’s Not Just About You Anymore A few months before I got married, I joined a gym. Everyone asked the question, “Are you trying to …
April 2013
: I Owe it to Myself We cut ourselves a lot of slack. Many times, too much. We work hard and then use that as an excuse …