http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/author/Rachel en paulandrach@comcast.net Copyright 2009 2009-11-07T22:27:41+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/sabbath_prayer Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/sabbath_prayer#When:21:27:41Z ushering in the Lord’s Day reminds me of this | Family 2009-11-07T21:27:41+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/days_weeks_months Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/days_weeks_months#When:20:00:29Z Counting the time | Today I am sixteen weeks pregnant. Hooray! Whenever people ask me how far along I am, I can tell them to the day (today I’m sixteen weeks exactly. Tomorrow I will add the +1). Sometimes, when I give the answer in weeks, people feel compelled to convert my calculations into months. So sixteen weeks = four months. … Family 2009-11-05T20:00:29+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/a_thankful_heart Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/a_thankful_heart#When:18:00:34Z getting the right mindset | Yesterday, as part of a writing project, I was looking at the Mass readings for Thanksgiving Day. One of the readings is so perfect, even for these weeks approaching Thanksgiving, I wanted to share it. May it spark in us a spirit of peace and gratitude as we enter the upcoming season. As God’s chosen ones, … Family 2009-11-04T18:00:34+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/whittle_while_you_work Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/whittle_while_you_work#When:21:59:47Z a sweet little book they'll love | If you are starting to compile your Christmas lists, I am here to recommend this handy gem: The Little Book of Whittling. The boys in your life will definitely love it (and so, perhaps, might your husband, daughter or really adventurous mother-in-law). We got this book for our oldest son a few years ago … Family 2009-11-03T21:59:47+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/time_change Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/time_change#When:16:00:36Z love it or hate it? | I figured everyone would be excited about yesterday’s time change, but I noticed in my Internet travels little comments about how frustrating it is for some. Do you like falling back? Around here, springing forward is painful, but there is something very lovely about gaining the extra hour. It just works beautifully all around. I … Family 2009-11-02T16:00:36+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/the_latest_issue Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/the_latest_issue#When:00:57:09Z from the House of Tissue | As I write this, the hum of the jet nebulizer fills the front room. One boy is tied to the couch, doing yet another breathing treatment before going to bed. There are coughs and snifs and slow moving bodies all around. Last night was filled with the start of breathing treatments, which continued all throughout … Family 2009-10-29T00:57:09+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/whats_for_dinner1 Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/whats_for_dinner1#When:23:49:39Z not what I had planned | Today was a rainy day in Georgia, and all day I thought about my plans for dinner. I was fully prepared to whip up that delicious soup I told you about, along with some crusty french bread and a side of beer-boiled sausages. It would be the perfect meal on this wet, Fall day. And … Family 2009-10-27T23:49:39+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/my_fridge_is_talking_to_me Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/my_fridge_is_talking_to_me#When:17:54:07Z and the news isn't pretty | This morning I put away some fresh produce in the crisper and as I made room for the new bag of carrots, I moved a ziploc filled with…hmmm, what was that? I couldn’t tell. I knew it was something that had been cut in half, but the clues ended there. It could have been a … Family 2009-10-26T17:54:07+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/priesthood_sunday Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/priesthood_sunday#When:18:00:40Z Have you thanked your priest lately? | Sunday, October 25 marks Priesthood Sunday. On this day, Catholics across the country are encouraged to do something special for their priest to show their gratitude for his leadership and service to the Church. Some ideas include: saying a rosary for your priest; baking something as a gift for your priest; or even just … Family 2009-10-24T18:00:40+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/soup_for_you Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/soup_for_you#When:13:50:29Z a quick, delicious meal | Fall is for soup! Here is a tasty recipe I found in a magazine years ago and I’ve been using it ever since. It’s the perfect combination—easy, quick, and delicious. Do you have any tried and true soup recipes you like to share? Please feel free! Cheddar Soup Yield 4-6 servings Ingredients 2 celery stalks, cut … Family 2009-10-22T13:50:29+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/ball_and_chain Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/ball_and_chain#When:18:00:53Z Are you a chronic checker? | Via Jen, I recently came across a list of surprising energy drains and Energy Zapper Number 1 is: being addicted to email! I go in and out of having email addiction. My phone now sends and receives email which is actually nice because I no longer have that urge to check the computer the minute … Family 2009-10-21T18:00:53+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/fostering_love Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/fostering_love#When:00:45:24Z Maybe it's osmosis | A few weeks ago, I wondered if our children learn to love certain household chores based on the toys we offer for their enjoyment. Today, I caught Henry pre-treating some stained laundry for me and took that theory one step further—do our children love the same household chores we ourselves love? Case in point: my two-year-old begging … Family 2009-10-21T00:45:24+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/fall_decor Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/fall_decor#When:18:00:05Z celebrating the season | One of my favorite parts about this time of year is all the wonderful decorating a person can do—buy a bag of gourds at the grocery store and you can transform your front room into a Fall masterpiece! I have been having fun adding little sprigs of color throughout the house, a few mini-pumpkins here, a harvest … Family 2009-10-19T18:00:05+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/st._therese_and_the_relics Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/st._therese_and_the_relics#When:20:24:31Z an interesting article | From the Guardian comes an interesting article about visiting the relics of Saint Thérèse of Lisieux in London. HT: Godsbody Family 2009-10-15T20:24:31+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/conventional_oven Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/conventional_oven#When:20:20:48Z I like what I like | Today, I took advantage of the chilly, rainy weather and spent the afternoon baking. I made several loaves of pumpkin bread and a batch of chocolate chip cookies. For both of these items I have a recipe I normally use, and today for some strange reason I tried new recipes for both. Boy was that … Family 2009-10-14T20:20:48+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/oh_boy_or_girl Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/oh_boy_or_girl#When:15:00:01Z Do you find out? | So I am officially in my second trimester. Hooray for feeling better! As we approach sonogram time, I am once again grappling with the tough decision of whether we should find out the gender of our baby. Some people can’t believe this, but Paul and I have never found out the gender at sonogram time—five baby … Family 2009-10-13T15:00:01+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/sweet_heartbeat Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/sweet_heartbeat#When:18:27:10Z this never gets old | I had my OB appointment this morning and heard the baby’s heartbeat! What a miracle life is! I’m still at the stage where I have nothing to show for the pregnancy but the waves of green I get to ride each day. There’s that moment, early in the pregnancy, when you hold your breath and say … Family 2009-10-08T18:27:10+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/mother_load Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/mother_load#When:21:51:48Z a helpful hint -- and a challenge | I promise this will be my last post about the cleaning of clothes for a while—after all, this blog isn’t called Faith and Laundry, now is it? I did want to offer this helpful little tip, something I tried Saturday and today and man did I see results. The secret to a happy … Family 2009-10-05T21:51:48+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/lovin_laundry Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/lovin_laundry#When:20:25:35Z Maybe we can foster the love | Ladies, I have proof that laundry can be fun! Today as I was searching for a laundry rack on-line, I came across this sweet little toy—the Playmobile Laundry Room. I have never seen anything like it. I’ve really been pondering this toy laundry room a lot this afternoon and I’m wondering—do you think having … Family 2009-10-03T20:25:35+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/up_and_down Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/up_and_down#When:19:00:28Z a wild little roller coaster | See that baby crying there? That’s how I felt last night. After a long afternoon of feeling kinda bad, things went downhill at dinner and by bedtime I was a mess. I crawled into bed and was very, very still in the hopes of feeling better soon. Today, I feel great. I’ve never had a … Family 2009-10-01T19:00:28+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/we_dig_it Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/we_dig_it#When:00:45:09Z in which Rachel Raves about Henry's toy | Henry got this very cute truck for his birthday this summer, and when we were out playing in the yard today I thought “I need to tell somebody how great this thing is!” Dear reader, this thing is great! The toy is called the Sprig Toys Hollow DuneBug’s Sand Truck Playset. It’s touted … Reviews 2009-09-30T00:45:09+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/too_two Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/too_two#When:18:00:56Z How does this work again? | Toddlers are such a mystery. One minute they are staring at you with big, beautiful brown eyes full of love, mouth covered in whatever they just got their chubby little hands on. The next, they are climbing onto the arm of the couch and flailing their body, full force, onto padded cushions. Or is this … Family 2009-09-28T18:00:56+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/sweet_temptation Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/sweet_temptation#When:13:00:51Z What would your kids do? | I loved this video of small children trying to ward off temptation—I think this is exactly what I look like when I’m trying to save my death by chocolate ice-cream until after dinner! Family 2009-09-25T13:00:51+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/letting_go Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/letting_go#When:18:55:06Z and letting God | A few weeks ago I came across a beautiful quote by way of a lovely blog that has stayed with me: You should remember all your life that one of the principal causes of the small progress made by certain good people is that the devil continually fills their souls with disquiet, perplexities, and troubles which render … Family 2009-09-24T18:55:06+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/choosing_beauty_podcast Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/choosing_beauty_podcast#When:00:15:47Z a worthy discussion | Katherine Barron at Catholic in a Small Town has been working on a series of podcasts devoted to chapters in Choosing Beauty: A 30 day spiritual makeover for women. I was honored to talk with Katherine recently—we discussed chapter two, the importance of prudence in our lives. Fellow Faith & Family blogger Lisa Hendey will also be … Family 2009-09-24T00:15:47+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/fall_in_love Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/fall_in_love#When:23:34:44Z A delicious season | Today is the official First Day of Fall! If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, Fall began at 5:18 p.m. this afternoon. I happened to look down at my watch at that exact moment and thought to myself “Happy Fall! Now if only I wasn’t sweating outside while wearing shorts!” As a life-long Southerner, I know this … Family 2009-09-22T23:34:44+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/green_with_hormones Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/green_with_hormones#When:00:01:30Z A complicated season | First off, I am posting this picture of a sweet, precious baby because when looking for pictures to describe “morning sickness” and “feeling seasick” the images were so much less delightful. I decided I am going to just keep my eyes on the prize during these challenging few weeks. Having said that, things are actually going very … Family 2009-09-22T00:01:30+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/this_domestic_church Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/this_domestic_church#When:02:45:54Z The little things lead us to heaven | One recent afternoon, Henry was walking around the house with a toxic diaper. Wherever he went, he tortured whatever brother was in his path. Finally, enough time had gone by. “Henry smells horrible,” I declared, “Let’s get him a clean diaper.” “Mom,” swooned seven-year-old Augie, “you are a saint.” Thank you, my son. … Family 2009-09-18T02:45:54+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/out_of_the_fullness_of_the_heart Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/out_of_the_fullness_of_the_heart#When:00:53:48Z a sweet encounter | I saw in the news today the story of a man who caught a fly ball at yesterday’s Phillies game. After catching the ball—a lifetime dream come true—the man handed the ball to his three-year-old daughter and watched in shock as she tossed it back towards the field. What happens next is the real story—the way he … Family 2009-09-17T00:53:48+00:00 http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/so_bad_its_good Rachel Balducci http://www.faithandfamilylive.com/blog/so_bad_its_good#When:19:50:11Z and too good not to share | Lisa’s post about bad family photos reminded me of my All-Time Favorite Balducci Family Photo (to date). When I first discovered this picture (it was pre-digital for us, so I picked it up at the store), I had a strange emotion come over me. In that split-second, as I stared at the mugs of … Family 2009-09-15T19:50:11+00:00