I wish I could say that it has been a lazy slow summer but, in fact, it has been a rather lazy fast summer, flying by so rapidly that I wonder if it’s just perception or if time itself has actually quickened. Whatever the case, July is fading and the only thing on my bucket list (to win a pie contest) never materialized, though I did successfully host one. If you’re looking for a relatively easy family or community event, you might appreciate the photos, ideas, and a printable judge’s tally sheet below.
In other news…
August is going to be a big month for us. One daughter will be moving back to town after a couple year absence. We have missed her so much while she was pursuing missionary work and other life adventures. Another daughter will be graduating from college. It’s an off-season to graduate and the Holy Apostle’s ceremony isn’t until next May, so we might make her walk up and down the driveway a few times in cap and gown to make it feel official.
The official date for the Arise Retreat (Ohio) is set for May 24-26 of 2024 and I’ll be there with bells. If you’re a woman who could use a time of healing, respite, fellowship, and sacraments, this might be for you. More details coming soon…
I’ve decided against opening a Threads account. The same people who have restricted my IG want me to dive into another connected app where they can just delete or restrict my account without explanation. Twitter isn’t perfect but at least I can say the word vaccine without being flagged for life. I’m drawing this line with Meta. It’s a puny protest but more about accountability since I do really like social media and shiny things.
Ohio’s new homeschooling laws are good and long overdue. They won’t go into effect until after the new school year has started so we’ll have to play along with the overreach for one more season, but I’m very happy to see the changes moving forward. New Ohio Law Streamlines Homeschool Reporting and Increase Freedom
My body has been making a slow but steady recovery from the injuries of the past year and I am looking forward to starting in-person SoulCore and Pietra Fitness classes again soon. If you’re an event coordinator for your parish or group, consider inviting me to introduce your community to The Sunshine Principle and Christ-centered bodily healing. More info coming next month… or just reach out if you want to have that conversation sooner.
Speaking of healing… just a reminder that reasonable care of the body is not selfish. It is a necessity if we are to be of service to those entrusted to our care. Specifically on my mind are mothers who are mid and post-fertility and suffering from significant pain and disability because of bodily neglect. It’s not your fault but this is your nudge to start paying attention. You most likely have decades to go and your older self (and those responsible for your future care) will thank you.
Most of the patriarchy malarkey on social media right now is grift. And by malarkey I mean the hyper fixation on “biblical submission” in marriage and dating. Much of it is real misogyny masquerading as “traditional” Catholicism and cultural conservatism, but with a big payout for the peddlers. I don’t know if the trend has been inspired by Andrew Tate’s outrageous success as a posh creep, but some Catholic men seem to be leaning into that unfortunate and lucrative vibe.
As a happily married traditional wife of 27 years, I see a lack of wisdom and depth from these megaphones pontificating on dating and marriage. Those profiting from the trend shout down all opposition by making accusations of “feminism,” an intellectually lazy way of dismissing reasonable objections. A bully tactic. That and regular reference to 1 Timothy 2:12, of course.
At the same time, young adults, with no one but internet personalities to spell out what it means to be a healthy human and in relationship, seem resistant to any mentoring that isn’t shiny and peer-led. More on this another time but this quote from Going Godward on Twitter is sufficient for the day…“All of the obsession over authority comes across as massively neurotic. The path to wisdom has been lost when Christianity is reduced to doctrinal precision on secondary issues rather than the transformation of souls into the image of Jesus.”
Is Leila Lawler the only female Catholic social media voice encouraging women to stay home with their children? A friend of mine recently shared this observation with me. She said the dominant message she sees is that home isn’t enough. For what it’s worth, I’ve stayed home for all 25 years of my motherhood. We’ve made many sacrifices to do that but it has been fruitful and important for my maturity, my marriage, my soul, and my children. How disappointing that Catholic social media is causing women to feel negatively about this beautiful way of life. It’s not always easy (and since when is that the goal anyway?) but it is healthy for mother, child, family, and the world. Working outside the home is not necessarily bad—this is for each family’s discernment—but it should not be the norm. The home needs the stability, genius, and tenderness, and presence of a mother.
The Oppenheimer movie is pornographic. Prolonged nudity. Graphic sex. Please don’t take your kids. Some parents said that they would watch it first and then decide about bringing the kids, so it’s worth sharing a section of the Catechism to back me up when I say… please don’t:
2354 Pornography consists in removing real or simulated sexual acts from the intimacy of the partners, in order to display them deliberately to third parties. It offends against chastity because it perverts the conjugal act, the intimate giving of spouses to each other. It does grave injury to the dignity of its participants (actors, vendors, the public), since each one becomes an object of base pleasure and illicit profit for others. It immerses all who are involved in the illusion of a fantasy world. It is a grave offense.
Now, let’s talk pie…
How to Host a Pie Contest
My disclaimer is that I don’t actually know how a pie contest is supposed to be run since I’ve never attended one and did almost no research, but I figured it wasn’t rocket science and ran with it. Here’s the invitation I created in Canva:
We had initially decided to charge a $1 entry fee to cover the grand prize winnings but I forgot to include it in the contest rules so no one paid. Which is fine. But I’m sharing so that you don’t make the same mistake and then have to fork over your stashed garage sale money to pay for your hastiness.
PIE JUDGING
Since a couple of non-family members were coming to our Independence Day celebration, we decided that they would be the perfect victims candidates to judge the pies. I underestimated the amount of work—and eating!—they would have to do, but they were superstars and just rolled with it.
To make the judging as easy as possible, I found a simple tally sheet template online and modified it. I also gave the judges a sheet with winner categories, including possible non-winner categories. You’re welcome to print the PDF the I used HERE.
I made paper ribbons for the top three winners and then simpler ribbons for the additional categories. The white space on the small ones was left blank so that judges could fill in categories at their discretion. Nothing fancy. I just used colored paper that we had around the house—but the sky is the limit for you creative types.
THE PIES
The bad news is that I did not win the pie contest. The good news is that there was pie for daaaays and my daughters won so I still felt like a winner. Here were the pies submitted, shockingly with no repeats:
Banana Cream - WINNER!
Chocolate Peanut Butter (2nd place)
Blackberry Pretzel (3rd place)
Caramel Ice Cream (Judges made up a 4th place for this)
Apple Cream Crumble
Strawberry Rhubarb
Dirt Pie
Pineapple Cream Cheese
Lemon Meringue (gluten free)
Pecan Pie
Blueberry Pie (made by a young adult who didn't own a pie plate and crafted one)
Peaches and Cream (gluten free)
The kids and their cousins were big contributors to the pie making. My niece doesn’t own a pie dish (guess what she’s getting for Christmas) and brilliantly figured out a way to make her blueberry pie without one.
As soon as this substack is sent I’m going back to my supersonic lazy days of summer, trying to take in every second with deep breaths of gratitude and also plan ahead for a healthy winter. I’m not as young as I used to be but barring an early death I’ll be around for a while. My injury-recovery-joint-nourishing-muscle-building-mental-health-insurance-immune-boosting-service-maintenance-Christ-honoring plan is to MOVE. And keep moving…
With Christ. In Christ. For Christ. One step at a time.
Less time in hip flexion (sitting) and more time in extension (walking).
Less time on the couch and more time on the floor.
Maybe a standing desk (frugally made of stacked books).
Maybe a quick mile. Maybe another slow two. Maybe 6.
Taking the stairs.
Getting that one thing from the basement myself instead of making a kid do it.
More fresh air.
Probably less pie.
Absolutely less phone.
It’s all worth it.
God bless your summer, friends. If it’s a season of respite, I hope it goes nice and slow for you.
Melody
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100% agree on how much the children, and family benefit from the mother at home! I tried one year working out of the house, and it messed up our entire family rhythm. I believe it is for each family to decide on, but we saw the difference and it was not something to try to keep pushing through. There is a lot of sacrifice made in that decision, but beyond worth it! I never read the books you recommended, and look forward to exploring them!
And yesss to mothers taking time to care for themselves, we truly cannot care for those we love the most if we don’t prioritize our own wellness. Not always easy to do, but essential!