If you're feeling stretched this season, you're not alone. It seems as though everyone is in need of extra funding, extra resources, and extra gifts for kids who would otherwise go without. How can we as Catholic families maximize our giving without putting our own families out this Christmas?
Category: Family Life
Tips for a Peaceful Advent and Christmas
It's supposed to be "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year," but it's also, ironically, a season when parents lose their peace. Here are some practical ways to regain - and sustain - the peace during the Advent and Christmas seasons.
Do We Have a “Joyful Duty” to Thank God – ALWAYS?
This article is the first time I've really publicly discussed what was going on in the depths of my heart during the worst time of my family's life.
All Saints Day: Easy, No-Sew Costumes for Girls
All Saints Day is quickly approaching! If you’re still unsure how to dress your family for All Saints Day, and are secretly a bit intimidated because you can’t sew or don’t have time to sew, this is the list for you.
Tired Parent Tips for the Triduum
Holy Week is hard, especially for tired parents. Here's why you should do your best to make the most of this important week. But first, a story...
Why We Buy Christmas Presents in September + Practical Ways to Have a Peaceful Advent
There are only a few certain things in life – death, taxes, and Christmas falling on December 25 every year. I’m mostly joking. People have figured out ways to bypass taxes. But Christmas will ALWAYS be on December 25. It shouldn’t come as a surprise to us when the holiday season rolls around at the...
Happy Anniversary! How Dave Set Us Up for Success in Marriage and Family Life
Happy 8th Anniversary, Dave! On August 13, 2014, Dave drove from Ohio to Alabama (getting a speeding ticket along the way!) to ask me to marry him. When he proposed, he gave me two gifts. The first, of course, was the ring. The second was a home study kit to help me repay tens of...
A Prayer for YOUR Parish Priest!
Did you know that the heart of St. John Vianney is incorrupt? That’s right. The heart of the patron saint of parish priests, who lived centuries ago, has not decomposed. This is the heart that belonged to a little boy who admired the bravery of priests and nuns in the midst of the French Reign of Terror; Catholics, especially clergy, faced extreme persecution and death during the French Revolution and had to practice their Faith in secret...
The Cowden Family Featured in a Magazine!
Dave and I would like to extend a special "thank you" to The Catholic Telegraph, the publication of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, for kindly featuring us in their print issue this month.
How Our Daughter Plans to Help 25,000+ Souls in Her Lifetime (+4 Reasons We Support Her Efforts)
By Dave Cowden Note: I'm beginning a series on Daily Mass for Tired Parents, and this is the first post in the series. What better way to begin than by showing how a parent's desire for the Eucharist rubs off on children! If you've been following along on our Instagram (@tiredcatholicparents) you'll know that our eldest is making her First Confession and First Holy Communion in June, on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi!