The Year and Our Children

I learned about this book on Myrrh's family blog, Like Mother, Like Daughter. I first borrowed it from the library (always my first step with a book I want to read, but am not sure I'll love), then bought my own copy so that I can underline to my heart's content. It really is a reference book, meant to come back to, as well as (at least for me) something that inspires me to look for ways to create our own traditions for celebrating feasts and observing fasts with my family. (It certainly isn't the sort of thing that I'd just follow to the letter--I can't imagine myself baking cookies as often as she recommends, for instance, and my family probably wouldn't be into cookie cutter cookies--or at least I'm not.) And Baby Leopard is too young for almost all of it, although we've lately tried to begin a short family evening prayer.

The book brings up something I've been thinking a lot about lately I think about constantly: mothers working and/or staying at home. Newland states frankly that women should stay at home with their kids, if there's any option to do so. (And she is lucky to have found a vocation as an author that was compatible with staying home with six or seven kids [I forget how many now].) The task of raising children in the faith and with a robust family life is certainly complicated when both parents seek to balance their home and work pursuits. But hopefully it isn't impossible.