Why You Should Read Catholic Bloggers

And with that title in place, commence speculation. 

"So that's why they haven't found a home church--they're Catholic.."

Nah, we just have weird schedules that make us work Sunday mornings. And Susie loathes churches who sing paltry, ungrammatical versions of the already horrible CCM genre. 

"That's why they got pregnant so fast!"

Nine months is a relatively long time to go in my family. I'm quite proud of that record. 

"I knew her mother shouldn't have let her wear pants to church."
Obviously the root of all problems, huh. 

[Caveat A. I'm not Catholic and will never be Catholic. The theology doesn't line up in my opinion. However, I've found some Catholic bloggers that I absolutely adore.]

 My family has always been far too large for most mainstream Protestant churches. Eight kids, who does that?! We homeschooled, but we weren't really a part of the denim jumper brigade. (Those cliche homeschool moms who wear those dreadful, formless denim jumpers and refuse to wear make up. Eek.) We were too modern for the homeschoolers of the 90s (it's better now) and too large and homeschool-ey for the typical Protestant families. 

I could never fit my large, independent family into a niche, and not fitting in can hurt. Then, I found some Catholic bloggers (links at the end) and I found my family's kindred spirits. I discovered women who thought lots of children in a family was a fun, awesome, and exciting way to live life. They were comfortable with accepting many babies from God and comfortable if God didn't give them so many. They wore cute clothes--when they could find a mirror--and watched movies that weren't just classics or those painfully cheesy Christian-produced movies. (Subtlety and quality, my friends.)

Homeschooling? Awesome. Sending some of the kids to private schools and homeschooling some of them? Also awesome. (And yes, some of them send their kids to public schools. Seriously, all quadrants are covered!) These ladies had my mom's approach to life--lots of fun, hard work, and math lessons fit in between. 

They lamented the issues that have bothered me my entire life.

-Those rude people at Costco [who can't deal with people having more than 2 kids]

-The mean people at Church

-The way society looks at all families, of all size

But it's far more than kiddo talk. They talk about marriage, the theology of it, the struggles and fun of being married.  They hold it esteem and they cherish it. Marriage and family are the central focus of their lives and their blogs, and they are not shy about sharing the hilarious gritty details. 

Granted, most people are not from massive, homeschooling, independent stubborn families. So just why are Catholic bloggers so very applicable to everyone?!

-They will remind  you  of both the global and family orientation of the church. 

Catholics are well aware of the universality of the church--their  very name says that. But they also believe it starts at home. It does.

-They will remind you that your marriage is not just a legal status, a piece of paper, a cultural phenomenon--it is a covenant before God. It is something serious, beautiful, and it should be awe-inspiring. 

-They will show that it's okay to have more than two kids and it's okay to have only two kids. It's all about a mindset, a family-centric worldview. You'll be assured that families with a rash of children know what they're doing. They're not being irresponsible, but intentional in the family. 

-You will laugh because a candid view of an ordinary day with small children is hysterical. 

-You will see that believing in something and holding to that belief is so incredibly important. You will be inspired. 

-You will learn while relaxing. You will enter into great conversations while in the comfort of your own home. 

-And if you're not Catholic, you'll be so very thankful for the existence of nurseries and Sunday Schools in Protestant churches. Imagine having to keep children quiet and behaved during a latin mass! 

Susie's favorite Catholic bloggers

(The first three are probably only interesting to females, honestly.)

Haley from Carrots for Michelmas

I want to be friends with this girl. She's an adorable "occasional redhead" who has three little ones, a BA in something brainy, some grad school experience, and lots of knowledge about books, wholesome cooking, religion, and motherhood. She's sweet and hilarious. After reading her blog you just want to hug her.

Dweeja from House Unseen

Yes, her name and blog title sound like an eerie movie. She just has a cool history. This lady is loud, hilarious, adorable, and earnest. She intersperses serious discussions between hilarious moments. When she lost her unborn baby at 21 weeks, her response was beautiful, inspiring, and candid. She's the cool friend we all want to be.

Grace from Camp Patton

This girl has three very young, very adorable, chubby, blonde babies. Her husband is in med school, so she hangs out with the wee ones by herself most of the time. My favorite series is her "conversations with Julia" which is transcript of conversations with her 2-3 year old. Do not watch in a public place. People will stare because you are snorting with restrained howls of hysteria. She's also unfairly gorgeous. Model status all the way, but she makes it better because she talks about exercise. 

Simcha Fischer from I Need to Sit Down

This blogger is the gold standard of Catholic bloggers. And she's not a mommy blogger. In fact, she writes many, many things that men should read (and women). She combines some serious moxie with intelligent discussion of modern events--dashed with a bit of self-depreciating humor--all as she mothers her nine children. Call her superwoman. She's inspiring and applicable to nearly anyone in every walk of life.

So go read, learn, and discuss.