Best of Last Week and would you give up your internet?

I thought I would be doing these "best of the week" posts every Monday, but somehow they always seem to come out a little late... anyway, enjoy!

How to laugh your way into a journalism career—so much great advice in here. I loved this line—"There are many young people who are entrepreneurial mediastarters, engaging writers, technological whizzes … and yet they can’t spell [and] have never heard of AP style"—it's what I always say: grammar matters! Of course, my favorite piece of advice was to "start a blog only 10 people read." Isn't that what I'm doing here? ;)

I adored this article asking readers to Stop instagramming your perfect life—because none of us have a perfect life, and the most important things in life can't be captured in a status update.

This article was especially interesting for me because of conversations Frank and I have been having recently about our internet use after we get married. He's thinking about getting rid of his Facebook entirely, and the apartment we want to rent doesn't include free internet so we're talking about giving that up as well (we would still be able to use it in the lobby and other places). That seems so dire to me—life without internet? How would I survive? How would I update my blog?! But honestly, my horrified reaction to the idea is exactly what gave me pause. Am I that dependent on it? Maybe I should give up internet, just to prove that I can ... and I have a sneaky suspicion that my offline relationships would strengthen and grow as a result.

Lillian and I have been talking about this gorgeous blog post all week. Lindsay has such a beautiful family and we adored this great post about welcoming each child as a unique, irreplaceable blessing. The culture of life is a glorious thing to behold.

A simple way to pray from our good Pope Francis—a great post to share with kids.

I recently discovered this absolutely darling blog called A Daily Something and her recent post about defending the rights of homeschoolers was fantastic, and especially interesting in light of last week's conversation. However each of us decides to educate our children, we can all agree that families deserve the right to homeschool! Please do check it out.

I have about a million other articles saved to share with you all, but I'll save them for next week's best of the week, which will probably be mostly about marriage. Can you tell it's my favorite topic these days? :)

Happy Thursday, dear friends!

Best of Last Week and question for readers

Hi everyone! In addition to collecting my favorite articles, I have a question for you (read on).

I recently discovered Lizzy's darling blog and one post especially resonated with me—this lovely one on the importance of parents showing affection for each other and building good habits together. Very inspiring! And speaking of parents staying in love, I just adored this post on "Date Night" from the always delightful Verily magazine.

I have a lot of interest in natural and home births (although I know natural/home births are not for everyone—each mother has to choose what's right for her and her child). I was very inspired by Courtney's at-home birth story and I love Stephanie's beautiful account as well.

So imagine my excitement when I found out that a pope in the early 1900s wrote a letter especially to midwives. I haven't read the whole thing yet, but I'm glad to know it's out there. I found the link in this great post by Andrea explaining why she and her fiance have chosen not to learn or use NFP. Thanks, Andrea (and hurray for Awesome Family Planning)!

Have you heard any of the commotion over the pope's actions on Holy Thursday? In response to the uproar, this post from The Anchoress is just everything good in this world.

Ok, now for my question! Were you ever homeschooled? What was that like? Frank was homeschooled until high school and he really liked it, and he says it's a great way to save money. I was never homeschooled and I have a lot of reservations about it—not about socialization (my homeschooled friends are all super popular and outgoing) but because it seems like so much work for the homeschooling parent (which in our family would be me). So I keep saying "I will never homeschool" ... and then I come across an article like this. And I second-guess everything. What are your thoughts and experiences on homeschool vs. traditional school? I would love to hear your stories!

Finally, an article on one of my favorite topics—getting married young. Lots here to ponder and enjoy.

And happy Thursday! Hurray for being almost through the week!

Best of Last Week

I'm a compulsive article-sharer. Whenever I read something thought-provoking on the internet, I have to share it—whether on Facebook, Twitter, or in an email to friends.

In fact, after I graduated college and communication with my old friends slowed, a few asked, "Why don't you send me articles anymore?!" They were used to almost-daily emails containing the latest gems I'd picked up around the web.

Recently it occurred to me that, instead of deluging Frank and my sisters with 17 emails per day that each contain one lone hyperlink, I could collect all those articles in one place and share them with you. If you get a chance to check them out, I would love to hear your thoughts!

Here are my favorite little gems from last week:

There ain't no pure church by Mark Shea—really good article about the universal Church, in the style of Brideshead Revisited. Just what I needed to hear as I reflect on the changes in the Church under our new pope.

Several Facebook friends posted this New Yorker article, The Retro Wife, which reports that—surprise, surprise—women who are well-educated and feminist are choosing to stay home with their kids. Next up: "Gravity causes stuff to fall." But really, how is this news? You have only to meet my mom and her friends (and probably your mom and her friends) to know that smart, talented, educated and capable women are precisely the kind who make awesome stay-at-home moms—and who often find happiness and fulfillment in doing so.

It made me think of this awesome photo one of my friends put up on Facebook:

Exactly!

I really enjoyed this little piece on why even atheists love Pope Francis (Best line: "yeah and I'm Napoleon").

Naomi's post introduced me to the you are my wild project and like her I'm now somewhat obsessed. My favorite photographer is this lady—so many amazing images beautifully capturing the little moments of every day.

I was thrilled to see that dear Auntie has written a book and it's now available for pre-order. If you're not familiar with the wonderful Auntie Seraphic, she writes a blog of advice for single girls that is just chock-full of wisdom and common sense.

Frank sent me an article called The Case for Getting Married Young, and let's just say he convinced me. ;) Kidding, although really, young marriage is something we're pretty passionate about ("young" meaning early twenties, not 15). Society nowadays pushes people to put off marriage until they've paid off all their student loans, saved up a million dollars, risen to the top of a profession, and traveled around the world. We think that's just silly. As the article beautifully states, why not go through all of that with the person you love, and learn and grow together?

I adored this sweet poem Confessions to be Traced on a Birthday Cake (thank you to Rosie for bringing it to my attention).

And last but not least, two oldies but goodies. I had a discussion with Dean and Morgan recently about why I want to be a stay-at-home mom, and I couldn't resist sending them these two great blog posts from lovely Sarah at Memories on Clover Lane: A Mushed-up Heart and Choices and Why I stay home (you can read more of her wonderful thoughts on mothering here). Those posts are perfect and I love sharing them with friends.

Hope you enjoy these articles!