Association Of Catholic Bloggers

When we change ourselves, our mates change. When we quit controlling and demanding change, our better half is free to change. There is nothing more damaging to a marriage than when one partner is a self-righteous, suffering Catholic martyr.  Christ is powerless in the face of such pride; He is free to heal when both the good and bad looking partners when they come before Him with a humble and contrite heart. continue reading

Week 2 of  Navigating Your Finances God's  Way  ....  My first discovery this week.  We don't own as much of value as I thought but what we do own I am rather possessive of (verses recognizing that all is a gift and essentially on loan from God). This week called for a completing a list of assets.  I have realized that much of our debt came during the PRE ~ DVR/On Demand and electronic music days.  WE have spent thousands of dollars in music CDs, videos and books - that cluttered our home and were watched, read or listened to once at best.  I used to spend so much money on Amazon (mostly for those 3 types of items) that I would (legit) get a Christmas present from Amazon every year! I also realized I spent a great deal of money on toys, clothes and shoes - the majority of which was barely played with or worn.  SEE A pattern here ... I KNOW I do!! This week's lesson focused on recognizing GOD'S ownership over ours.  Having attended a f...

The thrill-ride of book publishing continues as we hit our next milestone: the cover of our new book,  The Four Keys to Everlasting Love: How Your Catholic Marriage Can Bring You Joy for a Lifetime !!! This Catholic marriage help book is  already   available for pre-order at Amazon.com  (what a dream come true). Our editor called publisher Ave Maria Press' art department their "secret weapon" because of how great they are at developing attractive cover art, so we were overjoyed to work with them. Like everything else in publishing, coming up with a great cover is a long process. For the final cover and to see how the book got from rough sketch to finished product, click here !!

Many of you have patiently followed the saga of our Catholic marriage advice book through the stages of  proposal ,   publishing contract , and  editing .  Over the summer, we found out our title: The Four Keys to Everlasting Love: How Your Catholic Marriage Can Bring You Joy for a Lifetime And.... we found out that  Christopher West  had agreed to write the foreword!!!! In every informal poll we conducted on social media, when we asked who would be the BEST person to write a foreword to a Catholic marriage advice book, you overwhelmingly responded, "Chris West." Read more here...

I'm thrilled to announce  Marriage Rx , a  new monthly marriage advice column from me and my husband, Catholic psychiatrist Dr. Manuel P. Santos! It will appear monthly on CatholicMom.com on the fourth Monday. I'll also repost on the Can We Cana? blog. My husband and I have already received lots comments and questions to feature in future columns. Please keep them coming! How Marriage Rx Can Help You Most marriages encounter bumps and trouble spots along the way. But Catholics don’t view marriage as disposable. We want to fix our marriage, not throw it away. If you’re looking for Catholic marriage advice from someone who understands the powerful and healing graces of the Sacrament of Matrimony, Marriage Rx can give you answers that will truly help. It’s anonymous.  When you submit questions, you don’t have to use your full name, or even your real name. Just email us at  catholicmarriagerx@gmail.com  and look for the answer in an upcoming column. ...

Today we welcome Michael and Melanie Jean Juneau to the series  How to Stay Married 10 Years & Then Some . Michael and Melanie live on a small family farm in Canada, where they raised their nine kids. I know Melanie from her excellent work at the  Association of Catholic Women Bloggers  and through her prolific writing. Today Michael and Melanie explain how suffering doesn't have to crush a marriage, instead it can lead to great joy! 1. How many years have you been married and how many kids do you have? We have been married for 36 years, and we are still in love. Surprisingly, we really have become one, deeply in tune with each other’s spirits. Our tangible joy is inexplicable through secular eyes because from all outward appearances our life together has been a tough journey including poverty, nine kids, overwhelming chores on a small family farm and clinical depression. One priest gently consoled us by explaining we have lived through “trials by fire.” An...

Following up on  last week's blog tour  where I reviewed Jean Heimann's new book Seven Saints for Seven Virtues, Jean and her husband Bill return to Can We Cana? for some advice on  How to Stay Married 10 Years & Then Some . 1. How many years have you been married and how many kids do you have? Bill & Jean :  We have been married 22 years and have no biological children. Bill has an adult son from a previous marriage, which was formally annulled by the Catholic Church prior to our marriage in the Church in 1992. 2. Name 3 things that have helped you to stay married this long. Jean : Our strong Catholic faith bonded us from the beginning and has kept us together over the years. We are “equally yoked” as the Protestants say. We were both actively involved in leadership roles in various ministries prior to our marriage (and continue to be) and saw eye to eye on the important issues that face engaged couples: openness to life, putting God first in our...

The kick-off to this great new series  How to Stay Married 10 Years & Then Some  is written by yours truly, me and my husband Manny. Here are our prime bits of advice gathered over the years, and a few of our most cherished stories. 1. How many years have you been married and how many kids do you have? Manny & Karee:  We've been married 14 years and have 6 kids: Lelia, age 13; Miguel, age 11; Maria, age 9; Marguerite, age 7; Cecilia, age 5; and Elisa-Maria, age 3. Yes, we know that's a lot of girls. 2. Name 3 things that have helped you to stay married this long. Manny:  “Not staying married” was never really an option in my mind. So I would say that the first thing that has helped me stay married is a proper understanding of what marriage is -- a promise of forever. The second thing that has helped me stay married is that I meant what I said on my wedding day. The wedding vows I spoke were not flowery or cute, but rather simple and direct....