Saturday starts as all Saturdays do, with children who bound out of bed before their parents do—a good sign since we were at the pediatrician’s office yesterday.

Our children are off today, so the morning starts with a sense of calm. There are no lunches to pack, no last-minute homework assignments to do, no field trip forms to forget.

I’m chronicling our daily lives on the blog this week in the Week in My Life challenge, so I could probably have given myself a break from 7 quick takes.

Morning comes quickly. As I get things ready for the day, I keep in mind that I will be at a work event late into the evening.

I’m up before the sons, which makes me think I have a jump on the day.

A stuffed cow and his owner crawl into my bed to wake me up, and I realize the morning is already getting away from us.

I’m chronicling our ordinary, but extraordinary, life every day this week. Here’s Monday.

Our older son is 10 today—double digits! It’s his golden birthday (10 on the 10th), and he has been counting down the days, of course.

During National Vocations Awareness Week, seminarian Tommy O’Donnell reflects on his vocation to the priesthood.

We don’t always have the time and money to slip away to a lovely French restaurant. So I decided to make French onion soup for dinner.