Rakuten is a cash back website that gives you a rebate for purchases you are already making. Rakuten has over 3,000 stores listed on their website that includes categories for clothing, travel, gifts, toys, tech, beauty, food, and the home.     How Does It Work?   Rakuten earns a commission by driving customers to retailers’ websites and they give you a portion of their commission.   How Do I Sign Up?   Using my link here will direct you to the website to create an account. 

Like our birthday, our Baptism is a special occasion and one that should be celebrated.  Our Baptism is “God’s most beautiful and magnificent gift” (CCC 1216).  In celebrating our Baptism, we are honoring God. Here are five ways to celebrate your Baptism: Celebrate The Sacraments Without the sacrament of Baptism, none of the other sacraments would be possible.  The next time you receive the sacrament of Confession your sins are washed cleaned like they day of your Baptism.  W

“To Jesus through Mary” is a famous quote by Saint Louis De Monforte.  It means Mary is directing us to Jesus through her love and her intercession. “Mary is all-holy. For the community of believers she represents the paradigm of the authentic holiness that is achieved in union with Christ” (General Audience- Mary: Model of Faith, Hope, and Charity, Saint John Paul II September 3, 1997).  Mary provides us a model of how to become holy through her virtues.  While there are man

When you think of Iowa, you probably think of cornfields and you are right. But tucked in a little city called West Bend, Iowa with less than 1,000 people is a Catholic gem, literally!  In West Bend, Iowa, which is northwest of Des Moines about 2 hours and 30 minutes, you will find the largest man-made grotto in the world!  It is called The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption. History Father Paul Matthias Dobberstein started building the grotto in 1912.  Originally from Ge

Cleaning your strawberries will not only make them cleaner, but they will last longer, and it will save you money.  What you will need: Bowl Water Teaspoon Baking soda Slotted spoon Colander Drying cloth Optional: paper towel Instructions: 1. Fill a bowl with water and add 1 teaspoon of baking soda. 2. Place berries in the baking soda water mixture and wait and gently mix the berries around. Wait 10-15 minutes. 3. Next transfer the strawberries to the colander. You don’t want

For us as Catholics, receiving the Eucharist is the “source and the summit of the Christian life” (CCC 1324).  When we receive the Eucharist, we are as fully united to Christ as we can be.  To really embrace this union, we should prepare our body, mind, and soul before receiving Jesus in the sacrament of the Eucharist. The way we prepare and experience a feast at a friend or family member’s house is the way we should prepare for the Eucharist at Mass.  First imagine that this

The purpose of Mother’s Day is to celebrate all mothers: spiritual mothers, physical mothers, religious sisters, consecrated women, married women, and single women.  We are all called to be mothers.  It is innate in women to care and nurture others both physically and spiritually.  Those who are married and waiting for physical motherhood can still find this day to be harder that most.  My husband and I got married in June of 2016 in our early 30s.  Since then we have struggl

Valentine’s Day is right around the corner.  When I was young, my mom rarely bought valentine cards at the store because they were too expensive.  Usually we printed something off the computer and colored them in or made our own with construction paper and doilies.  If you are looking for some printable Catholic options, I have scoured the Internet to find free printable valentines. While you can print in color, for a better money saving option print these in black and white

If you have researched natural laundry detergents, natural household cleaners, or even scrolled through social media, you might have heard about Branch Basics.  In short, Branch Basics was started by three women, Marliee and her two nieces Kelly, and Alison.  Years ago, Marliee’s son Douglas was exposed to harmful pesticides at age 10.  The doctors told her that her son experienced brain and immune damage that was irreparable.  After Marliee removed all harmful substances fro