Annie and I had a wonderful time meeting up in Frascati with some other parents and students from her class. We went to the museum in Frascati where there are remains dating back to the 4th c. B.C! This area is rich, fertile and temperate. Culture after culture has re-made it for themselves. And here…

 I had a lovely stroll down the ancient Appian Way, the Appia Antica, with an accomplished tour guide, Annie. She had gone with her class and learned so much. She shared with me all along the way! We walked for 3.5 hours! 

They are ALL they are cracked up to be! In 5th grade, Annie learned about all the regions of Italy in her Italian school. She fell in love with Trentino Alto Adige, one of the alpine regions in northern Italy. She has raved about it for over a year. She says she wants to move…

We went to Mass at the Basilica of San Sebastiano where St. Sebastian is buried. His tomb is above a beautiful statue of his martyrdom. Across from this enclave is another with Bernini’s last statue, Christ as Savior of the World. It is so beautiful.  Being in that church was very moving to me. It…

 Look at who is starting high school–at the Swiss School of Rome! The primary language is German and the default language is Italian. She studied German all summer and is at the B1 level. And now she really starts learning!    She just went on an overnight excursion with her class to a place with…

People I never imagined have given their support today. It is so moving to me! It makes me feel like the years of (unpaid) hard work mean something to someone. I am so touched!  We really need the financial support: 1) to keep our nonprofit status, and 2) to invite low-income moms to our events…

 Can you even find her in this sea of huge, bald, Italian men?  This is Clare’s jiu-jitsu class! In the U.S., she trained in the kids’ class for many years. Getting back into it, she is now considered an adult at this school. So, she is learning to train with these burly guys! And she…

Today we celebrate the life of Kenneth Rombs. The great-grandfather of our six children, the grand-father of Ron, Kenneth was a truly great man. My favorite thing about him when we first met was visiting the cabin that he built with his own 2 hands, and him driving his boat and taking me for a…

Although I have 6 episodes of “Captivated by Motherhood” up on my YouTube channel, my sweet son Jacob said, “Mom, you should just vlog stuff as well!” And so it begins, with this short clip on one of the oldest and most famous churches in Rome, Santa Maria in Trastevere:  https://youtu.be/XXHm-4Hf-jY