11yo has the whole family scouring the house for Book 2 in a series that he's misplaced somewhere and doesn't want to go to bed without it...
And let me tell you: this might be the proudest mom moment I've ever had.
The kids are still not quite their best, healthy selves, so I’ve got them watching this gem while writing. Maybe we’ll emerge from the house at some point this Spring Break… but the current, cozy little setup isn’t too shabby either.
“The world is too small for what I intend to do.”—Frances Xavier Cabrini
On International Women's Day, I’m thinking again of St. Cabrini—an inspiration for the ambitious women serving the Church and this world God created.
Re-sharing this essay I wrote:
churchlifejournal.nd.edu/articles/cab...
Now have 2 kiddos sick home today and this is currently what they're watching as they have chicken noodle soup and I try to catch up on all the things.
Received news that I'm now a full Professor University of the Incarnate Word. It feels surreal. Grateful to the many colleagues who supported me along the way.
Me: Finally! One full day to get everything done! All the checklists. I am Miranda Priestly! All. The. Checkli...
10yo: :: cough ::: :: COUGH::: COUGHING FROM THE UNDERWORLD::
Me: Tears up checklists. Makes Theraflu. Schedules doctor's appointments.
When I pop into the store by my house to get my morning coffee and see this guy outside, I know it's going to be a good day. Obviously they're bringing Diet Cokes to stock especially for me.
Flannery O'Connor day in my Catholic Imagination and Catholic Women's Writing courses!
"The truth does not change according to our ability to stomach it."
When my daughter recently asked if her beloved doll was haunted, she was really asking: Can something I love secretly be dangerous? On Raggedy Ann, Annabelle, and why we struggle to believe love and goodness can remain uncomplicated. New Tiny Wonder out today!
open.substack.com/pub/luellada...
Spotted these at Walmart and this feels like liturgical violence.
Have had a particularly stressful couple of days and then God sends this Texas sky.
It's Dr. Seuss season at the local grocery store again and I'm here for it!
Grateful to speak yesterday at St. Mary’s on children’s literature and formation. We considered reading with children as a spiritual practice—the heart of my book Wondrous Reading. If your school, parish, or community would like to continue the conversation, I’d love to join you.
Writing award letters for colleagues is always such a joy! I love contemplating and reflecting upon the gifts of others.
Switching from public talk professor mode to helping my 6th grader with his Latin homework by making "moretum," a "cheese pesto that comes from a pesto by the poet Vergil." Hello academic mama life. Never boring! 🇮🇹📚🧄
Sometimes God points you in the right direction when you didn't even know you were lost.
So having a middle school boy isn't that much different during Mass than having a toddler boy, one learns on this Ash Wednesday...
Sharing this piece from America Magazine I wrote last year a few minutes after leaving Mass on Ash Wednesday: the spiritual lessons of perimenopause.
www.americamagazine.org/faith/2025/0...
No better music than the sound of students discussing what might happen next in a book as you leave class.
Appreciate this list of read-aloud girls’ books in Foster on this rereading—books that re-attune a child toward love.
Afternoon teaching for my World Literature: Catholic Imagination course.
Thank you, friend!
Nonsense isn’t the absence of meaning. It’s meaning tilted just enough to help us see tightly again. On Sideways Stories from Wayside School, laughter, order, and why slightly bananas stories can be holy. 🍌 New Tiny Wonders is live!
open.substack.com/pub/luellada...
You know you’ve reached a certain age when you’re anxiously awaiting the father/daughter dance at the wedding with as much anticipation as the bride and groom one. And the tears are flowing in equal measure for both. What a wonderful world it is.🥹
On our way to a wedding and my spouse just reminded my 11yo son I studied the Victoria Beckham dance, so he should be prepared. If you didn't catch this piece from @thedispatchmedia.bsky.social I wrote about why families should stick together, check it out:
thedispatch.com/article/beck...
Friday night fun. Helena Bonham Carter has been my favorite since A Room with A View.
Charlotte, Emily, and Anne Brontë published under male pseudonyms—Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell—because they knew their work would be taken more seriously if readers assumed they were men. Then these women changed the Victorian novel forever. 📚🔥
Picked up the kiddos from school and 10yo gave me my first Valentine. Have I mentioned recently how grand children are? Or how much I love Diet Coke?
First day of teaching Kristin Lavransdatter and one student said she already found a reference in William Carlos Williams to it from another class! So far this novel is a hit. Can't wait to talk more about it next week.
