Category Archives: neighbours

How to host a low-stress, community-building Shrove Tuesday pancake party

Shrove Tuesday: How to host a low-stress, community-building Pancake Party

Pancakes are political Would you like to know your neighbours better? Do you like delicious food? Do you want to change the world, one small action of kindness at a time? Well, do I have the festival for you: Shrove Tuesday! When I was a little girl, our elderly neighbours had spare keys to our […]

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Why this New Zealander cares about what’s happening in the United States

During the United States primaries, I had to consciously limit my fascination with US politics and remind myself that it was getting daily updates on the campaign trail shenanigans wasn’t much different to reading about foreign celebrities inĀ gossip magazines. I had better things to do with my time and attention. And then Trump got elected. […]

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Making Parenting Easier: Tips, Laughs, and Being Kind to Yourself

Parenting is flipping hard work, yes? You’re responsible for, as my friend Jess says, tiny sociopaths. They’re cute, sure, but they have little in the way of empathy, self-control, or social graces. You get no sick leave. You’re operating on so little sleep that serious reading now means clicking ‘see more’ on Facebook. Communities like […]

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47 Christmas gift ideas to make the world a better place, rather than just contribute to debt and landfill waste. Add your ideas to the list, too! | Sacraparental.com

47 Christmas Gifts that can Change the World

How can something as (potentially) shallow as Christmas gift shopping be a great way to make a difference in the world? Easy šŸ™‚ If we aspire to living a life where our actions reflect our values, then how we spend our time and money on Christmas gifts can make a real impact on people beyond […]

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Easter with Kids: 32 Ideas for Celebrating Together

We’re now in Holy Week, where Lent morphs into Easter. In my house we’ll continue lighting our Lenten candles and saying the sentences about Jesus that go with them, but there are plenty of other special things coming along this week that can take their own place in household spirituality. So here’s a bunch of […]

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Lent with Kids, Week 3: Jesus Gives Us Important Jobs

This is an all-in-one post for Week 3 of our Lent with Kids plan. To fill in some background,Ā start here. You can also see theĀ series index here. One of the things I love about the Montessori philosophy is that kids can make do meaningful work. Give kids brooms and cloths to match their size, and […]

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Matters of Life and Death: Facing an Unplanned Pregnancy

My sermon on Sunday and the accompanying blog post were mainly directed at the ‘neighbours’ of an unborn child: those who have the opportunity to support a little family in crisis.Ā  What I also want to say loudly, and separately, is that if you have experienced a crisis pregnancy, for any reason, in any circumstances, […]

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Matters of Life and Death: Are You an Unborn Baby’s Neighbour?

  This is a post about crisis pregnancy that is aimed mainly at those in a position to support an unborn baby and its family. If you are facing an unplanned pregnancy yourself, you may prefer to read this accompanying post dealing directly with such a situation.Ā  Inspired by Germany In the United States it’s […]

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