Welcome to Musings of a Catholic Mama!

A blog for moms, Catholics, nerds, and everyone in between.

If you’ve been searching for solidarity, community, and a few laughs along the way, you’ve come to the right place.

Who Am I?

My name is JuliaMarie. I’m a Catholic convert, wife to a D&D-loving accountant, and mother of three little hobbits. I’m a Florida girl living in the mountains of Western North Carolina. I like my drinks strong and my coffee stronger. I’m a wanna-be chef, and I hold a degree in elementary education. I like art, books, writing, singing, and talking (like a lot. Ask my poor husband.) You can check out the About Me page for more little details about yours truly.

Why Did I Create This Blog?

I started Musings of a Catholic Mama for one reason: connection.

Life is hard; we all know this. Too often, we feel like we have to try and have it all.

We have to have a perfect marriage devoid of struggles or petty fights over whose turn it is to change that dirty diaper.

Our homes must be spotless and ready to be posted on Instagram at a moment’s notice.

The kids should always be well-behaved and spend at least a thousand hours outside and never lay eyes upon meaningless cartoons.

We all know that no one actually lives this way. Yet, how often do we allow ourselves to buy into the lies the world tries to sell us?

I believe that we deserve much more than empty promises and impossible expectations. I want to invite my readers into the trenches of my domestic church. My house is cluttered and messy. My kids watch way too much TV because this Mama is freaking tired and in desperate need of some silence. It’s imperfect and often makes me question my sanity, but there is also joy. Not merely fleeting happiness, but true and lasting joy found in the day-to-day minutia of my life as a Catholic, wife, mother, friend, and employee.

Wisdom from J.R.R. Tolkien.

In the words of J.R.R. Tolkien, “If more of us valued food and cheer and song above hoarded gold, it would be a merrier world.”

Christ offers us the gifts of joy and grace in abundance through His Church. These gifts are not meant to be hoarded or hidden away or only given when there is the possibility of receiving something in return. We are called to share these gifts with those around us freely. In a world full of darkness, there is no room for selfishness or judgment. There is plenty of nastiness to go around. We are here to find and share joy.

The World Needs Who We Are.

I am a pessimist by nature, quick to anger and even quicker to despair. Choosing joy does not come naturally to me. Connection and community have gotten me through the darkest moments of my life. Finding people who have loved me fiercely, flaws and all, has sustained me. Solidarity can move mountains, and that is what I hope to achieve with this blog.

I firmly believe that the world needs people who are willing to be vulnerable. We need people who are not afraid to admit that they have experienced darkness, fear, or regrets. I may not be an expert on everything (or anything at all, for that matter), but I hope to offer my readers a space to come and simply be.

I want my readers to sit back and breathe a sigh of relief because someone else struggles just like they do, and that is perfectly okay.

I want my readers to be able to rejoice because others share their feelings and can relate to their season.

I want to provide a shoulder to cry on and maybe even a laugh when they need it most.

We Only Have Today, So Let Us Begin.

So, dear readers, let us take Tolkien’s words to heart. Let us value food and cheer and books and vulnerability and laughter and friendship above hoarded gold and selfishness. And maybe, we may find that our world is a merrier place as a result.

Thank you for being here with me as I begin my blogging journey.

To Him Through Her,
JuliaMarie