Between the Dishes: September Edition

Time to put that drying towel down for a quick monthly update on the happenings!

(The Kitchen by Carl Larsson)

Behind the Scenes

Life, lately.

September marks the final month we’ll live in this house before my parents move in mid October. We are so excited for them to be here with us, but would you pray for us? Combining households is proving to be a tall order!

The kids found out that playing in the rain is peak childhood…and I found out that watching them love it, is even better than my memories of doing the same thing.

Something I’ve been discerning lately is what it looks like to have a beautiful cozy home, within our means, and what is simply a waste of money on aesthetics. Frankly, I haven’t figured out the answer, but this was an interesting read which I am still mulling over! I’ve also been loving this podcast. It’s my comfort listen while I wash dishes, and I’ve learned a ton.

A Tiny Dose of Dopamine

Highlights from the gram

For those of you who aren’t hanging out on social media much anymore (good for you!) these were my most popular posts this month:

• A Prayer for Charlie’s Soul (Prayer is from this book, which is one of our most reached for resources in this house.)

• The definition of a martyr

• A prayer for the mamas who are frustrated by needing to bring in an income that might just change your perspective.

• Period Pills? The rebrand of birth control and the abortion pill.

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There were 720 hours of news this month…

Here are the stories I think will matter to you.

(A Lady Reading a Newspaper by Carl Larsson)

1. Court Upholds New York’s Repeal of Religious Exemptions to School Vaccination Requirements

   1. Preview: A federal appeals court ruled on March 3 against Amish people who challenged New York state’s repeal of religious exemptions to school vaccination requirements. Read the full story here.

2. Chicago archbishop’s decision to honor US senator stirs Catholic abortion debate

   1. Preview: Archbishop Cupich is planning to give Senator Dick Durbin a lifetime achievement award for his work with immigrants. Read more about the discussion, and fraternal correction from a few brave bishops, here.

3. Speculation about a link between Tylenol and autism reached the highest level of government this month, and the conversation has been extensive.

   1. Here is the official White House fact page on the matter for your perusal.

4. Girl shot in the head in Minneapolis church attack is making ‘miraculous’ progress, family says

   1. Preview: Sophia Forchas, who was the most seriously wounded child among those who survived the shooting at the Church of the Annunciation, will move this week from acute care to an inpatient rehabilitation program, her family said. Read the full story here.

5. Vatican struggles against spread of ‘deepfake’ images of Pope Leo XIV

   1. Did you hear what Pope Leo XIV said about Charlie Kirk or President Donald Trump? What about his thoughts on the Rapture or whether it’s OK to be cremated? These are just a few of the topics the pontiff has appeared to speak about at length in videos popping up every day on social media. The problem is the videos are not real, and the Vatican is struggling to fight their spread. Full story at Catholic News Agency.

A Deeper Look

When headlines don’t tell the whole story.

(Lady Mouse in Mob Cap by Beatrix Potter…aka, How I picture myself over here in my jammies going down internet rabbit holes ;)

What is propaganda? Merriam Webster says it is, “the spreading of ideas, information, or rumor for the purpose of helping or injuring an institution, a cause, or a person.”

Last week, a report came out saying that “Israel spent $50M on deal with Google, X, other ad platforms to deny famine in Gaza.” This article states that, “Documents from 2018 to July 2025, revealed by the investigation, show that Lapam uses Google and Meta ad platforms to promote Israeli government narratives and counter critics of Tel Aviv’s policies and military operations through paid campaigns.” This seems to be backed up by another piece outlining Israel’s use of American influencers as their guests, to “debunk” the rumors of famine in Gaza.

Hold on for a sec…before you get excited or disappointed depending on your opinion, this is actually is NOT going to be a hit piece on Israel…and here’s why. I have no doubt this report is true. Why? Because governments have been doing this forever. We can track China doing the same exact things. Heck, our OWN government does this to us.

As I dug into this, I stumbled across something that I have seen scrolling IG, and would never have connected to a foreign country. Have you seen those “story reels” that walk you through a story…almost like a really short novel, and you have to subscribe to find out what happens? They have a name. Micro dramas, and they’re hugely popular. Like, billions of dollars are wrapped up in this industry. Know who didn’t want to miss that boat? The CCP. The Epoch times reports:

Shen Ming-Shih, research fellow at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said the regime has officially adopted micro dramas as a key tool in its united front strategy. “The CCP could use the format to create false issues or incorporate political innuendos to influence overseas people’s perception of their own country’s political or social issues,” she said. “With the advancement of generative [artificial intelligence], the risk will increase.”

But before we go too far down the rabbit hole…let’s go a different direction. What if, instead of listing out all of the propaganda, we were propaganda proof? Is that possible? Well, maybe not completely. But I think we can certainly come a long way from what seems so prevalent right now…regurgitating whatever hot take we see on the internet that aligns with our preconceived notions.

They use influencers for a reason. It works.

With that in mind, I want to share with you a really interesting article, and the seven steps he lays out to stay steady in an unsteady world. I’m summarizing, but go read his full points for more!

1. Accept reality.

   1. Propaganda is constantly coming at you. Step one? Don’t live in denial.

2. Create habits of personal discipline

   1. The author explains, Drawing from Steven Pressfield’s praise of the Spartans, discipline aids in “performing the commonplace under uncommonplace conditions,” the uncommonplace, in our case, being billions of dollars of domestic psychological warfare.

3. Become a student of history

   1. There is nothing new under the sun. Being aware of that will help you put today’s propaganda in context.

4. Read Books

   1. The author suggests fighting back against the imminency of propaganda saying, Every medium can be a carrier, but regularly reading books will allow you to devote more attention to each issue you study and will turn you into an active learner, not a passive vessel.

5. Surround yourself with beauty

   1. Sorry. Couldn’t summarize because this is just TOO GOOD. When you stand within churches and concert halls and before masterpieces, or drift between well-written pages, you learn to gratefully acknowledge your place as an inheritor of a living culture, not a demigod crafting your own world, a prideful approach that is easy for propagandists to turn to their own ends.

6. Don’t enter the lion’s den

   1. Set boundaries. Unsubscribe from email lists that aren’t healthy for you. Choose your places of education wisely. Stay away from the “near occasions.”

7. Proceed with courage and confidence

   1. He wraps up with this encouragement, Truth is stronger than deception, and it will win in the end.

Can I put in a somewhat related plug here? This is one of the reasons I believe it’s so important to largely keep children off of screens generally, but specifically without close supervision. Let them learn the things they need to know, before they have to enter the lion’s den. Fill their minds with beauty. Work on discipline. Prepare them. Because exposure to propaganda will be unavoidable, but our response can be a common sense one, with our foundation firmly rooted in the one we know to be Truth, with a capital T.

Do you think you’re propaganda proof?

Quick Hits

Stuff we’ve been loving this month!

1. Elisabeth, my IG buddy introduced me to this blanket and I can’t believe I didn’t know it existed. I’ve never bought something so fast. It’s like a huge version of those cotton burp cloths that are SO SOFT, it’s 100% cotton and it’s affordable. Comes in lots of colors!

2. This Crockpot Cowboy Casserole was easy, my kids actually ate it, and it has been added to the dinner rotation. You can throw in any extra veggies you have laying around, and leftovers heat up so well.

3. This little farm animal figurine set from Target has been the number one toy in our house for the past month. It’s only $10, and comes with its own carrying case. I will not sit here and tell you the quality is amazing, or that the animal sizes are to scale (mama chicken and baby chicken are about the same size and my three year old noticed immediately.) And yet…they both want to play with it IMMEDIATELY every day. So there ya go.

It’s like a really long voicemail…

*Me trying to explain this part, and settling on the most straightforward explanation*

(Radio Phone by Norman Rockwell)

On Sundays I’ve been putting up a question box, and I never get to all of them. Usually there are a few that are common repeats, so I thought I’d do a quick voice memo answering one of the most popular for the week. This one is on home birth tips for first time mamas! Niche, I know, ha. I plan to do one a week, so if this isn’t for you, the next one might be! Listen to it here.

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“There is no season when such pleasant and sunny spots may be lighted on, and produce so pleasant an effect on the feelings, as now in October.” — Nathaniel Hawthorne”

(Autumn Evening (1892) by Ferdinand Hodler)

Anyone have any great ideas for ways to REALLY lean into Advent with kids?

We’ve got our Jesse Tree all ready, but I’d love to hear your traditions and ideas. Click “Leave a Comment” below to share with all of us!

Back to the dishes! See you next month.

With love, Bridget