2025 Year In Review

Catching up on all the things! If you just want the details since my last post, feel free to skip to the bottom. I figured I should use our Christmas break to update the blog before my usual holiday wrap up post. I’m saving money and not sending Christmas cards this year (again), so this post can also count as my annual greeting to far flung family and friends.

January

We started off the year as a family with Addie at home (literally arriving in the wee hours on the first), Byron at home (having just graduated), and lots of fun through Epiphany. There was snow, and illness, but nothing major on either front and it was quiet. I focused on trying to nail my New Year’s resolutions and leaned into homeschooling, including teaching at our co-op. My team, the Large Marges, won our familiy’s fantasy football league.

• The 12 Days of Christmas 2024-25
• How to Do a Mid-Year Homeschool Review
• How to Use Timelines in Your Homeschool
• It’s Cold and Boring and That’s Fine

February

Tony, Byron and Edie went to the Philly Orchestra to hear Gustav Holt’s The Planets; a piece I introduced to the kids years ago as part of music appreciation that remains a favorite. I spoke at a small event in Lancaster and consequently decided to take a break from speaking for awhile. Teddy’s favorite team the Kansas City Chief’s were in the Super Bowl against the local team, the Philadelphia Eagles.again. We had a fun party without a surprise appearance by Taylor Swift, and half the attendees were happy with the outcome. We began watching The X-Files; finally a family show I could get excited about!

• Digital Momentos – on Substack
• February Chilling
• 40 Famous Women for Women’s History Month

March

We were able to purchase a new handicap van for less than the cost of our first house. Nine months later, I can say it was a good buy and it’s held up well for all our roadtrips and drives around town. My 94 year old grandmother passed away peacefully, and we spent time with family in Lancaster for her funeral. We took a few day trips and enjoyed the (slightly) warmer weather. Tony and I started getting monthly respite care and it was AMAZING.

• How to Create Lenten Resolutions for Beginners
• A Life Changing Goodwill Find, a Van, and Goodbye
• A Legacy of Hospitality – on Substack
• Field Trips and Goals with Books

April

We hosted my parents, my sister’s family and all the kids were home to celebrate my parent’s 50th wedding anniversary which fell on Holy Saturday. We enjoyed a dinner out downtown, and then hosted everyone for an epic Easter feast the next day. As I continued the clean up process, we learned Pope Francis had died. Edie started working full-time on a tugboat out of the Philly Navy Yard.

• How to Use Google Classroom in Your Homeschool
• Easter 2025

May

Addie got engaged! Byron got a job and moved out! It was an exciting month for big kid milestones. We also watched as an American pope was elected. (For our last debate club at co-op I held a papal election, and despite campaigning hard for himself, Teddy was not elected.) My grandmother’s condo in Ocean City was sold, and we said goodbye to Cow Cat.

• Adeline is Engaged!
• Respite, a New Job, Field Trips and More in Seven Quick Takes

June

We wrapped up our school year and immediately drove out to Wisconsin to visit with Tony’s extended family for the first time since 2019. We stopped in Cleveland on the way home to visit with Addie and make a quick ER stop. I cleaned out Byron’s room and started painting it. Fulton turned 17 and we held our Nativity of St. John the Baptist party on a Sunday for the first time.

• Midwest Trip 2025

July

Our town celebrated the 150th Feast of Our Lady of Mt Carmel procession and festival. Byron made it home for the first time since moving out and we enjoyed the food and festivities despite the heat. With our annual foster home inspection coming up, and after completing a novena asking God for a clear sign, Tony and I decided to close our home to future foster placements. I felt, and still feel at peace with our decision. At the end of the month, I went out to Cleveland for some dress shopping, and after bringing Addie home with me, we wound up finding her perfect dress here in NJ at David’s Bridal.

• A Review of June

August

The month began with the excitement of a corn combine derby in Lancaster. We learned the boys would be losing insurance coverage right before sending them off to MDA camp; Fulton’s last year. The tugboat job did not work out as expected and Edie stepped away to consider her options, but got to spend time in Cleveland with Addie while the boys were at camp. At the end of the month, we traveled to visit Tony’s parents before the new school year kicked off.

• Summer Happenings
• How to Tell if Homeschooling is Not Working

September

A new school year began right after Labor Day, and the next week co-op restarted as well. While trying to get back in a routine we lost nursing care, and the money I was earning as the boys’ caregiver (which was how we paid for our respite care). I spent a lot of time on the phone trying to straighten out a lot of insurance bullshit headaches. Like when I learned that after single-handedly fighting through appeals for months to successfully get Teddy’s wheelchair tray 100 percent covered under his old insurance, the supply company didn’t order it in time and under the new insurance we’d need to pay at least 20 percent, possibly 100 percent- but they couldn’t tell us until after it was ordered. I spoke at a homeschooling event, and decided to open my calendar to more speaking events again. We attended Oktoberfest at the Lancaster Liederkranz. Fulton and Teddy started a new drug, via IV infusion, that would hopefully help them better maintain the strength they have. Addie turned 23 and I turned 47. I felt mentally overloaded most of the month.

• St. Bruno’s 2025-25 Curriculum
• Could it be…Satan???

October

Teddy turned 15 at the beginning of the month, and Byron turned 22 at the end. With his old room and our bedroom painted, we finally had new carpet installed. After feeling a drift for months and having some sort of midlife crisis, I embarked on an ambitious four year plan. We carved pumpkins and celebrated an epic Great Pumpkin themed Halloween. It was super cold and windy though so we made a fire in the fireplace (vs outdoor fire pit) and celebrated inside.

• Fall Stuff

November

We hosted friends for Martinmas and it seemed like it would be a quiet month. Then while I was getting a massage and had my phone turned off, Edie got in a car accident. Thankfully she was fine, but the car was totaled. It was clearly the other driver’s fault and there were a couple witnesses to back it up. I came home from my massage to that exciting news, and then a email landed in my inbox announcing that gene therapy was now available for people with SMA who are Fulton and Teddy’s age. It’s been available for under age two, but now it’s FDA approved for older kids, teens and adults, and it shows great results! We had a lot to be grateful for on Thanksgiving, which we spent in Lancaster. Addie couldn’t make it this year, and neither could my sister, but Byron and his girlfriend attended.

December

Byron and his girlfriend were also home for St. Nicholas day and a Philly orchestra concert. I was excited to fill his girlfriend’s shoes for the first time. I like when we can introduce all our fun family traditions to new people. We wrapped up co-op for the semester and I made my directorial debut with my drama club’s production of St. Nicholas and the Three Daughters. Everyone did great and the rest of the co-op kids and moms were so supportive. Fulton and Teddy decided to stop the muscle drug infusions and we hope by their February SMA clinic appointment at CHOP we can get more details on when gene therapy will be available for them. My sister gave birth to her second daughter on December 15th, right between our dad’s birthday on December 14th and Edie’s birthday on the 16th. Mom and baby are doing well! We had a bunch of snow that kept us homebound for a bit, but it’s already melted and Christmas is predicted to be rainy. Edie and her boyfriend, who also has a birthday on the 14th postponed their joint Gaudette Sunday birthday bash to this Sunday. Edie is now 20, which means we’ve lived in NJ for two decades, and we’re already coming up on seven years in this house. Addie and Byron will be arriving in a few days and after a lot of initial panic and overwhelm about being ready for Christmas, I’m feeling pretty well prepared and excited for everyone to arrive.

What a year! There have been some wonderful highs, but the second half of the year definitely brought some struggles, not all of which I can mention here. Some of those struggles will carry into the new year I’m sure, but we have turned some corners and there is so much good stuff to look forward to. I hope your past year was full of blessings, and sending prayers to all my readers for a happy, healthy, and prosperous 2026!