We studied this Shakespeare comedy in 9th grade using an "interleaved" edition featuring the original text on one side and notes to clarify the meanings of archaic terms on the facing pages. Looking at the text on the pages was a little daunting, but it is amazing what a difference reading it aloud in class made. Suddenly the words were not so strange or difficult to follow any more, and as it is a play -- not a novel -- reading aloud really helped bring it to life. Our class was also able to attend a live outdoor performance, which further enhanced our study of the play. As for the play itself, it is a light comedy that revolves around two young men (Demetrius and Lysander) and two young women (Hermia and Helena) and their adventures. Their fathers want Demetrius and Hermia to wed, but Hermia prefers Lysander. Meanwhile, Helena is still in love with Demetrius even though he has jilted her for Hermia. Hoping to elope, Hermia and Lysander enter a wood, but are pursued by Demetrius and Helena. There they get mixed up in the doings of the fairies, whose King and Queen have themselves had a bit of a falling out. Throw in the mischievous Puck and a group of simple craftsmen, and you have a recipe for much hilarity. Shakespeare uses the situations to explore our human capacity for caprice and wilfulness through the sometimes ridiculous events in his play. Other themes you might want to discuss are: is it appropriate for a father to insist that his daughter marry a particular man? To what extent have the people Shakespeare portrays been influenced by the return of classical thought and Roman law in this regard? What of Oberon's attitude toward his wife Titania? And what about the magic? It's supposed to fix everything, but does it? Or does it just create more chaos? But A Midsummer Night's Dream is a lot of fun, so don't let too much dissection spoil it for you or your students.

Have you ever considered motherhood to be your vocation? Have you prayerfully considered the various daily duties and burdens of your state in life? Do you think that prayer time will have to wait until your children are older? until the dishes are done? until the entire house is decluttered? Do you long for the peace of the monastery? A nap? A clean house? A day in which all he schoolwork is completed? This is the book that will help you learn how to "do it all" without losing your mind or spending a fortune, while you and your family grow in holiness and peace.

For those of us who are "schedule-resistant", a rule of life is not a schedule; it is much, much more. Mrs. Pierlot defines a mother's rule of life as "an organization of everything that has to do with your vocation based on a hierarchy of the priorities that define the vocation and done with the intent to please God." She describes these priorities as the "5 P's": Prayer (basic spiritual needs), Person (basic physical needs), Partner (being available to one's spouse), Parent (being available to one's child(ren) ), and Provider (through work outside or inside the home). Thorough descriptions and real-life examples show you how to think through your own situation to analyze how each of these essential responsibilities fits into your rule. The final chapters on the heart and spirit of the mother's rule tie the entire process together and encourage the reader in implementing her rule without scrupulosity. .

A Mother's Rule of Life is not a book that you will read from cover to cover in one sitting and suddenly say "A-ha!" You will need to read this book several times: at least once to understand the major ideas and get excited about beginning the process of developing a rule; a second time to appreciate both the enormity yet the simplicity of the task at hand; and, a third time to absorb the details of the process in an effort to apply them to your own unique situation. Writing and living by a rule will not be an overnight process for most women; it will require periodic changes and updating within an overall framework. Even so, the time and effort spent will yield tremendous dividends as you live out your vocation every single day. Reading this book may also lead you to reading and studying more about the saints and Catholic teaching through many quotations from Catholic sources that the Catholic mother may wish to learn more from. As an aside, Mrs. Pierlot relates an unusual step in her path towards God regarding her need for prayers of deliverance. Any reader wishing to understand this issue better may wish to read An Exorcist Tells His Story and An Exorcist: More Stories by Fr. Gabriele Amorth, the chief exorcist of the Catholic Church.

A Mother's Rule of Life is one of the two books that I have been recommending recently to anyone interested in Catholic motherhood. (The other is How to Raise Good Catholic Children by Mary Reed Newland.) The ideas are not especially new or earth-shattering, but they are imbued with a Catholic focus and organized so that you can get right to work, step by step, without becoming anxious or overwhelmed. This book provides a good healthy dose of hope for every Catholic mother.