About the Clan

Clan Donaldson is a not-for-profit, internationally recognized, L.L.C.  In our spare time, we're a Catholic homeschooling family who somehow wound up on the corporate gypsy trail.  Also, none of us can dance.


Things That May Help You Put This Nonsense in Context:


1. When I started this blog in 2008, we had lived in Mississippi for three years.  Our third child was seven months old, and we'd already converted to Catholicism.  In other words, all the back story had happened before the blog started.  You can read about my conversion experience in all its four part glory here, here, here, and finally here.


2. We moved from Mississippi to Connecticut in February 2010.  I was almost seven months pregnant with our fifth child, and the move was extremely emotional.  This explains the giant gap in blogging from January 14th, 2010 to April 5th, 2010- I was busy pouting.  But I got over myself and started plugging away at the blog- if only to try and find my sense of humor again.


3. Life is beautiful.  All life, all the time, because all life is a gift from God who is Beauty itself.  But life isn't perfect.  It is messy, and chaotic, and painful, and heartbreaking, and breathless too.  Also, it generates a lot of laundry.  The purpose of this blog is to praise God for the gift of my life, my husband, our children, and all of you.  The purpose of this blog is to share this life with all my far-flung family and friends.  The purpose of this blog is to give me a creative outlet so that I do not run screaming down the street.


4.  Each member of the family gets dragged into the blog, so each member of the family gets this small space to make a case for him/herself.
Ken:
(he refused to write me fresh new bio content, and instead just directed me to copy and paste his Twitter description)
Just your typical husband, beer-drinking, wood working, cub scouting, mountain hiking, father of six.
Lotus:
I'm a girl of 9 years.  I like whales, art, and french fries a little.  
Ok, fine.  A lot.
Joaquin:
Hello, my name is Joaquin.  And that's all I can think of.  (watching me type his response) No, don't write that.  Well, if you want you can.    But not that.  (getting frustrated) MOMMY!!!! (runs from room)
Gabriel:
I sing my ABCs by stomping my heel on the ground.  I like sleeping in Joaquin's room.  I sleep in a tent in Joaquin's room.  That's all.
Jude:
I like me in the backback.  I like to get Daddy in the backpack.  I want to watch "Puca".  I don't want to do this.
John-Luke:
He doesn't speak.  As this video clearly, and disturbingly demonstrates:

New Baby:
The baby's due in five days.  So right now I'll do the talking for it:
Boy, it's cozy in here.  I'm never ever going to leave.  I'll just stay here, and continue growing, and eventually explode out of my mother's abdomen, fully grown, and able to walk away from her stinking corpse.
I'm pretty sure that's an exact translation.


5.  If for some reason you find yourself needing more of the Clan, you can find it at the following quality locations:
Catholic Exchange
Twitter (me)
Twitter (Ken)
Facebook
Instagram
Catholic Vitamins podcast


6. Shortest FAQ File In the History of Blog Page FAQ Files:
(these are the only questions I can remember being asked by non-family members more than once)

• When are you going to write a book?

 I actually AM writing a book.  Or co-writing it.  With my uncle.  But by "writing", I actually mean, "He comes up with the plot, the characters, the setting and the publisher, and I occasionally write some funny dialog."  And by "occasionally", I mean, "I haven't worked on it in nine months."

Other than that, I guess I'll write a(nother) book when somebody offers me a deal.  But a deal that doesn't end up automatically sent to my spam box because even yahoo realizes it's phony.

• How do you find time to write with so many kids underfoot all the time?

The use of a rigid and air-tight schedule, which the children all follow with first time, cheerful obedience.

No.  Just kidding.  The real answer is "Netflix".  

• Sincere, thoughtful question here?

Flippant answer here, making heavy use of humor to cover over any feelings of embarrassment and inadequacy I actually feel. 

• How can I contact you?

I love replying to comments left on the blog.  If you click here, and read the excellent tutorial I ripped off from Camp Patton, you can make sure I'm able to email you.

• I'm not sure I want you to be able to reach me by email, since you kind of creep me out.  Is there any way I can contact you?

Smart move.  You can email me at clan_donaldson@yahoo.com.  Or you can call my mother who is better at listening to her voice mail than I am about mine.

• Why did you pick "It's a fool what looks for logic in the chambers of the human heart" as a blog motto?

It's a quote from O Brother!  Where Art Thou?, which is one of my favorite movies, in part because I've never heard another sentence so perfectly sum up the beautiful madness of a life fully lived.

• Oh.  I see.  Aren't you worried you're going to get nailed for copyright infringement?

You know what?  I think we're done with this FAQ for now.