Category Archives: Raising the Betts

A family podcast by Domenico Bettinelli and Melanie Bettinelli, who are raising five kids in the Boston area. They discuss marriage, homeschooling, Catholic faith, their adventures far and wide, cooking exotic dishes, exploring nature, engaging culture and more.

Bad Time to Hate Homeschool

The Betts are back and rebutting a Harvard Law prof's attack on homeschooling; catching up on bird-watching and outdoor adventures; and ... Read more

Easter Stream and Feast

The Betts are recovering from Easter, recounting how they made the Triduum and Easter special this year, the new tradition Melanie introduced ... Read more

Happy Easter from StarQuest

From all of us at StarQuest, we wish you a Happy and Blessed Easter with this brief message from our chaplain, Fr. Cory Sticha. Read more

Palm-less Sunday

The Betts have a Palm Sunday without (fresh) palm branches, are cutting their own hair, and pondering the effects of self-isolation on the ... Read more

Why Are You Afraid?

Since outdoor exercise has been deemed an essential activity, the Betts ventured out to enjoy some nesting herons and other birds. They've also ... Read more

What a Year This Week Has Been

In the midst of this crisis, the Betts stop to ponder what positive effects on faith and culture can result from weeks or months of ... Read more

Love in a Time of Quarantine

The Betts deal with the current crisis using a blend of humor and level-headedness; discuss the unprecedented restrictions due to the ... Read more

Down the Drain

The Betts this week deal with a cascade of kitchen plumbing messes; enroll in Merit Badge U; race in the Pinewood Derby; review Spenser: ... Read more

Hangry in the Desert

This week, the Betts are handwashing dishes for Lent (for now), ranting about the clock change, doing a Polar Challenge, discussing their ... Read more

Easing into Lent

The Betts are easing into Lent with the family, rather than racing out of the gates and sputtering early this year. Plus Blue & Gold, a walk in ... Read more

Keeper of Your Brother’s Anger

Dom and Melanie Bettinelli discuss why some people always seem to get summonsed for jury duty; winter farmers market; Pinewood Derby; scallops, ... Read more

A Day at the MFA

The Betts visit the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston and then come home to no power in the house. Melanie makes sure the power outage soup won't ... Read more

Winter Nature Walking

The Betts get out of the house on gray February day, contemplate a presidential cage match, Dom reveals his pancake secrets, Melanie talks ... Read more

Bless Those House Flippers’ Hearts

The Betts deal with the legacy of the quickie renovations done by their home's previous owners; bribe their kids to do school; discuss what ... Read more

Act Like a Saint

The Christmas season ends for the Betts; Dom and kids spend a day in the bitter cold for a Klondike derby; Melanie keeps perfecting ... Read more

Put the Parcel in the Box

While Dom is puzzled by why the delivery drivers won't put the parcels in the delivery box, Melanie is on a cooking binge, making some amazing ... Read more

Coconut Soup for Epiphany

New Year, a birthday, Star Wars, Epiphany, and a Scouting event mean a busy week for the Betts as Dom and Melanie relate their Epiphany ... Read more

Merry Christmas!

The Betts wish you a Merry Christmas as Dom and Melanie relive Christmas Eve midnight Mass and Christmas Day, including several great meals, ... Read more

Christmas Eve with the Betts

Christmas is here (or almost, as we recorded) and Dom and Melanie reveal how their Advent has gone and what the plan is for Christmas Eve ... Read more

The Harsh, but Effective, Lord Cromwell

The Betts discuss an unusual game the kids play during cleanup times involving the fictional Lord Cromwell; Melanie and the kids ditch an ... Read more