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.

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

St. Nick and Snow Day

The Betts get their first snow day of the season and Dom discovers he doesn't have to do all the snow clearing any more. The kids go Scouting ... Read more

Thanksgiving Misadventure

It was a great Thanksgiving for the Betts, but then Dom ended up in urgent care, while making a turkey leftovers soup. Meanwhile, Melanie wants ... Read more

Campsgiving

The Betts get ready for Thanksgiving after celebrating an early Thanksgiving dinner outdoors with the Scouts, plus Dom celebrates his baptism ... Read more

Don’t Work, Don’t Eat

As the Church year winds down, Dom and Melanie talk about the amazing Sunday Mass readings, including St. Paul's admonition to lazy ... Read more