Hibernating

I have pulled myself away from the 20 or so episodes of House and Flip This House marathons to write on this blog.

That is basically what I have been doing for the past week. In between TV shows, to keep my mind from turning into complete mush, I have been reading Crime and Punishment.

Big D has been on a two-week vacation. I don’t know what it is about having him home but our family schedule goes out the window.

We have definitely been hibernating.

Yesterday Big D and I made the decision that it was time to stop wading through the toys and boxes, so we really cleaned the house, the first time since Christmas morning. We are bad when we are on vacation, but everyone needs to do absolutely nothing once in a while.

I did go to a salon and have all my hair cut off. It looks ok. I will get a bug to get my hair cut short, and as soon as I get home I can’t wait for it to grow out again.

None of my clothes fit. I am showing early, I guess being pregnant five times will do that to you. I did venture out of my house to buy some maternity clothes.

The What Not to Wear marathon should be starting shortly and there is a place on the couch with my name on it.

I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas. Now if you will excuse me I have more hibernating to do.

Peace

Christmas All Year Long

My family and many others have been preparing our hearts during the Advent season for the birthday of our Lord.

It warms my heart to see all the giving, generosity, and love between families, neighbors and strangers during the Christmas holiday.

When the last present is opened, the last cookie eaten, and the last decoration put away, it brings me great joy in knowing that Christ remains.

I want to remember that the needy are still in need when Christmas is over. Grandparents and the elderly still need the company of visitors, neighbors would still find happiness in a plate of cookies left at their door. Just because Christmas ends does not mean our generous hearts and love should end too.

I hope that everyone has a joyful Christmas and that we keep our hearts open to be examples of Christ.

Lets see if we can keep the spirit of Christmas going all year long.

May your Christmas be full of love and blessings and I pray that we continue let the love of Christ guide us the whole year through!

Merry Christmas!

It's Almost Here!

My Christmas shopping and wrapping are done, Thank goodness. Now it’s time to bake about 20 dozen cookies or so.

I am going to cheat this year with the cookies. I am pregnant so I can!
The cookies will still be good and made with love; it will just be a little easier on mom.
Thanks Pillsbury for thinking about moms like me.



Christmas parties have started this past weekend. Big D’s family has a party for the kids and Santa comes and brings them all a gift. The kids love it!

There are a lot of children on my husbands side of the family so it is always fun when we can get all the kids together in one spot.

Here is a picture of some of the kids in front of the tree. This picture does not include the newborns or the toddlers that didn’t feel like taking a group picture.



We spent the rest of the night with my in-laws. My brother and sister in-law gave us one final present for the night; they kept three of our kids overnight. God bless them!

It is going to be hectic around here, the baking and parties have started, the holidays are rolling in. I hope everyone is having a wonderful time.

Peace and God Bless.

What political party would G.K. Chesterton belong to?

My husband is looking for opinions on what political party G.K. Chesterton would belong to.

Please go here and vote in his poll.

Thank you

Snow Day!

It has been snowing like crazy around these parts. About 6 to 10 inches of snow fell last night. It looks beautiful, and the kids are happy about it too!

Christmas Home Tour

The Blog BooMama is hosting a tour of homes. You can show off all you elaborate, beautiful or like me, simple Christmas decorations.

If you decide to do your own tour you can go to the above blog and join in. If you decide to do a tour let me know so I can come and see your home.

Here is my Christmas time tour.

The Tree



Mr. Snowman given to me by my Dad.



This is my grandmothers, Santa and baby Jesus. I love this one.



Our Jesse Tree with the Holy Family.



Santa train given to me by my dad. I think this has been knocked over at least one thousand times.


Jesus needs a stocking too.



You can't have Christmas without a tissue paper roll nativity.



This little guy gets a special place on our tree. My grandpa gave him to me on the last Christmas I spent with him.


I hope you enjoyed the tour, and I hope you continue to enjoy the countdown to Christmas.

Skipping Prenatal Testing

I had my first Doctors appointment yesterday. The baby should be here August 17th.

When I was pregnant with Oney the test for Down syndrome and Spina bifida came back positive, I was a wreck. I had an amino done and after the two weeks of waiting we found out he did not have any genetic problems.

I talked to some people who said the test for Down syndrome was unnecessary, that false positives were very likely to happen and all that would cause me was undo stress.

I spoke to my doctor about this and told him I would like to pass on this particular test because no matter what the outcome I would not terminate the pregnancy.

My doctor told me that skipping this test was not an option in his practice. He told me I must take the test and he would recommend further testing should the result be positive again.

He reassured me that there would be no talk about termination that the reason for the testing would be so he would know how to treat me and how the baby should be treated medically once born.

That made sense so I agreed to the testing.

I feel I won’t be as much of a basket case as I was the last time the test came back positive. Talking to the genetics counselor helped a lot. Being able to have the resources early on was another reason my doctor gave me for this testing.

I am asking for your prayers for the heath of this baby and for me to have the courage to accept Gods will for this baby whatever that may be.

Kindergarten

Bug will be starting Kindergarten next year. I am torn between homeschooling her and sending her to traditional school.

I remember Kindergarten like it was yesterday. I loved everything about it. Miss and Lil D loved Kindergarten too.

I remember when I started the first grade; I walked into the room and was disappointed. Where was all the colors and happiness of Kindergarten? I remember thinking first grade was missing color.

Back to Bug and Kindergarten, I am wondering if I should send her to school for Kindergarten and them start homeschooling her in the first grade. I don’t want her to miss out on everything Kindergarten offers. I don’t know if I will be able to give her that experience at home.

I also don’t want her to feel left out. Her brothers and sister will be home and she will be at school.

I don’t know what to do, or what will be best for Bug.

Oh Christmas Tree

My Dad is an over the top Christmas decorator. As a child our house was decorated to the max at Christmas time. Every piece of furniture was taken out of the living room and replaced with villages, snowmen, and motorized do dads.

One Christmas I will always remember is when my Dad decided that one Christmas tree just wasn’t enough. He brought home three full sized Christmas trees, one for my Dad to decorate, one for my brother and one for me. My parents live in a modest bungalow with an average to small size living room. It looked like a Christmas forest.

You can imagine my Dads shock when I started raising my own family and decided to use an artificial Christmas tree. I believe my Dad told me it was a sacrilege to put up a plastic tree. My Christmas decorations consist of a few Advent decorations, a fake tree and a couple of snowmen. My Dad is less than thrilled. (He loves me anyway)

To make sure my children our not deprived on Christmas, my Dad insists every year that my children go with him to pick out a real tree for my Mom and Dads house. This year was no different

I do enjoy picking out a Christmas tree and I even told my Dad that next year when we go to the tree lot I may even pick out a real one for our home. I think I saw a tear in his eye.

Here we are picking out a tree with my Parents, with my Dad in all his Christmas glory.

Zzzzzzzzz

I am one tired Mama.

Oney likes to wake up before the crack of dawn. After we finish school and eat lunch I can barely keep my eyes open.

I explained to my kids that when a baby is first growing it makes mom very tired and I need to rest.

For the past two days my wonderful children have let me do just that. I put Oney down for his nap after lunch and then I get in my bed for a little rest. My bedroom is in the basement. One side is our room the other is the kid’s playroom. Miss, Lil D and Bug all come down stairs and actually stay quiet and play nice while I nap!

There has been no fighting, no disturbances at all during this peaceful time. God is good, and so are my kids!

Yesterday Miss fixed all the covers and pillows on my bed so I would be more comfortable. She is so excited about this new baby and has poured her affection onto me.

It has only been two days of this much-needed napping bliss, I don’t know how long it will last but I had to write about how sweet my children are to me. God bless them.

Lucky Number Seven

Our family has received an early Christmas present. We have just found out that we will be having a baby!

I am very early in my pregnancy, and I am feeling pretty good so far.

The baby should be here some time in August I will have more details once I go for my doctor appointment.

I have so many feelings about this pregnancy, fist being joy and thankfulness.

When I first found out I was pregnant I looked around my three-bedroom house and thought where in the world am I going to put a baby? How am I going to deal with five children, can I do this?

As soon as these thoughts came to my head they were swept away with thoughts and feelings of instant love for this little one, love for my husband, and love for my growing family.

Every baby brings lessons. This baby is already preparing me to put my trust in God, take one day at a time, and to be aware of every blessing that comes our way.

No wonder a child is one of God’s greatest gifts, look at how much insight and love God sends with a new baby.

I would like to ask for your prayers that this little one remains healthy and that any anxiety that may creep in be lifted from our family.

Peace and God Bless

Memories, a Cherished Christmas Gift

Christmas and babies are a beautiful combination. When Christmas comes around and there are babies in the family it makes the holiday that much more endearing.

I think it is because Christmas is a miracle in itself and when you can ponder this miracle and can be around the miracle of a child it brings Christmas to a new level.

Some of my fondest memories at Christmas time are when my children were babies. At night when the house was quiet and the only light was from our Christmas tree I would sit and rock my babies. Sometimes I would have Christmas music softly playing in the back ground, other times it would be completely silent except for the breath of my sleeping child.

These were times when I could feel God so close to me and my heart was full.

I have a Christmas book that I checked out from the library for my kids. As I was looking through the book I came across this poem. It is a beautifully perfect Christmas poem that reminds me of my favorite Christmas memories.


The Mothers Song
Eskimo poem translated by Peter Freuchen

It is so still in the house
There is a calm in the house,
The snowstorm wails out there,
And the dogs are rolled up with snouts under tails.
My little boy is sleeping on the ledge,
On his back he lies, breathing through his open mouth.
His little stomach bulging round-
Is it strange if I start to cry with joy?


May your Christmas be full of miracles, memories, and the fullness of God.

Happy Days

A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars has tagged me for a meme.

According to the rules, I have to post six things that make me really happy ...

1. A box of Rasinetts and a Diet Coke

2. Alone time with my favorite guy. Whether we are having a simple uninterrupted conversation, a quiet dinner, or a vacation, it always makes me happy when he and I can be alone.

3. Watching my children grow into beautiful human beings. Enjoying how are relationship changes as each year passes.

4. Staying in my pajamas all day and feeling absolutely no guilt about it.

5. Going to the library alone with no time limit and finding all the books I went searching for.

6. Pants that fit in all the right places.



Now I need to tag some people…

Cathy from The Field of Blue Children

Just Another Catholic Mom

The Wheelz are Rolling

What’s in Sissy’s Head?

Shoved to Them


Let’s get happy!

Positive Thoughts Equals a Positive Person

I am always thinking about one thing or another. I am sure everyone does this.

For the past few days I have been practicing positive thought. Basically I am trying to be conscience of all my thoughts during the day and decide if this type of thinking makes me happy.

If it does not than I am supposed to drop the thought or change it in a way that makes the thought enjoyable.

(I will get into why I am doing this at a later time.)

As I was practicing positive thought, I was going over nice things people have said to me or genuine compliments I have received.

One time my grandmother told me that she wished I could have been her mother. This touched me because it was coming from the woman who raised four children of her own plus my brother and me.

Two compliments that I received that struck me as very genuine and really did the trick to help me be positive were from my parish priest.

Big D and I were making a NFP video along with our Parish priest for the Arch Diocese. I was getting my hair done before the taping. When the lady was finished I looked in the mirror and said, “I look old.” My priest very nonchalantly looked over and said, “No you don’t, you remind me of the women who used her hair to wash Jesus’ feet.”

Some may think this a strange compliment, but I felt radiant after hearing it. I did not feel beautiful on the outside (I still did not like my hair) but I felt so beautiful and pure on the inside. All my insecurities left and I felt wonderful.

The second time I was lifted up by a compliment was when the same priest came to our house for a visit. I was in the early stages of pregnancy with Oney, my fourth child. I felt worn out, fat, sick, and not sure if I could handle four children

My priest asked when I was due and I told him the end of November. He got a big smile on his face and said how lucky I was to be going through a pregnancy about the same time as the Virgin Mary.

This may not be a compliment, but anytime I am referenced with the Blessed Mother I take it as just that. I was filled with joy by his words. I focused on what he said through out my pregnancy and felt good inside.

What am I trying to get at with this post? I am not sure. I think I want to find a balance of feeling good about myself without being superficial or conceded.

I want to be more positive and shape my thoughts around things that make me happy while getting rid of the thoughts that give me anxiety.

Enough thinking for the moment.

God Bless and happy thoughts.

I am a Top Mama!

I am on the front page of Top Mama.

I need your votes.

Go here and click on my picture.

My picture is a black and white of Oney and Bug playing catch.



Thank you for the votes!

The Jesse Tree (Our Christmas Kickoff)

We had a wonderful Christmas kickoff weekend.

I have been too stuffed with Turkey and pie to make it to the computer. Big D makes our Thanksgiving dinner every year and does a delicious job. This year he out did himself. Everything was so good that I didn’t mind eating it for the past four days.

You know the holidays have started when it is perfectly normal to eat pie for breakfast.

My side of the family had an early Christmas party on Saturday. My aunt hosted and it was a great way to kickoff Christmas and get everyone in the spirit. There was food, drinks, more food, games, and a lot of love and laughter.

Bid D, the kids, and I started off the Advent season on Sunday by cranking up the Christmas music and decorating our Christmas tree.

This is the first year that we are including a Jesse Tree into our Christmas tradition. On Sunday Big D blessed the tree, we said prayers, and the kids hung the first ornament. Having the Jesse Tree along with the traditional Christmas tree helps us to stay focused on what we are preparing for as we wait for Christmas to arrive.

The Jesse Tree is named from Isaiah 11:1: "A shoot will spring forth from the stump of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots." It is a vehicle to tell the Story of God in the Old Testament, and to connect the Advent Season with the faithfulness of God across 4,000 years of history. The Branch is a biblical sign of newness out of discouragement, which became a way to talk about the expected messiah (e.g., Jer 23:5). It is therefore an appropriate symbol of Jesus the Christ, who is the revelation of the grace and faithfulness of God.

You can find many ways to make a Jesse tree on the Internet. For the symbols of the Jesse tree, Prayers, and Bible readings, we used the site called Catholic Culture.

Here is our Jesse Tree with our first ornament, a leaf, to signify the branch that will shoot forth and bring to us the Messiah.



One of my favorite Christmas decorations is my nativity. A lady on ebay made these dolls and I was lucky to be the one to purchase them. They are so sweet and well made. I think this is a cute representation of the holy family.



I hope your Thanksgiving was a good one.

Lets open our hearts this Advent season and make a place for our Lord to enter.

Happy Christmas Kickoff

God bless

Tune Out

I would consider many moms to be super heroes. By the grace of God we are given many talents to carry out this vocation called motherhood.

Mothers also have certain powers that we have learned over a period of time. One of these powers is called tuning out.

My dear husband has a low tolerance of loud screeching children, slamming doors, banging feet and the constant shrill of voices. He comes home from work to find our children doing all of the above plus a couple more neighbor kids doing the same.

He will find me on the couch engrossed in a book or magazine. He stares at me with the are you kidding me look and my response is, "what?"

I have learned to tune out. It is a wonderful power that mothers have.

Here is a picture that my husband took of me using this very power.



This is what it looks like when I read. Bug was not quiet or lying still. The other kids were off banging away with their friends and I am not sure where Oney was.

I believe I have perfected the tuning out abilities of mothers, and this power can be a wonderful thing.

A Birthday and a Feather Party, What More Could You Want?

I had an exciting past weekend. It was Oney’s 2nd Birthday.
We had a little party for him. Here he is with his Blues Clues cake.



This cake is very easy. Make a 9 inch round cake and some cupcakes. Frost the cakes with blue icing and there you have Blue's clue.

I also went with my family to a feather party. If you have never been to one let me explain.

They are held at a Polish hall and you can win all sorts of things. This year they had Turkeys, beer, pop, salami, fruit baskets, and the beloved liverwurst.

I dislike liverwurst very much, but the people who attend these feather parties LOVE it! When liverwurst is announced as the next prize people actually applaud. If you happen to be the lucky one to win a 3 foot liverwurst (I am not kidding about the size) you can trade it with someone for just about anything.

For 20 dollars you can play 10 games, have a few drinks and eat free hot dogs or venison stew. The Polish really know how to have fun.

I was apprehensive at my first feather party. I didn’t know if it was my kind of thing, but as you can see in the picture below I was quite proud when I won salami!

My sister-in-law and I felt that a picture was needed.

A Difficult Homily

This past Sunday our priest gave a wonderful but difficult Homily.

The Gospel passage was from Matthew…

34 “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 ‘For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; 36 naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ 37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? 38 ‘And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? 39 ‘When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 “The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’
41 “Then He will also say to those on His left, ‘Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels; 42 for I was hungry, and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me nothing to drink; 43 I was a stranger, and you did not invite Me in; naked, and you did not clothe Me; sick, and in prison, and you did not visit Me.’ 44 “Then they themselves also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not take care of You?’ 45 “Then He will answer them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.’ 46 “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

Our Priest broke this passage down in a way that pertains to my immediate world.

Do I give unconditional love to those who hunger for it, my husband, my children, family and friends?

When people thirst for acceptance and truth do I quench their thirst or do I hold back because they are a different religion, a different color, or have different ideas of truth than what I believe to be right?

Do I welcome the stranger into my circle of friends or family when they are different than me? Do I accept them even though they have different beliefs, political stance etc…?

When people are naked with vulnerability do I feel superior towards them, use that vulnerability to manipulate them or cause them harm?

When people are sick with addiction, mental illness, or lack of love, do I run away from them, ridicule them?

When someone is imprisoned with depression, home bound, or is in a prison of sadness and anger because of hurt that has been afflicted upon them do I keep my distance?

Our priest also said that we must see Jesus in everyone. This is so difficult. It is hard to see Jesus in the person addicted to drugs who is hurting themselves and their families.

Am I supposed to see Jesus in the people who harm children, who are not sorry for their crime and will do it again if they have a chance?

Is Jesus really in these people?

When the homily was over I knew I fell short on everything Jesus was trying to say through the Gospel.

I do pray for everyone, even those who do evil things, but even though I pray for them I don’t have the love and compassion in my heart for them. I do not see Jesus in them.

I want to see Christ in everyone, but it is difficult when I have trouble finding Him in me.

I don't have the answer. I know what Jesus wants me to do but at times I find it impossible. The only thing I know to do is pray.

I will keep this homily in my heart, pray about it and ask Christ for help.

Peace

Terrific Twos

Oney is two years old today!



Happy Birthday little man. Enjoy being two!!



Momma Loves You!!

Fight FOCA

This is another post, which I am going to link to my friend Cathy’s blog From The Field of Blue Children.

Cathy is a wonderful writer and the post I am going to link to is so powerful. There is a video that is very graphic and I know some people think showing graphic images of abortion is horrible and wrong.

If looking at such horrible images hurts how much more does the procedure of abortion hurt.

Abortion is legal, that is the way it stands right now, but to have no regulations, no parental consent that is something I cannot comprehend.

Please go to From The Field of Blue Children and read Cathy’s post. View the video and sign the petition.

Everyone needs to be informed of what The Freedom Of Choice Act is all about,whether you are pro-life or pro-choice.

This is not a battle only for the unborn but for woman, daughters, human rights, and parental rights.


God Bless

Quirks

Cathy and her blog From The Field of Blue Children has been tagged again and this one is all about quirks.

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you.
2. Post these rules on your blog
3. Tell about your six quirks
4. Tag six bloggers to do the same.
5. Leave them a comment to let them know you've tagged them.
6. No tag backs.

Here are my six quirks

I announce everything I am going to do. If I am going to wash the dishes I will say to whom ever is in the room, “I am going to wash the dishes now.” Or “I am going to go to the bathroom now.”

I like everything I do to be in order, from my daily activities to the order in which I put on my makeup. If something comes up that throws my order out of whack I get a little testy.

I do not drive on freeways.

I prefer to drink out of plastic cups rather than glass. The reason is because I do not like the print lips make on a glass.

I can get grossed out very easily when I am eating. I can not eat by our fish tank, or watch anything on TV that has to do with something gross. My dad picked up on this little quirk when I was younger and used to talk about gross things while I ate. Real nice dad!

I say cool and awesome a lot even though I am 33 years old.


Everyone who reads this has been tagged let me know if you are going to play so I can read your quirks and feel better about mine. :)

I Have Been Awarded

Cathy at From The Field of Blue Children was kind enough to acknowledge me with a blog award. Cathy is a magnificent blogger and an all around special gal.

I just realized that Marie at View from the Pews has also given me this award. Marie is a sweetheart who writes what she believes and believes what she writes. I admire that.

This award acknowledges the values that every blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

The rules to follow are :
1) Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his or her blog link.
2) Pass the award to other 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I want to pass this award along to the blogs that have become places where I can receive encouragement, enlightenment, entertainment, and have a good read.

The award goes to…

A Catholic Mom Climbing the Pillars

Just Another Catholic Mom

Joyful Days

Many Little Blessings

Small Things With Great Love

Overwhelmed or Lazy?

I am feeling overwhelmed, or just lazy.

We have some kind of extra curricula activity every day of the week except Wednesday and the weekend

I have found that on the days where we have no extra things to do school goes much better. There is no rush, I can do the things with the kids that take extra time and we enjoy it. I may even get a load of laundry done or clean the kitchen on those days.

I like being home, and after a day of school all I want to do is get the house tidy (notice I didn’t say clean.) and chill out. Yep I am a lazy mom or overwhelmed, however you want to view it.

My kids are independent. They all play together and really don’t want anything to do with me unless a Barbie needs to be dressed or a fight breaks out. I can sit and read my books while they sit at my feet and play. So it is not like I need to get out of the house or a breakdown will happen.

My kids also play with their friends in the neighborhood, that means after school and after the extra activity all the “regular” school kids are banging at my door at 3:00pm to come over and play. On those days I can feel a breakdown is close.

My kids’ socialization is through the roof, I am the one that needs work in the socialization area

When I was a kid there was no such thing as extra curricula activities. I went to school, came home did homework and chores, if I didn’t have to watch my brother I went out and played until the streetlights came on.

I feel like I have to do all these extra things for my kids or they will feel left out and unsocialized, even though it may be effecting the education I would like to give them, not to mention my sanity.

I need to find a comfortable place for both my kids and me. Give them extra activities without compromising school time. Have some fun activities planned without the result being pulling my hair out.

I need advice from parents, whether you homeschool or not, how do you handle all the extra activities that seem to be a must for kids these days?

Just Another Day at School

Hope

I can’t say I am thrilled at the outcome of our presidential election. I don’t really know how to feel about it. Obama is someone who does not represent my family or myself, but he is now our President.

I can be angry and disappointed, even a little scared. What would that accomplish?
Those of us who opposed Obama’s view on life are stuck in a place where we have no power to control what happens to the human beings who don’t seem to matter. Or do we?

We still have our hearts, our minds, and our spirits. We can use all these things to continue to pray, to come together, to speak out about the atrocities that go on in our country.

I think the most important thing we can do is educate our children about life issues. After all they will be our future politicians, and voters.

I read a post today titled How Would You Know? It is from a blog called Conversion Diary.

This post puts everything into perspective.

We can’t give up hope that some day all humans will be treated with dignity. We may never see it but if we help our children understand, their generation may make the difference.

Obama’s campaign was all about hope and I do have hope, I hope his heart will soften toward human beings, I hope my children will fight for human life, and I hope this country will open their eyes to the reality of what we are doing to those who need the most hope.

Vote

The time to vote is upon us.

In my younger days I was not a voter. I did not think it was that important, not until I was married and had children did I see the importance of the issues that would effect my country and my life.

My husband and I do not want our children growing up and thinking the way I thought as a young adult.

There is a place called Green Field Village, if you have never been there it is worth the trip. When you go there it is like stepping back in time. You can visit historical homes, see how the America of the past lived, worked, cooked, and how the actions of others shaped our country today.

Green Field Village has an exhibit about Women Suffrage, and how much pain and hardship women had to go through to get the right to vote. There are posters, letters and other memorabilia on display from the time when women were fighting for the right to vote.

You can sit in a jail cell and watch a video of the actions that were taken against these women. Some of the women who were jailed went on a hunger strike, only to be force fed through tubes shoved down their throat.

Miss was in disbelief that there ever was a time that a woman could not vote. We took this opportunity to explain to Miss and Lil D the importance of voting and how when they turn 18 it is a right that they should never take lightly.

I think the experience stuck with them because both my son and daughter are talking about this election and about voting.

I will be taking Miss with me to vote, I encourage everyone to go out and vote. Take your children with you. Make it a learning experience that they will carry for a lifetime.

I know when Miss and I are standing in line waiting to vote we will be thinking of the women before us who fought so hard for this right. To stay home and not vote would be dismissing everything these brave women suffered for.

Mothers take your daughters and have a little “girl power” time. If you don’t have daughters take your sons and get them acquainted with the process.

Whether you have children or not, whether your female or male, young or old, embrace this wonderful right that we have as American citizens and VOTE.

Halloween

Backward, turn backward, O Time, in your flight make me a child again just for to-night! ~Elizabeth Akers Allen

Halloween, it brings such wonderful childhood memories. I can remember my mom making my costume and my brother and I waiting all day in anticipation for my dad to get home from work so he could take us trick or treating.

All the kids would jump in my dad’s van and he and my uncle would drive us to the so called “rich houses” all that means is we did not live in the best neighborhood, so we would go into my grandparents neighborhood where my dad said they gave out better candy.

My brother, cousins, and I would be let loose into the night to run free from house to house. I was a kid who had to be home when the streetlights came on so being outside to run free in the dark was awesome.

We would have our pillowcases out and ready to be filled. We were allowed to trick or treat until our pillowcases were full and we could not carry them anymore.

I remember the ever-dreaded moment when my mom would make me wear a coat over my costume, but if I pestered my dad long enough while trick or treating he would let me take it off.

Mom got wise and started making our costumes big enough to fit over a winter coat.

Who can forget the best Halloween show ever made, It’s The Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown. Watching this cartoon special at night when no cartoons should be on was another highlight of Halloween.

I have fond memories of my childhood Halloween and I enjoy watching the fun my kids have today.

My kids get their pillowcases ready and wait for dad to get home. My brother comes over to join in on the fun.

Halloween is a time where kids can be free and own the night. And a pillowcase stuffed to the brim with candy isn’t so bad either.

For more Halloween goodness check out the post Top Ten Things to do for a Catholic Halloween at Canterbury Tales.


Happy Halloween!

A Day in the Life of a Thrifty Shopper

Where I live the weather changes so quickly. You don’t know if it is going to be 70 degrees outside or 40 degrees.

The cold weather has been pretty consistent. I took the winter coats out and had the kids try the coats on. All the while crossing my fingers hoping their coats would fit one more year.

Everybody’s coat fit perfectly except Miss. She has gotten so tall that last years coat was not going to cut it. Miss needed a winter coat now so I headed off to my favorite place, our local thrift store.

We have an awesome local thrift store. There are some days when I go that I can’t find anything, but most of the time I can find some really good stuff.

The kids and I went hunting for a winter jacket for Miss. At first the selection was not that great. Either the coats were not warm enough or way to worn. Then Miss spotted a lime green coat that she loved. It was heavy and warm and looked brand new. It was a London Fog winter coat and as I was inspecting it I saw it still had the tags on it and the price on the tag was $60.00. The thrift store price was $8.99, score!

After the thrift store we did some shopping at the dollar store to find curlers. Miss made up her own costume this Halloween and it includes curlers for her hair.

The kids were being good, and I was still excited about my awesome find at the thrift store. A lady was looking at us and I smiled. Before she walked out the door she said, “Now that is really being handicapped.”

It did not register in my brain what she said until she was out the door. Then I said, “Did she just call me handicapped?”

I began to get angry and was glad that the women had left because I really wanted to say something to her. But instead I shrugged it off and thought about the cool lime green coat that I got for a steal and went on my merry way

As we returned home from an exciting day of thrifty shopping a family member stopped by to chat, it went something like this…

FM-“How is Homeschool going?”

Me- “It is going really well.”

FM- “That’s good I guess.” “I just feel bad for you.”

Me- “Umm, I’m good”

FM- (gives me a look like she knows something I should know too.)

Me- ‘Look at this awesome coat I got….

FM- (cuts me off to tell me about her ailments)

Determined not to lose the happy feeling I have had most of the day, I listened politely as I looked at Miss wearing the brand new coat I bought for $8.99 and tried to remember that it really has been a good day.

Cane River by Lalita Tademy a Review and Reflection

I finished reading the book, Cane River by Lalita Tademy.

The author, Lalita Tademy, writes about her heritage. Lalita researched the women in her family going back five generations. The early women were slaves in Louisiana.

The book tells of the hardships these women faced, how their body and spirits were broken on a daily basis, but how family and the hope for their children helped them to carry on.

This book graphically tells about the despicable treatment Lalita's family had to go through. It also tells of how these women loved and cherished the children they had even though some of the children came about in heartbreaking ways.

As I read this book my heart went out to all the people who suffered under slavery, how their families were torn apart. How children were sold from their mothers. I tried to wrap my brain around how something like this could happen in my country, how all emotions were turned off for the human beings being tortured, whether physically or mentally.

The only thing the woman of this book had to hold on to were their families and children, and even those things could be taken away in a blink of an eye.

There were times when I was reading this book with my mouth open in disbelief, wondering how in the world this could have happened, how could so many people believe owning slaves was a right? The thought disgusted me.

This book made me reflect on the issues of human rights in America today. How many people in this country still believe that some human beings are not worth having rights? How many people will look at a pregnant mother who may be poor, alone, scared, or became pregnant in a horrible way and think abortion is the answer. Taking away the rights of that child and taking away the only thing that mother may have to hold on to.

Unlike slavery, the practice of abortion does not only exist for a certain group, it is the oppression and slavery of all women.

In this book the women hold onto their children and the thought of children. Even knowing these children will most likely be slaves, they hold on to the hope that the next generation will make a difference.

How can we have that hope today when women are taught that it is their right to kill their children if the timing or the way they were brought into this world is not perfect?

The right of abortion has made women into the slave masters and slaves all at once.

One of the lines I love in this book is when a mother and daughter are talking and the mother is trying to console her daughter. The mother says, “I am the rock in your garden, and you are the bloom in mine.”

To fix abortion we have to fix the family.

I had chills down my spine when I read about the slave masters and the people who had their mind and heart in a place that did not have room for certain humans, God’s children, I was frightened. I was overwhelmed at the lack of love and the insanity of it all. I was scared because I could see all of what I was reading happening right now in America.

With abortion, we have been tricked into thinking that these children are not even human. We can close our eyes and hearts because we can’t see their flesh or look into their eyes. We cover it up as a women’s right, but really we are being enslaved, having our children taken from us, our legacy, apart of us that will live on and be apart of God’s plan. At the very same time abortion causes us to be a slave master, deciding who is worth the right to life and who is not.

Will there ever be a day when every parent will look at their children, whether born or unborn and say, “I am the rock in your garden, and you are the bloom in mine.”

I hope so.

You Know You Homeschool When...

Everything in your home becomes a part of school. A foggy bathroom mirror is a perfect place to practice writing your letters.

Voting For a Third Party

This election has my head spinning. Between the two major candidates I know whom I am not voting for. The difficulties I am having are with one major candidate and a third party candidate.

I feel I have a moral obligation to vote for the person who upholds my values and whom I think would be the best president. If I were true to this stance I would have to vote for a third party. Is that throwing away a vote?

I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to politics, but I do know that I should be able to choose the person I think represents me and whom I feel will do the best job.

If I vote third party will I be throwing away my vote or will I be making a statement that I would like a candidate who represents my family to be given a chance and be heard?

If I do vote third party I know that particular person won’t win, but will my vote and the votes of others who are fed up make a statement to future elections?

Jumping on the bandwagon and casting my vote for the lesser of two evils is something I don't want to do, I want to be proud of who I vote for.

It would be nice if more choices for the most powerful position in the world were given to “We the People”, choices that make a true difference.

When Life Gives You Mushy Bananas make Banana Bread

I love banana bread. It is so easy to make and so good to eat. Here is a simple recipe that tastes scrumptious. You can add spices and nuts to your taste.

Banana bread

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2 1/3 cups mashed overripe bananas

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 9x5 inch loaf pan.

1. In a large bowl, combine flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. Stir in eggs and mashed bananas until well blended. Stir banana mixture into flour mixture; stir just to moisten. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
2. Bake in preheated oven for 60 to 65 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of the loaf comes out clean. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.

Get a helper to mix the dry ingredients.


Then mix the wet ingredients.


Don't forget to mash up the bananas.


An audience is always good.


Pour the batter into a bread pan and put it in the oven.


There you have it, yummy banana bread!

Make Your Own Holy Water Font

Our little Flower group is going great. The girls like being together and love doing the crafts.

Every two weeks a different mom is in charge of leading the group and preparing the craft. These past two weeks it has been my turn to lead the meetings.

I like doing crafts as well but I have a hard time coming up with ideas on my own, thank goodness for the Internet.

As I was searching for the perfect craft I came across the blog Cottage Blessings.

I saw the post about the Holy Water Fonts, this was the craft I wanted to do.

I went to the craft store and bought the wooden plaques. In the framing section you can get hooks to put on the back of the plaques to hang them on the wall.

I bought plastic shot glasses at a store that sells items for parties. Then all you need to do is cut out pictures from magazines, cards or use holy card images.

The girls glued the pictures onto the plaque and then I hot glued the shot glass to the plaque. There you have it, a Holy water Font to hang in their room.

Sweetie And The Gang

Animals are such agreeable friends - they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. ~George Eliot

I love my pets. I have had dogs and cats all my life. These animals are a normal part of our family. If we did not have any pets around our house would seem so empty.

Right now we have two dogs and some fish. I have always been a dog person. I am not really into cats, but the cats I have known I have always liked.

Sometimes I wish I had a huge house with a big yard so I could have more pets. It is probably a good thing I don’t because I would take in any animal that needed a home. I would most defiantly have to stay away from the animal shelters.

Big D is fond of birds, I was always scared of them until I met my husband’s bird when we were dating. His Grandpa also has a bird that I like.

So after 11 years of marriage and Big D putting up with all my animals I felt he needed a bird. We found Sweetie on Craigslist.com. A wonderful lady in our neighborhood was looking for a good home for Sweetie and we just happened to be that home.

I wasn’t extremely excited about a bird, but now that we have her I think we are going to be good friends. This morning she sat on my shoulder as I cleaned the kitchen, and she chirps for me to come talk to her. She is one cool bird and I am glad she is going to stay.

Titus


Maggie


Sweetie

Holy Card Images

While looking for images on the internet I stumbled across this blog, Holy Cards for Your Inspiration.

The images are beautiful.

Stop by and take a look.

Tim Burton's Alice in Wonderland

“There is no use trying; one can't believe impossible things." (Alice)

"I dare say you haven't had much practice. When I was your age, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.” -Queen

I am a fan of Tim Burton. He is working on his new movie, Alice in Wonderland, the classic book by Lewis Carrol.

The movie is supposed to come out in the Spring of 2010 and I can’t wait.

Johnny Depp is the Mad Hatter

I have read that Mia Wasikowska will play Alice. To be honest I am not sure who she is, but did I mention that Johnny Depp is playing the Mad Hatter?

It has been a while since I have read Alice in Wonderland, but I recently purchased the book to read to my kids.

I hope Tim Burton does a good job. There has not been one movie of his that I have seen that I didn’t love. I am sure this one will be no different.

Pro abortion protestors attack Catholic young people praying

I usually don't post two times in one day but this video I came across at The Catholic Knight just made me want to cry, and at the same time feel so proud of the young Catholics who stood up and defended our Church.

Go to The Catholic Knight to read more

The Minivan

Minivans get a bad rap for being uncool. I felt the pang of the uncoolness when I came to the conclusion that no other car would suit our family than the minivan.

I got over it and told myself to grow up. It is not the car that makes the person. I told myself that I was still cool.

If you read my post about being broke down on the side of the road, you know we were having van troubles. If you did not read it you can go here.

We took our van not once but three times to the mechanic and still it was not fixed, we realized we had to purchase a new minivan.

Dig D went to a dealer that goes to our church and I am so grateful that we were able to purchase a new van. This one even has more room than our old one.

It seems that our Priest also went through this dealer to purchase a new car for the Sisters of our Parish. The car the Sisters received is more of a truck (I don’t know what it is called) it seats seven, it is silver, and it looks really cool.

I was talking to our Priest about the new truck for the Sisters and how much I liked it. Our Priest then told me that he had a decision between the cool truck and the minivan we purchased, he chose the truck.

I believe that all the coolness I thought I had flew out the window of a mini van.

Little Moments From God

Lil D is preparing to make his First Reconciliation. Yesterday we learned how to examine our conscience.

We went through the Ten Commandments and broke each one down to understand what each one means on kids terms.

It went something like this…

Me: “You shall have no other gods before me, that means to love God more than anything, like video games, playing, television etc…”

Me: “Keep the Sabbath day Holy means go to Mass with joy, pay attention and participate.”

We did this all the way down the list, when we were done there was silence. Then Miss spoke up.

Miss: “I think I need to go to Confession this Saturday.”

Me: “I think I do too.”

Pick a Seat Already!

Miss is an Alter server at our Church. She goes with her dad for the 8:30am Mass because Big D helps out at that Mass as well. I on the other hand can’t get it together until the 10:30 am Mass. Lil D and I attend Mass at that time.

I have been attending Mass every Sunday going on seven years now, and we have pretty much sat in the same general area for that long. If you know anything about Catholics you know that we have our certain seats at Mass and we like to keep it that way.

Where Lil D and I sit means that when it comes time for Communion we go to the back of the Church and a Deacon or a Eucharistic Minister will give us Communion. I have no problem with either of these folks distributing Communion. Lil D on the other hand seems to have a problem with this.

Last Sunday as Lil D and I were preparing to go up for Communion, I was informed by my son that he did not want to go up unless we would be getting Communion, or a blessing in his case, by our Priest or a Deacon.

I said all right, thinking it was a simple request, and proceeded to maneuver over to the line that was going to our Priest. You will have to know that in our Church it is a maze to get into a Communion line if you are not going with the flow by where you are seated. We basically had to walk around the entire Church, be physically stopped by an Usher, and I think we cut off a sweet older women. The things we do for our kids.

I realized that sitting in our normal seat would not be a great place to receive Communion from our Priest or Deacon, unless we want to cause havoc, which we don’t. The only other option is to find new seats, and do this without upsetting any of the people who have had these seats for the past 10 years or so.

Next Sunday Lil D and I will go to Church early and scope out the seats. I will try to remember who sits where so I don’t ruffle any body’s feathers.

We will find the perfect seat, one that will make my little traditional Catholic happy. If I ask him if these seats suit him, he better not say, “What are you talking about mom?”

You Know Your Catholic When...

-You have a "favorite" religious order

-You say the meal prayer no matter where you are

-You have a nativity set at your house during Christmas, and have also played with it.

-Whenever anyone says "JPII" in your head you think "We love you"

-You know that Father Stan could take on Eminem any day

-You know that Advent is the beginning of the new church year.

-You have a special place in your heart for Mother Teresa

-You know at least five people named Mary

-You want to name one of your sons John Paul

-You have a Mary statue in your front yard.

-You can name off all the Joyful, Glorious, Sorrowful, and Luminous mysteries.

-You consider your rosary to be your spiritual weapon

-You've memorized the St. Michael the Archangel prayer and recite it when you feel tempted by sin

-One or more of your friends entered the seminary or the convent

-Your mom is currently pregnant

-You and your spouse practice NFP

-You believe in Purgatory and know it's important to pray for the souls who are currently in Purgatory

-You think Scott Hahn writes the coolest books.

-You’re able to sit still for a full hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament

-Your idea of a great date is mass followed by good conversation at Panera

-You refer to John Paul II as John Paul the Great

-You never leave home without your scapular.

-You often end disputes with, "Let's look it up in the Catechism."

-You and your friends have shown up at Adoration at 4:00 in the morning

-When watching Star Wars and hear "may the force be with you" you respond with "and also with you"

-You have participated in sword fights using Palms on Passion Sunday

-You and your friends have ever played "Mass" instead of House, or Cops and Bad Guys

-You have your own designated seat at Mass

-They know you at every Catholic bookstore in the area, and ask you where you've been if you haven't stopped by in a while.

-You’re named after a saint, not a family member.

-You know at least three awesome stories about Padre Pio

-You get excited about going to mass

-You arrive at Mass half an hour early to get a good seat and talk to Jesus

-Your mom always makes sure to celebrate your feast day

-Altar serving is the cool thing to do

-You associate the smell of incense with major feast days

-You’ve ever referred to yourself and your significant other as "a couple discerning a vocation to marriage"

-You and your many siblings went trick-or-treating dressed as popes and martyrs

-You feel compelled to make the sign of the cross after reciting ANYTHING... (like the pledge of allegiance) and then you catch yourself and have to remind yourself that it wasn't a prayer

-You have a priest come bless your house with holy water before you move in.

-You never eat before church, and brunch afterward is always the best!

-Your first serious conversation you have with a potential girl/boyfriend involves your conversion story

-You lie awake at night wondering why the St. Michael Prayer was removed from the end of Mass

-The word "vocation" to you does not simply mean "job"

-People tend you look in your direction in class whenever anything involving religion comes up

-You always have one or more saints on some part of your body.

-You have a Rosary or Saint Christopher pin in your car.

-One of your Crucifixes has five years worth of dried out palms stuck behind it.

-You would rather get your picture with the Pope then with a huge celebrity.

-You have more than one Rosary hanging from your bed.

-You have contemplated being in a religious order at least once.

-Your one wish is to be able to ride in the Pope mobile

-You say "God bless you" anytime anyone sneezes, out of habit

-You know the greatest way to start a date is with The Mass, because you'll have the greatest meal, Christ in the Eucharist

-You know more about St. Francis of Assisi than "he was some guy who could talk to animals"

-You have had multiple meetings with the priest at your own will

-You had competitions with your friends on Ash Wednesday to see who could keep their ashes on the longest

-You still write "Your Kingdom Come!" or "JMJ" at the top of your page/letter/report/test

-You spend your Thursday nights at choir practice hanging out with people at least thirty-five years older than you in preparation for Sunday Mass

-You mentally correct every textbook use of "BCE" and CE" with "Before Christ" and "Anno Domini". You also mentally capitalize every written use of the word "God' and "Mass"

-You know that some Catholics don't eat meat on Wednesdays or Fridays, even not during Lent.

-You find that praying the rosary is a good way to pass the time(especially at work)

-You get really excited over a holy day of obligation.

- You are tired of people referring to the birth of Jesus the immaculate conception

-You've ever been told my your mom, "Offer it up", and then felt very obliged to do so

-When discussing possible names for your future children with friends or your future spouse, you start ruling out names that aren't virtues, saints, or biblical

-You’ve thought it would be fun to read the CCC as if it were a novel

-You hug strangers at Mass during the sign of peace

-You think getting a S.T.D. is cool... (S.T.D.= Doctorate of Sacred Theology)

-You held a pope party (complete with papal flag, and German beer) for the election of the B XVI (it was a Tuesday night).

-You were disappointed when you couldn’t find a Catholic version of trivia pursuit

- You hear the word Madonna, you think of the Blessed Virgin, not the song "Like a Virgin."

-You know that "prostrate" is not a place where men develop cancer

-Instead of change, you find a rosary under your couch cushions.

-You have at one point had to stop a younger child/sibling from playing in the holy water font.

McCain Burger

In the mood for a McCain burger? head over to Professio and watch this video.

8 and 8 went in the door to buy a Nintendo 64

Miss is having a little difficulty with her multiplication tables. I have tried flash cards, drills, and memorization, but still the facts are not sticking with her.

I talked to one of my home school mom friends and she recommended teaching Miss and Lil D how to skip count. They already know how to count by 2’s, 5’s and 10’s now I will attempt to teach them how to skip count by the rest of the numbers.

As I was searching the Internet for some tips and tricks on how to teach multiplication I came across this video, Finger Trick Multiplication Times Tables 6-10.

We tried the hand trick and it worked very well. Miss did her multiplication drills very quickly using this hand trick.

I am hoping that by using this trick along with the skip counting, the memorization will come to her.

What tips or tricks do you use to teach multiplication facts?

Happy 4th Birthday Bug!

My Little Bug is 4 years old today!



Time goes by so fast and little ones grow up so quick.



As a baby I held you in my arms, looked into those deep brown eyes and tried to ingrain every feature of your angelic face into my memory.

Rubbing my cheek against yours, Eskimo kisses, butterfly kisses, there are not enough kisses in the world that could satisfy my affection toward you.

Look how you run, catching up with the big kids. Playing games, singing songs.
Sitting all alone reading a book. You are becoming such a big girl now.

You are so busy, with so much to say. There is always something for you to do and explore.

Then there are times where everything is quiet. You crawl into my lap and I hold you like I did when you were tiny. I look into those deep brown eyes, hold your soft little hand, and kiss your tiny button nose. These times are when God shows us that he is near. These times are when God lets me see and feel a little piece of heaven.

Happy Birthday Princess, I love you.