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.

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.

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.

Wordless Wednesday

Boys, I'll never understand them.

Wordless Wednesday

Thursday Thirteen

13 things I could live without but thankful that I don't.

1.Coffee
I did not take any coffee camping with us, I figured I could go with out. Lets just say I am thankful there was a store that had coffee close by.

2. Water pressure
There is nothing worse than a slow trickle of water coming out of the shower head when you really need to take a shower.

3.Computer
Oh computer how I love thee. You help me find information so easily. You keep all my cyber friends in touch. Friends are hard to come by for people who write bad poems to their computer and how they are loved so much.

4.Music
Music soothes my soul and puts me in a good mood. I guess it would be my family who is really thankful I have my music.

5.Books
I love books. A good story to escape to is something I treasure. Books that about other people's life journeys and inspirations. Books give me hope and free my mind. I love my books.

6.Running Water
Running water is the best. When I have to keep the kids and myself clean using a bottle of water or a water pump, I really am thankful for those little knobs that say hot and cold.

7.Baby Wipes
I know some think using washcloths and more organic alternatives to baby wipes are better. Maybe they are but I am thankful to have sweet smelling cloths at my disposable. From cleaning up the kids to the fast dusting I have to do when unexpected company is coming over. I am thankful for baby wipes.

8.Crocs
There may be a few people who have a dislike for these rubber like shoes. I think they are the best kid shoes ever invented. The kids can wear them anywhere. Kids can get them wet, muddy, or slop them through swamp water, these shoes will come clean. Crocs dry in an instant. They never rip. Sure Uncle Bob may not be a pillar of fashion as he wears his red Crocs with black socks and plaid shorts to the family BBQ, but for kids they are the best.

9.Mom Blogs
Since I became enthralled with the blogging world I have really come to enjoy Mom Blogs. I have learned so much about being a mom and raising a family. I have learned how to make the coolest crafts and projects, frugal meal ideas, and a lot of humor. I enjoy the journeys of faith, life tips, and the adventures of Mommy hood.

10.Ethnic Food
I love ethnic food. Arabic,Mexican,Chinese,Greek, the list goes on. I am thankful to live in an area where all these food choices are readily available.

11.Sweat Pants
I really don't care about fashion when it comes to sweat pants. I love them. You can't beat a well worn soft pair of sweat pants. Especially after you have eaten a mountain of ethnic food. (see #10)

12.My Camera
I love memories. I save anything that may have good memories attached. I take tons of pictures. If you look through my photos for instance you will see many pictures of my kids on Halloween. Same poses same backgrounds just different costumes. I cannot bear the thought of not capturing the moment even though I have a box filled with basically 400 of the same pictures.

13.Plastic Drinking Cups
When I was a kid I had a problem drinking out of drinking glasses because of the lip marks that were left on the glass after I took a drink. I insisted on always drinking out of plastic cups. This weird quirk has followed me into adult hood. I must have my plastic drinking cup.

Thursday Thirteen

Wordless Wednesday

Lil D-"Hey Mom I roasted you a marshmallow."

Me-'Ummm thanks honey."



Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Have we taken this recycling thing too far?


Wordless Wednesday

Thursday Thirteen

13 Reasons I have a bunch of kids.

1.I have something to blame my few extra pounds on.

2.I have learned to find a dark amusement when my whole family walks into a restaurant and I see the look of horror on the wait staff’s faces.

3.I get many compliments on my children, even if I think they are acting up. People just assume that if you have many children they should be hanging from the ceiling or setting fires in the corner. I welcome every compliment.

4.People give me compliments like, “Oh you must be so patient.” “You really have it together.” I either roll with it or I fight back the urge to tell them I have not showered in three days, my house looks like a heard of goats came through, and I just got done telling my kids through clenched teeth, “You better behave or else.”

5.Easter egg hunts, tag, and duck duck goose are more fun to play because you always have enough playmates and they live with you.

6.I feel comfortable around families with 5 or more children because finally my family gets to be the ‘normal” one for a change.

7.More Mother’s Day presents.

8.I get to exercise my brain coming up with witty answers to questions and comments such as “Are you done?” “Are they all yours?” or my personal favorite, “Better you than me.”

9.I will never have to waste money on art or wall decoration. My kids make enough art for me to display to last a lifetime.

10.I really like the sound of the word Mama from many different voices.

11.Silence while good and comforting at times gets me antsy if it last to long. My kids don’t know the meaning of silence, so it works out well.

12.The more kids I have to teach me how to lead a good life the better. I need all the help I can get.

13.It is comforting to know that I have produced at least one child who will take care of me when I am old and in need of care. Maybe we should have a few more just to be sure.


Thursday Thirteen

Marriage, Now That's a Laugh!

Big D sent me an article on the importance of laughter in a marriage. The article is titled Find Something That Makes You Both Laugh. I believe that laughter and humor are essential to any good marriage.

My marriage runs smoothly a majority of the time. Then there are times where it starts to turn into a business like relationship. We are both under stress. We both have many tasks on our plate, and all we can think about is getting them done. Whether it be something happening in the kids life, money issues, work, or school it can sometimes feel like we are serious business partners rather than husband and wife.

When this type of thing happens, it is not so bad if it lasts for a day or two, but there have been times when it has dragged on for a good part of a week. At these times is when humor makes a huge difference. When Big D and I are going though the “business partner “ phase it is so relieving when he comes home from work with a funny story, or when he e-mails me something from work that he knows will make me laugh. It breaks the tension and snaps me out of my serious trance.

It is a good thing that Big D and I have somewhat of a similar sense of humor. If we didn’t I think like the article states, you should find out what your spouse considers funny and use that as a way to bring laughter into your marriage.

What feels better than having an inside joke between two people? Something that makes the two of you crack up every time you say it, but no one else knows what you’re talking about. Big D and I have these kind of inside jokes. We can be in an argument, or a stress full situation and if either of us mentions one of our inside jokes, the tension will disappear and we can’t help but smile or laugh.

Having kids can be an easy source of humor. Wherever Big D and I are, if the kids are around they are bound to do or say something that gets Big D and I to look at each other and start laughing.

Having a sense of humor while having an argument can be beneficial. If you do it at the right time and not make it seem you are making light of your spouses feelings. If Big D and I are having an argument and we have both finished stating our sides, there is a lingering tension. This is usually a good time for one of us to slip in a little joke. It's hard to stay mad when you are laughing.

This life is full of serious issues, marriage is no exception. Laughter is a way to bond with your spouse, to feel light hearted and relives some of the stress. Tell your spouse some jokes, send them a funny message, joke around, and if these things don’t work you can always resort to tickling.

Thursday Thirteen

13 Things Parents Say To Their Children

1.Because I said so.

This is something I swore I would never say; I always thought it was better to explain why rules are set and what they are for. After hearing "why?” for the 900Th time after I said no you can not have a third cupcake, I will admit I have used this phrase.

2.When I was your age…

As soon as I heard any type of conversation as a child that started with this, my eyes would glass over and I would drift off to la la land. Again I have used this on seldom occasions, for some reason when you become a parent you think your child cares that you did not have a computer, video games, or that you had to walk 5 miles to school.

3.How many times have I told you…

Do kids really know how many times we have told them not to do or to do something? I use this and it gets me nowhere. Miss will just say, “I don’t know.” But Lil D will actually hold up the amount of fingers that he thinks equals to the amount of times I told him something. Either way I am left staring at them with a blank face.

4. Wait until your father gets home!

OK, I know this one is supposedly not good. But when you have been playing the bad guy all day, sometimes it is relieving to give the job over to Dad. Even though he is innocently at work and has no idea the job that is in store for him when he gets home.

5. Were you born in a barn?

My parents said this to me when I would leave the front door to the house open. I never knew the exact meaning to this question. Is it because barn doors are frequently left open? Maybe someone can help me with this one.

6. Skin a Cat

This is a weird and twisted one. Maybe my family is the only people who use this. Whenever my Grandmother was undressing me, she would pull my shirt over my head and in a sweet voice say, “Skin a cat.” I thought it was funny as a little kid. It was not until I was older that I realized she was comparing undressing me to pulling the skin off a cat. I leave this phrase with Grandma.

7.You look like a dying duck in a mud hole.

This is another one of Grandma’s favorites. She would say this to us when we were sick. I might have said this once or twice. Sorry kids.

8.We are not heating/cooling the neighborhood

This was another thing that was said if you left the door open. “Where you born in a barn?” Usually came before or after this particular phrase. I have said this to my kids, and I am not really sure if the get what I mean.

9.Look what you did!

I am guilty of saying this to my children. If my son for instance writes on the wall, was he not just looking at it? Does making him look at it again make it any more definite that he has written on the wall?
In my mind it does, so I say it.

10. I am going to throw you in the garbage.

This is another weird one. This particular saying is used on toddlers in my family. Wait, before anyone makes a call, let me explain. When you play the, I am going to get you game with a toddler and you catch them you say in a sweet toddler talk voice, “I am going to throw you in the garbage." For some reason they think this is funny and get a good laugh out of it. I have used this in front of my mother-in-law. From the look on her face I don’t think she thought this was the greatest saying in the world. Maybe you have to be from a crazy family that talks about skinning cats to fully appreciate this one.

11. If you eat too much sugar you will get diabetes

This one belongs to my Husband. He used this in effort to keep our kids from eating too many sweets. I have to say I do not know if eating a vast amount of sweets will make you a diabetic, but I don’t think having one or two Little Debbie’s will be the deciding factor if you are going to get the disease. Lil D would ask me about it every time I gave him a treat. I had to put an end to this one. It made the boy a little too paranoid. Now we just use the saying, “No more treats.”

12. There are starving children in Africa…

As I child I would have this said to me if I did not eat all my dinner. I do think it is very important to teach your children not to waste food and that they are fortunate enough to even have it. But this saying only works well on certain kids. Miss would feel horrible about the African children and eat every bite. Lil D on the other hand would probably tell me, “Put mine in a box and send it to them.”

13. Don’t talk back to me. (Plus I added others for your enjoyment)

This is how a saying like this would play out.
The child has left the door to the house open while the heat/air conditioning is on.

Mother~”Close the door, were you born in a barn?” “We are not heating/cooling the neighborhood.”

Child~”Mom, you know I was not born in a barn, you were there.” “Leaving the door open for a second will not cool/heat the neighborhood, it will take a lot more than our heater/air conditioner to do that.”

Mom~”Don’t talk back to me.” ‘How many times have I told you to shut the door?”

Child~ Staring at Mom.

Mom~”Well, how many times.”

Child~”You said not to talk back to you.”

Mom~”You just wait until your Father gets home!”


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thursday thirteen

Funny Things Kids Say

Today I was the lunch mom for Miss’s class. On the way back from recess I had the class walking behind me, Bug holding my hand while I pushed Oney in his stroller.

As we were walking back into the school, the kids started saying, “Step on a crack break your mothers back.” They were shouting at the kids who had just broken their mother's back because they were not paying attention and stepping on all the sidewalk cracks.

I was one of the people who was not paying attention, because all of a sudden I hear Bug scream, “Momma you stepped on Crap!”
Although it sounded more like, “Momma you stepped on Cwap!” Her speech has an uncanny resemblance to Elmer Fudd.

The kids started laughing. Bug had no idea what was so funny, but she was pretty proud that she made all the big kids laugh.

Funny stuff