Cirque de moi

The End of a Chapter

2009-08-11T22:14:00.002-06:00

I am moving my blog to a new location. This one will remain as a chronicle of my past few chapters.

I hope you decide to visit!

Running Towards Him

We have visitors!

2009-07-11T17:50:00.004-06:00

Again I am very behind in my blogging... Too busy living I suppose. I promise to catch you all up on the things around our home, but I wanted to be sure to take a moment and share a few pictures of some beautiful visitors enjoying our entirely-way-to-overgrown backyard.

We have the blessing of a family of Peregrine Falcons in our neighborhood and they seem to love our old birdbath!

These are an adult and a baby only a few weeks old. It has been incredible experience watching them!

Catching up, blog style

2009-05-20T06:48:00.012-06:00

Sometimes I get so far behind that I get overwhelmed with what must be done. Okay, I lied. Not just sometimes, A LOT of times this happens to me. This month has been filled with many wonderful things and each is deserving of its own post, but for the sake of sanity, I will combine them into one.

Foo Turns 14!

It is hard to believe that my first-born son has hit the milestone of 14. He towers over his father and I in height now. His voice is the deepest in the home. I love to watch him grow into the young man that he is and look forward with great anticipation at what life has in store for him. Happy belated birthday, son!

This month has also been busy with other various celebrations. The wonderful parish that we belong to took time to honor the graduating seniors. They had a splendid dinner and a night of reflection and sharing that the teens were able to take part in. I don't believe there were many dry eyes by the end of the night.

These are some of the seniors that Bean has had the blessing of sharing her highschool years with.

Foo and Lem also had a night of appreciation as our parish honored the altar servers. It is a beautiful Mass in which the altar servers, ALL of them, probably over 100 of them, are escorted and honored by our Knights of Columbus.

The "ceremony" in which this Mass begins really does help to set the tone for the reverence that is due to the Mass and the emotion of watching my children and those young people that serve at the table of the Lord have a moment of recognition is one of the most memorable events of the year. Of course all of this is taken in stride by Fish who wanted to know why the PIRATES were at Mass!! I love that I still have the blessing of Fishims!!

After the Mass, I walked outside for a bit before dinner and came upon a memorial garden that had recently been created for 3 sweet baby boys, one of whom has the same name of one of my sons. I had to take a few moments to take it all in. The solemnity of the Mass. The beauty of Our Lord. The sorrow of a mother and father who have lost their dear children. The joy that I have in watching mine grown. The wonder of why. The feeling of gratitude and yet unworthiness.

On Mother's Day, we had the wonderful privilege of watching Fish receive his First Communion. Because of the Swine Flu, our diocese has instituted precautionary measures which include not offering the Cup during Holy Communion.

However, on this occasion, Fr. George not only invited Fish up to the altar to receive the Body of Christ, he also offered him the Chalice to receive the Blood of Christ! It was quite a moving experience and I cried through the entire thing. I couldn't help but feel the presence of my own mother with us, and that coupled with the presence of our Lord, the Holy Spirit, and all the Saints, really took me over.

One extra special surprise was the visit of a dear friend who moved away a few years ago. It was so wonderful to have Amanda join us!

In true Fish-fashion, when I asked him to bring down his clothes to be ironed for Mass, this is how his shirt arrived. It had been hanging in the closet just as you see it here...

We still have a few celebrations before the end of the month. Graduation, 18th birthday, Grandfather's birthday and Grandparent's anniversary! Then, before the end of the summer, we will be saying good-bye to Bean as she heads off to college! What a wonderful plan He has laid out for us!!

God is Moving Me

2009-04-30T11:20:00.002-06:00

Another layer of my spiritual onion is peeling away... painful, but knowing that His hand is in this makes it worth the journey.

I will post more once I can make a bit more sense of it all.

For now, I will post these lyrics to Matthew West's song, The Motions.

This might hurt
It’s not safe
But I know that I’ve gotta make a change
I don’t care
If I break
At least I’ll be feeling something
‘Cause just ok
Is not enough
Help me fight through the nothingness of life

I don’t wanna go through the motions
I don’t wanna go one more day
Without Your all consuming passion inside of me
I don’t wanna spend my whole life asking
What if I had given everything?
Instead of going through the motions

No regrets
Not this time
I’m gonna let my heart defeat my mind
Let Your love
Make me whole
I think I’m finally feeling something

Take me all the way
Take me all the way
Take me all the way

Attitude Adjustment

2009-04-22T20:56:00.002-06:00

I've been in a bit of a funk the last few days. Nothing major, but just an internal churning that usually signals to me that my spiritual life is not as it should be.

I am always embarrassed to look back over my thoughts and behaviors and see how ridiculously selfish I can become.

On the outside, it manifests itself as me appearing extremely frustrated and stressed out. If only I could recognize immediately what is going on and fall to my knees, beg for His forgiveness and then count every blessing I have.

No. I have to do it the hard way. I have to hurt the ones closest to me, or at least make them uneasy which is not fair to them. Thankfully, gratefully, they seem to still like me and put up with me. Another true blessing.

I see that it is time to pull out some St. Francis de Sales and get back to the business of striving for holiness. I pray that when I reach those personal points from which my root sin stems, that I can look to the cross, embrace it, and carry mine with a much more pleasant affect.

Divine Mercy Novena - Day Nine

2009-04-18T08:00:00.000-06:00

"Today bring to Me the Souls who have become Lukewarm, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. These souls wound My Heart most painfully. My soul suffered the most dreadful loathing in the Garden of Olives because of lukewarm souls. They were the reason I cried out: 'Father, take this cup away from Me, if it be Your will.' For them, the last hope of salvation is to run to My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are Compassion Itself. I bring lukewarm souls into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart. In this fire of Your pure love, let these tepid souls who, like corpses, filled You with such deep loathing, be once again set aflame. O Most Compassionate Jesus, exercise the omnipotence of Your mercy and draw them into the very ardor of Your love, and bestow upon them the gift of holy love, for nothing is beyond Your power.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon lukewarm souls who are nonetheless enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Father of Mercy, I beg You by the bitter Passion of Your Son and by His three-hour agony on the Cross: Let them, too, glorify the abyss of Your mercy. Amen.

Divine Mercy Novena - Day Eight

2009-04-17T08:00:00.000-06:00

"Today bring to Me the Souls who are in the prison of Purgatory, and immerse them in the abyss of My mercy. Let the torrents of My Blood cool down their scorching flames. All these souls are greatly loved by Me. They are making retribution to My justice. It is in your power to bring them relief. Draw all the indulgences from the treasury of My Church and offer them on their behalf. Oh, if you only knew the torments they suffer, you would continually offer for them the alms of the spirit and pay off their debt to My justice."

Most Merciful Jesus, You Yourself have said that You desire mercy; so I bring into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls in Purgatory, souls who are very dear to You, and yet, who must make retribution to Your justice. May the streams of Blood and Water which gushed forth from Your Heart put out the flames of Purgatory, that there, too, the power of Your mercy may be celebrated.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls suffering in Purgatory, who are enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. I beg You, by the sorrowful Passion of Jesus Your Son, and by all the bitterness with which His most sacred Soul was flooded: Manifest Your mercy to the souls who are under Your just scrutiny. Look upon them in no other way but only through the Wounds of Jesus, Your dearly beloved Son; for we firmly believe that there is no limit to Your goodness and compassion. Amen.

Divine Mercy Novena - Day Seven

2009-04-16T08:00:00.000-06:00

Today bring to Me the Souls who especially venerate and glorify My Mercy*, and immerse them in My mercy. These souls sorrowed most over my Passion and entered most deeply into My spirit. They are living images of My Compassionate Heart. These souls will shine with a special brightness in the next life. Not one of them will go into the fire of hell. I shall particularly defend each one of them at the hour of death.

Most Merciful Jesus, whose Heart is Love Itself, receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who particularly extol and venerate the greatness of Your mercy. These souls are mighty with the very power of God Himself. In the midst of all afflictions and adversities they go forward, confident of Your mercy; and united to You, O Jesus, they carry all mankind on their shoulders. These souls will not be judged severely, but Your mercy will embrace them as they depart from this life.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls who glorify and venerate Your greatest attribute, that of Your fathomless mercy, and who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls are a living Gospel; their hands are full of deeds of mercy, and their hearts, overflowing with joy, sing a canticle of mercy to You, O Most High! I beg You O God:

Show them Your mercy according to the hope and trust they have placed in You. Let there be accomplished in them the promise of Jesus, who said to them that during their life, but especially at the hour of death, the souls who will venerate this fathomless mercy of His, He, Himself, will defend as His glory. Amen.

*The text leads one to conclude that in the first prayer directed to Jesus, Who is the Redeemer, it is "victim" souls and contemplatives that are being prayed for; those persons, that is, that voluntarily offered themselves to God for the salvation of their neighbor (see Col 1:24; 2 Cor 4:12). This explains their close union with the Savior and the extraordinary efficacy that their invisible activity has for others. In the second prayer, directed to the Father from whom comes "every worthwhile gift and every genuine benefit,"we recommend the "active" souls, who promote devotion to The Divine Mercy and exercise with it all the other works that lend themselves to the spiritual and material uplifting of their brethren.

Divine Mercy Novena - Day Six

2009-04-15T08:40:00.001-06:00

Today bring to Me the Meek and Humble Souls and the Souls of Little Children,
and immerse them in My mercy. These souls most closely resemble My Heart. They strengthened Me during My bitter agony. I saw them as earthly Angels, who will keep vigil at My altars. I pour out upon them whole torrents of grace. I favor humble souls with My confidence.

Most Merciful Jesus, You yourself have said, "Learn from Me for I am meek and humble of heart." Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart all meek and humble souls and the souls of little children. These souls send all heaven into ecstasy and they are the heavenly Father's favorites. They are a sweet-smelling bouquet before the throne of God; God Himself takes delight in their fragrance. These souls have a permanent abode in Your Most Compassionate Heart, O Jesus, and they unceasingly sing out a hymn of love and mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon meek souls, upon humble souls, and upon little children who are enfolded in the abode which is the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. These souls bear the closest resemblance to Your Son. Their fragrance rises from the earth and reaches Your very throne. Father of mercy and of all goodness, I beg You by the love You bear these souls and by the delight You take in them: Bless the whole world, that all souls together may sing out the praises of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Easter 2009

2009-04-14T20:50:00.003-06:00

We were so blessed with a beautiful Easter this year. The weather was a bit questionable as we made our way to church in the pouring rain. We were quite certain that our plans of an outdoor egg hunt for the little ones was a wash and I was wracking my brain trying to figure out a way to hide eggs for 11 children in my home!

As we sat in church waiting for Mass to begin, the rain stopped, the sun began to shine and the church filled with a glorious light as the rays shone through the stained glass windows. Truly a moment to be savored.

As the Entrance Alleluia was sung, I immediately began to cry. It was so moving to hear the Alleluia which has been left out of our Mass since Ash Wednesday. I felt my mother's presence through out the entire Mass, with every song that was sung. She would have loved it all.

Even Mark mentioned that the last time it rained on Easter was the last Easter that she had at her place in the country. The whole family went out there and she loved every moment of the day. I remember that last time. It was raining, yet it seemed to stop just long enough for us to hold the egg hunt, only to start raining again soon after we were through. I remember being outside with the children and looking at her as she watched from her window. She was too weak to join us outside, but she was still enjoying watching the fun from where she was. I also remember hearing a voice, or having the thought, "this will be the last year she will be able to be here."

That proved to be true. The next Easter was the last day I saw her. The next day she passed into the arms of her Lord, and she never looked more beautiful.

I am so grateful to have the memories that I have of the last few moments of her life. It is a testimony to me to live each day to the fullest, to love always, to forgive easily, and to never be afraid to be hurt.

Divne Mercy Novena - Day Five

2009-04-14T20:38:00.003-06:00

"Today bring to Me the Souls of those who have separated themselves from My Church*,
and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. During My bitter Passion they tore at My Body and Heart, that is, My Church. As they return to unity with the Church My wounds heal and in this way they alleviate My Passion."

Most Merciful Jesus, Goodness Itself, You do not refuse light to those who seek it of You. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Church. Draw them by Your light into the unity of the Church, and do not let them escape from the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart; but bring it about that they, too, come to glorify the generosity of Your mercy.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who have separated themselves from Your Son's Church, who have squandered Your blessings and misused Your graces by obstinately persisting in their errors. Do not look upon their errors, but upon the love of Your own Son and upon His bitter Passion, which He underwent for their sake, since they, too, are enclosed in His Most Compassionate Heart. Bring it about that they also may glorify Your great mercy for endless ages. Amen.

*Our Lord's original words here were "heretics and schismatics," since He spoke to Saint Faustina within the context of her times. As of the Second Vatican Council, Church authorities have seen fit not to use those designations in accordance with the explanation given in the Council's Decree on Ecumenism (n.3). Every pope since the Council has reaffirmed that usage. Saint Faustina herself, her heart always in harmony with the mind of the Church, most certainly would have agreed. When at one time, because of the decisions of her superiors and father confessor, she was not able to execute Our Lord's inspirations and orders, she declared: "I will follow Your will insofar as You will permit me to do so through Your representative. O my Jesus " I give priority to the voice of the Church over the voice with which You speak to me" (497). The Lord confirmed her action and praised her for it.

Divne Mercy Novena - Day Four

2009-04-13T20:35:00.000-06:00

"Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me, I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

*Our Lord's original words here were "the pagans." Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate terminology.

The Resurrection of The Lord - Divine Mercy - Day Three

2009-04-12T08:24:00.002-06:00

Today bring to Me all Devout and Faithful Souls, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. These souls brought me consolation on the Way of the Cross. They were a drop of consolation in the midst of an ocean of bitterness.

Most Merciful Jesus, from the treasury of Your mercy, You impart Your graces in great abundance to each and all. Receive us into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart and never let us escape from It. We beg this grace of You by that most wondrous love for the heavenly Father with which Your Heart burns so fiercely.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon faithful souls, as upon the inheritance of Your Son. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, grant them Your blessing and surround them with Your constant protection. Thus may they never fail in love or lose the treasure of the holy faith, but rather, with all the hosts of Angels and Saints, may they glorify Your boundless mercy for endless ages. Amen.

Divne Mercy Novena - Day Two

2009-04-11T08:59:00.001-06:00

"Today bring to Me the Souls of Priests and Religious, and immerse them in My unfathomable mercy. It was they who gave me strength to endure My bitter Passion. Through them as through channels My mercy flows out upon mankind."

Most Merciful Jesus, from whom comes all that is good, increase Your grace in men and women consecrated to Your service,* that they may perform worthy works of mercy; and that all who see them may glorify the Father of Mercy who is in heaven.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the company of chosen ones in Your vineyard -- upon the souls of priests and religious; and endow them with the strength of Your blessing. For the love of the Heart of Your Son in which they are enfolded, impart to them Your power and light, that they may be able to guide others in the way of salvation and with one voice sing praise to Your boundless mercy for ages without end. Amen.

* In the original text, Saint Faustina uses the pronoun "us" since she was offering this prayer as a consecrated religious sister. The wording adapted here is intended to make the prayer suitable for universal use.

Good Friday

2009-04-10T14:04:00.002-06:00

I am not able to make the service at Church today, for this I am sad, however, taking the quiet time at home has given me some time for quiet reflection in which I can venerate the Cross and all that it stands for in a special way this year.

I love the liturgy of Good Friday, but I will admit, I get caught up the in pageantry of it all. The smell of the incense, the visual beauty of watching the clergy and altar servers coming forward to the altar and prostrating themselves before the cross of Our Lord, the moving music. I can see it all in my mind, and yet, this year, I feel an even stronger desire to reflect at home.

4 years ago on Good Friday, I looked on as a very compassionate priest came to my mother's bedside and administered the rights of the dying to her. She was at such peace, as was I. I knew what was to come, yet there was no sadness. How could there be? As I watched her enter into her final steps from this life to her eternal one?

I miss her very much, still. I suppose I always will. She is with me because I carry her memory where ever I go. I keep her close to me as I face life's struggles. They are nothing in comparison to the physical struggles she endured just to stay with us one more day.

And then there is Christ. Crucifixion alone is said be one of the most painful paths to death, yet he took it. But that is not all he took. He took upon himself the very sins that I commit this day and every day yet to come. The weight of my sin on my soul is sometimes more than I can bear, yet, He was able to take all of mine, all of the world's sin, then be crucified. I know that His Divine nature allowed Him to be able to do this. Would I be so willing to do the same for Him, or for anyone else? I daily ask God to let certain cups pass me by. Occasionally, I will recall that Jesus also said, "if it be YOUR will". I need to recall that more often.

Instead of looking upon the challenges of life as burdensome, I am now beginning to understand the weight of my own cross and the joy that I can find in carrying it for Him and with Him.

As we here His final words, "It is finished", let us remember that Christ was not speaking of His own death, but rather, that the Will of God has been completed, and it was done so perfectly and out of Love for each one of us.

Entering the Triduum and Beginnng the Divine Mercy Novena

2009-04-10T09:37:00.003-06:00

Today we remember the Crucifixion of Our Lord. There never has been a greater sacrifice made as the one made by Christ for each one of us. How appropriate that we are asked to also participate in the Novena to the Divine Mercy.

May you each have a Blessed and Holy Triduum.

Divine Mercy Novena - First Day

HOW TO RECITE THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY

Jesus asked that this Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena of Chaplets to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. Say one chaplet each day following the novena intention. In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls. By this novena I will grant every possible grace to souls." (Diary 1209, 796)
"Today bring to Me All Mankind, especially all sinners and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges me."

"Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners, and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Lenten Reflection

2009-03-31T09:29:00.002-06:00

This Lenten season has been a very interesting one for me both personally and professionally.

Our business, like most everyone else's has felt the effects of a down-trodden economy. At first, we believed that things would turn around fairly soon. Now we know, we are in this for the long haul, and we must keep the faith that every thing is going to be ok. It may not look like what we started with, but in the end, I believe that we will end up exactly where we are supposed to be.

Personally, I have done fairly well with keeping my Lenten sacrifices. As I do every year, I have also made Lenten promises. These promises are things that I try to implement into my daily life to bring me into a closer relationship with Christ. Usually, I pick something that is most often something that I fail at, so I decided to try to keep things much simpler this year, choosing to focus on my interpersonal relationships with the ones I love, praying that in turn, this will ultimately draw me closer to Him.

I can tell you all, it has. I have learned more about myself this Lenten season than I have in a very long time. I have been able to identify some of my root sins that cause me to commit the same venial sins over and over again. I can't tell you how many times I have avoided going to confession because I figured it would be just the same ol' same ol' and nothing would change for me.

I don't like what I see at the root of my sin. Thank goodness! Imagine if I DID like what I saw? I am willing to make the change, one small step at a time, and I know that I must invite Christ to take each step with me, as this, my friends, is not a journey for me alone.

The practice of a simple virtue to combat the corresponding sin seems easy enough, but I assure you, if you are dealing with a root sin, it is not. It is one thing to give up sweets, or soda, or something else outside of myself, but attempting to change something at the very core of my personality, well that in itself is a totally different matter indeed.

While I look forward to Easter, I do not embrace the end of my Lenten journey. I am one of those people that needs the constant reminder of the season of repentance to continue to strive to pull away those things which keep me from God.

This is probably why I do love Mercy Sunday so much. For me, it pulls Holy Week and Easter to a whole new level of spirituality. I am not trying to infer that Divine Mercy Sunday is more important than Easter, however, I am saying that knowing that God, in His infinite love, gives us His only Son to redeem us, and then He, in His infinite wisdom, also knows that we are a people of weakness, and therefore, gives us Divine Mercy Sunday to show us that His Mercy reigns always!

A tradition in my family growing up was to purchase new clothes on Easter and participate in the Easter parade, which was not really a parade at all, but just friends and neighbors in the community walking up and down a main street in our town, showing off our new clothes. It was supposed to be a reflection of our spiritual change that had occurred during Lent.

This year, I will not buy new clothes, as I want to break from the tradition of "appearing" to have changed, but rather, I will, with His grace, wear something I already own, but don it as a new person in Christ. A new person from within.

As we enter into this last few days of Lent, I pray that each of you arises on Easter morning a changed being. Not on the outside, but where it counts.

Latest Fishism

2009-03-11T12:31:00.002-06:00

This morning, Fish and I were watching a bit of the news when a clip came on touting...

"This woman is being forced to clean houses to survive... Another victim of the Madoff scam!"

Don't get me wrong... Bernie Madoff has done some very bad things and has hurt lots of people with his actions. He should spend the rest of his life in jail, and in my opinion, he should perform lots of hard labor in the most unglamorous of jobs to pay for his stay in the prision system, but frankly, as Americans, we need to stop playing the role of perpetual victim and get up, dust ourselves off, and persevere!

Fish heard this news clip and said... "Is her house that dirty?" I asked what he meant by that and he replied, "Well, she has to clean it to survive!"

When I explained what the clip was intending to say, he ended the conversation with...

"Drama!"

I can't tell you how hard I laughed, yet at the same time, his viewpoint is dead-on...

I mean is cleaning houses really that horrible? Yes, she was scammed, and yes, it is unfortunate that she must return to work after planning to have a nice retired life, but things could be so much worse, couldn't they?

Sure, I'd be angry as heck if this happened to me, so I suppose it's easy for me to sit back and say these things, but I think about all of the women that have worked as cleaning ladies, waitresses, store clerks, among other things, to make a better life for their children and grandchildren.

Let's get past the drama, roll up our sleeves, take our country back, and act like the Americans our forefathers hoped we would be!

The Flu

2009-03-09T22:33:00.000-06:00

Nothing has captured what the flu has looked like in our home quite like this shot of Foo

Catechism, Fish-style

2009-02-28T17:08:00.002-06:00

Fish and I are reviewing some of the material for his Sacramental Preparation class tomorrow, and while it is sometimes quite mind-numbing trying to grab this boy's attention, I must say, he certainly knows how to get mine with some wonderful one-line zingers!

We were discussing the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist and what those words mean. Eucharist means "to give thanks" and we discussed at great length (ok, for about 3 minutes) how we can show God our thanks.

We brought up the idea that we can thank God in our quiet times with Him. I asked Fish if he ever talks to God. He replied, " Yep, at night when I am trying to go to sleep!" I then asked him what kinds of things he talks about with God.

He replied, "Well... we just play Rock, Paper, Scissors"...

I said, "WHAT?! Ok, Fish, so who wins?" To which his answer was, "Uh, mom? He does! Remember, He knows my thoughts, so He already knows what I am going to do, so He always wins!"

Later in the conversation, he said "Mom, God is tough!" I inquired as to why he would say that and he replied, "Well, He ALWAYS beats the Devil!"

Finally, we completed our lesson with the writing of a prayer to be said after meals.

Here is Fish's prayer... just when I thought nothing was getting in there...

Thank you God for our family. Thank you God for our lives and all of our blessings. Help us to always remember to share our blessings with others. Help all of our family to go safely to Heaven. Amen.

As Lent Begins

2009-02-25T19:22:00.002-06:00

Another season of Lent has arrived and I find myself not ready for it. I am currently sick as are a number of the children right now. It's hard to feel as though I am fasting or abstaining when I can't eat anything anyway. It's kind of like cheating!

But my mind is what truly needs to be prepared. My heart, my soul need to be aligned with Christ and Lent provides us all the opportunity to do so.

As I ponder the sacrifices that I will make and the virtues that I will try to strengthen, I pray that I can keep my eyes fixed on Him.

The Tool of Dictation for Younger Children

2009-02-23T17:17:00.007-06:00

In my last post regarding Charlotte Mason techniques, I addressed Copywork. In today's post, I'd like to discuss a bit about Dictation and how I have used it in our homeschooling.

Children can begin with copywork very early and most do fairly well with it. Dictation is the next step within the process of CM style of Language Arts. I do not recommend beginning dictation with a child until they are of the age that they can recall a small line of prose or scripture from memory. Also, the child should be able to read at least at a beginning level, in other words, he should be able to read the selection that has been chosen for the copywork and dictation.

I like to use a very simple line of literature or scripture when first beginning this process. Most often, my children will start with a quote from Miss Mason herself;

I am;
I can;
I ought;
I will.

The dictation begins with several days of copywork preceding the actual act of the dictation.

Typically, I introduce the selection by reading it to the student and then go over any words that might be difficult to spell. I also am sure to point out marks of punctuation, if appropriate, I'll instruct in why a specific mark is being used, and I would also point out the layout of the selection. For instance, in the quote above, I would point out:

1. Why the "I" is capitalized,
2. The semicolon and the period and why each one is used.
3. The difficult spelling of ought.
4. The layout of the quote. It is not in one line, but rather 4 lines. This is how it should be copied and memorized.

The student will copy this selection each day for several days. Most often 4 - 5 days, but if he needs longer, that is fine as well. On the last day, instead of copying the piece, I will dictate it to him.

Dictation is done in the following manner. The student reviews the selection one last time being sure to commit to memory spellings, punctuation, and the layout of the selection.

When he is ready, I give him a blank piece of paper and a freshly sharpened pencil, complete with an eraser.

I instruct the student that as usual, this dictation needs to be in his best handwriting. Then I begin to slowly read the selection, a small bit at a time, carefully pausing at the marks of punctuation. I only recite each bit one time. If the student misses something, tell him to leave a blank and move forward.

At the end of the selection, I then re-dictate it to the student at a normal pace and he is to fill in any missed information at that time.

Once he feels that he has completed his dictation, I then hand him the original selection of copywork and ask him to find any errors that he has made. When he finishes, I ask him to correct the errors and place the number of errors at the top of the page.

Then I review his dictation and am careful to check for any errors that he may have missed on his own. I always praise the student for doing a wonderful job, if in fact they did. Take every opportunity you can to applaud a difficult word spelled correctly, a mark of punctuation placed appropriately, or the beautiful penmanship that the assignment had been finished in.

What I treasure about dictation is much of what is unseen while performing this activity. Through dictation, we are developing the habit of attention, the skill of memorization, editing, and the art of listening, which is so important for auditory development. We are also incorporating the learning of grammar, spelling, and the skill of beautiful handwriting.

Dictation and copywork are very simple techniques to implement in any home or school. Do not let their simplicity fool you however, as they are extremely powerful in the art of education.

I do want to add that the above technique is what I use for my younger/new to dictation students. I do things slightly different for my older students and will elaborate more on that in another post.

Happy Birthday, My Sweet Lem!

2009-02-23T17:03:00.003-06:00

Lem celebrated her 11th birthday recently and had a series of events which commemorated it!

First was a wonderful party with some of her friends. The girls made homemade personal-size pizzas and watched a few of their favorite movies.

On her actual birthday, she was treated to her favorite breakfast, crepes, and then her favorite dinner! She has wonderful tastebuds, so we all were able to enjoy the meals.

On our Family night, Sunday, we celebrated both her birthday and that of her soon-to-be uncle! It's always so much fun to be a part of a big family! Sharing birthdays make them even more special!!

As I watch my youngest baby girl grow into a lovely young woman, I am in awe of her grace and poise. She is one of the nicest people I've ever known, and I see the hand of God upon her each day. She has a very sensitive nature that allows her to feel for others in a deeply moving way. I am excited to watch where life brings her, but I will admit, I do not want to let her go...

Something's Been Missing

2009-02-06T10:47:00.003-06:00

It's true. Something HAS been missing around this blog. That would be posts! More specifically, homeschooling-related posts.

I am so blessed to still be homeschooling after 10 years! I have learned so much, and yet still learn more every day. It is an amazing journey, and I pray, one that we can continue until we start on our grand-children.

As most of you know, I love to follow the Charlotte Mason Methodology of education. I implement as much of her philosophies as possible into our school life. Actually, into all of our life. I am not the best at it, but what we do works for us and keeps our learning joyful most of the time.

I also begin to integrate some to the Classical Model as the children get older, typically around 7th or 8th grade. I feel that this really helps us to become better writers and thinkers as they enter the high school age. Without the CM method in the younger years, I have no doubt that the cognitive processes which need to occur before writing can be of any quality.

Another aspect of my life is working with children who have auditory processing difficulties. This translates into the academic world in the form of poor reading/writing/spelling skills. Most of the students that come to me are considered dyslexic or ADD and are doing terribly in school. When I implement the programs that we use to help re-train the brain, I can't help but see how brilliant CM was. One of the key components that CM used was the practice of Copywork/Dictation/Narration.

In today's world, all of us are using more and more visual skills and less and less auditory skills. Computers, tv, movies, iphones, text messaging... it's all visual. The auditory centers of our brains are not be utilized and therefore, often results with their delayed development.

I try to get the parents of my students to understand this. It is so very important to read aloud to the children, let them narrate back to you, and to actually LISTEN to what the child is saying. It is not important that they get each detail correct, but more, that YOU are listening attentively and that he/she is able to verbalize what they are trying to express. This is the surest way to excellent writing skills. One who can not express what they mean to say verbally, will NOT be able to write effectively. I have seen this theory proven time and time again, with my own children as well as the many that I have worked with over the last few years.

I am so passionate about the way our children are educated. When I see what is being asked of our young people in the public school setting, it makes me cringe. Don't get me wrong, I think the educators are trying in earnest to have our students be as well educated as possible, but I believe they are missing a key component. That is the normal cognitive and fine-motor development of a child.

I have seen assignments expected of these students that ask children as young as 5 to write stories. Never mind the spelling, the teachers tell them to just write. The problem with this is that the young mind is impressing upon itself the incorrect spelling of many, many words. This is just one example of the problems I see with the current method being used by many traditional schools. I could cite many more, but the point of this post in not to rip apart schools. Rather, I would like to present a different CM method that I use in my homeschool a small bit at a time.

Today, I would like to discuss Copywork. Please note that the way that I implement these methods may be slightly different than the way that Miss Mason actually practiced them. This is what has worked best for my family over the years. Feel free to comment about what you might do differently and how it works in your home.

Copywork is a wonderful tool for so many different reasons. It is a wonderful way to introduce in a gentle way, punctuation, grammar, spelling, memory skills, handwriting, and exposure to quality literature, biblical verses, and famous essays, quotes, and poems.

In our home, mom, (or dad, as you'll see below), selects a piece for copywork according to age and experience with the Copywork. In our home, we do not begin copywork until the child can comfortably handle a pencil, can form letters well, and is beginning to read. This typically ranges between 6 or 7 years of age. If the child is not ready, and you will know fairly quickly if he or she is NOT ready, (the crying, fitful, episodes of drama are usually a dead give-away), shelf the copywork until a later time.

If the student is ready, the selection should be short at first, one line is best. I usually start with Charlotte Mason's infamous quote, and our school motto,

I am;
I can;
I ought;
I will.

This is a wonderful exposure to punctuation, some tricky spellings, and introduces the high ideal that we as parents hold for our children.

I introduce to student to the selection by reading it aloud to them and then begin pointing out all marks of punctuation, teaching why a particular mark is being used and making sure that the child can recall the name of the mark if it is not new to them.

I also will point out indenting, stanzas, capitalization, new spellings, and other items of interest that may come up.

The child will then copy this phrase, in his very best handwriting, allowing no errors. This means that the teacher must be present as he does his assignment, carefully overseeing the process. If there is a misspelling, it must be corrected immediately. Do not allow the child to impress this error within his mind's eye. If the word is a particularly difficult word and the child continues to misspell it, we practice a visual spelling method of pointing to the letters in the air, spelling it out forwards until he knows where each letter is and then demonstrating true knowledge of the spelling by correctly pointing to each letter in a forward and then backward manner. I will try to post a video on this technique later.

The child will continue with the copywork selection, copying each day for several days, typically in our home 4 - 5 days, eventually moving to a new selection of copywork.

I really like to use Spelling Wisdom from the website Simply Charlotte Mason The selections are graded from beginner to advanced ability. Honestly, you can use any good quality selection you would like. In the past, I have used the poem that they might be working on memorizing at the time, a scripture passage that we are instilling, or even a passage from one of their favorite books.

Keep in mind, CM allowed for short lessons, so for a young child of 7 or so, no more than 5 minutes should be expected. Older students, I would say, no more than 10.

One more thing regarding copywork in our home. With the young/beginning copywork student, the selection is copied onto the same paper that he will be writing on, placing his work directly below the copied lines.

As the student becomes more comfortable with the method, he will transition into copying from a separate typed selection, possibly even directly from the source such as the Bible or the novel itself. This helps with the visual skills necessary for copying from books and chalk boards for eventual note-taking and other needed study skills.

When the child can demonstrate his very best work, be sure to praise him and even place the best copy into a notebook for safe-keeping. I try to put ours into page protectors in what we call their Commonplace Book.

Below are two examples of copywork that were done by our 7 year-old, Fish.

The first was Dad's choice. (I find it humorous to see what Dads pick over what Moms pick!) This was a very early attempt at copywork as you can see that the selection was printed onto the lined paper for him to refer to.

The second example is his first attempt at true copywork, copying from one sheet to his copywork book. This was also the first selection that he was able to transition into dictation with. Dictation will be a topic covered in another post.

Please feel free to comment how this works in your home. I love hearing new ideas and trying them out on my guinea pigs... I mean children!!

My first Blogging Award!

2009-02-03T13:15:00.003-06:00

I am the proud recipient of the highly coveted FOMUBA award! It's the first award I've ever received, and probably will be the last...

So take in the precious sight and yes, Envy me... go ahead... envy me!

Baby Grace

2009-01-27T20:26:00.002-06:00

There has been much in the news recently about that sweet baby girl, Caylee Anthony. She and I shared the same birthday. I don't know how anyone can kill a child, or anybody for that matter, but I will never, ever, ever, understand how a mother can commit this horrible crime against their own child, and a baby at that.

Some of you may remember Baby Grace from 2007. She was found in Galveston Bay, in a plastic container. It took some time to finally identify her as Riley Ann Sawyers, hence she was known as Baby Grace until her grandmother was able to identify her.

Being from the Houston area, we heard night after night about this case. The public could not understand how a young 2 year old could be found in this way, yet never have been reported missing by her mother. Now we know why. The mother and step-father killed her. It was a brutal crime and I really don't think I'll read anymore about it after what I read today.

A slain toddler tried to stop her mother and stepfather from beating her to death by reaching out to her mother and saying, "I love you," a prosecutor told jurors Tuesday. The pleas from 2-year-old Riley Ann Sawyers didn't stop her mother, Kimberly Trenor, from continuing to brutalize her, assistant district attorney Kayla Allen said in her opening statement at Trenor's murder trial.

You can read the full article here.

I am haunted by the last moments of these little girls lives, looking upon the ones that they trusted and loved more than anything else in the world only to be betrayed in the worst possible way.

This I will never understand.

Seriously??!!

2009-01-17T13:20:00.003-06:00

Maybe I am just not with it, but I don't recall there being on-location type news coverage this soon before any other inauguration.

I didn't vote for the guy, but I will support him as our president and pray for him each and every day. I can't help but think of how ridiculous this all is. I mean, is he becoming president or does this all just speak to his "rock-star" status among his supporters?

What is MSNBC going to do once Bush is back home in Texas?

The End of Christmas 2008

2009-01-07T12:35:00.002-06:00

Today we begin the process of packing away the Christmas decor. It makes me so sad, but not because I'm sad to see Christmas go, but because I know that this next year will fly by and things will change. Some for the good, and some things will disappear forever.

I know that by this time next year I probably won't hear...

"Mommy, yook! Chris-chris tree!" "Mommy, yook! Chris-chris yights!" "Mommy, yook! Jesus!"

Boo will probably be potty-trained.

Bean will probably be off to college.

Fish will have made his First Communion.

Foo will have grown even taller and enter into high school. He'll probably be a 3rd degree black belt by then.

Lem will probably not be my cute baby girl, but rather, a beautiful young lady.

The seasons are always changing around here. My New Year's resolution is to try to soak up each moment as it comes and find the beauty in it because it won't last forever.

And while I know that I can somewhat predict what will happen this year, all things are left in His hands for good reason.

Whatever may come this year, I pray that when we unpack for Christmas 2009, we are all able to recall the beautiful memories of the past, embrace the pain that drives us to our knees, and become more like Christ as we journey through this thing called Life.

Merry Christmas and Happy 2009!

2009-01-03T21:22:00.002-06:00

The Season May Still Have a Reason!

2008-12-18T20:57:00.002-06:00

I am just as guilty as the next person of getting caught up the all of the craziness of the season. We don't usually go overboard with the cost of gifts, but we do try to give something to most everyone we know.

We also try to do enough baking that could, honestly, feed lots of hungry people.

Add to that the special moments I've tried to "create" (aka as contrive) over the years, the perfect Christmas card picture, the 400 Christmas cards I try to mail out, the traditions I try to instill, and I end up one stressed out mom who is not much fun to be around.

This year is different. Perhaps it's the fact that the economy is slow and more of us are trying to conserve that which we have. Perhaps I'm finally realizing that I really don't have to run myself into the ground. Perhaps I have really, truly, and honestly found the real reason for the season.

I have always known the reason, and I've always talked about how we should always remember the reason, but what I did was contrary to what I was saying. My heart is in a different place this year.

Just like everyone else I know, we have cut back quite a bit this year. We've been moving in this direction for a few years now and this is the year that we finally have made Christmas more about what it is and less about ourselves.

I know that there are many people suffering this Christmas season, and for those people I pray that times get better and life gets easier, but for those of us who have not gone without very often, if ever, I pray that this year, we embrace the true meaning of Christmas, and that we hold onto it the whole year through.

In an effort to really be family-centered for the remainder of the Advent season and the Christmas season, I am restricting my computer time to only that which is necessary. I will not be blogging until 2009. I will be snuggling with the kids and finishing up our home made projects. We will be worshiping Christ and thanking Him for His gift to us. We will be reflecting on our baptismal call and what that means to us as a family.

I wish each of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Houston We Have Snow!

2008-12-11T22:42:00.003-06:00

We don't typically see this on our desktops...

It was a night of fun watching the kids reacting to real snow falling in Houston. By this morning it was gone, but for just a brief few hours, we had an early Christmas complete with white stuff!

2nd Week of Advent

2008-12-09T04:02:00.002-06:00

It seems that the season of Advent hardly gets it's due. I know that I try in my heart of hearts to celebrate the season through a few small traditions in our home that can easily be forgotten with the business of the day.

I am so thankful that my children will remind me to stop and light the candle on the Advent wreath or that we will be mindful of taking the time to attend Mass on the feast days that make this period of waiting more beautiful.

I pray that you are each enjoying this small time of waiting before the Christ child comes to us on Christmas morn.

The value of persistent prayer is not that God will hear us,
but that we will finally hear God.

The newest Fishism

2008-12-02T22:13:00.002-06:00

Today, Mark was reviewing some of Fish's religion lesson and was asking him if he remembered where Jesus went to pray before he was crucified.

Fish responded, "He went to Olive Garden to pray, Daddy!"

I wonder if he got breadsticks while He was there...

2008-11-14T11:59:00.002-06:00

I have been feeling quite unsuccessful lately, in many areas, running, work, mothering, homeschooling, my faith life, etc. In fact, I actually uttered the words, "I think I am just going to quit running until after the holidays" last night. Then a "friend" shared this with me. It is from Magnificat and she read it during adoration last night...

"When we see our efforts are unsuccessful, let us throw ourselves at the feet of Jesus. Groaning over the world's iniquity, let us beg his divine heart to lay bare his infinite treasures of mercy. Then let us return again to our work, without giving in to exhaustion. Hardships must never discourage the spouse of Christ; rather, they should make her stronger and more determined. Do not be dismayed by rejection and mockery. Go forward always, with the serenity and fortitude of angels, because you are the angels of the earth and so must continue on your way in the midst of so many contrary influences. Everyone can be serene when things run smoothly; it is in difficult situations that fidelity and constancy are proven."
- Mother Cabrini

It is now blown up, placed on my mirror, and being studied by me. I swear, I need some new friends... LOL

I thank God for my friends. He always uses them in the most wonderful ways!

Prayer of St. Therese

2008-10-28T20:39:00.002-06:00

This prayer brought me to my knees on Sunday night. Gomer, our youth minister, shared it with us and about 250 teens at LifeNight.

A Day Out With Thomas

2008-10-19T10:24:00.005-06:00

For Boo's 3rd Birthday, we celebrated with a trip to Rusk State Park and the Texas State Railroad.

Thomas was there complete with all the trimmings. The weather was perfect, there was plenty of shopping, and priceless memories were made.

How do you choose just ONE train??!!

This is Boo's reaction to seeing the full-sized Thomas pulling into the station.

This was everyone's first ride on a real train, including Mark and I. It was lots of fun and we plan to go back with the Polar Express comes into town!

Boo was getting a bit sleepy...

Boo could have spent weeks at these train tables! Needless to say, each child that had to be extracted from these tables left the same way... kicking and screaming!

Lem had fun even though she and Foo were probably the oldest kids there...

Boo is 3!!!!!!!!

2008-10-17T19:38:00.002-06:00

I can't believe he is already 3! It doesn't seem possible that he could be that old already.

We will be celebrating tomorrow with a trip to see Thomas the Tank!

Happy Birthday, Boo! You are loved so very much!

Homecoming 2008

2008-10-17T19:30:00.003-06:00

It's hard to believe a few short months from now, we will be watching Bean go off to school and onto a new phase of life. I pray she is always this joyful.

What a great bunch of kids!

Poor Trev had shingles, but still looks like he was having fun!

So far behind

2008-10-17T18:45:00.004-06:00

I don't know how I can catch up on posts when I am this far behind. The best I can do is give you a smathering of photos.

We had a good time on our trip to Colorado. It was a bit scary when Mark had to go to the emergency room. He developed HAPE as a result of being at 11,000 feet. Next time we head to the hills, we will be sure to stay a few days at lower elevation and work our way up. It was too beautiful to say we'd not go back. Aside from the altitude sickness and HAPE, it was a wonderful, beautiful place to be and once the medical bills disappear, I am sure we will have many memories to treasure!! LOL

I bet if I had turned off his oxygen, he wouldn't have beat us at pool!

Fish at Garden of the Gods.

A view the Katharine Lee Bates might have enjoyed!

One thing I hope I never forget, the Quaking Aspen! They were so incredibly beautiful! They reminded me of Birch Trees, only more vibrant. These trees alone call my soul back to Colorado.

Lem at Lake Dillon. Can you imagine playing at this park everyday??

Boo on the playset.

Even the big kids couldn't resist the playing!!

The Post - Ike Report

2008-10-04T19:57:00.004-06:00

A bit overdue for those of you who don't read my other blog. We did make it through the storm minus a few trees and some fencing, but overall, we were fine. So many others are not and will not be for quite some time.

Our tree barely missed out neighbor's home.

Our fence was downed by a tree. It was nice to finally meet this neighbor! Unfortunately, he had just finished building his daughter's play structure the weekend before Ike. Now it is crushed.

We made the best of things while the power was out. Lem and I began to live in the Pioneer Spirit as we hand-washed and hung dry our clothes. Mark wasn't too impressed, but I was so proud! Lem and I were so excited to fold the clothes that we loving washed with our hands and dried in the beautiful, bright sunlight.

Note the tree in the background!

I do admit that I loved being outside so much. God blessed us with some wonderful weather, that which we don't see too often in Houston, especially in September. We were able to sleep with the windows open, and if it weren't for the obnoxious sounds of the generators in the background, we might have even slept!

The kids played outside with the neighbor's kids. All the neighbors were outside enjoying the weather and sharing information on where to get ice, gas, etc. It was reminiscent of 5 years ago when our neighborhood was always like this. I miss those days and I don't know why it took Ike to make me realize that we don't do this anymore.

Boo and Princess Carmen

Kid being kids!

We were very fortunate to get our power on quickly. It was on by late Tuesday afternoon. I had just finished my run when I heard the kids screaming, "HEY THE PORCH LIGHTS JUST CAME ON!!!" They ran into the house, turned all the lights on, and then ran back outside screaming.... "LET'S GET BACK AND FINISH OUR GAME!"

Shortly after the lights came on, we had to start to get ready for our vacation to Colorado. I'll post more pictures from our trip later.

The neighborhood worked together to rake the debris into piles which were just this week picked up. I imagine it will take some time to get all of the debris collected from our town.

Hello Ike!

2008-09-12T09:18:00.002-06:00

It looks like we may be getting a bit of rain and wind in the next 24 hours or so. Please keep the Texas Gulf Coast in your prayers. This is a pretty serious storm, one the likes that I have yet to "weather" since moving to Houston 20 years ago. Alicia hit 25 years ago, and I was still a Yankee.

I don't normally get worried about storms, rather, I try to enjoy them, but the idea of winds hitting 85 - 110 miles an hour is a tad unnerving. Exactly how does one secure a trampoline anyway?

I expect we will lose power for a few days if not more. If that is the case, we will probably head out on our family retreat a few days early. We are scheduled to head to Colorado next Friday. We may get a bit of a head start on that!

I pray that all of my friends are safe and that the only damage that happens is directed at the abortion facilities (just the building, not the people) in Houston, especially the largest one that is currently being "renovated".

Hey Barack...

2008-09-03T21:32:00.001-06:00

SAAAAAMMMMMAAAAACCCCCKKKKK!!!

Regards,

Sarah

Happy "Labor" Day!

2008-09-01T16:00:00.002-06:00

Seven years ago this day, I was in truly in Labor, bringing forth this sweet little face!

Time flies! Especially when you're a fish!

Happy Birthday my sweet little Fish! We love you so much! Your ability to make us laugh with your faces, dance moves, and impressions is amazing. We call you our Drama Boy! One day, that skill will serve you well!

Here is Fish enjoying some of his birthday spoils! Foo is "helping" him build the new space ship!

Way to go, John!

2008-08-29T14:00:00.003-06:00

I'll be the first to admit, I wasn't a big fan on John McCain, would have preferred Huckabee, but the cards fell where they did and Mr. McCain won the pick for the GOP ticket.

I've watched the Dem Convention with a watchful eye and a pit in my stomach. I didn't appreciate the rock and roll fanfare that the Dem's attempted to pass off as a political event, especially with the historic importance that last night held for us as a country.

I hate being talked-down to, I despise receiving information in a watered-down fashion, and that is exactly what the Dems delivered. Give me a break. What scares me is the many, many voters in this country that will vote for Obama because of his "cool" factor.

I went to bed praying that McCain would pick the right person, and hopefully, that it wouldn't be Romney. He certainly came through today!

Sarah Palin is a fantastic choice.

Here is a true woman! Mom to 5 beautiful children. A working mom working in a man's world. Not afraid to stand up for what is right, especially for the unborn. My definition of a true woman, the kind of woman that makes "feminists" cringe.

And Obama's first official response?

"Today, John McCain put the former mayor of a town of 9,000 with zero foreign policy experience a heartbeat away from the presidency. Governor Palin shares John McCain's commitment to overturning Roe v. Wade, the agenda of Big Oil and continuing George Bush's failed economic policies -- that's not the change we need, it's just more of the same."

Are you kidding me? NObama had the chance to show us he was all about change and he chose the same ol' same ol'. Biden is about as same ol' as any politician can be.

And trying to scare us with the "heartbeat away from the presidency" garbage? How about Nobama's one vote away from the presidency? How is it that his inexperience is a good thing because it is an opportunity for change, but hers is a liability?

Was this a political move on McCain's part? Of course it was. Just as choosing Biden was on Obama's. It was a very smart one. A well-thought out one.

I am finally excited about this election and even more excited to cast my vote in November.

What would have Barack's mom have done?

2008-08-29T09:03:00.002-06:00

If Roe v Wade had already been passed, what would his mother have chosen to do? A single mom, in the 60's, no dad in sight, pregnant with a bi-racial child?

Would we have celebrated his nomination as the first official Afro-American presidential candidate last night, or would he have been another unheard soul sacrificed in the name of a woman's right to choose?

I'm just wondering...

School's In!

2008-08-26T03:28:00.004-06:00

I wasn't sure I was going to be able to get it all done in time, but with a little perseverance, I did get the school stuff together, the bookshelves organized and cleaned, and ready to go for a Monday morning start!

The day went smooth, with the exception of one broken cabinet door. Poor Boo! He opened the door and pushed it a bit to far... SNAP! Our beautiful custom door... broken. The expression on his face was priceless! I'm not sure if he was thinking... "Uh, oh... I'm in BIG trouble" or "What the heck kind of door was that?!!"

No worries, with some snazzy fix-anything type of glue, Mark had it put back together in no time. We'll see if it holds up.

This is a big year in our house. Bean is a senior, complete with all of the anxieties of college=hunting. She'll also be getting her driver's license soon. I don't know if I can take all of this growing up at once!

Fish is making his First Reconciliation and First Holy Communion this year. He'll be 7 in a week! I swear he grew 3 or 4 inches over night.

We are readying for our family retreat in a few weeks. I am looking forward to some restful down time with the kids and Mark. I have a pretty hectic fall schedule shaping up, mostly because of running, this time of quiet reflection is just what my body and soul need right now.

Adjusting myself and the family to my new role as mom, homeschooler, business owner, and working mom, has not been easy. I get frustrated easily when I see things not running as smoothly as I think they should. Mark and the kids are amazing. They help out so much and have such high levels of patience that I am embarrassed at how silly my frustrations really are.

I suffer from lots of Mommy-guilt, inflicted all on my own. Between the busy-ness of the day and my running, I often find myself falling short of my own glory.

Then I hear a little voice... Boo's voice... "Mommy, seat down, seat down!" I told Mark it is though I hear the voice of God speaking to me in that moment. He is trying to tell me to slow down, enjoy the moment. Let the other things wait. Sometimes I can, sometimes I can't. And when I can't it haunts me. When I can, I feel total peace. Almost like when sitting before the blessed sacrament.

Boo doesn't want anything other than for me to sit with him. To watch Blue's Clue's or Oswald with him. To hold him. How could I ever pass that up? I remember doing this with all of the kids. And not many of them want me to hold them quite that way anymore, though they still want me to be with them. The time has passed so quickly. And I know it will continue to do so. I see why people long for grandchildren. So that they can embrace these precious, God-given moments with those we love.

I usually try to have goals such as building a better prayer life, attending Mass during the week, reading more spiritual things, etc. While these are wonderful things and I believe very important, I believe right now, God is calling me to live in the moment. Enjoy the blessings that surround me. Truly enjoy them. Drink them in. Understand that this is all from Him. Sometimes I need big reminders, and sometimes they come in gentle little 2 year old voices...

"Mommy, seat down, seat down!"

Long Over Due Pictorial

2008-07-29T22:42:00.004-06:00

The kids are growing so fast this summer, and I've hardly had a moment to sit back and chronicle the days. I had big plans to get some things organized around the house, and while we did tackle the garage (which was 15 years in the making), I haven't quite completed my master closet (another 15 years in the making).

Why we tend to hold onto stuff, I'll never understand. My new motto, if it isn't blessing our life, then it needs to go bless someone else.

I let my dining room table that I have loved for over 20 years go this month. My neighbor didn't have one and I had mine in the garage since November. It made me cry to think it wasn't blessing someone else, but I could not find anyone who wanted it. It was in beautiful condition, and I know it will bring enjoyment to the new owners.

Here is a small sampling of some of what the kids have been up to. Unfortunately, I haven't taken many pictures.

In June, the big highlights were my nephew, Seb, coming to visit

and Bean turning 17...

Three of my favorite guys in the world were at the party, Foo, Uncle Ryan, and Uncle Deo.

Fish decided that perhaps modeling is in his future...

Boo enjoyed his cake and ice cream...

And lest you think his palate is not being properly groomed...

Our sweet little 2nd degree black belt agreed to try something a bit girlie this week. She is enrolled in a friend's ballet camp this week and is going to be in a small production of Peter and the Wolf. Ok, she's still a tomboy at heart, she was cast in the role of Peter...

Hopefully, I'll have more picture to share later. I need to remember to bring the camera!

This Face

2008-07-15T14:39:00.004-06:00

What a cute little guy! Hans is doing well, but as always needs our continued prayers. I had to post one of his latest photos because he is just so beautiful!

Comforting Words

2008-07-08T20:25:00.003-06:00

One of my current favorite Christian Artists is Aaron Shust. His music,and especially his lyrics, really move me.

I was running this morning and played his album. These words, ones I've heard many times before, really touched me today.

I was lost and I was blind
I was begging for a sign
that someone
Somewhere heard me

As You whispered in the wind
And You shouted in the waves
That You heard me
That You loved me
And I could finally
Stop resisting

You’re Everything I ever wanted
And never knew I needed

You’re Everywhere I ever go

I can’t hide from Your Love anymore

I begin to drop my guard
Faithful as the Morning Star
You show me tender mercy

I’m surrounded by Your beauty
I get lost in Heaven’s
Symphony

It never changes
Never ending
Unrelenting
Why would I want to?
I don’t want to.

The Strength of a Mother

2008-07-03T13:48:00.003-06:00

Today was a day that a precious life was celebrated. Hayden O'Brien, just 17 years of age, has left his earthly life and gone on to his eternal one.

The funeral Mass was so beautiful. It was held at the family's parish, St. Mary's. The church is an old country church, originally erected by German immigrants. The inside of the church was so wonderful to see. Special paintings and stencilings throughout the church have been carefully restored to capture the devotion and love of the people who built this church.

The church is very small and might hold 150 - 200 people. There had to be 3 times that many that attended the funeral. Most of us stayed outside for the Mass, some had seats but many of us stood among the Marian gardens that adorned the parish grounds.

It was hot. It was humid. But God provided enough shade and just a slight breeze that made it possible for us to feel comfortable. He is always so good to us.

When I heard of Hayden's death, I found myself asking, "Why?" Why, if God can do anything, why would He let this unspeakable tragedy happen? Why does He let any child, any person suffer? Why does He take babies from their mothers? Mothers and fathers from their young children? Why can't we understand?

I attended the Mass partly looking for an answer perhaps, to some of these questions. I know that there isn't one. I know that we can not possibly understand all of God's plan. And then came Father's homily.

During the eulogy, Father noted that the end of our life on earth is not the end of our life. Our life has changed. We move from our earthly life to our eternal one. Sometimes this happens before we are ready for it to and we feel that we still have so much to say to them, so much to ask them.

After pondering this for awhile, something hit me. If our lives do not end, they merely change, then our relationship with those who die doesn't end; it also changes. It goes from a relationship of the human form to a relationship of the spirit. I suppose it would be similar to when I carried each of my children. I couldn't really speak to them or touch them, though I could feel them moving inside of me. But I could pray with them. I could speak through my heart, without words or even with words, directly to them. There were no interruptions when I spoke with them then. Just as there are now no interruptions when I speak with my mom now. There are no voicemails left for her to answer. I just call on her, I feel her presence, and I begin to share with her in our changed relationship.

I don't ever wish the death of a loved one upon another, because in our humanity, we yearn for a person's touch, their scent, their smile to fill our days, I do find great comfort in this reflection. Life does not end, it changes. Relationships do not end, they change.

After the funeral Mass, Hayden's casket was carried out by several Boy Scouts. It was a very moving scene to witness. They placed his beautiful casket, with images of the twelve apostles at the last supper and the Pieta adorning it, onto a hand-drawn cart which was pulled by the Scouts to the cemetery. We followed behind as we said our final goodbyes to this wonderful young man.

A home-schooled boy. He touched so many lives. I attended the Mass with some home-schooling friends, as this is how we came to know Hayden and his family. As I turned around, I saw a former neighbor that had moved 40 miles away more than 10 years ago and discovered that they knew him through Scouting. Inside the fellowship hall, I saw a running friend whom also knew him through Scouting. Hayden touched many lives. Many that he probably never knew he touched.

As we stood listening to Mass, I overheard some of the folks from the hospital where Hayden's dad works comment that they had grown up Catholic but hadn't been to Church in years, especially not a Catholic one. I witnessed them fall into the comforting traditions that accompany us at each and every Mass, from the sign of the Cross, the the sign of Peace, to the reception of Communion. I saw others who obviously had a very hard time being in any church, and put their feelings aside to be there for their friend during his time of grief.

Afterwards, I had an opportunity to speak with Hayden's mother and she was glowing. While I realize that she hasn't even begun to process what has happened just yet, her faith is amazing. She is trusting in God's plan and though I went to offer my support to her and her family, I found that I am the one that received that support through her faith.

She is an amazing woman and she has the strength of a mother. A very special mother, similar to that of the Blessed Mother. She was comforting those who had come to comfort her. She was mothering those that were coming to mother her.

She spoke of her son with such pride and admiration. I fell in love with him through her, the way that we come to know Christ through His Mother.

I ask you to continue to keep the O'Brien family in your daily prayers as they move through their grief and sorrow.

Trusting in His plan and His mercy!

2008-06-30T11:19:00.002-06:00

Sometimes life just doesn't make sense. Why do things happen as they do? This weekend, a truly wonderful family in our homeschooling group lost their eldest son in a drowning accident.

I can't imagine the pain that they are suffering, but I know that God knows this pain. He lost His Son too.

Please pray that this family feels the comfort of our prayers for them. And may Hayden be resting at the feet of Jesus in eternal bliss!

Random Boo-ness

2008-06-29T10:12:00.004-06:00

There are so many things that Boo says and does that I hope I never forget, but as history has proven, I know I will.

So in no special order, I will jot down random items of note. Maybe if I was better about blogging, I'd have a better record of these things.

Nose again!

please ignore the awful picture of me and only gaze over the adorable two-year old on my lap!

(Boo gets frequent bloody noses and they used to freak him out. Mark helps to stop the bloody nose with a tp torpedo that is placed in the nostril to absorb the blood. Sounds weird. Looks even weirder! But one time Boo caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror and started cracking up! Now, when ever he gets a bloody nose, instead of crying and screaming, he starts laughing and announces, "Nose Again!" and proceeds to get some tp for daddy.

BADOODOO!
Boo knows all of his letters and numbers by sight and in order when recited. I don't know how or why he happens to have this information, but it is adorable to be at the pool and have him get out, run to the "No Diving" sign and spell it out. The lifeguards are in awe, as am I. He says them all properly with the exception of one letter, "W". He pronounces it "Ba-Doo-doo". I know he'll need to out grow this, but it is so sweet to hear him say that...

When trying to put him to bed, we have to turn around all of the clocks in the room because he reads the numbers of the digital clocks. He'll announce the time over and over again until the time changes and then he'll start all over again. Often he will announce the time backwards. For instance, if it is 9:05, he will say, "5-0-9". So, being the dyslexia freak that I am, I will insist that he say it properly. Instead he argues with me telling me that it is indeed "5-0-9!" I will continue to say, "No, it's 9:05", and then I'll hear, "No, mommy, it's 9:06!" Smarty pants!

The other thing he does with letters and numbers is that he turns them around to make other letters. For instance, "M" becomes "W"; "A" becomes "V". An "E" can become a "3", a "p" can become a "b" or a "q" or a "9". Now this might not be a big deal for most people, but when I recall that he is only 2 years old, it really blows my mind.

One day, Boo and Fish were doing a letter puzzle. Fish announced that Boo knew his letters better than he did! Fish is 6. I am sure this was the catalyst to his sudden interest in learning to read.

I think Boo is considering potty-training. Often he will announce, "PANTS!" when he needs to be changed.

His newest passion is to have his ears cleaned as he is falling asleep. He gets nice and comfy and then as I begin to clean his ears, he drops off to a deep sleep and is out for the night.

Well, since he is currently attempting to hijack the keyboard, I am going to sign off for now.

iord4te5w3ww

Campaign of Gratitdue

2008-06-22T08:58:00.002-06:00

I was sent this today and felt it was important enough to put on the blog. I don't know how widespread this small act of gratitude is, but I pray it will be an accepted standard as a show of gratitude to our men and women in service.

Please visit the CAMPAIGN OF GRATITUDE website today to learn more.

Happy Birthday, Bean!

2008-06-20T09:03:00.000-06:00

Another year has come and gone and I am starting to feel that bittersweet feeling of watching my daughter grow into a young woman who will be leaving our nest sooner rather than later.

This is what we, as parents, strive for. To raise godly children that desire to go out into the world to serve Him, to serve others, and to be an asset to society.

Bean is all of this and I couldn't be any prouder of her than I am this day.

Happy Birthday my sweet little Bean!

Please Pray

2008-05-22T11:48:00.001-06:00

I am an avid Christian music fan and one of my family's favorite artists has suffered an unspeakable tragedy. Please pray for Steven Curtis Chapman and his entire family.

You can read about the loss of his five-year old daughter, Maria on his blog.

The ABCs- Boo Style

2008-05-16T10:43:00.003-06:00

Here is Boo giving a lesson in the ABCs

If you can listen closely, the older children begin quizzing him on other letters using their fingers. See if you can pick up how he says the sound for /W/.

It was Daddy's birthday that we were celebrating!

Happy 13th Birthday!

2008-04-27T10:30:00.004-06:00

It seems like just yesterday that we were snuggling on the couch reading books about Pooh and watching sweet videos of Little Bear. Now he's taller than me, makes me (and his little brothers) feel safe and well-taken care of.

Love you, Foo! Happy, happy birthday!

One of my inspirations

2008-04-23T22:00:00.002-06:00

Our First Information Night!

2008-04-23T12:57:00.004-06:00

Thank you to Homewood Christian Association for allowing us to have a table for The Woodlands Learning Center at their information night last night.

We had a wonderful time meeting many people, most of them homeschoolers or homeschoolers-to-be.

Lazy day with the ducks

2008-04-23T12:47:00.003-06:00

Behind

2008-04-05T22:02:00.003-06:00

As expected, I fell behind in my posting of the Divine Mercy Novena. Hopefully, that didn't stop those of you who wished to complete it from doing so!

I finished my first 50K today! I am going to take some time of from the bigger runs for awhile. Not too long, just long enough to recover, strengthen my whole body, and create some new goals.

You can follow my running progress on my running blog. I'll post a more detailed race report later.

Big happenings in Houston this week as the new Co-Cathedral was dedicated. It looks incredible and I am hoping that we can go as a family soon. We are very blessed to have such a magnificent new place of worship!

Divine Mercy Fourth Day

2008-03-24T14:43:00.001-06:00

HOW TO RECITE THE CHAPLET

"Today bring to Me those who do not believe in God and those who do not know Me,

I was thinking also of them during My bitter Passion, and their future zeal comforted My Heart. Immerse them in the ocean of My mercy."

Most compassionate Jesus, You are the Light of the whole world. Receive into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart the souls of those who do not believe in God and of those who as yet do not know You. Let the rays of Your grace enlighten them that they, too, together with us, may extol Your wonderful mercy; and do not let them escape from the abode which is Your Most Compassionate Heart.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon the souls of those who do not believe in You, and of those who as yet do not know You, but who are enclosed in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. Draw them to the light of the Gospel. These souls do not know what great happiness it is to love You. Grant that they, too, may extol the generosity of Your mercy for endless ages. Amen.

*Our Lord's original words here were "the pagans." Since the pontificate of Pope John XXIII, the Church has seen fit to replace this term with clearer and more appropriate terminology.

Good Friday, The Triduum Begins as Does the Divne Mercy Novena

2008-03-21T08:27:00.002-06:00

Another Lenten season has almost passed. I never feel fully prepared to receive Our Lord as He is Resurrected on Easter Morning. Perhaps I am supposed to feel like this. Can we ever really feel ready?

Good Friday also holds even more meaning for me the last 3 years. Mom received her last rites on Good Friday. She passed away on Easter Monday. It was such a beautiful and moving experience. She was finally at peace those last few days. No pain, no ugly bruises, no problems breathing. Just peace. She looked so beautiful.

Tomorrow we will be releasing her ashes finally. My brother and I have decided that the time has come to set her truly free. She was adament about her wishes to be spread over the water and I must carry out those wishes. I feel like she has been prodding me the last few months so I know it is time.

Today also begins the Novena to the Divine Mercy. I will again post the daily prayers here as I can, however, if I miss a day, it is because I am spending my time with family and with Him.

May you each have a Blessed and Holy Triduum.

Divine Mercy Novena - First Day

HOW TO RECITE THE CHAPLET OF DIVINE MERCY

Jesus asked that this Feast of the Divine Mercy be preceded by a Novena of Chaplets to the Divine Mercy which would begin on Good Friday. Say one chaplet each day following the novena intention. In her diary, St. Faustina wrote that Jesus told her:

"On each day of the novena you will bring to My Heart a different group of souls and you will immerse them in this ocean of My mercy... On each day you will beg My Father, on the strength of My passion, for the graces for these souls. By this novena I will grant every possible grace to souls." (Diary 1209, 796)
"Today bring to Me All Mankind, especially all sinners and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges me."

"Today bring to Me all mankind, especially all sinners,

and immerse them in the ocean of My mercy. In this way you will console Me in the bitter grief into which the loss of souls plunges Me."

Most Merciful Jesus, whose very nature it is to have compassion on us and to forgive us, do not look upon our sins but upon our trust which we place in Your infinite goodness. Receive us all into the abode of Your Most Compassionate Heart, and never let us escape from It. We beg this of You by Your love which unites You to the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Eternal Father, turn Your merciful gaze upon all mankind and especially upon poor sinners, all enfolded in the Most Compassionate Heart of Jesus. For the sake of His sorrowful Passion show us Your mercy, that we may praise the omnipotence of Your mercy for ever and ever. Amen.

Hans is Free and Clear!!

2008-03-13T09:12:00.004-06:00

For those of you who have been praying for Hans... I just had to share his news!

The strength of the human spirit never ceases to amaze me. Not only has this family had to deal with a very aggressive and rare form of childhood cancer, they have raised money for the cause! Bake sales and fund raisers. Just when I think my plate can't get any fuller, I read about these types of folks and almost get embarrassed at my own weaknesses.

Hans is so special to me. I've never met him in person. They live in my community. We run in some of the same circles. But the prayers and support that we have offered still help. He was the reason for my first 5K. I still think of him when I run. He is an inspiration to us all...

Another First

2008-03-08T07:24:00.003-06:00

As Boo grows older, the "firsts" of his life grow fewer, but the other day, he drew his first real picture. I stood in amazement as this blessing from God drew "BobJoe" aka Bob and Larry, with Larry as Little Joe. (Veggie Tales)

Next he drew a Choo Choo Train!

More precious than ever...

Texas Independence Rely

2008-03-03T21:51:00.002-06:00

For those of you following my running life, you can read about my latest adventure here.

Recent Fishisms

2008-02-26T21:23:00.002-06:00

I was enjoying my new perfume and actually put some on for no good reason. When I came downstairs Fish asked...

"Mommy, are you going to church?"

I replied, "No..."

"You smell like you are!"

Today, we were talking about what he read about Ben Franklin with his dad. He began to tell me about all kinds of things that Mr. Franklin was known for. At one point he mentioned that he was a printer. He narrated that he worked for his brother who was very mean to him and then Ben Franklin printed his own things and they were the best! I asked him if he could remember Ben's "printing name."

Fish responded, "No, I can't remember."
Trying to give him a clue I said, "Poor..."
Fish: "printer?"
Me: "no"
Fish: "ben?"
Me: "no"
Fish: "poor...celin??"

I didn't know Mr. Franklin was so closely connected with the commode!

I honestly don't know where he comes up with this stuff!

To My Favorite Decade

2008-02-09T17:31:00.003-06:00

Happy Birthday, Lem! We can't believe that you are 10 years old this day!
You are so beautiful, inside and out! We are blessed that you have been loaned to us by God. Don't ever forget how precious you are to us and to all who know you.

Lent Begins

2008-02-06T09:26:00.001-06:00

The season of Lent holds great meaning for me. I love this time of repentance and sacrifice. While I realize that we are called to live this way all of the time, being human in nature,(most of the time), I find it comforting that God helps us to recall our baptismal call through the season of Lent. How merciful He is to give us this concentrated time of sacrifice and repentance.

As we begin this time in our Liturgical Year, I pray that each of you hear what He is calling you to. I also ask that you remember sweet baby K. She is the angel that I recently asked you to pray for.

K was born on Jan 30th. She was about to be discharged to go home when the doctors discovered something was not quite right with her heart. K has a condition called Tetralogy of Fallot. She also has an additional problem with her pulmonary artery. Currently she is in a wonderful Children's Hospital where they are doing everything they can to help her. I firmly believe that K will be just fine, but I will continue to ask for your prayers for her, for her doctors, for her family, including her twin brothers, her mother, and her father. I especially ask for your prayers for Dad as he is struggling with the "whys" and feeling of powerlessness, as well as issues of faith. I know that God is calling him into a closer relationship with Him. I pray that Dad can hear the call and find the comfort of His love, peace, and mercy that He has for him.

Reading for Ash Wednesday can be found here.

2008-02-01T09:11:00.000-06:00

This sweet baby was born on January 30th. She and her family need lots of prayer right now. I will share more later.

Marathons and Memories

2008-01-28T14:14:00.000-06:00

I have been sorely neglecting my 'Mommy' blog as there are just not enough hours in the day. At times I think I should close this one and maintain my running one. But it just doesn't feel right, not yet.

For now, I will be content to update when I can and try to hit the major highpoints of our lives and our faith.

Boo is growing so quickly. His vocabulary increases with every passing day. These are the times when I wish I had a video camera so that I could capture these moments to be treasured. But how do you pick the moments? They are all so precious and so blessed, and I am not deserving of any of them. I will accept these daily gifts from God as long as He presents them.

Lem will be hitting double digits in a very short while. I can't believe my baby girl will be growing into a young woman so soon. She is so beautiful and precious, kind and righteous (in the good way.)

Bean and Foo had the pleasure of taking the SAT this past weekend. They were such troopers. I don't know that I could sit in a chair for four hours and wrack my brain for information. What was really funny was Bean's comment today. She said out of the blue, "Ya know mom, I don't really care what my scores are because there is no way that they can tell how smart I am from that test!" She is so right! I pray that the college that Bean wants to attend meets her and gets to know her. She will do just fine on the SAT, but I hope that the school that she chooses to attend accepts her because they believe in her as a person, not because of some numbers on a page.

Fish is busy being Fish. His insights on life always astound me. To have his wisdom...

I did finish my first marathon. It was a life-changing experience. The love and support that I received during my training, on race day, and the days following, were nothing short of amazing. I have a truly blessed life and I pray I don't forget to show how grateful I am to each person in my life.

My favorite time of the liturgical year is just around the corner. I will be posting some thoughts and ideas on Lent in the days to come.

I'm with her!

2008-01-10T09:12:00.000-06:00

This woman is calling herself the meanest mom in the world. If this is mean, then sign me up. She probably saved this kid's life in one way or another...

I wonder if the ACLU or CPS will be knocking on her door.

Highlights of Advent and Christmas

2008-01-06T21:48:00.000-06:00

Things I want to remember about this Advent and Christmas, in no certain order...

1. Foo arranging to decorate for Christmas as a surprise for us.
2. Boo's reaction to seeing the tree magically appear after his nap. Utter fear.
Then... TRREEEEEEEE.
3. Every night we had to say "good night treeeeee". All lights were trees. All
Christmas decorations were trees.
4. Boo picked up an ornament and thought it was a ball. Imagine the expression on
face when it failed to bounce...
5. Boo didn't touch the tree for the rest of the season. Wonder why?
6. Sleeping in late most every day for two weeks!
7. Having Mark home all the time, all season and beyond!
8. Lem making Christmas cookies all by herself, TWICE!
9. Seeing Fish get totally excited when he pulled Tannie (his yellow lab Webkinz) out of his stocking.
10. Watching Bean turn into a kid again upon opening her lime green digital camera.
11. Having the Alicia spend the night.
12. Spending countless hours with extended family and friends.
13. Watching said family spend countless hours playing guitar hero and rock band.
14. Hearing Deacon Joe's homily today.
15. Preparing for the marathon with friends.
16. Seeing Boo's expression when he woke from his nap to see that the tree had magically disappeared. He actually looked under the couch for it!

Happy Feast of Epiphany!

2008-01-06T10:47:00.001-06:00

The last day of Christmas is here. As we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany, my family and I will reluctantly put away our decorations of the Christmas Season.

We are still listening to Christmas music, especially this new CD. It is a wonderful addition to our collection.

Funny thing about Christmas music. I am old school. I don't want to hear it during Advent. I look with great anticipation towards Christmas Eve Mass when I hear Silent Night for the first time. After all, Advent is a period of waiting and desiring to hear the music, yet "waiting" until Christmas Eve helps me to remember which season we are truly in. So many beautiful songs, so many beautiful emotions. Hearing them the day after Thanksgiving takes away from the sacredness of the moment for me.

My husband on the other hand, can't wait til the day after Thanksgiving! He loves hearing the Christmas music as soon as possible. The music fills his heart with such joy and watching him enjoy it so much is worth the sacrifice of hearing a few songs before Christmas Eve.

The poor children will never figure us out, however. If I am driving with the kids in the car, I quickly switch the CD and/or radio station from the Christmas music and tell the kids about how we should be waiting to hear this beautiful music until Jesus comes!

Then they ride with dad. He quickly changes the CD and/or radio station TO the Christmas Music and states, "IT'S CHRISTMAS! We are listening to Christmas music and nothing else!"

And they wonder why they are so confused! Crazy parents...

We have great fun with this little disagreement in our home. I am sure our children will always remember it. And then they will make their own traditions.

Speaking of traditions, today is the perfect day to bless your home. You can read about how to do this here.

It's 2008!

2008-01-05T23:33:00.000-06:00

A Happy Belated New Year to you all! I have taken quite a break from my blogging on this blog for the last few months. My focus has been on my training for the Marathon which I will be participating in on January 13th. For those who don't know, you can read my running blog here.

I hope to get back to more regular and relevant posts here afterwards.

The last two weeks have been a wonderful vacation for us around the home-front. No work, no school, just relaxing, eating, more relaxing, and some organizing.

I have re-vamped some of our school subjects, leaning more towards Ambleside again. I always feel that we get so much more out of the literature choices we take from AO.

I'd really love to enroll Bean in the expository essay class with Bravewriter, but I can't justify the cost so soon after Christmas.

She and Foo are slated to take the SAT this month. Foo is doing it as part of the Duke's TIP program. I am very curious to see how he does.

Bean has her permit now and will begin driving lessons with her father any time now. Consider yourselves warned.

I pray I'll get some time to post some pictures and more about our goings on soon. Until then, I wish you all peace!

Out of the mouths of babes

2007-12-29T05:20:00.001-06:00

If you are a listener of KSBJ, you may have already heard this, but for those of you who aren't listeners or like me, just never heard this conversation, I can tell you, it is worth the few minutes to listen...

And Unto Us a Savior is Born!

2007-12-24T09:31:00.000-06:00

Rejoice!

Merry Christmas! We will see you in 2008!

What a nice way to draw Advent to a close!

2007-12-23T21:57:00.003-06:00

After Mass, we packed up the vehicles and headed out in search of Christmas lights to behold.

We found a few neighborhoods that truly embraced the Christmas spirit and many even had Nativity scenes!

Thanks to the Neen Family, we had hot cocoa, WITH marshmallows! The kids had a blast and I hope that this quickly planned outing becomes a new tradition.

Finally, the little bladders and hungry tummy won us over and we returned to the house for a few pictures, bathroom privileges, and some dinner.

Amazing that all the kids looked at the camera at the same time!

The Girls!

The Guys!

The Guys and the Dads

The folks responsible for all those kids!

And let's not forget Santa's cutest elf...

Fishism

2007-12-19T23:53:00.001-06:00

I've been meaning to post the latest Fishism for a few weeks. Better late than never I suppose.

Aunt Marli experienced this one...

Fish: Aunt Marli, what's that place called that's not Heaven and not Hell? I think it starts with a "P"...

AM: Purgatory?

Fish: No, I think it's called the Pizza Parlor...

RoseMary is now a saint!

2007-12-05T17:52:00.000-06:00

For all of those who have been praying for RoseMary Teresa, I wanted you to read about the last day of her life from her Uncle. What a beautiful, loving family and how I wish I had even a small amount of the faith that they have shown through this time in their lives. Please continue to pray for the family and those who are most affected by her death. She lived a short time, but every day of her life was a miracle and truly a gift from Our Father.

Uncle Joe shares:
RoseMary Teresa should not have lived one day
according to the experts. And she didn't, she lived 45
days, each day packed with, and powered by love. Love
completely surrounded this beautiful baby from the
time she was in her mothers womb through her birth and
throughout her entire life.

Last summer, when Mary and David received the news of
RoseMary Teresa's condition before her birth, they
made a conscious choice to love this baby completely
regardless of the fact that they knew it very well
could break their hearts. But they chose the path of
love, regardless.

Mary's mother used to say that joy and sorrow are like
two vines growing together. If you want one you have
to take both and then completely trust that Our Lord
will provide the grace necessary when the time comes.

Mary and David had deliberately chosen to always live
each moment with RoseMary Teresa, celebrating and
cherishing her. They would not worry. They would trust
confidently in God's Mercy and Providence, knowing
that he would care for them and whatever needs they
might have. There would be no "bad days" for RoseMary
Teresa. There would be no days wasted to worrying.

Yesterday, Sunday December 2, began just as everyday
had begun for RoseMary Teresa. She was peaceful,
surrounded by the love of her mommy, her daddy, her
brothers, her grandparents, her aunts, her uncles, her
cousins, and all of you, her new spiritual family.
Mary and David were continuing to live each moment in
gratitude for their most precious RoseMary Teresa.

At around 5 o'clock, they noticed that something had
changed with RoseMary Teresa. It was a slight change,
but when you love someone as intensely as they do
RoseMary, you notice these things. They called
RoseMary's doctor. He came to the house as he has done
so many times before, an act of kindness and
generosity which helped to make their lives just a
little easier. He arrived around 6:30pm. He examined
her, listened to her heart and confirmed that her
heart was indeed failing.

It was her fetal valve. It was closing. It had
persistently stayed open despite what the experts said
should have happened. The doctors thought RoseMary
Teresa should have died in the first day. The fetal
valve was still open, though, and was providing the
extra assistance to her heart, which was keeping her
alive. It should have closed sooner. In most cases,
within 3 - 5 days. Maybe in a very few cases, it may
stay open for two weeks, tops.

Our Lord, in His supreme generosity had given RoseMary
Teresa to us for 45 days, and was now, in his infinite
mercy, love and wisdom, bringing her back to Himself.

The Family gathered. For the next 4 1/2 hours they
prayed, they sang, they spoke to RoseMary and each
other. Mary wanted to sing "Now Thank We All Our God"
as she and David had done every morning of RoseMary's
short life. But she couldn't find her voice. Their
family doctor started singing in his rich deep
baritone, the family soon joined.

David held RoseMary. Mary was right next to him
caressing her. Both providing comfort and protection,
helping her to be still and peaceful. Mary rubbed her
head and face. RoseMary always loved when her mommy
would do this, showing small almost imperceptible
signs of her pleasure whenever her mother touched her.
The boys were there, her big brothers, praying softly
for their only sister. Her Aunt, and uncles were
there. Many of her cousins were there in that family
room. RoseMary's doctor was there. All praying.

Mother Teresa was there with The Blessed Mother,
invisible, embracing their RoseMary Teresa.

Our Lord was there. As Mary said, He was flooding the
room with His Peace. The peace and love from all of
your many many prayers and sacrifices.

Throughout this whole time RoseMary Teresa was
peaceful. There would be short little struggles, then
peace.

It was sometime between the 5th Joyful Mystery, the
finding of our Lord in The Temple, and the Salve
Regina that our beautiful, perfect, RoseMary Teresa
was gently cradled by Our Blessed Mother and Blessed
Mother Teresa of Calcutta and taken from our presence
and into the Full Presence of Our Lord.

David had been holding his finger softly over
RoseMary's heart and he felt it slowly flutter and
fade. He called the doctor who had been quietly
praying with the family this whole time. The doctor
confirmed that RoseMary Teresa's spirit was gone from
her body. RoseMary Teresa moved from the embrace of
her earthly father and went into the embrace of her
Heavenly Father.

David gave RoseMary's body to Mary who softly cradled
her child, weeping quietly and giving her precious
daughter back to The Lord, saying "Oh RoseMary, I love
you so much. I love you. Thank you God. Thank You for
this gift. I take what you give and I give what you
take."

There was such a sound in her voice. In her voice was
tremendous sorrow, joy, gratitude, and trust in God.
If you heard it, you would never forget it. I will
never forget it.

After the Rosary, there was weeping. There was also
rejoicing, for our RoseMary Teresa who was now
enjoying the perfect happiness of heaven. On this the
first Sunday of Advent, Christmas had come early to
RoseMary Teresa. Everyone sang, they sang "Hail Holy
Queen" and other songs to Our Blessed Mother. They
sang "Father I Adore You, lay my life down before you,
how I love you" and the verses that follow.

Father Peter gave David a place in scripture to read.
Psalm 23 The Lord is My Shepherd...

The Psalm says, "Goodness and Kindness will surround
me all the days of my life." RoseMary's life literally
was only "days" and throughout her entire life she was
surrounded only by goodness and kindness. So much
love.

After David finished reading, RoseMary Teresa's 4 1/2
year old brother Francis, looked up and asked, "Is
that book about RoseMary?" Father Peter said "yes,
it's also about you and all of us"

Everyone then had a chance to hold RoseMary Teresa.
She was so beautiful. So perfect. Each of her brothers
and family members held the body of their now departed
sister, each saying their quiet "I love you's".

Mary and David were reflecting today on the life of
their little girl. They have no regrets. It was a
perfect life filled with love. Every moment was lived
to the fullest. As Mary said "When you become a
parent, you don't just bring a child into time, you
bring them into eternity." On Sunday night at 11:05,
RoseMary Teresa entered into Eternity.

As Mary and David heal from the suffering from loss of
their daughter, they are also joyful. Mary says, "they
are just so happy for RoseMary".

There is no way to thank all of you for giving so
much. All of your prayers, all of your sacrifices. As
the Missionaries of Charity wrote several weeks ago,
"God's ways are not our ways, they are infinitely
better."

Today, The Missionaries of Charity wrote to Mary and
David,

"In the midst of the sorrow of no longer having
RoseMary Teresa to hold and care for, you have the
immense consolation of knowing with absolute certainty
that she is in Heaven. And so the Vicinanzo family can
humbly boast of its first saint. She is surely smiling
upon all of you and sending blessings your way from
the arms of our Heavenly Father (and after Jesus and
Our Lady, I bet Mother Teresa is first in line in the
heavenly court waiting to hold her!)

RoseMary Teresa will live on in all of our hearts and
we shall always be grateful for the way she has
enriched all of our lives."

Please keep praying for RoseMary Teresa's family. And
remember, RoseMary Teresa is now in heaven, pray to
her for your needs.

Thank you all for your many prayers. Each of you are
now and forever in the prayers of our entire family.

God Bless You.

P. S. RoseMary Teresa's funeral will be held this
Wednesday. I will send the details in a second email.
Mary and David would like you all to know that you are
all, each of you, most welcome to attend.

Never say never

2007-12-05T17:44:00.000-06:00

I never thought that I would see myself doing this...

You know you are busy when

2007-12-05T17:42:00.000-06:00

Your son asks if you have had a chance to talk with his father about the new computer he wants to buy, (for the 10th time) and you still haven't. The said son's response is, "Boy, Mom, it's easier to get a bill passed into a law than for you guys to get time to talk!"

Jane! Stop this crazy thing!

2007-11-29T09:36:00.000-06:00

I had a moment to catch up on a few of my favorite bloggers today and could not pass by Laura's post. You have got to read this. It is crazy, but unfortunately, it is reality. Supposedly, Texas has voted it out of third grade, but I wonder when the replacement books will begin to be used. Also, is the curriculum used in other grades? My older kids were in public school for a few years and I was appalled to hear the little sayings and finger tricks that the girls were taught to help them recall their math facts. I am sure this was the beginnings of the "Everyday Math" insurgence.

I liken this to the "Whole Language" experiment that was performed on us in the 70's. Ridiculous and ineffective. Unfortunately, I don't know that the cries of parents and teachers will be heard over the sound of money changing hands between school districts and publishers.

November has flown by

2007-11-25T18:11:00.000-06:00

I can't believe we are already nearing the end of another year. It seems we just began this one! November has gone by so quickly and I have been way late in posting. Honestly, I can't make too many excuses because we are busy living. At times I ask myself why I blog. It takes time away from the family. Time that I could be doing something else. I sometimes contemplate closing the blogs and I might someday, but for now, I will blog as I can. I know many of my fellow bloggers feel these same feelings.

The month started out with All Saint's Day. We had a wonderful time out in the country at a very generous homeschooling family's home. They opened up their home and their land to us urbanites as we celebrated the Feast of All Saints out in God's most wonderful creation, nature.

You have got to be kidding me!

2007-11-20T07:43:00.000-06:00

Attention crazy people!

Kohl's is opening on Friday at 4 AM for your shopping pleasure! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this on tv last night.

There is only one reason to get up at 4 AM, and it does not involve shopping!

Karenism

2007-11-20T07:41:00.001-06:00

Ok, you know it is going to be an interesting day when, upon applying your makeup, you suddenly realize that you just lined your eyes with red lip liner.

Does so much to wake up those tired eyes!

The lip liner now resides in the garbage can. I never used the thing anyway!

Latest Fishism

2007-11-10T20:31:00.000-06:00

The other day as we were riding home from the doctor's office, Fish asked me how hot the sun was. I told him that I didn't know the exact temperature but that it was very hot.

He asked what would happen if we got close to it. I told him that we would get very hot and we could "melt". (I couldn't bring myself to tell him that we would die!)

He then asked me if it was hotter than "H". Assuming he was speaking of Hell, I was about to tell him no and explain that Hell was the hottest thing and perhaps even take the opportunity to give a quick catechism lesson on Hell and why we don't want to end up there.

Before I could, however, he added, "you know the H I am talking about?"

Me: "Yes, Fish."

Fish: "It's the one next to the 'C' "

Me: "What?!"

Fish: "The one in the tub!"

So much for me thinking I know what my son is talking about! I couldn't help but smile the rest of the way home! And I skipped the lesson on Hell...

What exactly do we do?

2007-11-10T17:42:00.000-06:00

BOY, am I wiped out! Ran close to 10 miles today and then spent a few hours at the Children's Festival working at a table for Kid's Directory. They were kind enough to let me hand out cards about The Woodlands Learning Center to help us promote the PACE and Master the Code programs. For those of you who don't know what we do, we train the brain! We do not do any academic tutoring, but rather we provide a series of cognitive excercises which help to strengthen the weak learning skills which keep a student from being as successful as they could be.

PACE and Master the Code helps all students, young and old, those with diagnosed difficulties such as Dyslexia, ADD, Asberger's even Autism. However it also is very effective with those who do not have a diagnosis per se, yet seem to struggle, require additional tutoring on a consistent basis, fail grades, seem unmotivated, etc.

You can check out our company website for more information.

I am so thankful to have found PACE and Master the Code because it was able to help two of my own children that might have been life long strugglers, especially with reading. Being able to offer this to others blesses my family in many ways. My prayer is that we bless them just as much!

Tired

2007-11-09T07:07:00.000-06:00

Fish has pneumonia. I wasn't expecting that one, but my poor little Fish is really sick. I don't think I've ever seen him feel so bad.

He is going to be fine, thanks to our wonderful medical miracle worker, but in the meantime, we are having him sleep right next to me. I am not sleeping well, so I awake exhausted. I'll be heading back to bed in a little bit for a quick, or maybe not so quick nap.

Did you ever wake up and think, boy I LOVE my bed? Well, I really do. I can't wait to see it again!

What in the world?

2007-11-08T09:08:00.000-06:00

I can't believe this one...
I am not a huge Robertson fan, but I was under the impression that he believed the unborn came before our Federal deficit. Guess I was wrong.

I was blessed to find this information on this gentleman's blog. Be sure to read his posts regarding his journey to the Catholic Church.

No prize for me

2007-11-08T08:49:00.000-06:00

I received an email today from NaBloPoMo discussing how the creator will issue a prize at the end of the month. Hmph. I didn't know that! If I had realized that then I would NEVER have missed posting!

Ok... who am I kidding. I would still miss posting. The sad thing is that I posted a few posts to my running blog last night. I wanted to post here, but I had convinced myself that I already had and needed to wait until today to post so I wouldn't forget.

Guess what? I posted on Tuesday. Not yesterday. What has happened to my brain? Not enough doughnuts I say, not enough.

Speaking of doughnuts, how do we get to a point where we have two ways to spell it? I mean is it donuts or doughnuts? Did a doughnut shop owner decide it was cheaper to have a sign made with only 5 letters?

English is so goofy. We can read, or it was read. We can wind up the cord or we can listen to the wind howl. We can present a present to someone. But do we eat donuts or doughnuts? These are the questions that plague my mind at o'dark-thirty when I can't sleep. When I think about the post I am going to put on the blog tomorrow so I don't have two posts in one day. When I realize that the dork in me has no clue what I am doing from one moment to the next. And when I decide that I will post all of my failings in a public forum. Why not? No pride here! (yeah, right!)

On the more serious side, please keep our little Fish in your prayers today. We've been dealing with a high fever all night. He is wiped out and of course we worry with his inclination for seizures.

Adoration

2007-11-06T23:39:00.001-06:00

I was able to take a few minutes in adoration today, and I am so glad I did. I have been able to do this the past 3 or 4 weeks on Tuesdays after my run. I go into the adoration chapel, sweaty, stinky, and dressed in running gear. Thankfully, there are not many others in the chapel at the time. They don't seem to mind my presence, but I try to sit far away so as not to offend them with my yucky self.

It occurred to me tonight that Christ doesn't care how I show up, just that I do. He knows the worst parts about me, why should I be hesitant to show up as I am at that moment. It would only be another excuse for me not to go.

I picked up a nice little book that delivers a pretty powerful message. The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence seems to be exactly what I need right now. I was first intrigued by Brother Lawrence a few years ago when Mamabear gave me a book mark with a quote from him on it. When I saw this book sitting on the shelf, I knew it was meant for me to read. I love the simplistic message that it has.

I truly crave adoration. I need that time to bring all of those concerns directly to His feet. I feel such a sense of peace when I am able to leave them with Him and return to my family.

I was feeling a bit discouraged today as I mulled over the many stories of sinful behavior that I am hearing about in my community. I actually started thinking about how nothing could ever change the state of the world. Then I remembered, God has already won this war.

During my reading at adoration, it was said that Brother Lawrence said that "he was not shocked at the misery and sin he had heard about every day but on the contrary, considering the malice of which the sinner is capable, he was surprised that there was not more of it. He prayed for the sinner but knowing God could right the matter whenever he wished, he did not allow himself to be too upset. " (pg 24)

This is exactly what I needed to hear from the Lord tonight. Thank you, Lord.

Breakfast!

2007-11-04T10:31:00.000-06:00

Need I say more?

Busy, busy, busy

2007-11-04T09:12:00.000-06:00

Time gets away from me so easily these days! Before I knew it I was back in bed after a day full of beautiful moments spent with my family and friends.

As a little girl, I yearned for a close family. A large family. A family that longed to be together.

I can honestly say that all of my dreams have come true at this point in my life. My husband and our children spend nearly every moment of the day together. We start each day with our morning meal and end each day with our evening meal, together. We even have the wonderful opportunity of having lunch together and many other moments during the day.

I have always longed for this, especially when Mark was working away from the house 6 - 7 days a week. Now, he is home. And I am so thankful. We are a team in every sense of the word. Watching our family work together, as so many others do, is such a wonderful thing. Is it perfect? Hardly. But it is ours. And it is a total expression of God's love. Complete with bumps in the road as we all grow closer in holiness on our path home to Our Father.

Doh!

2007-11-03T04:54:00.001-06:00

Well, my streak was already broken! I totally missed posting yesterday, but I guess that means I can post today, twice, in lieu of yesterday? OK... I'm making up the rules as I go along, but that is ok.

I mentioned that my theme would be thankfulness. I thought this would be appropriate as we head into our "thankful" season. Thankful for food, for family, for our faith, friends, etc. I knew exactly what I wanted to post about first. My dogs. That's right. My dogs. Now, don't get me wrong, I am not putting my posts in any sort of order. They will come as the ideas hit me. So please don't think I am more thankful for one thing (like my dogs) than I am for something else ( say, my children). I am not.

I couldn't help but think about how very thankful I am for the dogs that have come into my life. Ever since I was a child, there has always been a special dog that I feel connected to in some way. I can't imagine my life without them in it. I don't understand how someone can not have a dog. It just doesn't fit into my paradigm. Sometimes, I have thought, "wouldn't it be nice to not have a dog!", but then I see those big beautiful eyes (they ALL have them) and I realize that I will probably ALWAYS have one. They just melt my heart.

They are first and foremost, unconditional in their love. They don't care if you've forgotten to feed them in the past, given up their walks for the last few weeks, only have a moment for a quick pat on the head. They take what they are offered and are so happy to have it! They cheer us up when we are down. Offer comfort when we grieve. Provide companionship when we are lonely. Protect us when we are afraid, and best of all, they clean up the kitchen floor after a messy toddler throws his food all over the place!

As I head out the door for my morning run, Hannah wimpers because I am not taking her with me. But as she ages, her ability to keep up with me for the mileage that I have to cover today diminishes. Maybe, just maybe, I'll have time to take her for a shorter run when I get back...

National Blog Posting Month

2007-11-01T10:40:00.001-06:00

Today begins NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month. You can read all about it here, but the short version is that those who are interested are going to post everyday during November.

It's been a long while since I posted everyday on this blog. I have decided to give it a shot. I will be posting on those things I am thankful and grateful for. I will also be posting on my running blog, but that won't count as my daily post.

I double dog dare ya to join me!

Day of All Saints

2007-11-01T10:10:00.001-06:00

I thought I'd post a few pictures of the future saints I am trying to raise. Notice the very unsaintly mother still has piles of laundry to fold... (thank goodness her saintly mother in law came last night and took care of that!)

Homeschooling with Teens

2007-10-28T08:56:00.001-06:00

I swear they told me to look into the sun... I think I was set up!

Birthday Recap

2007-10-28T07:35:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we celebrated Boo's birthday by having his Godfamily over for dinner. Unfortunately, I didn't remember to grab the camera until just before they were leaving. By that time, Boo was not up to cooperating for a picture with his Godparents. I did manage to capture a quick shot of their littlest one...

On Sunday, we celebrated with our extended family. I always love birthdays with the little ones. The excitement and wonder of the moment is so beautiful to behold.

Who is more excited?? Boo, Foo, or Lem?

Trains were the theme for the day, wait, who am I kidding, they are the theme for everyday right now. Boo loves trains! He lives and breathes trains. Last Saturday our parish had their annual children's festival and we were blessed to have a real train to ride!

The older children participated in our Tae Kwon Do School's demonstration that was put on as part of the entertainment portion of the festival. They did a tremendous job.

Of course, we had to include our traditional birthday kiss picture into our day...

Just in case you've forgotten...

2007-10-28T07:11:00.001-06:00

Life is precious. Please continue to pray for sweet Rose Mary Teresa!