Week in Review

I haven't had the time I'd like to blog lately. My vocation as mother seems to be calling me into different directions right now.



We've had a pretty busy week, as we usually seem to do. Em is still attending KPI and should be finishing up by the end of July, I hope. She is reading at grade level now and spelling has improved greatly. We are focusing on the more complex codes and memory skills which will in turn help with math applications.



A has moved back into the home for a temporary stay. She will be finding her own apartment within the month. The roommate scene did not work very well for her. Adjusting to having an adult-child move back home has been interesting. For her, having to answer to a curfew, house rules that are not hers, sharing space with siblings, etc., for us, realizing that we can't really "discipline" her anymore. She is not a child, not really fully grown, but legally she is responsible for herself and we can only offer encouragement, wisdom, experience, and advice (which isn't always welcomed).

I remember when I was this age (18.5). I knew everything. I was so much smarter than my parents. They had no clue what the real world was like. And then, one day, in fact, it was a few short hours after A was born, I realized I knew absolutely nothing, was scared to death and only wanted my mommy!!

Well, how the times have changed. You see, I am now the one who doesn't understand how things work. I don't have a clue how the real world works, and I don't know very much. And A thinks this too!!



Bean enjoyed her first full week of being 15. Her wonderful friends picked her up last night for a surprise luau. They had a wonderful time together. This week will greet her with Algebra I waiting in the wings. She needs to get through her lessons so that she can move onto Geometry.
She also authored her own blog this week. I won't be posting her blog here, however, for safety reasons.



Foo also began his hand at blogging this week. He is so excited about writing! Little do either of them know that this is my sneaky way of watching their writing skills develop. (always the homeschooling mom, you know.)



Fish enjoyed showing me his handstand that he can perform on the trampoline. Then we checked in on our tomatoes and herbs. We counted two tiny green tomatos, beautiful little babies! The basil and parsley are doing very well, however, the cilantro has seen better days. The oregano and thyme have not grow very much. I wonder if they aren't good choices for container gardening.



Baby Boo is sitting up so much better now. We still need to place pillows around him for when he topples over, but he is enjoying reaching out for his toys and practicing his new skill. At 8.5 months, he probably should be doing a bit more moving around, but for his size (over 22 lbs) I think he is right on track.



I've been working on planning our school year most of this week. I am refocusing my efforts toward The Latin Centered Curriculum. I have also been trying to plan our trip this fall to Florida. We have a family reunion planned and we can't wait to get there! I might be going a bit overboard, however, as evidence by my dreams last night. I was walking around in Orlando all the while translating signs into Latin...

A neat site I found for those of you interested in translating Latin - Harrius Potter I think Bean will be spending some time with that site.
It looks like fun!

A new blog to visit

If you are looking for a wonderfully refreshing view of the world, please check out my dear sister's blog, The MickeyMiss Club.

OH MOOOOMMYYYYY

I am ready for church!!!!

Our helper

Lawn work never looked so cute!

Incredible Story

About a year ago, I picked up a book at Kroger for Bean to read. It was called Gianna.

I found it an amazing story and was somewhat surprised that I had not heard about her before.

Then Laura stopped by my blog and I visited hers where I found this. ** Note** You may need to scroll up to see the post. I can't seem to fix this issue. *** You must read it. For the sake of any unborn child, you must.

Does anyone else

find Target's newest marketing campaign highly annoying if not offensive, but unfortunately true to life??

(Did anyone find that statement unbearable to read?)

Target is singing

"I want it, I need it" to which is answered "We got it!"

I find this so sad that our wants are now being recognized as our needs.

I suppose this has been the "theme" for our society for some time, but for Target to be so bold as to advertise with it?!

Do we really even know what our needs are anymore? Do I need new clothes? Do I need to get out and see a new movie or indulge in some supposed well-deserved mom-time out?

I think we have grown accustomed to having that which is necessary so easily attained that we now believe that our wants are actually needs.

Of course, having things is very nice. I enjoy most everything I have. I am very blessed and very grateful (usually), but I do feel much guilt over spending so much money on frivolous things when others go without true needs such as food, water, shelter, and basic clothing, not to mention medicines, jobs, and most importantly, love.

How do we balance our needs and wants? How do we recognize/trust that God will provide all that we need?

Do I have more than I need, and if so, how is it justified?

I certainly do not have answers to these ramblings, but I am interested in what others think.

Perhaps Multum non multa can apply to more than just our curriculum this year.

So much to choose from

I have so many things that I could/should be doing at the moment, but alas, here I sit on my blog, churning ideas in my mind.

I was at my spinning class tonight and heard several women discussing how much time was left for summer vacation. One woman replied... "AN ETERNITY!" Everyone laughed. Everyone that is, except me.

I used to feel the way this woman does. Summer break was entirely too long. I could not handle being around my kids that long. Why couldn't we have year-round schooling??

Today, I look at summer-break as the time I spend relaxing with the kids, doing things we don't normally get to do (besides catching up on laundry) and planning our next school year. This year, I've also comitted to getting back into shape and studying Latin myself.

When this question came up tonight, my first thought was, "Only 6 weeks?!! Oh my goodness, I've got so little time left to play! I need to plan some FUN for the kids and I!" Yes, I even thought about running out of time for planning our next school year.

My goal for the next several weeks is to enjoy these dog days of summer. The 90 degree + heat by curling up with books, eating watermelon, and maybe even slipping in a nature walk in the early morning hours. The schedules can wait, but my children can not.

8 months old!

I can not believe how quickly the time goes while watching this wonderful baby boy grow! I don't think I've ever seen a more content child.

Things he can do now:

Sit up, but be ready to catch him

Babble, "Ba ba ba ba"

Run over anyone's toes in his walker, no favoritism shown to anyone, including ME!

Sleep

Fake cough... pretty funny!

Play Peek-a-boo

Bite the "hand" that feeds him... not so funny!!

Happy Birthday, Bean!

Our sweet little angel came into this world 15 years ago today. We are so proud of her and enjoy watching her transform from a wonderful young girl into a remarkable, brilliant, kind, and loving young woman.



Of course, with 15 comes the learner's permit, held high over her head with chants of "FINISH UP YOUR ALGEBRA!!"

As you can see, from an early age, Bean has been pining away for her dream car, currently one of these...



People are kind enough to remind us of how beautiful Bean is, and yes, we agree, but what these pictures can never show someone is the beauty that she has inside. She loves life, loves her family, and loves Christ. She strives to serve Him in most everything she does, and wouldn't that make any parent proud?

So please join me in wishing our little girl a very happy birthday. May God continue to reveal Himself to you and may you always feel His love as well as ours! We are so PROUD to call you daughter!



God has blessed our lives
By loaning us his daughter
Love with gentle touch

A Belated Father's Day Wish

Though my post is late, my wishes and prayers for Father's every where is not.

I thank my Heavenly Father for the blessing of my wonderful husband, the best father for our children. He is the maker of my dreams, the shelter in the storm, the rock on the sand. He is all that I hope my children will someday aspire to be.

I thank Him for my beloved father who is so far away physically, but never in spirit.

I thank Him for a father in law who treats me as his very own. He has taught me more about unconditional love and living your faith out loud than anyone I have ever known.

I thank Him for my brother and brother in law. They have made me an aunt to some of the greatest kids in the world. Being an aunt is an extension of motherhood that helps me to embrace love on levels that I never knew existed.

Happy Father's Day, today and everyday.

Sons with phases

Poor Foo is trying to find his place in this world. Not quite old enough to fit in with the teens, but too old to fit in with the little kids.

Eleven. The beginning of the tween years. These days, I can find him in his room, trying to figure out something important to do. He is so pensive, so insightful, and as always, so thoughtful of others.

Praying that he moves from this phase of childhood into young adolesence with great ease and sense of self.

Speaking of phases...

We thought we had been blessed with a child who might actually enjoy and appreciate the benefits of sleep!

Until last week, little Boo would go down at about 8 pm and sleep until 6 or 7 am, nurse for a bit and then sleep at least another hour.

Lately, we are on the dreaded 'wake up every 2 hours' loop. Did I mention that I am quite the grumpy soul when I don't get a full night's sleep?

This I am definately praying is a phase.

Is it any wonder...

that Fish woke up this morning, snuggled into bed with me and asked, "can we slap bad guys?" To which my thought is, "exactly what did you dream about?!"

I inform him that it would not be nice to slap anyone, bad guys included.

He then confides to me "When I grow up, I want to be a POLICE OFFER!!" (no, that is not a misspelling)

I have to admit that while I applauded his decision and hugged him and told him how proud I was of him, inside, my heart sank. I am embarrassed and ashamed that it did, but it did.

My selfish-self reared it's ugly head. I couldn't help but think of all the good men in this field today that put their lives on the line every day of the week all in the name of justice. I don't want my baby to fall prey to some "bad guy" out there.

Quickly, I admonished myself and considered that Fish's call may well be to become a POLICE OFFER, and who am I to stand in his way.

then I prayed it was just a phase...

Mr. Campbell, please make my mommy stop!

Hey, Mommy, I have an idea!!!

If you put that Latin Centered Curriculum book down and get off of that Greek Mountain, (Parnassus), maybe I could eat??

Mr. Campbell, if you are reading this... please, please, please tell my mom to it is ok to take a break from your book... just for a day?



Update: My wonderful Godmommy heard my prayer! She borrowed the book from my mom... I get a whole night without hearing about it!

Narration of today

Today was quite a busy day. We got several things done that needed to be done.

The best part of the day is when our dear friends came over to work on a project together. There were 11 children here from the ages of 17 - 7 weeks.

The kids worked wonderfully together to complete our task (more on that later) and the day went fairly smoothly.

Until you consider Fish and his best buddy... Two 4 year olds ready to take on the world, like it or not! They have been appropriately nicknamed - Arma and Geddon.

We love these boys, but let me tell you, they can cyclone through a home in less than 5 seconds.

Key words of the day, I'll let you use your imagination...

Watermelon slices
Popcorn
Chips and Salsa
Tempera Paint

Oh, and let's not forget the Nerf Guns!

What a fun afternoon!! Really!

Summer is here

It's official, summer is here. My schedule tells me so! Twice a year I find myself at this point in life. Time to wrap up loose ends, re-organize things on the homefront, and plan for the upcoming year. Christmas/New Year's and summertime will usually find me in this mode.

I had made so many plans for the summer, but I am finding that I am overscheduling myself and leaving little room for the truly important things that summer is all about, at least for us.

This is the time of year that I try to relax. I try to do more "fun" activities with the children. I try to learn something new.

For this reason, I could never truly homeschool year-round. Perhaps this is a result of my own education which meant having the summers off. Whatever the cause, as much as I tell my kids, "We'll be doing school all summer if we don't finish up by June 1st!" I can never bring myself to follow through on the threat.

This year, Bean will be working on Algebra all summer, but other than a few books we'll be reading together, our learning will consist of nature study from the pool, math calculations by figuring out how much food to prepare for friends who come to visit, and life skill development activities will come into play while we "Flylady" the rooms in our home. (I have tried to stay on Flylady's schedule all year, but I am a failure. I maintain until summer when I take one room a week and deep clean it. I also try to do this during Christmas vacation, but not as in depth.)

As a result of discerning what I need to focus on this summer, I realized that some things needed to be cut from my life, for the time being. I have a very hard time admitting that I can't do it all and feel somewhat disappointed in myself when I let go of things, but I am learning to hear God's voice more clearly and when He says, "LET IT GO" I'd be silly not to listen. Which brings me to my great epiphany this week...

I haven't been trusting God in all things. I was taken back when I realized it. Shocked actually. I thought I was doing so well, but then I realized, I am holding onto some things, trying to figure them out all on my own. How selfish of me! How typical of me!

The amazing thing is how all of this comes into focus at once. WHAMO! In my face, here it is, this is what you aren't doing, K!! I guess He tries subtle on me, but that doesn't usually catch my attention. I think I may even have asked for this. I remember praying for Him to show me what I need to be doing for Him and then, this showed up. TRUST ME! I heard it. In the shower. The place that I encounter most of my spiritual awakenings. Crazy, eh? Not at Mass, not in adoration, but the shower... Meet me where I am Lord! Thinking about this, I guess it's the one place I can't have a book in hand filling my mind and leaving little room for Him to talk.

I'm still working on "my plan" for the summer, while trying to hear His plan for us. I am hoping "His Plan" has some of the things I'd like to accomplish on it...

Another Busy Week

This week was supposed to be my down week, but God has other plans! I plan to post all of the exciting things going on when I have a moment, but for now I'll leave you with a laundry list.

1. Reading Climbing Parnassus - what a book and I'm only in the first chapter!

2. KPI for my eldest... FINALLY! We may have found the key to a successful future for her.

3. Finishing up school for the 2005- 2006 year and looking ahead to 2006-2007 using LCC.

4. Re-reading LCC.

5. My self-education of Latin using Henle 1.

I'll leave you with another picture of Em from her First Communion. My husband and I are taking her out tonight for her special dinner to celebrate her reception of this sacrament.

First Communion Day

Today, on Pentecost Sunday, Little Em will receive Jesus in the sacrament of Holy Communion. Please keep her in your prayers.

Come, Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of Your faithful,
And enkindle in them the fire of Your love.

Thank you to her wonderful uncle who created this portrait for us to cherish.

Happy Thought

The world is so full of a number of things
I'm sure we should all be as happy as kings


Thank you Robert Louis Stevenson. This simple poem that is always one of our first to memorize, begs to remind me to forget the laundry, forget balancing the Quicken account, instead, head for the pond to count the new ducklings.

There are 14!

Newest Black Belts

We have two new black belts in our family! More pictures to come.

Em is picture here with her instructor. I hope to post Bean's picture as soon as I can.

Fish on Ushering

Fish: Mommy, I can help daddy usher now. But I just have to stand with him.

Mommy: Well, maybe if you are really good, you can help him with other things.

Fish: No, mommy, I don't think so.

Mommy: Why not? If you are a really good boy, you can help him, I'm sure!

Fish: (Laughing) Mommy, you know I couldn't do that!!

Talking to the kids

Some days, I feel like this is what I must sound like when I am trying to talk to the kids...

I would like to

I bet they wish that I would give up sometimes!

Calm within the storm

This weekend brought quite a bit of rain to us, sorely needed at that! In between the raindrops, we decided to go ahead and plant our herb garden. We also planted a few tomato plants as well.



I decided to do container planting this time. I think it will be more manageable for the kids (and for me!).



Earlier in the day, I noticed one of my mom's planted had bloomed. It's amazing how that bloom left me with a connection to her.
I am not sure what type of plant it is. My brother said it was a corn plant. Any ideas? Two more blooms appeared overnight.


This is turning out to be a very busy week for us. More details to follow. I'll try to post as I can.

Latin Centered Curriculum

I have spent a better part of today reading through this "must-own if you are a homeschooler" gem. If you are not a homeschooler, you should read it anyway to see what exactly our educational systems are lacking and why the present educational method in use will never compare to that of the Ancients.

Mr. Campbell has done a wonderful job of defining what a true classical curriculum is, the history of it, and why it should continue to be, especially for those who desire to become something more. He demonstrates through numerous examples that a "real education" is not just for the wealthy or the priviledged.

He also provides a very detailed break-down of the three parts of the Trivium. I have yet to see this done in a more approachable format.

Along with this, he offers a scope and sequence as well as suggestions for curricula to help the homeschooling parent who might feel a bit overwhelmed with the many choices available to them.

Personally, I felt that this book pulled together the ideas and methods of education that I have been trying to implement in our homeschool since we began 8 years ago. Reading this book helped me to consider refocusing that which we are already doing into a more logical path that will help to get the children to where I envision them.

I am more encouraged than ever to begin my own classical education right alongside my children.

If you can only buy one book for yourself this homeschooling year, (HORRORS!!), I would highly recommend this one.

To read more about this book, visit the Latin Centered website.

daughters

I just found out that Bean actually reads my blog! She burst my emotional bubble straight away, however, by announcing that she only reads it to see if I have said anything embarrassing about her!

I inquired as to whether or not I had, to which she replied, "Yes!" I think just the mere mention of her name qualifies as embarrassing, so on that note...

Ohhhhh Beanie... I wuv you soooooooooooo much! KISSY KISSY KISSY!!!

And she did comment that I wasn't just "not real happy" last night. She claims I was a monster... of course I was, she didn't give me a puppy kiss!

I'm so spoiled

I have to admit it. Everyone else knows it. I am spoiled. My dh helps around here so much. You can read more about that here. This week, however, dh is travelling, something we aren't used to around here. This post is to reassure him that the kids are still intact, as am I. We miss him terribly and can't wait for his return.

We thought we'd give our daddy a little view into our day today.

Baby B went to the dr. for his 6 month check up. He's 7 months now, so we are right on time...

Always fun taking a perfectly happy, content, healthy baby into the doctor and spend the next 2 - 4 days consoling, medicating, and worrying that he is reacting badly to his immunizations.

The nice thing is he learned to sit up almost all by himself today!



After a few doses of Advil and Tylenol, he is finally asleep. He weighed in at 20.02 lbs and 28.50" we'll call him "Tiny" from now on!

The other kids are being troopers. Mom was not feeling real happy when bedtime rolled around. Short on sleep and patience makes not a pleasant mommy. Sorry guys. I'll make it up to you tomorrow, promise!

They had a message for their daddy though...

Don't you just love the postman?

I do today! He delivered my newest purchase, Latin Centered Curriculum



as well as my current late night addiction, my Netflix DVDs of Ballykissangel. How lucky can a girl get??

I'll be spending my evening watching season 4 of Bally K and reading the LCC cover to cover, taking many notes along the way.

I love the preface of the book thus far. I am so encouraged by Drew's passion for classical education. He has a way of prodding even the least educated of us to seek out that classical education for ourselves as well as our children.

Drew tells of his own education which is not unlike my own, publically educated, and very uninspiring. He advises one to move past "vocational training and/or edutainment." I love that word!!

Having survived a public education myself and offering up one of my own children to the system, I feel safe in saying that his impression of today's educational results are on par.

I plan to go ahead and take the challenge which Drew presents. I will be studying Latin this summer. I also plan to purchase a Math curriculum, either Algebra I or Pre-Algebra. I have not determined where best to start yet.

Future courses I will take on as my vocation allows time for:

Greek
Algebra 2
Geometry
Trigonometry
Calculus - ok, maybe not, but I can dream, can't I??

These are two subjects which have always intrigued me. Latin, because only the "college-bound" students were encouraged to study it and "I" was not cut from the college-bound cloth, and Algebra because I failed it so miserably in high school and have avoided it like the plague ever since. I have always said that I would like to go to school to learn these things, as well as many others, and now I have finally realized that I can do this at home, on my own, and call myself a HOMESCHOOLER! Isn't this how many of the greatest men in history learned things?

Aside from the actual knowledge that I will gain in my endeavors to learn Latin and Algebra, I am hoping that my children will see how important it is to always be willing to learn, to always seek knowledge, and to never be afraid go after what you want on your own.

I realize that I will not receive a college diploma from this method of studying, but honestly, that is not important to me at this stage of my life. The knowledge is. The ability to be a self-directed learner is. And should I ever decide to enroll in a "real" college, perhaps I'll be that much more prepared for the course work.

If anyone else would like to join me in this new endeavor, I would love to hear about it. Please drop me an email or a comment and let me know what you plan to do for yourself!

Fish on Breakfast

Dad: Fish, how many breakfast taquitos would you like?

Fish: Twenty-two!

Dad: How about one or two?

Fish: How about twenty-three?!

Dad: Let's start with one...


Mom (thinking to herself): Why do we ask such silly questions?

I don't like waiting...

Waiting seems to bring out the worst in me! My lack of patience shows each and every time I am forced to wait, whether I am waiting for Lent to come to an end, Christmas to come, the kids to get in the car, the light to turn green, etc.

But the worst type of waiting that I can experience... waiting for my newly purchased school books, to arrive!!

I am patiently, not so patiently, no choice but to wait patiently, waiting for The Latin Centered Curriculum to show up in the mailbox. Since it was just released and my debit card is still warm from the purchase, I can't complain too much that it is not yeet here.

I am looking forward to reading what looks to be a very interesting approach to education. It seems that it will blend well with how we try to do things at our humble school at home.

I plan to post my thoughts about it just as soon as I can. So excuse me now while I go out to the mailbox and... wait.

Time with the kids

I find it amazing that as a homeschooling mom who has the blessing of spending most every moment of the day with her children, that I still feel that I need to make a special effort to connect with them.

One might think that I am crazy? How can I not be connected with them when we do everything together??

It is quite easy to accomplish this. The best way is to overschedule oneself. I have a horrible habit of doing this. It has been better in the last year, but I have a history of saying "yes" to many things and "no" to very few.

While my children go with me or help me to do the things we "need" to do, we have difficulties at times truly being present with one another. We fill the spaces between the time we wake up and the time we get to bed, which most often is way too late, with lots and lots of busy work and lots and lots of demands on our time that do nothing to help build our relationships with one another.

Since mom's death, I have attempted to re-evaluate what we will allow to occupy those precious spaces in our day and have made some changes. I imagine it will be a work in progress for the rest of our lives.

The question that I have begun to ask myself is this:

How will this activity benefit our family? How will this bring us closer to one another and closer to God?

This seems like a simple question, but I have found that it is not. What if a particular activity would be great for a certain child's education, but not so great for the younger ones who need to nap? When is it time to cut down attendance at church functions, family events, and social obligations when to do so could hurt other people that we care about so much?

These are difficult choices that must be made and sometimes even I don't like the decision that is decided upon. Again, I go back to my question for myself and try to remember what exactly my husband and I are trying to do. We are trying to raise Godly children to become Godly adults.

One thing I have found that keeps us connected more than anything else is our read aloud time. Currently, Lemma is reading Little House by Boston Bay. Foo Fighter and I are soaking up The Children's Homer, and Fish and I read whatever his little heart desires!

Bean and I don't read many books together anymore, now that she is almost 15. We do discuss books as often as we can, but it is not the same. Perhaps I need to pick something for "our" read aloud time...

Overdue

On May 7th, our parish took the time to honor the altar server ministry.

It was a beautiful Mass which began with the Knights of Columbus saluting the altar servers with their drawn swords held over head. (Joseph REALLY like that part and decided he wants to be the "purple guy".)

The servers then processed down the aisle (over 100 of them!) with complete reverence. It was a most moving experience.

I attempted to capture a few pictures, but decided to put the camera away so as not to distract from the moment.

Matthew came away from the experience with wonderful memories of this occasion. He enjoyed the standing ovation that the congregation offered for their service.

The newest Fishism

MOM!!! Brendan is HIPBUCKING!!! (hiccupping)

do you like his self-portrait?

Mother's Treasure Box

How many of you have a special place to put your most treasured possesions? I have two fairly large boxes full of cards, pictures, notes, letters, and other keepsakes that my beautiful children have created for me over the years. They are my most beloved, most cherished items. Aside from their photographs, these are the next most important items I would grab in the event of a fire.

These are my newest treasures that will be added along with what the other children have made to give to me tomorrow. I know I am not supposed to know about them, but I happened into the room at the wrong time. I acted innocently enough, exiting as quickly as I came in hoping that no one noticed.


Joseph however could not wait til tomorrow to give his to me. He made two, so I'll have another one tomorrow morning.

As a mother, I have been so blessed to have 6 children who tolerate my deficiencies, my weaknesses, and my not so wonderful moods some days. They love me for who I am. Make-up or none, crying or laughing. My sons long to protect me from the evils of the world and my daughters cherish the opportunity to pamper me. I hardly feel worthy of the efforts, but not accepting them would crush their spirits. And a mother could never do that.

Mother's Day has always been a day in which I celebrated my mother. I don't know that I have ever been able to look upon it as "my" day. Last year was the first year that I had to make that transition. Thanks to my loving husband who took steps to recognize my mother who had passed away only 6 weeks earlier, I was able to face the day that I was not especially looking forward to with smiles, laughter, and most importantly helped me to accept the love that my children desired to shower upon me.

This year, with great humility, I will embrace Mother's Day as a day that my children want to celebrate my life. I will act with as much grace as I am able to muster, and being a good mommy, I will probably shed a few tears and make them all happy. (They love to laugh at how emotional I get over "stuff".)

I will also remember my mother. Her love for life, her love for her children, and her love for her grandchildren.

I pray that each one of you who is a mother enjoys a truly wonderful Mother's Day. If your mother is still here, let her know that you love her. Even if it is just for giving you life; a life that has allowed you to become a mother.

If she is not, remember her in a special way today. Celebrate your motherhood in her honor. Shower a friend who is also a mother with an unexpected surprise. I plan to honor my mother in this way. She would want me to. Mother's are like that.

Comparitively speaking...

Here's my little 6 month old baby sitting in an identical car seat to that of my newest 3 week old goddaughter. Guess he's not so little anymore...

oh, and my 4 year old baby behind the both of them and yes... a basket of laundry

Joseph on the weather

Fish: Mom, how do they make hurrycames?

Mom: Well, it starts as a little thing over the ocean and then turns into some wind and rain and moves over the land. (really horrible explanation, but the best I could come up with in the car with no resources on hand)

Fish: Well, there was TWO bad things that happened then.

Mom: Really, what were they?

Fish: First the hurrycame then the tormatoes!!

Mom: Do you mean tornadoes?

Fish: That's what I said mom! Tormatoes!!

Mom: OK.

Fish: Actually, there were three bad things that happened.

Mom: Oh? What were they?

Fish: First the hurrycame, then the tormatoes, then I hit my head on the table and got this Anakin on my head! (a small scar over his left eyebrow...)

Mom: I know honey. Sometimes bad things happen. (mom to self... what exactly goes through a 4 year old's mind when sitting in the back of the car for longer than 20 mins? The drive to Disney should be interesting! )

Three types of giving

A post at my dear friend, Cindy's blog, really touched me.

There are three types of giving in each day...

Self-giving

Forgiving

Thanksgiving

I love simple ideas that can help me throughout the day to live out my vocation. This is a very easy reflection that I can use during my nightly examination of conscience.

Was I able to give of myself today, even when I didn't feel like it?

Was I able to forgive even when it didn't seem that I should?

Was I able to give thanks for everything that came my way today, even the trials (and the Laundry)?

Very simple thoughts, but much to meditate upon.

Mystery in the Laundry

As friend and I were discussing the mother's curse yesterday, (the never-ending cycle of clothes needing to be washed, dried, folded, hung, or placed in drawers), a secret was revealed. She seems to have the same "mysteries" in her home that occurs in mine!

We were sharing that how no matter how diligently we work on the laundry, just when we think we are caught up, somehow, a huge pile of clothing appears that needs to be washed! Where does it come from? How does it get there? And why must I find it so soon after patting myself on the back for a job thought to be well done??

Another mystery revealed... underwear. Why is it that each child can have 10 pairs of pants, 12 shirts, 5 shorts, numerous socks without partners, and 8 pairs of pajamas (all worn within 3 days, mind you) and yet, somehow they only have one pair of underwear to put away! I don't even want to think about this...

Don't get me wrong. I love my children. I feel blessed to have the clothes to fold, (at least I am trying to convince myself of that still) and I know I will one day be sad that I don't have more than two people to wash for, unless of course I do the grandkids' laundry.

I just wish that sometimes I could be caught up and enjoy the moment for a day or two. Ahhh, the path of sanctification is riddled with great trials...

Off to fold some more!

Joseph on Birthdays

Fish: How much is Daddy being on his birthday?

Mommy: 42

Fish: Wow... He's really big now!

Happy Birthday to My Knight

My eyes have never seen a more handsome site. Happy Birthday, sweetheart!

I know you just hate this mushy stuff....

Recognizing my blessings

Upon reading this beautiful post by Melissa Wiley at Bonny Glen, I feel compelled to share how things run around my house. When hearing that I am a homeschooling mom, I too have received those comments such as, "WOW, you must be so patient"; "you must be so organized"; "I don't know how you do it, I never could"; "You are a better woman than I am."

I try to stop them mid-comment and let them know that "I" really am not patient, nor organized, nor smarter than average, nor super-powered! Rather, as a very wise woman once told me, "God does not call the qualified, he qualifies the called." I have been called to this lifestyle by God. I truly believe that this is the path He has chosen for me to grow in holiness. Most days I do not do a very good job. In fact, somedays are down right badly done! But I try to reflect on the blessing that God has given me by ALLOWING me the priviledge to be at home with my children all the while learning along-side them.

My husband is a great support. He does not like me to brag about his contributions to often, but I will tell you a bit of what he does each day. He meets me at Tae Kwon Do to pick up the baby and the 4 year old, leaving me to work at the school and watch the older children. He then heads home to prepare dinner for us. I am not talking about pizza, fast-food,etc, I am talking about delicious home-cooked, wonderful meals, each and every night. OK... Friday night is family night and we usually have pizza. But most often, he spends his first 2 hours at home cooking for his family.

At night, he bathes the children that need to be bathed and tucks them into bed while I nurse the baby and settle him in. Then he starts on the laundry. I can usually get it washed and dried, but he will spend the late nights folding and stacking so that we can put it away the next day. Some days get away from me and I'll not have an opportunity to do the washing, so he will throw a load or two in. He will also put the clothes away if I can't get to that.

My husband LOVES to vacuum. It is his passion in life! Anyone who knows him, knows this is true, even him! I love to sweep, he loves to vacuum. Some days I will call him and tell him how difficult the day has been and how messy the house is. He is always sure to tell me to focus on taking care of the kids and he'll handle the other things when he gets home. And he does. He can clean up a house in no time flat. A project that would take me hours he can accomplish in 30 mins.

He does many other tasks around here as well. He shops, irons, fixes things, cares for the lawn, loves the children, and never complains, ever. Oh, and most weeks, he works 6 days.

Honestly, he is a role model to me. I am a pretty high strung person at heart, and he calms me. He reassures me. He loves me.

If it were not for my husband, I could not do what I do, which sometimes doesn't look like much.

I also must mention my children. They are the most wonderful children I know. I don't just say this because they are mine, I say this because it is true. They help me with the baby. They help with one another. They help with the house. They help friends. They give of themselves. I strive to be half the person that they all seem to be.

And of course, none of what I do could possibly be done with out the support of wonderful friends, family, and most importantly, Christ. He is my source of strength. He is my hope. He is my comfort.

Another homeschooling mother I know used to say about homeschooling, "I homeschool, not very well, but from my knees." I live this statement each and every day.

Over the last several years, I have learned that I have an ideal that I would like to achieve with our homeschool. It is rarely if ever met. We do live in reality. We have illnesses, babies, difficulties, deaths, depressions, birthdays, vacations, etc. We try to put our faith first and our relationships with one another before the academics. Yes, I do plan and plan the years course of study for each child. Yes, I do get caught up and concerned with where the children are in their studies. Yes, I do get wound up when we aren't "on track", but in the end, when I kiss my children good-night, I want to be able to look upon that day and say that I have helped them to know God a little bit more. Perhaps by my example of living well that day, more often by my willingness to admit my mistakes and try again the next.

After all, I am trying to raise souls that I will be proud to give back to God.

How does my faith change the world?

"They will know we are Christians by our love!" I am sure many of you have heard or even sung this song. It resonates throughout my mind quite often.

Our faith reminds us constantly that we should be Christ to the world. And many of us try to do just that. We feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick, give alms to the poor.

But how do these acts of charity show Christian love? Can't someone who isn't a Christian carry out these acts as well? Of course they can, and many do! So I ask again, how exactly do our "works" as Christians change the world? How would a non-Christian recognize the love that we show to others as "Christian" love?

A deacon from our parish gave a homily that asked us this question and ever since I had the pleasure of hearing it, I have pondered it and as of yet, I don't have a an answer. What differentiates me(considered a faithful Catholic Christian) from a very nice person (non-Christian)?

I am always on a quest to increase my faith, my love, and my trust in Christ. I read, study, discuss, pray, and reflect. Interiorly, I feel I have grown in all of the areas mentioned, but again, I can't say with any certainty that I have changed anything, let alone the world, with my faith.

I hope to expand on this more and welcome thoughts on this subject.

One of those days

Today was one of those days. Those days where I wake up with every intention of doing one thing, yet being called away to something else. I find these days quite frustrating and don't handle them very well.

Through my more diligent attempts to pray when I feel I am losing "control" of my day, I seem to be less irritable, especially towards the children. But nothing can make me feel as relaxed as coming back into the house to see this sweet little face...



Then he decided that the dog needed a hug too...

May - The Month of Our Heavenly Mother

May is such a special time to honor our Blessed Mother. Sometime this week, we will crown her with flowers to show our love and admiration for her willingness to say "yes!" to God.

Here is a link with more info. I'll be posting more as the month progresses.

When the mom is away

the strawberry fairies show up and leave this for me to find in our guest bathroom!

Just when I was craving some fresh berries with my yogurt and granola.

When asking Fish "Why, did you have these in the bathroom sink?" He replied, "cause I was getting a snack mama!" I think I heard a "DUH!" in his tone...

Happy Birthday, Dad

Dad lives far away and we don't get to see each other very often, but the love we have for one another keeps our bridge strong.

I pray that his birthday is a wonderful one and ask St. Joseph to keep watch over him.