7 Quick Takes

Hopping right in with all the Friday fun with 7 random Takes from the home front.

1.

From the Gianna files:

"Are we going to get Margaret's potty train?"

"No, you can help me POTTY TRAIN her so she will go potty on the toilet and wear big girl undies like you."

Then, quizzically, "But when are we going to go get her potty train?"


So I guess the idea that the almost 3 yo toddler would help me with the almost 2 yo toddler potty training is just too confusing.

2.

It's always exciting to have a new little family member, isn't it? I enjoy watching other women's bellies round and form little people as we all anticipate little one's arrival. I became auntie again for the 12th time yesterday. Miss Alice arrived yesterday, overdue by a week. I'm betting my little girls are gonna have a blast traumatizing playing when she comes to visit!

3.

Another one from Gianna:

While picking out the day's underwear she says to daddy,

" I have My Little Pony underwear, stars ones and picnic underwear!"

What?!

 The 'picnic' underwear are a pink and white plaid pair. What original thinking, my dear.

4.

Not to be outdone by the female population, Jonah has had some interesting things on his mind lately. Like the other night after bath.

"Will I ever get cancer?"

"Well, I can't say for sure, but most people don't. I hope not."

" Oh good. I don't think I would look very good bald."

"I'm sorry, but have you seen the men on your dad's side of the family? They are mostly lacking hair on their heads. Unless you got my amazing hair genes, that may be your future hair as well."

Downcast. "Well, is there some kind of spray or something that I can put on my hair to make sure I don't go bald?"

"Sure, but most men are stubborn and choose not to use it (like your dad)."

He moves on, still thinking.

"It's just that I don't think I'll be very attractive if I am bald."

Oh man, where does this stuff come from?

5.

Lily and I decided to start a new hobby in 2014. After Patty posted about her daughter making a hat, I was impressed and inspired. Thanks to some guidance from Patty, I started searching knitting and loom knitting. It turns out loom knitting is like the bees knees and a bit easier to learn (mommy brain likes easy). I spent a little extra Christmas money on two round loom sets, a flower loom and yarn to get us started. It's so much fun! We finished the girls' hats first and then Lily worked on hers and finished in a day, just picking it up at leisure. I'm almost finished with one for baby Alice and then we have a couple requests for a couple more. A yarn shopping spree is in order for this weekend. Yeah, we're just a little addicted.

6.

Here's a goodie from Pope Francis, you know, cuz that man has always got something good to say. I only wish I could remember 1/4 of what His Awesomeness says. I blame Mommy Brain.

Here's what he said on World Communication Day this week:

'In a world like this, media can help us to feel closer to one another, creating a sense of the unity of the human family which can in turn inspire solidarity and serious efforts to ensure a more dignified life for all. Good communication helps us to grow closer, to know one another better, and ultimately, to grow in unity.'

You can read more here.

As someone who took a hiatus from blogging for a few months I can definitely attest to this solidarity of which he speaks. Modern communications can definitely be a very good thing when used for good and to build up and encourage the Body of Christ.

7.

You've seen the Sheenazing Award nominees, right?

My goodness, there are some excellent blogs out there! There are a good number of my buddies to vote for and so many new friends to meet.

If you haven't already seen Bonnie's amazing list or voted, what are you waiting for?

Go vote now!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends! As for us, we are planning to head to my hometown for 'Winter Worship'-Mass with a ton of people, a couple of our favorite priests and our new Bishop! Along with a visit to my parents as well.

(What? I didn't tell you about our new Bishop and how I got to meet him?  Well, I've got a pic or two to share. You'll have to wait until next week when I hope to do a catch up post for you all.)

7 Quick Takes: Royalty, Sleep And Toes

1.

There's new royalty, a little Prince! George Alexander Louis

Isn't that just the cutest name? I think so.

Did you see William and Kate when they came out of the hospital to show the world that little boy? They are so cute, those two.

Guess what else I noticed? Kate wasn't ashamed to show the world that she had a postpartum belly. She didn't try to disguise the fact that just 27 hours earlier she had given birth. Good for you Kate!

That just put you at the top of my Bravest Woman of the Week list. You go, girl!

2.

In other royalty news, MN Twins catcher, Joe Mauer is a new dad.

To TWIN girls, Emily and Maren.

Not that it matters to me a whole lot, but in this state he's kind of like royalty so he deserves the publicity.

3.

In order to be in solidarity with the royals, the two year old decided that sleepless nights this week would help us out We are not impressed and essentially almost feel like we have a newborn in the house. This may or may not make some of us grumpy and sluggish.

4.

Above mentioned toddler is has also been attempting some potty training. Last week she insisted she was 'poopy' (which means she's wet) when she was even the slightest bit damp. We were going through WAY too many diapers so figured we'd give undies a whirl. I still have the thick training ones that you put the plastic liner over from back in the day with Lily, so we're using those. I'm trying to be more laid back in my approach since both kids took nearly forever and were over three years old when they were finally successful. 

Some success and some misses this week. I think this would be easier if God had chosen not to give me three (so far) stubborn children.

5.

We've been taking Jonah to speech therapy this summer after a recommendation and then some testing this spring. He's making good progress and working on self correcting when we are practicing at home. The therapist is also suggesting now that he see another therapist because he doesn't always have the proper breath support when talking. I was feeling a bit defeated the other week when she was pointing this out and potentially more work/sessions for him. Then he came home the other day and the therapist suggests that he is perhaps straining his vocal chords when talking. This would mean issues in the future and we should maybe take him to an ENT doctor to check for nodules on his vocal chords. *sigh* 

I know this is all 'preventative' and she's just making suggestions, but I can't help but be concerned. And then feel like I was a neglectful mom when we dismissed his speech over the years because we were told he was young and it would work itself out. 

Prayers for guidance would be appreciated.

6.

Yesterday was Jonah's name day, the feast of St. James (his middle name). We try to honor each of our children on their name day or do something at least a little special on that day. Jonah's is a little extra special because he gets to celebrate with my dad, James, too.

We met my parents and went to a local Mary Garden to pray the Divine Mercy chaplet. The garden was beautiful and so peaceful since it was just after a little rain shower.

We followed up with treats at the Dairy Queen. We make sure name days are like birthdays and always involve sugar  a treat of some sort.

7.

Gianna has become a huge fan of nail polish this summer. She has a big sister who likes to change her toenail polish color on a regular basis, so she's always up for a new color too.

This week's choice was neon green.

 It's an interesting color on little toddler feet, but add in her amazing top of the foot tan line and it totally works.

Stop at Jen's for even more Quick Takes to get your Friday rolling.

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!

7 Quick Takes: Checking In

When one leaves their blog for a week, the world begins to wonder.....or does it?

Thanks to a shout-out today from Colleen, it was the kick in the pants I needed to stop in and let you know that I did not fall off the face of the earth. Or the blogosphere.

That's right, Mr. President, you didn't get rid of me that easily.

While my heart and hopes were a bit shattered last week, I picked myself back up, rallied the troops and declared that this is where the rubber hits the road.

Never mind. I'm not getting into that today.

Instead, I'm just gonna tell you what's up and assure you all is well, if not just a tad bit busy.

--1--

Last week, Miss Gianna decided to take matters into her own hands and give potty training a whirl. After several days of sitting and trying, one day she finally tinkled just a bit.

While I thought it was a fluke because my big kids weren't the least bit interested until around age three, we pressed on. Guess what? Every day we keep on trying and each day she goes potty at least once or twice. To keep me on task with getting her to the toilet and with sticking to it, yesterday she decided to go #2 as well. Woohoo!! A repeat performance today as well.

We'll see what happens from here and we are trying pull ups off and on, but I'm gonna keep encouraging as long as she keeps trying.

Go Gianna!

--2--

Not to be out-done by the growing-up-too-fast committee, Margaret decided to finally give the stairs a try. She succeeded. She is also pulling herself up by things and almost thinking about walking around them.

While the cushions were off the couch the other day, she decided to crawl up on the couch and crawl back and forth.

She thought she was pretty darn smart. Until she rolled off the couch. And then she tried it all over again.

Busy, busy little ladies I've got here.

--3--

Hubby took the day off work last week and took the big kids on a field trip. Our homeschool group was going to a nature preserve for a nature hike and other activities.

The kids had a lot of fun learning about wildlife and their habitats and playing games.

The indoor rock climbing wall was a hit as well.

I'm so grateful that Reed has a job that he can take time off and enjoy some of these activities. It works well these days so the big kids can get out with the group and I can stay home with the little girls.

--4--

Have I mentioned here that I'll be a great-auntie again in the next few weeks? Yup, great niece or nephew #7  is due December 15. I went to a baby shower last weekend for this little one, my niece's first child.

While it would be cute to add a photo of the super cute shower, I have none. Instead, insert here a cute growing belly mama, excited family and a Classic Winnie the Pooh shower theme. Trust me, the hostesses were VERY cutesy-cutesy and matchy-matchy in the decor. Pinterest would be proud!!

Can I also make another mention?

Not to be out-done in generosity, God's adding more to our extended family brood in the spring too. I have TWO more greats entering the world then as well. Two of our nephews are adding to their families again. Hooray!

--5--

Who's ready for Christmas? Um, me neither.

Working on shopping and online shopping like a crazy woman, whenever I get the chance. I'd like to be finished or nearly there by Advent. It really does make my Advent so much more meaningful and calm. Spending time at home preparing and less time in the store listening to the same old Christmas song they've been playing since October, definitely keeps me more focused on Advent.

--6--

Thankfully, Swagbucks (see sidebar if you want to sign up) helped me earn lots of gift cards in the last several months and they are helping with the Christmas budget. I cashed my swagbucks in for lots of Amazon gift cards and a number of Walmart ones as well. Every little bit helps, that's for sure.

In addition, I will be thankful to my parish this year for helping with the budget. In October I took a very minimal part time (more like volunteering, but getting paid for the time) position at our little parish. Since we are twinned with a larger parish where the secretary works/parish office is located/rectory is, our small parish felt a bit left out. Our new pastor agreed with parishioners that having a contact person here to tie up loose ends, take care of odds and ends, make phone calls, arrangements for things, etc, etc, was a good idea.

Enter ME. I applied for the position because a) I could work around my at-home schedule, b) I wanted to help out a bit more at our church and c) I really missed working for the Catholic church.

The timing seemed ideal and now seemed like the time. Thankfully, Fr. Michael is really one of those ideal priests to work for/with as well. So far, it's a good thing. A very good thing.

--7--

This evening we're going to attend a White Mass. Have you ever heard of one? I hadn't.

A local Catholic physician asked  a nearby priest to have one here and he is going ahead with it. A White Mass is specifically offered for health care professionals, but anyone can attend. Since we are friends with a couple of very good Catholic physicians and one of them is our family physician, we feel like we really need to attend.  They need our support and prayers as they face a lot of opposition when they stand up for their morals and beliefs. With the HHS mandate around the bend, they're gonna need those extra prayers.

Happy Friday and Happy Weekend!

 



7 Quick Takes Friday: Vacation Edition

It's been nearly forever since I joined in on Quick Takes, but with vacation photos in need of posting I thought it was the perfect week to hop back in.

Prepare yourself for a photo-heavy post.....

-------------------------------------------------------

#1. Busy time, vacation time means keep the baby and toddler happy at all times time. Thanks to the double stroller, we could get here, there, and everywhere with ease. Miraculously, both little girls tolerated it well for three days.

 #2. For some reason, vacation time also means that we are eating WAY more than when we are just hanging out around at home. It sure seemed like the kids were in full time snack mode while away.

 #3. Thankfully, we did a LOT of walking so that surely cancelled out all of the irregular eating. Right?

 #4. We spent part of Monday at Amnicon Falls, over in Wisconsin. It was a lot of fun and the kids enjoyed watching the large quantities of water gushing due to the prior week's rainfall and flooding.

#5. When anyone visits Duluth, you've got to visit Canal Park and head down to the edge of Lake Superior. The other thing you'll want to do if you can is catch a ship either coming in or going out. We were fortunate to do all of the above. We caught a ship going out Tuesday morning and caught another coming in later in the day. It's one of my favorite things to see and it seems that Lily was equally amazed with the ships.

    (Can you tell that Gianna was thrilled to have her photo taken??!!)

 #6. Our villa became a relaxing haven in the late afternoon and evenings after a busy day. It was ideal for a family with little ones and busy big kids. It had room to roam and a full kitchen to prepare meals, just like at home. A great place to get back to and put the girls down to nap, but also to play games with the kids. A new addition was an alpine coaster and short zip line nearby, so Reed could take the big kids a couple of times. An ideal fun spot for them while I stayed back at the villa with the girls and prepared supper.

#7. Lastly, vacation was about family time. Despite it being probably one of the most chaotic vacations we've ever taken, we went without any set plan and didn't leave disappointed. My parents and grandma even joined us for the day on Tuesday, so we could share and make memories with them too. It was a good time as our first big venture as the six of us. It was also a good reminder of how blessed we are to be able to afford a family vacation, have the freedom to travel and be grateful when it's time to go back home again.

(I couldn't help but share the imperfect photos. Mostly because this is our reality right now and also because there weren't too many 'perfect' photos. In the end, these are the ones I'll treasure as I'm reminded of our young and growing family)

Have a great weekend!

For even more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary.

Quick Take Friday

1. This week I tuned in for the Dancing With The Stars season premiere. I was torn if I really wanted to watch, since there wasn't really anyone on there I knew or really wanted to see. However, I was also lured there by the fact that two new additions would be announced during the show, due to Jewel and Nancy O'Dell being out of the picture due to injuries. It's a lot of fun to watch the first episode of the season because, well, let's face it, some of the 'Stars' really don't have a dancing bone in their body! I enjoy watching the grace and beauty of the dance, but admittedly, I could do without some of those really scant outfits! I was rather disappointed in a few things and bothered while I watched (with my 6 year old daughter). For one thing, the man who is paired with Lacey, Steve-O, apparently was on a popular TV show titled Jackass. That's fine to be mentioned once, but did they really need to use that word to describe him and use plays on that word in every sentence? Another thing, I was disappointed to see Holly Madison, former girlfriend to Hugh Hefner and Playboy bunny as one of the new additions. I totally don't agree with that lifestyle for a TON of reasons, therefore it will be rather difficult to just watch her on the show strictly for 'entertainment value' and not judge her and her lifestyle. Will I continue to watch? Perhaps, but maybe not completely committed every week. I do look forward to watching Julianne Hough with her real-life boyfriend, country singer Chuck Wicks though.



2. We took our overnight family 'winter getaway' on Sunday. We only took a 20 mile drive to a local hotel attraction which includes an indoor water park. It helps when a place like that offers a spring break rate that includes the room and 4 water park passes for one low rate! As expected, we had a great time as a family and the kids thoroughly enjoyed it. Like last year, we spent hours at the water park both on Sunday afternoon and for a little bit before check-out on Monday morning. We also ordered pizza for dinner and ate it on our beds (the kids always get a kick out of that for some reason!!). It was a short getaway, but worth the family time.

3. Have you checked out your local library's Books on CD/Tape selection lately? We've just recently began diving into ours and the kids love them! It's a lot of fun for them to hear simple stories in a new voice and Jonah really likes the ones that have a page turn chime. For some reason, this section of our local library just never caught my eye or seemed to draw me in, until recently. There's a pretty large selection of simple, short books as well as chapter books that Lily can enjoy too. As if we weren't already in love with the library, now we just have one more reason to look forward to our library trips!

4. Speaking of reading, Miss Lily has been progressing throughout the school year in her reading and is so much fun to listen to! The words that she just automatically reads for the first time without hesitation are most often tough words to even sound out. She just keeps at it and keeps moving on to a different level. Just yesterday, after Lily read our family Lenten meditation from this book , my husband marveled at her reading proficiency. Which is a good reminder, because sometimes we easily forget that she is only 6 and in Kindergarten! I think I'll be doing a lot of looking at our Catholic Homeschool conference in May to decide what program to continue with her in the fall in order to continue to nurture her reading skills.

5. I've been doing some research on our state's department of natural resources website this last week. There's a lot of stuff out there! I'm in search of some fun nature programs for our local Catholic homeschool group or even for my family to go enjoy. The closest State Park for us that has a variety of programs available is probably a good 45 mins. away, but looking at some of the stuff they're offering the drive should be worth it. Do you know what your State Parks have to offer you and your family? I found a few fun programs in April and May like bird watching, woodland flower walk, a pond view walk, dragonflies and more! Now we'll just have to narrow it down to a few and get them on the calendar.

6. Well, hopefully spring is around the corner and that has got a lot of blogging mom's talking about spring cleaning. I found that a number of them do it during the season of lent as they prepare for Easter, along with the spring season. What a great idea! I'm a bit behind since I haven't started yet, but I'm working on my cleaning list and hope to get started next week. I did it a couple years ago where I made the list and did a lot of cleaning and purging as well. I cleaned everything, right down to the woodwork and walls. Not that some things were as dirty as others, but it was nice to have the WHOLE HOUSE clean! I'll let you know how it goes. You can check out Elizabeth's list here or Emma's list here to get ideas how to start your list.


7. Spirited child, anyone? I'd heard this term in the past, but it wasn't until recently that I've contemplated that perhaps I have one living in my home. These children may sometimes also be referred to as strong-willed, determined and intense. Their characteristics commonly are MORE than normal children, more intense, persistent, sensitive, perceptive, etc. I'm not sure yet if my child completely carries all of these traits, however, he does have some of them and he is at times MORE. I just picked up this book from the library to hopefully help me in deciding. If this is him, I'm hoping that the book helps give me some good tools to guide him and live with him, minus a lot of our current battles.


Jen has more Quick Takes for you today here!

Quick Take Friday

I'm sorry, but today I do not have my usual '7 Quick Takes' for you. Not that I couldn't come up with 7 things to share, but I've spent most of the week revisited by cold-like symptoms. I'm feeling better this morning, but I'm still reviving my feeble mommy brain into working at full capacity. Today my goal will be to fulfill my regular mommy duties and perhaps pick up where I left off on a little sewing project (I promise pictures when it's finished). I'll be back next Friday with some great Quick Takes and other posts in between I'm sure! Blessings until then.

If you'd like to read some Quick Takes today, visit Jen here. She just had a baby girl this week and has a lot to share!

Quick Take Friday

I'm going to try hard this week to keep my Quick Takes, well, Quick.

Here we go!

1. The biggest thing I have to mention is the newest addition to our extended family.
Our nephew and his wife brought baby Maria Lynn into the world early Monday morning. At only 6 lbs. she is a precious sight and a beautiful little girl. I can't wait to have sweet Maria around to watch her grow. Her birth has also sparked the song from Sound of Music with the line, "how do you solve a problem like Maria?" to repeat and repeat in my head! It's hard to believe at 30 years old, I am great-auntie for the second time. I have another little great-niece, Olivia, who is 10 months old. That's just crazy to me, especially since we're still hoping to keep having more of our own little additions yet in our home. Of course, Miss Lily is thrilled to have another little girl around!

2. Last Friday, I decided to have the kids work on collages. I pulled out stray craft materials out of the bottom of the crafting drawers and then added feathers, buttons, pom poms, foamies, stickers and whatever else my hands could carry. I put them on the counter and let the kids go crazy and create their own collages. They did great! We're always doing projects and crafts around here, but it had been awhile since we had done collages. They were some pretty neat projects when they were all finished. They enjoyed it and I loved their finished projects so much that I decided to declare 'Collage Fridays' every week. We'll see what they come up with today!

3. We have this children's music CD in our home and somehow it just managed to get lost under a pile of stuff. I recently discovered it again and we've been listening to it these last couple weeks and the kids love it. I like to listen to the cute little Catholic songs too! It's cute to see my kids jumping around dancing and after only hearing the disk once or twice they were already singing parts of the songs while playing around the house. I love it when I find a CD that's good for the little ears in my home, but isn't annoying for mommy (like some children's music Cd's tend to be). I strongly recommend this one if you have little ones in your home!

4. We're trying to plan a Winter Getaway. I better explain, before you're thinking we're going to Mexico to escape this cold weather (I wish!). Last year, hubby had a hip surgery in February and prior to it we decided to take the kids to a local hotel that had a huge indoor water park. We found an inexpensive winter rate was available, including water park tickets and we went for it. We ate pizza in our room and just stayed one night, but the kids thought it was wonderful. We called it our Winter Getaway and it kind of stuck. We assured the little ones this winter, back in December, that we'd once again continue the tradition. Well, March is next week and we still haven't settled on a date to go. It's kind of been one thing or another that comes up and it keeps getting pushed back. We're really looking forward to doing it, but we better get on it soon or we'll have to call it our Spring Getaway. And who really needs a Spring Getaway in Minnesota? Not me. I'm all for Spring and no snow. I'd rather have something to look forward to (even if it's not Mexico) in the winter, even if it is local and only for an overnight.

5. Did you see this picture yesterday?
I did and boy did it make me upset! Ok, so the picture was one thing, but somewhere above it I read the headline 'Faithful Catholics around the world celebrate Ash Wednesday' and that probably irked me even more. I mean, really?! We're talking about faithful Catholics and a picture of VP Joe Biden in the same article? UGH. Who wrote this? Oh wait, biased media. All I can say is that they could've found thousands of Catholics around the world to take pictures of that would've actually fit the 'faithful Catholic' stereotype, who are not the Vice President. But, it's Lent and I don't even want to get into it any further, just had to mention it though.

6. We're trying to keep our household focused during this season of Lent on prayer, fasting and repentance. I put together a Lenten Mantle. Ok, we don't have a mantle, but we're using the top of our entertainment center instead. Below is a picture of it. Simple to put together, but very effective. After only 2 days of it being there, it's already taken on meaning for me every time I enter the living room.



7. To finish today, I have a little story from in my home this week. I have to preface it by mentioning that almost 5 years ago, at 8 weeks pregnant I miscarried. We named our little one Natalie Noel. Lily & Jonah know of our little one and quite often conversation drifts toward Natalie and the angel in Heaven she is to both of them. With that, here's the story that the kids told me the other day. I wasn't present when it happened, but they told me the whole conversation later. Lily & Jonah were out playing in the snow and trying to climb a tree. Jonah was stuck at the base of the tree and couldn't get down because there was ice below. Lily reminded him that Natalie always helps and that she was right there watching them. Jonah then asked her where Natalie was and Lily told him Natalie is an angel and that they couldn't see her, but angels are always helping us. Later on, Lily got stuck up higher in the tree and was afraid, Jonah kindly reminded her "Don't worry Lily. Natalie's here." This story was precious to hear from my little children. I would've liked to have been there to hear it as it happened...Maybe not, it may have caused some heart break...


Visit Jen for more Quick Takes!

Quick Take Friday

1. I recently saw an ad for Shape Up Shoes in a parenting magazine. The ad cites that they are ideal for us moms who are busy (which is ALL of us) and don’t have time to spend exercising. They also claim that in wearing them 30 minutes a day we can lift buns, tone legs, and strengthen your core. Ok, they got me. I’m in relatively good shape, but would LOVE to have the stronger core muscles and the toned legs. Not so worried about the buns, I must confess. And yet, I am skeptical and very intrigued by this product. I read the testimonials on their website and it seems that there are some happy costumers out there. I am still quite interested…so, the torn out ad from the magazine still sits on my counter by the computer.

Why can’t I decide if these ‘revolutionary’ shoes are for me? I think one reason is the cost. Not that they are expensive, but I always debate on anything I buy for myself and rarely rush into a purchase. The other reason may have to do with deciding whether I really am a busy enough mom to qualify for them. I usually do have time to exercise and try to set aside time throughout the week to do it. However, on the other hand, the shoes are also supposed to help with circulation, which would be great for me considering how many hours I am on my feet each day. Hmm…I’ve got to think more on these..Will I be able to justify the purchase??

2. I have a confession to make. I just realized yesterday that I have become a library junkie! Hey, not that that’s a bad thing. No, really though, I’ve loved reading and books since a young age and I am so happy to have children and be able to nurture them through literature. We always continue to add to our home library and we used to make occasional trips to the local library, but in the last 1 ½-2 years the trips are more frequent. Now I am realizing that any chance we get, I like to drop in and pick up some books. Although we don’t live in a town big enough to provide a local library, we have three towns within 20 minutes of us that do. And boy, do we use them! I am glad to be an at-home, homeschooling mom who can take my kids to the library at any time of day and enjoy wandering down the aisles and looking in the bins of books to pick out the new adventures that await us. The kids enjoy making their choices and adding them to our growing stack to take home. I enjoy enlightening my children’s minds and teaching them a love for books and for reading. Now, if only there were a Starbuck’s inside the local libraries like there is at Barnes & Noble.


3. I am happy to announce….Gotcha! See, you thought I was going to announce something really exciting. Ok, sorry. No, I am happy to announce that I am at peace. In a groove. Settled. Content. Whatever you want to call it, I am there. It’s hard to explain, but for me it’s a very good thing. Not that I was not before, but you know how it is when things just seem to be all in line. Ducks in a row. Rainbows and sunshine. Dare I say, perfect? I know, not really, but as close as we can get it here on earth.

This week I am feeling a sense of calm and peace from just about every angle and in every area that has given me struggle and hardship: infertility, discipline, motherhood, etc. I am choosing to embrace my vocation of motherhood more fully and a spirit of patience and gentleness. I am working on nutritional aspects of my health to hopefully help with my infertility issue. In doing even these little things, I am finding my heart and my spirit at peace. This is SO important as I take care of my little domestic church and I realize that. Is every issue completely resolved? Not hardly. But I know that I am trying and I am doing what I can for today. I cannot even begin to express the shadow that infertility can cast on so many areas of your life when you are in it. The darkness and sadness can some days be overwhelming and can cover all of the joy and happiness of life and things going on around you. I have learned though that it cannot defeat me. I have remained strong in prayer and in the truth of faith and in the hope that God will provide me with the grace and strength I need to get through this. The weight is enormous at times, but a week that’s been as good as this, helps me remain faithful to my hopeful heart.

That said, why do I feel like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop? For things to go sour? Human nature I guess. Or is it pride before the fall?? Yikes. Hope not. Stay tuned.


4. Did you realize that the season of lent is upon us? Probably. Unlike me, who last week was wondering what all the hubbub was about when it was mentioned everywhere in the Catholic circuit. And then I looked in our parish bulletin last Sunday and realized it’s next week. Where was I? I think I was somewhere in the thought that it’s a few weeks away and I have lots of time yet to dwell on what we’ll be doing for out Lenten journey. Oops. Guess not. So, I was glad when I found this Lenten Adventure to sign up for and they will send me emails throughout the season to help me along. Check it out and sign up for their FREE emails!

5. I am so excited when I open my email Inbox and see that I have comments from my blog!! I know, a little silly. I can’t tell you how I enjoy getting a comment from someone new, so I return the favor and find out about them and checkout their blog. And then there are the faithful friends that I’ve suddenly made from miles apart. What blessings! Let me say, I am amazed to have found so many faithful women and moms. Each day I am honored and graced with reading the words of some blessed women. Each writes from the heart and inspires me in my daily walk in the Catholic faith and in motherhood. I have begun to blog WAY more than I used to and I look forward to it. Not that I have so much to say or do it with eloquence, but I have always loved to write and I enjoy sharing the little bit I do with others. And yes, I’ve probably become a blogging junkie now too!!

6. My little Jonah, has at times been the thorn in my side. Bless that little boy, but he is a tough one. Perhaps he’s been this way all his life, but most evidently so in the last couple years in toddler hood. He is strong-willed, determined, and stubborn. Whatever you want to call it. But it wears on this dear mommy daily, so I have changed my approach especially in the morning.

I enjoy having my routine and getting myself all ready to greet the day, including my prayer time, before little ones wake up. When little boy arrives early in the morning and I haven’t done those things, it makes for a rough start to the day. Add that to the fact that little boy is not a morning person and it’s a recipe for a bad morning. Literally, he wakes up crabby. Most mornings he comes out of his room and within minutes (and some days even seconds!) he is grouching about in our home. I think he’s really still tired and shouldn't’t even be out of bed. (It is usually well before 7:00 am when his little feet come pattering down the hall)

I’ve decided to approach it differently these days and just leave him alone until he’s ready. I don’t push him to eat breakfast right away and some days I even allow him to watch cartoons for a while before breakfast so that he can be alone until he’s ready. It may not be the best solution, but so much happier in the morning. The days go a little better, but not without stubborn fits and determination from that little boy. We’ll get through it. With a little love and discipline. A friend recently said of her boys, “they’re either going to drive me to the grave or help me work off my purgatory time here on earth”. Oh, how true.

7. Last Friday, Reed and I were able to spend our special day together and celebrate Valentine’s a day early too. We did not go to the movie and dinner as we had planned, but instead spent the afternoon just the two of us together and ended with dinner out. We had a wonderful time just being together and most importantly, engaging in uninterrupted conversation. We enjoyed a nice, early dinner and we were home by 6:30 pm. I know, early, but we were ready to get back to the kids. It was good for us to reconnect throughout hubby’s 3 days home for the weekend, since his long hours at work have not allowed that recently. I’m always thankful for time with Reed to rekindle our love..And when he plans it, all the better.



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