Daybook - New Year's Eve Edition

The world outside - still dark at this hour.  According to Weatherbug it is 29 degrees outside (brrr!) with a 50 percent chance of snow.  I love snow!

I am pondering - this past year and life in general.  Pondering the good, the bad, the ugly, the broken (ness), the super-abundant grace and yes, I'm so ready for this year to be over, fiscal cliff or not! Speaking of which, I refuse to ponder what that means not just for this country but to my already precarious budget!  I told my husband that I am re-negotiating my vow of poverty with God, he asked if I have a collective bargaining agreement  hahaha

I am praying - for wisdom, for grace, for conversion (myself, first and foremost), for the intentions of family and friends and those who are waking up today with no hope.  Let's pray for each other!

I am thankful - for stability of family life and my faithful sovereign Queen, to whom I am deeply indebted for many favors answered through her intercession

I am reading - Nan Sherwood series via Project Gutenberg.  I am not a trained book critic so I will only say that I enjoy reading them.

I am listening - it's something I need to really work on, listening not just in passing but with real interest and investment of time

I am planning -to go to Mass and confession this morning with the kids. The middle child is particularly excited to go to Confession for the second time, he is unique that way (and I am thankful).  Our consecration renewal is tomorrow so the oldest "demanded" that we go to the Sacraments prior to renewal. Yes, I treasure these moments of childhood piety and I hope it never ends

I am laughing at - my two youngest who are the funniest people in this house.  There is so much material for blogging with those two, maybe I'll post a couple this week

I am (will be) cooking - ham for New Year's eve with friends

New Year's Eve plans -  if none of the kids are sick today we are celebrating with the usual suspects.  I fear the girl might wake up with a fever

New Year's resolutions - I don't really make them as I tend to already over-analyze myself all year.  However, in the light of the Year of Faith, I will be discerning a couple of things.  How's that for clear as mud?

I am capturing moments -

 funny child

 

outside my window on the first Winter storm

 

ready for Midnight Mass

 

twenty seven stockings for the clan

Daybook - Eight Days Before Christmas

The world outside - warm for this time of the year but bleak like usual for this time of the year.  The kids are hoping for a white Christmas.  Not gonna happen. 

I am watching -  a child playing the piano, same two songs (over and over and over again) - Ode to Joy, Carol of the Bells.  Trying not to hate ;-) 

I am thinking - about my oldest.  He is wrestling with keeping the Sabbath holy and sports.  We have tried our best to keep them out of Sunday sports but we are now at that crossroad.  We discussed every angle of this issue last night. As he is my naturally pious one, I have to be careful that he does not become scrupulous (or intellectually/spiritually prideful).  I have to talk to a priest about this.  I even suggested that he ask our Bishop this question on his radio program.  When my husband was in (Catholic) school they never played on Sundays.  We don't want our kids to miss out (as some of them have real talent) on the opportunity to play but we are also not willing to sacrifice keeping the Sabbath holy and restful for our family.  Thoughts?

I am praying - for all involved in the Newtown, Connecticut tragedy.  For a dear friend and her family over there at http://catholicfamilyvignettes.com/

I am thankful - for Advent, because it is my excuse and permission to slow down and ponder the important things

I am excited about - Christmas! 'nuff said 

I am reading - a couple of things.  With my oldest,  re-reading our Marian consecration books.  We will renew our consecration on January 1st.  I'm re-reading Hail, Holy Queen by Scott Hahn.  For fiction, I am trying NOT to read any Willa Cather on my list.  I love her books but I want to be joyful for Christmas.  We are reading aloud one Christmas/Advent story a day, today it's the Snow Queen

I am listening - to chant. I need it.  There's only so much praise and tra-la-la music I can handle

I am teaching - not much this week.  We've been really good with staying on track with school work and devotionals.  We have been reading all the Jesse Tree Scripture readings and doing our best to follow the recommended actions on our advent calendar 

I am cooking - a kiddy-fied (not a real word, I know) beef stroganoff for dinner.  Which means the look and taste of mushrooms have to be concealed with lots of heavy cream  hahaha

I am planning - nothing! That's how my Advent has been.  My planner is as clean as a whistle and that's how I like it

I am capturing moments -

my happy, goofy boys

little old lady crocheting somebody's Christmas present

obligatory Christmas photo

inspired by Pinterest, the girl tried to decorate this to say HO HO HO, do you see it?

he is making his own egg-less cookies

with crushed candy cane topping, this was delish, another Pinterest idea

The Crafty Girl and Tattered Leggings

A crafty girl + tattered leggings and tights + scissors = a doll with new clothes

an Autumn outfit for Marie Grace

love this cap, I want one for myself!

love the details of this leotard made from old leggings, the stitching is super sweet

the back detail is so fun

crafty girl and her doll

Daybook: Dollar Store Decorating

I am watching -  remnants of what looked like the first frost.  The red maple on my front yard is flecked with red and yellow leaves.  I have already planned for how many leaf bags we'll need this year.

I am thinking - of the ebb and flow of life and the generosity of a God who makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust.  I no longer envy the just or those whom I perceive(d) to be unjust because, honestly, I have been both in the eyes of God.

I am thankful - for an eleven year-old boy who, on his own accord, made his Total Consecration yesterday as I renewed mine. We prepared for 33 days together, he, using Fr. Michael Gaitley's book which I thought was more age appropriate for him as I used the one by Mancipia Press.

I am excited about - projects!  And being ahead of the game this year.  My planner is bursting at the seams with (simple and do-able) projects.  Mostly geared towards homeschooling and the simplifying of our life.  I'm de-cluttering, organizing, planning, scrubbing, painting and just getting intentionally immersed in this vocation.

I am reading - decorating/home design blogs.  My Google Reader subscriptions are mostly religious/inspirational but every Fall I get this itch to read about decorating ideas and beautifying the nest.  As a stay-at-home/schooling mom, beauty and order within these four walls keeps me sane.

I am listening - to lots of praise of music around here.  Praise to foil the enemy, as Scripture says.

I am teaching - this week we're reading about Church History in 400 year increments (the first 400 today).  We are also reading about Napoleon that would nicely tie into Church History. We've got the usual reading, writing, 'rithmetic for the rest.

I am cooking - lots of (egg-less) baking around here this time of the year.  We can't keep our aprons clean and we love it!  The girl is becoming more adventurous and advanced in her baking endeavors that there are days when the only thing I do is take hot baked goodies out of the oven for her.  My mother would be so proud.

I am planning - to have friends over every week, since we have a four day school week.  I've been contemplating this idea for so long but had the usual excuse of being too busy. Well, the excuse no longer flies so yes, I'm ready to be the hostess with the mostest this year :-)   This is actually my master plan to keep my house tidy and organized.

I am decorating -thank you dollar store

tools of the trade - candle holder, candle in a jar, popcorn

a mini-hurricane lamp

my so-80's chandelier that I've been meaning to spray paint

decorated mantle for the Mantled Lady

 

A Week of Feasts

It's been a busy week over here.  Our homeschool is in full swing as we celebrate feasts and buried ourselves in schoolwork.  Photos to illustrate:

Feast of St. Therese. The Fenestrae Fidei coloring book is a fave over here

 

 One of her favorite books is Story of A Soul, the autobiography of St. Therese

a dab of oil (or spray like Pam) helps give it that stained-glass look

helping each other

taking a break by skyping with their cousin, not sure if it's the one in Maryland or Texas

baby takes over the board

 we learned about Moral Virtues

 a page for the Feast of St. Francis this time

for the feast of St. Faustina, this coloring page was found at Divine Mercy kids

voila! our very own "stained glass" window.  The one to the right was for the Feast of the Guardian Angels.  I covered the greased coloring page with clear peel and stick laminate paper (aka contact paper) before we stuck it to the window

Hope you all had a great week. I'm looking forward to the colder temps this weekend but hoping we can hold off on turning on the furnace.  Happy weekend everyone!

My Internet History, move over Al Gore!

My old blog had 726 entries dating back from 2006.  So far only 24 has made it to this new blog. I haven't finished publishing the rest of them and I'm thinking I might not bother.  Those files are safely tucked away so there's no fear of losing them.  Truth be told, some of those entries no longer apply to my state of life and maturity (or the absence of!)

My first foray on the internet goes as far back as 1996.  It seems back then there were only two important websites, AOL and MSN.  One of which was responsible for my marriage (of course, most of you know that already)

I have been blogging since 2001, prior to the birth of my first-born when blogging wasn't even a word! Back then we scanned paper photos into a file to upload it to the website.  It was more work than it is now as you also need to have a bit of HTML knowledge to format your site. My information technology credential was certainly helpful. 

The first time somebody called my website a blog made me feel weird.  Back then there were "legitimate" blogs and I never thought or wrote mine to be one.  It was more like a web photo album with a dose of pontificating (which I still do! ha!)  In my mind to become a legitimate blogger you had to have a compelling opinion or a unique idea.  With the proliferation of blogs nowadays, that "romantic" idea certainly no longer applies.  And I don't say that in disdain, I'm just reminiscing.

I've always been a voracious consumer of technology.  Back in the day, I would be labeled as a power-user.  Today, that no longer applies to me in a strict sense since the fanciest piece of technology I own is a faux-smart phone that is, at least, 3 years behind the current standards.  Faux-smart because it is a touch-screen but still works on Java technology. Yay me!  

My technical skills are rusty at best but I'm still able to troubleshoot most computer problems in our house.  And if I can't?  Well, there's Google or YouTube for that!  

I feel so old as I reminisce about the "old days".  The new crop of gadgets that are coming up every year is dizzying.  As much as I covet so many of  these things, the reality of a household budget with no room for frills brings me back down to earth. 

I wonder what the world of technology has in store for the future, my children's future.  I can only hope that whatever it is they will be found with virtues (of detachment and temperance) in its midst.

A New Home

Hurray! I did it!  I finally figured out how to move my blog posts from the old web host to Blogger.  For those of you who have followed my old blog for years, you will wonder why the name change.  Well, if you look carefully, the name of this blog is a play on my last name.  Believe you me, it took a long time for me to come up with a blog name that's not already being used. 

I need to work on some of the kinks with this transfer (like old albums not posting properly!) so bear with me.  In the meantime, I'm excited to be on Blogger and hang out with my real and on-line blogging friends.

A New Beginning Almanac

Outside my window...the sun is refusing to come out.  The maple tree on my neighbor's yard is beginning to turn colors.  Autumn is in the air.

I am thinking...about how much I miss my mom.  It's her birthday today and I can't stop crying. 
I am thankful for...each day, grace-filled in the midst of life's chaotic pace.  Faith-filled women in my life.  I am very privileged to have these influences, models of wisdom and virtue to draw strength from.  

I am excited about...going back to school!  We thrive on routine over here and with four children to be schooled it will be a fun  (ahem, crazy!) year.
I am wearing...a black skirt and my papist shirt.  It has the Vatican crest with the four marks (one, holy, catholic, apostolic) written on the bottom. 

I am creating...well, I am almost finished creating lesson plans. My Fall to-do list is also finished and in fact some of it has check marks beside it already.  Yippee!!!

I am going...to hopefully spend some fun time with hubby and kids this afternoon when they get back from helping our church festival's tear-down.

I am reading... just finished O Pioneers by Willa Cather.  I have yet to recover from that book.  I loved it but it's very emotionally draining.  Cookbooks might be the antidote to that draining feeling hahaha
 On my mind... a fear of getting old.  Don't laugh!  As someone who brags about not fearing old age, I actually woke up yesterday dreading it.  Thank you Willa Cather! I need to stop reading these pioneer-era books.  I dread getting old alone and lonely in a withering body. Yes, this feeling will probably go away in a couple of days.

From the learning rooms...after days of laboring on lesson plans, let's not talk about learning until next week.
From the kitchen...tidy, which means nothing's been cooked and nothing's been planned. Hey, it's the holiday weekend, I am entitled to give my kitchen a holiday!

Around the house...the usual (dis) order.  We've pretty much mastered our routine of messing up and picking up so it no longer drives me insane. I'm no longer a slave to the chores, my children are!

One of my favorite things...prayer, especially form-prayer (Lectio Divina or the Office). The absence of ego in form-prayer is freeing. 

A few plans for the rest of the week... a 5th birthday tomorrow as we go back to school, a playdate at the end of the week and then a visit from niece who is flying in from Texas.

Ready for my close-up....too lazy to look for my cellphone with tons of pictures in it.  Maybe next week.

for more daybooks/almanacs go visit http://www.suscipio4women.com/

Praise To Foil The Enemy

As I was sleepily praying today's Little Office, this particular line from Psalm 8 struck at my heart like a flaming arrow: " Your majesty is praised above the heavens; on the lips of children and of babes you have found praise to foil your enemy, to silence the foe and the rebel." 
I wanted to move on and keep praying but my heart and mind was stuck in that glorious veil of understanding.  Why this passage spoke clearly to me today and not before is a story for another time.

It has been such a rough year for so many of us.  I have heard your stories, I have cried with you on the phone, I have cried after we've talked on the phone.  All the prayer requests laden with fear, anxiety, doubts about the future or doubt about the presence (or goodness) of God Himself.  So many who carry a yoke that chafes and crushes what mustard-sized faith there is left.

I have been there, many times, more than I would care to discuss.  And this passage, praise to foil the enemy, it resonates with me, now more than at anytime. Not too long ago, I have lamented the ability to praise when times are rough.  It's hard to count your blessings when it seems you have given all. The widow's mite is your story, your woes make Job's life seem like a cake walk.

And yet time and time again Scripture reminds - "rejoice always, pray unceasingly.  In all circumstances, give thanks, for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus."  It cannot be more plain (and more ambitious!) than that.  The balm of praise, thanksgiving and praying seems simple but there is a sting to the application.  Our will protests until protesting in itself becomes tiresome.

Even in the simplest of things the foe and the rebel (Satan and his minions) gets us.  He wears down our resolve in front of the mounting laundry, the never-ending to-do lists,  the misbehaving children, the Joneses next door who seem to have it all together. 

This life is hard. The older I get the more I understand that truth.  It is hard but not completely void of goodness. There is promise in those words...PRAISE to foil the enemy. 

Praise focuses our minds away from the self-loathing and pity.  With heaven in sight, the theological virtue of hope waters that mustard seed of faith.  And with faith, the ability to love once again, to recognize the face of God in the midst of the storms of life.  Praise also refreshes our memories of those who have gone this way before us.  Paul and Silas in jail, Daniel in the lion's den, the many martyrs and saints who have died singing and praising.  Our white martyrdom should be no different, it should also be soaked in praise.

My prayer is to always be found with virtue no matter what challenges this life may bring.  Today I am adding praise to help boost virtue in silencing the enemy.

My Kids Are Grounded...Forever!

We are in the midst of a week-long punishment called grounding.  I've been a parent for almost 11 years and this is the first time I've wielded this horrifying tool against my children.  The details surrounding the punishment is, to my mind, a "that's it" moment.  But according to my husband it's quite hysterical.  Yes, he laughed when he found out the reason why I grounded the kids. Let me just say it involved a kiddie pool and a near empty bottle of Dawn dish detergent. 

He who laughs last laughs the hardest.  This grounding thing is actually kinda cool!  There's no screen time, yes including the Olympics, no playing with neighborhood friends and certainly no laughing. Except for me, I'm allowed to laugh in an evil sort of way.  Okay I'm kidding, they are allowed to laugh a little bit.

Funny thing is before they were grounded they were already getting on (my) nerves.  They were fighting over EVERYTHING, who gets to watch their show, who gets to sit where, how to spell banana properly and even who should breathe first. Yup, that petty. So the Dawn incident was supposed to be really funny but it was the last straw for me. I sounded pretty convincing when I laid down the long sermon as to why they are grounded (and then my husband laughed!).  To his credit the husband laughed away from the scene of the crime (and criminals!) thereby not tarnishing the beauty of my speech about virtue. 

So here we are, almost half-way done with the week-long punishment and it's been wonderful.  It has been the most peaceful last few days.  Gone are the petty bickering and tattle-telling.  In it's place are four children who are playing well together, laughing at the silliest things and coming up with creative things to do without the aid of electronics. Don't be too impressed they are still hoping to get chickenpox so they don't have to do chores!  But at least there's no more long-faces about it.  They know that I reserve the right to extend this punishment as I see fit. 

Since I am enjoying this so much I think I will make a declaration that they will be grounded forever.

Back to School - a "how do you do this?" post

This year I am homeschooling 4 children out of 5 (hyperventilating!)  My youngest student, the kindergartner is, by our family standard, behind.  At this age, my oldest three were reading, riding their bikes without training wheels and can speak in tongues (that last part is an exaggeration).

You would think that I would consider myself an expert by now but the opposite is true.  After a quick assessment of Pablo's academic skills it is making me nervous that I don't remember how I taught the others.  Maybe I didn't really teach them, maybe they were just born geniuses?!  lol  Yup, I am freaking out. It didn't help that we were watching videos of the kids reading at age 4. As the fourth child, we might have babied (is that a word?) Pablo a little longer and did not apply the rigors of scholarship as early. 

It promises to be a busy school year with the absence of my usual "know-it-all" homeschooling bravado.  I think I need to go hide in a cave for a week or so to figure this all out.  Actually I need to go to this retreat - http://www.educatingforheaven.com/2012/07/fanning-the-flame-a-retreat-for-catholic-homeschooling-mothers/

Hopefully, in a couple of months I will be laughing at myself when Pablo begins to read the Odyssey. So how's your homeschool planning going?

Daybook- I'm Still Alive Edition

must blog because I do pay for this website to host our photos...

Outside my window - leaves swaying in the soft, warm, afternoon breeze
All dressed up and nowhere to go - gray skirt, green tee that has some Latin writing on it (hoc est enim corpus)
Our daily bread - oy, I have food in the fridge but no menu plan, bad! It's either rice and meat or meat and potatoes. On a happier note, the kids made candy-coated pretzel this morning.  Who needs dinner when you have sweets?!
All around me - kids lounging after a fun trip to the metropark with friends. The house is in every shape of clutter after I tried to move things around in the bedroom.  Projects, projects, that what's around me.
Food for thought - wishing I had more time to think.  My brain cells seem to be on perpetual rest as I give in to the demands of a busy household.  I no longer think, I just do. This is why I'm trying to pick up blogging again. My brain needs a break from the mundane.
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good - pondering this from the Little Office of the BVM, an excerpt from Psalm 91 - Since he clings to me in love, I will free him, protect him for he knows my name. When he calls I shall answer: "I am with you " I will save him in distress and give him glory. WOW.
On the crafting-challenged list - looking for crafts about the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  This is the focus of our summer as we try live a life of virtue.
On the reading list - resources for the above mentioned endeavor.
What's on the calendar - baseball, a pool playdate with a friend, more baseball,  and projects in between. 
Random snapshots -making candy-coated pretzels