12/Year - May

Wow, it's already the end of May, where did time go?!  While going through the photo folder on my computer I was pretty sure there's almost nothing for the month of May.  It's been so busy I know I didn't take as many photos as I normally do.  But it wasn't too empty that there's nothing to share.  When you're done over here don't forget to visit Praying for Grace for more photo diaries!  Thanks Barb for doing this, it's been amazing to look at the past months in pictures.

Here we go:

First Communion on the first weekend of May

then there was Mother's Day, the kids always serve me breakfast in bed for special occasions but I prefer dining with them out of bed

crowning Mama Mary on Mother's Day

new crown this year, we lost our old one to the elements last year

don't believe for one second I am the queen of this home.  She is.

the hubby had a big birthday, he made me promise not to throw him a surprise party or any party for that matter so we just took him out for pizza and beer at a nearby pub

it's not my birthday but I will not be deprived of a treat :-)

a mini Mary garden from St. Philomena Girls Club - a fun club for girls in our homeschool group

creepy children begging their father to buy them a bug zapper LOL

a boy in nappies playing with his trains, this is the first thing he does when he wakes up. The boy just told me to wash the carpet when he saw this picture.  The carpet actually needs replaced.

the oldest and his favorite chore, ignore the overgrown used-to-be vegetable patch on the background, we are purposely neglecting it until we decide what to do.

baseball season has begun - watching their brother practice pitching, note the lightsaber on the two youngest, we don't leave home without it

she has to have art supplies to survive baseball season

 at the annual homeschool Father and Son camp-out

knockout roses finally blooming!

beautiful May morning for a walk with the girl. I love her company, she's bright and funny.  On this walk we discussed friendships, life of a girl her age and her dreams of becoming a chef/pastry artist.

See you here again next month!

Homeschool Summer School

One of the widely discussed topic in the homeschool realm around this time of year is summer school - to do or not to do.  Over here I tend to warn the kids each year that we will have summer school but then baseball, sleepovers, swim parties and the dog days take over my resolve which leaves the idle threat of schooling just that - idle. 

Academically, we did a lot this school year if the checklist on my school planner is accurate. We dropped a couple of non-core things mid-year (Latin!) mostly due to my wanting to teach all four kids at once.  My soon-to-be six-year-old (who is the budding Math whiz) was a little bit too young to engage so I wanted to hold off until he is ready.  It seems that time has come so we are picking up Latin again for summer school.  For the oldest,  I'm currently hunting and gathering materials for some sort of a "junior Apologetics" class.  If you have any ideas let me know!

In a nutshell, the plan is to study Latin, Math (so we don't lose our skills) two or three times a week.  That should leave us plenty of time for playdates, sports (camp) and general summer idleness. For now, we are taking two weeks off then take the standardized testing.  That should be enough time to write a lesson plan if I don't goof off on the internet too much.  Speaking of which....

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 Happy End of School Year!

Insanity Month Two - Method To The Madness

We are in the midst of week one of the second month (final month!) of Insanity.  The sessions are 60 minutes long compared to last month's 35-45 minutes. The drills are also more advanced so the name of the game is endurance. It doesn't help that Shaun T. taunts motivates at the beginning by saying "this workout is gonna kick your behind!".  Umm, it's been kicking my behind for the last 5 weeks so bring it on!

Allowing all that I've read on the internet to intimidate me, I really thought this might be the month I could quit Insanity.  My husband pointed out what we've accomplished so far with emphasis on the early results we are enjoying.  That helps me out of the couch to lace up my sneakers each day.

As with any exercise program, some moves are harder than others.  My least favorite are those that involve the quads and bum (squats, etc...)  My favorites are those that involve the upper-body like planks and push-ups.  So the method to my madness is really "cheating" on those moves I don't like, that is, I don't push myself with them as much as I would those that I like.  My plan is to conquer those hated moves on my second round (yes, I'm pretty sure I will do a second round). In the meantime, I am trying to perfect the plank and push-up drills.
 

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Insanity Recovery Week - Answering Questions

We're finishing up the fifth week of Insanity which is called Recovery Week.  I can't say enough about how I'm thankful for this break!  Well, it's not really a break, it's still six days of working out to the same dvd called Core Cardio and Balance.  The lower impact is such a welcome respite from the rigors of the last four weeks.

I can't say if I've lost weight, I'll find out on my next visit to the endocrinologist.  The real scale for me is being able to look at my closet and know I can wear what's in it. Lately,  I've been able to do just that and not whine that nothing fits. What five weeks of intense workout has given me is a stronger core (which helps my posture), all-over toning and a stronger body, something I haven't had in almost two years (post-p90x). 

Next week is phase two.  From what I've read on the interwebs this is really when the insanity begins.  I'm a little nervous but preparing my brain to win the fitness mind-game.  You will read all about it here next week, if I'm still alive LOL.

Now to address a couple of questions I've been asked about this fitness program:

Do you think anyone can do it? -  I don't know!  I didn't think I could do it either but here I am at week five.  But then again I jumped into this with a p90x experience and a fitness history.  The program will probably be harder for those with no fitness background, I can say that much.  I can see how some of the moves can possibly injure anyone who isn't familiar with how certain exercises should be done.  The intensity can also be discouraging for a beginner so a "not a quitter" attitude goes a long way.

Are you following everything on the diet plan? - not to the letter, no.  I eat a fairly healthy "diet" anyway but I definitely increased my protein and caloric intake for fuel.  When I grow up I might start a food journal...baby steps.

How do you do it? - by peer pressure LOL.  My brother and sister run marathons.  I won't run coz I don't like running so this is my way of keeping up with the Bernadases (my side of the family).  On a daily basis my husband is the one dragging me off the couch, without him I probably couldn't/wouldn't do it.

What will you do at the end of 60 days? - I'm planning to take a break for a week or two before possibly starting a second round.  My original plan was to do a p90x Lean/Insanity hybrid, that is following the p90x Lean strength training schedule but using Insanity for cardio days. I'm leaning more towards doing a second round.  We'll see.

What are you doing to yourself?! (this one's for you Debz lol) - I ask myself the same question each time I put on my gym shoes, it might be a mid-life crisis LOL.  Actually, sitting there at the emergency room a couple of months ago made me think about my children and husband and how I want to grow old running around after my grandchildren (at 80, with a cane, in my high heels of course!).

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See you next week!

Insanity Week Four- Hello Blue Jeans, My Old Friend

I originally meant to blog about Insanity at the completion of each week to document this truly insane fitness regimen. But it's been so busy over here with First Communion and dealing with Spring allergies (which have now eased, yay!)  and frankly, I didn't know what to write other than ouch, ugh and what have I done?  LOL

The marketing of Insanity is brilliant - with all the before and after photos and the promise of giving you a year's worth of results in 60 days is enough to lure (over-achieving) suckers like me (and my husband). It's the same sleek advertising that got us started with p90x in 2011.

Anyhow, Week One was a total mind game. We finished day one ( a 25 minute fit test) feeling like we conquered Mt. Everest only to realize that each day got worse more awesome. Unlike p90x, Insanity is all-cardio, its six days a week of conditioning your heart to breathe like it's never done before and to push your body to it's death limit. And I loved it (not being sarcastic or hyperbolic). This is what I'm looking for in a workout- instant gratification - a lot of sweat in a small amount of time with early noticeable (to me) results. We were sweating through the warm-ups and the cool-downs, it was very intense. By the fourth day I knew there was no quitting, my brain won't let me even if my body was telling a different story.  We finished the first week with very achy muscles.

Week Two was a lot easier when we overcame the mind game. We got better at keeping up with the pace and taking lesser breaks.  Speaking of breaks, they are only 30 seconds long.  In a series called Pure Cardio, there are no breaks until the cool down. I love it (now I'm being sarcastic).  Insanity does not offer modifications, you just have to slow down or stop when you can't do an exercise. There was a lot of grunting and growling as we push through the difficult drills. I slept well (and napped a lot!) during week two.

Week Three was when I really felt fatigued, not hurting but fatigued.  The fit test (same as Week One) indicated that we were getting better and stronger.  But it was harder to do the exercises with proper form and/or to completion.  My eyeballs were probably the only part of me that wasn't tired lol.  We allowed an extra day of rest to recover. 

And here we are in the middle of Week Four...feeling very accomplished and so happy to be wearing my favorite blue jeans again after almost two years.

On my next post I will write about the vanity of it all.  In the meantime, this sounds so good right about now:

source: http://personalfitnessforyou.blogspot.com/2012/10/funny-fitness-ecard-rehydrate-with.html

All I Want For Mother's Day - A Repost

 UPDATE: *There's been some confusion about this entry with people sending congratulations about my "pregnancy"  LOL. So let me say it again - this is a repost from 2010 when I was pregnant with my now almost three-year-old.

*Originally posted on my old blog on May 7, 2010

Is it awful that I am somewhat disinterested in Mother's Day this year? With all the blaring trumpets heralding this weekend's occasion, my brain automatically went into "ignore it" mode. Those of you who know me personally will be surprised at that. Blessed with motherhood as my eternal vocation, one would think I'd be the first to remind the planet to celebrate Me.

In my defense, it's been almost two years since my mom passed away.  Combine that with other "more important" celebrations this year - our 10th wedding anniversary, my 40th birthday, the impending birth of a new baby- Mother's Day is really low on my priority list. 

Despite my seeming disinterest, I have really been pondering motherhood for the last couple of weeks.  It all started with that annual thought-provoking question, "What do you want for Mother's Day?"  Year after year, when asked that question, my mind goes blank because at this stage in my life there is really nothing (at least materially) that I want, not even that elusive winning lottery ticket!

My little moments of pondering have brought me instead to a place where the question was "what was the best Mother's Day gift you've ever received?"  I thought about the years past, my life as a first-time mom, losing our 4th child, the many sleepless nights of worries over illnesses, scrapes and scratches, homeschool curricula and of course, a new baby this Summer.  But something would always bring me to thoughts not of MY motherhood but that of my mother's. 

She IS the best Mother's Day present I have been given!  From her, I have learned the importance of virtues, patience, long-suffering, striving for holiness, a complete submission of my own will for the good of others.  Don't get me wrong, I didn't always see my mother the way I see her now (hey, I was a know-it-all teenager once).  I was as privy to her perfections as to her faults (which we all have).  But the most striking imprint she left me with is how similar she is to so many saints whose life stories I have read.  It is not uncommon for me to read something on the saints and think "wow, that is exactly how my mother is" or "that's exactly what my mother would do or say!"  Slowly, the perfections of my mother overshadowed her faults (and I was also getting out of my teen-years lol).  Eventually it became my pride to say that when I grow up I want to be like my mother!  People either roll their eyes at me or think of me as really un-cool.  Isn't it funny how the world thinks of wanting to be like your mother as crazy?

And so with Mother's Day ahead of me, I am thinking of what it all means, to me, to my children, to my husband.  What does MY motherhood give to them? Are my perfections overshadowing my faults?  Will my daughter want to grow up and be like me?  Will my husband remember the great (and sometimes awful) cooking or the day(s) I didn't do laundry?  Will my boys remember how I try hard to like and understand sports? What will be indelible in their souls about my motherhood when I have passed on from this world to the next? 

It is my sincere hope that when memories of their mother begin to fade, they will remember one thing -for all my love of them, that their mother strives (and struggles) to live a life of joyful holiness.  That is what my mother gave to me that I hope to give to my children.

Happy Mother's Day!!!!

*my blogging niece writes about my mom here:  http://365dazeofivannah.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/family-ties/

12/Year - April

This is super-late but First Communion preparation took over my life these past couple of weeks.  Once again, joining my dear friend at Praying for Grace for April's photo diary.

early in the month before the blooms dispersed allergens in the air we were able to take advantage of the warm days searching for rolly-pollies

we brought schoolwork outdoors

creative writing with my children- the prompt was Why I Love Spring it's shorter than Why I Hate Spring LOL

goofing off

the girl made me a pouch for my sunglasses

her sweet note

studying for First Communion - Order of the Mass - ignore the fact that it's backwards, I wrote on the right hand side first, no explanation for that

the makings of a First Communion banner

the boy at work

my semi-annual treat, I love my monastic ale

a cupcake for my birthday courtesy of the girl

a nice night for a fire and stargazing

the birthday drink - mango and pineapple martini

the usual lightsaber fight

taking Spring cleaning to the next level by renting a dumpster

the phlox bloomed - this signals our incarceration to the indoors as Spring allergies came back

the tree sprouting leaves....

and it was like this barely three weeks before. I don't miss this.

First Communion Photos

The excitement has been brewing here for months. Since the First Communion retreat the boy has been counting down the days. Yesterday we were able to go to First Friday Mass, Holy Hour and the Sacrament of Penance, he was literally bouncing out of that confessional!  An old friend of my now-deceased father-in-law dropped by yesterday to bring the first gift, a medal of the Blessed Trinity.  This morning, hours before First Communion, a dear friend who traveled to Rome during the papal elections stopped by with third-class relics and papal holy cards.  It's been such a special day and the celebration continues tomorrow when we host the official First Communion party with the rest of the family. 

Here are some early snapshots:

hugging his dad shortly after Mass

see that smile?  he is so happy - with Sr. Mary Michael, OP

with godparents Uncle Steve and Aunt Kate

With Uncle Vince, Aunt Mary and cousin Paddy

the fam - notice anything new with me?

Mama Mary and the boy