another exhausting weekend

It's almost a relief today to be back into the routine of another week. (said with a sigh) I had a brunch Saturday morning with the mom's group I'm a part of. It meant starting off early with baking. I made a wonderfully simple baked French Toast, and in order to leave the house by myself without feeling guilty, I also baked a pull-apart monkey bread for the hungry mouths here. The kitchen smelled divine!
Saturday evening John and I got together with a group of friends we just don't keep in touch with like we should. A group of his high school classmates and their spouses gathered for a wine party at the home of one of the couples. We had many laughs about how far we've come from beer parties with chips and salsa. Karla had a beautiful spread of appetizers from bruschetta to chocolate dipped strawberries. We all brought a bottle of wine and even took part in a wine-guessing game. It was all so "grown up." It turned out to be quite a late night for us "old farts" though...I think we hit the bed around 2. Wow. Morning came around quicker than usual. I'm so glad we could catch up with good friends though, and look forward to trying to get together more often, especially now that John has his weekends off.
Anyhow we made it off to a later mass than usual, had donuts and coffee at mom and dad's afterwards, and later John brought the 3 oldest girls to the roller skating rink. I so wish I could have been a fly on the wall. Sounds like they had a blast. It was our kids' first visit there, and sounds like there will be many more trips in the future. I stayed home with the nappers, and did some baking. I tried a new recipe for a no-knead wheat bread. It came out a little more dense than I prefer, but the taste is delicious. It won't go to waste, I'm sure.
Anyhow, the highlight of the weekend was the realization that we have Saturday mornings again. At our house that means that the alarm clock is replaced by the sensation of cold little feet snuggling in between us in our bed. We just let them pile in until there's no more room. I think there were 8 in the bed this weekend...not everyone made it under the covers, but several brought in snuggle blankets and curled up at our feet like kittens. It truly is a wonderful way to wake up in the morning. Apart from summers, we haven't had this since before John started his weekend shift more than four years ago. One more reason to love his new schedule.
I'm feeling very blessed today, and so continue on with this Lenten journey, attempting to stay focused, to recognize His great love for me, and to reciprocate in some small way that love in return. Lord, make me worthy...

I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth.Genesis 9:13

Lord, help me to be like Noah, trusting in you even when it seems difficult. Let me remain focused on you and your Holy will that I might be found worthy of the eternal gift of Heaven.

Amen.

Leading the Way

Today I introduced my 2nd grade class to the Way of the Cross. A few of them had prayed it before, or at least heard of it. Thanks to this site I found some nice printable coloring pages for each of the stations. The kids each colored one, and then we posted them in the classroom. I have a nice "Way of the Cross for Children" booklet that was given to me, and so we were able to pray the stations and reflect on each. I was pleasantly surprised at how most of these young ones reacted to the prayers. It was beautiful. The Holy Spirit was certainly working on them.
I used this idea at home with my own kids last year, and plan to do so again. I lined one wall in the kitchen with the coloring pages they completed, and talked with the kids about them. This year I hope to do the same, as well as incorporate the prayers and reflections. If you don't have a Stations for children to follow, I found a nice one here. I'm not sure most of my young ones are ready to sit quietly and reflect in church on Sunday afternoons. Getting them through Mass can be struggle enough at times, so to be able to introduce them at home is nice.

prayer for Lenten perserverence

"Lord, I know how much you love me.
It’s hard for me to feel it sometimes, but I know your love is always with me.
Help me to use your love as a way to persevere in my Lenten intentions.
I am weak, but I know with your help, I can use these small sacrifices in my life
to draw closer to you."
~borrowed from the web (Onlineministries.com)

serving others, one slice at a time

I'm always looking for ways to help my kids understand a bit more about their faith, serving others, growing in Christ. I'm guessing others are too. My intention in sharing this is truly to give ideas. I'm not wanting to suggest we've got it all figured out, or that our ideas are any better, etc. Please know I'm just wanting to share.

Anyhow, all that out of the way...

To incorporate the idea of almsgiving on the kids level, we came up with "Poor-man's Pizza." The idea started with a letter we recieved last week from a charity we'd donated to in the past called "Food for the Poor." A missionary priest from South America came to our parish and shared details of the living conditions in one particular area, and the kids and I all left mass that day changed by what he shared. Anyhow, John and I agreed we felt compelled to donate (even if only a little) again somehow. We quickly realized that we don't necessarily have a stash of money to pull from, so we'd have to cut out one of our luxuries in order to make it fit in the budget. The first thing that came to mind, was our nearly weekly pizza night. Seems as though lately we've been ordering in pizza almost weekly, and this would certainly be something we could do without. To get the kids involved, and to let them know how our sacrifice of something so small could help others, we came up with the chart. Alice and Emma designed it so that there are 6 slices, one for each of the weeks of Lent. For each week we skip pizza night, we'll add a paper pepperoni to a slice, and stash the money saved into an envelope to be mailed out during Holy Week. We also clipped pictures of a severely impoverished, starving family (that came from the letter we recieved) along with a picture of the Holy Mother (which also came with the letter, and was too pretty not to include.) The poster hangs in our kitchen, in plain sight as a reminder of how our simple sacrifices can add up. Emma said it best as I was trying to sell the idea to Grace (who loves Pizza Hut pizza) "Think of it this way Grace, we give up pizza for a few weeks so that little starving children might not die." Wow. Even I wouldn't have put it that bluntly, but it was effective, and Grace got it.

Thank you Lord, for one more opportunity to serve, and for leading me in teaching our children to serve others with a charitable heart.

(by the way, the title "Poor-man's Pizza" came from a term we use around the house often. We serve up "Poor-man's waffles"--just toast with syrup--when we're out of waffles, or "Poor-man's steak"--just thick bologna on the grill--which the kids prefer, I think. Anyhow, the name for the pizza project came easy...something we've said before.)

Alice's joke of the day (2)

What's the difference between Roast Beef and Pea Soup?

A. You can roast beef, but you can't pea soup!

more 9 year-old hysterical laughing...

hungry for a fast?

My simple mind had never thought of "fasting" as being from anything other than food. That is until I read the previously posted Lenten Prayer

So this morning, as I read my daily relflections and prayers, I've decided to focus on a "fast" each day, not always from food, but from something that's keeping me from Christ. Today I've chosen to "fast from unkind words." Not just the words themselves, but the tone in which they're delivered. I find myself being short-tempered with the kids more often than I'd like and my mood last evening (I'm blaming it on hunger) awakened me to that. These are the people I love most in the world. Let me only speak with a loving heart today (and always).

Continued prayers for not just a penitential, but transformative Lenten journey.

Alice's joke of the day

What was Tigger doing when he stared down into the toilet?

A. Looking for Pooh.

(Laughing hysterically at herself for that one.)

for the love of God.

For the first time in my life today I fasted. Really fasted. Don't get me wrong. I've managed to fulfill my Lenten obligations for fasting and abstaining in years past for the most part. Today, however was the first time I've ever done so simply for the love of our God, and for a desire to want to be closer to Him. What an amazing change in how the day went when I considered doing it to please Him only, rather than considering it a bonus way to shed a few pounds during the lenten season.

I must admit, I felt drained for a good part of the afternoon. And when I was most tempted to grab a snack, I chose instead to feast on His word. The house was quiet for a short time this afternoon as the older kids were at school, younger ones napped, and John headed out to work. It gave me about 45 minutes to search for some good Lenten reflections online. Just as I began googling, the doorbell rang. Someone had stopped to deliver a book of daily prayers and reflections. I'd just been gifted with a treasure called "My Daily Bread" Wow. I read just the first chapter and know I'm going to love it. It's just what I'd been hoping to find online. Thank you to my mystery friend for sharing His word with me just when I was most hungry for it! The lesson or theme in the first chapter was a reminder to stay focused on Him and our ultimate goal of Heaven. I concluded my quiet time with a rosary. What a wonderful way to get centered in our Lord just before the kids get home.

I'll admit, by evening I was quite a grump to be around. The kids will not argue that, I'm sure. We did manage to find some peaceful time together making a Lenten Prayer Tree though. We cut out paper ornaments in various Lent/Easter themed shapes...lambs, crosses, hearts, crown of thorns, grapes, fish, etc. The kids gave suggestions for various prayer intentions, people or things they want to pray for, and wrote them on the ornaments, which were then tied to a small tree in our living room. (I have a small "christmas" tree out year round that I decorate for all the seasons, but the idea I'd read suggested clipping a branch from a tree in your yard). Our plan is use the tree to help us keep these prayer intentions as we say our bedtime prayers each night. Later during Holy Week, we can add our usual Easter ornaments and colorful flowers, etc.

Overall, I'd say we're off to a beautiful start this lent. As with any journey, we're bound to forget something, have to stop for assistance somewhere along the way, and certainly realize we're packing more baggage than we should ever need. I can only pray that as necessary, I'll stop for His directions. Peaceful journey to you all!

to begin...

A Lenten Prayer
Fast from judging others; feast on Christ in them.
Fast from wanting more; feast on being thankful.
Fast from anger; feast on patience.
Fast from worry; feast on trust.
Fast from complaining; feast on enjoyment.
Fast from negatives; feast on postitives.
Fast from stress; feast on prayer.
Fast from anger; feast on forgiveness.
Fast from self-concern; feast on compassion for others.
Fast from fear; feast on truth
Fast from discouragement; feast on hope.
Fast from gossip; feast on silence.
Fast from fighting; feast on peace.
Amen
~Adapted from a Lenten prayer by William Arthur Ward in Take Out, Family Faith on the Go.


I'm headed off to 8am mass this morning. Emma's 3rd grade religion class has her special liturgy today. She's excited to be participating by reading the petitions. A wonderful way to begin this spiritual journey called Lent.

Preparing for Lent

My second graders (religion class) and I were discussing Lent today. More to the point we were sharing ways to grow closer to Jesus through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Most of the students seemed to have a plan of action...less fighting with siblings, no sweets, one was giving up a particular Nintendo DS game, etc. I was impressed that they'd given it thought, and were excited to "dive right in" to this holy season. I wish I were feeling as prepared. I've thought about it a great deal, and yet can't put my finger on exactly what my plans are. Maybe I'm thinking about it too much...
I read in my "little black book" (a lenten book of reflections distributed by our parish)today:

"We all have a file of resolutions in the back of our mind. These are the ones we usually pull out at a time like this. Maybe we'd do better to put those aside for a moment and find out what God has in mind. It may be something we've never thought of, something that surprises us."

I had initially thought of taking time away from the blog, but dear husband John suggests instead that I should share my lenten journey with you readers. Hope you don't mind if I pass along prayers, reflections, and activities we come across. Afterall, it is my intention to share the blessings we've received, that we may all grow closer to our Saviour. May you all have a blessed Holy Season of Lent.

Wow.

We finally got around to seeing this last night. If you haven't yet, you must! I'll admit, it started a little cheesey, I thought. But (sorry to admit it John) both of us finished the movie in tears. I think the message transcends marriage even, and in essence leads us all to a stronger relationship with our Loving God. Very Powerful! Put it on your Lenten "to-do" list. I think you'll be glad you did.

it all started with a meat and cheese tray...

Alice and Emma love to put together a meat and cheese tray. On occassion, when I seriously don't feel like cooking, I pull out some cold meat, cheese and crackers, and let them get creative. Tonight that's what we did. The conversation that stemmed from carefully placing coldcuts was priceless. Emma started with a lead in, "Mom, I'm gonna have a wedding you'll never forget!" I smiled, and added "No matter what kind of wedding you have, I'm sure I'll always remember it."
She went on to tell me how all adults were going to celebrate by jumping in inflatable-jumpy toys, and kids would get to splash in a kiddie pool. We laughed, and Alice soon commented that Emma was so good at arranging meat, that maybe Emma could cater her wedding dinner. I laughed, and suggested there was a good chance that Emma may be busy playing "Maid of honor" that day. They both agreed. Soon everyone was talking marriage. Rose wanted to be in someone's wedding, hollaring "Me! Me!" John expressed an interest in marrying his twin Mary. We straightened that out by suggesting maybe instead they could have a double wedding, and get married (to someone else) on the same day. They thought that was a good idea. Soon Charlie was getting upset. "Who can I marry?!" I was quick to throw in, "Just become a priest and you can marry them all!" He liked that idea. A lot! It didn't take long before he wanted to dress the part, and insisted I find/make him a "puh-reestes" suit. After our fine dinner (which included the all too wonderful Ramen noodles as well...we went all out!) I scavenged through my craft supplies and linen closet. This is the best we could come up with spur of the moment. An old bed sheet and some crayola markers (no-sew style.) Frank decided he wanted to be one too. Let the weddings and baptisms begin!


future Fathers? Charlie and Frank

while I'm on the subject of clotheslines...

I mentioned in an earlier post today that I'm looking forward to using the clothesline once again with the warmer weather. It made me remember that my mom's been suggesting for some time that I post an old e-mail I'd sent out several years (and several children) ago. I originally wrote and sent the story to just a few family members and friends and it came full circle to me a year or so ago when someone I'd just met in a prayer group pulled out a copy of the mail and asked if I was the "clothesline lady." Yep, I guess I am.
Who am I to deny my mom. So, here's my story, written sometime in spring 2004...sorry if you've read it before.


Counting my blessings at the Clothesline
“Happy Monday Everyone! (I know, grumble, grumble…back to the grindstone for those of you who do the 9-5 routine!) It was the same attitude for me today too, as I started my laundry that’s been building up all week. I finally had to give in and run a few loads before the kids started borrowing socks and underwear from my drawer! It was during my second trip out to the line this morning that I had to giggle when I saw my first load of darks hanging out…about 20 pairs of pint-sized denims all lined up in a row.
Wonder what people driving by thought…are we raising an army of
midgets here or what?! I had to giggle out loud as I took stock of that
long row of little legs. So funny to me, I even had to take a picture.
It was there and then on this partly sunny, but awfully chilly 50-
something degree morning, that God took a minute to remind me of all
the little blessings he’s given us! All this laundry I curse about each
week…piling up, waiting for the Era-elf to take over some night…was
such a visible reminder of these 6 beautiful children we’ve been given
and the means to provide for them. Not to mention the holey knees as
evidence of their good health and endless energy! Suddenly the
laundry didn’t seem such a burden today…although I’m sure by the time
it’s folded and put away, I will have lost sight of some of this peace and
joy. But for a moment, I’m grateful for this next heavy basket of damp
capris and onesies…knowing that it is in my daily service as a mom that
I am honoring God and following my true vocation! How richly I’ve
been blessed!!!
May you all find a moment of clarity and thank God for your blessings
as you continue your daily grind!
Have a great day all!” ~Jamie

thank you.

Thanks to all who voted....nearly 100 of you! It was pretty clear by your responses that you get what you get, when it comes to ordering.

If you want jelly (John!) you must ask for it, or better yet...grab the bread and get to it! (Love ya hubby!)

at last count...

11 of us have been hit. (Alice's guardian angel is working overtime, or something.) But (knocking on wood) we're feeling better fast. So hopefully we'll be done with this in another day or two.
I'm beginning to love the smell of Lysol. When I can't smell it anymore, it's time to clean and spray again. I used the peroxide advice to clean toothbrushes...they look sparkly fresh. Our washer/dryer are working overtime as I am now washing sheets again from the healthy ones just to be sure there's no more virus lurking in beds. It's never-ending, but so grateful that it's minor, and that it will pass.
My goal for tonight is to get the kitchen cleaned & sparkling & disinfected top to bottom, and scrub walls, handrails, and other neglected area as I've been concentrating mainly on bathrooms and bedrooms.

Too bad it's not spring yet, I could be hanging all this clean laundry on the lines to air dry.

...(clothesline fresh sheets and towels) One more thing to look forward to for spring.

I surrender...

John and I were discussing at noon time today, that next time ('cause there's always a next time...) we're just going to allow the sick kids to kiss, hug, share drinks, bathe in each others germs, whatever it takes to "hurry along" the unavoidable. Today there were four more of us with the stomach virus (myself included.) That's 8 of our 12 that have been "taken prisoner" by this ugly bug. The good thing is that it seems to be running it's course pretty quickly for most. If I had known 2 weeks ago we could have been done in 2 days instead of 2 weeks...I'd have let them all be "kissin' cousins."

Hind sight is twenty-twenty they say. So for now, I'm hanging my white flag of surrender and letting this thing run its course...hopefully as quickly as possible. I'm so tired of serving toast and applesauce with every meal... pray for us. (and thanks for all the tips and advice.)

fighting cabin fever (among other ailments)

I find it difficult coming up with ways for the kids to burn off that extra energy they have from being indoors all day. So when mum2twelve suggested this game, I thought we'd give it a try. We had a ball!!!!
Rather than using scrap paper, we gathered up all of our mittens and gloves and called our game "trashing the mittens." The rules were pretty much the same, although sometimes we skipped the trash can, and just tossed the gloves/mittens to the other side of the taped line. It was fun to see the little ones get active, and even funnier that I made the older kids stay seated on their butt to make things a little more fair. They could only scoot in order to gather up more "ammo."
It was fun, safe, energy burning play. Even old mom got in a couple rounds..."winner take on mom" or the best "all kids against mom." Shoot, I almost had 'em.


The kids (all but Lucy) lined up waiting for the timer to start...we lined the gloves up on the center line first.
and mid-game, as glove/mittens flew and laughter ensued.

germ warfare

Well, it seems as though the little ones are on the mend. They don't have much of an appetite yet, but they're at least keeping things down. (Thank you Lord!) We actually had a pretty pleasant day. (Oh, except for John who also has been hit...but he thank goodness can manage himself, and said he was feeling better as he left for work this afternoon.) I don't think we're out of the woods yet though, cause Grace has been pretty quiet this evening, and mentioned a belly ache a couple times. I sent her to bed with a bucket just in case. (Recycled ice cream pails seem to be our "vomit catcher" of choice.)
We're in full "viral mode" here at our house. I find myself disinfecting the bathroom countertop, sink, toilet, doorknobs etc everytime I enter. How did anyone ever get by before "Lysol disinfecting wipes?" We've temporarily done away with the communal drinking cup at the kitchen sink, replaced now with a row of disposable cups penned with each childs name. Handwashing is strictly enforced. I've been replacing the hand towel in the bathroom with a clean one several times a day. I even pulled a sippy cup out of Frank's mouth today because it "wasn't his." He looked at me in disbelief. Since when don't we share everything?! (Since mom's on a mission to get rid of the germs.)
It seems crazy, but I really don't want to see this make it's way through the entire ranks as it usually does, so I'm going a bit overboard, and hoping for the best. I'm having flashbacks of last winter when I was journaling fevers, tylenol/motrin dosing and other health information on at least 7 at one time. All that "keeping track" (not to mention sleepless nights and clean-up duties) can have your head spinning.
What, if anything, do you do at your house to keep the viral spread to a minimum?
I'd love to hear your tricks...

because he insisted I blog about it!!!

Hubby and I are having a fun time with a recent "misunderstanding." I've added a little poll to the left side. Feel free to respond.
He's even got the kids "clarifying" everything now...afraid mom won't get it right.