Thursday, October 31, 2013
How to get your kids begging for chores - Free Ebook
This is a really cool book with lots of inspiration to take the drudgery out of chore time. I got a lot of ideas for how to add some fun into our days and still get the necessities done. Normally 14.95 but free right now.
Born to Win - FREE Ebook
I had heard a few quotes by Zig Ziglar on the Dave Ramsey show and Facebook but I had not read any of thirty or so books. So I was curious when I saw this book for free on Amazon.
I read it all in one day. I am a speed reader but it would be a quick read for most. It seems to condense his forty years of motivational speaking into an easy-to-use format. I really love the visuals he gives to help in goal setting.
I love the permission to redo goals every six months. I don't have to figure it all out today. I can add more goals and tweak the approach to other goals that I couldn't accomplish.
This works well for someone who finds it so easy to get caught up in hyperfocus. I can be a great cook, housekeeper, creative artist, wife and mom but not always at the same time. Ziglar's approach gives me a way to visually see where my life is out of balance and allows for goal setting and follow through to correct it.
This ties in so well with the seven habits so I am going to work on a tweaked wheel for the boys. Davy has goal setting assignments anyhow. This will help them also see visually where they can be more balanced. There is also a workbook at the end of the ebook for help in goal setting.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
All Hallow's Eve
We have missed all the Halloween festivities due to homework or illness this year. We're all battling a cold so there may not even be trick-or-treating or trick-or-treaters as I really don't suppose the parents would appreciate us handing our cold germs with the mini candy bars.
It's not my favorite holiday but I have enjoyed Halloweens of the past. I remember trick or treating on a road in rural Mississippi where most everyone on the road was kinfolk. I remember an older cousin showing up on the roof with a shovel in his hand and scaring us when we arrived at his door. I remember a great uncle that was dressed in a dog costume and laid perfectly still. Once we were convinced that it must be a stuffed decoration, he jumped up and scared us. A couple years ago, I coordinated a Scooby Doo theme with the kids. With my kids, niece and nephews, we had Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy. I was pregnant with my daughter who we determined would be Velma. But we joked that if she turned out to be a boy, then my nephew would have to be Velma's character and we would call him Vernon. We decorated our van with flowers and wrote The Mystery Machine. It was so much fun. I may never top it.
There are several posts circulating on Facebook about Halloween. I like this one from Trouble Face Mom. I do agree that we separate ourselves so much from the world that we fail to have an influence on our culture. I decided to do some research and learned quite a bit about the origins of Halloween.
The Catholic Church took the message of Jesus to the pagans. Thank goodness that they did because those are my ancestors. Without the missionary efforts of the church, I wouldn't have had the privilege of growing up in a Christian family.
There was an effort to Christianize the pagan customs. They celebrated a fall festival called Samhain in Gaelic culture. During this time, they believed that the dead could come back to the living. The Christians showed that we also believed from an ancient Jewish belief that we also can connect with those who had died through our prayers. All Saints Day was celebrated in May during the celebration of Easter. It was moved to November 1st so that they could honor the dead in a way that pointed to Christ by celebrating those that had given their lives for their belief in Christ.
I did quite a bit of reading and learned the origins of the Jack o'lantern. Fascinating story that shows the power of the cross. The origin of bats may have been from the bonfires of Samhain that attracted insects which offered bats a meal. Halloween History had some interesting tidbits like sugar-rationing ending trick-or-treating for a period of time. American Catholic contains several articles about how to bring back Halloween to its Christian roots.
So here are my thoughts.
If you are trying to Christianize Halloween, you are many centuries too late. It is a Christian holiday as the eve of two feasts, All Saints Day (Nov 1) and All Souls Day (Nov 2). By changing it to a fall festival or harvest festival, you are getting closer to Samhain rather than All Hallow's Eve. Hallow means holy.
Now if a fall festival is a safer place to celebrate, by all means do so. But I agree with Trouble Face Mom that we miss out on an opportunity to be a light in our neighborhoods.
But the biggest problem that I see is that we throw around judgments of evil where it doesn't exist so much that we fail to see evil when it's right in front of our face.
Children dressing up in costumes is not evil! It happens on a weekly if not daily basis in my house.
Sharing candy with your neighbors is not evil! It may have its roots in sharing food with the poor which is right in line with Jesus' solidarity with the poor. It is called Beggars night in some places and times.
Acknowledging the dead is not evil. Many have died for the sake of Christ's name. We should never forget that. So skulls and skeletons are not evil.
Celebrating the harvest is not evil. As long as we acknowledge where those blessings come from.
What is evil? Here is what the Catechism tells us.
"All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone." (Catechism, #2116)
And lastly, we need to remember that we have nothing to fear. The devil is not equal and opposite of God. He is a created being and he has been defeated. We should use this opportunity to explain to our children why we should avoid witches, demons and such since they would glorify Satan. And share why we avoid the things of the occult that draw us away from Christ and into Satan's oldest ploy by promising that we can be like gods.
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
It's not my favorite holiday but I have enjoyed Halloweens of the past. I remember trick or treating on a road in rural Mississippi where most everyone on the road was kinfolk. I remember an older cousin showing up on the roof with a shovel in his hand and scaring us when we arrived at his door. I remember a great uncle that was dressed in a dog costume and laid perfectly still. Once we were convinced that it must be a stuffed decoration, he jumped up and scared us. A couple years ago, I coordinated a Scooby Doo theme with the kids. With my kids, niece and nephews, we had Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, Scooby and Scrappy. I was pregnant with my daughter who we determined would be Velma. But we joked that if she turned out to be a boy, then my nephew would have to be Velma's character and we would call him Vernon. We decorated our van with flowers and wrote The Mystery Machine. It was so much fun. I may never top it.
There are several posts circulating on Facebook about Halloween. I like this one from Trouble Face Mom. I do agree that we separate ourselves so much from the world that we fail to have an influence on our culture. I decided to do some research and learned quite a bit about the origins of Halloween.
The Catholic Church took the message of Jesus to the pagans. Thank goodness that they did because those are my ancestors. Without the missionary efforts of the church, I wouldn't have had the privilege of growing up in a Christian family.
There was an effort to Christianize the pagan customs. They celebrated a fall festival called Samhain in Gaelic culture. During this time, they believed that the dead could come back to the living. The Christians showed that we also believed from an ancient Jewish belief that we also can connect with those who had died through our prayers. All Saints Day was celebrated in May during the celebration of Easter. It was moved to November 1st so that they could honor the dead in a way that pointed to Christ by celebrating those that had given their lives for their belief in Christ.
I did quite a bit of reading and learned the origins of the Jack o'lantern. Fascinating story that shows the power of the cross. The origin of bats may have been from the bonfires of Samhain that attracted insects which offered bats a meal. Halloween History had some interesting tidbits like sugar-rationing ending trick-or-treating for a period of time. American Catholic contains several articles about how to bring back Halloween to its Christian roots.
So here are my thoughts.
If you are trying to Christianize Halloween, you are many centuries too late. It is a Christian holiday as the eve of two feasts, All Saints Day (Nov 1) and All Souls Day (Nov 2). By changing it to a fall festival or harvest festival, you are getting closer to Samhain rather than All Hallow's Eve. Hallow means holy.
Now if a fall festival is a safer place to celebrate, by all means do so. But I agree with Trouble Face Mom that we miss out on an opportunity to be a light in our neighborhoods.
But the biggest problem that I see is that we throw around judgments of evil where it doesn't exist so much that we fail to see evil when it's right in front of our face.
Children dressing up in costumes is not evil! It happens on a weekly if not daily basis in my house.
Sharing candy with your neighbors is not evil! It may have its roots in sharing food with the poor which is right in line with Jesus' solidarity with the poor. It is called Beggars night in some places and times.
Acknowledging the dead is not evil. Many have died for the sake of Christ's name. We should never forget that. So skulls and skeletons are not evil.
Celebrating the harvest is not evil. As long as we acknowledge where those blessings come from.
What is evil? Here is what the Catechism tells us.
"All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to "unveil" the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone." (Catechism, #2116)
And lastly, we need to remember that we have nothing to fear. The devil is not equal and opposite of God. He is a created being and he has been defeated. We should use this opportunity to explain to our children why we should avoid witches, demons and such since they would glorify Satan. And share why we avoid the things of the occult that draw us away from Christ and into Satan's oldest ploy by promising that we can be like gods.
Whether, then, you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 10:31
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
Children's clothes
I have a confession. I totally HATE shopping! I enjoy couponing because of the money that I save. But my idea of a successful shopping trip is one where I can get in and out with what I need as quickly as possible. I don't do malls. Other than going to a special store for the kids like the Lego store or to get pictures made at Olan Mills because I have a coupon, I can go years between trips to the mall.
I love hand-me-downs from cousins and clothing swaps with church or homeschooling groups. Children grow so fast. Many of the clothes that I have for my six-week-old Joseph to wear have already been through 5-6 brothers and cousins. Some things I've had to patch up and other things have worn out or become too stained to be fitting to wear. But a lot of it is still usable.
My older boys have gotten so big that hand-me-downs are rare. So the bulk of our clothing budget is for them. When we started them in public school, I knew we would need some more clothes. Pajama and sweat pants were great around the house but we needed a good selection of jeans and khakis. Here are my three main shopping venues.
1) Salvage store - My husband manages a store that takes out-of-date, out-of-season, and returned items from major retailers. I have found a few shirts and pairs of socks for the boys there. Prices are 30-90% off. I try to look here first but they don't always have enough selection so I can get what I need here. This is where I get most of the little ones' shoes whenever they have a big shipment.
2) Consignment sales - There is a big annual sale here and this year was my first year to attend. I found the boys super nice winter coats for $15 each. Much nicer than what my husband was getting at his store. I loved it because of how well organized it was. I got five children out of the van, loaded three into two strollers, looked at shoes, coats and found the bouncy seat and exersaucer for Joseph. I got all that I was needing to find there and got everything loaded back in the van and back home in an hour. That's my kind of shopping. Quickly done!
3) Thrift stores - I now live five miles away from the thrift store that I drove two hours to visit quite regularly. I found the boys several jeans and a few shirts when school started, but I needed a few more now that it was getting too cold to wear shorts. I found seven pairs of jeans and khakis and four long-sleeved shirts for $26 total. You have to look closely at the clothes for rips and stains. Also check zippers to see if they work. I saw a rustic red plaid dress with a scottish terrier on the skirt. I wanted so badly to get it for Katie Rose although she is really in no need of any more clothes. But alas, it had a stain on the front so I walked away. It took no more than thirty minutes to sort through the size 8 and 10 pants as well as the long sleeved shirts.
Side note - the inventor of the elastic and buttons inside jeans so they can be adjusted smaller for my skinny 10-yr-old and bigger later on for my 8-yr-old is a total genius! I try not to buy pants without them.
And although it will be several years before they are needed. I store everything the older boys outgrow in office boxes or space bags. I shouldn't have to buy much at all for the younger boys. With the exception of completely worn out clothes that need to go to the trash or hand-me-downs that I never cared for that will go to the thrift store.
I have occasionally bought an item or two like shoes for John Micah or dress socks for the older boys at JC Penney. They send out a coupon for $10 off $10 purchase ever so often. I hear that you can get some great deals with coupons at The Children's Place, Gap and Target with Cartwheel but I haven't done that personally.
I am working on seasonal changes in the children's wardrobes. Yesterday, I got rid of many of the summer dresses that I knew Katie Rose was growing out of and wouldn't be able to wear next summer. I need to look through the next size of shirts and jeans in storage to see if I need to get out anything that she will fit into now. Yesterday, I also organized the older boys' dresser so that their jeans and khakis are separated with a drawer for each boys' clothes. So much of their clothes have been communal property since they haven't often been very far apart in size. Davy's growth spurt has put some distance between them. Maybe this will reduce the times I have to send them back to the room to try again.
I love hand-me-downs from cousins and clothing swaps with church or homeschooling groups. Children grow so fast. Many of the clothes that I have for my six-week-old Joseph to wear have already been through 5-6 brothers and cousins. Some things I've had to patch up and other things have worn out or become too stained to be fitting to wear. But a lot of it is still usable.
My older boys have gotten so big that hand-me-downs are rare. So the bulk of our clothing budget is for them. When we started them in public school, I knew we would need some more clothes. Pajama and sweat pants were great around the house but we needed a good selection of jeans and khakis. Here are my three main shopping venues.
1) Salvage store - My husband manages a store that takes out-of-date, out-of-season, and returned items from major retailers. I have found a few shirts and pairs of socks for the boys there. Prices are 30-90% off. I try to look here first but they don't always have enough selection so I can get what I need here. This is where I get most of the little ones' shoes whenever they have a big shipment.
2) Consignment sales - There is a big annual sale here and this year was my first year to attend. I found the boys super nice winter coats for $15 each. Much nicer than what my husband was getting at his store. I loved it because of how well organized it was. I got five children out of the van, loaded three into two strollers, looked at shoes, coats and found the bouncy seat and exersaucer for Joseph. I got all that I was needing to find there and got everything loaded back in the van and back home in an hour. That's my kind of shopping. Quickly done!
3) Thrift stores - I now live five miles away from the thrift store that I drove two hours to visit quite regularly. I found the boys several jeans and a few shirts when school started, but I needed a few more now that it was getting too cold to wear shorts. I found seven pairs of jeans and khakis and four long-sleeved shirts for $26 total. You have to look closely at the clothes for rips and stains. Also check zippers to see if they work. I saw a rustic red plaid dress with a scottish terrier on the skirt. I wanted so badly to get it for Katie Rose although she is really in no need of any more clothes. But alas, it had a stain on the front so I walked away. It took no more than thirty minutes to sort through the size 8 and 10 pants as well as the long sleeved shirts.
Side note - the inventor of the elastic and buttons inside jeans so they can be adjusted smaller for my skinny 10-yr-old and bigger later on for my 8-yr-old is a total genius! I try not to buy pants without them.
And although it will be several years before they are needed. I store everything the older boys outgrow in office boxes or space bags. I shouldn't have to buy much at all for the younger boys. With the exception of completely worn out clothes that need to go to the trash or hand-me-downs that I never cared for that will go to the thrift store.
I have occasionally bought an item or two like shoes for John Micah or dress socks for the older boys at JC Penney. They send out a coupon for $10 off $10 purchase ever so often. I hear that you can get some great deals with coupons at The Children's Place, Gap and Target with Cartwheel but I haven't done that personally.
I am working on seasonal changes in the children's wardrobes. Yesterday, I got rid of many of the summer dresses that I knew Katie Rose was growing out of and wouldn't be able to wear next summer. I need to look through the next size of shirts and jeans in storage to see if I need to get out anything that she will fit into now. Yesterday, I also organized the older boys' dresser so that their jeans and khakis are separated with a drawer for each boys' clothes. So much of their clothes have been communal property since they haven't often been very far apart in size. Davy's growth spurt has put some distance between them. Maybe this will reduce the times I have to send them back to the room to try again.
Monday, October 21, 2013
Liturgical calendar
I found this calendar from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. it share the readings, memorials, feasts and holy days throughout the year. You can also get it for 2014.
I saved it on my Samsung Galaxy so I can access it anywhere. I also want to print it out and place it in my home management binder.
I started last night preparing Christmas cards and thinking of what I need to do in preparation for the holidays. This calendar will be helpful in preparing for traditions like the St Nicholas, Our Lady of Guadalupe and when to celebrate the Jesse Tea. Looking forward to Advent and the preparation of our hearts for Chistmas.
I saved it on my Samsung Galaxy so I can access it anywhere. I also want to print it out and place it in my home management binder.
I started last night preparing Christmas cards and thinking of what I need to do in preparation for the holidays. This calendar will be helpful in preparing for traditions like the St Nicholas, Our Lady of Guadalupe and when to celebrate the Jesse Tea. Looking forward to Advent and the preparation of our hearts for Chistmas.
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
The Leader in Me
The school that our boys are attending has been very suprising to us in their approach. They use the book by Stephen Covey titled The Leader in Me based on The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. The habits instantly sounded familiar to me. My husband told the boys that he had learned in college what they were learning in elementary school. It has brought a different sort of language to our home. They are talking about proactive, synergize and sharpening their saw. Even our priest used Sharpen Your Saw in his homily a couple weeks ago. James instantly recognized it and realized they were learning something big.
I found the book at our library so I could learn more about how they were implementing these habits. I love that the book ties in how to further the habits at home as well. One of the statement in the book is "Treat a man as he is and you make him worse than he is. Treat a man as he has the potential to become and you make him better than he is." My boys are growing fast. This tells me that I need to be envisioning the men that I want them to become and start communicating that potential to them now. They will have more opportunities for practicing leadership with joining scouts this year as well.
One of the recommendations in bringing it home is to create a family mission statement. I have seen this suggested before and avoided it because it seemed vague and unrealistic without means of measuring success. But I want our home environment to be a result of all of our goals and ideas. The boys had helpedbwith creating a class misdion statement the first week of school. I knew they woul be familiar with the process. So we sat down this week and made a first draft. Some of the suggestions were kindness, respect, honesty and love. We started it with our anchor in our faith and ended with regular goals for each family member so that we are growing and measuring our progress realistically.
As we mull over our ideas we wrote, we will make a plan to come back and write it out clearly. Then begin to align systems so that we are successful in creating the culture that we all want. From the two pages we have written, I think it will look more like a family resolution.
Great book! There is also another book mentioned called the 8th Habit so I think I will look for that one next. I appreciate that this journey in public school is inspiring growth in more than just academics
I found the book at our library so I could learn more about how they were implementing these habits. I love that the book ties in how to further the habits at home as well. One of the statement in the book is "Treat a man as he is and you make him worse than he is. Treat a man as he has the potential to become and you make him better than he is." My boys are growing fast. This tells me that I need to be envisioning the men that I want them to become and start communicating that potential to them now. They will have more opportunities for practicing leadership with joining scouts this year as well.
One of the recommendations in bringing it home is to create a family mission statement. I have seen this suggested before and avoided it because it seemed vague and unrealistic without means of measuring success. But I want our home environment to be a result of all of our goals and ideas. The boys had helpedbwith creating a class misdion statement the first week of school. I knew they woul be familiar with the process. So we sat down this week and made a first draft. Some of the suggestions were kindness, respect, honesty and love. We started it with our anchor in our faith and ended with regular goals for each family member so that we are growing and measuring our progress realistically.
As we mull over our ideas we wrote, we will make a plan to come back and write it out clearly. Then begin to align systems so that we are successful in creating the culture that we all want. From the two pages we have written, I think it will look more like a family resolution.
Great book! There is also another book mentioned called the 8th Habit so I think I will look for that one next. I appreciate that this journey in public school is inspiring growth in more than just academics
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
St Teresa of Avila
Today, we celebrate the feast of St Teresa of Avila. She was a part of the Counter Reformation. She, along with St Ignatius of Loyola and St John of the Cross brought reforms badly needed within the church of the sixteenth century. You can read more about her life in the Divine Office as well as an excerpt of her writing in the Office of Readings.
There are some great recipes on Catholic Cuisine. We will probably just do a dessert to celebrate since we can't have French Bread and I doubt the kids will eat garlic soup at this young age.
There is a simple reading for kids here. I enjoyed reading another post about her that focused on her struggles at times to pray without being distracted. As a mom, my life is full of distractions so it is nice to know that I am not necessarily hindered from a great prayer life by any struggle I may face.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
St Teresa of Jesus, pray for us.
There are some great recipes on Catholic Cuisine. We will probably just do a dessert to celebrate since we can't have French Bread and I doubt the kids will eat garlic soup at this young age.
There is a simple reading for kids here. I enjoyed reading another post about her that focused on her struggles at times to pray without being distracted. As a mom, my life is full of distractions so it is nice to know that I am not necessarily hindered from a great prayer life by any struggle I may face.
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you,
All things are passing away:
God never changes.
Patience obtains all things.
Whoever has God lacks nothing;
God alone suffices.
St Teresa of Jesus, pray for us.
Monday, October 14, 2013
The grace of reconciliation
It has been a busy time with a new baby, new school and such. Several months had passed since attending confession so Friday night, I asked my husband if he could meet us at church after work Saturday. Saturday morning, I gave the older boys an examination of conscience to read and pray about what sins they needed to confess. I did the same in preparation for confession before Saturday evening Mass.
My mom thinks confession is an unchanging event where we confess but don't change our ways. As if confession is easy. It is hard even behind a curtain to say out loud, "I messed up!" It is so much easier to say, "Father, forgive me where I have failed you" and never officially calling that sin out by name. And therefore continuing to struggle. Calling out sins specifically by name and frequency is powerfully effective.
We don't leave the reconciliation room with a clear conscience and license to abuse the grace we have been given. We leave filled with grace to avoid those snares of the devil and thanksgiving that Christ has forgiven us when we have chosen to really look at how undeserving we truly are.
My oldest, Davy, claimed he had nothing in need of confession. I reminded him that we all sin and if nothing else, his lack of attention and participation in Mass would be something to talk about. After realizing the previous Sunday that the oldest misbehaved in Mass more than the younger four, he was warned that he would lose privileges if he didn't straighten up. But he didn't confess that. He decided to keep it short and sweet and just confess that he wasn't listening to his parents at times. During the mass that followed, he played with his shoe and his glasses and his reflection in the window. On the way home, I let him know he was grounded and how important it was to confess the sins we struggle with so we have the grace to resist the temptation.
I love the reminder that we all need to confess sin. I am a busy mom. I really don't have time to get into too much trouble. But I am amazed at the beginning of Mass when we are asked to bring to mind our sins and failings, the Holy Spirit prompts a pouring out of prayer from my soul of whatever I haven't done right or with all my might the previous week. It is sometimes quite a revelation what has harmed my soul through my thought and deeds or lack of.
One confession I had was that I wanted to not be so impatient and reactive to my kids. It is so hard to bite your tongue when you have said something over and over again and it seems like you might as well have been talking to a wall. Sunday morning, I heard Davy doing something he shouldn't. It was carelessness typical of boys but I was playing over in my head how many times I had told him to stop doing it and logically explained the why behind it. I was getting ready to ask him, "Why, oh why do you not listen to me? Why do you continue until I am all out of options except but to punish you?"
But I stopped. Later, I took the time again to have him practice how to do it properly when I was not gearing up for a rant. That is the grace of God. There is nothing different about me. In my mind, I was justified in extending his punishment since he had refused to listen. But something divine took over and allowed me to show the mercy that I have received from my Heavenly Father.
That is why I go to and believe in the power of reconciliation. I want to be a mother empowered by the grace of God.
My mom thinks confession is an unchanging event where we confess but don't change our ways. As if confession is easy. It is hard even behind a curtain to say out loud, "I messed up!" It is so much easier to say, "Father, forgive me where I have failed you" and never officially calling that sin out by name. And therefore continuing to struggle. Calling out sins specifically by name and frequency is powerfully effective.
We don't leave the reconciliation room with a clear conscience and license to abuse the grace we have been given. We leave filled with grace to avoid those snares of the devil and thanksgiving that Christ has forgiven us when we have chosen to really look at how undeserving we truly are.
My oldest, Davy, claimed he had nothing in need of confession. I reminded him that we all sin and if nothing else, his lack of attention and participation in Mass would be something to talk about. After realizing the previous Sunday that the oldest misbehaved in Mass more than the younger four, he was warned that he would lose privileges if he didn't straighten up. But he didn't confess that. He decided to keep it short and sweet and just confess that he wasn't listening to his parents at times. During the mass that followed, he played with his shoe and his glasses and his reflection in the window. On the way home, I let him know he was grounded and how important it was to confess the sins we struggle with so we have the grace to resist the temptation.
I love the reminder that we all need to confess sin. I am a busy mom. I really don't have time to get into too much trouble. But I am amazed at the beginning of Mass when we are asked to bring to mind our sins and failings, the Holy Spirit prompts a pouring out of prayer from my soul of whatever I haven't done right or with all my might the previous week. It is sometimes quite a revelation what has harmed my soul through my thought and deeds or lack of.
One confession I had was that I wanted to not be so impatient and reactive to my kids. It is so hard to bite your tongue when you have said something over and over again and it seems like you might as well have been talking to a wall. Sunday morning, I heard Davy doing something he shouldn't. It was carelessness typical of boys but I was playing over in my head how many times I had told him to stop doing it and logically explained the why behind it. I was getting ready to ask him, "Why, oh why do you not listen to me? Why do you continue until I am all out of options except but to punish you?"
But I stopped. Later, I took the time again to have him practice how to do it properly when I was not gearing up for a rant. That is the grace of God. There is nothing different about me. In my mind, I was justified in extending his punishment since he had refused to listen. But something divine took over and allowed me to show the mercy that I have received from my Heavenly Father.
That is why I go to and believe in the power of reconciliation. I want to be a mother empowered by the grace of God.
Friday, October 11, 2013
Super simple crabby patties
On Fridays, we abstain from meat. Fish is allowed since they are cold-blooded. And someone joked possibly because our first pope was a fisherman. Seriously, fish was easier to catch as opposed to killing a warm-blooded animal and was cheaper with red meat being a real luxury.
In America, we are allowed to choose something else to abstain from such as social media, caffeine, sugar, or whatever causes us to think of the sacrifice our Lord made on the cross. I can live without meat but if I don't abstain from meat, it's easy for the rest of the family to forget that it's Friday. And that's the whole purpose, to not only remember His resurrection each Sunday but also the sacrifice He made on Friday.
So tonight we are having an at least four generation tradition of salmon/mackerel patties usually with macaroni and cheese and biscuits. My great-grandmother, grandmother and mother have all made it. If you count my kids, that's at least 5 generations. My aunt came to help with the kids when Joseph was born and I made it for supper. She remarked how good it was and how she hadn't had it in a while. My husband thinks it stinks but it's comfort food for us.
I use wild-caught Alaskan salmon. I take a can, drain the liquid, mash up the fish; bones and all. The bones are real soft and a great source of calcium. I add a bit of cornmeal and an egg. It doesn't need salt but you could add pepper and/or finely chopped onion if you like.
I form patties and fry them up in a bit of coconut oil. With the omega-3 from the fish, calcium from the bones and healthy fats from the coconut oil, this is one nutritious supper. You can serve them on buns for the kids who want to pretend they are eating with Sponge Bob. I prefer them just topped with ketchup.
In America, we are allowed to choose something else to abstain from such as social media, caffeine, sugar, or whatever causes us to think of the sacrifice our Lord made on the cross. I can live without meat but if I don't abstain from meat, it's easy for the rest of the family to forget that it's Friday. And that's the whole purpose, to not only remember His resurrection each Sunday but also the sacrifice He made on Friday.
So tonight we are having an at least four generation tradition of salmon/mackerel patties usually with macaroni and cheese and biscuits. My great-grandmother, grandmother and mother have all made it. If you count my kids, that's at least 5 generations. My aunt came to help with the kids when Joseph was born and I made it for supper. She remarked how good it was and how she hadn't had it in a while. My husband thinks it stinks but it's comfort food for us.
I use wild-caught Alaskan salmon. I take a can, drain the liquid, mash up the fish; bones and all. The bones are real soft and a great source of calcium. I add a bit of cornmeal and an egg. It doesn't need salt but you could add pepper and/or finely chopped onion if you like.
I form patties and fry them up in a bit of coconut oil. With the omega-3 from the fish, calcium from the bones and healthy fats from the coconut oil, this is one nutritious supper. You can serve them on buns for the kids who want to pretend they are eating with Sponge Bob. I prefer them just topped with ketchup.
Thursday, October 10, 2013
Our new normal
Here we are....amidst life's twists and turns, we have arrived here with five children. Two in public school. Living in a town that neither of us grew up in but is very much home. We have such a great community.
Joseph Christian was born September 10th. Delivery and hospital stay went smoothly. He was baptized two weeks later. I love Catholic baptisms. The whole congregation was asked to join in renewing their own baptismal vows as Joseph and another little girl were baptized. The whole community joined together in professing our faith in God and committing to accept Christ and reject Satan. Something we need to do often, even daily.
Life with a fifth baby isn't as unsettling to our routine as adding the first or second or even third. I spoke with a lady at the hospital who had ten children. She said that after the fourth, adding another one is easy. And she is right. Experience makes everything familiar and easy to find a good rhythm to life. We are a little sleep deprived but we know that this season is so very short. Before long, he will be sleeping through the night and we will miss the snuggles at 2am.
The boys are thriving in public school. They've asked several times if they can go to public school forever. I had to explain that I can't commit totally to that because I can't see into the future and what challenges may arise. But so far so good. They've started riding the bus which requires a short walk to the bus stop. I walked through it with them going over all the rules and they've not had any problems other than another exuberant boy who knocked James down. He later apologized and all is well. The first day, I called one of the special education teachers to see if she had seen Davy. She had and he had excitedly told her about riding the bus. I told her that I was just a little neurotic and didn't want to wait all day to find out whether or not they made it to school safely. It's soooo hard watching them grow up and become more independent. I know it's necessary and I can't hover over them all the time. But it does take a lot of faith to remember that God can watch over them much better than I.
Several have remarked how I must feel like a load has been lifted to not have that pressure of homeschooling. And they're right. I had no idea how much of a weight it was until they started public school. I didn't fully appreciate how much time and thought it required. Even with a newborn, it feels like I have so much more time and there are so many more things that I can do for my family. I've thanked the teachers for helping bear this load with me. It has taken several teachers to help keep Davy's work straight. His main room teacher said that she didn't know how I did it by myself.
But with this extra time, comes a bit of a reinventing period. I'm thrilled to have more time to keep the house clean and do some extra baking. I have time to coupon and shop the sales. I am hoping to add more projects for learning for the little ones. I also want to add more Catholic traditions. There is such a vast richness to our faith with opportunities to share in the cultures all around the world since we are a global church. I am praying for wisdom that I will prioritize properly and not sacrifice the time with my kids for clean floors or family time for organized closets. Hopefully I will manage to do all that needs to be done as I manage my time well. But when a choice arises, I pray that I always chose the better part as Mary, Lazarus' sister did.
My eldest turned 10 on the Feast of Holy Archangels and my husband turned 40 on the Feast of Guardian Angels. We have also studied about angels in our catechism study from St Joseph Baltimore Catechism. So I am taking a suggestion from Many Little Blessings to memorize the prayer for our Guardian Angel.
Angel of God
My guardian dear
To Whom His love
Commits me here
Ever this day
Be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide. Amen
Joseph Christian was born September 10th. Delivery and hospital stay went smoothly. He was baptized two weeks later. I love Catholic baptisms. The whole congregation was asked to join in renewing their own baptismal vows as Joseph and another little girl were baptized. The whole community joined together in professing our faith in God and committing to accept Christ and reject Satan. Something we need to do often, even daily.
Life with a fifth baby isn't as unsettling to our routine as adding the first or second or even third. I spoke with a lady at the hospital who had ten children. She said that after the fourth, adding another one is easy. And she is right. Experience makes everything familiar and easy to find a good rhythm to life. We are a little sleep deprived but we know that this season is so very short. Before long, he will be sleeping through the night and we will miss the snuggles at 2am.
The boys are thriving in public school. They've asked several times if they can go to public school forever. I had to explain that I can't commit totally to that because I can't see into the future and what challenges may arise. But so far so good. They've started riding the bus which requires a short walk to the bus stop. I walked through it with them going over all the rules and they've not had any problems other than another exuberant boy who knocked James down. He later apologized and all is well. The first day, I called one of the special education teachers to see if she had seen Davy. She had and he had excitedly told her about riding the bus. I told her that I was just a little neurotic and didn't want to wait all day to find out whether or not they made it to school safely. It's soooo hard watching them grow up and become more independent. I know it's necessary and I can't hover over them all the time. But it does take a lot of faith to remember that God can watch over them much better than I.
Several have remarked how I must feel like a load has been lifted to not have that pressure of homeschooling. And they're right. I had no idea how much of a weight it was until they started public school. I didn't fully appreciate how much time and thought it required. Even with a newborn, it feels like I have so much more time and there are so many more things that I can do for my family. I've thanked the teachers for helping bear this load with me. It has taken several teachers to help keep Davy's work straight. His main room teacher said that she didn't know how I did it by myself.
But with this extra time, comes a bit of a reinventing period. I'm thrilled to have more time to keep the house clean and do some extra baking. I have time to coupon and shop the sales. I am hoping to add more projects for learning for the little ones. I also want to add more Catholic traditions. There is such a vast richness to our faith with opportunities to share in the cultures all around the world since we are a global church. I am praying for wisdom that I will prioritize properly and not sacrifice the time with my kids for clean floors or family time for organized closets. Hopefully I will manage to do all that needs to be done as I manage my time well. But when a choice arises, I pray that I always chose the better part as Mary, Lazarus' sister did.
My eldest turned 10 on the Feast of Holy Archangels and my husband turned 40 on the Feast of Guardian Angels. We have also studied about angels in our catechism study from St Joseph Baltimore Catechism. So I am taking a suggestion from Many Little Blessings to memorize the prayer for our Guardian Angel.
Angel of God
My guardian dear
To Whom His love
Commits me here
Ever this day
Be at my side
To light and guard
To rule and guide. Amen
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