Then again, maybe not...

Seems the interstates aren't quite ready for the likes of the nutty family traversing the state on our 12 hour trek...

The roads are still closed.

So, we will be staying put.

Luckily, the kahlua hasn't run out.

:)

Happy New Year Y'all!

My Little Snow Bunnies

Here is my parent's home in the mountains, completely covered with snow!






































Here is DD #1 playing in the 2-foot drifts...


















and DS #2...


















And here is DS #1, working on this...


















A humongous sled-run, starting at the front of the house, wrapping around the side, and continuing down the mountain to the back of the house toward the end of their road. It was a success for the most part, until daredevil DD #1 sailed over the banking wall her Papa had built and down the steep incline through brush and trees on the other side. She came to a rest after flipping over a few times off her inner tube. Luckily, she was not hurt, just shook up a bit. Grandpa gave her the award for the "most interesting" run of the day. DH said she had been whipping down the hill faster than any of the boys... Yes, she was the first (and only, so far!) to get stitches at the tender age of 4. But that's a different story. I just find it interesting that my tender-hearted girl is the most fearless when it comes to hitting the slopes. I guess the mountain is in her blood after all!

Our estimated time of departure is Monday morning. Prayers for a safe and sane journey would be much appreciated!

Let it Snow!

Yes, the weather outside is frightful...

Yes, the fire (and s'mores) are very delightful...

Since it doesn't show signs of stopping...

And, we really have no place to go...

We are enjoying this time in the snowy mountains!


+while praying for those stuck in the storm+

Hail, Hail...

...the gang's all here!

Here we are, all together for a few short days!

I am the oldest of 6, with only one brother. And so, this picture includes spouses, children, and significant others. We all stayed under one roof (even my brother, who has his own apartment in town, stayed overnight Christmas Eve). It was wonderful to be together, and reminisce and laugh...

And so, until next time, when we all make the trek to come together again, may God bless us and keep us.

O Holy Night...

...aka, our nutty family before we left for Christmas Eve mass....


















My parents have a beautiful home in the mountains at the base of Pikes Peak, altitude 9,000 ft. Their A-frame house is gorgeous against the backdrop of snowy pine trees and mountain vistas. We went on a walk Christmas day with some of my siblings, and to hear the wind rustling in the pines, and breathing the fresh (albeit somewhat thin) mountain air was invigorating. It is such a treat to be able to walk and hike and get a decent amount of exercise, without breathing in the city fumes. It is wonderful to spend time up in the snowy mountains, to have my kids come in from the frosty outdoors covered in snow, their cheeks pink and eyes snapping. We all fall into bed at night exhausted, but arise refreshed, ready for new adventures.

It's a much-needed change from our little postage stamp yard and daily routine.

And so, with this next storm system approaching... (Oh yes, there may be yet another blizzard on the way!)

We have decided to stick it out here, instead of cutting our vacation plans short and high-tailing it home early. I'm anticipating many hours spent in front of a roaring fire, reading, playing games, and visiting...

Sounds lovely, doesn't it?

:)

15 hours and 82 sore muscles later...

Yes, we are here in the snowy north!

The trip was a bit rough in spots, with a few road closures to navigate around, but the end result was worth it. We are here, and the snow is lovely, and the kids are having a blast.

And you know it's going to be a slam-bang of a Christmas celebration when you walk past the stairs and you see this:




















Merry Christmas Y'all!

And may your family celebrations be wonderful and memorable...

:)

And Then They Called Out the National Guard...

No, I'm not kidding.

Seems that the weather in points north is not cooperating for our trip.

Luckily, it also seems that this nasty weather will not last any longer than tomorrow morning.

Yet, it still seems safer to this blogger, anyway, to postpone our foray out into the wilds of family road trips until Friday morning. That way the snow and ice will have a bit more time to melt, and the snowplows more time to clear the way for us.

Don't worry, family, we'll let you know what the final decision is...

A very Blessed Christmas to all of my blogging friends and their family's!

Packing List

I'm so sure that everyone wants to know my strategy for surviving 12 hours in a car with my children, that I'm going to share my "What to Pack in the Car" List with y'all.


FOOD:

*cheese cubes
*clementines
*granola bars
*fruit snacks
*pretzels
*apples (w/ knife to cut them)
*carrots
*water bottles
*nerd candy books
and little snack cups to dole out the snacks
(we'll be stopping for lunch)


THINGS TO OCCUPY:

In the "over the seat" packs:
*activity books with twistable crayons
*mini notebooks/pencils/pencil sharpener
*brain quest packs
*mad lib book for older kids
*magnetic Potato Head book for younger kids
*clipboards w/ Christmas coloring pages


MAMA'S BAG OF TRICKS:
(to be doled out every two hours or so...depending on the severity of the meltdown)

*matchbox cars (to re-enact our current favorite movie, Cars)
*Star Wars' figures
*Legos, big and little (I know, I know, but they can build while sitting!)
*Barbies and clothes (for the girls)
*recently purchased Toobs
(all packaged up in separate gallon freezer bags, where they will be neatly put back when finished... hahahahahahaha)

*reese's cups for DH
*m&m's for me


MISC:

*many many many many books
*books on cd
*music cd's
*personal cd player with headphones
*dvd's and DH's laptop


I think this about does it, besides the toiletries for all (since we'll be chucking them in the car at 4:30 am) so we can get them dressed somewhere in route...
And pillows, blankets and medicine...

Did I miss anything?

Yikes.

I sure hope we have room for the kids!

:)

There seems to be a lack of friction in my house...

...for when I call the children to come in from a sunny 80 degree day to pick up their toys....


in they come through the front door...


and out they go the back door...


Ah well, we'll enjoy it while it lasts, and the house can remain a disaster for now.

:)

Prayers and Joy

Please keep this family in your prayers...

The two little boys are such troopers, and so very tiny!

May God continue to bless the Bolline family, and Mary keep them close to her Immaculate Heart.

Feast day fun

What do you get when you mix 4 families (that's 17 kids and 8 adults) with 12 pizza's after the mass celebrating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception?
















































































Certainly a very messy house. But, most importantly, a lot of laughter and memories.

Christmas Meme

Well, I got tagged for two different Christmas memes, so I decided to do this one...

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Both. But definitely NOT together.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Yes, he wraps them, unless it is a bike or a new car...then he just sets them out. (btw, it's never been a new car)

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I am a snobby NYer, WHITE ONLY.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? Yes, if we have some... way up high.

5. When do you put your decorations up? Definitely not until December. And then we usually save the tree until a week before Christmas.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? WHY would anyone want to exclude dessert?

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: Waking up early to see all the presents under the tree, and the lights still on. (it was the only time we left the lights on all night)

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I honestly don't remember, but I do remember how much fun it was to "help" Santa when I got older!

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? When I was younger, it was "gag gift" night with our family's friends. Then, is was the "Christmas pj's" gift to wear to bed. Now, no, we go to the vigil evening mass, and then celebrate with a nice meal and goodies.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? (see #3) WHITE lights, and lots of different ornaments, but we have a red/white/blue theme, with white and red poinsetta flowers stuck in at the end, and red and blue balls scattered all over. I love it.

11. Snow? Love it or Dread it? As long as I can stay inside, love it.

12. Can you ice skate? Yes.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I'm sure there were many I enjoyed, and many that my parents went to the ends of the earth for, but I honestly don't have a "favorite"...

14. What's the most exciting thing about the Holidays for you? The giving, really and truly. I love seeing the looks of joy on the kids' faces.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Peanut Butter Bon Bons, cheescake and Christmas cookies.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Family time. That we can all (or almost all) be together.

17. What tops your tree? A snowman shaped like a star. It's frosty-blue and looks very classy, thankyouverymuch. :)

18. Which do you prefer - giving or receiving? Giving.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? BNL has a great cd out...

20. Candy canes? Yes, we hang them on the tree.


OK, I tag Portia, Sephora,Studeo, and Mrs. Bear.

Princess plug

And now I am going to attempt to convince you that not only is Barbie not the epitome of evil, but that she might actually be a paragon of virtue!

Well, in certain instances, anyway.

The girls got a new cd player from St. Nicholas this morning, and promptly popped in their cd from Barbie's The Princess and The Pauper. Now, obviously, this tale comes nowhere near to Mark Twain's original. The title alone should give you a clue.

However, this movie is surprisingly wholesome. The girls are modestly dressed, and demonstrate courage in the face of adversity, fortitude in their desire to do what is right, and love of the good. Even the soundtrack is bearable. Especially when one of the songs has these lyrics:

There's more to living than gloves and gowns and hems and seams.

and:

I could take flight,
but would it but right?
My conscience tells me stay.

and:

I'll remain forever royal,
I'll repay my parents' debt.
Duty means doing the things your heart may well regret.


And, while trapped in the mine, Princess Anneliese picks up what looks like a rock and tells her tutor Julian that he may look like a common stone on the outside, yet, (as she opens the stone to reveal the jewels inside) he holds a treasure within.

And there are many other moments I could glean to demonstrate how truly shocked I was at how much natural virtue was extolled and even preferred.

The icing on the cake was that Martin Short is the voice talent behind the evil Preminger, the "advisor" to the queen. I would urge you to watch the movie for that one fact alone. He steals the show.

And so, if you have a little princess (or two) I have no qualms about recommending this movie. I know you can go whole hog and get all the Barbie accessories, but my girls have loved watching the movie (the cd comes with it) and then listening to the cd while dancing in their dress-up clothes.

Good, wholesome, Barbie fun!
(Who woulda' thunk!)

;)

Seratonin

After two weeks of very cold (at least for the south and acclimatized southerners like myself) temperatures, I am really really missing my daily dose of vitamin D.... as in, my sun time.

My induction into the awesome southern climate started in college, when I realized with glee that I could get some color in February! I distinctly remember sitting out on the porch of my dorm, (they are totally enclosed) in February, wearing my *very modest* bathing suit, reading my seminar, and glorying in the warmth of the rays...

Fast forward a year and 3 months after graduation, newly married, and newly moved to the very humid climate of North Texas. I died that first summer, it was brutal. But I fell in love with fall, winter, and especially spring. That first Christmas I remember driving to the airport on our way "back home" to Canada, and it was 85 degrees. I hesitated before boarding the plane.

As the years went by, I grew more accustomed to summer. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that out of 10 summers here, I've been pregnant for 5 of them. No joke. All of my kids have been born in July, August, September and November. (It stays hot until October here) Talk about trial by fire. 105 degrees is hard to take no matter who you are, but with an internal oven roasting you 24/7, it was brutal.

But now I am used to it. Really really used to it. My blood must be thinner now. And my psyche needs it. I step outside to get the mail, and immediately, I turn my face toward the sun and soak in the warmth for a few seconds until the wind picks up and sends me scurrying indoors.

Today, I am grateful. The temperature climbed to the high 50's, and I was able to enjoy 20 minutes with my book and a hot cup of tea.

And, of course, my friend, my ally, my sanity.... sunshine.

:)

Random thoughts...

1. Why does my 9 year old think I should take comfort in this defense; "At least it's not real!" (referring to the act of pointing his play gun at his sister's face while she screams in protest) No, we are not buying him a BB gun this Christmas...


2. I came to the conclusion last night that walking around directing the kids whilst holding a glass of red wine is actually good for everyone. I refuse to get so upset as to spill it, the kids see me coming with it and are more careful, and after a few glasses I am so very very relaxed...


3. Closing your eyes while hitting the "process your order" button on Amazon does NOT make the total disappear. Having your DH ignore the e-mails about the order being processed does make for a happier marriage.


4. Setting up your 5 foot singing Santa in the living room 22 days before Christmas pretty much guarantees an insanity defense long before the holiday arrives.


5. Completing your Christmas shopping by December 4th is a wonderful feeling. Knowing that all you have to do is wrap, ship, bake and pack between now and Dec 21st is much more manageable. I'm really hoping for a wonderful Advent.

Blessings to all!

Just Being Lazy?

...but mostly because I couldn't have said it better myself.

Go read what DH has to say about awesome pastors and the spirit of giving.

Warmth and comfort and cheer.

Yes, that is what Christ gives to us, and what we are called to give to others.


Have a Blessed Advent!

Because it's been that. kind. of. day.

Ever had one of those days when you've clenched your teeth so tight all day long that you feel as if your bottom jaw is going to bust out through your forehead?

Yeah.

That's me, today.

My day started off okay. We had done a major clean-up the night before. It's great to wake up to a clean house. It is so NOT great to wake up to your very own version of Cars replaying itself in your living room, complete with a very authentic 'Mater drawling out all of his words. And every child race car screaming because some one cheated at the starting line.


Because we had a day off yesterday, (you know, the huge blizzard that blew through?) and lots of friends over to play, getting the kids to agree to school or breakfast or getting dressed this morning was requiring the negotiation skills of the FBI.

And then it was the little things:

The entire carton of grapefruit juice exploding all over the kitchen floor.

The fact that I had to repeat myself 5 times each time I give a math direction to DD #1. (no exaggeration here, I promise!)

The clingy-ness of DD #3, who cannot seem to shake this cold she has.

The computer cd-rom drive that was ornery, at best. Sometimes allowing a cd to be played, sometimes not. A royal pain on the day I decided to use the computer as part of schooling...as a "treat". HA.

No dry-erase marker to re-number my Mary Engelbreit magnetic fridge calendar.

And, the icing on the cake? Getting a newsletter e-mail from the BNL fan club announcing that BNL would be on Leno tonight! (YAY) And then finding out that they were actually on the night before. And I missed them.


Well, (sigh) this all could be so much worse. My husband could be deployed in Iraq, (not seriously, he is Canadian, after all). I could be in the hospital, waiting for my twin babies to grow in order to be safely delivered. I could have to pack and move myself to two different states in the next 6 months, with a visit home for the holidays. I could be fighting my own depression while dealing with my oldest child who is going through therapy.

And there are a million other intentions in my neck of the woods to offer up my sore jaw for. Thank God for my smallness and the miniscule crosses He has blessed me with.

My Advent resolution? How about no complaining.

Boy.

That is going to be tough.

:)

SNOW!

The kids have been asking for a dog lately...

This is the best we can do right now, though.

Advent?

Also known as... "Nutmeg is soooo far behind in her Advent preps it ain't funny"


I plan on calling The Catholic Bookstore and seeing if they can ship me an advent wreath and candles. (my definition of planning ahead...)

No, I've never actually bought an Advent wreath.

Every year I say "THIS is the year!"

And every year, I scrounge for some sort of candle holders and different sized candles, throw them on a tray and declare that it will "do" for this year...

But next year will be different!



For other awesome ideas go to Studeo. I especially like the "place some straw in Baby Jesus' manger each time you do a good deed" idea. (Anyone know where I can have one sent to me?)

;)

Yum!

You Are Lemon Meringue Pie

You're the perfect combo of sassy and sweet Those who like you have well refined tastes

What Kind of Pie Are You?

Talking Turkey

Well, Turkey Weekend had a few false-starts on Wednesday:


1. 4 hours before my family was due to come in, I decided that the "easy off" treatment I had given the oven the night before, wasn't going to cut it. So I turned on the "self-clean" feature. Half an hour later, I turned it off and opened all the windows, and blasted all the fans due to the sudden appearance of smoky haze in the livingroom, and the distinct smell of burning (left-over) "easy off."

2. On the phone with my mom, 2 hours before their arrival, she sensed the panic in my voice as I tried (in vain) to unlock the oven door. Turns out, it won't unlock until the temp goes down. Good thing she asked me what was wrong, or I would have wrenched the lock off by sheer force! All I could think was, "How am I going to cook Thanksgiving dinner if my oven is locked?!?"

3. 1 hour before arrival, I hear screams from the backyard and the sound of water gushing from somewhere. I run out to see my darling DS #1 trying to turn off the hose (which has the power sprayer attachment on full blast, BTW) the wrong way, spraying mud everywhere in the process. By the time I was able to get the dang thing turned off, he and I and one entire front corner of the house was covered in mud.


Luckily, these mis-haps were isolated to pre-guests and none reared their ugly heads while guests were actually present.

It was lovely to have family in town. Thanksgiving dinner was again co-ordinated most perfectly by my Mom. I am getting spoiled here, I realized this year. Not only do I get to have dinner at my own home, I have someone else to worry about it all! :) It's wonderful to have two people double-checking the finer details. I was constantly worrying that I forgot something.

We had our post-Thanksgiving soccer game on Friday morning. I love playing sports with my family. It's just the right mix of competitiveness and fun. All I know is that if my sister comes to UD for college, I want her on my soccer team. (as well as the collegiate team....she can do both, right? I mean, she's young!) It was great to be able to pass through traffic and have her right there, and vice-versus. Very fun.

A big thank you to my folks for making the trip. It's a tough one to make.

But don't remind me of that when we go to do it in a month. 12 hours....piece of cake, right?


;)

Happy Happy

Since our company is due here tomorrow afternoon, and I still have a million few things to do, I will be taking a break here.

But I am very confident that there will be many stories to tell and many memories to re-live. And I know there are many siblings who are gonna want the "scoop".

And I'm the only one here with a blog. So I have dibs.

:)

A blessed Thanksgiving to all of my bloggy friends...

The number '5' seems to be my lucky number

For, when I am fortunate enough to farm out my oldest two (the boys) their friends from the neighborhood still assume that our backyard is open season.

And so now I still have 5 children, with two dogs (not ours) and popcorn and plastic cups and empty gogurt wrappers decorating our pristine lawn.



At least I can get some baking done.

:)


Don't worry, DH, the backyard will be dutifully pristine again before you get home!

Bric A Brac

(I think that's a fancy name for odds 'n ends.... just humor me if I'm wrong)

Things in the nut-house are nutty as we clean like crazy get ready for a much-anticipated visit from the "grands"... and Auntie. We rented a steam cleaner Saturday, and did all of the carpets and the uglier-than-sin couches. (DH asked me if I liked the couches now, to which I responded, "No. Now they're clean and ugly, instead of just plain ol' ugly.")



Some observations from the past few days:

1. Went to confession Saturday afternoon, and, I'm hoping it was the language barrier thingy... But I have never ever, after pouring out my soul to a priest have him tell me that Jesus was telling me to "just... stop it."

Wow.

Ouch.

2. That evening I went to Tom Pouce, to obtain yummy B & J ice cream treats for DH and I. Again with the language barrier thing.... The checker told the man in front of me to "have a nice time tonight" which I thought was entirely appropriate since he was juggling two dozen roses in beautiful vases. I thought he had maybe told the woman he was going to a party or something. But after ringing up my two pints of ice cream, she smiled, told me to "have a nice time tonight", and... enjoy my ice cream! I smiled, thanked her, and wondered why she didn't mention the potatoes I bought, or what she would have said if I had bought a pregnancy test or womanly unmentionables???

The possibilities are endless.


3. You just know you were meant to be together when your DH can't believe what he is hearing when DD #2 explains what Mama just pulled out of her bum. (I'll spare you the details...file it under what-every-new-mom-doesn't-want-to-know about the job description in her newly acquired job) DH just turned to me in amazement, and I made some snarky remark about it not being the highlight of my day. He said he couldn't imagine anything else being more memorable. To which I responded that we do have a sorry existence indeed... look at what highlights our day!

We both busted out laughing, and I couldn't get control of myself for a whole 5 minutes.


4. Cut everyone's hair, including my own. Which I also highlighted. Pictures soon.


;)

Channeling

I was in mass a few weeks ago, feeling my extreme littleness and inadequacies in dealing with my brood of peanuts. I was lamenting my many outbursts of Irish temper, my eyes that can dart such hurtful arrows into their little souls, my impatience, and my selfishness. I felt that, given the cracks in my own vessel, how in the world would these babies entrusted to my care make it to heaven if I could not show them the way....

My own example was so severely lacking.

Needless to say, it had not been a good week.

And then, I thought, well, I don't have to make it to heaven, just as long as they do.

And I pictured myself as a hollow tube, (not hard to do at this point) a channel, through which the graces flowing to me could instead be directed towards my children.

Anything and everything, I vowed.

None for me, all for them.

What relief flowed through me at that point as I realized that this is exactly my vocation. And, joy of joys, His grace is for me as well.

"My grace will be sufficient for you."

What makes me smile....

"Just because" flowers...

You know it's gonna be hard...

...to get back to reality when your husband threatens to make the bed with you in it, and you respond that you'd be more than happy to remain motionless for the entire day, just to preserve his bed-making masterpiece.

;)

Happy 9th!

Our oldest turns 9 today. It is unbelieveable to me. He has grown in so many ways, and has made us grow as well, in ways I never thought possible. He is our "guinea pig" as we blunder through our parenting philosophies, trying them out, and crying to heaven for the grace to be the best parents we can be. He is very tolerant of us, and our bunglings, and eager to teach... :)

Here is a life in pictures....







Here he is, at the tender age of 9 months, spending a summer vacation on our friends' farm in Wisconsin.











And then, at 20 months, being introduced to his younger brother and soon-to-be sidekick...











As you can see, at ages 2 and 3 respectively.









And at his 5th birthday party, his first "friends" party, complete with jump-house and many families.
















And relaxing on Savary Island, BC, after consuming approximately a pound of freshly-caught prawns.... at the age of 6.









Age 7, taking a rest from blueberry picking.



















Being the great big brother he (mostly) is. At the age of 8, reading to the youngest...




I am so grateful for the privilege of being his Mama here on earth.

Who would've thought...

That a band like Barenaked Ladies would sell a concert t-shirt designed especially for Mom's who may have objections to walking around their house with the word "barenaked" blazened on their front (or back, or anywhere).

And yes, even though my kids "know" sign language, that particular word does not appear at all.

So I can wear my t-shirt with relative ease, unless someone asks me what BNL stands for. I could always say it means "beautiful nature-lover" or something like that....

And the concert was so. much. fun.

We had front row seats. Did I mention we had seats in the front row?? Unbelieveable.

The Ladies' live shows are just great, and this one was no exception. They make such an effort to tailor each show for the location they play. And so there was much "ad-lib" rapping on smoked brisket, Kinky Friedman (an honest-to-goodness mayoral candidate this past election!), and the haunted hotel they stayed in. It was hilarious.

They seem like such "normal" guys, no self-inflated "panderings" to the crowd. They joke about their families, their moms, and life on the road. They admit missing their wives, all in between these amazing songs and funny dance moves, and all-around fun antics and jokes amongst themselves. They love seeing the crowd, as was evidenced by the number of times the spotlights panned the crowd, and the amount of eye-contact they made. DH nicely endured my gushes of "Steve smiled at me!" You'd think I had suddenly reverted to 15-year-old status.

It felt like 40-below-zero when we first got there (outdoor venue in 40 degree frigidness) but the music and dancing kept us all warm and made it bearable. Two hours went by in a flash, and suddenly we were making our way back to the car. But the experience has stuck with us, and we are still remembering little parts of the show and laughing at certain lyric changes and comments.

What a fun way to get away with my DH. It brought back many memories of our college years, spent driving up and down the California coast together. And while 5 kids, 2 cars, a house and many student loans have sobered us and made us more responsible, this trip proved to me that we are still the same together. The same things make us laugh, we pick up on the same oddities, and can still joke and tease like we used to. And to have a DH willing to endure my obsession with a certain band, and take me to a concert 3 hours away... well, you just know he loves me!

:)

Oh! And they played my blog song! This was amazing, because it's not a greatest hit, or anything. Just a great song... (click on the link and scroll down the page and click "Life in a Nutshell" to hear a sample.)

Odds-n-Ends

I'll be taking a short break for the next few days, as DH and I make a mad dash for points south to see our favorite band. Up close. Can't wait!


In the meantime, I hope to revisit the post I drafted but turned out to be Blogger's mid-afternoon snack. It was brilliant (of course!) and about family traditions. I reminisced about my childhood, and discussed the traditions we are trying (or accidentally) instilling in our own family. So, think about that. 'Tis the season!


Oh yes. And Advent wreaths and calendars and such. Has anyone gotten theirs together? Definitely something I need to address when we return. That and Christmas presents. Making the lists, ordering, etc. I think I'm about 1.5% done. Yes, not too thrilling.


We plan to drive up to my parents for Christmas this year. 12 hours in a car with 5 children ages 9 and under makes me petrified. We plan to use books on cd, but no dvd's. Any other ideas out there? I'd be most appreciative! Heck, I may even do a "contest" thingy where we try some of the ideas, and give a prize to the idea that worked best.... but I wouldn't know the winner until after New Year's. Would you remember? Me neither.

:)

Anyone else...

...have to have periodic "undergarment checks"?

As in,

"Are you wearing underwear?" (followed by a surprised look on the offenders' face as they realize that they *slapping head* utterly forgot that particular article of clothing when dressing themselves this morning)

Yes.

Us too.

<sigh>

Love Wednesday

There's nothing that says love like helping your older sister in her futile endeavor to keep the patio clear of leaves. And allowing your younger sister to wear the remnants of your own Hallowe'en costume? True understanding and compassion.

Misplaced

No. Not my brain or my car keys.

Well, not yet today, anyway.

Just me. And my entire family.

How in the world did we end up down here in Texas for the past ten years????

Yes, I do actually know how we got here, DH's schooling and all. But we are not doing such a great job acclimating.

Shall I explain?

1. We loooooove hockey.
2. We do NOT like football.
3. The Hockey team we all follow is a Canadian one for heaven's sake, the Vancouver Canucks.
4. NOT the Dallas Stars, which makes us even weirder.
5. DS #1's life dream is to run the Iditarod race.
6. He loves dogs.
7. He even made his own sled.
8. Unfortunately, the part of Texas we reside in rarely, if ever, gets the main ingredient needed for such a dream.
9. SNOW.
10. DS #1 had to fill in his religion workbook what his favorite 'smell' was (talking about how we use our 5 senses for God's glory...)
11. Answer? "The smell of smoke on a cold night."
12. ??????


On the other hand, we seem to be acclimating to the weather. DD #1 declared it was "freezing" today, when it is actually supposed to be 77. And while we may be wimps when it comes to cold, we can handle the heat quite well.

Maybe God does know what He's doing.

:)

Overscheduling, or Not enough to do?

I've been wondering about this lately.

Since we homeschool, the tendency is to try to ensure that our children will not grow up as socially inept. And, however distorted the vision is of recess at school, I think there are some important lessons to be learned there.

For example, how to deal with difficult people. How to play fair. How to be kind, and a good sport. Even, how to stand up for yourself.

Now, I do think that these things can be handled at home just as well.

Well, almost.

Have you ever noticed how kids react differently when there are "others" around? (no, not the weird ones, all of you fellow Lost fans!) I mean, when their friends are over and they get hurt, they tend to suck it up and keep on playing. And instead of whining about being fair, they figure it out. That's been my experience, anyway. Not much of this happens when it's just the fam. I get to play referee all day long!

Not something I enjoy about my job description.

Anway, about overscheduling.

So far, I have avoided this beast. The boys are in baseball, and their season wraps up with one last game tonight. The girls are not in anything, and I feel badly about that. I just wanted to concentrate on the schooling this first half of the year, and then see if we could add stuff in the new year. We really needed something for the boys, b/c all of the wrestling and running around the house was threatening my nerves and the light fixtures.

We try to get out for family exercise once a week as a family. Riding bikes, going to the duck pond, playing hockey with the neighborhood kids, etc. It's good for our bodies, and good for our familial bonding. (and neighborhood relations!)

I wonder, though, about more outside activites. Ones where the kids are with kids their own age. Obviously, these activites would be viciously screened by me. (good ol' Mama bear that I am!) I'm thinking ballet classes for the girls (really low-key, awesome teacher here in the area) more sports for the boys, and maybe an atrium class once a week for the girls.

Any ideas...thoughts?

We Came, We Played, We lost.

But we are still first in our division!

The soccer season ended today, with a stunning upset. The #4 team in our division beat us, the #1 team. Fortunately, we are so far ahead of every other team, points-wise, that this loss didn't knock us off the top place.

Yippee.

Well, I guess I could be that excited. I mean, I was just trying to hold my own out there, trying to fulfill my own personal goals (ha ha) like:

1. Try not to lose the ball to the other team every time it got passed to me. Maybe every other time.

2. Remember to turn away from pink-cleated girl whenever she came near the ball, since she could boot it from one end of the field to the other, and my face does not need to be on said ball when she does.

3. When heading the ball, using my head is essential, not my jaw, b/c that would render my attempts to chew my dinner utterly futile.

4. Ignore other well-meaning-yet-obnoxious forward on my team who does not practice what she yells (at me) about beating the other girls to the ball and passing properly.

5. Have fun!

Next season starts in February. Maybe if I start working out now.....

Nah.

;)

6 Hours...

...and 4 cans of paint later, and I am done.


Done with helping to paint a friend's living/dining/hallway green. (Kind of like my mother nature)

Done with painting her kitchen yellow. (Butternut, maybe?)

Four of us descended on my friend's house and we had a lot of fun painting and visiting and listening to good music. (I brought the music, so of course it was good...to me, anyway!)

We took a break for lunch and then were back at it for another two hours.

My arms will be sore in the morning, but it felt good to help a friend in need.

Staples

As the weather turns cooler ~um. under 60 degrees?~ two must-haves in the nut-house, two staples that send Papa nut to the store on his way home from work are:

-bottle of rich dark red pinot noir

-can of hot cocoa mix


'Tis the season!

Blogging friends

After my "We-wanna-meet" Saturday night dinner, I came away with a whole new theory about blogging.

I met some amazing women that night. As I perused their blogs for the entire month before-hand, I was able to catch some snippets of their lives, and the amazing paths they have trod. I tried to keep it all straight in my head on the drive out to Antique Mommy's home for dinner. But nothing prepared me for the honest-to-goodnes normalcy of these women.

There were no airs being put on. There were no looking-down-their-noses type attitudes. There was a lot of laughter, a lot of jokes, and much teasing and ribbing.

Remember, these women were meeting for the first time.

And I was one of, if not, the only newbie in the group. And instead of ignoring me, they actually wanted to know more about me! They took precious time out of joking with the friends they had already made, to make me feel at home. They were all so wonderful.

I pondered this meeting for the next few days, and came up with an amazing conclusion about blogging. (Well, I was amazed by it...doesn't take much, eh?)

Instead of making relationships more superficial (since the medium is so removed from actual personal contact) blogging actually helps people to know the "true you," no frills, and some baggage. Most people are brutally honest on their blogs, because it is easy to be. You can wander around the house finding the exact way to phrase your thoughts, and then pound it out on the keyboard. No-one is right there in your face to challenge you, and if they leave you nasty comments you can delete them, or take your time disagreeing. Mostly what happens is that you find a bunch of other bloggers who share similar views, have similar experiences, and you end up forming these great friendships.

The greatest part about these friendships is that people know where you are coming from. They know a bit about your past, your life experiences, your preferences, your idiosyncrasies, and maybe even your insecurities. And they like you anyway, and when they meet you, they already know all these things about you. And since you know each other so well, it's like meeting old friends.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised how smoothly it all went at that dinner party. I thought for sure it would be awkward and I wouldn't be able to say a word to anyone. This happens a lot to me in big groups, and then I get written off as a snob. It's a flaw I have, and I am working to overcome it, and be more engaging and engaged, but it takes a lot of courage on my part.

To see a glimpse of these wonderful women I met, go here:

• Antique Mommy (Tina)
• Created For His Glory (Lauren)
• Days To Come (Jeana)
• Don't Try This At Home (Chilihead)
• Faithful Mommy (Faith)
• Holding the Mirror to My Soul (Kep)
• Holy Mama (Kelsey)
• Home Sanctuary (Rachel Anne)
• In the Midst Of It (Sarah)
• Kisses of Sunshine (GiBee)
• Life In a Nutshell (Megan)
• Minnie Moments (Minnie)
• My Mind...Lost...Strayed...or Stolen (Jan)
• Overhead Under Grace (Kelly)
• Raising Five (Katherine)
• Reflecting Him (AggieJenn)
• Rocks In My Dryer (Shannon)
• Shalee's Diner (Shalee)
• She Lives (Carol)
• Sing a Lullaby (CMommy)

Happy Halloween

Just a quick note here, since I am exhausted from my eleventh-hour sewing fest.

Yes, I sewed the jedi robes.

No. Not today.

I used my friend Lisa's machine a few days ago to stitch 'em up.

All except the hoods, thinking I'd do them by hand, since they needed to be (*gasp*) gathered. And I was afraid of inflicting further strife on her machine. (I'm an impatient, "tear through it" type of seamstress, gritting my teeth and willing the machine to stitch where no stitch should go)

Yes. The hoods.

Finished today at 5pm, whilst DH carved the pumpkin.

Hush. Haven't you read about my weekend?

Then, I had to sew tails onto my sports headbands for the youngest DD's, so they could wear them around their waists. Ah well, I have only one soccer game left. I'll look like Davy Crockett with a tail hanging off the back of my headband. Maybe it'll scare the other team off.

Oh, how I crack me up.

It's late.

Happy Spookin'!

:)

WOW

What a weekend!

It was wonderful, and busy, and lots of fun.

Friday night, amidst the head-splitting shrieks and Chuck E. Cheese dancing, we reunited with good friends and visited with my sister. It was fun to watch the kids have fun, and I was really proud of how well my kids behaved. Usually at these things, the kids "get" things, and then their desire is insatiable, until I am hauling 5 howling kids to the car who didn't get/have/know that "XYZ" was there, so why can't we....?? blah blah blah. But, there was none of that, thank goodness!


Saturday was spent prepping for Sunday brunch and praying over my desserts. No, really, I was worried. Here I was, going to meet a bunch of really nice mommy-bloggers that didn't really know me, and I'm cooking dessert?? How crazy of me. Anyway, it was a truly wonderful evening. Everyone was super nice and fun, and the conversations were just great. And I am really really glad I went and didn't back out at the last minute, just because I was feeling like a chicken. I got to chat with Holy Mama herself! And many other great bloggers. It was fun, and the next time a group of mommy-bloggers (like maybe; Rosetta Stone, Minnesota Mom, Raising Saints, Blessed Among Men, Cozy Tea House, Castle Within...to name a few) want to get together....I'm there!


Sunday was "Fall back!" so I got an extra hour to yell at my kids clean the house for CMW and family's arrival for brunch. And even though my quiche was rubbery, it was a lovely morning. It's always great to hear kids ask when they come back to play.

My sister Sephora ended up staying an extra day (like I knew she would!) and it was great to have some more "down time" visiting with her. (Do you realize how fun it is to type "visiting"? So many "i's" !)

Anyway, I'm pooped.

More "real" bloggin' tomorrow.

:)

Ten Random Facts Meme

Since this blog is all about me, don't you want to know more?

Sure you do.

:)

1. I lived in Canada for a year after graduating from college. This was to get to know my "new home-country" since I'd be marrying my Canadian DH and living there, right? Yup, for three months, then we moved to Texas, of all places!

2. My parents and 5 siblings moved to the Phillippines and lived there for 2 years while I was in college. I went to visit them the summer before my senior year.

3. In High School, I was neither jock, nor nerd, nor popular party-girl. I was friends with all of these types, played sports, and was pretty smart. My "crowd" was a few gal and guy friends, and we were pretty tight. Too bad I have no idea what they're up to now, and vice versa. They really were my sanity in surviving those tumultuous years.

4. 5th grade was my worst year ever. I had a great teacher, but horrible friends. Every day when I got to my classroom, 3 of them would be mad at one person....usually me. I really wanted to be homeschooled that year.

5. I was not allowed to date, wear make-up or jeans during my entire public high school career. I think that was child abuse. (kidding, mom....sort of)

6. I went to a community college my senior year of high school and got really involved in the drama program, and loved it. It really helped to make that year bearable. I felt totally out of place, since I was still technically in high school.

7. While in Canada, I went out on a limb and tried my hand at acting in commercials. I actually did a photo shoot, but that was all. It was fun, and sometimes I wonder if I should try it again, now that I can play a more "mom-ish" role. (although I'll have to update my photo, eh?) lol

8. I went to Medjugorie, Yugoslavia my junior year of high school with my mom.

9. I play the guitar. OK, I used to, and need to re-teach myself!

10. I have a set of Irish twins amongst my children. DS #2 and DD #1 are 11 and 1/2 months apart. After seeing those two pink lines while holding a 3 month old, it took 7 months to scrape my jaw off the floor. Great war story, though!

I tag whomever wants to do this... Michelle? Tim? Sephora? Portia?

Don't ya...

...hate it when:

You run around like a mad woman first thing in the morning, sans coffee, trying to run four different errands, and you end up forgetting not one, but two main ingredients for one of the yumm-i-licoious desserts you need to make today??


...love it when:

You tell your dear friend the extent of your stupidity, and she exclaims, "But I have those ingredients right here at home!"


I know my friendships are worth their weight in gold, but this one takes the cake! (pun intended)

:)

Have you ever...

...had a weekend soooo crazy, that you need to plan your cleaning and shopping out for days before-hand?

I have a lovely lovely weekend planned. Lots and lots of visits, both away from my home and at my home. My sister is coming in to town Friday night, and will be accompanying us to a Chuck E. Cheese birthday party for the daughter in a family we rarely get to see, but really enjoy being with. Our whole fam is going, since they have boys that are my boys' age, and a little girl DD #2's age, as well as DD #1's "bestest friend in the whole world"!

Saturday night, after whipping up one or two yumm-i-licious desserts, I get to go to a dinner party here in town and meet a whole bunch of other super-nice Christian Mommy bloggers. I'm a bit nervous (I'm shy around people I don't know....no, really!) but they all seem so fun and such good women, that I'm excited, too.

Sunday morning, after mass, the esteemed CMW and her lovely family will be joining us for brunch. We are all looking forward to spending some quality relaxed time with them. Sundays are perfect for visiting with other families.

And so, with the shopping trips planned out, the menus in order, and my house cleaned, it all should go without a hitch.

Oh! You mean I have to plan the trips, the menus and do the cleaning?

Darn.

On the other hand, I homeschool, right? Perfect learning opportunities, here. From cleaning to learning how to make fuzzy navels for Mama.

:)

Proof...

that no matter how nicely I make my children dress when we go out as a family, my kids still have a style all their own.

Things...

that make me scowl:

Playing a soccer team comprised of people who are determined to read the fine print of the rule book and throw it in your face every chance they get.

Same team, who ignored our screaming hurt goalie, shot the ball in the goal and proclaimed, "sweet!" for all the world to hear.

Same team, whose coach kept mouthing off to us, our captain, and the ref, even after the game was over.


that make me smile:

The ref calling that goal a "no goal" b/c he had told the other team to "kick the ball out" and thought they were doing so.

Scoring a goal against that nasty team. :)

Having a really fun time playing a sport I really enjoy, and then coming home to my DH cooking steaks, my DD #1 showing off on her "newly de-training wheeled" two wheeler, and DD #3's exclamations of "Mama, home!"



Sweet victory.
:)

When...

Your DH has his own blog, you gotta move fast in order to claim funny images such as this one, for your own blog.

:)

To Life! **Updated**

My dearest friend, who is a Mama to 6, and whose youngest is 7 months old, called me yesterday with some amazing news... She is expecting!

I laughed in wonder.

And congratulated her most heartily.

She and her husband are just thrilled.

And while it was unexpected in some ways, it was entirely expected in others. Lisa and her husband are very generous people. Not just in being open to life, but in all aspects of their family and friendships. I can't count the number of times I have dropped my 5, to be added to her 6, (that's 11 kids under one roof, folks!) while I ran to the doctor's or some other time-consuming errand. She doesn't bat an eye.

Her parents are very active in the pro-life community here, running a crisis pregnancy center and organizing conferences and marches and masses. Wheelchair-bound from a war injury, her dad is always ready to hand out "precious feet" pins and pro-life bracelets and trinkets for the kids whenever he sees them. They are devoted grandparents, just thrilled by the news.

Unfortunately, not all of our aquaintances are as supportive. Isn't that strange? These are pro-life, strong Catholic moms, and the snide remarks are unbelieveable. The general jist is that they are glad it is someone else having the baby and not them.

Why is that?

Has anyone else encountered anything like this?

Any ideas or thoughts as to why people react/feel this way?

**After a lot of thinking yesterday, it suddenly occurred to me that there was a very good reason for this particular attitude, and that I should be praying, not seething! NFP is a very touchy subject to some of my aquaintances, simply because they are at that time of life when all heck breaks loose and nothing is normal any more. As a result, things are difficult with thier husbands, who, while being loving and supportive, are struggling with these changes as well. (I'm being vague on purpose...sorry!) Contraception, believe it or not, is looking mighty attractive to these women right now, given especially the recent scandalous behavior of quite a few priests in the Church! (I'm not saying what I think, but what I understand these people to think)

This is a crisis of faith. And if disobedience to Church teaching is chosen, the entire family will suffer.

Again, these are good, strong Catholic moms. I need to support them in my prayers! **

Pronunciation Prowess

Arduhbeetum

Arbadeetum

Artateebum

Yup. Just DD #2 talking about our trip to the Arboretum.

Three sentences, three different pronunciations.

The funniest part was that not one of her siblings ventured to correct her.

My guess is that they were just as stumped.

:)

87 degrees? Great day for the State Fair!

Naturally.

But in all seriousness, we had a great time.

We saw "Big Tex" as soon as we got there, amidst protestations from DD #1 who was convinced that she was going to be scared to death. He is a fairly harmless 52 foot tall statue, who greets the State Fair go-ers every year. DD #1 ended up fascinated by the fact that his mouth actually moved when he talked!

We took in 3 shows, the kids got to ride two rides each, and Mom and Dad are exhausted.

Here are some highlights:

DD #3 (sans nap) dancing along to the "filler" music while we waited for the "Bird Show" to start. This show is a State Fair favorite. They even fly a falcon from the top of the Texas Star ferris wheel down to the stage as part of the show! DS #2 just loved it, since birds are still his favorite topic to study.

Almost losing DD #2 twice. Once on the midway (she was right next to DS #1, I just couldn't see her) and the other time after the Bird Show as we were getting ready to go home. She decided to hang back to see the birds one more time. We were three feet from the Bird Show exit when DH realized she was missing. We turned around, and there she was, sauntering out of the Bird Show arena with a smirk on her face. DH plopped her in the stroller.

The look on DS #1's face when he got off the Texas Star ferris wheel with DH. He was ecstatic.

Watching DS #2 watching the birds. The look of awe and wonderment was priceless. I wouldn't be surprised if working with these creatures is in his future somewhere.

DD #1 telling us we pulled into the driveway that she wanted to watch something because today was "a little bit bor-" I hushed her up fast.




And the weather? A cold front was blowing in as soon as we got home. Polar Bear husband melted today, but got re-invigorated with the arctic blast screaming through our front north-facing windows. The rest of us sensible folks got sweats and sweatshirts on, and humored him with his open-window policy until he left to go to a public speaking event.

Now it's time for hot chocolate and windows closed.

Just a Thought...

How difficult it is, when reading things online, to tell the background of the person relating the story or ideas. In my short year or so of blogging, I've been exposed to this problem time and again. In my own blog, I have tried to be as honest and open as I can about where I'm coming from, and what my background is.

Isn't it interesting to meet someone new, and attempt to explain all the intricacies of your upbringing and your education and your life experiences? Doesn't it seem overwhelming and a bit complicated?

And do you sometimes find yourself assuming that the other person feels exactly the same way as you do? And isn't it strange when you do a little research and find out that you were completely wrong?

For example, I recently read a post on a "Larger Families" blog, (a bit liberal, but not offensive at all) where it linked to an "interesting discussion" over at another blog. The discussion was about larger families, and maybe that was a "new trend". A couple of the anonymous commenters were a bit nasty, but I put in my two cents (very nicely, I might add!) and that was that.

Well, I was going to link to the discussion, but thought I should do a little background check on this blog. Turns out, the author is very liberal, very feminist, and a democrat. Not really something I would endorse. Wow.

Just because she had spoken out in favor of larger families, I was all ready to believe that she was a conservative Catholic!

I know I am naive. I do have a bit of a "Pollyanna" outlook sometimes. I expect people to give me the benefit of the doubt when I'm not as clear as I'd like to be. (like now...lol)

This is not a rant against any of my regular readers, so don't worry! I just find it interesting how quickly people judge and move on.

Including me, sometimes!

Power Outage

And so this morning, pre-coffee, but post-sisterly phone call, our power went out with a bang!

The girls were outside playing in the back, when a huge shot exploded across the sky. Living in suburbia, and given the recent and rampant shootings, I hauled the girls in while I figured out what just happened.

The boys determined it first that the power went out.

I hurried outside to check the back, given what happened last time with our small brush fire and all....

No smoke, just some popping noises coming from a transformer somewhere down the alley.

And then, the reports:

DD #1: The lights don't work!

DD #2: The microwave doesn't work!

DD #1: We'll have to have peanut butter for lunch.

DS #1: Or go to Mc Donalds.

DD #1: Yeah!

Me: No.

Ds #2: I'm going to check the TV.

And so, I try to explain to them about electricity, and how everything we use is electric in some way. In other words, if it's plugged in, it won't work right now.

Including my coffee pot.

Argh.

I need to get up earlier and make my coffee first thing!

So, How is School Going, Anyway?

Mr. Cubeland Mystic asked me this question in response to a comment I posted on his blog, and my reply was getting a bit lengthy.

I guess I have more to say on this topic than I thought!

(OK, maybe I am the only one surprised....)

Over all, school is going well. We are staying on task and staying on schedule. I have high expectations for this year. In fact, this may be my "last hurrah" as a homeschooler if things don't go well. That may seem like a lot of undue pressure I've put on myself, but I have my reasons.

One, the biggest, is that I know it is so tempting as a homeschooler to ignore a lot of what the other schools are doing. To just sit back after creating your "learning environment" and view the kids' playing as school, simply because they are learning something. Doesn't matter what that something is, just as long as they are learning it. Trust me, this was me last year. We'd do Math and Phonics and then I'd let the kids do whatever... Not something I'd recommend. My laid-back attitude has cost us, but not too dearly, since I've been able to pick up the pace without a problem. And the kids are where they should be academically. (phew!)

Also, I saw in DS #1 (when he was at school last year) that my kids are capable of making real strides in many subject areas. His spelling was atrocious at the outset, but as every week went by, I saw a marked improvement in his spelling and his writing. It was amazing.

I'm really trying hard not to fall into the "do everything the same as a particular school does it" trap, but I'm finding that, for my personality, I need to feel like my kids are on par. Because, you know what? For every homeschooling success story, there are at least a few "failure" stories.... Kids so far behind, never finishing the years' work, falling a couple of grade levels behind, etc. It's a scary reality.

And I don't want it to be my reality.

But I must leave it on a happy note.

Tonight at dinner, the kids were showing DH how well they can recite the "Sanctus" from our Latin course. They wanted to race each other, to see who could say it the fastest.... (something I forbade when teaching them, since it is the pronunciation that is important at first) And even DD #3, at age 2, was chiming in!

I just love that "trickle down effect"!!

Sick of Rod Dreher?

Don't blame you.

Me too.

It's really too bad that he and his family have become officially Orthodox. It's too bad that he may lead a lot of other souls astray, souls that have followed him and his ideology from his "Crunchy Con" book and blog.

I'll pray for him, and others who may be wavering.

In the meantime, need an alternative?

Linked to at right, is a Catholic "crunchy con", (who has at one point labeled his familiy's lifestyle as "al dente" con,) Mr. and Mrs. Cubeland Mystic at Immaculate Direction.

Some of my readers already know CM, but I would like to further endorse what he is trying to do. He is truly Catholic and wishes to share his "Shire" with those who would like to try to cut down on the mass consumerism that is our society today.

He is unassuming, non-threatening, and non-judgemental.

Go. See.

A Day in Pictures...

Cold Front

Yessiree, it was a whopping 58 degrees when we woke up this morning....almost cold enough to snow down here, my kids declared. It has been 60 degrees and holding since 9am. DH is in heaven, the big Canadian polar bear that he is. My fingers feel a bit nippy, but I am enjoying the fresh air.

We have a wonderful field trip planned for tomorrow. With the low being 48 degrees in the morning, it promises to be frigid for us thin-skinned folks.

OK...I give in.

Time to get the winter clothes out.

With some beef stew and fresh bread for dinner.

I really do love Fall!

Wonder where she gets it....

DD #2 to me as I type this morning:

Mama, you need to change Mae! She is stinky!

(still typing)

Mama....

Mama....

(still typing)

OK, Mama, I'm going to count!

1...

2...

3...

4...

8...

9...

3...

(I figure at this point I have more time than I thought)

Mama!

I guess I better get on it, eh?

;)

Super Sleuth

The Evidence:


/>

The Culprit:

What Mama Saw:

Oh Yeah....

I am so very very proud.

High Expectations

DD #2 to me as she slurped the last drops from my iced espresso:

I wish I was a Mama and could have coffee when I teach the kids at the homeschool table.


Yes, dear daughter, someday you might be so lucky!

Making Good Decisions

Here's the situation.

DS #1 has been itching for more freedom lately, since he is oh-so-grown-up at the age of (almost) 9.

And so, DH and I have allowed him some sweet tastes of freedom which include going to play outside with the neighborhood kids after 7:30. (which is rapidly becoming "after dark") Usually, the kids stay within eyesight, playing in a front yard, or on the street, and that is definitely within my comfort zone.

But, the other evening, DS asked permission to go to the "park" that is one street over to look at the rabbits and play in the field there with two of the kids from our street. It's completely surrounded by houses on a fairly quiet street. It's not a "draw", since what little equipment they have is seriously outdated, and all the houses face it, and so everyone can keep an eye on what is going on.

Except me.

Now, breathe easy, nothing happened.

He went, he returned, he had a great time.

I was a wreck the whole time, watching the dusk deepen within every minute, and imagining what horrible things could have happened in the 5 minutes he had been gone.

Just as I was about to lose my mind, DH went out the front door and met up with the Grandpa of one of the kids that went with DS #1. And so, they both went to the park to fetch them.

DH played it cool, made casual conversation, and didn't tell DS #1 that he had come to walk him home. (They were already starting to come home when DH went to get them) And, though it was hard, I wasn't all over him about every little detail of what they did during the 15 minutes they were there. And I was rewarded with an enthusiastic blow-by-blow of chasing rabbits and sliding in the sand by the swingset.

Tonight, DS #1 went across the street to play with his friends again, and it seemed like they were going to hang out in his friend's front yard. Eventually, they disappeared, and I went over to see where they went. They were inside, chatting with the grandparents, about to play "wheelbarrow" in the backyard. I said fine, be home by 8pm.

At 7:30, they showed up and invaded our backyard, dragging play equipment all over kingdom come and swinging like monkeys from our rope swings. At 8pm they left.

And then I heard from DS #1 that the kids had been telling scary stories....

I knew this because DS #2 had also been across the street in the front yard briefly, but came home because he didn't want to hear the stories. I decided not to call DS #1 home, but let him make that decision for himself. (*This is a huge step for me, people*) And now he was scared.

I reminded him of this story. About how the Squire kept his heart pure by following the words on the scroll, the words that we are also teaching our children....one lesson among the many being, "listen only to words that are pure." I told him that I didn't call him home because I wanted him to make his own decision about what he could handle. And I hoped that from now on he would make better decisions.

And I'll keep on praying to his guardian angel!

I Am From...

I have seen this a few times on other blogs, and wanted to try it out. Talk about exercising one's creative writing skills! It was wonderful to do. Here's the link if you would like to try it out.



I am from muggy summers and fans whirring in the night. I am from winter ice storms and Radio Flyer sleds.

I am from a kick-the-can neighborhood, and “ghost in the graveyard” after dark. From pink-checked canopy beds and Marie Osmond Barbie dolls, and Carvel ice cream cakes.

I am from spring lilacs and summers on the beach. From backyard gardens with fresh tomatoes and ripe blueberries.

I am from Thanksgiving soccer games, and the love of all sports. I am from Donna and Ed, from Mae and Chester and Regina.

I am from peacemakers, and generosity. I am from strong convictions, and stubborn refusal to let difficulties go unchallenged.

I am from “family is everything” and “there is always room for one more”…

I am from folk guitars and hands upraised. I am from 3am visits to His most awesome Presence. From joy and contemplation. I am from Rome, true to our Vicar on earth.

I am from NY pride, Polish stubbornness and Irish loyalty. From Christmas Eve Vigilias and huge family gatherings for every occasion.

I am from my grandmother who listened, and dressed me up in her jewels. From my grandfather who fought overseas, and then came home and fought for his livelihood, battling blazes in NYC. I am from my own father, who fought the tide of the world and held strong to his beliefs, and raised us in safety. I am mostly from my mother, whose strength and skill lives in me.

I am from 8mm home movies, and Kodak Instamatic cameras. From a big red photo album with yellow-covered sticky pages, and a watery blue baby book. Both are filled with faces and memories of family and friends long-forgotten. Until we resurrect it and reminisce and laugh and cry over what used to be.

And we look with love around us at what it has become...

The Pirates...

...no, not of The Carribean. (Although, I really liked both of those movies)

Both boys graduated to "coach pitch" baseball this season, and are really enjoying it. And even though it is technically called coach pitch, they are already practicing for the next level of "kid pitch". They start out each batter with a player pitching, and when (if) they get to 4 balls, the coach comes out and pitches.

DS #1 has been pitching, and doing great! DS #2 loves his team, and his coach. He has been playing a lot of infield positions. Both of them need to work on their throws, and strengthening their arms. And this leads to a lot of "lifting weights" (like chairs and play tables) and exercising with me...

I love to go to their games and get to know the other families and players. It's a great bunch of people. It's going to be a fun fall!

Apparently...

...nowhere is safe.

Even a one-room Amish Schoolhouse!


Which leads me to my oh-so-brilliant thought for the day:

Homeschooling and being Over-Protective.

DH and I were having this discussion on the way home from church yesterday. He had had a conversation with another homeschooling Dad who declared that he would not allow his son to be an acolyte at any other parish than his own. (due to the whole sexual abuse scandal in the church) While I understand his sentiments, and especially the need to be protective of one's children in this regard, (I have very strong feelings on this particular subject...) this particular family goes a bit "overboard" in guarding their children from forming friendships outside our homeschooling community (and even within it, since I think our family may be part of the 'anathema' list)

Here's the jist.

-We don't make our girls wear skirts all the time.
-I don't wear skirts all the time.
-We allow our children to listen to (some) rock music.
-We allow them to play out front with the neighborhood (public-schooled) kids.
-We go to the parish everyone else left when a new priest came in. Almost everyone else followed the old priest to his new parish.
-We have maintained our friendships with all of our friends, despite their schooling choices. I'm talking rock-solid Catholics, here.

What does this have to do with homeschooling?

Well, I have heard a few Moms admit that the reason they homeschool is that, indeed, they do want to raise their kids in a bubble. They want no outside worldly influence to play any part, or have any effect on their family.

I think that is a baaaaad idea.

What is going to happen to these kids when they <*gasp*> go to the mall?

Will they survive?

Or how about the whole college experience?

I'm sure they will go to an awesome Catholic college, but even there, don't tell me that everyone is a paragon of virtue. How many shotgun weddings do you know occurred after graduation? I can name quite a few. And what about the attraction and excitement of the "unknown'? Will they be too scared to experiment? Or do they have an adventuresome personality with no notion of limits and moderation?

Yes, it is a tightrope walk, this whole raising of children. I claim no authority beyond my limit, no superiority of method here.

All I know, is that forbidden fruit seems sweeter when it is such, and we parents need to play that card only when it a serious serious matter....
-drugs
-pre-marital sex
-not going to mass
-obedience
-treating people with respect

And the virtues will come through perserverance and example, and gentle correction.

So, why do we homeschool? Our reasons are multi-faceted, having to do with the personality of our kids, and my belief that homeschooling is more efficient on many levels. Of course, money is an issue too. I would not send my kids to the local public school here, because we are urban, and there is a gang influence. Not safe, in my opinion. And so, the only other option is an expensive awesome private Catholic school. Maybe when the kids get older...

Any other thoughts...things that I missed?

Here's an Argument...

...against a 5-disc cd changer.

This morning, I *made* the boys listen to the first in our kids Classical Music series, "Mr. Bach Comes to Call". DS #1 settled into it okay, but DS #2 kept griping at me about how boring it was, and how he didn't like the music.

At the end of the CD, the disc-changer activates, and lo and behold, what should start playing but our latest "Ladies" CD, Barenaked Ladies Are Me.

To which DS #2 says: "Wow! I like Bach!"

<sigh>

Yes, we are all goin' to hell in a handbasket.

Reading Lesson, Nut-house Style

DS #2: (reading a plaque that hangs in our kitchen)
"If Mama Ain't Happy, Ain't Nobody Happy"

(looks at me)

DS #2: Why does it say that?

DH: Because it's true.

DS #2: But why is it hanging right there?

Me: So you won't forget it.

Searching searching...

...for an American History "textbook", well more like a storybook that would be interesting for DS #1 (3rd grade).

We started out this year with "How Our Nation Began" from Emmanuel books. DS #1 took one look at it and informed that he did it last year in school. (Oh, right, your school was one year ahead of each grade.....silly me I forgot. Argh.....I could do a whole post on that. Anyway) And so I was thinking about using the 4th grade history book from Emmanuel books. It's "Our Pioneers and Patriots". And then Kolbe has a great "Atlas of American History" that has tons of maps that help to illustrate battles, immigration tendencies, civil war boundaries, etc.

There is so much out there!

Anyone else have any other recommendations?

Thanks!

Tidy Little Boxes

Read a great post over at Kiwords today. She's one of my favorite stops, her writing is beautiful.

She talks about judging people's outsides against your own insides.

Let's think about that for a moment.

We all do it, don't we?

I sure do.

Kira gives a perfect example, about how her neighbor thinks she always dresses so great, but Kira insists that she would wear jeans if she could find some that fit her properly, and that her dockers are comfy, and when she looks down at the sweater she is wearing, all she sees is the egg yolk stain from breakfast.

Perfect.

There are many Moms I know who seem to have it all together. And especially with homeschooling, there are a few I know who's system rivals the FBI in being a well-oiled, hierarchical machine; with everyone's duties clearly outlined, and all agents reporting in, in concert.

At least that's how it seems. Spend a few heart-to-heart moments with these Moms, and you get a completely different picture.

But, out in the real world, you can't spend heart-to-heart moments with everybody you see. And that's really too bad. (well, I guess in some cases it might be better not to know, eh?) I don't know about you, but I hate the labels people put on me. They find out one thing about you, and wham! slap! goes the label on your forehead.

Examples:

5 kids- breeder

Catholic- uptight

Homeschooler- weirdo idealist

Soccer player- jock chic

Rock music-lover- goin' to Hell in a handbasket

Skinny- super fit

Plump- lazy

Pretty- stuck up

Dress trendy- snob

Dress frumpy- sloppy, dumb


And there are so many more! I can't tell you the number of times I needed a "second go-round" when meeting people. Either they rubbed me the wrong way, or my first impression of them was so entirely off-base, that I needed to re-vamp it and "meet them again" so to speak. And I am so glad I did! A couple who recently moved to California had me up in arms when I first met them. Their son (#3 in their family) kept knocking down my son (only child at the time) and they did nothing. I was not impressed. Fast forward a few years, and we ended up great friends, laughing at the incident, how they were oblivious and I was over-protective....

Oh! And the comparing! It's unreal. Even we Catholic Moms do it. From daily mass to curriculums to children's manners.....

But, thank goodness, we have the common sense of the Faith behind us. How we are all members of the same Body, how we all have a role to play. How there are many different paths to holiness. How we are not to judge.

And guess what?

That goes for ourselves. We are not to hold ourselves to other's standards. We are to be honest and realistic at the same time. This is the toughest thing of all.

We may not be at the same place in our Faith journey as someone else. Should we be content where we are? No, we must keep striving, keep moving forward. But we must not be disheartened.

Things are not always what they seem.

And that is why we pray for each other, and hold each other in our hearts. Not to compare, but to love...


OK, off my soapbox now. These are a few things I needed to write out today to sort through some stuff...

Thanks.