A Day in My Life (yesterday, to be precise)

Here's a good ole fashioned Day in the Life post, complete with photos, some unedited to really throw it back to old school blogging. This is from yesterday and I did a mix of typing in chunks - so some of the time is 'ish' (like 9:15-ish) - and typing as I went - so some of the time is accurate. Some of it is summary and some of it is commentary but please note that this was both an ordinary day and a not so ordinary day. Usually I stay in bed until 6:30 and my kids do not get fresh, warm coffee cake for breakfast. Also, Mondays - Wednesdays we have morning activities but I'm thinking of keeping Thursdays to myself. It is so nice to have a long day at home (even if that means the mid-day transfer).

Okay, here goes!

4:23 - Thomas wakes up. Nurse him in the living room, like always. Listen to the downpour and feel bad for the garbage man who will have stinky, soggy trash to deal with.

4:37 - Lay back down in bed, super thirsty but don't drink anything and try to will myself back to sleep so I can sorta take a sorta accurate temp at 5am for my nfp charting. Dose off at some point.

5:00 - Alarm goes off, I take temp and wonder if I should go back to sleep or stay up.

5:30 - Stay up. I head to the kitchen and immediately start mixing up a double batch of coffee cake.

5:35 - Remember to turn on Mother Assumpta praying the rosary. (This is a tip I just learned on Instagram - a woman named Becky shared it on one of my pictures and I LOVED it! I pray along with the nuns when I can but I let them pray for me when the kids or life interrupt. Plus, as Becky stated, it creates an incredibly calm and beautiful atmosphere in our home and hopefully for the rest of their lives the rosary will remind my kids of peaceful times at home. Hopefully.)

5:38 - Travis comes out, ready for work. I stop the coffee cake and turn on the coffee for him. We discuss his work day, a bill, what time he'll be home, and dinner plans (pizza party for Mary's birthday!)

5:40 - Travis leaves, travel cup filled with coffee. (Because it's the little things, right? And in our marriage, me making him hot coffee for his morning commute is a way I can communicate my love to him... when he's not communicating his love to me by letting me sleep in.)

5:50 - Coffee cake goes in the oven. I check Facebook and then turn off the kitchen light, but leave the light on over the sink, and then walk around the house lighting candles, knowing the kids will love it as much as I do. Tidy up a bit as I go.

6:00 - I pour myself some coffee, put on a classical music playlist, and sit down with my Bible, opening it to the end of Mark, which I finished yesterday. Think about if I should read Mark again, choose another Gospel, or do an epistle. Say a quick prayer to the Holy Spirit and then...

6:10 - James calls out for his dad; I see him at the end of the hall so I turn on the light and invite him to come to me. We sit on the sofa together, snuggling in the dark, candlelit room.

6:15 - I wonder about getting up Bennet and Lydia, whose bus will come in 45 minutes but just then Ben comes into the living room, fully dressed and checking out the candles.

6:18 - L comes out and sits on the sofa, commenting on the candles. Ben asks if he can light up the jack-o-lantern which I currently have displayed as just a pumpkin because it's only September 8th. I tell him yes, because why not?, and then we go to the basement to find another votive candle, me carrying a folding chair and laundry basket with me.

6:20 - I put the chair away, fill the laundry basket with the kids' whites from the dryer, and walk back upstairs with Ben, who grabs and the matches and happily sets up his jack-o-lantern. I pull the coffee cake out of the oven.

6:25 - I begin to pack the kids' lunches and discuss which fruit option they all want. (Applesauce, apple slices, or grapes? And you better eat it, too!) Jofis comes down the hall and into the kitchen with his blankie over his head "wooooooo"ing and for the one thousandth time we all cry out, "There's a ghost in the house!" He pulls the blankie off, showing a huge grin and we all say, "Oh it's just Jofis!"

6:35 - I slice up and serve the coffee cake to JF, Ben, Jofish, and L. We pray the Morning Offering and Grace. I pick up a few things in the living room and grab a brush, ponytail holder, and bow. While L eats I do her hair.

6:45 - I go back to making the kids' lunches. Fill the water bottles, put everything in the bookbags, ask Ben if his homework is in his bag, thank the kids for bringing their plates to the sink and then send them to the bathroom to wash their hands and brush their teeth.

6:55 - Step outside to check how hard it's raining. Hear the kids' bus and call them out. Watch them run down the drive as I yell, like every day, "I love you. Have fun and make good choices." Watch the bus drive away and feel really content because they love school and I love our life. That sounds really cheesy and chipper but it's true and I'm grateful.

7:00 - Take a picture of the cake mix box and blue frosting to share on social media as a reminder that today's the Blessed Mother's birthday. PBS Kids gets turned on.

7:05 - Make breakfast for myself - eggs + bacon, wrapped in a tortilla. Freshen my coffee and sit down with my breakfast, planner, and Bible. Look over the day, my prayer intentions, my to-do's. Decide to go with an epistle and open my Bible to Titus. See that it's super short and dive in, reading the intro and first chapter. Sit with a couple of verses, thinking them over and praying about them, looking at my own life in comparison.

7:38 - Get Thomas out of his crib. Take him to the living room to nurse. Resa wakes up and comes out in the meantime.

7:40 - Change diapers, wash hands, get breakfast for Resa.

7:55 - Wash breakfast dishes. Decide to start this blog post, despite the fact that it has so far been an unusual and not at all typical day.

8:20 - JF gets on bus. I turn on PBS Kids.

8:25 - Play with Tee on the floor, watch the rain, freshen coffee.

8:45 - Put Tee in highchair for breakfast. Work on blog post while he eats.

8:50 - Draw bath for Jofis and Resa, divvy out bath toys and make a firm warning of "no shampoo or conditioner!"

9:00 - Facebook, blogging, read the article about the 10 kids just like everyone else.

9:15 - Tee is done with breakfast. Wipe him off and dump all crumbs on floor. Vacuum floor. Decide to cut his super long hair. Cut too much, giving him a "Caesar" haircut straight outta 1996.

9:30 - Kids are done with bath. While Tee plays in living room, go to bathroom to wash Jofis and Resa's hair. Tidy bathroom, note ring in tub that needs to be cleaned, turn off light.

9:40 - Put lotion and clothes on kids; brush their hair. Tell them to play while I work on blogging.

10:00 - Pull Tee out from under the table and lay him down for a nap. Try putting a pretty Cinderella dress on Resa only to have her take it off because it's itchy. Put on Halloween music at Jofis' request, pass out bananas, refill water, work on editing pictures for a blog post.

10:23 - Realize that I have to pick James up in 50 minutes and dash off to the shower, updating this blog post first - of course.

10:25 - Plug in computer to recharge, make bed, attend to personal hygene, try blow-drying hair to control frizz and fail.

10:55 - Exit room looking absolutely fabulous! (in yoga pants and a shirt I've already worn once this week.) Round up the kids and send them to the van. Wake a sleeping baby and notice how bad his hair looks. Shoot.

11:02 - Everyone is buckled in. I put Sara Groves in the cd player and we are rolling.

11:05 - Arrive at the public school. Sign JF out, chat with his aid, allow JF to carry the huge rainbow umbrella which means I walk in the rain. Whatevs.

11:15 - JF is buckled in and eating his lunch, we head over to the parochial school.

11:23 - Arrive at parochial school. JF and Resa need to use the bathroom. Jofis requests "Train Song" so I put in Johnny Cash cd and play "Orange Blossom Special." Take the two in for the bathroom and check in at the office. Go back to van so JF can finish his lunch. Just as I'm about to record a *brilliant* Instagram Story JF tells me he's done with his lunch and ready to go in.

11:40 - Take JF down to his classroom. (As an aside, JF *really* likes routine and he really likes me. He dislikes change and being on his own. We had just gotten to a point where he was comfortable doing drop off when there was outdoor recess. I would park by the sidewalk to the playground, his friends and siblings would help him out of the van, and I could drive away with him happy. But indoor recess is different and we're working on what to do. If you could say a prayer for us that would be great. I don't feel bad for him - I feel bad for the staff having to deal with my crying kid.)

11:50 - Chat with the principal and Spanish teacher about how I should best get James in school on indoor recess days.

11:55 - Back in the van, driving home.

12:05 - Put Tee in the high chair, cut up a banana and give him some Ritz crackers. Make salami and butter sandwiches for Resa, Jofis, and me while I watch the latest season of Once Upon a Time on Netflix. Call kids to the table, catch up this blog post, eat sandwich.

12:25 - Wipe down Tee, dump crackers on floor. Nurse Tee in family room and try to ignore the curtains that Jofis has arranged. Put him down so he can play,  watch him do the worm across the floor. (Seriously, that's how he crawls. It's amazing.) Scroll through FB and IG.

12:40 - Begin to work on scouting stuff. Almost cry. Want to quit. Record an Instagram Story about it. Literally put head on counter. Sigh a bunch. Send a bunch of texts to Travis. Put Tee down for a nap. Email people. Continue to want to cry. Wonder how in the world other people do it. Resist the urge to drink or eat a bunch of chocolate.

1:24 - Bake Mary's birthday cake while watching Once Upon a Time so I can forget how dumb I feel for not understanding what the hell I'm supposed to be doing so my kids can have a wonderful time in Scouts. Okay, bake the cake.

1:41 - Cake in oven. Update calendar with all sorts of stuff. Text Travis about a sitter and camp and all kinds of stuff.

2:05 - Decorate family altar (aka the buffet) with all things Mary for her birthday. Tell kids it's time to turn off My Little Ponies and play.

2:27 - Tidy kitchen. Again. Get distracted and tidy living room. While taking dirty bib to laundry shoot remember ring in tub. Clean tub, sink, and toilet - praying for Steve Husband as I always do. Refill handsoap, clean master bath. Use term "master" loosely. Daydream of having more money so we can re-do the bathroom - at least the vanity!- and then the carpets... and then the windows... and then tell Jofis that he shouldn't play with the light saber in the bathroom. On the way back to kitchen notice the curtains in the family room and tidy family room, like 50%.

2:53 - Get back to kitchen. Unload and load dishwasher.

3:05 - Get Tee out of the crib. Nurse him and miss a phone call. Tell kids to get their shoes on. Change a poopy diaper. Tell kids to get their shoes on. Put Tee in carseat. Yell at kids for not having their shoes on; send shoeless kids to van.

3:15 - Head to parochial school to get kids, forgetting that we're done with the heat schedule so *errbody* (read: all public and private schools) is getting out at the same time and the drive is a bit slower.

3:30 - Arrive at school, unload three kids, walk over to where the kids are let out, count to six over and over and over again as I keep track of my kids. Load six kids (all mine) into van and head home. Tear up a little bit listening to this Sara Groves song:


3:55 - Daddy's home!!!!!! Unload. Yell at one kid who is pouting. Remind two kids to bring in their bookbags. Carry in baby Tee, noticing his haircut. geesh. Tell the kids they can only watch PBS Kids - no Netflix. Chat with Travis. Look through mail. Ask Trav to make pizza dough so it can rise while he runs to bank.

4:10 - Begin frosting cake. Drop the knife repeatedly. Clean up blue frosting from floor, kitchen cabinets, and my clothes. Praise Ben for his A+ spelling test. Praise L for seeing her brother in need and helping him without asking.

4:23 - Finish icing cake. Check out FB and IG. Yell at kids about after-school stuff. Look over L's homework. Put Tee in crib for nap. Take multiple phone calls reminding me about stuff.

4:38 - Go outside to pick oregano and begin sauce for pizza. Travis comes home and we have talk, argue, talk, hug, laugh, talk. He goes to living room with kids and I stay in kitchen  a l o n e !  

The rest of the evening went something like this: make dairy free pizza, burn my finger on the pizza pan, eat dinner with my finger in a glass of ice water, listen to four kids praise the pizza - one kid state she does not like the dairy free cheese - and Travis say nothing which means he also does not like the DF cheese but is kind enough to eat it for the sake of the rest of us, clear the table, quiz kids on spelling words,  work on sight words, sing happy birthday to Mary, eat white cake with blue frosting, clean kitchen while slopping water all over the place (my finger is still in ice water) sorta oversee pj's and brushed teeth and clean diapers (were applicable), nurse baby Tee and put him down for bed - all still with my finger in the glass of ice water. Kids in bed by 8. Kitchen clean by 8:25. Finger still throbbing at 8:30 so some pain meds and then off to bed.

9:00 - Put down The Princess and the Goblin and fall asleep.



PS - Not a sponsored post, but my super cute leggings in the title pic are from LulaRoe and you can get a pair from my friend Megan here.

Stranger Things Party

So after binge watching the first episodes of the new Netflix show Stranger Things I haven't been able to sleep. In my sleepless nights I have been planning a themed party based on the show. Part Halloween party, part '80's party. It will be awesome.

Costumes are called for, of course. Fortunately huge glasses were hip two years ago so it shouldn't be too hard to do that. Then just feather your bangs, wear stirrups on your leggings, and find a jean jacket. You'll look great.

Decorate with lots of Christmas lights and lamps. Maybe pin up the alphabet on your wall, too. Rotary phones, trucker hats, a "flying" Millennium Falcon, Dungeons and Dragons pieces, maybe a hatchet - those would all be great little touches, too.

Your 80's playlist should include The Clash, especially "Should I Stay or Should I Go." And that one needs to pop up multiple times, obviously.

Serve cans of Cola and beer, Nutty Bars, Bazooka, Pez, Smarties, Pringles, Nilla Wafers, apples, bananas, and trail mix - that way everyone has plenty of energy for their travels. ;)


Boom. Party plans: done. You're welcome.

Blankets and Bibs and Other Things I'm Learning as a 6th Time Mom

When my first child was born I didn't know what I was doing so I read books and articles and then I did exactly what those books and articles told me to do. Perhaps my mom would suggest something and I would let her know that  You don't do that anymore. Because They say not to do that. And if we do do that, my child will DIE.

I should have listened to my mom. With Baby Tee I am finally doing some things differently and babyhood is so much easier this time around. For starters:

Blankets

Poor L spent most of her nights freezing because I was firmly warned to never use a blanket. A light sleeper and a sleep sack - that was all my kid needed, I was told. My first three kids were bad to okay sleepers. I'm pretty sure they were just really cold, but with the last three I have gotten better and better at this.

In Tee's first weeks he would wear a onesie and a sleep sack all the time. And then for sleeping I would swaddle him and then cover him up with a heavy, crocheted blanket. When he was a little older I would keep him in a light sleeper, no sleep sack, and cover him up with a warm baby blanket while nursing him. I would then move him, still wrapped in the warm blanket, to the swaddle blanket, swaddle him, lay him down, and then cover him with the heavy, crocheted blanket. As it warms up we will lose either the warm blanket or the crocheted blanket but through the winter and cold spring all those blankets were exactly what he needed. And as he moves more I will probably have to forgo the blankets, too, for safety reasons but Baby Tee isn't rolling yet and is the best sleeper I have ever had and I am sure it is because he is warm and snug (and I'm pretty sure it's a gift from God. That too.)

Snug as a bug. A bug wondering why his mom is making him model for a blog post picture.

Recliners

With my first two I *never* fell asleep on sofas or recliners while holding my babies because they would die. Now, I am well aware of the risks of SIDS and horrible accidents, but I also am aware of the risk of PPD and how exhaustion plays into that. Since PPD is a far greater risk for me personally (maybe not for you! I'm not telling you what to do!) I have the goal of falling asleep with each night feeding. When I sit down with Baby Tee in the middle of the night I cover us both up, latch him on, and close my eyes. Twenty to ninety minutes later I will wake up with a full-bellied, soundly-sleeping baby and my boob hanging out. Back to bed we go and instead of losing thirty to one hundred minutes of sleep I have lost ten, tops. 

Swings and Slings and Bouncy Seats 

With Baby Tee I use all these things. Having a swing I can set him in to make sure he's safe from being trampled on or tripped over by his herd of playing siblings is a very good thing. The wrap I am borrowing from a friend has been a wonderful way to shop, visit my son's classroom, and go for walks while still getting Tee's nap in. In the past I used bouncy seats and swings and even the carseat a great deal. But really, what I have finally learned or come to accept with my sixth child is that sometimes babies just want to be held in their mom's arms. We sit around a lot, but that seems to make him happy, and it was truly what I needed after the c-section anyways. 

Bibs 

I was so, so, so wrong to believe that bibs only came in handy once babies were teething or eating applesauce. For years I always carefully positioned a burp rag on my arm or the Boppy / pillow to catch any milk dripping from my child's mouth and I did the same for my bottle fed babies. Now I keep a bib velcroed around the carseat handle so I am never without one. While I do carry a burp rag in my diaper bag I rarely get it out. The bib goes on for every meal and does a fabulous job of catching milk and spit up. (And Nells' Bandit Bibs are so stinkin' cute Baby Tee gets all kinds of compliments!) I still use burp rags around the house (and Nell wins again with these!), but bibs make nursing so much easier in church, at a friend's, at the park, in my mini van...

Maybe it's because I am not parenting through the fog of postpartum depression, maybe it's because my son is warm and well fed and well rested and well loved - whatever the reason this has been easiest go at it I've ever had. I am grateful for that. And in the words of Flynn Rider, "Bibs! Who knew, right?!"

The Seven Quick Takes that took a Month to Write

As always, thank you to Kelly for hosting!!!

1 - The plan was to post these quick takes a couple of hours ago. Instead I spent over an hour trying to search for the song to begin this epic post. And by "trying to search" I mean I was actually watching clips of The Graham Norton show on YouTube.


2 - But here is the song I was looking for. Warning to Mary of letlovebesincere: if Ryan Adams makes your ears bleed do not listen to this.


I heard this song once on the radio last year. I don't know how I finally found it, but I know it took a long time. The other day I was driving and it suddenly popped into my head and I had. to. listen. to. it. My husband hates it but I can't get enough. Anyways, thank you, YouTube, for the History tab which led me back to Valerie June.


3 - Today I made a mistake:
Volunteering to cover a 1/2 hour of an adoration time slot.

Our parish has adoration throughout the day on Fridays, immediately following the all school Mass and with Benediction at 3pm. Parishioners attend and classes come over through-out the day, K-8, to spend time with our Eucharistic Lord. However, during the kids' lunch time they are sure to have people signed up to be in the pews. I volunteered to take 11:30-12.

My kids' behavior really wasn't that bad (they're 2, 3, and 5) and if we had been the only people in the church I wouldn't have minded at all. But when others are there - well, it's probably just not a good idea for us to be there. I know I wouldn't mind if a parent and children came in while I was praying but I also know how much the silence means to me.


4 - A couple weeks back I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. So now I'm on a special diet (don't tell anyone about the small Butterfinger Blizzard I got on the way home from Adoration today) and have to do finger pricks 4x a day. One of the most interesting things I have learned is that, at least for me, sugar is not the enemy so much as the carbs found in bread, pasta, milk, and even popcorn. It's a bit of a blessing that I can still enjoy some chocolate candy (in small amounts and only following a good bit of protein) since I really have to limit my beloved baked goods.

But if all this means a smaller baby - I'm in it to win it. (Shooting for 10lbs or less. Because that's what a small baby means to me.)


5 - Confession: I began this post weeks ago. But that's okay. Here's a friendly reminder: gonna order something from Amazon? Use my link (or click on that little button in the sidebar) and I'll earn a small referral fee at no cost to you. It's what buys Christmas presents in these parts - no joke - so thank you for helping our family.


6 - SO. Thanksgiving. James survived yesterday and will hopefully survive today. Mostly this, and the intense pain happening in my S.I. joints / hips, is all I can think about.

I know Thanksgiving = casseroles and things filled with butter or covered in cream of something soup to most people. But any more, to me those things are just death threats. Ugh. I hate food allergies.


7 - My kids love using our fireplace. They will haul the wood in, and build it up, and then sit with me and / or their daddy to take it all in. It's the sweetest.

And in case that sounds just too perfect, here's a look at the family room mess. :)


Take care, everyone! See you in Advent!

Thrilling things you'll want to know, aka Seven Quick Takes

1 - It's been a long time since I've started one of these Seven Quick Takes with a song so I thought I'd come back with a sugary pop bang:

Judge away but I love this song and can't stop listening to it. You can feel bad for my husband, it's okay.


2 - I finally got my hands on a copy of As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. It was a delightful book - especially if you know and love The Princess Bride. As soon as I was done I picked up the novel The Princess Bride, which I've read before but it's a treat to re-read.


3 - I've been working on show notes for The Visitation Project. There's some new episodes up, the one on Forgiveness has my stubbornness on full display.

4 - I'm part of a wonderful group of friends at our parish. These are couples who are funny, kind, and love their faith.  Twice a month the men get together and do boy, I mean manly things. (Last month they made a Bat signal... like Batman.... while drinking beer and also talking about NFP.) The women get together once a month for a bit of wine, a bit of conversation, and a bit of faith formation. Last month was awesome  with Kathryn Whitaker Skyping in and to share tips for running your home with less stress - so good!- and this month our associate pastor, a priest from Uganda who is here getting his doctorate in education, spoke about the strengths and weaknesses of the Catholic Church in America - also so good! What awesome things do you have going on at your parish?

5 - I began watching Once Upon a Time on Netflix. I had seen some of the episodes before; I think I watched the whole first season or two on tv but then things got a little rocky for me and I bowed out. I started watching again after so many people recommended it to me while I was on bed rest, and I'm liking it. Especially now that we're out of Neverland.

6 - I also started physical therapy. I've never done PT before and I must say that so far I love it. I have horrible pain in my lower back and hips - something I've had with most of my pregnancies and something that just keeps getting worse. My midwife recommended me to a local PT place that specializes in women's care and I really like the woman working with me. My problem: poor posture and lots and lots and lots of tense muscles. I got a 30 minute massage today and it was called therapy and it was amazing.


7 - Please consider this a friendly reminder that I'm an Amazon affiliate so if you are planning on doing any Halloween shopping online you can begin here, clicking on the image in the sidebar, and I'll earn money at no extra fee to you. It's incredibly helpful to our budget (hello, school uniforms!) and Travis and I really appreciate it whenever any of my readers do that for us. So thank you.

And now a big THANK YOU to Kelly for hosting every week. Make sure you head on over to This Ain't the Lyceum because she's got a wonderful give-away running right now. Good luck to you on winning it!

How can we build a Catholic culture in our parishes? Well, I just so happen to have some ideas.

It's probably already pretty clear but I'm a Catholic geek. Not in theologian-geeky way. Not in the way where I write really awesomely insightful commentaries on pop culture and legit culture. I'm a Catholic geek in that I sit around and daydream about ways that we can build up our parishes. I think about how I can possibly tell people about events happening at our parish so they'll want to come. I create wishlists of people who I want to be more engaged and using their fabulous personalities and talents to build up the Church.

See? Kinda geeky.

So I have all these ideas and I don't know what to do with them, or even if they're good ideas. But I'll tell you this: Besides the Sacraments, what I want more than anything from parishes is for them to actively be building a Catholic culture. I want all parishioners to stop being culturally Catholic and start living out their faith vibrantly.

I'm so bored with local parishes doing the same things that the local protestant churches and secular culture are doing. I want to see Catholic parishes sponsoring activities that are unapologetically Catholic.

I want to see parishes helping families to create Catholic cultures in their homes. I want to see those families' cultures to then feed back to the culture of the parish. And I want to see the Catholic culture that is thriving in the parish and the home spread into communities so that everyone knows that there is something special happening at the local Catholic Church, beyond transubstantiation.


Of course this won't be a one-size-fits-all list, but I want to see something like:

- An All Saints' Halloween party that has all the creepy quirkiness of Halloween and Catholicism instead of another Trunk-or-Treat.

- Egg hunts, special coffee-and-donut socials, and maybe even  fun coloring page inserts in the bulletin during the fifty days of Easter instead of the Easter Bunny showing up at an egg hunt during Lent.

(Like these or these.)

- Parish cookbooks that have a whole section dedicated to meatless meals and education on the fact that if you're not practicing meatless Fridays you need to be doing another kind of penance every Friday of the year.

- But then of course we'd need special bulletin announcements celebrating Meat Fridays!

(We could use Kendra's!)

- Then, instead of having Santa Claus come to a Christmas party during Advent, St. Nicholas would visit the coffee-and-donut social just before his feast day.

- And instead of the Catholic parish hosting a generically Christian VBS, the same one as all the other churches in town, they would sponsor an authentically Catholic, engaging, and fun Totus Tuus youth program during the summer.

- Imagine if all the existing ministries would support, promote, encourage, and work with one another, plugging people into ministries that fit their personalities, stages in life, talents, and needs. Also, this kind of collaboration could and should lead to co-sponsoring larger events like bringing in top-notch, national speakers or musicians or parish-wide picnics with bouncy houses and catered meat.

(We had Auntie Leila come last year. Next goal: Fr. Barron or Audrey Assad or why not both?!)

- Events that are family friendly because children are either welcome / encouraged to attend, or free babysitting is provided are held on a regular basis.

- And imagine a playground that is close to the church so kids can run out and play after Mass while their parents visit. A couple of benches would be even better so parents can sit and watch kids play while their friends / spouses go to confession or split a holy hour.


These are the kinds of things I daydream about. These are the ideas that I geek out about. An entire parish, authentically living out the Catholic faith in a way that is joyful, beautiful, and fun.

Of course with this list I am also hoping that as the Catholic culture grows so will a deep love and reverence for the Eucharist; a strong appreciation for holy orders, religious life, and the sacrament of matrimony; and a true sense of gratefulness for reconciliation.

I don't know if my ideas are the best way to make happen my end goal, my ultimate dream of a thriving, Christ-centered, joyful, truly Catholic parish, but they're where I'm starting. There's nothing wrong with brainstorming, right?


And now a special note to my blog readers and especially other bloggers:

I'm really excited to be part of a special initiative called The Credo Project. The bloggers who are part of it love our Catholic faith and want to share it with our readers. We are therefore putting buttons in our sidebars that link to the website Catholics Come Home. If you have a blog and want to join us in sharing what we believe as Catholics, please grab a button and join us! You'll see mine is already sitting pretty to the right. :)

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<a href="http://www.catholicscomehome.org/discover-a-beautiful-faith/"><img border="0" src="../../albums/u394/mollymakesdo1/Credo 125_zps1hqqgd4w.jpg"/></a><br/>



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<a href="http://www.catholicscomehome.org/discover-a-beautiful-faith/"><img border="0" src="../../albums/u394/mollymakesdo1/Credo 200_zpsxwqrjnzu.jpg"/></a><br/>

300 x 300

 

<a href="http://www.catholicscomehome.org/discover-a-beautiful-faith/"><img border="0" src="../../albums/u394/mollymakesdo1/Credo 300_zpsuk8tac7y.jpg"/></a><br/>

(With many thanks to Molly from Molly Makes Do and Kendra from Catholic All Year for creating the buttons for The Credo Project!)


PS. I'm at Blessed Is She today talking about the children of Fatima, the converts of Athens and you!

Seven Quick Takes

1 - JJ Heller and her husband wrote a new song for those of us who are trying to get our acts together.


2 - Speaking of which, thank you for the overwhelmingly supportive response you gave me to my post about my health. A lot of you suggested PCOS and thyroid issues as the culprit and you may be right. I left many, many viles of blood at my midwife's office earlier in the week with high hopes that the more extensive lab work will show something that my primary physician's lab work didn't.


3 - Are you praying for Paul Coakley? Oh man, am I ever. When I first heard his story from his very good friend Mary the first thing I thought was, "Fulton Sheen, you need to get on this." And then I saw that the Coakleys are specifically asking for Blessed Margaret of Castello's intercession and so I thought, "Fulton Sheen, you need to talk to Margaret up there! Let's get this job done!"

Then I got an email from a woman I know; she's the mother of my friend Maria. She was reading Mary's blog and saw my comment on the post about Paul. She emailed me and told me this:

4 - Also, Maria's mother and father have in their possession Fulton Sheen's traveling Mass kit. (I know, shut the front door, right?) 

This has all the prayers on it... in Latin.

When they travel they take it with them and offer priests to celebrate Mass using it. Last summer they were in the area visiting their daughter and brought it to my house. It was amazing. If my kids weren't running around like crazy and I wasn't incredibly afraid that they'd ruin something I probably would have cried. 

They had no idea how cool it was, but I was sneaking kisses.

And just to show you how much they didn't get it, the boys insisted on getting out their play mass kit and having them take pictures of it. 

5 - Thank you to everyone who submitted nominations for the Sheenazing Awards. Over 250 came in! The voting will begin next week. It'll be fun! 


6 - In case you haven't heard the sad news, Netflix is getting rid of The Walking Dead, My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic, and Doctor Who. Guys, I love all three of those shows. Zombies, ponies, and time traveling aliens - three of my favorite things. 

They better bring Endevour back. 

Here's some other shows I love, if you're looking for suggestions. 


7 - Okay. I know a lot of people don't watch videos that are embedded in blogs. BUT! If you grew up in the 90's, or remember the 90's, or are just interested in pop culture trivia you really, really, really should watch this video. 

"Closing Time" - it's not about what you think it's about. 

7QTs about the Christmas spirit and duct tape

1 - L had her school Christmas concert earlier this week. The seventh graders always learn to sign a couple of songs in ASL instead of singing them. "Hey Moon" by Sidewalk Prophets was one of the songs they signed and it was beautiful. I thought I'd share it here because I really enjoyed it.

This is my super cropped photo so I don't show anyone else's kid's face. But I still wanted to share it because L is holding her candy cane the right way. She had told me that morning that she was nervous because during the "J is for Jesus" part of their "Candy Cane Song" she held her candy cane so it made a J for her, not the people watching. Right before she went on stage I even prayed to her Guardian Angel and asked that he make sure she did it the right way. After the concert we both celebrated she had gotten it right. She was so proud and so was I. 

2 - They other day at my mom group someone mentioned how expensive bras can be. I piped up in agreement and mentioned that my bra's underwire had just started poking out and was hurting me. "I wonder if I can duct tape it?"

My friend Jen - without being the teeniest bit condescending even though she could have because, seriously? Duct tape, Bonnie? - said, "Why don't you just stitch it up?" 

Since the rest of the bra is in really great shape I saved myself $60 or a a trashy duct taped bra and stitched those suckers back into place like a real domesticated lady, which I am actually, obviously not.

3 - The Feast Days. On Monday I spent a lot of time gazing at this image.

(The Sisters of Our Lady of the Mississippi Abbey sell it.)

There's so much I love about this image: the shame in Eve’s face and the love in Mary’s, the way Mary holds Eve’s hand on her womb, like she's saying, “He’s kicking; here, feel. He will make all things news. It’s okay. It’s okay.”
We also ate rice krispie treats for dessert, after the kids did fairly well at the 6pm Mass. Fr. Julius said they were good, though, and so that was good enough for me. I'm not sure who started the tradition of white food on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, but it sounded like a great reason to have rice krispie treats. 

On Tuesday the Church celebrated St. Juan Diego but in our home we celebrated Venerable Fulton J. Sheen who died on December 9^th 35 years ago. L and Ben took chocolate chip cookies to school to celebrate; JF took rice krispie treats. At our moms group we ate tortilla chips and Old EL PASO salsa since Sheen was born in El Paso, Illinois. For dinner we had a hearty Midwestern meal of venison meatloaf, smashed sweet potatoes, biscuits, green beans.

Tonight we were hoping to have some friends over for a mini fiesta in honor of Our Lady of Guadalupe but then poor Resa got sick. She doesn't look very sick, does she?

So we'll be having beans and rice for dinner and drink Mexican hot chocolate all by ourselves. Then we'll pray a rosary in Spanish. I’m just dreaming, we won't pray a rosary, let alone in Spanish.

Saturday we’ll possibly have Santa Lucia rolls for breakfast and then head out for a tree farm. We’ll put up our tree and then possibly drive around, looking at Christmas lights.

4 - Usually we put up our tree on Guadete Sunday but this year I’ll be speaking in Park Forest, Illinois that day. If any of you guys live in the south suburbs of Chicago it would be great if you could join me at St. Mary’s Parish in Park Forest on Sunday at 2pm. I think they’re having light refreshments afterwards and Travis and our friend Mia will be with me so there's three more good reasons to come! I'm pretty excited because we get to have lunch with our favorite bread makers ever - the Marconis!

And hey! If you read the blog and will be there let me know. Leave a comment here or on FB so I can be on the look out for you. :)

5 - So my friend Katie is amazing. Her cousin sent her a picture of a silly Christmas hairdo and dared Katie to wear it to work one day. Katie, who works at a Catholic school, said No. Her cousin came back and said she'd make a donation to charity if Katie did it. 

As Sherlock would say, "The game is on!"

Katie opened it up and said that anyone who made a donation to her parish's St. Vincent de Paul food pantry (money or canned goods) could make a request. I asked for gaudy earrings.

In the end she raised $327 and a box of canned goods. Here's the hairdo that started it all

And here's the whole look.

I am so impressed with Katie and her humility, generosity, and good spirit. I'm pretty sure that I'm too vain to look this ridiculous. 

6 - Last night we were driving and the kids wanted to sing Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer. So I started singing, "Rudolph the red nosed reindeer had a very shiny nose..." and then L cut me off.

L: We need to start at the beginning.
Me: This is the beginning.
L: Not in my book.

Travis and I laughed, even harder because she meant what she said. She has a book with Christmas carol lyrics and that begins the song with the list of reindeer names.


7 - I know I already posted pictures of my mantel but I wasn't very happy with it so it got  a little make over. The nativity that sat there was moved to the bookshelf in the living room and the one that was on the bookshelf in the living room was moved to our home altar in the dining room.

Then I tucked some garland behind the stocking holders and ran some pretty star lights through it. I added some silver ornaments that were used to decorate for my December wedding 8 years ago.

Then in the void above I started taping up Christmas cards. So far I've got three from family members, two from blogger friends, one from a woman I've been friends with since kindergarten, one from a friend at my old parish, and two from friends at my new parish. I hope it grows!

I love it. By next year I hope to have a large white frame, probably made from scrap lumber, that has twine or lights running the length of it in 3 rows, which I'll hang the cards from. Something like this.



Thank you, Kelly, for hosting!

Ben and JF's first days of school

Remember waaaaay back in late summer when all the kids went back to school? All the moms posted pictures of their kids on the first day of school.

I did that for L, except I totally messed up and marked that she was a second grader instead of a first grader. Oops.

I never did it for JF, who began school the week after L. Double oops.

Nor did I do it for Ben, who began the week after JF. Triple oops.

So here I am, trying to make up for past mistakes.

JF was so excited for his first day of school (pre-school at the local public school so he can continue his speech therapy services). His brother and sisters kept talking about the bus (the bus!) and so he was excited too. Even though it was a new district and classroom for him, he seemed really pumped.

For some reason my camera fogged up, but that didn't stop me from getting a group picture. Look at how happy they are! The bus! The bus! JF gets to ride the bus!

 And then the bus came and JF realized he had to get ON the bus and LEAVE - ALONE!

I could hear him screaming as they drove away. :(

The next day I didn't stand and wave, just walked him to the bus, said good-bye and walked away. He still cried. The next day I asked him if he wanted to take flowers to his teacher and he loved that idea. For weeks we would pick flowers from our landscaping and, clutching them tightly, he would climb the steps of the bus with a huge, proud smile on his face and not even a hint of fear.

I'm so glad we ripped out those bushes and planted flowers.


The week after JF started was Ben's first day of Pre-K4 at our parish's school. After having his brother and sister go off to school every day without him for a whole year, he was ready. He was pumped!

We did the first day of school questionnaire and I love his answers.

Poor little boy, boat building is not a part of the curriculum.

But he has learned so much. Both my boys have. They are having so much fun and they love school.
It's such a delight to see my boys thrive.


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