As Christmas Approaches

Our household has sure been enjoying the Advent season.  Our special Elf has been letting Santa know about good and not so good behavior in the house as well as requests for gifts.  Our Advent wreath has been a focal point at dinner time with much anticipation as to whom will blow out the candle.  I have even gotten a couple requests to read the Advent prayers!  Emmanuel-God is with us these precious days before the celebration of the Incarnation.  Baking cookies this year was especially fun.  Then we got a snow storm dumping almost 2 feet of snow onto us this past weekend.  Preparation for Christmas Day is going well.  Today the children will do their gifts for eachother.  We decided that they will offer eachother tasks as gifts this year.  For example, "I will clean your room"  or "help with a chore".  That way the children can cooperate on household tasks instead of focusing on what things they get.  I hope it is a success.  It is such a joy to watch the children get so excited.  Our Advent Elf calendar has been fun too!  God bless and Happy last days of Advent to you!

To Move or Not To Move

The subject of whether we should relocate closer to my husband's office has been brought up many times over the past 3 years.  He lovingly commutes to Indianapolis (by lovingly I mean that it is a labor of love for him to do so as traveling these days is a hassle and that he sacrifices many a night's sleep trying to get home to us as often and quickly as possible).  Well, the subject came up again recently with a deal attached to it that needed to be seriosly considered.  In conjunction with these new considerations I had been feeling increasingly aware of our oldest boy's need to have his Dad around full time, not just on the weekends.  We talked about all of these things and decided to pray on it.
After many days of prayer and asking for God to show us His will I decided that I should just give it all to Jesus.  My worries, my concerns, my sadness at the thought of leaving my friends and family, the move itself, our son's needs, my husband's lonelyness... all of it.  And He answered me loud and clear-we are to move.
The new house is beautiful and much larger than ours, the catholic school is free and very conservative, the parish is vibrant, the pastor is orthodox (reminding of our good friend who is a priest), the town is wonderful, my mother is supportive and the list goes on....
So here we are getting ready for a major relocation.  We have such mixed feelings about it.  The outpouring of love from are friends has been so wonderful.  We are going to miss everyone so much what a fabulous community we have here.  We are also sad to leave the awesome school here, we have been so pleased with the formal and informal education given to our children at RLA.  Anyone who could go there should it is a gem.
God has blessed us richly both here and in Indiana.  We are so thankful to our wonderful heavenly Father for His generosity.

Wordless Wednesday

Woman's Daybook

Outside my window...the last of the fall leaves drop from the trees.

I am thinking...about some big decisions we will be making and praying for God's will to be shown to us.

I am thankful for...a husband who looks to God for guidance.

I am wearing...comfy sweats.

I am remembering...how blessed we are to be surrounded by such wonderful friends.

I am going...to stay home today.

I am reading...The Whole World Will Love Me by Dorothy Scallan

I am hoping...that my children fight their illnesses without complication.

On my mind...are the pros and cons of a change in residence.

From the learning rooms...are lots of stories and letter/number worksheets as well as first communion preparation.

Noticing that...my little ones make great efforts to be in the same room as I am in at all times.

Pondering these words..."be not afraid"

From the kitchen...leftover lasagne.

Around the house...are many unfinished chores/tasks which are calling to me to be completed.

One of my favorite things...the figurine set of the Holy Family pictured below:

From my picture journal...

Time Flies

It is so hard to believe that our new little blessing is not so new anymore.  He is 5 months old today.  Time has passed by so quickly.  I have been trying to slow down and savor each moment (even the difficult ones) for on some level I know how quickly they pass by. (Peanut is now 15 and preparing to drive these days, I swear she was just 5 and starting kindergarten yesterday!)  God has blessed us with so many good gifts and I try to slow down and appreciate them  as best I can.

I love the pictures of my babies little feet it reminds me of when they were small and how in love with them my husband and I were. I thank our Lord for these many blessings.

Little Flowers meeting

We had our second Little Flowers meeting last night.  We discussed the virtue of Mercy and studied St. Faustina.  The girls had a wonderful time and really enjoyed making their Divine Mercy prayer beads.  I have to say that being a part of the Little Flowers club is not only a blessing for my daughter but for me as well.  I get to teach my child a bible verse, a virtue and about a saint each month.  This has been so rewarding in terms of a teaching tool that I have decided to teach all of my little ones these things each month (each at their own level of course) and I must say that it is turning out to be really wonderful.  I love teaching my children about our faith.  It certainly strengthens my faith in the process.  Thanks St. Therese!  Pray for me to be a good teacher for my children.

The Feast of the Archangels

In honor of Saint Michael the Archangel for protection:      Almighty God, our Father, Creator and Ruler,  how kind is your Heart.  How generous and merciful are your ways.  Forgive us our mistakes O holy and patient  Father.

Gentle, Divine Father, filled with love, allow Your Prince of the Heavenly Host, Saint Michael the Archangel, trusted confidante of Your will, to abide with us at every moment. 

Loving, Divine Father, heal the consequences of our poor choices.  Send the Prince of your holy angels to defend, protect and remedy the circumstances that create enemies for us.  Bless our enemies.  Graciously give them what they need.  Eternal Father, please grant St. Michael the power to turn our enemies into loving, trusted colleagues.  May he present our lives to Your fathomless mercy dear Father in the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, now and forever.  Amen.                                                                                  

Women's Bible Study

Today was the Welcome Tea for our parish women's bible study.  What a wonderful start to the study!  We had good attendance with several new ladies to the study.  I look forward to getting to know them.  This fall we are studying Acts using Ascension Press' study version.  We have been so pleased with The Great Adventure Time Line Bible Study series.  The study is scructured like this:  reading assignment and study questions with a weekly meeting and discussion, then viewing a lecture on DVD.  It is a great format, very conducive to learning.  I have been so blessed through studying the bible, it is a very important part of my faith journey and a help in getting me to sainthood in Heaven (I hope!)  God bless our Women's Bible Study!  I learn so much from you ladies.

Little Flowers

This past Monday we had our first Little Flowers meeting and it went very well.  The girls were happy to see eachother again and rather excited.  It was wonderful to see the girls all together again.  We started with a prayer to St. Therese:
"O Little Flower of the Child Jesus please pick for me a rose from the heavenly gardens and send it to me as a message of love.  O Little Flower of Jesus, ask God to grant the favors I now place with confidence in your hands: that our group be successful in learning the virtues.  St. Therese, helpus to always believe as you did in God's great love for me, so that I may imitate your "Little Way" each day.  Amen."
Then the girls decorated their folders and pasted in their prayer.  We had a cupcake rosary snack (idea curtesy of Jessica and others that she mentions on her blog).  The girls loved the cupcake rosary and enjoyed eating quite a few "Hail Mary's"!  The Mom's signed up for the next meetings and I look forward to taking part in their ideas and hospitality. 
The first virtue we are working on is Mercy.  As a result of a Catholic parenting group meeting I decided to work on the LF virtue with each of the children each month.  This is my attempt to instill virtue in each child and I look forward to doing this with them.
Our family has been blessed by being part of the LF group and I expect that to continue, thanks St. Therese for the spring board into getting closer to Jesus.

Into the Swing of It

Well, the older children started school today-what a bitter-sweet thing.  I miss them during the day but by the same token I am happy and excited for them to broaden their horizons.  Meeting new children and teachers at our wonderful school is such a good thing for my "babies".  They have been so excited to go back to Regina Luminis Academy, our beloved school.  RLA is a small, Catholic school to which many wonderful and devout Catholic families belong.  Our children benefit from that envirnment of love and nurturing as well as being immersed in our faith and Catholic traditions.  Weekly Mass is a great way end to the school week as well.

My day started very early (not my preference as I like the relaxed pace of summer) but happy, breakfast and lunches made, the children dressed then my husband is off with them to the bus stop.  Unfortuneately, the bus never came and Mom loaded up the car (with 3 in PJ's) and off to school we went.  Thankfully the Mass was on EWTN radio to keep my nerves calm.  There is nothing like focusing on Jesus to bring you peace.  Since we are celebrating the Blessed Mother's birthday today she was the focus of Father's homily-bonus!

With the children safely to school back home we went to complete several other tasks before heading off to the photographer's for Beebo's 4 year pictures.  That done, home again for lunch, naps, laundry, etc...  And before I know it it is time to go to the bus stop to meet the children.  Time flies!  I think that I will be back in the swing of things within a couple of days, in the meantime thank you, again Jesus for granting me your peace.  And Happy Birthday to the Blessed Virgin Mary, thank you for your Son.

Cell Phone Alert

Last week I read an article written by Herb Deneberg that has been haunting me. It was about electromagnetic radiation and how it may cause damage to the DNA thus cancer or other medical problems. This radiation is produced by cell phones, cordless phones, walkie-talkies, ham radio transmitters, baby monitors and laptop computers. We have seven of the above mentioned devices in our home and several children growing up in this house and a teenager who uses cell phone and computer quite often.

There have been studies showing an increase in cancer rates related to use of these devices and Mr. Denenberg is citing a new report that finds that there is a risk of brain tumors and children are more at risk. He references the Radiation Research Trust at http://www.radiationresearch.org/ and http://www.mirowavenews.org/ .

The report lists some things we can do to reduce exposure for us and our children:
1. When on a call use a wired headset instead of a Bluetooth or use speakerphone or text message.
2. Keep the phone away from you when not in use. (stand-by mode)
3. Keep the phone off when not making a call and then check messages and return calls.
4. Do not sleep with cell phone beneath your pillow or at the bedside.
5. Do not allow children under 18 to use cell phones unless it is an emergency.

Blessed Virgin Mary take our petition to your Devine Son for our children to remain healthy and cancer free.

Our Anniversary

Yesterday marked 9 years that my wonderful husband and I have been married. We have had a blissful marriage blessed with many children to love. Every day I feel that God has selected my spouse for me and I am so glad I responded "Yes" to Him and him respectively. God is never outdone in His generosity to us and for that I am truly grateful. The other day I was driving around running errands as I seem to do often these days and I passed by some one's yard with many very large sunflowers growing in it. That reminded me of our first date in which Big Daddy (he wanted that to be his pseudo-name, can you believe it?), anyway brought me a sunflower. What an awesome night that was. Then fast forward to our wedding which was awesome and so much fun. Then fast forward again to the day our son was born. I have so many great memories to treasure and I pray that there are many more to come. Thank you for a wonderful life "Big Daddy" and for a wonderful husband, Our Father in heaven.

Blessings

Today I was thinking about what my husband and I tell our Pre-Jordan couples (couples who have had a child and want to have them baptized in the Church go to this class) we talk about special traditions that families have that bring them closer to God. Things like celebrating feast days, baking a birthday cake for Jesus on Christmas Eve or setting up a nativity scene. One tradition that we do in our home is that my husband blesses each child with a cross on their forehead and the words "Bless you" right before they go to bed. The children love to be blessed by Dad it is a special thing. Earlier today B my 22 month old baby girl brought me a book
"Read it"
she said as she put the book on our nursing baby on my lap. The book was by Neal Lozano called "Will you bless me?". What a wonderful book. At the end of the book there is a note to parents :
"Knowing the profound love God has for you is the secret to revealing His blessing to your child. As you draw near to God, He will draw near to you (James 4:7). As you pray, read Scripture, and spend time in God's presence, you'll be able to more fully share His heart and mind. You are God's chosen vessel, His representative, His instrument of love for the children He has entrusted to your care. The Author of Life has wonderful thoughts about your children that shape their identities- thoughts about who they are, how unique they are, and how valuable they are. He entrusts you with the responsibility of imparting this blessing.
God's blessing is interwoven with your love for your child. You have all you need to impart to your child the sense of identity and destiny that comes from the heart of God."

How beautiful. How encouraging. I respond to that with the thought that God is Love, so He is given to my children through my love and care for them. And in turn, I grow closer to Him through them. What traditions do your family do to grow closer to God?

Why Blog?

Why blog? That was a question I put to my friend while she was visiting a few weeks ago. She gave her reply and it took me some time to digest it and the notion of blogging itself. I was also perusing a few blogs here and there while nursing my new baby blessing on the couch. I found myself inspired with ideas for improving our family life, spirituality and Little Flowers group to boot! I started thinking some more and came up with some of my own good reasons for blogging. For one it's kind of a scrapbook, a way for my children to connect with me when they are older. It is a way. for my husband and I to connect when he is away traveling for work. It is a way for family far away to be updated on our family. It is a way for me to have some mind stimulation while nursing and cuddling a new sweet baby. It is away to keep memories alive and well. and the list goes on. And so my blog was born....