Shhhh....don't tell anyone, but we have not done any "real" school work since September. This isn't such a big deal, since we started school in July. We are still on track.
But, in the meantime, my kids have proceeded to learn a lot more without me.
Seriously, I am amazed at what my children have learned these past 2 months with no intervention on my part.
First, we have Monkey1 [the original BabyGenius]. LOL! She reads constantly - she reads at least one book each day, she reads her history texts for fun and picks up any science related materials she can get her hands on and reads them completely through. She watches "Nova" with great enthusiasm. [OK, is it just me? That show puts me to sleep....] She's written and illustrated several books and poems in the last 2 months. It goes on and on - I'll stop now so I'm not annoying. But the result is that she has learned a *tremendous* amount of "stuff" while we have "not" been schooling. She routinely amazes people with what she knows [including me - I'm starting to feel kind of stupid in her presence LOL!].
Then, there is The Boy [Monkey2]. He's in first grade officially, but has been kind of slow to pick up reading. [So was his sister, she didn't read well till she was 7, so I'm not worried]. He's a math and engineering genius though, and I expect his reading skills to catch up within the next year. So, we were doing first grade work and I was going through "Teach Your Child To Read in 100 Easy Lessons" with him and he was trying hard, but just not really "getting it".
Well, since I stopped "educatin" him, he has taught himself to read simple words. He has done this so he can identify the Star Wars Characters in the books he reads and so he can operate the TiVo remote and pick whatever shows he or his little sisters want to watch [and no, they DON'T sit around watching TV all day LOL!]. Its weird - one day he couldn't read at all, the next day he could read and was totally self sufficient with it.
Yesterday he spent the whole day reading his new favorite Star Wars book and sketching characters and ships from the book into his sketch book and then labeling them with correctly spelled and beautifully written names.... he did this just because he wanted to.
We've been taking walks each day and having a nature scavenger hunt while we walk and finding neat stuff. The kids then take home what they find and sketch it in their sketch books and then write about it - not because I said to, but because they want to.
So, frankly, I'm kind of wondering why I've been working so hard to "teach" them, when they learn so fantastically on their own! I have always been very skeptical about the concept of "unschooling", but I'm starting to think they may have something there...
For the past 3 years, I've been using a curriculum from Seton Home Studies, and it is an excellent curriculum. I have no complaints at all about it.
But....I'm thinking now that maybe this isn't the way to go. Often, sitting down for our hours of book work is like "pulling teeth" with my kids, and I do sometimes think it may be strangling the love of learning right out of them...
I think my days of sitting at the table doing book work with a rigorous curriculum for hours on end are over. I don't think I will ever be comfortable "unschooling" completely - I think I will keep our math text, our English/grammar text, and maybe our religion text. But I think I'm giving up the rest of it. I've been reading a lot of Charlotte Mason books lately too, and I agree with a lot of what she says about children being natural learners if we surround them with great books and learning opportunities. And she really values family read aloud time, which is our *favorite* thing to do around here.
So, this is me discovering that I need to back off with the text books and the whip. LOL! And watch my little geniuses blossom....
Wednesday, November 28, 2007
Surreal Thanksgiving
I'm falling behind on posts....
We had a surreal Thanksgiving. Not really the highest thing on my list to have! :)
We spent Thanksgiving day with my husband's mother and her family. For some reason she decided to invite my husband's coworker/roommate - who I had never met. [This is the guy who was conspiring with Dh when he decided to leave and who happily encouraged him in that endeavor]. The roommate is also one of those really negative, sarcastic people who never says anything that isn't nasty - he had made some really not-nice comments whenever I was on the phone with my husband while the roommate was around. And, in person, he turned out to be ever bit as rude and unkind as I expected, unfortunately. [I had hoped I was wrong and just being paranoid and he'd turn out to be much nicer than I expected....but no, I wasn't wrong].
To say it was uncomfortable is an understatement. Bleh.
Then on Saturday we had Thanksgiving with my parents and my sister and brother and his girlfriend. THAT was the day I was looking forward to, but then I wasn't allowed to bring my husband with me and the kids. Which was also very uncomfortable. My brother is still very upset over what happened [and I totally understand why] and he didn't feel ready to hang out with my husband yet. [He does support us getting back together though, very strongly]. But of course that hurt my husband's feelings.
The only saving grace was that my brother smoked a turkey and a ham and those were the best pieces of food I have ever eaten in my life - they were so delicious that they defy description!
But, overall, it was really an uncomfortable, bizarre holiday. I'm glad its over. :)
Here is Monkey5 expressing *exactly* how I feel about the whole weekend:
We had a surreal Thanksgiving. Not really the highest thing on my list to have! :)
We spent Thanksgiving day with my husband's mother and her family. For some reason she decided to invite my husband's coworker/roommate - who I had never met. [This is the guy who was conspiring with Dh when he decided to leave and who happily encouraged him in that endeavor]. The roommate is also one of those really negative, sarcastic people who never says anything that isn't nasty - he had made some really not-nice comments whenever I was on the phone with my husband while the roommate was around. And, in person, he turned out to be ever bit as rude and unkind as I expected, unfortunately. [I had hoped I was wrong and just being paranoid and he'd turn out to be much nicer than I expected....but no, I wasn't wrong].
To say it was uncomfortable is an understatement. Bleh.
Then on Saturday we had Thanksgiving with my parents and my sister and brother and his girlfriend. THAT was the day I was looking forward to, but then I wasn't allowed to bring my husband with me and the kids. Which was also very uncomfortable. My brother is still very upset over what happened [and I totally understand why] and he didn't feel ready to hang out with my husband yet. [He does support us getting back together though, very strongly]. But of course that hurt my husband's feelings.
The only saving grace was that my brother smoked a turkey and a ham and those were the best pieces of food I have ever eaten in my life - they were so delicious that they defy description!
But, overall, it was really an uncomfortable, bizarre holiday. I'm glad its over. :)
Here is Monkey5 expressing *exactly* how I feel about the whole weekend:
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
The Importance of Kindness
This picture has nothing to do with this post, I just liked it. :) My baby is getting "So Big!"
I have learned SO much over the last few months,and one thing I've been thinking about recently is the importance of kindness.
In the first few weeks following my husband leaving, I was totally shell shocked. In a way I can't even describe. It was all I could do to keep the children fed and cared for and alive. It seemed impossible that the world was just going right along when MY whole world had just crashed down around me. I remember walking through the grocery store and just feeling surreal - how could everything still be so *normal*?! I imagine this is somewhat like people feel when they lose a spouse or loved one suddenly to death - fortunately my husband did not die, but in that time, the sudden-ness of it all and the utter abandonment FELT like the man I had loved and known all those years had died. [Only it was worse because it was voluntary on his part - I remember also thinking that it would have been better if he'd been killed suddenly, from a strictly emotional standpoint, because then it would be something beyond his control - NOT his own choice to leave us and not love us any more].
Anyway, during those first weeks, I was, many times, amazed by the kindness of strangers. I was grief-stricken and barely able to go through the motions of normal life, and there were *countless* instances of people being amazingly kind to me. From the father and children in the grocery store behind me the day I tried to use WIC who were so sweet and kind, to the many, many members of our homeschool group and Church who helped us in so many ways... it was really those small bright shining moments of concern and care that kept me going - quite literally.
One night I had finally gotten the kids to bed and I had not eaten all day - not a bite. I felt physically sick all the time in the weeks after my husband left, and I also did not have TIME to eat many days. I had finally gotten everyone to sleep and I was ravenous. I pulled out a roasted chicken that a *wonderful* lady from our homeschool group had brought me earlier in the day. I was planning to microwave some of the chicken and eat it [with much anticipation] when the phone rang. It was a friend from our homeschool group just calling to check on me. I said hi to her and then turned around just in time to see our lab/husky mix jump up and grab the whole chicken off the counter and run off with it! By the time I got it away from him, he had scarfed down most of it and there was none left fit for human consumption. [And he didn't even have the decency to choke on the chicken bones LOL!].
After a brief moment of angry outburst at the dog, I returned to my phone conversation. My friend asked what happened and I told her. After a few minutes we hung up and I sat down to watch TV - totally giving up on actually eating that day. [I lost 20 pounds in 2 months like that... ].
About 45 minutes later my doorbell rang - I went to answer it and it was my friend, at my door. She had gone to the store and gotten me another roasted chicken, along with a bunch of other groceries and was delivering them! And this was after 9pm and she had her own family at home - it was definitely a sacrifice for her to do such a thing! It was amazing. I just cried after she left.
That was the best chicken I ever ate.
The other thing that strikes me looking back is how many people confided their own personal tragedies to me when I was in the midst of all of this. When they heard what was happening in my life, they suddenly felt comfortable to share the horrible things that were happening in their own. So many people expressed relief to be able to talk to someone about what was happening to them - I really came to realize that most people in our culture DON'T share their pain and misfortune with others - they bear it alone and in silence. [I'm just not able to do that - I am totally "transparent" as one friend said - which isn't always a good thing :( ].
These two things have combined to really make me realize how important it is for us to ALWAYS treat others with kindness. We *never* know what that other person may be going through. We never know when our kind word might be the ONLY thing that keeps that person from blowing their brains out that night. We should always be the hands and heart of Jesus for others - because it may only be through our love that He can reach out to them in their pain.
So, next time you feel like cursing that guy who cuts you off in traffic, pray for him instead. He may have just lost his wife after a long battle with cancer. The next time you are in a hurry at the checkout line and are feeling irritated with the lady in front of you who is taking *forever* - pray for her, maybe even offer some assistance if you are comfortable with it. She may have just found out that her 3 year old has an inoperable brain tumor. The person sitting next to you in the doctor's office that day may be there to get some very bad news. Your coworker may have lost a precious pet yesterday. Maybe not - but who can say for sure?
You just never know - we are all consumed by our own lives and our own little tragedies, but it does not cost us *anything* to be kind to other human beings. We should always take the time to be gracious and loving to those around us.
Sometimes it is strangers who need our kind words and actions the most.
And for all of you, in the "real world" and online, both dear friends and complete strangers, who kept me alive in the weeks after my husband left with your kindness - I thank you from the bottom of my heart. May God bless you for your goodness. And may I always return that favor to every person around me for as long as I live.
[PS - that lab/husky mix is doing much better now. I've definitely been a civilizing influence on him - he's really a good dog now. We had only had him a couple of weeks when the chicken incident happened. Now adays, I'm glad I didn't kill him that night. :) ]
Monday, November 19, 2007
What We Did The Week Before Thanksgiving
OK, this is a general "catch up" post - so nothing earth shattering here!
I spent a lot of time last week trying to figure out ways to get my picky eater on a healthier track [and all of us really]. I cook very healthfully - we eat almost all whole grains, tons of fruits and veggies [mostly raw], organic milk, mostly organic everything, etc. But I still have one eater who is very, very picky to the point that she's becoming unhealthy. So, I did tons of reading and talking with the kids and other moms [online and off LOL!] and came up with some plans to hopefully get us all doing just a little better on the diet front and a lot better on the exercise front.
We've talked about portion control and my kids have agreed to try one new veggie each week - which I think is a great start!
Here was one trick I used last week that worked pretty well:
I made kabobs out of their favorite veggies/fruits and added a new veggie [red bell pepper] in there too, and also encouraged my picky eater to try the cucumber too [which all the other kids and I love]. It was a success actually - everyone ate and enjoyed the cucumber and everyone tried the bell pepper [nobody but me liked it - it is one of my favorite foods - but I was proud of them all for trying it!]. Oh, and nobody liked the ranch dipping sauce I gave them, they all preferred their veggies naked, which is even better!
We also got our picky eater to eat grilled chicken [smothered in ketchup, but I can live with that] so that was a big success too!
Over all it was a nutritionally successful week. I am reading the book "Sugar Busters for Kids" and loosely following it. [In other words, I'm following the general principles but not measuring each child's food and stuff like that....]
Here is Monkey2 ["The Boy"] enjoying his kabobs:
In addition to the food changes, I'm working to get us more active. We are walking in the afternoons and also doing "work out videos" together in the mornings some days each week. Right now I am eagerly awaiting my DVD copy of "Richard Simmons' Disco Sweat" LOL! [No, I'm not kidding - lame though it may be, he's good at getting people motivated and it is kind of hard to find work out DVDs that work for EVERYONE in our group - from the 2yo to the tired old mama!].
If my husband moves home in a few months, I want to start taking the whole family to the track again so we can start running. I LOVE to run, but can't manage to run with 5 kids in tow LOL!
Also, [and Shhhh....do not tell the children yet, I can't stand the screams of dismay :) ], I am pretty sure I'm getting rid of cable at the end of this month. I want to do it both to save money and to stop the kids from watching TV. I am sure this is going to go over like a plate full of fried liver. :)
In other news, we received some great blessings last week in the way of clothing gifts too!
First, my coworker cleaned out her closets and gave me a bag of clothes for my 4yo and 2yo - which was really needed! [They wear the same size and didn't have quite enough to go around].
This is them modeling their favorite outfits from the bag. My 2yo fell MADLY in love with the little cheetah costume [in fact, she wears it every time it is clean - you will see it featured in at least one more picture from another event in this blog LOL!]. So, I am now constantly accompanied by a cute little cheetah every where I go. The costume even has a little tail, which she will "shake" for you if you ask - it is so unbelievably cute it could almost make you sick LOL! My 4yo fell in love with the sweater/hat combo - also a very attractive set. She looks great in it. And while she does go more than 2 days between wearing this sweater, she does pretty much wear it every 4th day or so.
Then, my wonderful long time email friend from New Zealand sent them all a big box full of clothes -she sent some of the cutest stuff too! Now my 4yo and 2yo in particular finally have enough clothes to wear!
Below you can see Monkey2 and Monkey1 modeling their favorite outfits from the box:
She also sent slippers for all the kids, and those were an AMAZING hit as well - I can't get them to wear any other shoes hardly LOL! If you notice in the pic of the 2yo above wearing the cheetah costume, she has on some bright pink slippers too - those are her New Zealand slippers and she flat refuses to wear anything else on her feet now. I think it is so cute, and I love her little sense of herself. She can wear cheetah costumes and hot pink slippers all she wants as far as I'm concerned - you GO girl!
Next we have a couple of "eating watermelon" shots.... just because. LOL! [it was a really good melon!]
In this pic below, you can see that the baby's eye is finally starting to get a little better. This pic is a few days old, now finally you can hardly tell it was ever black. Thank goodness. I've never seen such a black eye on a child! [The baby adores her big sister too - aren't they sweet together?!]
And last but not least, we had our Homeschool Group's annual Thanksgiving Potluck this past weekend - this is one of my favorite events of the year. So many *awesome* kids and families - it was a blast.
This pic shows The Boy decorating cookies at the potluck with two of his best friends [the Aquinas Academy boys]. Aren't they all so handsome?!
This pic shows Monkey1 with two of her favorite friends. They had a great time hanging out together! And aren't they all just beautiful?!
Here is my little Cheetah playing while everyone around her ate. :)
Here is my husband and my dear friend Jen holding Monkey5. Monkey5 has FINALLY decided she adores Jen and will let Jen hold her as much as she wants. Finally. [That makes 4 human beings who are allowed to hold her - me, her dad, her grandfather, and Jen! LOL!]
And last, but certainly not least, we have our sweet Monkey3 showing off her artistic creation. :) [You can REALLY entertain a group of kids with a bunch of cookies they get to decorate themselves!]. She must have spent more than 1/2 hour working on this cookie!
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!!!!
I spent a lot of time last week trying to figure out ways to get my picky eater on a healthier track [and all of us really]. I cook very healthfully - we eat almost all whole grains, tons of fruits and veggies [mostly raw], organic milk, mostly organic everything, etc. But I still have one eater who is very, very picky to the point that she's becoming unhealthy. So, I did tons of reading and talking with the kids and other moms [online and off LOL!] and came up with some plans to hopefully get us all doing just a little better on the diet front and a lot better on the exercise front.
We've talked about portion control and my kids have agreed to try one new veggie each week - which I think is a great start!
Here was one trick I used last week that worked pretty well:
I made kabobs out of their favorite veggies/fruits and added a new veggie [red bell pepper] in there too, and also encouraged my picky eater to try the cucumber too [which all the other kids and I love]. It was a success actually - everyone ate and enjoyed the cucumber and everyone tried the bell pepper [nobody but me liked it - it is one of my favorite foods - but I was proud of them all for trying it!]. Oh, and nobody liked the ranch dipping sauce I gave them, they all preferred their veggies naked, which is even better!
We also got our picky eater to eat grilled chicken [smothered in ketchup, but I can live with that] so that was a big success too!
Over all it was a nutritionally successful week. I am reading the book "Sugar Busters for Kids" and loosely following it. [In other words, I'm following the general principles but not measuring each child's food and stuff like that....]
Here is Monkey2 ["The Boy"] enjoying his kabobs:
In addition to the food changes, I'm working to get us more active. We are walking in the afternoons and also doing "work out videos" together in the mornings some days each week. Right now I am eagerly awaiting my DVD copy of "Richard Simmons' Disco Sweat" LOL! [No, I'm not kidding - lame though it may be, he's good at getting people motivated and it is kind of hard to find work out DVDs that work for EVERYONE in our group - from the 2yo to the tired old mama!].
If my husband moves home in a few months, I want to start taking the whole family to the track again so we can start running. I LOVE to run, but can't manage to run with 5 kids in tow LOL!
Also, [and Shhhh....do not tell the children yet, I can't stand the screams of dismay :) ], I am pretty sure I'm getting rid of cable at the end of this month. I want to do it both to save money and to stop the kids from watching TV. I am sure this is going to go over like a plate full of fried liver. :)
In other news, we received some great blessings last week in the way of clothing gifts too!
First, my coworker cleaned out her closets and gave me a bag of clothes for my 4yo and 2yo - which was really needed! [They wear the same size and didn't have quite enough to go around].
This is them modeling their favorite outfits from the bag. My 2yo fell MADLY in love with the little cheetah costume [in fact, she wears it every time it is clean - you will see it featured in at least one more picture from another event in this blog LOL!]. So, I am now constantly accompanied by a cute little cheetah every where I go. The costume even has a little tail, which she will "shake" for you if you ask - it is so unbelievably cute it could almost make you sick LOL! My 4yo fell in love with the sweater/hat combo - also a very attractive set. She looks great in it. And while she does go more than 2 days between wearing this sweater, she does pretty much wear it every 4th day or so.
Then, my wonderful long time email friend from New Zealand sent them all a big box full of clothes -she sent some of the cutest stuff too! Now my 4yo and 2yo in particular finally have enough clothes to wear!
Below you can see Monkey2 and Monkey1 modeling their favorite outfits from the box:
She also sent slippers for all the kids, and those were an AMAZING hit as well - I can't get them to wear any other shoes hardly LOL! If you notice in the pic of the 2yo above wearing the cheetah costume, she has on some bright pink slippers too - those are her New Zealand slippers and she flat refuses to wear anything else on her feet now. I think it is so cute, and I love her little sense of herself. She can wear cheetah costumes and hot pink slippers all she wants as far as I'm concerned - you GO girl!
Next we have a couple of "eating watermelon" shots.... just because. LOL! [it was a really good melon!]
In this pic below, you can see that the baby's eye is finally starting to get a little better. This pic is a few days old, now finally you can hardly tell it was ever black. Thank goodness. I've never seen such a black eye on a child! [The baby adores her big sister too - aren't they sweet together?!]
And last but not least, we had our Homeschool Group's annual Thanksgiving Potluck this past weekend - this is one of my favorite events of the year. So many *awesome* kids and families - it was a blast.
This pic shows The Boy decorating cookies at the potluck with two of his best friends [the Aquinas Academy boys]. Aren't they all so handsome?!
This pic shows Monkey1 with two of her favorite friends. They had a great time hanging out together! And aren't they all just beautiful?!
Here is my little Cheetah playing while everyone around her ate. :)
Here is my husband and my dear friend Jen holding Monkey5. Monkey5 has FINALLY decided she adores Jen and will let Jen hold her as much as she wants. Finally. [That makes 4 human beings who are allowed to hold her - me, her dad, her grandfather, and Jen! LOL!]
And last, but certainly not least, we have our sweet Monkey3 showing off her artistic creation. :) [You can REALLY entertain a group of kids with a bunch of cookies they get to decorate themselves!]. She must have spent more than 1/2 hour working on this cookie!
Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!!!!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Quote of the Day
From an actual conversation at our dinner table last night:
Me [speaking to the 2yo]: "You may NOT dance naked at the table!"
My husband: "Yeah, I bet you didn't think you'd have to say that for at LEAST another 16 years!"
[Um...I never planned to have to say that! And I'd much rather be saying it to my 2yo than to my 18yo for sure! LOL!]
And in the category of things you NEVER thought you'd actually hear coming out of your mouth:
"Don't you DARE poop on that chair! You poop on the potty!"
LOL!
Me [speaking to the 2yo]: "You may NOT dance naked at the table!"
My husband: "Yeah, I bet you didn't think you'd have to say that for at LEAST another 16 years!"
[Um...I never planned to have to say that! And I'd much rather be saying it to my 2yo than to my 18yo for sure! LOL!]
And in the category of things you NEVER thought you'd actually hear coming out of your mouth:
"Don't you DARE poop on that chair! You poop on the potty!"
LOL!
Thursday, November 15, 2007
Orthometer: Going over the wall
Orthometer: Going over the wall
This priest had some things to say about the situation with the EWTN priest that I found helpful to my understanding of the situation.
Plus this is a really neat blog! Check it out!
This priest had some things to say about the situation with the EWTN priest that I found helpful to my understanding of the situation.
Plus this is a really neat blog! Check it out!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Crunchy Mamas
I got this quiz from my friend Mel's blog. I thought it was pretty fun.
Warning Guys - this is really a "girls only" kind of thing. You may want to skip this entry. ;)
How crunchy are you? [I'll post my answers underneath the questions. Feel free to share yours!]
Do you have homebirths?
15 points for “yes” (unassisted)
10 points for “yes” (with a midwife in attendance)
5 points for alternative birthing center
2 points for “thinking about/would like homebirth”
0 for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----This is hard for me to answer, because if I had safe, healthy, normal births I would *absolutely* have them all at home, and the last couple would have been unassisted too. [I had a home water birth scheduled for my second baby until the pregnancy turned deadly and the midwife said "no way"!]. As it is, my births have all been life threatening and so dramatic.. so *sigh* - I *have* to go with the hospital births. But I loathe it. So what points do I take on this? I have no idea! I guess I'll take 10 as a compromise.... LOL!
Will you circumcise future sons?
-5 points for “no”
-0 points for “yes”.
---NO. I feel strongly that no son of mine will ever be circumcised. I'm much less judgmental about the state of other peoples' sons' penises now than I used to be though. LOL! To each his own - I've definitely mellowed in my old age. But nobody's cutting my boy's penis! ;)
Do you use cloth diapers?
20 point if you do Elimination Communication (no diapers)
15 points if “yes” (wash and make your own)
10 points if “yes” (wash your own)
5 points if “yes” (diaper service)
2 points if “thinking about it”
0 points if “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----Another one I can't quite answer - I used cloth with my first two children and partially with my third - until I just got overwhelmed with two in cloth diapers. So, now we use mostly disposables but every couple of months I seriously consider going back to cloth to save money - I still have all my cloth diapers readily at hand... so what points do I take here?!! I'll take 5 points here maybe - even though I always washed my own when I did it.
Do you observe your fertility signals using Natural Family
Planning/Fertility Awareness and use that for birth control/trying to conceive?
10 points for “yes” (observe and use for birth control/ttc) or you use ecological
breastfeeding/lactational amnorrhea
5 points for “yes” (observe for trying to conceive)
2 points “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---Yep, definitely. We actually left our "family planning" up to God for the last several years, though my husband is no longer willing to do that any more after my last birth and the very near death experience and the brain damage and all. [And now that he's gone crazy and left, I'm not sure I'm up for that either...]. So, we are back to "observing signs" and using NFP to prevent. We also use lactational amnorrhea [since I breastfeed all our children exclusively], but I am pretty fertile and this only works for us for a few months.
Do you breastfeed exclusively for the first 6+ months?
10 points if “yes”
5 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of expressed breastmilk)
2 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of formula)
0 for “no” (don’t breastfeed by choice).
---Yes, absolutely and with great determination. I used to be a La Leche League Leader too. Do I get extra points for that?
Do you co-sleep/family bed?
10 points for “yes” (all night every night)
5 points for “yes” (part/all of most nights)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”.
----Definitely. In fact, since their dad left, all FIVE of my monkeys are back in my room. I generally *want* to sleep with them until they are about 2 years old. They generally want to sleep with me until they go to college. LOL! ;)
Do you use a sling/soft carrier?
5 points for “yes”
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----Yes, my children have all been sling little babies and backpack older babies/toddlers. They are held on my body pretty much the majority of their lives. [partly because at least 3 of them *demanded* this and trained me as such!]
Do you believe in/practice child-led weaning
(even if that means breastfeeding for several years)?
15 points for “yes” (complete child-led weaning)
10 points for “yes” (up to 3 years)
5 points for “yes” (up to 2 years)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (you’ll wean the baby at 1 year or earlier).
---I'll take 5 points here - my oldest nursed till she was almost 3 and the others nursed till I got pregnant again and the milk dried up - sometime around 16-18 mos of age. Except for my 3rd baby who was a little weirdo, she truly weaned on her own 3 weeks shy of her 1st birthday - totally against my will! I felt like a failure at that point! But ideally, I'd nurse them all till they were two.
Do you tandem nurse/nurse during your pregnancy?
10 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy and tandem nurse)
5 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy, but wean before birth)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”(wouldn’t consider it).
---I'll take 5 points here - I have nursed through all of my pregnancies [except the first one obviously :) ] until the milk dried up and the babies weaned themselves. I had planned to nurse both my first and second at the same time but it didn't work out like that.
Do you eat organic/whole/natural foods and limit your meat?
15 points for “yes” (grow own/buy organic, shop only at health food store,
grind own wheat, vegetarian, etc.)
10 points for “yes” (grow some of own food, buy organic,
use whole wheat flour, bake own bread, eat some meat occasionally)
5 points for “yes” (try to buy natural, whole grain foods, etc.)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---10 points here. I buy organic as much as I possibly can, grow some of my own veggies organically, use whole wheat everything - bread, pasta, etc. Everything I bake has whole wheat in it. We do eat some meat, not that much - but not because I'm opposed to it, more because it is expensive and also I am concerned about the antibiotics and hormones in the meat.
Do you use herbal/homeopathic remedies?
10 points if “yes” (very rarely see a regular doctor)
5 points if “yes” (but use a doctor occasionally)
2 points if “thinking about it” (see a doc for now)
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----I used to do a lot more natural / herbal stuff than I do now. I just, frankly, found that the natural/herbal/homeopathic stuff didn't work very well for us [at all really]. I know people swear by it and I tried and tried to use those things, but they were just no good for us. We see a doctor occasionally, but I do try to avoid it as much as possible. I'll take 5 points on this one.
Do you homeschool?
10 points if “yes” (currently homeschool)
5 points for “yes” (will homeschool)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---Yes, definitely 10 points here.
What's your take on childhood vaccinations?
15 points for no vaccines
10 for delayed, selective vaccination
5 points for selective, on schedule vaccination
2 points for thinking about not vaccinating
0 points for vaxing on schedule.
---5 points here - I don't do all vaccines [avoid morally offensive ones made from aborted babies], but I do vaccinate on schedule and I am pretty pro-vaccine actually, since they took the mercury out. [We delayed with my second child because the vaxes still had mercury - but have been totally on schedule since that was removed].
Would you/have you ever breastfeed/fed someone else's baby
or have someone else bf your child?
10 points if yes (have or someone has bf your baby)
5 points if yes (would)
2 points if maybe 0 if no (wouldn't consider it).
---I would nurse another baby if there was some pressing need and the mom asked and it was someone I knew well. I can't see this happening though, quite honestly. LOL! ;)
Do you use cloth/re-usable products for mom?
10 points if yes (make own)
5 points if yes (buy own)
2 points if thinking about it
0 points if no.
---I use cloth products that I purchased. I really, really like them. They are far preferable to the disposable ones IMO.
Ratings
120 – 140 Super Nutty, Ultra-Crunchy Granola Earth Mama
90 – 119 Mmm! Love that whole-grain crunch!
60 – 89 Pretty Crispy
20 – 59 Sprinkled with Granola
5 – 19 Instant Oatmeal
0 - 4 Jell-O
I scored a perfect "100". Which makes me whole-grain crunch. :) If you feel like it, please share your scores too in the comments! If you answer this on your own blog, let me know so I can read your responses!
Oh, and I have to echo what my friend said on her blog - I used to feel so much pressure to "live up" to the crunchy earth mama standard LOL! I no longer feel like that - as I've added more kids and gotten older [hopefully wiser? maybe not...], I am very comfortable with making the decisions that work for us and not worrying about the rest. I hope you feel comfortable doing the same! ;)
Warning Guys - this is really a "girls only" kind of thing. You may want to skip this entry. ;)
How crunchy are you? [I'll post my answers underneath the questions. Feel free to share yours!]
Do you have homebirths?
15 points for “yes” (unassisted)
10 points for “yes” (with a midwife in attendance)
5 points for alternative birthing center
2 points for “thinking about/would like homebirth”
0 for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----This is hard for me to answer, because if I had safe, healthy, normal births I would *absolutely* have them all at home, and the last couple would have been unassisted too. [I had a home water birth scheduled for my second baby until the pregnancy turned deadly and the midwife said "no way"!]. As it is, my births have all been life threatening and so dramatic.. so *sigh* - I *have* to go with the hospital births. But I loathe it. So what points do I take on this? I have no idea! I guess I'll take 10 as a compromise.... LOL!
Will you circumcise future sons?
-5 points for “no”
-0 points for “yes”.
---NO. I feel strongly that no son of mine will ever be circumcised. I'm much less judgmental about the state of other peoples' sons' penises now than I used to be though. LOL! To each his own - I've definitely mellowed in my old age. But nobody's cutting my boy's penis! ;)
Do you use cloth diapers?
20 point if you do Elimination Communication (no diapers)
15 points if “yes” (wash and make your own)
10 points if “yes” (wash your own)
5 points if “yes” (diaper service)
2 points if “thinking about it”
0 points if “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----Another one I can't quite answer - I used cloth with my first two children and partially with my third - until I just got overwhelmed with two in cloth diapers. So, now we use mostly disposables but every couple of months I seriously consider going back to cloth to save money - I still have all my cloth diapers readily at hand... so what points do I take here?!! I'll take 5 points here maybe - even though I always washed my own when I did it.
Do you observe your fertility signals using Natural Family
Planning/Fertility Awareness and use that for birth control/trying to conceive?
10 points for “yes” (observe and use for birth control/ttc) or you use ecological
breastfeeding/lactational amnorrhea
5 points for “yes” (observe for trying to conceive)
2 points “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---Yep, definitely. We actually left our "family planning" up to God for the last several years, though my husband is no longer willing to do that any more after my last birth and the very near death experience and the brain damage and all. [And now that he's gone crazy and left, I'm not sure I'm up for that either...]. So, we are back to "observing signs" and using NFP to prevent. We also use lactational amnorrhea [since I breastfeed all our children exclusively], but I am pretty fertile and this only works for us for a few months.
Do you breastfeed exclusively for the first 6+ months?
10 points if “yes”
5 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of expressed breastmilk)
2 points for “no” (use occasional bottles of formula)
0 for “no” (don’t breastfeed by choice).
---Yes, absolutely and with great determination. I used to be a La Leche League Leader too. Do I get extra points for that?
Do you co-sleep/family bed?
10 points for “yes” (all night every night)
5 points for “yes” (part/all of most nights)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”.
----Definitely. In fact, since their dad left, all FIVE of my monkeys are back in my room. I generally *want* to sleep with them until they are about 2 years old. They generally want to sleep with me until they go to college. LOL! ;)
Do you use a sling/soft carrier?
5 points for “yes”
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----Yes, my children have all been sling little babies and backpack older babies/toddlers. They are held on my body pretty much the majority of their lives. [partly because at least 3 of them *demanded* this and trained me as such!]
Do you believe in/practice child-led weaning
(even if that means breastfeeding for several years)?
15 points for “yes” (complete child-led weaning)
10 points for “yes” (up to 3 years)
5 points for “yes” (up to 2 years)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (you’ll wean the baby at 1 year or earlier).
---I'll take 5 points here - my oldest nursed till she was almost 3 and the others nursed till I got pregnant again and the milk dried up - sometime around 16-18 mos of age. Except for my 3rd baby who was a little weirdo, she truly weaned on her own 3 weeks shy of her 1st birthday - totally against my will! I felt like a failure at that point! But ideally, I'd nurse them all till they were two.
Do you tandem nurse/nurse during your pregnancy?
10 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy and tandem nurse)
5 points for “yes” (nurse during pgcy, but wean before birth)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no”(wouldn’t consider it).
---I'll take 5 points here - I have nursed through all of my pregnancies [except the first one obviously :) ] until the milk dried up and the babies weaned themselves. I had planned to nurse both my first and second at the same time but it didn't work out like that.
Do you eat organic/whole/natural foods and limit your meat?
15 points for “yes” (grow own/buy organic, shop only at health food store,
grind own wheat, vegetarian, etc.)
10 points for “yes” (grow some of own food, buy organic,
use whole wheat flour, bake own bread, eat some meat occasionally)
5 points for “yes” (try to buy natural, whole grain foods, etc.)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---10 points here. I buy organic as much as I possibly can, grow some of my own veggies organically, use whole wheat everything - bread, pasta, etc. Everything I bake has whole wheat in it. We do eat some meat, not that much - but not because I'm opposed to it, more because it is expensive and also I am concerned about the antibiotics and hormones in the meat.
Do you use herbal/homeopathic remedies?
10 points if “yes” (very rarely see a regular doctor)
5 points if “yes” (but use a doctor occasionally)
2 points if “thinking about it” (see a doc for now)
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
----I used to do a lot more natural / herbal stuff than I do now. I just, frankly, found that the natural/herbal/homeopathic stuff didn't work very well for us [at all really]. I know people swear by it and I tried and tried to use those things, but they were just no good for us. We see a doctor occasionally, but I do try to avoid it as much as possible. I'll take 5 points on this one.
Do you homeschool?
10 points if “yes” (currently homeschool)
5 points for “yes” (will homeschool)
2 points for “thinking about it”
0 points for “no” (wouldn’t consider it).
---Yes, definitely 10 points here.
What's your take on childhood vaccinations?
15 points for no vaccines
10 for delayed, selective vaccination
5 points for selective, on schedule vaccination
2 points for thinking about not vaccinating
0 points for vaxing on schedule.
---5 points here - I don't do all vaccines [avoid morally offensive ones made from aborted babies], but I do vaccinate on schedule and I am pretty pro-vaccine actually, since they took the mercury out. [We delayed with my second child because the vaxes still had mercury - but have been totally on schedule since that was removed].
Would you/have you ever breastfeed/fed someone else's baby
or have someone else bf your child?
10 points if yes (have or someone has bf your baby)
5 points if yes (would)
2 points if maybe 0 if no (wouldn't consider it).
---I would nurse another baby if there was some pressing need and the mom asked and it was someone I knew well. I can't see this happening though, quite honestly. LOL! ;)
Do you use cloth/re-usable products for mom?
10 points if yes (make own)
5 points if yes (buy own)
2 points if thinking about it
0 points if no.
---I use cloth products that I purchased. I really, really like them. They are far preferable to the disposable ones IMO.
Ratings
120 – 140 Super Nutty, Ultra-Crunchy Granola Earth Mama
90 – 119 Mmm! Love that whole-grain crunch!
60 – 89 Pretty Crispy
20 – 59 Sprinkled with Granola
5 – 19 Instant Oatmeal
0 - 4 Jell-O
I scored a perfect "100". Which makes me whole-grain crunch. :) If you feel like it, please share your scores too in the comments! If you answer this on your own blog, let me know so I can read your responses!
Oh, and I have to echo what my friend said on her blog - I used to feel so much pressure to "live up" to the crunchy earth mama standard LOL! I no longer feel like that - as I've added more kids and gotten older [hopefully wiser? maybe not...], I am very comfortable with making the decisions that work for us and not worrying about the rest. I hope you feel comfortable doing the same! ;)
Monday, November 12, 2007
God is So Good.
We had a great weekend, full of the blessings of the Lord!
On Friday we got to visit with our dear friends who moved away a few months ago. They came back for a visit and it was so great to see them!
Also on Friday, some Catholic mom friends of mine and I did a day of fasting and prayer for my husband's mental health and faith. We fasted and then at 3pm [the hour of Divine Mercy], we prayed a Novena to the Blessed Mother - we prayed the Memorare 9 times in petition and then 9 times in thanksgiving.
My husband came over that evening to spend the whole weekend [the longest he's been with us since he moved out]. He was in a great frame of mind - MUCH more stable than I have seen him in a very long time. We had a great weekend - he was calm and stable and *happy* [something else I haven't seen in a long time].
On Saturday we had my wonderful babysitter come to keep the kids while we went out for a few hours at lunch. Our first stop was at the Adoration Chapel at our Church. We prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and then we went into the small day chapel [where Jesus is in the Tabernacle] and we knelt down and renewed our marriage vows to one another in front of Jesus and put back on our wedding bands. It was a very emotional moment - our recommitment to our Marriage.
Afterwards we went out to lunch with some Gift Certificates my SIL gave us a year and a half ago that we never had gotten around to using. It was a wonderful lunch. Then we went and picked up the baby [left the other kids with the babysitter] and went Christmas shopping for the children. It was so fun!
Then I took our babysitter home and we picked up the kids and all went to Confession [those of us who were old enough anyway LOL!]. It was an amazing gift - my husband returning to the Sacrament of Reconciliation after being so lost. He was like a new man when he walked out of that Confessional. Praise God!
Then on Sunday he came to Mass with us - for the first time since he left, and he received our Lord in the Eucharist. I spent the whole Mass on the verge of happy tears. He would not come back until he was sure what he believed - and I'm so happy he did come back.
God and the Blessed Mother were working so actively on my husband's heart this weekend, and my husband is doing SO much better now. It was amazing.
The devil was at work too!
After he went to Confession Saturday night, my husband got a severe headache - could have been a coincidence of course, but it struck within minutes of him leaving the Confessional - and lasted all night to the point that he felt terrible.
Yesterday after Mass, we dropped the older 3 kids off at Sunday school and then we were going to the van so we could run home and change the baby [who had had a massive poop during Mass of course!] and then come back. As we were walking to the van, we were walking towards the overflow parking lot, which is on a pretty steep incline. It has gravel over pavement there too, and I was wearing my Church shoes [ie: slick bottoms!]. I had the baby in the backpack [as always LOL!].
I slipped - my foot came right out from under me slipping on that gravel and I fell HARD! Of course, the natural way for me to fall in that situation was backwards - but I had the baby on my back! I did everything I could to fall forwards instead to protect the baby, and I did manage it but really, really hurt myself in the process! I twisted my right ankle really badly [not sure it isn't fractured - I spend the whole afternoon trying to decide if I needed to go to the ER or not!]. It is swollen. I also wrenched my right knee, my lower back, my neck, and I pulled every muscle in my left arm and scraped my left palm.
Miraculously, the baby was fine! She turned her head *after* the fall and scraped her head a little on the pavement/gravel, but she was otherwise unharmed! She was really freaked out of course [though not as freaked out as me and my husband! ;) ], but she was fine. Praise God for Guardian Angels!
Later in the day I sliced my thumb open to the bone while making dinner for my family and our neighbors who are ill right now! I *almost* went to have it stitched up, but I just hate the ER. It took about 2 hours for me to get it to stop bleeding, but it finally did so I didn't go get stitches.
I could barely walk or move the rest of the day from the fall [and I'm sore as heck today too!]. I couldn't help feeling like it was Satan just giving me a shove because he was so mad though! He had *won* my husband's soul and Jesus and I wrested it back! I bet he WAS mad LOL!
I don't think I mentioned it here in this blog, but I had something of a miraculous encounter with Jesus a few weeks after my husband left. It was about 5 weeks after he left, and it was when he was at his worst - just being really mean and horrible. I was in the kitchen doing dishes and cleaning up and I was just crying and *seething* over how awful my husband was being. And I thought to myself "God must be REALLY mad at him right now for what he is doing to me and the kids!" And Jesus spoke to me [yes, I know I sound like a religious nut to many of you, but He DID! :) ].
Jesus said to me "[my name], I love your husband just as much as I love you and the children, and I want him in Heaven with me too, just as much as I want you. Right now he is lost, and it is through YOU that he will return to me if he returns at all. You need to bring him back to me."
At the time I was totally like "Are you KIDDING ME Jesus?!!! Not that - ask anything of me but that! How can you ask this of me after everything he's done?!!! I can't do it - I can't swallow all this hurt and anger and look after his wellbeing! I have to take care of me and the kids!"
But you know how Jesus is. :)
Over the next few days Jesus gave me the Grace to move past the anger and the pain. He gave me the Grace to *earnestly* seek a reconciliation with my husband - to WORK for it. At first it did not work - at all - and was really just further humiliation. I was very hurt by my husband's response, and I spent several days just crying and devastated. And then I had that night that I wrote about in my blog before, where I received the "Consolation of the Lord". And from then on, I felt fine. I knew I would be OK no matter what decisions my husband made and no matter what terrible things might happen.
It was about that time that my husband stopped taking the medication that was making him evil, and Jesus slowly worked on his heart from there. It was gradual, but he came back to a place where he was "himself" again, and loved me and the children, and wanted to make it right. [And this was NOT an easy path for him - after all the damage he had done, I think it took an amazing amount of courage on his part to decide to make it right and work through the pain to save the marriage too].
When he asked to reconcile, he was still determined that he did not want to be Catholic. Slowly over the last few weeks, that has completely changed and he has reawakened to his faith.
All of this seems miraculous to me - and I don't think it was a coincidence that my husband finally returned to the Sacraments on the very weekend after my friends and I did a fast and novena for him. I am sure many would say this is all coincidence or something, but me...no, I clearly see the Hand of God.
And my children are SO happy - they are thriving with seeing their daddy frequently and on a regular basis and with knowing their family isn't going to be rent apart. And my husband is happy - he seems so happy, and it warms my heart to see it. AND, *I* am so happy - against what seems "logical" or what I expected [I went in to this wanting to do the "right thing" and make Jesus happy, but not expecting it to make me happy]. I am happier than I've been in years right now.
God is so good - whenever we are faithful to God and His Will, our own happiness always follows, isn't that so cool?
All Praise and All Thanksgiving to You, Lord Jesus Christ!
On Friday we got to visit with our dear friends who moved away a few months ago. They came back for a visit and it was so great to see them!
Also on Friday, some Catholic mom friends of mine and I did a day of fasting and prayer for my husband's mental health and faith. We fasted and then at 3pm [the hour of Divine Mercy], we prayed a Novena to the Blessed Mother - we prayed the Memorare 9 times in petition and then 9 times in thanksgiving.
My husband came over that evening to spend the whole weekend [the longest he's been with us since he moved out]. He was in a great frame of mind - MUCH more stable than I have seen him in a very long time. We had a great weekend - he was calm and stable and *happy* [something else I haven't seen in a long time].
On Saturday we had my wonderful babysitter come to keep the kids while we went out for a few hours at lunch. Our first stop was at the Adoration Chapel at our Church. We prayed before the Blessed Sacrament and then we went into the small day chapel [where Jesus is in the Tabernacle] and we knelt down and renewed our marriage vows to one another in front of Jesus and put back on our wedding bands. It was a very emotional moment - our recommitment to our Marriage.
Afterwards we went out to lunch with some Gift Certificates my SIL gave us a year and a half ago that we never had gotten around to using. It was a wonderful lunch. Then we went and picked up the baby [left the other kids with the babysitter] and went Christmas shopping for the children. It was so fun!
Then I took our babysitter home and we picked up the kids and all went to Confession [those of us who were old enough anyway LOL!]. It was an amazing gift - my husband returning to the Sacrament of Reconciliation after being so lost. He was like a new man when he walked out of that Confessional. Praise God!
Then on Sunday he came to Mass with us - for the first time since he left, and he received our Lord in the Eucharist. I spent the whole Mass on the verge of happy tears. He would not come back until he was sure what he believed - and I'm so happy he did come back.
God and the Blessed Mother were working so actively on my husband's heart this weekend, and my husband is doing SO much better now. It was amazing.
The devil was at work too!
After he went to Confession Saturday night, my husband got a severe headache - could have been a coincidence of course, but it struck within minutes of him leaving the Confessional - and lasted all night to the point that he felt terrible.
Yesterday after Mass, we dropped the older 3 kids off at Sunday school and then we were going to the van so we could run home and change the baby [who had had a massive poop during Mass of course!] and then come back. As we were walking to the van, we were walking towards the overflow parking lot, which is on a pretty steep incline. It has gravel over pavement there too, and I was wearing my Church shoes [ie: slick bottoms!]. I had the baby in the backpack [as always LOL!].
I slipped - my foot came right out from under me slipping on that gravel and I fell HARD! Of course, the natural way for me to fall in that situation was backwards - but I had the baby on my back! I did everything I could to fall forwards instead to protect the baby, and I did manage it but really, really hurt myself in the process! I twisted my right ankle really badly [not sure it isn't fractured - I spend the whole afternoon trying to decide if I needed to go to the ER or not!]. It is swollen. I also wrenched my right knee, my lower back, my neck, and I pulled every muscle in my left arm and scraped my left palm.
Miraculously, the baby was fine! She turned her head *after* the fall and scraped her head a little on the pavement/gravel, but she was otherwise unharmed! She was really freaked out of course [though not as freaked out as me and my husband! ;) ], but she was fine. Praise God for Guardian Angels!
Later in the day I sliced my thumb open to the bone while making dinner for my family and our neighbors who are ill right now! I *almost* went to have it stitched up, but I just hate the ER. It took about 2 hours for me to get it to stop bleeding, but it finally did so I didn't go get stitches.
I could barely walk or move the rest of the day from the fall [and I'm sore as heck today too!]. I couldn't help feeling like it was Satan just giving me a shove because he was so mad though! He had *won* my husband's soul and Jesus and I wrested it back! I bet he WAS mad LOL!
I don't think I mentioned it here in this blog, but I had something of a miraculous encounter with Jesus a few weeks after my husband left. It was about 5 weeks after he left, and it was when he was at his worst - just being really mean and horrible. I was in the kitchen doing dishes and cleaning up and I was just crying and *seething* over how awful my husband was being. And I thought to myself "God must be REALLY mad at him right now for what he is doing to me and the kids!" And Jesus spoke to me [yes, I know I sound like a religious nut to many of you, but He DID! :) ].
Jesus said to me "[my name], I love your husband just as much as I love you and the children, and I want him in Heaven with me too, just as much as I want you. Right now he is lost, and it is through YOU that he will return to me if he returns at all. You need to bring him back to me."
At the time I was totally like "Are you KIDDING ME Jesus?!!! Not that - ask anything of me but that! How can you ask this of me after everything he's done?!!! I can't do it - I can't swallow all this hurt and anger and look after his wellbeing! I have to take care of me and the kids!"
But you know how Jesus is. :)
Over the next few days Jesus gave me the Grace to move past the anger and the pain. He gave me the Grace to *earnestly* seek a reconciliation with my husband - to WORK for it. At first it did not work - at all - and was really just further humiliation. I was very hurt by my husband's response, and I spent several days just crying and devastated. And then I had that night that I wrote about in my blog before, where I received the "Consolation of the Lord". And from then on, I felt fine. I knew I would be OK no matter what decisions my husband made and no matter what terrible things might happen.
It was about that time that my husband stopped taking the medication that was making him evil, and Jesus slowly worked on his heart from there. It was gradual, but he came back to a place where he was "himself" again, and loved me and the children, and wanted to make it right. [And this was NOT an easy path for him - after all the damage he had done, I think it took an amazing amount of courage on his part to decide to make it right and work through the pain to save the marriage too].
When he asked to reconcile, he was still determined that he did not want to be Catholic. Slowly over the last few weeks, that has completely changed and he has reawakened to his faith.
All of this seems miraculous to me - and I don't think it was a coincidence that my husband finally returned to the Sacraments on the very weekend after my friends and I did a fast and novena for him. I am sure many would say this is all coincidence or something, but me...no, I clearly see the Hand of God.
And my children are SO happy - they are thriving with seeing their daddy frequently and on a regular basis and with knowing their family isn't going to be rent apart. And my husband is happy - he seems so happy, and it warms my heart to see it. AND, *I* am so happy - against what seems "logical" or what I expected [I went in to this wanting to do the "right thing" and make Jesus happy, but not expecting it to make me happy]. I am happier than I've been in years right now.
God is so good - whenever we are faithful to God and His Will, our own happiness always follows, isn't that so cool?
All Praise and All Thanksgiving to You, Lord Jesus Christ!
Thursday, November 8, 2007
An Amazing Day on the Farm!
Oh, we had so much fun today!
We went with our homeschool group to a farm. The people that run the farm are so nice.
The kids got to go on a hay ride into the cow pastures and the cows came right up to the hay ride so the kids could pet them!
Then they got to go to a "petting zoo" type area with some baby calves, goats, sheep, and a little pig [who they couldn't pet because he had razor teeth and might bite!].
There were also tons of chickens around that my kids fed bagel crumbs too. And a big turkey they got to look at.
The farm has a huge corn field maze and my older 3 kids went through the maze with some friends of mine.
I stayed out with the baby and Monkey4 2yo, who had a lot of fun feeding a goat that took up with her and followed her around.
Then we had a picnic with the other homeschoolers. It was so nice to get to sit around and talk with the other families!
Before we left, I bought some of their organic raw milk to bring home and plan to start buying from them on a regular basis.
It was a wonderful field trip!
This was one of those days that make me laugh when people find out I homeschool and they freak out about "socialization". [First, have you MET my kids? You couldn't find any more "social" kids if you tried - they are NOT suffering! LOL!] There were a TON of kids at this event, and they were all so well behaved. As a homeschooler in a large metro area, our biggest problem is NOT socialization, but limiting our social activities so that we have enough time to do the academics, because there are SO many social opportunities around and it is easy to get over-committed to those things!
After we left the farm, we went to my mom and dad's house and they babysat all the kids while I went to lunch with my sister and my brother's girlfriend. Then I went to see my brother's new house, which is really nice!
All in all, a very nice day. :)
We went with our homeschool group to a farm. The people that run the farm are so nice.
The kids got to go on a hay ride into the cow pastures and the cows came right up to the hay ride so the kids could pet them!
Then they got to go to a "petting zoo" type area with some baby calves, goats, sheep, and a little pig [who they couldn't pet because he had razor teeth and might bite!].
There were also tons of chickens around that my kids fed bagel crumbs too. And a big turkey they got to look at.
The farm has a huge corn field maze and my older 3 kids went through the maze with some friends of mine.
I stayed out with the baby and Monkey4 2yo, who had a lot of fun feeding a goat that took up with her and followed her around.
Then we had a picnic with the other homeschoolers. It was so nice to get to sit around and talk with the other families!
Before we left, I bought some of their organic raw milk to bring home and plan to start buying from them on a regular basis.
It was a wonderful field trip!
This was one of those days that make me laugh when people find out I homeschool and they freak out about "socialization". [First, have you MET my kids? You couldn't find any more "social" kids if you tried - they are NOT suffering! LOL!] There were a TON of kids at this event, and they were all so well behaved. As a homeschooler in a large metro area, our biggest problem is NOT socialization, but limiting our social activities so that we have enough time to do the academics, because there are SO many social opportunities around and it is easy to get over-committed to those things!
After we left the farm, we went to my mom and dad's house and they babysat all the kids while I went to lunch with my sister and my brother's girlfriend. Then I went to see my brother's new house, which is really nice!
All in all, a very nice day. :)
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
More on the Priest
OK, in the comments from my post yesterday, my friend said:
"Fr. cannot just stop being a priest and decide to be something else. He is a priest forever. To break the sacred vows he made is a Grave Sin. He would be damned. I'm sorry, but it's just the truth. He could never be with this woman and remain a Catholic in good standing. Perhaps he needs to leave *public life* as a priest and retreat to a monastic siutation. That is his only recourse in "discerning his vocation."
I did not know that. So once you take Priestly vows you can never "quit"?
Now this has me wondering about a different situation at our own Parish. We had a very good and holy priest who was from a large immigrant family. He was the oldest brother in the family, and in his culture he was expected to "take charge" of the whole family when his father passed on. He has been trying to do this and be a priest and also minister to the immigrant community. It was totally overwhelming to him. He went on "sabbatical" or whatever they call it last spring to "discern his vocation" because he was really struggling with it.
So, my question is, is it Church teaching that if this man decides he can no longer be a priest due to family obligations, is he then damned? Can he no longer be a Catholic in good standing? There is no "other woman" involved and there is no HINT of scandal with this man - he is one of the most holy and devout priests I've ever known. Does he go to hell if he finds that, in his human condition, he cannot handle being a Priest any longer?
That seems really harsh. So, if a man - with totally good intentions and a true desire to serve the Lord with his life - becomes a Priest and then discovers later on that he can't handle the job, if he leaves the Priesthood he is damned?
It makes me think twice about encouraging my son into the Priesthood actually. Being a Priest has to be one of the hardest jobs on the planet - what if someone finds they can't measure up? [Not that my son wouldn't be able to of course LOL! He's an excellent young man and I have no doubt he'll be hugely successful at whatever God calls him to do].
Wow.
Anyone want to teach me more about this? Are there any references to documents about situations like this and Church teaching? And where is the Mercy of God in this situation? I wouldn't like to see anyone burn in Hell for *one choice* they made - no matter how controversial.
Thanks.
"Fr. cannot just stop being a priest and decide to be something else. He is a priest forever. To break the sacred vows he made is a Grave Sin. He would be damned. I'm sorry, but it's just the truth. He could never be with this woman and remain a Catholic in good standing. Perhaps he needs to leave *public life* as a priest and retreat to a monastic siutation. That is his only recourse in "discerning his vocation."
I did not know that. So once you take Priestly vows you can never "quit"?
Now this has me wondering about a different situation at our own Parish. We had a very good and holy priest who was from a large immigrant family. He was the oldest brother in the family, and in his culture he was expected to "take charge" of the whole family when his father passed on. He has been trying to do this and be a priest and also minister to the immigrant community. It was totally overwhelming to him. He went on "sabbatical" or whatever they call it last spring to "discern his vocation" because he was really struggling with it.
So, my question is, is it Church teaching that if this man decides he can no longer be a priest due to family obligations, is he then damned? Can he no longer be a Catholic in good standing? There is no "other woman" involved and there is no HINT of scandal with this man - he is one of the most holy and devout priests I've ever known. Does he go to hell if he finds that, in his human condition, he cannot handle being a Priest any longer?
That seems really harsh. So, if a man - with totally good intentions and a true desire to serve the Lord with his life - becomes a Priest and then discovers later on that he can't handle the job, if he leaves the Priesthood he is damned?
It makes me think twice about encouraging my son into the Priesthood actually. Being a Priest has to be one of the hardest jobs on the planet - what if someone finds they can't measure up? [Not that my son wouldn't be able to of course LOL! He's an excellent young man and I have no doubt he'll be hugely successful at whatever God calls him to do].
Wow.
Anyone want to teach me more about this? Are there any references to documents about situations like this and Church teaching? And where is the Mercy of God in this situation? I wouldn't like to see anyone burn in Hell for *one choice* they made - no matter how controversial.
Thanks.
Tuesday, November 6, 2007
I Love Our Pediatrician!
So, I took the baby in for her 9 month vaccines [and a re-check of her ears, which are now clear of infection thankfully].
Our Pediatrician checked her out really well because of the black eye, trying to make sure there was no skull fracture or anything, and she concluded the same as I did - that she fell hard, got a shiner, and was doing just fine. LOL! [I was also relieved she didn't call DFACS - does anyone else panic secretly about anyone seeing their child with the least little bruise? You hear such horror stories about DFACS that I always imagine some horrible scene where I lose my children because one of them got a bruise or a cut or something - something totally beyond my control but that DFACS would take as evidence of abuse or something. Do other moms do that?!!]
BUT, what makes me love our Ped even more is that she TOTALLY agreed with me on the Klingon head thing - she agreed with me that it was insane to even suggest that I need to take the baby to a Neurosurgeon to have her skull pulled apart and pieced back together - she thought it was ridiculous that the Nurse Practitioner suggested that. She said she was glad I felt the same way and wasn't worried about it - she felt the baby is just fine and that I had the right attitude.
So, whew. :) I had already decided that NO WAY was I going to let them do any surgery to her head [my parents pulled out old video footage of when I was that age - believe it or not! - and my head was *exactly* the same way, maybe even worse. LOL! ] But it was really nice to get confirmation from my Pediatrician that this was the right thing.
Can you imagine though? What if I was some terrified first time mom who took the Nurse Practitioner's word as Truth and ran straight to the Neurosurgeon? Geez. I really, personally, don't think that NP needs to be practicing if she is going to be stirring up crazy things like that and freaking out new parents over nothing! I wonder how many babies have been through horrible testings, procedures, and surgeries because of her bad medical advice?!
Anyway, I'm glad to say my little black eyed Klingon is doing just fine. :)
Our Pediatrician checked her out really well because of the black eye, trying to make sure there was no skull fracture or anything, and she concluded the same as I did - that she fell hard, got a shiner, and was doing just fine. LOL! [I was also relieved she didn't call DFACS - does anyone else panic secretly about anyone seeing their child with the least little bruise? You hear such horror stories about DFACS that I always imagine some horrible scene where I lose my children because one of them got a bruise or a cut or something - something totally beyond my control but that DFACS would take as evidence of abuse or something. Do other moms do that?!!]
BUT, what makes me love our Ped even more is that she TOTALLY agreed with me on the Klingon head thing - she agreed with me that it was insane to even suggest that I need to take the baby to a Neurosurgeon to have her skull pulled apart and pieced back together - she thought it was ridiculous that the Nurse Practitioner suggested that. She said she was glad I felt the same way and wasn't worried about it - she felt the baby is just fine and that I had the right attitude.
So, whew. :) I had already decided that NO WAY was I going to let them do any surgery to her head [my parents pulled out old video footage of when I was that age - believe it or not! - and my head was *exactly* the same way, maybe even worse. LOL! ] But it was really nice to get confirmation from my Pediatrician that this was the right thing.
Can you imagine though? What if I was some terrified first time mom who took the Nurse Practitioner's word as Truth and ran straight to the Neurosurgeon? Geez. I really, personally, don't think that NP needs to be practicing if she is going to be stirring up crazy things like that and freaking out new parents over nothing! I wonder how many babies have been through horrible testings, procedures, and surgeries because of her bad medical advice?!
Anyway, I'm glad to say my little black eyed Klingon is doing just fine. :)
What am I missing?
I've been reading on several blogs I frequent about the uproar and scandal involving Fr. Francis Mary from EWTN. Everyone seems very upset with him and very distraught over what has happened.
Here is the text of the letter that was read on EWTN:
"Dear Family Regretfully, I have a message that does not come without significant pain to both you and me. I have to tell you in all honesty and truth, that I have been personally involved with helping a widow and her struggling family. Over the course of time, the mother and I have grown very close. As a result, I am compelled to take some time off to prayerfully and honestly discern my future. I am truly sorry of the impact this may have on so many. I am not unaware of the gravity and magnitude of the situation, yet after much wise counsel, it is really something that I must deal with now for the good of all. With that said, it is best that I deal with it away from EWTN. Therefore, I have asked for and graciously been granted some extended time to prayerfully discern my vocation. To those who are part of the EWTN family locally, and others throughout the world, especially all those who have supported me so faithfully in my priestly vocation and ministry here on Life on the Rock, I sincerely apologize. I ask for your prayers and understanding during this time that is so very difficult, but yet so very necessary. Please lift me up in your humble prayers to Jesus through Mary, our Mother, in Grace and Mercy.
Fr Francis Mary, MFVA"
Then, apparently this was the commentary added by the Priest who read the letter:
"Fr Anthony Mary then said "Brothers and Sisters of our EWTN family, this is a time in which Fr Francis and all involved are in great need of your prayers and your support as our family. Always remember that no one is beyond the power of God's Mercy or Redemption. And on Fr's behalf, I humbly ask that you pray for him. God bless you."
I guess I don't understand. I mean, I can see that he is apparently saying that he has fallen in love with this widow he has been working with and that now he must take time to prayerfully discern his vocation. Possibly there is some impropriety behind the scenes that would necessitate "God's Mercy and Redemption" - it does not say so however.
Either way, I don't understand why everyone is so upset. It seems to me that Fr. Francis Mary is doing the honorable thing - stepping back and go away to pray and discern what God is calling him to. He's not secretly having an ongoing affair - it sounds as if his intentions are honorable and if he discerns that the priesthood is not his calling, he will make honorable moves to "do right by" the widow in question. He isn't sleeping with another man's wife or having a homosexual affair or... anything that should cause scandal as far as I can tell...
Maybe I can identify with him more than most, having had to prayerfully discern my own vocation so recently - whether I was called to stand by my marriage vows or not.
We are human beings and ALL of us are fallible. If Father is in love with this woman and feels that he can no longer be a Priest - well, God bless him. He surely gave us so much good and so much of himself. Can we not pray for him without judgment and let him work it out with God?
If he does discern that he is no longer called to the Priesthood and that instead he is called to marry this widow and care for her - my goodness. God bless them. I hope they are happy.
I just don't understand the uproar I guess. Several years back when a certain famous Catholic husband and father abandoned his wife and four children in a very spectacularly dramatic and scandalous way - THAT I understood. That was hurtful to the whole body of Christ.
But I don't understand an honest and honorable man trying to discern what is truly his calling being so scandalous to people... but maybe I'm missing something.
Here is the text of the letter that was read on EWTN:
"Dear Family Regretfully, I have a message that does not come without significant pain to both you and me. I have to tell you in all honesty and truth, that I have been personally involved with helping a widow and her struggling family. Over the course of time, the mother and I have grown very close. As a result, I am compelled to take some time off to prayerfully and honestly discern my future. I am truly sorry of the impact this may have on so many. I am not unaware of the gravity and magnitude of the situation, yet after much wise counsel, it is really something that I must deal with now for the good of all. With that said, it is best that I deal with it away from EWTN. Therefore, I have asked for and graciously been granted some extended time to prayerfully discern my vocation. To those who are part of the EWTN family locally, and others throughout the world, especially all those who have supported me so faithfully in my priestly vocation and ministry here on Life on the Rock, I sincerely apologize. I ask for your prayers and understanding during this time that is so very difficult, but yet so very necessary. Please lift me up in your humble prayers to Jesus through Mary, our Mother, in Grace and Mercy.
Fr Francis Mary, MFVA"
Then, apparently this was the commentary added by the Priest who read the letter:
"Fr Anthony Mary then said "Brothers and Sisters of our EWTN family, this is a time in which Fr Francis and all involved are in great need of your prayers and your support as our family. Always remember that no one is beyond the power of God's Mercy or Redemption. And on Fr's behalf, I humbly ask that you pray for him. God bless you."
I guess I don't understand. I mean, I can see that he is apparently saying that he has fallen in love with this widow he has been working with and that now he must take time to prayerfully discern his vocation. Possibly there is some impropriety behind the scenes that would necessitate "God's Mercy and Redemption" - it does not say so however.
Either way, I don't understand why everyone is so upset. It seems to me that Fr. Francis Mary is doing the honorable thing - stepping back and go away to pray and discern what God is calling him to. He's not secretly having an ongoing affair - it sounds as if his intentions are honorable and if he discerns that the priesthood is not his calling, he will make honorable moves to "do right by" the widow in question. He isn't sleeping with another man's wife or having a homosexual affair or... anything that should cause scandal as far as I can tell...
Maybe I can identify with him more than most, having had to prayerfully discern my own vocation so recently - whether I was called to stand by my marriage vows or not.
We are human beings and ALL of us are fallible. If Father is in love with this woman and feels that he can no longer be a Priest - well, God bless him. He surely gave us so much good and so much of himself. Can we not pray for him without judgment and let him work it out with God?
If he does discern that he is no longer called to the Priesthood and that instead he is called to marry this widow and care for her - my goodness. God bless them. I hope they are happy.
I just don't understand the uproar I guess. Several years back when a certain famous Catholic husband and father abandoned his wife and four children in a very spectacularly dramatic and scandalous way - THAT I understood. That was hurtful to the whole body of Christ.
But I don't understand an honest and honorable man trying to discern what is truly his calling being so scandalous to people... but maybe I'm missing something.
Monday, November 5, 2007
Poor Little Black Eye Baby!
Poor little Monkey5 took a serious tumble Saturday and now she has the blackest eye I've ever seen.
After I got home from work Saturday, Monkey1 held the baby while I got food for everyone - and the baby *jumped* out of her arms and hit the floor face first. I teetered on the brink of taking her to the ER all night, but she was reacting fine and smiling and seemed OK [I was really worried she'd cracked her skull]. She seems fine now except for that horrible black eye.
I feel guilty every time I see it [poor Monkey1 was *hysterical* after it happened - she thought the baby was going to die :( :( ]. I feel like its my fault - I *should* have been holding her. She does this crazy little backbend kick off thing when she decides she wants down, and that's what she did to Monkey1 and Monkey1 wasn't able to compensate and keep her from falling. If I'd been holding her, I could have caught her - but someone has to feed the other kids.
I'm feeling like a total failure as a mom lately anyway, because I'm so wrapped up in trying to just keep us surviving that I feel like I don't have time for the stuff I love with my kids - playing, snuggling, reading aloud, just "being" together. And every time I look at that black eye I just feel so terrible. :(
Friday, November 2, 2007
All Souls Day
Today we went to 9am Mass. Everyone behaved really well *except* my 4yo. Monkey3 was in "rare form" today, and she was really a problem! I did get to receive the Eucharist though, so it definitely counts as a good day. :)
After Mass we went with some of the other homeschoolers from our group to a local Cemetery to pray for the Souls of the Faithful departed. We have done this for several years now, and it is one of my and the kids' favorite things we do all year.
We met up at the cemetary and prayed a Rosary for the Holy Souls and our own family and friends who have gone before us. We also prayed for the Souls of those who have no one to pray for them.
There are several members of our Church buried in this Cemetery so we stop to pray before their graves especially.
One of the wonderful moms from our group brought flowers and the children all got some flowers to place on the graves of those who had no flowers. We also prayed for those people in particular since they may not have anyone else to pray for them.
Here is Monkey3. She had just put those flowers down at that grave and was praying for the soul of the person buried there. [That stuffed bear backpack thing she is wearing is actually a kid leash. I never thought I'd use something like that, but she is SO horrible about running away that I bought one. I am more afraid of her getting hit by a car or snatched than I am of people saying mean things about mothers who leash their children. ;) ]
Monkey4 had a blast - she was really in to the whole thing, though I'm sure it mostly went over her head. And wasn't she clever to match her rosary to her outfit? Tres Chic!
Monkey2 was old enough to understand it all this year and he took it very seriously. He really enjoyed putting flowers down for those who had none and he enjoyed praying for the Dead.
Here is Monkey1 with her [our] wonderful friend. Monkey1 took her responsibility to pray very seriously too.
Here is Little Monkey5. She was fascinated by the whole thing too, until she completely zonked out. LOL!
These are most of the homeschoolers who were there today. Some had to leave before this picture was taken [potty emergency you know... :) ].
They were a great group of kids and they all behaved so well [with the exception of Monkey3 maybe....]
It was an amazing experience.
If you have a moment today, I ask you to pray for the Souls of your own beloved dead.
We pray today especially for the Souls of:
Lillie P.
Lamon P.
Maureen W.
Willie W.
Gordon N.
Patti M.
Perry P.
Knox B.
Lori S.
Gordon D.
Pat Y.
Joan S.
We also pray for the Souls of the babies we lost to miscarriage.
May their Souls and the Souls of all the Faithful Departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.
God Bless you and your families today!
After Mass we went with some of the other homeschoolers from our group to a local Cemetery to pray for the Souls of the Faithful departed. We have done this for several years now, and it is one of my and the kids' favorite things we do all year.
We met up at the cemetary and prayed a Rosary for the Holy Souls and our own family and friends who have gone before us. We also prayed for the Souls of those who have no one to pray for them.
There are several members of our Church buried in this Cemetery so we stop to pray before their graves especially.
One of the wonderful moms from our group brought flowers and the children all got some flowers to place on the graves of those who had no flowers. We also prayed for those people in particular since they may not have anyone else to pray for them.
Here is Monkey3. She had just put those flowers down at that grave and was praying for the soul of the person buried there. [That stuffed bear backpack thing she is wearing is actually a kid leash. I never thought I'd use something like that, but she is SO horrible about running away that I bought one. I am more afraid of her getting hit by a car or snatched than I am of people saying mean things about mothers who leash their children. ;) ]
Monkey4 had a blast - she was really in to the whole thing, though I'm sure it mostly went over her head. And wasn't she clever to match her rosary to her outfit? Tres Chic!
Monkey2 was old enough to understand it all this year and he took it very seriously. He really enjoyed putting flowers down for those who had none and he enjoyed praying for the Dead.
Here is Monkey1 with her [our] wonderful friend. Monkey1 took her responsibility to pray very seriously too.
Here is Little Monkey5. She was fascinated by the whole thing too, until she completely zonked out. LOL!
These are most of the homeschoolers who were there today. Some had to leave before this picture was taken [potty emergency you know... :) ].
They were a great group of kids and they all behaved so well [with the exception of Monkey3 maybe....]
It was an amazing experience.
If you have a moment today, I ask you to pray for the Souls of your own beloved dead.
We pray today especially for the Souls of:
Lillie P.
Lamon P.
Maureen W.
Willie W.
Gordon N.
Patti M.
Perry P.
Knox B.
Lori S.
Gordon D.
Pat Y.
Joan S.
We also pray for the Souls of the babies we lost to miscarriage.
May their Souls and the Souls of all the Faithful Departed, through the Mercy of God, rest in peace.
God Bless you and your families today!
Thursday, November 1, 2007
All Saints Day
Another Awesome Day!
We started the day with Mass at 9am. The kids behaved SO well and I got to receive the Eucharist! Praise God - what a great way to start the day!
My 4yo got to wear her costume to her preschool and they had a Parade of Saints through the Preschool - I wish they would have invited the parents in to see that, I would love to have seen it!
At 2pm we went to the All Saints Day party with our Catholic Homeschool group held at a local Church. It was really fun! We had a ton of kids there and it was so neat to see all their costumes and hear them telling about their Saint. And there was lots of food and games and it really was a wonderful day!
Here is Monkey1 [9yo] in her costume - she was St. Catherine of Alexandria. This first picture is the costume she wore today with the pinkish wrap. The pic below with the blue wrap is the one that she wore to PSR on Sunday, but the blue seemed to confuse people [folks thought she was some apparition of Mary], so she changed the color for today's events. I thought she looked great!
Each child had to have 3 clues about their Saint so the other homeschoolers could try to guess who they were. Monkey1's clues were:
1. I was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 3rd century AD.
2. I was tortured on four spiked wheels, but God destroyed them and saved me. All spiked wheels are named after me.
3. I am the Patron Saint of young girls.
You can't tell in the pictures, but she had a ring of fake blood around her neck because St. Catherine of Alexandria was finally martyred by being beheaded.
Here is Monkey2 [6yo] in his costume. He went as St. Stephen, the first martyr. He had this planned for a long time.
His clues were:
1. I was one of the first Deacons of the Church.
2. I am in the Bible.
3. I was stoned to death.
Martyrs are really cool. Some people shy away from the violence involved with the martyrs, but my kids love to study them and I think it is good for them - good to know how much these Holy Men and Women were willing to endure and sacrifice for the name of Jesus Christ.
My son put the blood on his costume all by himself. [That's a bag of rocks tied to his red belt - for martyrdom - in case you can't tell!]. I painted fake blood on his head. We wrote out the verse with St. Stephen's last words on the back of his bloody tunic.
Here is Monkey3 [4yo] in her costume. She was St. Isabella of Portugal. Her three clues were:
1. I was a Queen.
2. I lived in Portugal.
3. This Saint is my patron Saint.
St. Isabella of Portugal was also the cousin of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, another famous Queen....
Here is Monkey4 [2yo]. She was St. Elizabeth of Hungary. :) Her clues were:
1. I was a Queen.
2. I was very kind to the poor and sick.
She didn't get past her second clue before the other homeschool kids guessed who she was [and yes, she did speak the clues out loud into the microphone for the other kids to guess - she is absolutely fearless LOL!]. The cuteness factor was VERY high. :)
And here is Monkey5 [9mo old]. She went as "The Lamb of God". Not exactly a Saint, but the best I could do. [Honestly I totally forgot a costume for her and the other kids insisted she had to have one LOL!]. A friend of mine told me at the party that I should have dressed as St. Agnes and Monkey5 could have been my lamb. That would have been an awesome idea - if only I'd thought of it!
Here is St. Stephen caring for the Lamb of God. [Notice St. Stephen's bloody head LOL!]
Here are the 4 older kids in front of the Parish Hall just before we went in to the party.
Here are all 5 of my Little Saints at home before we left.
This is a picture of a lot of the Saints we had today at the Homeschool party - there were really about twice this many, but a lot of them came a bit late after we took the group photo! There were some really fantastic costumes!
What a great day! I'm so glad my kids enjoyed today every bit as much as yesterday - even more! That's is how it should be.
St. Catherine of Alexandria, Pray For Us.
St. Stephen, Pray For Us.
St. Isabella of Portugal, Pray For Us.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Pray For Us.
St. Faustina, Pray For Us.
All you Holy men and women, pray for us!
God Bless you all!
We started the day with Mass at 9am. The kids behaved SO well and I got to receive the Eucharist! Praise God - what a great way to start the day!
My 4yo got to wear her costume to her preschool and they had a Parade of Saints through the Preschool - I wish they would have invited the parents in to see that, I would love to have seen it!
At 2pm we went to the All Saints Day party with our Catholic Homeschool group held at a local Church. It was really fun! We had a ton of kids there and it was so neat to see all their costumes and hear them telling about their Saint. And there was lots of food and games and it really was a wonderful day!
Here is Monkey1 [9yo] in her costume - she was St. Catherine of Alexandria. This first picture is the costume she wore today with the pinkish wrap. The pic below with the blue wrap is the one that she wore to PSR on Sunday, but the blue seemed to confuse people [folks thought she was some apparition of Mary], so she changed the color for today's events. I thought she looked great!
Each child had to have 3 clues about their Saint so the other homeschoolers could try to guess who they were. Monkey1's clues were:
1. I was born in Alexandria, Egypt, in the 3rd century AD.
2. I was tortured on four spiked wheels, but God destroyed them and saved me. All spiked wheels are named after me.
3. I am the Patron Saint of young girls.
You can't tell in the pictures, but she had a ring of fake blood around her neck because St. Catherine of Alexandria was finally martyred by being beheaded.
Here is Monkey2 [6yo] in his costume. He went as St. Stephen, the first martyr. He had this planned for a long time.
His clues were:
1. I was one of the first Deacons of the Church.
2. I am in the Bible.
3. I was stoned to death.
Martyrs are really cool. Some people shy away from the violence involved with the martyrs, but my kids love to study them and I think it is good for them - good to know how much these Holy Men and Women were willing to endure and sacrifice for the name of Jesus Christ.
My son put the blood on his costume all by himself. [That's a bag of rocks tied to his red belt - for martyrdom - in case you can't tell!]. I painted fake blood on his head. We wrote out the verse with St. Stephen's last words on the back of his bloody tunic.
Here is Monkey3 [4yo] in her costume. She was St. Isabella of Portugal. Her three clues were:
1. I was a Queen.
2. I lived in Portugal.
3. This Saint is my patron Saint.
St. Isabella of Portugal was also the cousin of St. Elizabeth of Hungary, another famous Queen....
Here is Monkey4 [2yo]. She was St. Elizabeth of Hungary. :) Her clues were:
1. I was a Queen.
2. I was very kind to the poor and sick.
She didn't get past her second clue before the other homeschool kids guessed who she was [and yes, she did speak the clues out loud into the microphone for the other kids to guess - she is absolutely fearless LOL!]. The cuteness factor was VERY high. :)
And here is Monkey5 [9mo old]. She went as "The Lamb of God". Not exactly a Saint, but the best I could do. [Honestly I totally forgot a costume for her and the other kids insisted she had to have one LOL!]. A friend of mine told me at the party that I should have dressed as St. Agnes and Monkey5 could have been my lamb. That would have been an awesome idea - if only I'd thought of it!
Here is St. Stephen caring for the Lamb of God. [Notice St. Stephen's bloody head LOL!]
Here are the 4 older kids in front of the Parish Hall just before we went in to the party.
Here are all 5 of my Little Saints at home before we left.
This is a picture of a lot of the Saints we had today at the Homeschool party - there were really about twice this many, but a lot of them came a bit late after we took the group photo! There were some really fantastic costumes!
What a great day! I'm so glad my kids enjoyed today every bit as much as yesterday - even more! That's is how it should be.
St. Catherine of Alexandria, Pray For Us.
St. Stephen, Pray For Us.
St. Isabella of Portugal, Pray For Us.
St. Elizabeth of Hungary, Pray For Us.
St. Faustina, Pray For Us.
All you Holy men and women, pray for us!
God Bless you all!
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