Thursday, March 29, 2012

In A Funk

It's been one of those days, weeks, months. 

Not sure where this stems from.  Not getting enough sleep?  Not running? Not praying enough?  All of the above I believe.  So why, if I know the answer, is it so hard to fix?  It's so much easier to just feel bad sometimes.

Things came to a head this week with a nasty bug, a temper tantrum by Matt in the Barnes and Noble during a school fundraiser where EVERYONE stared, and enough after school events to make my head spin.

Stop the world....I want to get off.

So, I have no positive, inspiring messages in this post.  I'll be back when I get rid of the "blahs"....hopefully real soon.

Friday, March 23, 2012

Out Of The Mouth Of.....

Matthew.


~While cuddling with me one day I said, "I love you." and his reply was, "I love you too Sweetie."

~Noticing that he's become more independent I said, "You don't need me anymore. I'm going to get a job and go back to work."  His reply, "No, you can't. I still need you to wipe my tush!"

~While desperately trying to get his point across, he grabbed my chin and said, "You my understand?"

~During a bad case of the giggles he says, "Wait, I need to put my laugh away."

Have a Happy Weekend!

Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Oblivious Sometimes

Remember those commercials years ago for teeth whitening strips?   You'd be watching a handsome couple interact and then one smiles and YIKES.....Yellow teeth!  I was always laughing.  How funny, and how could one not realize their teeth were that yellow.  Then I came to the realization that my own teeth were not exactly the whitest either.

Similarly, for years I've been hounding the kids about not making their beds and closing their drawers.  The other day I walked in my own bedroom and saw every one of my drawers opened, clothes hanging out, and my bed not made.

How many times have I looked at things with a critical eye and was oblivious to the fact that I too was guilty of the exact same thing??? Where am I going with this you wonder?

I am here to tell you that I have adjusted the word verification on my blog.  When I leave comments on other blogs I spend so much time trying to figure out what those darn letters are and I always get them wrong!  It has always annoyed me.  Then I realized it's on my blog that way.  Duh!  So, I turned it off.

Now that it's easier, comment-away people!

Sunday, March 18, 2012

Weekend Highlights

Between Ann's birthday and St. Patrick's Day, we had a lot of celebrating (and eating) this weekend.   On Friday morning we had our traditional birthday doughnuts and song. 


This what Ann looked like as Matt blew out her candle.


After dinner Ann chose the "choo-choo train" cake.  I have a cake pan with train car molds and then you decorate it like this:

So we started with all this candy and everyone got their own cake to decorate.

And the finished products:
Saturday we woke up to find that the Leprechaun came during the night and filled our shoes with gold chocolate coins!  We love when he does this!


Our friends John and Mary were coming to visit Saturday night, so we made rainbow cupcakes....our favorite St. Patty's Day treat!  I had lots of help.



And it wouldn't be St. Patrick's Day without one of these, right?

Did you get a Shamrock Shake this year?

I am on official junk food overload!  But it sure was fun.

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Happy Birthday Ann!

Ann, our baby girl, turns 7 today!  I was reminicing with some old pictures.  What a cutie, inside and out.



I could go on and on. 

You bring so much joy to our lives, Ann. We love you and your infectious giggles. 

Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

Tuesday, March 13, 2012

Show Some Love

Why is it that we Catholics get such a bad rap?  How can I love being Catholic so much yet hear so many negative comments about the religion?  Gosh, even some Catholics I know don't like Catholics.  An awful lot of the dislike seems to stem from the teachings (rules) of the Church and the theory that they are meant to exclude, to make Catholics seems superior, and perhaps unwelcoming.  Perhaps we don't realize the Church is Christ, and the teachings of the faith are meant to protect us.

Our Monsignor had a wonderful homily this past Sunday.  He referenced a story I was able to find online at http://www.gerhardy.id.au/lent3_06.htm.  The story went like this:

...As the Boeing 707 landed on an airstrip in Vietnam during the war there, a newcomer to the US military presence in that country asked if there were any minefields in the area. An officer on board replied pointing out the window, "There's a minefield, over to the left".

The newcomer described it this way, "It was not what I expected. What I saw looked like a beautiful soccer field. All around our compound were the flattest and most lush fields I had ever seen. They were as green and flat as the top of a billiard table.... their moist greenness begged to be massaged by bare toes, to be played on, to be marked off for a game of football. The only problem was that they were deadly fields. These inviting fields were killing fields.

I remember one afternoon not long after, seeing a group of kids were kicking a ball right in the middle of one of those minefields. The soldiers who were supposed to be watching the field went colourless, then started yelling, screaming, and waving their arms at those kids, who didn’t understand a word of English. It would have been funny, had it not been so dangerous.

One sweating soldier quickly found a map of the field that gave the location of the mines, and his squad cautiously made their way to the children. They grabbed the children, who immediately started kicking and screaming in terror. They thought the soldiers were going to hurt them. Slowly with the terrified children in their arms, the men carefully began to retrace their steps back to the end of the minefield.

At about the same time the children's parents arrived to see the fear on the face of their kids as they thrashed around in the arms of the hefty soldiers. I could only wonder at the terror the mothers of these children felt. I am sure these mothers believed their children were being killed. They tried to run toward the children, but they were held back at the edge of the minefield by another squad of soldiers. The mothers screamed all the more. They didn’t realise that the soldiers who were preventing them from running out to their children were actually saving them from the dangers that lay out there in that beautiful patch of green grass.

And herein lies the lesson, or at least my interpretation of Monsignor's point:  Yes, our Catholic faith has a lot of rules.  I am a rule follower (usually).  Maybe this is why I have no problem with them in my faith, and why should I if I can see the good that they will bring to my life?  Maybe I have never really thought about it that deeply.  I would prefer to think that I like the rules because I can see their beauty and how they will increase the love I have of my husband, my children, and my neighbor.

My biggest beef with others (which implies I might be breaking one of the rules right now) is the loud arguments they make that the Church is not an all all-loving, all-accepting faith.  Quite the contrary - we are taught to love everyone.  Just because we disagree with certain actions and lifestyles doesn't mean the Church doesn't love, and doesn't care.  It does care.  Monsignor described it this way with his own personal story from his youth - one day he asked his 15 year old friend why he was allowed to stay out late at night, yet the future pastor's parents required him to be in by a certain time every night.  "Simple," the friend stated, "my parents don't care." 

So many times it seems that we use the excuse that God loves us no matter what, and that as long as we accept Him we are guaranted a spot in heaven.  We fail to see there may be some things that keep us from living FOR Him and that is where the teachings of the Catholic church step in.  We tend to live for our own wants, needs, and desires, and wrap it up in a pretty little package assuming that as long as we still accept Him as our God we will be okay - we need not do more.  By embracing the Church's teachings and putting our trust in the rules and guardians of our faith, even when our desire is to do something different, we will be protected.  The Catholic faith is meant to protect me and help me navigate the minefields of life just like those soldiers not long ago.


*special thanks to Follower 17 who helped me put my thoughts into words.

Thursday, March 8, 2012

A Great Post

I really enjoyed reading this blog post from Kathryn over at Team Whitaker.

It's about social media in relation to reality and where true happiness comes from.

A great reminder.  Thanks Kathryn!

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Soaking It In

It was a lot like Springtime today.  Matthew and I took advantage of the great weather and headed to the playground for a picnic lunch.

































It was the perfect time to break in this great new insulated bag my sister gave me. Isn't it pretty?  It matches our blanket  perfectly.  Thanks MG!



What a great day soaking in the sunshine and my baby....who's looking less and less like a baby every day. *sniff, sniff*





Tuesday, March 6, 2012

Typical!

Yesterday Mary Kate drew this lovely picture on our white board.

Today this is what we found.

It says, "This is ugly unless Mom drew it."
Gotta love brothers.