Marcus receives First Holy Communion

We honestly couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day than what we had on 

Sunday, May 26, 2013.

The sun was shining, it was warm, there was a slight breeze. It was the last Sunday of the month which is the Tridentine Mass offered by Father E. B. Connolly at St. Joseph Parish in Girardville PA.  It was also the Mass in which Marcus was to receive Jesus Christ in Holy Communion for the first time. 

There was prep work involved for such a holy and joyous occasion.  First we (Brian and I) had to agree on a suit, originally I wanted black, but with the help of Father Connolly, I "gave in" and got a white one for our dear boy, It was certainly the right choice! After having the pants altered at Keller's, the suit was perfect!

Brian said keep the guest list small, not many will want to attend...when I showed him the list, he had his doubts, I told him, those that are to be there will be, sure enough, the RSVP's started coming in, turned out all but 4 of the invitees showed up. It was beautiful to see so many people that care about our child and our family attend an important event.

Even though I've been teaching Marcus his religion, in his school lessons at home, I wanted him to have more preparation for what was about to happen....Father Connolly and Miss King had a 

Holy Communion Class at 

St. Vincent in Girardville, it was about 2 weeks long, and two nights a week, which worked out well. Marcus did very well in the class, which helped put this momma's mind at ease that he was indeed prepared for his special day.

 I wanted to have some sort of small token of our appreciation for those that did come to support Marcus, so I made bookmarks, thank you Beth Ann Whitenight for the use of your machine to cut out the rosaries and cups!  There were several trips to Michael's until I had it together, but it came together well.

 

 

 The cake as you should know is where I had a lot of concern.  

I wanted it to be perfect....First Holy Communion only happens for a child once.  I shopped around and not being pleased with what I saw in the bakeries, I decided to do a bit of research and found a few things that I liked and the cake designing began. The end result was host and chalice with writing done in white, baby blue and gold.  In my eyes, it was perfect for our needs.  

 

And of course there is the "reception" after Mass...

We kept the menu simple, hot dogs, chips, potato salad, lemonade, iced tea, coffee, water, my mother-in-law was kind and bought a meat and cheese tray, the Potteigers brought fruit salad,  the Miller's brought ambrosia, and Father Connolly bought pizza and had it delivered to help feed the crew! 

The Mass was absolutely beautiful, everything went smoothly, and according to plan.  Mr. Feeney played the organ beautifully, we had 2 altar servers. 

Marcus was "introduced" to the people.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

answering Father Connolly

Marcus answers Father Connolly's question: "What is the Holy Eucharist?" response: "The Holy Eucharist is the body, blood, soul and divinity of our Lord, Jesus Christ hidden under the appearances of bread and wine."  Marcus spoke those words with such confidence, he made me so proud.

 

preparing for Holy Eucharist

 

 

 

The reverence Father shows here touches my heart, he is truly a man of God, and I am thankful that he has baptized 3 of our 6 children, and pray that he will baptize our next blessing in October, in the Traditional Rite.

 

preparing for Holy Eucharist

 This was the first time Father Connolly gave First Holy Communion in the Tridentine Rite, his homily was on the Blessed Trinity, and was very insiteful.

Jesus enters Marcus for the first time

 After Mass, Mrs. Thye took this family portrait, it is the first one we had done in four years, so this is special to me.

All of the beautiful pictures on here with the exception of the cake and bookmark are courtsey of Mrs. Thye.
She did a beautiful job capturing this special day, there are many more pictures but I chose the ones I felt made the biggest statement for me.

As you can see, our family has been blessed by God in more ways than one, a wonderful family, a wonderful preist, wonderful friends, good food. 

my sweet family.

I pray that this day will always be in Marcus' heart, and that God will always be with him when making any kind of decisions.  May God bless you not only today, but always...

Love you always little man!

We have so much to be thankful and grateful for, and words can't express our gratitude enough.

Memorial Day Weekend-2013

 I am looking forward to this long holiday

weekend with the family, and 

even some friends throughout

the weekend.

 This weekend will be a very special one for our 

DoodleBug..he will be receiving

his First Holy Communion, 

 during the 

Tridentine Mass.

There will be more on this

next week with pictures of our 

precious boy! 

Today, was busy for me as I had to take Pooh Bear to the 

doctor, unexpected trip for us, but things seem okay.

Then we went to WalMart so I could buy some supplies for Sunday,

got a bit of grocery shopping done, feeding the littles in a few minutes.

We will be picking Daddy up and attending Benediction/Exposition this 

evening. 

Tomorrow will be filled with finishing shopping for Sunday and for a picnic

we will be going to on Monday!  In the evening, it will be time to get serious.....

decorating our boy's First Holy Communion Cake then mommy will need

some rest. 

Believe me, I am looking forward to Sunday's activities and then the relaxing I get to do

at a friend's house, children get to play and see some baby chicks! 

Will be signing off for the weekend this evening until Tuesday so I pray that you

all have a very special holiday weekend, please be safe in your journeys!

God Bless

 

WHERE HAVE I BEEN?!?

I'm back and hoping to be back on here on a regular basis.

So, where have I been, and what's been going on?

I'll tell you....

We have been very busy with school work and other fun things:

Doodle Bug has completed 2nd grade and Monkey Man has gotten his Kindergarten class done.

They were both wonderful students...and I am looking forward to teaching them

fun things through the summer months and getting back into a regular school day in the 

Autumn.

Our Autumn will be busy as we will have a new baby to take care of and the addition of  Pooh Bear doing

more school work not sure if it will be more pre-k or kindergarten, Doodle Bug will attack 3rd grade and Monkey Man 1st grade.

We attended library programs on Tuesday evenings and Thursday afternoons when mommy was feeling

pretty good.  On Wednesdays, we have gone to AWANA for Doodle Bug, Monkey Man, and Pooh Bear, 

all three had another successful year and are looking forward to the next year.

Doodle Bug, Monkey Man and Pooh Bear all played a good season of T-ball.

Monkey Man is getting pretty good, and Pooh Bear had a fun first season. Doodle bug put his

best foot forward and had a good time as well. I am glad the season is over!

We are preparing to celebrate Doodle Bug's First Holy Communion this coming Sunday,

something we are very proud of him for.  He is very strong in his faith and for that I am able to 

thank God.

Tootlehead decided to become totally potty trained AND can do it all himself, but loves to have an 

audience (mommy) watch him pull his shorts/undies up.  Princess is trying to follow suit, but it 

isn't quite working the right way yet for her, her time will come.

I've been seeing my ob on a monthly basis and things are going along smoothly

with munchkin.  On Tuesday May 28, we go for the Level 2 Ultrasound, 

we haven't decided if we will find out if baby is a boy or girl..I don't want to,

but I think daddy does, will see how things pan out.  

Knowing won't make a difference for us, we need clothing for the child either way because 

of size differences and/or season differences...buying things early will lead to me only

having to return things after the child is born, so why kill myself with that, right?!?

(I hate doing returns if I don't have to!)

 Then there are the not so fun things:

Our family has been battling all kinds of colds/flus/viruses/bugs, but I think we are finally

on the upswing now.  I can only pray so anyway.

 

Van needed some extensive work to pass inspection, but at least it isn't a car payment 

for us, always a good thing.

We have also had some family members pass on in recent months, some were

more expected than others.

So, you can see it has been quite the adventure since I last posted, but that is okay,

that is what mothering is all about, and I wouldn't trade it in for anything!

I hope you will join me as we begin our summer adventures and see where life takes

us...all the fun twists and turns of life!

God Bless!

Counting our blessings!

Psalm 127:3

Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. 


You may or may not know but here is the news:

Our family is being blessed by God one more time--in early Autumn, we will
be welcoming baby number 7 to our family.

When we first told the littles, they were a bit quiet about it, but as time is passing, 

belly is getting bigger, making it harder for Monkeyman to get his little arms around me,

the thought is more exciting to him.

I love our night time prayers with the children as we ask God to bless each child, then

we always add, and the new baby.  I know His hand is at work with this precious

baby, and has been, even before I knew it would be happening!

This pregnancy is different, I feel a bit more tired, a bit more sick, but

a lot more at peace, for now anyway.

I am trying my hardest to make the most out of this and enjoy the time carrying this

child, because all too soon, he or she will make an appearance.

There is no where safer for the child than in it's mother's womb.  I am thankful to God

that he found my womb fit to carry my first 6 children to term with very little difficulties, maybe

some discomfort, but that ends eventually, and I want to remember that this time, no matter

how difficult it may get, I know I can rely on God for help during these times and in

times of doubt.

The big questions people have when you make the "announcement":

1) when are you due?
2) are you going to find out what it is?
3) names?
4) are you "done" yet?

I am going to get this out now:

1) around Oct. 7
2) we haven't decided yet
(the children want to know, but I am not sure I do...
I already know it will be a BABY, a gift from God, and that's all that matters
of course health is important too)

3) totally undecided at this point, and throwing names around, won't know
until we see our gift
4) it is God's will, and if He wills us to have more, we will gladly accept that fact.

At this point, I am patiently waiting for Friday to come, and it will hopefully be a very good day...
first of all, it will be my birthday, and I will get to see the baby during my Level 2 ultrasound, so
my birthday wish is that all will be well during my ultrasound. 
I am not going to bore people with the normal issues of pregnancy, as most won't really care,
(If for some reason, you do care to know, you can message me either here, facebook or email)
but if there is something major, I will ask for prayer.

I hope you will keep us in prayer on this day coming up, and throughout the pregnancy.


Proverbs 17:6

Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. 

There'd be days like this....

The Princess

My past week or two have been filled up with appointments in and out of the area.  For some we were able to take school work with us, for others, it wasn't feasible so we'd wait until we got home.

Fortunately this week hasn't been so bad, nor is next week as we are going to wrap  up our third quarter of classes! 

You would think that this would make for a pretty easy week for us, normally it does however, little Princess has decided to go "Cling-on"....If anyone tries to sit with me she gets mad and pushes him away then puts herself right into mamma's lap.  

If we aren't sitting together, and I am trying to get some work done, she is following me saying, "Hold you mamma, hold you."  Meaning, she wants me to hold her.

If she still had her crib, I could put her in there to cry and deal with it, but she doesn't so that is not an option.

If she weren't so heavy, I'd carry her on my back in a pouch all day, but that is not an option either.  She is much too heavy.  So I suppose I will sit and snuggle my baby girl because I know one day she will be too big to sit on my lap, or be held on my hip.  The day will come when she won't want these things either.

I will cherish this time, make the most of being with my little girl and not really worry about the things that will keep, such as dishes or the laundry to fold...I can catch up when daddy is here to help out.  

Spring 2012

Thank you God for letting me be here for my children, thank you for letting me be the one they come to when they are happy, have something important to share, and when they are sad, tired, out of sorts, sick.

Let me always be here for them and remember that they will one day grow up and know that they can always come back to mamma with their joys or problems.  I will love them unconditionally until God decides that my time is up on earth, but I will love them even after I am gone.

Shepherdless

 

For the first time in 600 years, the Pope resigned.

What does this mean for the Catholic Church, it's people and their leaders? What will happen in the future?

When will we get a new Pope, will he be able to withstand being the Pope while the former is still in the area?  Will he try to get back to the basics of our faith, will he get strict and get rid or try to eliminate the problems of the scandals our Church has been facing?

These are all questions we all have, and probably many, many more.  

Unfortunately, I have no answers to these questions, as I really don't think anyone does. 

What we can do is know that "He is with us always."

We need to have faith and trust that when the Cardinals do begin the conclave to elect our new Pope, that the Holy Spirit guides them and they do elect a most holy person to do the job.

I pray that the next Pope will be strong enough to stand up for what is right and just.  

Our culture is a mess right now, we know that Jesus built the Catholic Church with St. Peter as the foundation for the future.

The True Church can never fail. For it is based upon a rock. – T.S. Eliot

During school, we talked about the fact that our Church no longer has a leader and we must pray for the Church.  Marcus said, "St. Peter should just come back and be the Pope again."  He has a firm understanding of his faith, and the Bible.  I am so thankful that we can teach our children the faith here in our home, without all the disturbing things that happen in the schools....transgender children, bullies, drugs, sex, foul language, etc.

So, even though the flock has lost a shepherd, we will gain a new one, and hopeful one of a very strong faith.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 

Pray without ceasing,

This is all we can do until we have a new shepherd..

An eye opener

On Sunday, February 16, 2013 after Mass, I wanted to go over to Renninger's Market for some meat.  I decided to take PoohBear and Tootlehead with me for a change. Big deal, yeah, actually, it was.

You see, that day was my mother's birthday...she would have been 62 years old, if she were still alive.

I haven't been to my mother's grave for many years.  Never really felt the need to go there until this specific Sunday.

I told the littles that mommy needed to go to the cemetery where her mommy is for a few minutes to say some prayers over her grave.

They didn't really get it, it was cold, the littles waited in the van very near by.  I took the short walk to the grave.  Once I got there, I said my prayers for the dead, then really talked to her, as though she were there, meaning alive.

All at once, I was very sad, for many reasons....One was because I miss my mom more than I realized I did.  However, that isn't all.  My mother will not know my children (her many grandchildren) and their crazy antics in this world, she isn't able to interact with them, watch them grow up.  This made me very sad.

My mother's life was a difficult one, I know that.  I truly wish that things could have been different for her in this world, but God was in control even if she didn't think so or see it. 

At the time of her death, I grieved, and questioned God's reason, but knew that in general, it was better that way and kind of pushed her death out of  my mind.  Sure I have re-lived the whole day of the death and tried to let go, but it never worked.

I was finished saying my prayers, and was heading back to the van, but realized more needed to be said to her, so I turned around, marched back to the grave and talked more. After talking to her on her birthday, I told her I was sorry that she had a hard life, that she never got to remarry, or be able to see her grandchildren. 

Once I was finished, I felt a sense of peace wash over me that I haven't felt before when dealing with her death.  It will be 10 year in November that she died.  I understand I will always miss my mother (some times more than others), and even have regrets for things that were left unsaid, things that were said, or even feelings that shouldn't have been.  But after this special Sunday, I know, I can go to the grave and tell her what is on my mind and get it out there.  I may not have an immediate reconciliation with anything, but at least I know I'm able to do something to help me when it comes to missing my mom.

Even though it is late, I want to wish my mother a happy birthday, and I want her to know I love her, and always will...I am now at peace with things and feel like it will be ok.

I guess the big thing for me to tell you today is if you have said something, or not said something that is of importance you need to say it whether it is in person or by letter, just let them know what is on your mind, you never know if you will be too late.  I know I was.

 

God bless!
.

when it seems there isn't enough of you....

Princess and mommy

What do you do when you have two little ones that want your undivided attention, they fight each other to sit on your lap or to be held, they cry and don't want to share mommy with the sibling who is just as much in need of mommy?

Well, today, Princess and Tootlehead both wanted my attention, as I was trying to make some important calls in regard to Tootlehead's head pains...

mommy and pooh bear!

I sat on the sofa, and said to them both, look, I need to get these calls done, you need to sit quietly or play with your brothers.  Mommy NEEDS to get this done, doctor's offices do close or switch to their answering service after a certain time.  Naturally they didn't understand.  

I sat with them a bit longer one on each leg, then one started kicking the other, in want of more mommy lap.

Told them, if you can't share, no one gets on mommy's lap, you sit on either side.  That didn't satisfy them either. 

daddy and monkey man

I got up to finish my calls, and they all decided that life is good, enough mommy time has been had, so now I get to do my blog, well, almost with a free lap..a princess took residence again.  If I were on the sofa, she'd fall asleep, but that is life. I need to get a few things done, and if she wants to snuggle, she will take what she can get!  Tootle decided to draw, right next to mommy. 

I love how there are times it seems like there isn't enough of me to go around, but we always find a way to make it work out to everyone's advantage.  

They all get snuggle time during the day, it only gets bad if two are tired at the same time, it doesn't happen often, but it does happen....it happened a lot when we were battling all the bugs and viruses we had here that began around Christmas and lasted until the middle to end of January.  

 sunggles at the beach with daddy..a precious moment in time.

I really don't mind when they all want me at the same time, because I know that one day, they will be grown up and not want to snuggle with their mommy.  That day will be here faster than you can blink your eye, and that is something that will be bittersweet...I don't want my babies to grow up, but it is inevitable.  They are enjoyable to watch now, and watching them grow and learn is also enjoyable.

 

I will always remember, that they did once fit in my lap, even Mr. Fixit! Yes, the years do fly by in the blink of an eye...so enjoy!

 

Monkey Man, Pooh Bear, and our cousin,

sharing a lap!

Crazy days

I wouldn't trade my crazy days in for anything, sure some days it would be nice to sit and do nothing, but

if I were to have that opportunity, I would have to do something anyway...I would feel guilty for doing 

nothing. Looking at the piles of laundry, the sink full of dishes or other cleaning that needs done would get on

my nerves.

My children certainly keep me busy, starting the day off with dressing then eating breakfast. Sometimes we take daddy to work so we have the van to get a few things done. Upon coming home, we do our school work then clean up a bit and get the laundry caught up a bit.

By the time that is all done, it is time to start thinking about lunch and what to do for dinner in the evening, even preparing the food so there is less work to do later on. 

In the middle of all this, we have potty runs, boo boos to kiss, arguments to settle, diapers to change, a visit from a friend, sometimes a phone call to make or email to answer.

We can also throw in there, preparing for AWANA on a Wednesday evening or going to library on a Tuesday evening or Thursday afternoon (if it is warm enough for a walk). In the spring, we will throw in getting ready for t-ball for some of the children and when autumn rolls around again, it will be soccer time again.

I am looking forward to the day, soon coming, that we can get our school work done, pack lunches and enjoy a picnic lunch at the playground with friends to burn off pent up energy.

My days look crazy to some people, but not nearly as crazy as some other people.  I love my crazy days, and am thankful for all our littles...because without them, what would my day be like?

If you ask me, it would be BORING!!!!!!!!!  I'd rather my crazy, insane, sometimes wild days, to the quiet emptiness we will feel when everyone is grown up and out of our house...when that time comes, MAYBE I'll be ready for some "do nothing" days, but who knows.

I thank God for my crazy days!  

And I hope you enjoy yours as well, because we all know, 

"This too, shall pass."

LOVE

LOVE...

Such a small word, only four letters..it has many meanings.

We need to declare our love carefully, with a guarded heart, to the one 

you do truly love.  

Sure, there are different types of love, the love we have for God, the love we have for our

spouse, our children, extended family, and even our friends.

On this St. Valentine's Day, we need to remember that this small word is very powerful.

 

I feel this is the best way to look at love through the following verse:

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

 

 

 John 3:16

 “For God so loved the world,that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Have a Happy Valentine's Day to you all!

Ash Wednesday

As I prepare to go to Mass today, Ash Wednesday,

there is a slight heaviness in my heart that I know will

become heavier through the lenten season, but eventually

lighten up as Easter nears.

Ash Wednesday is a day for me to contemplate the beginning of our Lenten 

observation in preparation for Holy Week and Easter.

We will attend Mass today as a family 

(however, Mr. Fixit, went early because of work)

and receive our ashes.

These ashes that will be placed on our foreheads

are a solid, visible reminder that we were

made from dust and unto dust we shall

return.

Remember that thou art dust, and to dust thou shalt return.

Genesis 3:19

 Our children will receive their ashes as well. 

The older 2 know of their meaning, however, the 3 younger ones

won't quite gt it, and probably call it "dirty".

 That is okay.  One day, they too will understand the meaning.

We are reminded also that we are to:

Turn away from sin and be faithful to the Gospel.

Mark 1:15

 During the day, we will abstain from meat, and fast from extra food.

We will prepare ourselves and sacrifice these small pleasures,

knowing it is for the glory of God.

I will spend more time in prayer, and contemplate the Holy Season that is upon 

us. I look forward to having the children grow in their faith as they get older and

gain more knowledge and understanding of the faith as well.  It brings me joy that the 

children do attend Mass on a regular basis, and can say the rosary, know their basic prayers, 

and are not afraid to talk to their Heavenly Father when they feel the need.

It does sadden my heart that there are some out there that do NOT know how good our 

Lord is.  They do not know all the wonderful things He can do for them.

 

If we have something in our heart or on our soul that needs to be confessed,

there is no need to be afraid.

He can help us in our time of need, we just have to come back to Him. 

He loves us more than we can fathom.

We just need to go to Him and confess our sins, do our penance and not do

that sin again, and avoid sin as much as possible.

God made us human with free will, He knows the struggles we will have, but

He wants us to come to Him with our problems and our joys.

I pray for any family members or friends this Lenten Season that you will come back

to God...I would love to see former Catholics return to full communion with God

this Easter Season, and that will be my prayer as it has been for a long time now.

I know with God, miracles can happen and this can too.

And when it does, I will give Glory to God, and be happy for him that

He has found a lost sheep!

Have a blessed Ash Wednesday, and a very reverent Lenten Season,

there is much for you to contemplate in your lives, so why not start

today???

God Bless, and go get your ashes!

Control

We all feel the need to be in "control" of all aspects of our lives.  

It is NOT possible. 

We cannot control the weather, we cannot control the price of gas, food, or oil.

We cannot control when our time is up in this world.

Isaiah 45:7 

I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these [things].

So, what can we control?
We can control how we respond to the weather, the prices of gas, food and oil.

We can control how we feel when someone hurts us,

We can control our emotions, words, actions and reactions to situations.

We see children that are out of control in the grocery store sometimes, in the school yard,

at the playground or just about anywhere there are children.  

We need to realize that these children are not in control, and it is not always their fault, depending on

the age of the child. Children are taught by their parents, elders, and others that they spend time with throughout the day, week, month, etc.  Unfortunately, some parents/guardians are out of control even though they think they are in control, or maybe they don't want to be in control.

Isaiah 55:9

For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

We need to be able to show our young ones that even though we are NOT in control that there is a proper way to act/react/respond to situations we may not like.

As adults, we also need to teach our children that there is only one that is in TOTAL control....

GOD.

He knows everything, sees everything, understands everything, and knows the outcome of today, tomorrow,

even next year. 

 Psalm 147:5

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
his understanding has no limit.

He knows our hurts, our concerns, our worries and fears.  We need to teach our children how to lean on Him when things seem to be spiraling out of control.  

We may not get an immediate answer or immediate help, but knowing that our Lord cares for us is a blessing

in and of itself.  We all need to lean on God a little more and stop trying to be in control of everything, every minute of the day.  

Even though He allows these hurts, concerns, worries and fears, He already knows about them and is waiting to hear us ask for help.  We need to have total trust in God's plan for us and teach our children the same. 

Revelation 2:10: 

 Do not fear what you are about to suffer. Behold, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and for ten days you will have tribulation. Be faithful unto death, and I will give you the crown of life.

We need to accept the fact that we are not in control, and

leave that to God!

 

FRIENDS

We all have friends...

some of them have been with us since childhood,

some are more recent and then there are

others are yet to be met.

I for one do not really have friends from my childhood, sure I am "friends" with a few on facebook, but it isn't the same.

They are mainly acquaintances, and that is fine because they are still a "friend".

The friends I have met through my MOMS group and the library have become important to me, not only for my sake, but for all the children.  

I am hoping that the time I spend with friends here at our house or at their house will be remembered by the children, because as mommies are 

growing their friendship, the children are also working on growing their friendship.

It is great to watch the bonds form for children. I love watching my "littles" play with children that they know.  Sure children fight or don't get along, but don't we as adults find the same thing happen on occasion?

When we hurt our friends or our friends hurt us for what ever reason, we need to show our children how to forgive and move on with the friendship.  

Or in the worst case,

 show how to dissolve a friendship with dignity.

 (not that we want it to happen, but sometimes it does, happen

whether it is our own volition or volition of the other party)

It is hard and we need to be strong, and mature and show our children

how to handle the disappointment of losing a friend.

We must also be ready to show our children how to apologize if we hurt a friend, or push someone away,

so they know what to do if these things happen to them.

Part of being a friend is knowing when to pull back if the friendship gets too hard to handle, or "suffocating"

showing the person you care by giving them space, 

and welcoming them back with open arms 

when they do come back.  

Just as the father did in the story of the "Prodigal Son".

 

We must not be jealous if a person goes away for awhile to explore new friendships, we must be glad for them.  And in return, I would hope that the person would do the same, and use the lesson to teach the children in the family.

We are wonderfully made by God, none of us are the same, just as there are not two snowflakes that are the same, however, we do have a lot of similarities, and that is what makes us friends.

We need to celebrate our similarities and differences, accept that we are different, and know that we may not always agree, but we will be there through the good and bad times.

 

I am thankful for the friends that have been with me through my sad times-losing mom and grandmother, 

and my happy times-births of our wonderful "littles".

I look forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for each of us and for our children as we grow older and continue this crazy path called life!

God, please bless my friends of the past, present and future, as well as the friends of the littles!

 

SILENCE

You may be thinking, "Silence?!?  How/when does that household have silence?!?"

Well, I'll tell you when we have silence:

1) when the children are snug in their beds

2) when the children are playing nicely in their room or living room

(yes, it does happen!)

and

3) in the early hours of the morning

As the children in quiet mode, there are things I contemplate...as they sleep, I thank God for how busy they

were during the day, how healthy they are and what joy each one brings us. 

When the children are doing school, playing with their toys and games, or drawing and creating, I see the world through their eyes...the intensity with which they work/listen show they really are interested in what their current task happens to be.

During the early morning, before every one wakes up, I go downstairs, start a fresh pot of coffee and make my husbands lunch, thankful that I can provide a meal/snack to nourish him physically throughout the day.

Then when that is done, I have a few moments to just sit and let my heart open for the Lord to hear or

see what I may not be able to put into "proper" prayer.

The quiet of the evening and morning have become a very reflective time for me.  I am thankful that I have my Thursday evening Holy Hour to be with the Lord and give all my problems/concerns/thanksgiving to Him 

 

with no distractions of the little ones needing help, 

HOWEVER, I know that I can go to Him

even in the busiest moments of our day and offer up a quick pray and He will hear it.

So, you see, no matter how many children we have, no matter how busy our lives are,

you can always find time to have some silence in your life as I have in mine!

My prayer for you today is to find time to sit and 

listen to your heart, or let the Lord listen to 

what is on your heart.

and.....

EMBRACE THE SILENCE!

Sometimes, it's hard to pull them in!

 

First day of school 2010

School days!

Everyone one of us has been through them,

some of us liked them, some of us didn't.

I remember loving going to my elementary school when I was a child.

However, as middle and high school came along, I didn't 

love it, but I didn't hate it either...it

was just something I knew I had to do.

Now that we are raising children of school age,

I am so thankful that we don't have to send them out in the cold to 

catch a bus.

 

The only thing we have to do is wake up, get dressed, have our breakfast,

clear table, brush teeth, get out the books and off we go!

The children do like being home for school and are very efficient in getting their 

work done without much trouble.

There are some days, that we do get a late start, but that is fine.

They enjoy the time together before we sit down to do our work

playing, reading, drawing, just doing things together.

I feel like some days they need that time to let their creative juices

get started that way, then come to the table and put them to work with

school. They are more cooperative, they seem to get it easier,

they do well..So, does it really matter if we start our lessons at

9 am or 1 pm? No, I truly don't think so.

Just so they do the work and do it with efficiency, that is what matters.

Some times it is hard to pull them in and that is when I know they need 

a bit of time together before I get them to do their work.

I thank God that I can see the need of this with these children and 

am glad that we can give them what they need. 

When you see straight A report cards at the end of the quarter, you 

know something is being done right!

Facebook-sorry if I offend you

When I first joined facebook, I was excited.  I was able to stay in touch with relatives and friends that are long distance.  It was a way of keeping in touch and getting to see pictures of each others' families.

I'm glad that there are people that still post pictures or fill you in on what is going on in their lives, MY REASON for having my account.  I enjoy reading blogs by certain people, and following certain groups. It is great for homeschool referencing, as well as other ideas you may not come up with on your own.

I think we need to rethink the way we use the information that is so freely available...thank goodness most of the comics that show up from other people are inspirational, some of the items are good for a laugh, however some can be offensive to others.  It is our responsibility to use caution when we post things that are of questionable material.

What may be funny or normal to one, maybe be very wrong for another.

Sure, you can just not look at the thing, but what if it is the first thing that pops up,

you can't control that unless you block on a regular basis.

For those that I have offended, I am sorry.

I have 5 beautiful children that I 

will protect as much

as I can!

It is what

God would

want and 

expect!

A day out for the clan

This morning, I took Brian to work in order to 

take Toodlehead to the ENT for an

overdue check up.

All went well, all the children were very good.

Princess even managed to get a few smiles out of an

elderly gentleman, then a grand smile from a woman

who reminisced on her days as a young girl

with two older brothers.

Toodlehead has one tube out and the other is on the way

out, so he needs to go back in four months...hoping that will

be it for him!

While getting ready to leave, a woman sitting with her husband (they came in while we were in 

the exam room) looked at them and naturally,

  I got the normal question:

"Are they all yours?"

Usually this annoys me...today was different. I looked at my 5 little ones getting bundled up,

looked at the woman and smiled then proudly said, 

"Yes, they are."

There are days when we are home and they are wild as can be, but when I take them out,

I can almost always be sure they will be on their best behavior.

I really needed this day out to help me always remember that God

chose Brian and me to be the parents of his wonderful children.

What an honor it is, 

Thank you God!