A Tad Ramble-y and Keeping Sunday Holy ~ Part 2

...This is Part 2 of something with an unknown amount of total parts at this time (with gratuitous pictures from Thanksgiving included).  Here is Part 1.

In Part 1, I told you about where the "keeping Sundays holy journey" began.  And that we put up our cell phones.  And that we've failed.  And that's ok.  Because we're continuing to try.

Putting up our cell phones had an instant impact.  It created a void... it made space.  And I immediately struggled with that space.  I had to deal with that void... I wanted to fill the down time... I wanted to Facebook through the boredom... I wanted to text my way through the awkward silences... I wanted to Pin through...

... I think you get my point.

Pasticciotti - an Italian cookie with almond custard in it

I found myself reaching for my phone to fill the space.  But the whole point was to create space.  Space for conversation, space to connect with each other, space for prayer.  But I didn't deal well with the space.  It made me feel angsty.

So, I started being intentional.  I had to be intentional about putting up my phone, in a place that made it a real effort to get up and grab it.  We started planning activities to fill the space - like going to the park.  Or going hiking.

Pasticciotti was a success = Happy Mother-in-law

When we first came up with the idea to make changes to "make Sunday holy", I thought it was going to be more like  1. Put up cell phones.  Check.  2.  Make next change.  Check.  3. Etc.  But, by keeping the big goal in mind, things have sort of just snowballed.

I didn't know exactly what keeping Sundays holy would look like.  But I knew how I wanted it to make us feel.  I wanted all of us to feel loved and connected to each other, to feel rested and rejuvenated for the week ahead, and to feel closer to God.  We've tried several times to try to have the house cleaned by the weekend so that we can relax.  But weeks are busy, and blah blah, you know my usual excuses.  But once we had a goal for Sundays, it became easier and I got better to have the house picked up by Sunday.

Notice I said I got better.  

3 out of 4 looking at the camera = success; Joey, Ava, Matthan, Sophia

If we don't go grocery shopping Saturday morning, it seems the whole week gets thrown off.  Including Sunday.  I hate meal planning and shopping, and I like cooking when I have money to buy the ingredients I want and all the time to make the recipe and someone else to clean up the mess.... which is never.  So I drag my feet and meal planning gets done, oh you know, saturday morning before my husband leaves for the grocery store.  And it's more like late afternoon when we begin our weekend.  Which spills into Sunday.  But with wanting to capture a certain feeling for Sunday, I've gotten better about staying on top of the grocery stuff.

They discovered that "Baby Matthan" will follow you if you have goldfish crackers

I've gotten better about having a meal plan and shopping list ready.  Which has snow-balled into being prepared for the week, which makes me more peaceful on Sunday.  I've been more proactive about having a simple recipe or crockpot meal for Sunday dinner so that my time is not spent so much in the kitchen.  Which means I'm also not starting off the week with a disaster of a kitchen because I used every bowl while cooking and I don't want to be in the kitchen because I want to be with my family so I didn't clean the kitchen, so now it's left for Monday morning.  Boo.  So things have gotten better. 

But it's not like once I start getting the hang of things it continues.  I get the hang of it one weekend and then I have to start all over the next weekend.  And lately, we've been traveling or chaperoning youth group retreats or feeling under the weather, and my husband ended up at the grocery story yesterday (Sunday) afternoon, and the meal I chose to make was (new) uber complicated and we spent a few couple hours in the kitchen and dinner was late, and Matthan went to bed late.  The Hubs made a comment like "if the goal is to be connected as a family and spend time together, we shouldn't be grocery shopping at all on Sunday".  That was hard to hear (because he had gone shopping late because of my lack of staying on top of things), but he was right.  Sigh.  Will try again next weekend.  We did spend the time in the kitchen together making said uber complicated dinner plan and Matthan played around us in the kitchen so at least we were together.  Making lemonade out of lemons, ya know?

"Baby Matthan needs a halo because he's an angel" - The cousins

But that got me thinking.  What if I couldn't shop on Sunday?  I'd be forced to get my booty in gear when it comes to meal planning.  And if everyone didn't shop on Sunday then stores wouldn't have a reason to be open and their employees could go home and be with their families... and we'd all just be a little more affected.

The troops heading to the park (not pictured: me, Paul, Peanut & Charlie (the canines))

I've learned thus far that you get blown in the direction that you're leaning. (Is that a cliche or can I get credit for that?).  These past couple weeks I have really struggled to put my phone down.  And that has led to me being less on top of things.  It has led to me being less at peace and less connected. It usually starts because we have a lot going on with holiday planning and present buying and trying to keep up with the every day things, and I feel like we just got back from our Thanksgiving travels yesterday.  And a lot of things are on my phone.  I have emails with present ideas from family, on my phone, and I have lists that I've made of stores I need to go to for gifts, on my phone, and my grocery list is, on my phone, and my recipes are, on my phone, and the weather is, on my phone, and directions are, on my phone...  And so I pick up my phone to (insert productive activity here) and several minutes later I've found an interesting article to read posted by someone on Facebook.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, when I'm intentional, things snowball in a really good direction and one thing flows from the other and Sundays are awesome which flows into the week ahead.  And when I'm not, things flow in the other direction, and it's pretty lousy.  But I do have to say that as tough as it's been to achieve the goal...

it's been totally worth it.

Rolling on the floor and snuggling with his blanket in front of the fire

How do you and your family keep Sundays holy?  Do you have any suggestions for me on how to avoid falling off the wagon when all my stuff is on my phone (so as to have it all in one place and be more efficient)?

Stay tuned for Part 3.

Monday Musings: Mixed Bag On a Tuesday

This Monday Musings comes to you on a Tuesday evening, because that is how things are going around here.  Who is running things around here anyway?  According to my blog stats, everyone gave up on me posting on time yesterday.  Wise choice.  I'd like to say that with all my planning and with keeping Sunday holy, I've peacefully eased into the Advent season and am on top of the game when it comes to planning for Christmas.  Nope.  One year it'll happen.

One year.

So, maybe if I declutter my brain, I'll have more room for peace and planning (and motivation for executing said planning).

~ O Christmas Tree ~

If you're looking for a fun Christmas activity to do with your little ones, and a ginger bread house requires too much dexterity for your little ones, check out the waffle cone christmas trees that my four-year-old niece made.

~ On Parenting ~

I once saw Jim Bob Duggar on the show "19 Kids and Counting" wearing a shirt that said "Parenting is not for the faint of heart".  I thought it was funny, and quite amusing that he was wearing it... because he has 19 children.

That has nothing to do with the following.  I just thought it was amusing.

I laughed when I saw this Huff Post article entitled "Nearly 25 Years of Fathering -- and All I've Got Are These 3 Lousy Tips" pop up on my Facebook news feed.  Not because I don't enjoy parenting articles and books, and soak up parenting advice where I can, but because with all the "25 Tips to Parenting" and "10 Things You Must Know About Parenting" and "50 Things You Have to Know OR YOUR CHILD WILL DIE" articles out there, I just thought it rather amusing that he had 3.  Three!  I chuckled to myself and thought "Leave it to a guy to have only three."  

As a daughter and a mother... that is some of the best tips I've ever read.  Go read it.

~ I'll Stick With Jingle Bells, Thanks ~

If you're not a fan, like me, here are the 5 Best Ways to Survive "Christmas Shoes".

~ Skip The Toys, Give Your Child a Suitcase ~

I came out of the bathroom the other day to find this:

I have since found him in there about 10 more times, and it has provided several hours of entertainment.  

~ Seinfeld and the Devil, But Not in the Same Question ~

Here's an interview with my favorite Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia from October.  It's incredibly entertaining.  Our Supreme Court Justices have a huge roll in how the law of the land goes.

Here's the tag line (and the link):

On the eve of a new Supreme Court session, the firebrand justice discusses gay rights and media echo chambers, Seinfeld and the Devil, and how much he cares about his intellectual legacy (“I don’t”).

~ Because That's The Way To Get Your Point Across  ~

"Topless Argentinian Protestors" could have been the title for this piece of news but you won't find it in American secular news.  Some women (topless, although blurred in the video) wanted to make some men pay for their crimes by spray painting the men's faces and "other places", writing on them, and screaming at them.

The men's crimes?  Standing arm-in-arm, several men deep, and praying, to protect their local cathedral from the vandalism and violence that occurs in the village that hosts the monthly, government supported conference mentioned in the above link.  The police did nothing.

~ Police Apologize ~

In contrast, Iceland police killed a man for the first time.  And what did they do?

Apologize.  Why?

"I think it's respectful," Arnorsdottir says, "because no one wants to take another person's life."

~ Why He Came ~

Why He humbled himself and came in the form of a baby.  A reminder to myself as I get stressed out about presents and decorations.

Happy Advent!!

Monday Musings: When There Isn't Any, Make Room

Happy New Year!!!

Yes, I know the rose candle should be the third one.  Yes, I was too lazy to fix it.

No, I have not lost my calendar (or my mind).  Yesterday was the first Sunday of the season of Advent, marking the beginning of the new liturgical year.  

If you relate this time of year with stress, anxiety, crowded shopping malls, screaming sugar-induced children, insane drivers, and being ready to tear your car radio out if your favorite station plays "Jingle Bell Rock" for the one millionth time since before Thanksgiving, then I totally sympathize with you.  Just remember, you can change the radio station... and you can change the way you spend the time before Christmas.

The Baby Jesus is born on Christmas Day, whether you're prepared or not.  Whether you made the Christmas cookies, or gave everyone the right gift, or decorated your mantel according to the picture you found on Pinterest.  

Babies ask for little; just food, clothing, and love.  They ask for little, but somehow it demands our all.  Our everything.  Ask any parent; there are days when we feel like we have nothing left to give our children.  God has been teaching me that when I have nothing left to give, I need to give more.  When I can't go any farther, I need to go a little more.  And when there just isn't any more room, I need to make more room.

Where is God calling you to make room during this Advent season?

Monday Musings: Thankfulness

"Gratitude is not only the greatest of virtues, but the parent of all the others." ~ Marcus Tullius Cicero

I struggle with gratefulness.  It's not that I'm not thankful, it's that I don't always take the time to really consider the blessings that God heaps upon my head.  I get through thanking God for my husband, my kid, my family, my faith, my house, my husband's job, the car.....and then it's a little er.....um...hmmm.....

I work with teenagers at church.  They drive me crazy.  They make me want to pull my hair out.  But I love them.  And just when I want to smack them upside the head (I don't), they say something really profound.  One of my teens once said,  

"Imagine that all of the things that you did not thank God for today, were gone tomorrow."

.... and suddenly, my "umms, errs, and hmmms" become "I'm thankful for the screws that hold my house together, and I'm thankful for the roads, I'm thankful for our yard, my church, stores, kind people, turkeys, holidays, sushi, jeans, pajama pants, dogs, grass, clouds.....

Monday Musings (vol. 9): G.K., Ramsey, and Sundays...

... i.e. Part 1 of something with an unknown amount of total parts at this time.

"Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly."  ~ G. K. Chesterton

Ages ago, I read a blog post about making Sundays a day of rest.  And then I forgot about it.

Some of you know that we have been on a "keeping Sunday holy kick" around here (for anyone new around here (Welcome!) you can read more about this here, here, here, and here).  Recently, I stumbled on that blog post again (mentioned above), and in it, the author says, that if you make Sundays a day of rest "you will see God's blessings showering on you and your family".  And so, I want to share with you where this journey has taken us... the struggles... and the blessings.

All journeys have a beginning.  And a few months ago, when we decided to start being intentional about Sundays, we were suffering from roommate-itis.  The three of us had many days where we went about our business in a parallel manner, but never really intersecting.  Sure, the usual duties were getting accomplished, but we weren't really connecting.  I would be playing with Matthan, and be too quick to answer a phone call or post a cute picture of Matthan on Facebook.  We would be at dinner, and one of us would be too quick to look something up on our phone and then get distracted by emails.... Matthan especially needs to work on this (insert sarcasm sign here).  There was a lack of intentional time being spent and a lack of meaningful conversations being had.  We were missing each other, sort of passing each other like roommates.  We weren't fully engaged with or fully present to the other two.

 

There are several things that we have discussed changing or improving in our family, but we have had little progress and many failed attempts.  It is in my nature to want to do something perfectly the first time.  And when I fail (because, Hello!, I'm not perfect), I wallow and decide that it can't be obtained so it's not worth doing.  Here's where G. K. and Ramsey come in.

I found this G.K. Chesterton quote: "Anything worth doing, is worth doing badly.", and I felt like I had been set free!!  I needed someone to give me permission to try...and to fail.  And to try again.    This quote has had a profound effect on me (maybe I'll write about that at some point...).  Now I've never read Dave Ramsey's book (books?), but I have been told of his method of having people pay off debt starting with the smallest debts and working their way up to the biggest debts.  I argued with someone that this idea did not make sense to me because it seemed like people would pay more money in the long run because of interest building up on the bigger amounts of money (pretend that my argument sounded really eloquent and I used a lot of large financial words, okay?).  But I was told that it's more about the small accomplishment and the feeling of success with the little debts that help people work towards paying off the bigger debts.  And that is a concept that can be applied to our lives in general (I could write a blog post about just this idea... I might).  

So, while there were several things that we wanted to change in our family, I kept coming across the concept of keeping Sunday holy in the things that I was reading and listening to, and decided to follow this prompting, even if it meant doing it badly.  I took a deep breath, let go of my perfectionist tendencies, and decided to go where I had gone and failed before (changing something in our family), and decided to start small.  I really really wanted to rush it and strive for all the ways that I had in mind to make Sundays holy for our family... but again, I had to start small.  With the big picture of what we wanted in mind, The Hubs and I discussed what one thing we could change that was 1. something that we could change now, in this stage of life, 2. a truly attainable goal,  3. would make an almost instant impact.

And that is how we decided on putting up the cell phones on Sunday.  Have I failed?  Yep.  Have I given up?  Nope!!  One small step for our family, one huge flippin'-ly-ginormous mega step for me and the development of my perseverance!!

Stay tuned for Part 2.

"I have not failed.  I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work."  ~Thomas A. Edison

Monday Musings (vol. 8): Obligation

The word "obligation" carries a negative connotation with it in the modern American usage.  It brings to mind taxes, bills, middle-of-the-night feedings, or other tasks that bring about a groan.  Washing dishes also comes to mind (anybody with me on this?).  

Okay, okay, washing dishes does not technically fall under the proper definition of "obligation" (as in the one I found on the internet):

"noun  1. an act or course of action to which a person is morally or legally bound; a duty or commitment."

One of the things that irked me when I was learning about the Catholic faith were the Holy Days of Obligation.    

Just so we're clear, a Holy Day of Obligation is a feast day on which Catholics are obligated to go to mass and refrain from any work or activity that hinders the worship owed to God.  An example is the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, or more commonly known as Christmas.

I don't like being told what to do, or that I have to do something.  

Holy Days of Obligation are part of the Sunday obligation (Catholics are obligated to go to mass on Sundays).  There are weekends where we're very busy and I wake up on Sunday not wanting to go to mass.  I groan about having to get myself ready and dress and feed my toddler and get our family to church at a set time, while kicking myself for not packing the diaper bag the night before.  Not to mention toddlers have a knack for pooping as you're about to walk out the door to get to anywhere with a set time (How do they do this?).  I admit, there are Sundays where I make it to mass simply because I'm obligated.  

But, there are Sundays where I make it to mass despite the hinderances because I love God and I yearn to please Him.  I'm free from the obligation because I'm doing it for the relationship.  

I dug a little deeper into the word "obligation".  Since the 1560's, the main modern meaning of the word "oblige" is "to make (someone) indebted by conferring a benefit or kindness"

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His one and only son, so that everyone that believes in him, might not perish but might have eternal life."  John 3:16

I'd say that God has conferred a great kindness upon me, and that I'm indebted to Him.  

I still groan sometimes about getting to mass on Holy Days of Obligation, and those are the days that the obligation feels like a heavy weight.  And I use to argue that those days had no meaning.  That there was no meaning in me simply going out of obligation, going through the motions; that it was all just ritualistic (as if rituals are a bad thing, a topic for another day).  But there is meaning.  And usually, it is those days that I need to go the most.  That my heart and attitude clearly need adjustment, and when I "just show up", God always meets me where I am.

There are some days where just showing up is all I can muster.  But what I've learned is that the just showing up can be the most important choice of my day.  And it is a choice.  While I am morally obligated to get to mass if I am able, no one is holding a gun to my head forcing me to go.  It is still my choice whether or not I go.  And although it is small, and God deserves better, it is in that small choice to just show up, that I'm saying "yes" to God.  And He can use that.  In even the smallest of ways I'm choosing to turn my heart to God when I could have said no to Him and just stayed in bed.

And I continue going through the motions until I get to those days when I go out of love, out of my relationship with God, out of gratefulness for what my Lord has done for me.  And I do not bear the weight of the obligation.  In fact, I am thankful for it.

Monday Musings (vol. 7): Praying Holy Scripture

The Hail Mary

Monday Musings (vol. 6): Observe

I have a very busy, but fun, week ahead of me, so I apologize now if the blogging ceases for this week.  I have tons of musings that I want to share, but like I said, I'm busy.  So I'll leave you with this short post for today.  I once joked with you about how "there are moments in motherhood where your instincts to intervene are overridden by "let's see how this pans out"".  Who knew that this was a developmental/educational concept*?

"When dealing with children, there is a greater need for observing than of probing."  

~ Maria Montessori

I first got the idea to do a lot of observing when it came to playing with Matthan from the book The Baby Whisperer**, rather than "playing for him" (such as taking his hands and making him play with the ball, or shaking a rattle in front of his face, but waiting for him to reach for the rattle and allowing him to go at his pace).  I realize that EVERYONE has their own, often very strong/passionate, views about baby books and raising children, and the stuff I've learned may end up being a bunch of crock.  I'm okay with that (meaning, I'm ok switching gears if I learn that I'm doing something wrong or there is a way to do something better).  But for the moment, it's working for me.  This concept is easy in theory, but incredibly difficult to execute.  So this morning when Matthan was playing with the carseat that we had left in the middle of the floor, I was seized with the want of how to show him to "play with it right" (whatever that really means).  But I didn't.  Look at what he figured out how to do all by himself.






We can learn so much from our children if we just stand back and watch.  This concept may have to be an entire post in and of itself one day.  I've learned so much from just watching Matthan.  And sometimes, we don't know what they're watching or how much they're absorbing, until they leave you in awe.  Like when my four-year-old niece said to my sister,

"Mom, I have an idea.  Well, really a question.  Okay.  I know God is three but He's really one, you know.  So, how does God walk on the earth and hold it in His hands?" ~Lailey

__________________
*The Montessori Method.
**The full title of this book is The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems:  Sleeping, Feeding, and Behavior--Beyond the Basics from Infancy Through Toddlerhood.

Monday Musings (vol. 5): NFP and Being Careful With Our Words

Yes... I know it's Tuesday.  Thank you for not pointing that out.  I really tried to post yesterday, but none of my musings were coming out coherently, and I was not in the state of mind to sift through all the pictures we took this weekend.  And I'm just not ready to post about how I'm absolutely failing at our keeping Sunday holy resolution or how motherhood has been kicking my butt the last couple weeks.

So instead, I plan to distract you with gratuitous pictures of my kid while I share something with you that has been on my heart, i.e. Natural Family Planning (NFP).

When we announced our pregnancy to our friends back in January 2011, our news was met with the utmost elation.  At the time, we had been married four and half years.  I was chatting with a friend about the exciting news when she interjected our conversation with the statement,

"...We (another friend and her) were just talking about you guys the other day.  I was getting ready to call you and tell you that y'all were doing NFP wrong."

(Now, I did not take this statement offensively at all.  I felt like I could safely assume that this came from a loving place.  This friend was really excited for us when my husband and I got married and had been super excited at the thought of us having kids, because she loves us and wished all the grace and blessings that come from parenthood upon us.  Plus she knew that our baby would be super scrumptious and adorable, and I'd say we did a good job, no?)

Before I go further, here are a couple notes for clarification:

1) Natural Family Planning (NFP) is the observation of the naturally occurring bodily signs and symptoms of the fertile and infertile phases of a woman's menstrual cycle.

2) NFP Methods are sets of rules used to interpret the signs and symptoms recorded in order to achieve or postpone a pregnancy.

3)  "Responsible Parenthood" is the choosing to achieve or postpone a pregnancy by using the knowledge that comes from NFP.

It was natural for my friend to expect us to have children after we got married.  That is, after all, how God designed it:  For when a man and a woman come together in holy matrimony the natural order is that a baby would follow.

"That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become on body.  "  Matthew 2:24

Planning your family, means that during the fertile phase of a woman's cycle the couple either comes together to achieve pregnancy or abstains to postpone a pregnancy.  See, what my friend was implying (whether she meant to or not) was that (according to her) we had been abstaining too long and possibly without just cause.

While the teachings of the Catholic Church on love, marriage, and procreation are extensive, deep, and beautiful, and if you get some time I highly recommend you dive into them; they are very hard to summarize in a blog post.  But when it comes to postponing pregnancy, the Catholic Church gives this guideline:

"For just reasons, spouses may wish to space the births of their children." - Catechism of the Catholic Church

I've also heard other words such as "grave reasons" or "serious reasons" used. The Church doesn't list out anywhere what those grave or serious reasons are for postponing a pregnancy.  What this means for me is that every month that my husband and I choose to abstain during the fertile time of my cycle, we do so with prayer and discernment in regards to what God's will is for our family.  That means that every month, at least, we give thought to if God is calling us to have a child.

This teaching was easy for me to understand, but really difficult for me to live out.  What I mean is, it was easy for me to understand the idea of inviting the Author of Love into my marriage bedroom, that He has plans to give me a hope and a future, including in regards to having no or lots of children.  But taking that step of faith and saying "Not my will, Lord, but YOURS be done" was, and still is, a struggle for me.  Cause, you know, I like to control my life.  This means that I acknowledge that my body is not my own, it is His creation, and that I strive to submit to His will for me.  It also means that He will provide the knowledge and wisdom, if we ask it of Him, to discern whether or not we should try to conceive a child this month.

Which brings me back to my friend's statement that "we were doing NFP wrong."  I think this reflects a big misunderstanding that I have experienced from people of all belief systems.  The reason the Church doesn't list out those "serious reasons" is because they are different for everybody.  What may be a serious reason for us may not be a just reason for her and her husband at our current states of life.

I have heard judgements (and, unfortunately, have probably thought them myself) such as "they have seven children, they're such a good Catholic family" or "shouldn't they be having children by now?" or "when are you going to have children?" or "they have a large family, they MUST be Catholic" or "they don't have many children, they're using NFP wrong" or "they have too many children, they're not using NFP right".  I've heard these in various forms from various people of all walks of life.  Some of these may not even seem judgmental to you.

What people don't understand or think about when they say things like this, is that child-bearing is a very personal thing.  They don't know that the person they're asking (often with a combination of joking and seriousness mixed together) "shouldn't you be having children by now?"  may have been trying to have a child for a few years, but is struggling with infertility with every month being met with disappointment and grief when the pregnancy test comes up negative.  And that question, which is so prevalent in our casual conversations, is striking at the deep wound.  Or, the person that they ask, or imply, that they should be having a second child by now is really struggling in the marriage, or that having another child is a topic of tension in their marriage.  Or that person that they have deemed as not practicing "right" because they have "too many" children, has actually chosen to have that many children based on their wisdom and discernment, and not because NFP has failed.

So instead of judging other people's families, let's pray for them, that they would be open to what God wants for them.

And while you're at it, we'd love yours prayers too! :)

Certainly sons are a gift from the Lord,

the fruit of the womb, a reward.

Like arrows in the hand of a warrior

are the sons born in one's youth.

Blessed is the man who has filled his quiver with them.

He will never be shamed

for he will destroy his foes at the gate.

Psalm 127: 3-5

If you would like to read some testimonials about NFP, NFP methods, NFP and infertility, etc by women from different walks of life, go here.

Monday Musings (vol. 4): Sister Time and Helping Those In Need

Happy Monday Y'all!

Welcome to Monday's Musings, where I unload things that are on my brain.

~ Sister Weekend ~

I got to spend this Saturday with my favorite sister in the whole world!!  My brother-in-law sent us on a sister shopping day, sans children, for my sister's birthday.  I meant to take lots of pictures of us trying on ridiculous fashions, but we got caught up in adult conversations that did not include diapers and potty training and were not interjected with parenting phrases like "do not sit on your brother!!!".

Besides, we were too busy holding up the check out lines (as in making people wait longer, not pointing a gun at them) by my sister's our inability to answer simple questions such as "how long has it been since you used your card?".

Little tip:  The benefit of not getting to go shopping very often is that your store card may become inactive (who knew that could happen?).  Why is that a benefit?  Oh, because you get an extra 15% off of your purchase by reactivating your card.  So with the 40% off sale already going on in the store, my sister got a total of 55% off of her purchase!  

~ Recipe ~

I've been trying to find ways to simplify our Sundays in order to spend more time relaxing, refreshing, and hanging with my boys.  I like the idea of a crockpot meal, but we have had little success with this cooking technique.  And when it takes a large quantity of food, that cooks all day long, to get to a result that is incredibly disappointing, you might get a little gun-shy of making crockpot meals, like me.  Do not underestimate my ability to kill a meal.  My sister told me "you can't ruin it" (the kiss of death in my world) to a chili recipe ... and I ruined it.  My sister-in-law gave me a no fail potato soup recipe, and well, it failed.  It tasted like dirt with some cleaner mixed in.  You get my point.

But we have a winner!!  I successfully made pork posole*.  It was super yummy and The Hubs ate seconds interjecting his bites with "this is SO good!!".

Recipe and photo source here

Here are my tips for choosing a yummy recipe off of the internet:

1.  Choose a recipe from a website that uses a rating system.  The above recipe got 4.6 out of 5 stars.

2.  Read the reviews.  Some websites how a "most helpful comments" category.  Read those.

(*I made some changes to the original recipe:  I used green onions instead of a yellow onion because I had them in the fridge and wanted to use them up.  I also used less water per the most helpful comments I read; actually I used 2 cups of chicken broth.  I substituted two jalapeños (insides removed) for the green chiles.  And I always put more spices than the recipe calls for; I don't really measure.  I used less chile powder and added some paprika.  As our garnish we used cilantro, lime, and avocado.  It came out more "gumbo texture" than soup, so if you want more of a soup texture, add the amount of water per the recipe.)

~ Homemaking Irony ~

Several months ago I complained on Facebook about my dryer buzzer making me want to jump out of my skin every time that it went off.  The dryer model with the off switch was $500 more.  The next day I came home from Bible Study to find this.

Blessed off switch to my dryer buzzer

My blessed husband had installed a switch on our dryer, for like $1.50.  

Just last week, I was thinking about how helpful it would be to have a buzzer option on my washer because I'm constantly forgetting to switch the clothes to the dryer.  Oh, the irony.  I've just resorted to setting a timer.

~ From The Mouths of Teenagers* ~

"You don't realize how good life is until you've experienced suffering."

(*My husband and I work with the youth group at our church and help with the teens in small groups. )   

~ Donation Opportunity ~

My brother-in-law, Dave, will be running the Atlanta Marathon for the second time on October 27th, and this time he is running it in honor of the amazing students at The Joseph Sams School (where my sister works).  To raise funds for the school, he is asking people to donate $26, one dollar for every mile, or any amount that you can spare.  Here is a video about the school: 

Please support Dave's efforts in supporting this amazing school by visiting www.josephsamsschool.org and clicking on "DONATE" in the bottom left of the page.  All the money goes directly to the school and no amount is too small.  Thank you!

Monday Musings (vol. 3): Mustache Magnets and Questions From Teenagers

Happy Monday everybody!  Let's get to it!

Still loving his magnets!

~ 1 ~

If you're like me and you're just oh-so-very-tired of depressing news stories and it will drain your every last ounce of energy if you hear one more terrible bit of news today - read this - I promise it won't disappoint - 

The Business 9 Women Kept a Secret For Three Decades

~ 2 ~

Here are the random items that you can find in Target if you just look in the right aisle. 

Beard flask and book of "Beer Awesomeness"

Mustache Magnet Set

So wrong

Ok, ok, I didn't find this little boy in the random Target aisle, but I did buy the cake sprinkles at Target, does that count?  He played with them the rest of the day.

Happiness is a boy and his sprinkles

~ 3 ~

Speaking of sprinkles, I'm working on a project.  Remember when I told you about Jessa at ShalomSweetHome?    We have struck up a friendship via e-mail and the sprinkles are for the project I'm working on for her.  More on this later. :)

~ 4 ~

Reading children's books is a new adventure.  There are some children's books that drive me crazy, creep me out,  I fail to appreciate because (in my humble opinion) they lack...something.  If you want to understand what I'm talking about (because I'm lacking in eloquence today), check out the Library Project, especially this post regarding children's books.

Now, don't get up in arms, because Goodnight Moon does not fall on the list of books I was talking about above... however... 

... I would really like to know what the editor/publisher thought when they got to this page. 

Or maybe the book was on the way to be printed and they realized a page got left blank when they formatted the book and so they were like "hey, we need something for this page, preferably without a need for illustration because it needs to be printed now!" and this is the result?   

~ 5 ~

On a more serious note... The Hubs and I work with our church's youth group (who thought to give us that responsibility, right?), and I've challenged the kids in my small group to ask questions and take an interest in their faith.  And I was expecting questions like "Why did Jesus have to die for us?" or "Why bishops don't slap people?", but instead I get questions like this...

In case it is difficult to read, it says 

"What do you do when someone constantly trash talks your religion to your face?  In the beginning I got really upset and would argue but now its gotten to the point where I just sit there and let them talk.  Is there even anything I can say to them?" 

I'm still formulating an answer to the question, an answer that will avoid including "just poke them in the nose", but I'd love to hear some thoughts on this.  What would you tell this teenager?

~ 6 ~

When we went to our Core Team training day (core team = adult leaders for the youth group), we had to introduce ourselves by sharing an awkward quirk about ourselves.  This has been on my brain ever since.  And while I have so many to choose from, I thought I'd share one.  

When I'm singing from a hymnal, and the hymn is on the right page, once I get to the end of the verse at the bottom of the page, I turn the page... every time... after every verse.  I can't help myself.  

Now, think about all your awkward quirks this week, and please share some with me.

~ 7 ~

I've gotten some comments on my blog, but you don't see them.  Wanna know why?  Because they're all spam.  :(  :(  :(   Spam commenters stink!

~ 8 ~

Speaking of magnets (see picture above), M has already lost some.  I decided to see if any had slid under the fridge.  I used a flashlight and a yard stick.  

Warning!  If you choose to do this, please be prepared for the grossness that will emerge from under your fridge.  I spared you a visual.  Instead of grossness, how about some cuteness?

 I just can't plan cuteness like that y'all!

Have a Happy Monday!!

Monday Musings (vol. 2): A Quick One With Cuteness at the End

I'm having a "Monday" over here in my little corner of the world.  We stay-at-home-moms have them too.  So this will be a quick post since part of my "Monday-ness" is suddenly being unable to retrieve pictures off my phone.  Boo.

~ 1 ~

This quote from C.S. Lewis' Mere Christianity has been rolling around my brain all week.

When you come to know God, the initiative lies on His side. If He does not show Himself, nothing you can do will enable you to find Him. And, in fact, He shows much more of Himself to some people than to others -- not because He has favourites, but because it is impossible for Him to show Himself to a man whose whole mind and character are in the wrong condition. Just as sunlight, though it has no favourites, cannot be reflected in a dusty mirror as clearly as in a clean one.

~ 2 ~ 

In case you're tired of shoddy news reporting, and like to know what Pope Francis actually said last week, instead of what some crack pot news reporter took out of context (again!, but really, who is surprised) here are links in this post that cover it better than I can at the moment.  The links start about half way through the post.

~ 3 ~

And, as promised, some cuteness for your day.  Ever since Matthan was a tiny baby, when I would lift him off the changing table, I would put his arms around my neck and say "mommy hug!"  This past week, without thinking, I said "Can I have a hug?", and he turned is head and leaned into my chest.  Heart. In. Puddle. On. The. Floor.

Monday Musing's (vol.1): Frowning, Scrambled Eggs, and Iconography

Here's round one of Monday's Musings (you know, if I commit to doing this regularly) in 7 Quick Takes style.

--- 1 ---

I think Matthan learned to frown yesterday.  It didn't occur to me that frowning was something you learn (it makes sense, I just didn't think about it).  I don't think I've seen him do this before.  He looked like he was practicing it yesterday, and then he frowned at a few people at church.  His frown is adorable too.  I'll post a picture when I can capture one, but when I try to get him to do it he just smiles at me.  Such a conundrum ;)

--- 2 ---

A pressing question . . .

([The Back Story, you can skip if you wish]  I was telling my sister the other day that I saw an interview where Matthew Lewis (the actor who plays Neville in the Harry Potter movies) said that he was discussing making scrambled eggs in the microwave with Imelda Staunton (actress) while sitting in the make-up chairs.  She was completely repulsed by the idea.  And then Alan Rickman (another actor) came up and said that scrambled eggs in the microwave were quite nice.  At this point, my sister said "but they wouldn't be scrambled eggs if you made them in the microwave".  Which brings me to my pressing question . . . )

Are scrambled eggs, scrambled, because of the scrambling that you do in the bowl before dumping them in the pan, or because you scramble them around in the pan. . . or both?

I need to know.

--- 3 ---

We painted our room this weekend in case you missed it!  (Eckhem, because I just posted that post.)

--- 4 ---

I recently found out that our church bells are a recording.  Makes sense, there is no bell tower (duh! me), but I was still disappointed.

(Our church has only had the "bells" for maybe a year, so I haven't been confused about them for like years or anything.)

--- 5 ---

There are moments in motherhood where your instincts to intervene are overridden by "let's see how this pans out".  I watched in utter amusement as Matthan flattened himself down to get under the bars of our chairs to get a toy that was under there.  But then he got stuck.

What do I do now, Mom?

And couldn't figure out how to get back out.

I can't get back out.

I give up.

Oh, my child. :)

--- 6 ---

I want to study the art of iconography at some point.  Here is a video of a church being built and painted this year.  Click on their channel to watch updates of the icon painting.

--- 7 ---

What is the point of a to-go coffee cup that does not fit in the cup holder?!

Have a Happy Monday!


-Just to be clear, when I direct you to a site via one of my links, I'm not necessarily endorsing the whole site, but rather just referring you to the individual item (post, picture, video, etc) in question (unless I state otherwise).-