Come to the Stable

My family and I have watched Come to the Stable on a few occasions and each time, I have really enjoyed the movie. Today, thanks to Sonific, I learned that the movie is actually based on a true story. I was searching Sonific's site for religious music and I discovered the beautiful song (now on my blog) sung by the Choir of Benedictine Nuns at the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Wanting to know who these nuns were, I did a Google search. The search led me to the website of the Abbey of Regina Laudis. Once on the site, I clicked "Foundation History" and found that I was very familiar with the story.

I now know what I might want for my birthday...

HT: to Life in a Nutshell for leading me to Sonific.

ETA: Ana left a comment letting me know that Ignatius Press has published a book about the Abbey of Regina Laudis,
Mother Benedict.

Stretching

For the past two years, I have wondered about Bernadette's loss of flexibility. I do not need to wonder anymore. As I was working in the dining room, earlier today, Bernadette came in and told me that she needed to do her tennis stretches. As she was stretching, she said, "I used to bend my legs when I had to touch my toes, but today I am going to keep them straight. I just hope that they don't stretch because they are already long enough. I don't mind if my arms stretch a little because they are not as long as my legs. I really hope that my legs don't stretch. They are already very long."

Happy Feast of St. Anne!

St. Anne holds a special place in my heart. God has blessed me with family and friends who are named after Christ's grandmother. My in-laws gave me this old picture as a gift. It graces one of our living room walls and reminds me to ask St. Anne and Mary to help me educate my children.

*I am sorry that I was unable to take a better photo.

Learning from Manners

Finnian sneezed this morning. While there is nothing unusual about a baby sneezing, Patrick's response made me laugh.

Patrick: "He blessed on me!"

The Fussing, the Biting

The pain and agony were all worth it.

Finnian has cut his first tooth!

*I am sorry that I do not have a photo, but his little prize for all his troubles is still much too small to photograph. His tooth has barely cracked the surface, but it is definitely there.

Evangelizing on the Tennis Court

This afternoon, during my daughters' tennis lessons, one of the children asked my eldest, "How many brothers and sisters do you have?"

My daughter responded, "There are three girls and three boys in my family."

The child said, "I'm glad that I'm not you."

My daughter stated, "If your mom had more children, you wouldn't be glad that you're not me. I want to have twelve children in our family. I want my mom to have three sets of twins."

The tennis instructor chimed in, "That's a lot of children."

My daughter happily responded, "My mom has been heard to say that the more children she has the easier it gets. I think that the larger our family gets, the more fun it is."

Our Israel Relief Map

The children and I made this relief map of Israel a couple of years ago. It has held up fairly well, considering Patrick likes to take the pin markers and place them in random locations on the map.

Memorial to Life

A local parish has built a beautiful monument to life which our archbishop recently dedicated. Please head on over to Rebecca's blog to see some photos of the memorial.

Raccoons

Several months ago, we saw a skunk in our Lady's Garden. Last week, my eldest son and a raccoon observed each other through our sliding glass door. Two days ago, my husband heard some very noisy crows outside. He looked out the window and saw a mother raccoon trying to get her baby to follow her. He woke our second child and together they observed the following.

I am Six Months Old

My big accomplishments this month are sitting up by myself and scooching on my belly. Mommy thinks that I look like an inchworm when I move across the floor. Catherine commando crawled, before she crawled on hands and knees, but I have found that pulling with my arms, while pushing with one of my legs is a very effective means of getting to where I need to go. It is much better than the rolling and wriggling that I have been doing for the last two months.

What has Mommy Done?

Yesterday, my husband called from work and he was truly worried. One of our July birthday girls answered the phone. He asked if he could speak to Mommy. Theresa responded, "She's not here. She's getting my birthday present." Slightly worried, he then asked if he could speak with Catherine, only to receive the same response. He received a similar response when he asked to speak with Bernadette. Thankfully, I took the phone at this point.

My husband told me what Theresa had said and how worried he was getting. Knowing me, he didn't know how I could have left any of our children at home, especially our soon-to-be birthday girl. I explained that the three of us had gone downstairs because I needed the older girls' opinion on a birthday gift. He laughed, tension relieved.

Ride4US

Ride4US raises money to purchase ultrasounds for Care Net Pregnancy Centers and other pro-life centers in Washington by hosting a Ride, Run, Walk and Family Fun Day at Pt. Defiance Park. Last year, Care Net of Pierce County performed 578 1st Trimester ultrasounds on pregnant women in crisis; upon seeing the beginnings of little fingers and toes, 560 women chose life. The power of ultrasound is a light in the darkness - 97% CHOSE LIFE!!

Please visit our Ride4US fundraising webpage and make a donation for life in my daughter's name. Your gift will echo into eternity.

Take a Virtual Tour of Vatican City State

Visit www.vaticanstate.va

This website includes photos, history, webcam, and many other points of interest.

Enjoy!

The Priests are Willing

A priest near Seattle has announced that he will be saying a Mass according to the 1962 Missal after September 14. My mother-in-law just called to say that a priest at their parish (over 2 hours away from us) will be doing the same. He asked my mother-in-law if she would help the altar boys learn the Latin pronunciations.

Chesterton's Thoughts on Eugenics

from What is Eugenics?

People talk about the impatience of the populace; but sound historians know that most tyrannies have been possible because men moved too late.

~ The Collected Works of G. K. Chesterton, Vol. IV, p. 297 ~

Chesterton's Thoughts on Christian Feasts

from The Story of the Vow

It is often said by the critics of Christian origins that certain ritual feasts, processions or dances are really of pagan origin. They might as well say that our legs are of pagan origin. Nobody ever disputed that humanity was human before it was Christian; and no Church manufactured the legs with which men walked or danced, either in a pilgrimage or a ballet. What can really be maintained, so as to carry not a little conviction, is this: that where such a Church has existed it has preserved not only the processions but the dances; not only the cathedral but the carnival. One of the chief claims of Christian civilisation is to have preserved things of pagan origin. In short, in the old religious countries men continue to dance; while in the new scientific cities they are often content to drudge. 

~ The Collected Works of G. K. Chesterton, Vol. IV, p. 264 ~

Chesterton's Thoughts on Family and Education

from The Story of the Family

The most vital function [the family] performs, perhaps the most vital function that anything can perform, is that of education; but its type of early education is far too essential to be mistaken for instruction.

~ The Collected Works of G. K. Chesterton, Vol. IV p. 257 ~

Chesterton's Thoughts on Marriage

from The Superstition of Divorce

It is not hard to see why the vow made most freely is the vow kept most firmly. There are attached to it, by the nature of things, consequences so tremendous that no contract can offer any comparison. There is no contract, unless it be that said to be signed in blood, that can call spirits from the vasty deep; or bring cherubs (or goblins) to inhabit a small modern villa. There is no stroke of the pen which creates real bodies and souls, or makes the characters in a novel come to life. The institution that puzzles intellectuals so much can be explained by the mere material fact (perceptible even to intellectuals) that children are, generally speaking, younger than their parents. "Till death do us part" is not an irrational formula, for those will almost certainly die before they see more than half of the amazing (or alarming) thing they have done.
~ G.K. Chesterton: Collected Works, Volume IV, pp. 237-238

Chesterton's Thoughts on Education

from What's Wrong with the World

It is quaint that people talk of separating dogma from education. Dogma is actually the only thing that cannot be separated from education. It is education. A teacher who is not dogmatic is simply a teacher who is not teaching.
~ G.K. Chesterton: Collected Works, Volume IV, p. 162

But the important point here is only that you cannot anyhow get rid of authority in education; it is not so much (as poor Conservatives say) that parental authority ought to be preserved, as that it cannot be destroyed.
~ p. 166

That is the one eternal education; to be sure enough that something is true that you dare to tell it to a child."
~ p. 167

Many a school boasts of having the last ideas in education, when it has not even the first idea; for the first idea is that even innocence, divine as it is, may learn something from experience.
~ p. 167

Today we all use Popular Education as meaning education of the people. I wish I could use it as meaning education by the people.
~ p. 167

Blog Hacks

A couple of months ago, I decided that I wanted to display a quote of the day on my blog and on our homeschool group's website, but I knew that I did not have the time to write my own code. I did a Google search and discovered Tips for New Bloggers. Instructions for adding a quote of the day to the sidebar of your blog can be found here. While I was perusing Tips for New Bloggers, I also found easy instructions on how to add three columns to the Rounders Template and how to add translation flags and scripts to my blog. For my children's book blogs, I found code that allowed me to remove blogger's navbar and add a search box. All of Bizwhiz's code is clearly presented and very easy to implement. It is also easy to tweak. Tips for New Bloggers has saved me a lot of time and allowed me to spend my time doing what I am supposed to be doing...taking care of my children.

Now, I need to apply my time to raising my children and beautifying (or rather maintaining) my house. The blog might be nice for others to look at, but God has blessed me with a beautiful family who deserves my utmost attention.

Please Pray for Sara

Over a month ago, Sara let me know that her prayers had been answered, she was expecting another baby. Yesterday, I learned that Sara's little one had died in her womb. My heart is breaking for Sara. I know the pain of going to a doctor's appointment and seeing the doctor look concerned because there is no heartbeat. I know the pain of waiting while the doctor gets the ultrasound machine. I know the pain and sadness of seeing your baby not moving, her little head thrown back, her mouth open wide. I do not know exactly what Sara and her husband are feeling, but I know that they are grieving.

Dear Mary, please wrap your mantle around Sara and her family.

A Summer Reminder

Please remember to put sunscreen on your children this summer.

I learned a hard lesson this week. For the past seven years, my children have played in our shady oasis (aka our backyard) without a single worry. On the 4th of July, my children and I set up their little pool in our backyard. As in year's past, the pool was in the shade. Throughout the day, the children played in the pool. When he wasn't napping, Patrick joined them. At the most, Patrick probably spent about four hours outside.

In the afternoon, my husband brought Finnian outside and I realized for the first time that we were not in the shade. I moved my chair to the only shady spot that I could find and continued to watch the children in the pool. A few minutes after Finnian joined us, I noticed that Patrick was getting sunburned. I told all of the children that it was time to come inside. Due to last year's windstorm, our shady oasis had turned into a suntanner's delight.

We applied Aloe Vera to Patrick's sunburned shoulders and back. On Thursday evening, July 5, we noticed that Patrick had a few small blisters on his left shoulder and we gave him a cold bath. By Friday morning, the blisters had formed one large blister, over one inch in diameter. I took him to our pediatrician's office shortly after they opened.

I felt awful. The nurses and doctor tried to reassure me, saying that several children had come in the day before with blistering sunburns. The nurse cleaned around Patrick's blister which was now measuring closer to two inches in diameter. The doctor gave me some prescription strength antibiotic ointment to apply if the blister popped and a prescription for Tylenol with codeine for my son's pain (I didn't fill the prescription, as the children's Tylenol and Motrin were working). Patrick has a second degree burn because I did not put sunscreen on any of my children on the 4th of July.

Please remember to put sunscreen on your children.

Summorum Pontificum

can be found here on the Vatican's website.

The USCCB's English translation can be found here.

As the person who e-mailed me said, "Deo Gratias!"

Do You See the Baby?

A friend e-mailed me the above picture. I saw the baby's feet first. Now, I cannot help but see the baby. Can you see the baby?

*I would like to give proper credit to this picture. If you know who it belongs to, please let me know.