Memories of a Catholic Wife and Mother

Christmas, Feast Day, and Winter Books

2009-12-08T16:21:00.000-08:00

One of the things that I like about this time of year is snuggling up with my children and reading picture books. Each year, we read a lot of Christmas, Feast Day, and winter books. This year, some of the books are new to us, but most of them are old favorites. The books that we have read so far are:

Annie and the Wild Animals by Jan Brett

The Baker's Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale by Aaron Shepard (December 6)

The Christmas Bird by Bernadette Watts
Christmas in Noisy Village by Astrid Lindgren*
The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey by Susan Wojciechowski*

Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett

The Donkey's Dream by Barbara Helen Berger*
Father and Son: A Nativity Story by Geraldine Mccaughrean

Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett

Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett

Good King Wenceslas by John M. Neale (December 27)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss*
The Huron Carol by Frances Tyrell*

The Lady of Guadalupe by Tomie de Paola (December 12)

The Legend of Old Befana: An Italian Christmas Story by Tomie de Paola (January 6)

The Little Drummer Boy illustrated by Kristina Rodanas*
The Little Drummer Mouse by Mercer Mayer

Mary: The Mother of Jesus by Tomie de Paola (December 8)*

Merry Christmas, Strega Nona by Tomie de Paola

The Mitten by Jan Brett*

An Orange for Frankie by Patricia Polacco

The Story of Holly and Ivy by Rumer Godden*

Take Joy! The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book by Tasha Tudor*

Trouble with Trolls by Jan Brett

Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve? by Jan Brett
The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree: An Appalachian Story by Gloria Houston

As we read more books from our home library and from the library, this Advent and Christmas season, I will try to remember to update this list (and possibly add another collage).

Books that we own are marked with an asterisk*.

Dates indicate Feast Days when we make a point of reading or rereading a book.

Thank you to Jenn Miller for sharing some of the new titles with us via her blog.

Christmas Books 2008

2008-12-22T21:17:00.000-08:00

Each year, we give each of our children a new Christmas book. This year's books will include the following (in no particular order):

The Little Drummer Boy
Kristina Rodanas' illustrations bring this well-known song to life.

The Huron Carol
We have to have this book on our shelf, as our parish is North American Martyrs and our youngest was born on the feast of St. Isaac Jogues, St. John de Brebeuf, and Companions (on the new calendar).

How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
This classic Christmas story is one of Patrick's favorites.

Angela and the Baby Jesus
This is a sweet story about a young girl's love and concern for the Baby Jesus.

Charles Dicken's A Christmas Carol illustrated by Arthur Rackham
This was my book when I was young and I hope that my daughter treasures it as much as I did.

Miracle on 34th Street
I have not read this book, but it comes highly recommended.

Letters From Father Christmas
A babysitter introduced this book to my children a few years ago. It's about time it made its way onto our shelf, especially since St. Nicholas or Santa Claus was fondly known as Father Christmas to me when I was young.

Win a Free Copy of You Need a Budget 3

2009-11-23T16:41:00.000-08:00

We just received an email letting us know that You Need a Budget will be giving away 5 free copies of YNAB 3 when it is released. This is the same program that I wrote about earlier today.

The email stated:

We're giving away five copies of YNAB 3 when it is released (once it's released)

We've launched a little contest to help spread the word about the upcoming release of YNAB 3. Entering's easy, and we're giving away five free copies of YNAB 3 once it launches! Enter to win your copy of YNAB 3 once released.

Please visit You Need a Budget for all of the details. I am enjoying using YNAB Pro and I am looking forward to using the newest version of YNAB. Thank you, Jesse!

Coming Up for Air

2009-12-09T10:08:00.000-08:00

Recently, I found myself drowning, struggling with homeschooling, due in part to the behavior of some of my children. A week ago last Monday, I was ready to throw in the towel. Later that day, or that night, I received an email from a friend and I replied, asking her to pray for me. She stayed up late and responded with moral support and advice. She knew, without my even telling her what exactly was going on, what I needed to hear.

The next day, another friend sent me an email and, thanks in large part to Shelly's response, I was able to let her know that I was struggling. Fortunately, this friend and home-educating mother was able to respond with concrete advice, regarding discipline and structure. I pondered something that this mother wrote all last week. She said (slightly paraphrased), "If you are disciplining your children and you are still experiencing problems, then you need to look at yourself. You need to have discipline and structure in your life in order to be able to homeschool effectively." I will add, "I need to have God, discipline, and structure in my life in order to homeschool effectively."

I went into this year thinking that it was going to be great. I had stepped down from various volunteer positions, so that I could fully embrace my vocation as a wife and mother, and focus on my husband and children. However, I was encountering laziness and opposition from some of my children and I was resenting the fact that "I had to homeschool." I was relying on myself and not trusting in God. I was ignoring all of the blessings that He has bestowed on me.

Home education is one of those blessings. However, it is so easy for it to be seen as a burden when we forget to take time to pray, when we forget to put our trust in God and don't embrace our responsibilities. I am reminding myself that if I don't have self-discipline, then I cannot expect my children to have self-discipline.

In Christ Speaks to Us, Fr. Hardon, S.J. stated, "Catholic home schooling is the planned and organized teaching and training of children at home, for their peaceful and effective life in this world, and for their eternal salvation in the world to come." (emphasis mine) God is a God of order, not a God of chaos. We are created in the image and likeness of God; therefore, we need order in our lives.

In the same talk, Fr. Hardon also shared, "Today, Catholic parents must not only endure the cross, resign themselves to living the cross, but they are to choose the cross. In case no one has told you, when you chose home schooling, you chose a cross-ridden form of education." I know that the crosses that we are given are much lighter than the cross that Christ carried; however, in accepting and carrying our crosses, we can unite ourselves with Jesus and show our love for Him. I am trying to embrace my cross and I am breathing again.

Do not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset. "Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you; and if you find that you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall your heart quietly and simply. Maintain a holy simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under any pretext."

~ St. Francis de Sales ~

Why did I share something so personal? I have been ending some of my emails with part of the above quote. Last Thursday, I received an email from a member of our homeschool group at large, thanking me for the quote, saying that she really needed it because her family has been struggling. On Friday, after Mass, a home-educating mother came up to me thanking me for the quote, as she had really needed it. On Sunday, a friend was speaking to me and shared that sometimes she needs to hear and know that others also struggle (not everything is rosy); she needs to know that she is not alone. We are never alone. We can turn to our husbands, our pastors, our parents, or our friends. If we cannot turn to them, then we can simply rest in God; we can trust in and pray to Him. God will never give us more than we can handle.

Patron Saints

2009-12-04T07:45:00.000-08:00

On Sunday night, we chose patron saints for our family for the year. I think that I first read about this tradition at Castle of the Immaculate.

Our patron saints from oldest to youngest are:

St. Boniface

St. Elizabeth of Portugal

St. Joan of Arc (Confirmation saint)

St. Agnes (Confirmation saint)

St. Augustine of Canterbury

St. Marguerite d'Youville

Sts. Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael

St. Kenneth

Bl. Christina

Thanksgiving

2009-11-27T08:47:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, thanks to family near and far. My father-in-law arrived at our house early in the morning with some stuffing for our turkey. He visited for a little while before heading to the cemetery to visit my mother-in-law's grave. After he left, I called and spoke to my dad. Then, we focused on getting the turkey in the oven.

Once the turkey was cooking, the children watched a movie with their dad. I made a couple of dishes (yams and green beans); Catherine had made a jello mold the night before. The meal tasted delicious. As we finished eating, my oldest sister called and asked us to come over to their house for dessert. My younger sisters were already there. I enjoyed seeing all of our children together. Our nine nieces and nephews, plus our seven children, made for a full house. I wish that my brother, his wife, and their five children could have been with us, too.

We came home with one of my sisters' dogs. He (Tommy) will be staying with us for two days and the children are delighted.

Nicholas of Myra

2009-12-07T08:28:00.000-08:00

Nicholas of Myra movie

I hope that everyone had a happy

Feast of St. Nicholas!

HT: Totus Tuus Family & Catholic Homeschool

If you only have time

2009-12-03T10:03:00.000-08:00

to read one thing today, read this: Living for Love as we prepare for Christmas.

Chores

2009-11-28T10:28:00.000-08:00

I have had a few friends ask me about chores. We cannot afford to pay someone to come into our house and help clean it. Even if we could, I don't think that I would. If my seven children were ten and under, I might seriously consider it. A friend once shared that she stopped having someone come and clean her house when she started to think about the message that she was sending to her children, especially her oldest, by having someone clean their house on a regular basis. Thus, chores are a necessity in our house.

A while back, Danielle Bean shared the chore chart that her family uses and I immediately adapted it for my family's use. This summer, I made a chore chart based on Managers of their Homes. It looked nice and neat, but it did not work (the schedule did, but that's another post).

Over the past year or so, I have found that chores work better in our house if:

The children can easily see what they need to do
The chores are reassigned once a month
The children are assigned to specific areas or tasks (i.e. The same child is assigned to sweep the dining room and kitchen throughout the day.)

I uploaded our December and Saturday chore charts (with my children's names omitted) to Google Docs. If anyone would like them in Word.docx format, please let me know via a comment and I will be happy to e-mail them to you.

Without love, deeds, even the most brilliant,

count as nothing.

~ St. Therese of Lisieux ~

Disclaimer: This does not mean that we have a clean house at all times. It does mean that it is usually presentable (except for the off-white carpet that shows every speck of dirt no matter how often it is cleaned).

Happy Thanksgiving

2009-11-26T11:14:00.000-08:00

I pray that everyone has

a safe, happy, and blessed

Thanksgiving!

I found this story, Florida teacher chips away at Plymouth Rock Thanksgiving myth, interesting. Thank you to The Black Biretta for sharing the story and the picture, last year.

Excuses

2009-11-24T04:29:00.000-08:00

Me: "Finnian, please skoochy over."

Finnian: "I can't. I am superglued."

I love my little boy's imagination. He often surprises me with his responses.

Budgeting: One Baby Step at a Time

2009-11-23T10:40:00.000-08:00

When my husband and I were first married, a Catholic home-educating friend, Debbie Brock, introduced me to Phil Lenahan's Finances for Today's Catholic Family (updated title: The Catholic Answers Guide to Family Finances). This book served us well and gave us a proper understanding of budgeting in relation to Church teaching, tithing, and the need to always pay off our credit cards right away (my husband was already aware of the latter). Eventually, we simply incorporated the principles and stopped budgeting.

This spring and summer, I was constantly telling my husband, "We can't pay this bill or that bill until your paycheck arrives." A friend, who was completely unaware of my comments and the stress that I was unknowingly inflicting on my husband sent an email to our homeschool group with the subject, "Budget is Not a Four-Letter Word". She was recommending You Need a Budget. We started using YNAB Pro in October. After receiving our bank statement, I entered the balance from checking and savings into their respective categories. When our credit card bills arrived, I entered those purchases (some were made in September) under the specific credit card categories, transferring the payment in checking and recording the purchases in our budget. I tried to make sure that our budget equaled $0, but I overspent a little bit in two categories. October showed me the total of my husband’s income (I already knew this number in my head) and what we needed to budget in each category in November. It also made me aware of the fact that money spent on our credit cards was truly spent.

Prior to using YNAB Pro, I had no idea what our credit card bills would be. We always payed them off, but not without a little juggling and stress. This month, I know what our bills will be in December and we will be able to pay them off without any stress.

Thanks to You Need a Budget (and the principles that I learned from Phil Lenahan), we have taken our first baby step towards not experiencing financial stress. Now, we need to start working on Rule 1: Stop Living Paycheck to Paycheck; we need to start making a buffer.

This is an unsolicited recommendation.

Dominus providebit!

Grocery Budget Challenge

2009-11-19T08:25:00.000-08:00

We are a family of nine and usually spend between $850 and $1000 per month on groceries. This month, I budgeted $750 and it looks like we might actually be able to pull it off. Don't worry, the children are being very well fed and I have most of my Thanksgiving shopping done.

I usually shop at two grocery/wholesale stores once a week, Winco (employee owned) and Costco. If a store is advertising a loss leader (a grocery item at a very low price) that we usually buy, then I have my husband stop on his way home and pick up that item only.

What I Changed and Rules that I Made:

1. Made Wednesday the only day of the week that I can go grocery shopping.

2. Visited Winco and Costco on a bi-weekly, instead of a weekly, basis (i.e. I went to Costco this week, so I go to Winco next week).

3. Limited my family's milk consumption to breakfast, lunch, and dinner. We are only allowed one (breakfast) bowl or glass of milk at each meal. We were drinking ten or more gallons of milk a week; now, we are drinking 8 gallons of milk a week.

4. Only purchased meat or chicken breasts if they were under $2 a pound. Only purchased whole chicken if it was under $0.80 per pound. Turkey was purchased for $0.27 per pound (or less) and I bought two of them (one for Thanksgiving and one for Christmas). I want to buy one more turkey for whenever.

5. Only cooked chicken or meat two nights a week. Cut up the leftover meat or chicken and mixed it into other dishes (no recipes, just something that I threw together). This means that we are having meat or chicken at least four times a week, sometimes five.

6. On the remaining two or three nights a week, I made a lentil or bean dish. I bought lentils and beans in bulk or in bags, not canned (the latter gets expensive). To soften the beans, I added a pinch of sugar to the water when I cooked them (I got this tip from Like Mother, Like Daughter). I made enough for two nights and lunch one day. I varied the dish slightly by throwing in some new ingredients the second night (vegetables, spices, barley, brown rice, etc.).

7. I alternated what we had for breakfast each morning. We used to always have breakfast cereal, but this gets expensive.

Now our breakfast menu looks like this:

Sunday: Eggs, bacon/sausage, and orange juice (made from frozen concentrate)
Monday: Oatmeal
Tuesday: Ceareal
Wednesday: Oatmeal
Thursday: Eggs, bacon/sausage, and orange juice
Friday: Cereal
Saturday: Oatmeal (I want to change it to pancakes or homemade waffles)

8. Limited fruit consumption to one a day. Reminded the children that "An apple a day (not two apples a day) keeps the doctor away." Cut up apples and/or oranges for snacks...this guaranteed that my little boys ~~did not waste any~~ wasted less fruit.

9. Reminded the children that I had purchased plenty of food for the entire week and that it needed to last us a week. In other words, it is not okay for seven children to eat a 2 pound loaf of cheese in one day. Nor is it okay, to eat three or four bananas each in one day (this goes along with number 8).

10. Made a running list of what we needed throughout the week, so that my husband did not need to stop at the grocery store for forgotten items.

What I Need to Do:

1. Encourage the children to eat carrots, celery, etc. for snacks.

2. Be better about alternating our lunches.

Thank you to my husband, my older sister, and my friend (Elena) for their support and ideas. Thank you to my mom for her example as I was growing up and her advice during the first few years of my marriage (I miss her). Thank you to my dad who used to enjoy cooking eggs, bacon, and tomatoes for us on Sunday mornings.

Dominus providebit!

All Saints Day Photos - Finally!

2009-11-14T15:59:00.000-08:00

Finnian trying on his St. Dominic de Guzman, O.P. costume.

All Saints Day Cupcakes of the North American Martyrs (parish patrons) made by Catherine.

Saint-O-Lantern: St. Jean Vianney's profile carved my husband.

A very happy St. Isaac Jogues

St. Isidore's Pumpkin Patch: Pumpkin Roll (thank you, Jessica, for the idea)

St. Francis of Assisi rolling the pumpkin.

St. Alice: Our "nun on the run"

Our little St. Dominic looking at our pastor like he is St. Nicholas.

St. Agnes speaking with Father.

Saint-O-Lanterns Carved by Parishioners

All Saints Party Group Photo

2009-11-03T13:09:00.000-08:00

This is just a sneak peak of our parish's All Saints Party that took place after Mass on Sunday, November 1. More photos will hopefully follow throughout the week. If you're a member of our parish, we will be uploading the photos to Costco and sharing them that way.

Thank you, Elizabeth, Regina, and Meredith for all that you did!

My boys are still talking about St. George's Dragon Hunt.

1000 Gifts

2009-10-14T14:17:00.000-07:00

I had wanted to share these on Monday, but I never got around to doing so.

Gifts #18-30

I am thankful for:

18. the Catholic Church
19. children who love each other.
20. a pastor who visits his parishioners.

21. homeschooling.

22. an upcoming All Saints Day Party.

23. the wonderful ideas that Jessica has shared.

24. beautiful fall weather. Our heater has only needed to turn on once.

25. cavity-free dentist appointments for all five children who went in for an exam.

26. opportunities that come with little mishaps around the house. Scattered flour gives me an excuse to clean the floor. Spilled milk does the same. :)

27. a little girl who insisted on holding my hands and walking with me as I went to kneel at the altar rail and receive Communion on Sunday.

28. the playground at our parish.

29. the close-up photos of these 150-year-old vestments at http://www.catholicembroidery.com/ The vestments looked exquisite. The volunteer seamstress and her helpers, along with www.catholicembroidery.com/ did an absolutely incredible job restoring them. They all have amazing talent.

30. my little rascal and his sister who took this photo.

We have so much for which to be thankful.God has truly blessed us!

Gratitude Community

Glory Stories and Homilies

2009-10-29T06:16:00.000-07:00

We have been listening to Glory Stories since Patrick was a baby, possibly even a few years earlier. As we drove to my parent's house after Mass one Saturday, we heard the story Treasure in Heaven: The Story of Saint Katherine Drexel on Sacred Heart Radio and we knew we had to buy theses CDs (each purchase assists Catholic World Mission in helping the poor). That year, our children received one each on St. Nicholas' Feast Day, some more (plus the coloring books) in their Christmas stockings, and even more CDs and coloring books in their Easter baskets. We were hooked and we still are. We listen to Glory Stories when we drive to Mass and at other times. The children really like them and so do my husband and I.

On Sunday, our pastor mentioned the words "Viva Cristo Rey" in his homily a few times and I wondered whether my children were paying attention. They are very familiar with these words thanks to the Glory Stories Viva Cristo Rey: The Courageous Saints of the Knights of Columbus and My Battle Name is Jose Luis!. Last night, I got my answer. As we sat at the dinner table, Patrick said, "So, Fr. Saguto knows about 'Viva Cristo Rey'. He talked about it in his homily on Sunday. He must listen to Glory Stories." At that point, all of the older children (4 and up) started to discuss Father's homily on rightful authority and standing up for Christ and the Church.

I was temporarily stunned. Patrick, my son who says he wants to be a priest, but also complains about going to Mass (like a lot of little boys), actually listened to our pastor's homily. My son, who sits on his Daddy's lap or lies down in the pew and looks like he is trying to sleep during Mass, actually heard and remembered our pastor's words. I interrupted my children's conversation to ask, "Was it Patrick who just started talking about Fr. Saguto's homily?" Everyone answered in the affirmative, including Patrick.

Long live Christ the King!

Apology Accepted

2009-10-27T21:25:00.000-07:00

Daddy: "Finnian, apologize to Mommy for what you did."

Finnian (in the sweetest voice): "I forgive you, Mommy."

All Saints Day Party Games

2009-10-24T11:16:00.000-07:00

Two games that I have not seen mentioned elsewhere are Practice the Virtues like the Saints Race and Find the Keys for St. Peter. Both games are not my original ideas.

Practice the Virtues like the Saints Race requires cards for various saints placed around a table. Each card has instructions, manipulatives, and sometimes pictures to complete an activity. Each child is timed as they go around the table completing the activities on the cards. The child who completes the race in the fastest amount of time receives a prize at the end of the evening. Each child's name needs to be written down, along with the time that it takes for them to complete the race. They can stand in line again and try to beat their previous time.

The virtues that are listed on individual cards are as follows:

Feed the hungry like St. Elizabeth of Hungary. There is a basket with rolls. Each child needs to place the rolls in the basket.
Help build the Church like St. Francis. There are blocks and a diagram in the shape of a church. Each child uses the blocks to build a church.
Pray for the living and the dead like St. Cyprian. A picture of hands folded in prayer is on this card. Each child has to say a prayer.

Clothe the naked like St. Martin de Tours. Requires an outfit and a doll. The doll has to be dressed.
Give drink to the thirsty like... There is a pitcher and a glass. Each child pours water into the glass.
Give to the poor like St. Nicholas. The manipulatives are a bag filled with coins and a stocking or pretend chimney. The coin bag needs to be put in the chimney.
Teach the Faith like St. Patrick. Shamrock pieces, including the stem, need to be put together.

For Find the Keys for St. Peter, there are three bowls turned upside down. One has two keys taped in it. If the child lifts the correct bowl, they get a piece of candy.

Promoting Reading for Boys (and Girls)

2009-10-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Recently, a friend asked me how I got my oldest son to progress past short books. The key to my son reading chapter books was involving Dad in read alouds and finding books that grabbed my son's interest. Some of the books that Brendan really liked listening to his father read are:

The Matchlock Gun by Walter D. Edmonds

Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

Alvin's Secret Code by Clifford B. Hicks

The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Outlaws of Ravenhurst by M. Imelda Wallace

Brendan often found it hard to wait until the next evening to hear more of the story and would continue reading where his father had stopped. This is exactly what we were hoping he would do.

Today, my son likes the Alvin Fernald series, Childhood of Famous Americans series (Laura Berquist recommendation), and some old Encounter the Saints books about male saints that were given to him by a lady at 40 Days for Life. Encounter the Saints books are still being printed by the Daughters of St. Paul, but I do not know whether they are the same quality as the ones we have or if the old titles have been reprinted.

Some of the books that the girls enjoyed that would probably appeal to boys, too, are the Boxcar Children books by Gertrude Chandler Warner, The Happy Hollisters series by Jerry West, Carolyn Haywood's Here's a Penny and Penny and Peter, and Twenty and Ten by Claire Huchet Bishop. I know there are more books that appeal to boys and girls, but these are the ones that my daughters mentioned.

When I asked Brendan, "What books did and do you like reading?" He mentioned some of the ones above, plus the following:

Pancakes Paris by Claire Huchet Bishop

The Truffle Pig by Claire Huchet Bishop

Freddy Goes to Florida by Walter R. Brooks (and other books in this series)

The Eddie books by Carolyn Haywood

The Perilous Road by William O. Steele (and the other books in this series)

We always try to have books available for our children to read. In addition to checking out a lot of books from the library, we give the children a book for their birthday (usually hard cover), baptism anniversary (saint book), Christmas (usually related to Christmas), and after every nine weeks of school (paperback). In other words, they are given seven books each year. They choose the ones that they get for completing each quarter from a big box full of books that I have picked up at library book sales, our Catholic homeschool conference, or for good prices on the web. This seems to entice my children to want to read. An unforeseen side benefit to our book box is if two children want the same book, they sometimes work a little harder to try and finish their 9 weeks of school first. They also like to ask "Daddy" to read their book to the family.

Where Did the Time Go?

2009-10-22T22:01:00.000-07:00

Our little princess is already one. I still remember how she surprised me with her slightly early entrance into this world and how thankful I was to be holding another baby in my arms. Her early days, weeks, and months seemed like such a dream. She was so quiet and peaceful, falling asleep every night around 8. She has continued to be an easy little girl, bringing us so much joy, love, and laughter.

Finnian used to laugh when he looked at her. Now, they both laugh when they look at each other. Love really does keep growing.

Saving the Old

2009-10-22T19:13:00.000-07:00

I decided to update my header with more recent photos, but I don't want to lose this one.

The Butterfly Circus

2009-10-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

A friend shared the following with our homeschool group: "Here is a link to a short film called The Butterfly Circus. It features Eduardo Veresteugi (star of Bella), and it is a beautiful tool for illustrating the dignity of every human life. It is about 20 min. long and well worth watching." (emphasis mine)

http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/The%20Butterfly%20Circus/

It is definitely worth watching. I had tears rolling down my cheeks by the end of the film.

Note: Parents should watch this video alone first, as it might not be appropriate for their children to see.

Thankfulness

2009-09-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Continuing with last week's post, I am thankful:

for the breathtaking Mass my family and I went to on Friday evening at North American Martyrs. Photos can be seen here and an article can be found here. Archbishop Brunett, four FSSP priests, and two diocesan priests helped Fr. Saguto, FSSP celebrate the Mass. Eighteen boys and young men served and approximately 700 people (diocesan clergy and Knights of Columbus included) assisted. The choir sounded beautiful.
that my son served at the Mass on Friday evening. He was one of the torchbearers. He also met Archbishop Brunett and kissed his ring.
for a sister who shares her children's accomplishments. My niece's (Kourtney) mural won first place for judge's choice at the Puyallup Fair.

for my father who calls and is very good about sharing his life with his children.
for a friend, Shelly, whose love for her husband and children is inspiring.
for being able to spend Thursday at the zoo with some of my children and one of their friends. We are all looking forward to visiting the zoo again. My husband and older children hope to join us next time.

This peacock walked right in front of me, stopped, and looked at the camera.

The children liked watching the sharks. Posing in the shark's mouth was an added bonus.

The tiger acted like he wanted to get out. One of my children thought that he just wanted to eat us.

The polar bear is always fun to see. He went swimming and ate apples while we watched him.

Gratitude Community

Gratitude

2009-09-23T10:00:00.000-07:00

I am accepting Meredith's challenge.

Gratitude Community

Thank you God for:

a loving and understanding husband.
a little girl who is just starting to walk. As we prayed the Rosary on September 16, she took one step and then four more. She has taken a total of six steps without falling. It is fun to see her clapping and saying, "Yeah!" after she takes a few steps.
a little boy with an incredible vocabulary who keeps us on our toes with the things that he says.
a son who celebrated his birthday recently and really likes his walkie talkies.
a daughter who enjoys helping me in the kitchen.
a daughter who likes reading and sharing what she has read.
a son who loves his youngest sister.
a daughter who makes me smile with her cute little ways and spontaneity.
a friend who will always be a friend even though we no longer go to the same parish. (Thank you, Peggy.)
another friend who has been incredibly helpful over the past two years. (Thank you, Peggy Sue.)
a very good start to our school year. We are working on Week 5. I credit the good beginning to morning prayers and some advice that I received from my pastor a few months ago. The children all seem to be enjoying school this year. Enrolling my eldest son in Seton (my husband's decision) has been very beneficial to him, so far.

Thank you, God, for all these blessings!