Daily Progess

I found this mother's prayer in The Toddler's Busy Book, and felt like it fit my life:

Dear Lord,
So far today I've done all right. I haven't gossiped, I haven't lost my temper, I haven't been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or very indulgent. I'm very grateful for that. But in a few minutes, Lord, I'm going to get out of bed, and from then on, I'm going to need a lot more help. Amen.

Many days I don't even feel like I can say this before I get out of bed.

Fr. Dubay in Deep Conversion, Deep Prayer says we need to do a daily particular examen of self, on specific vices or virtues in our lives to see how we are progessing in holiness or not so much. So I am going to try and start. And being a busy mom who feels like she really doesn't even have 5 minutes quiet to reflect (yes, I have plenty of time to blog, but somehow none to reflect), I am going to draw a different virtue/vice out of a basket each day to work on. At the end of the day, I will see how I've done and ask the Lord for more help.

It's the little things

Why is it that I think little teeth and teeth marks are cute? Gregory got tooth #4 today. He was chomping on something and my first thought was how it was sweet that he was leaving teeth marks on a book. If you look closely you can see one of the top ones here.

And since I like little teeth marks, why don't I like little finger prints on the camera lens. I discovered those when I uploaded the pictures. I'm pretty sure these are not Gregory's, it would be pretty impressive if he climbed up the book shelf and got the camera. If you're wondering why the picture is a little blurry - those are the finger prints.

Saint of the Year

Sidebars on other blogs are so interesting. I love seeing people's awards, interests, profiles, anything. One thing that I saw on several different blogs is a saint for the year. Being Catholic and therefore into the saints - I went in search of a patron saint for my blog. More prayers never hurt.


A sweet seminarian finds a saint for everyone who asks (for all the details on how and why click on the link above) . And when I asked I definitely received.


St. Stanislaus Kostka


At first I was a little surprised, I mean what does this saint have in common with me - not much it appeared. He was a son of nobility, who became a seminarian, entered the Jesuits, and died at the age of 17. None of his dates match up with any important dates in my life etc. And then I found a quote:


I find a heaven in the midst of saucepans and brooms.


This is a perfect saint to pray for me, and my life. I struggle with finding joy in the midst of saucepans and brooms (well maybe not the cooking part so much, but the dishes and brooms in my life). Here was a young man who wanted to enter the Jesuits and when he asked was told they could find a place for him in the kitchen. He did it lovingly and entered the order.


"And what would it matter in eternity, if he scrubbed pots and pans and floors and windows all his life? The only thing that mattered was to please God, and just now this sort of work was what pleased God. "


This was a quote from an online story about his life. And I realize that this is a place that God has me in my life right now too. And if it is what I am called to, it will please God.


He had one other quote I wanted to post, because I love it for when I am trying to figure out what God wants me to do


"If God wants me to do this, He'll furnish the means"


I am always thinking about what else I can add to my life, how I can serve others, do more for my family, or if I need to cut back, etc. The list can go on and on. This was a good reminder that if God wants me to do something it will come about in my life, the doors will open and the way will become easier. Good to know and to remember.

Make my worm talk!

Does anyone else's child insist that you make most of the things around them talk to them. Maybe it is because Clare is a first child and there are no other children her age around for her to play with. She craves constant interaction and attention. And if you get her interested in just about anything she will ask you to make it talk to her.

At the moment, she is playing with a putty worm. The constant plea is "Make my worm talk."

Correction - we just had an altercation with the worm - it was helping me blog for a moment and has now disappeared. The worm was rolled off my computer and then vanished (I'm sure it is making a home smooshed up in our carpet somewhere). After much searching - I told Clare to go play at the table. This is her response: "I can't make putty worms by myself."

Clare is very communal, and I am so impressed by the early difference between boys and girls. Gregory is all about how things work and hitting/grabbing them. Clare is all about the relationships - either doing something with you or the relationship between the objects in hand.

Right now there is a family of putty worms on the mat beside me. They are all interacting with each other. Any moment I am sure the daughter worm is going to insist on being played with.

Don't get me wrong - Clare is very sweet and I love her very much, but nobody every told me before I had kids that I would end up spending several years of my life coming up with interesting things for inanimate objects to say to my daughter. :)

Sweet and Sour 3 Yr Old

Clare can swing back and forth from unexpectedly sweet to sour in a short amount of time. I captured this sweet moment while she was playing with Gregory. He dropped his toy and she jumped out of her seat, ran over, picked up another toy, and put it in his mouth. She then held it for him for 5 minutes. Not long in adult time, but very long in 3 year attention span. Gregory enjoyed it, but by the time I got a picture, it was over.

Later, this same sweet girl picked up a chop stick, held it over her head like a psycho with a knife and advanced on Mama. I'm glad it was me and not Gregory - I easily disarmed my attacker, and she ran into her room upset. I'm not sure what she was trying to do - it may have even been sweet. "Mama I just trying to get speck off your face, or brush your hair (This is of course me guessing - we couldn't get a straight answer out of her other than I didn't do it)."

She is mostly sweet, and I am happy with that. In the mean time I am going to keep all chopsticks out of her reach.

Nail Biters Anonymous

Say a little prayer for me. Clare has started biting her nails and picking at her fingers, and I know exactly where she got that habit. I am a horrible nail biter, and according to my mother always have been. She says that she never had to clip my nails even as a baby. I have got to stop, I really don't want my children doing this. I've tried again and again to stop, so prayers would definitely be appreciated.

Maybe I will start a nail biters anonymous - it would at least make me feel better about it.

Actually I did find a nail biters anonymous online-that was 2 highschool girls. I don't think I'll join. That was a bit weird. I'll just have to get along by myself.

Sloth - I guessed wrong

So I took the quiz and got a lower percentage than I expected. But I have a reason - I am a slothful person hiding behind a mommy mask. How can any mommy be slothful? And I definitely agree that I need my down time. Most parents of young children do. I bet most of my friends have even less sloth than me.

Your Sloth Quotient: 27%

You're a little lazy, but normally you're a very energetic and motivated person. Don't beat yourself up over a little laziness every now and then. You do need your downtime!

How Much Sloth Do You Have?

Flowers on a Rainy Day

Clare and I made these awesome flowers. We got the idea and how to from And Miles to Go Before We Sleep (another Catholic Mom blog, who has tons of great recipes and craft ideas). It's a rainy day here and we needed something to do.

Don't look closely at my flowers. You will see that they are nothing like the ones in the picture in the craft blog. I wish I could get them to look like that. I am decent at improvising though - we used food coloring, dental floss, and chop sticks instead of the normal components called for by the craft.

Hope everyone else is having a good day and that it is sunny somewhere. :)

Killer Sodas?

I'm not a big fan of soda, but I must admit to having one every now and then (more when I'm sleep deprived or just plain tired). But I think I am going to cut myself off, and the rest of my family after reading this story. I probably won't cut off my husband -that's his decision and his 38 cokes sitting in the fridge. The population sample is quite large so it's more likely to be valid, and why take the risk for something that doesn't do anything good for you anyway.

If you are a study geek like me and read through most of the article - you will find a comment on how it may be that people are decreasing the amount they drink of beneficial fluids by choosing a soda instead. One of the drinks included is wine. I have my solution - instead of have a soda when I'm tired, I'll just start having a glass of red wine instead. Then I will just take a nap on the floor while the children dance/squirm around me.

It's a rash thing

So I get back from the bridal shower to discover Clare has something all over her chin. It looks horrible. I put some cream on it and send her to bed, and it gets worse.

I call the doctor's office - my kid has a rash thing that is spreading and I don't know what to do about it. They say: The doctor can see you at 2:50. I reply: Is that soon enough?

(This is the first rash thing my kids have had other than diaper rash)

They say: Yes mam, if it swells or she starts acting funny let us know.

I hang up, a little worried. I don't usually freak out about medical stuff - but this looks nasty.

I get to the doctor's and before we even walk back the nurse says: Thats a pretty nasty rash thing, it's a good thing you decided to bring her in.

Now I feel better, but I'm a little more worried.

The doctor comes and sees Clare. I love our Doctor - he makes Clare (and me) feel right at home. He looks at it and says It's Impetigo (which I still am not pronouncing right even after 24 hours). It's not contagious or serious and it will probably take 5 days to go away.

I feel better, but my poor daughter still looks miserable. I have to admit she doesn't feel miserable. She's seeing this as a new way to get treats out of Mama. The one thing she hates is the lotion I have to put on the rash - so I bribe her with lollipops, etc.

I'm petrified that people are going to say something to me about my child. I'm such a wuss - I don't want anyone commenting on why I've brought my leper daughter out in public. Not that it's stopped us - so far we went to a friend's, the pool, and out to lunch. I really hope she's not contagious. :)

Jennea's Shower

My brother is marrying a beautiful lady in August. I am so excited. Jennea is awesome, my kids love her and I love her too. I had the privilege of helping host a shower for her this past weekend. Here are some pictures of the event for any who are interested.


Here are from left to right:
Angie - friend of the bride
Allie -roommate of the bride
Jennea - bride to be
Jillian - sister and matron of honour




Here is Jennea's mom giving her a lovely affirmation!








Here is mother of the groom.
My mom with the ever present Gregory.
He was so good, and I was so proud!
He was more interested in the clothes pin game than any other event.

Here's Jennea's bouquet of affirmation!

She deserves every flower, she is such an amazing woman!

***************************

Here I am with the Bride to be. She is truly radiant.
We had a great time. Can't wait for the wedding - where I don't have to plan anything! Next time I will get to sit back and enjoy.
For any family who want all of the pictures - just post a comment and I will e-mail them all to you.

Virginia is for lovers...of traffic

This past weekend, and it seems most of this summer, I have been driving all over Virginia. Mostly up to Northern Virginia and back to Charlottesville. To spice things up I took a different route this past weekend. It was to be a beautiful 2 hour trip with a sleeping baby.


Most of the trip I was thinking how beautiful Virginia is, and how much I love my home state. I thought of all of the famous Virginians (including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, Robert E. Lee, Booker T. Washington, Stonewall Jackson and many more). Driving through rural Virginia I truly believe this is one of the most beautiful states. I am a patriotic Virginian. I spent much of the time - thinking about how much I wanted to tell y'all about Virginia.

Then I hit I-95 It took me 45 minutes to go 9 miles. I was no longer thinking glowing thoughts about my state. I was praying that Gregory would not wake up. I called John and asked "Are you sure we want to live in Northern Virginia when you get done with law school?" I'm not so sure any more.

Seriously - I love this state, but the traffic in Northern Virginia is a very evil thing. Every time we go back, I wonder if I can take it again. But then again, for the most part lawyers have to work in big cities. I would rather be here than in any other big city in the country.

Of course - I would be happy to hear suggestions from any other state patriots out there.

(And if you are interested in VA - I got my map and other info from their Virginia is for lovers site, so check it out.)

Boxes Galore

I knew all kids like boxes - but I wanted to share Muddy Mama's box story, because it made me laugh. I'll have to mention to Clare about cereal boxs - but I think she might be a little nervous about putting one on her pretty little head.

Perfect Daddy

While I've been sitting here playing with my blog, Gregory has been sitting next to Daddy. He has been rolling over and getting into all sorts of situations that he cannot get himself out of. Daddy always lovingly picks him up and sets him back where he can play with his toys.

At one point, Gregory looked up and gave Daddy a look of admiration and genuine love. John looks down at Gregory and smiles.

Gregory then grabs John's shirt right about where the milk should be and shoves it in his mouth. It looks as if he is trying to nurse. It was almost like saying - "You're so perfect, I know if I look for milk I'll find it this time."

It might have also been that Gregory was tired and wanted to nurse to sleep, but I prefer to think it was out of his love for his daddy.

Attack of the peaches

Gregory got a yummy dinner of peaches and prunes tonight. It was a battlefield. He didn't particularly like them, and found all sorts of ways to keep them from entering his mouth. The thing about phase 1 peaches and prunes is that they are very drippy. If I didn't get them completely in his mouth the first time, they would go some where else.

By the end he had them not only on his bib, but in the crease of his neck, practically in one of his eyes, on 4 or 5 toys, 2 spoons, and much carpet. What the picture does not convey is the amount he got on his clothes, - the sleeves, hips, and toes are brown. He thought he could get out of eating by sucking on his toes.

I do not believe I will combine these foods again. I will slip the prunes into his favorites. But I have to admit, prunes and sweet potatoes or prunes and bananas do not sound very good either.

My puppy, I mean daughter

Clare thinks she is a puppy
(today that is, we'll see about tomorrow).
She plays this game most of the day.
Here she is begging.
If you're not careful, she will lick you.
She asks for puppy ears - not pig tails,
and wants to do everything that dogs do.
I have to keep her from trying to do her business outside on our porch.
(This is of course pretend - she's doesn't actually get outside)


There are a few advantages. Clare also won't normally eat soup.

If you let her have the bowl on the floor and lick it up, she will eat bowls and bowls.
(I do have to make her promise that she will never do this at dinner or when we are at anyone else's house)



Every now and then she asks for something that dogs can't have - like chocolate or to read a story. Very quickly she becomes Clare again.

This here blog ain't...

My darling husband has brought it to my attention that my grammar and punctuation in my blog aren't perfect. So let this serve as my disclaimer - I'm horrid at grammar and punctuation.

When writing posts I am usually trying to get in a cute story or event quickly while the kids are happily playing, between chores etc. Grammar is not at the top of my list of things to look for. I tend to write as I think - which means my mind is probably a grammatical mess. I don't mind, I hope y'all don't really either.

Seriously this is probably my biggest issue with homeschooling (well at least one of them) - how in the world would my children learn proper English if left to my own devices.

Just to let y'all know, I am planning on improving - I'm even going to start checking out a cool grammar blog. Hopefully I will edit my posts better and try to write more precisely.

This whole thing hugely amuses me - this isn't an apology for my blog or anything, just a disclaimer, letting everyone know what to expect. :)

Thoughts of the day

Three different things have all made me want to blog today so here they are randomly jumbled together rather than 3 different posts. And just to change things up - I don't have any pictures.

• Random Scriptures - On my home page each day (or even several times a day), I receive a scripture verse of the day. I usually check it out, just because I think it is important to pray with and reflect on Scripture, especially for Catholics. Most of the time there is some point, even if the passage isn't relevant to my life. But sometimes they make no sense at all. Here is todays:
  Hebrews 6:2 Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
  Sometimes I feel like they have a random computer generator - let's just throw something up there. Picky me I know - there are just so many passages that could really strike people every day, and this one rarely does it.

• Clare and I went for groceries today and no trip to the grocery store is complete without a cookie. We swing by the bakery where Clare's favorite lady is working, she opens a new box of cookies and says "I like these, we'll see if you like them too" Clare hears "I like these, we'll see if you like 2." She grabs 2 cookies and the lady laughs. Clare hands one to me and says "For you, Mama." How sweet, she knows these are my favorite. Trying to be good, I decline. 5 minutes later, Clare says she can't eat her second cookie - "Mama eat big piece of my cookie - I full" So I walk around the store eating a cookie, looking like I begged the ladies at the bakery for one. Clare was so generous, I am always so amazed at toddlers' generosity.

• Lastly I've been reading Fr. Dubay's Deep Conversion Deep Prayer which is a really awesome book. He has a great quote
  Marriage is not faulty; husbands and wives are the problems.
  Now reading this I laughed - I was thinking that anyone who is married could tell you this. It's not my marriage, it's my husband/wife. But what he was saying was that marriage works, we cause the problems. The biggest thing for me is not pointing the finger at my darling husband. I tend to think if he is home and breathing that he has something to do with any problems that come up. He lovingly overlooks my finger pointing which is so sweet of him. I need to remember to point the finger at myself and that if I want my marriage and family life to be smoother, that I too have faults, and that I am part of any problems that arise.

Monkey See Monkey Do

So here are my kids thinking inside the box. It was cute - Gregory wanted the box and he ended up with it on his head. Then Clare had to get in on the action. This is a normal day at our house.

Feast of Our Lady

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. I wanted to post her image and remember in prayers the wonderful Carmelite priests who befriended our family. They were the ones who brought my mother into the Church. I believe most of the ones we knew are probably celebrating this day in heaven with Our Lord and the Blessed Mother. They also introduced us to the Poor Clares, who have been praying for us ever since. I always credit their prayers for how Joe and I turned out. God is so good to us. Today is also Clare's original due date, so another special little thanks for her.

I received this image from another blog so here is their link: http://mountcarmelbloggers.blogspot.com/

Clare's away

Clare has been at Grandma's since her birthday. While we have missed her, it has been such a treat getting to spend one-on-one time with Gregory. He is the sweetest baby. When he doesn't have his sister to watch, I feel like his character comes out more strongly. (And I tend to get more pictures too)

But then again, when my taskmaster (Clare) isn't here, everything is much more laid back. John and I enjoy things because we seem to have to more time to savor. I tend to get so much less done without Clare. Gregory, John, and I just take it easy. We get to a later Mass, end up ordering pizza, and spend most of the day lounging around the house. If Clare realized how much order she creates in our lives, she would be proud. She comes back tomorrow, and then I will get back to cleaning, organizing, and getting stuff done. All the things I used think I couldn't get done with her. High maintenence children bring structure to our lives.

Men in my life

Some Pictures of the men in my life.

Gregory and daddy playing video games

Grandpa and Gregory trying to crawl, and Joe and Gregory late at night

First tooth or tattoo

While at Grandma's for Clare's birthday, Gregory got his first tooth. He was quite fussy and no teething photos were taken. For a picture we have subsituted one of his cutest instead. How exciting that he will now be able to bite us. :)
Clare got her first tattoo. You can see it on her arm. She has already mastered the look of teenage angst and indifference, that I am sure we will see many times as she gets older. She is definitely one tough cookie in this picture. Here's the question for our family and friends. Did she get this look from mommy or daddy?

3 years old

Happy Birthday to our little Princess! 3 years old and all grown up! We've had so much fun today with a birthday party - stay tuned for pictures when we get home from Grandma's house.

Every day with Clare is a true blessing and I feel like we grow with her.

Itching to Know

I hate mosquitoes and I was so surprised when I was checking the weather for Charlottesville and found this. A handy little mosquito activity guide.

http://www.weather.com/activities/homeandgarden/mosquito/?from=breadcrumbs

So now I can check to see if I am going to be eaten alive, if I need an umbrella, or both. All from the Weather Channel. :)

Best Cobbler

This is the best and simplest recipe I have ever found for cobbler, so I just have to share it. The original recipe is for blueberry cobbler, but you can use any type of berries or peaches, fresh or frozen.

1 cup self-rising flour

1 cup sugar

1 cup milk

1 stick butter, or margarine melted

2 cups fruit

*Mix first four ingredients in a bowl

*Place blueberries in baking dish

*Pour mixture over blueberries

*Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Serve immediately with vanilla ice cream! (The ice cream is a must, it makes it perfect)

Didn't you always want to be one?

You Are Scooter

Brainy and knowledgable, you are the perfect sidekick. You're always willing to lend a helping hand. In any big event or party, you're the one who keeps things going. "15 seconds to showtime!"

The Muppet Personality Test

So I'm Scooter. And the description fits, or at least I think so. If you take the test let me know who you turn out to be.

Summer Heat

It is July and like most places, Virginia is at it's warmest in the summer. Gregory and Clare do not like the heat. This is how a usual trip out goes

We leave our nice cool condo and step out into the dark shaded hall. The moment we hit the sun Clare starts complaining that the sun is too hot and she does not like it. We get to the van open the door and she really gets upset because her seat is hot. Gregory fusses about being put into the hot van. The air in the van cools off and we all calm down. We get where we are going and are usually fine on the way in to the nice air-conditioned place we are headed to. We finish whatever we are doing and head back outside. As soon as we hit the sun Gregory starts fusses and Clare reminds me that the sun is still out and it is hot. Both kids scream as soon as we get to the van. I keep thinking it's not really that hot it's only 90. And we head home.

Most people probably think I torture my children in the van. I'm not even sure that I will try to leave the house in August, but we'll see, food must be bought and I'll go crazy if we stay in the condo. :)

Proof

Clare slept in this morning. She even slept through her alarm clock which I can hear clearly in our room. So she was definitely tired. Here's a little picture of her bright and cheery face this morning.

Happy toddlers are such a delight!

Snowball Effect

When you're tired things just seem to get worse and worse. Or maybe that is just for toddlers.

Clare had a great time at the lake and she came home tired.

So things just kept getting worse
1) Daddy washed her hair at bath time (crying starts)
2) Daddy asked Clare to put her toys away at the end of bath time (crying gets louder)
3) Daddy towels Clare off (much more crying)
4) Daddy dresses Clare, leaves room and closes door (Clare turns into a sobbing heap on the floor)
5) Mama comes in and opens new box of training pants (Clare whimpers that she doesn't like them)
6) Mama makes promises that sound good and Clare runs to the bathroom, trips on one of her shoes and smacks her head into the cabinet (again the sobbing heap but now with a big bump)
7) There are many more sobbing, sniffling steps until Clare is in bed and Mama tries to turn on Clare's favorite night light. (It's not Clare's favorite tonight, she wants it off, so it's off and we sit/sniff in the dark)
8)Clare falls asleep

My poor toddler - and I'm sure in the morning she will rise as bright as the sun to another wonderous day. I wish I could wake up like that every morning.

Vacation at the Lake

We just had the nicest time at the Lake with John's parents. They invited us to spend the 4th with them, and it was wonderful. Here are a few pictures of our trip.

Grandma and Gregory love each other very much! Every time they got a chance to be together they were. Grandpa and Clare are enjoying a little swim in the lake. Clare is so brave. Every time we were out on the boat she kept asking when she could get in.

Here is Uncle Matt with Gregory and the yellow wrench (one of Gregory's favorites.)

They are so cute together.

Here are the little ones - Clare's all ready for a day in the sun!

Gregory taking the moment to show the world how much he loves his rosary.