Hollywood Dreams

Maria's thinking about trying to be a child actress.

She thinks she could fit in perfectly well in Mad Men if they need another baby.

And she wouldn't mind running away from Darth Vader if George Lucas decides to make another Star Wars movie. 

She might actually need to learn how to walk or crawl for that one though.

(The light saber is a paint brush Gregory stuck infront of the camera lens, and I couldn't resist.)

Scarf Fun!

Book #13 - Maine

In every book club I have joined, there is always a summer read.  Someone chooses a book about women who go to the beach for the summer and work out all sorts of personal and interpersonal problems.   I don't mind, these books are usually light silly reads.  In fact, I used one of those books to get me through most of Thomas' labor since it was distracting but did not require much thought.

Maine, by J. Courtney Sullivan is a beach read.  But it is better than most.  The story line is captivating if somewhat predictible.  The reader feels invested in the lives of the different women and enjoys the resolution of tensions through out the book.  It would be a great book to take on vacation.

In addition, I was captivated by one of the main characters, Alice. 

Alice is an old lady, in her eighties, and a devout Catholic.  She attends Mass every day and is good friends with the local priest.  The priest is well written, he acts very much like real priests I personally know.

Alice also struggles with sin, guilt, and her past.  I imagine that the author probably has devout Catholic parents, since she so well captures what they feel, even if she doesn't always get doctrine right.

 

There is a scene where Alice remembers asking a priest to use birth control in confession.  He says the Church forbids it, but encourages her to embrace motherhood.  She listens to him.  She also remembers praying every morning before a statue of Our Lady to bring her brothers home safely from war.

Towards the end of the book she confesses what she considers to be her greatest sin.  When the priest encourages her to let go and accept God's love these are her thoughts: "She wanted somone harsher here, someone to take a Brillo pad to her sins and scrub until she bled."   The priest continues to try to lead her to forgive herself too,  "....was a great loss.  But consider how much joy--how many lives have come into being because of it.  And because of you."

I feel like Sullivan captures real personalities in her novel.  Here are complicated women trying to love each other imperfectly.  The Catholic aspect was unexpected and pretty satisfying.  I'm glad I got to read this book and that it was more than what I had expected.

Yes, you are.

Repurposing the carseat

"A little too big to fit, but not too big to have fun!"

Block Heads

Gregory used some of our blocks to pretend he was a robot.

He also set Maria up 

She didn't get mad, but we weren't sure she like it, so he took the blocks away, and gave her kisses instead. 

Tales by Twilight

No this isn't a post about any books about Stephanie Meyer, even though it is about some other books.

Clare's school hosts a Tales by Twilight once a year where the kids can go and listen to books being read to them by teachers.

She grabbed my camera and ran out the door with Dad and Gregory

Not only do teachers read books, but there was a huge presentation of the book Wolf! given by two Redskins players, Anthony Armstrong and Lorenzo Alexander.

What a great idea for a school to host!  They even got a sponsor to donate books for the students to choose from.  Needless to say, Clare and Gregory returned home very happy.

Book Mania!

Here's the scene at our house after a trip to the library.

Clare will read for hours with new books.  So will I.

The boys spend quite a bit of time looking at books too.

And playing with them.

So nice of Maria to take a nap so I can read.

(As you can see from the clutter in the background, this is a very real day at home.)

Book #12 - The Last Resort

Hmmm...The Last Resort by Norma Watkins, is not exactly what it appears to be.  From the descriptions I was expecting it to be a book about a hotel.  Instead it is a memoir of the author, Norma Watkins, which follows her life and desegregation in Mississippi.

This was an easy and mostly light read.  If you like The Help by Kathryn Stockett, then this book will help flesh out that story.  You will get another point of view in Jackson, Mississippi.  It helped me realize more how deeply seated rascism was in the deep south, and how the help was treated. (On a side note, I never knew how involved the Kennedy's were in desegregation.) 

Watkins also points out the helplessness of women in that society.   Everything she had was tied to her husband.  It is hard to imagine how far we have come in 50-60 years.  I can understand her desire to do the just thing for African Americans, while being afraid of the ramifications for her own comfortable life. 

As most of our lives are, the author is a complicated person.  She takes, what appears to be, an honest look at herself and the people around her.  While this isn't always flattering, it is very real and interesting.

Prepared for Lent?

Maria is very concerned about the fact that Lent starts tomorrow. 

Being the only sinless one in the house (well maybe Thomas is sinless too), she wants to make sure that we have our plans set up and ready to go on Ash Wednesday.

First, we're going to try to do a family decade of the rosary every night.

The kids and I made a rosary decade string for each of them. 

Each one is crafted for slightly different sized hands sliding the beads.

Thomas' is so big that if he decides he doesn't want to be holy, he might be able to knock someone out.

For instructions to make your own click here.  These are so easy to make.

(I couldn't find my crucifixes so Holy Family/Holy Spirit medals will be fine this year.)

I think we might also do a lenten bean jar for good works,

plus give up sweets and ipad games as well.

"Phew!  You're more ready than I thought," says Maria. 

In some ways I feel like we should be doing more, but I've been discovering that I tend to be way too ambitious with four kids.  We'll start small and maybe work up.  Or I'm sure God will send us more sacrifices as we need them.

Hide and Seek Fail

"What are you doing Thomas?"

"Hiding"

Book #11 - We Others

While We Others by Steven Millhauser took a while to read, it's review can be short and sweet.

It is hard to summarize a collection of short stories, each one frames something different.  Millhauser's stories are rife with adjectives, descriptions, and a sense of wonder.  One can picture exactly what he describes, the stories are elegantly concrete and yet heady.  This makes each story exciting to begin, and enticing to linger on, imagining and enjoying the plots. 

His prose makes one want to capture the moment in which they live and value it for it's normalcy and possiblities therein contained.  It is very clear to me why Millhauser won a Pulitzer, and I look forward to reading a novel of his in the future.

How they love their papa

By smiling and cooing at him

By using him as a jungle gym, and singing "I'm on top of the mountain!"



State of the Blog

A year ago on Valentine's, John started his job here in VA.  This means we've been living here a little over a year.  Just as the President does his State of the Union yearly, I thought I too would have State of the Blog.

First, it has been a good if busy year.  We have a new person in our family.  I discovered that homeschooling and I aren't really a good fit.  Even though that might actually be that homeschooling and a pregnant I aren't a good fit.

I miss Dallas, especially when it's cold here.  I miss being able to take walks and play outside without coats on in the winter.  I really miss the Dallas Arboretum and I still miss St. Monica's which was a great school and parish.

I love that John is no longer traveling for work.  It makes all the difference that he is home every night and helps out in so many ways.  The children love having him here and I see it in how they play with him every day.  He laughed at me the other day when I sighed and made a comment at him doing work after 6 one night.  A little over a year ago, he either wouldn't have been in the same city, or he would start pondering if he could leave his office before 7 and still get his work done.

A fourth child is awesome.  Maria is a delight, a better sleeper than the others at this age, and so warm and snugly I don't ever want to put her down...except that I do have to get things done eventually.  A fourth pregnancy was not awesome.  Our hands are delightfully overflowing at the moment with children.  With John and I being the introverts that we are, this is sometimes a bit much for us.  But there is grace, joy, and sometimes tears and sleep deprivation in this.

I thought at some point we would have all the answers.  John would settle into a job and it would magically come to us - the perfect place to live, the perfect way to educate our children.  But life and God's plan aren't that simple.  We talk and talk about these things - what schools for next year, what house, where and should we rent or buy.  At the moment we are staying where we are, but it could all change. 

Our town has grown on me, but I'm not sure we're completely sold on it.  We flirt with the idea of moving to live near friends or even closer to John's folks.  We play with the idea of different schools and even try to peer into the future for high school and wonder if we should move to be closer to a decent Catholic one.

It is awesome living so close to John's parents.  They are a fixture in our lives.  The children adore them and beg to go over to their house almost every day.  They come to school events and made small people happy when I cannot bi locate and John is at work.  I can trust that if I ever need a helping hand they are there.

Life is pretty good. We are thankful for all that we have.  I know there will be rough days and times ahead, but I trust that God and our friends and family will be there too.  Thank you for being a part of this and enjoying the journey with us.

Grip reflex

It even works when she's asleep.

Valentine's Day

There is someone in our house who gets very excited about Valentine's Day.  (And it's not John)

Clare woke up very early this morning and was ready to go long before school started.

Of utmost concern to Clare was what she would wear today.  Each piece of her outfit was scrutinized, and her hair had to be perfect.

Yesterday she greeted her father at the door as he came home from work.

"Hello Daddy!  Which dress should I wear to school tomorrow for Valentine's Day"

She had two dresses in hand to present for inspection.

I'm pretty sure that John was not expecting that kind of question from Clare, or how much little girls are simply women in training.

Here is what I made Clare's class for their party. 

Here is what Gregory's class got. 

You get what you ask for.

And someone small watches all the excitement and tries to eat her blanket. 

The ladies of the house

Book #10 - The Grief of Others

I approached this book with apprehension after my two most recent ventures into Washington Post-recommended fiction.  I had no idea of what to expect.  The Grief of Others by Leah Hager Cohen is a book about a family that lost a baby who was only 57 hours old.  The repercussions of the baby's death show or deepen the already existing fissures in the family relationships.

Cohen writes beautifully and sensitively about her chosen topic.  The first chapter, which describes the 57 hours in which the baby lived, is particularly moving (read: I cried).  The baby dies due to a condition for which most people abort their babies, yet this couple carried the baby to term and loved him until his natural death.  It comes across as very pro-life. In fact, there are three people in the book who choose not to have abortions.

The whole story is pro-life and pro-family.  This would be great for a Catholic mom's book club since many of the issues Cohen addresses happen in many loving families.  There are tragedies, secrets, children needing love, unexpected visitors, life being a delight and a drudge, loneliness, intimacy vs. sex, healing and redemption - a whole gamut of things.  At one point the husband/father, John, reflects,

"Their lives this past year had not been very happy, but they had been steady, predictably chugging along.  Now he had the sense of changes afoot, changes he did not quite grasp or see.  He was aware, mostly, of a sharp longing for family."

I loved how Cohen wrote chapters from the perspective of each member of the family.  Getting into their minds helped move the book along.  Instead of needing to give characters the benefit of the doubt, the reader is lead to understand the goods he/she was striving to attain.  This was an engrossing and enjoyable read.

The Pony and the Princess

Clare was helping me stage our monthly pictures of Maria.

She had the great idea of putting the ponies tail across Maria's chest.

You can see her hand here as she goes to place it. 

Maria liked the feel of the tail.  She would smile.

And then she would flip the tail off.

This picture captures the tail in motion, and Maria's satisfied look at what she has accomplished.

Clare and I did this for 5 minutes or so, laughing the whole time.

3 months

Cookie Playdate

We've had a busy few days.

Clare and Gregory have each had a play date, and for Clare's we made sugar and playdough cookies.

It was a real treat to get to meet her friends and their parents.

The girls worked hard, laughed alot, and nibbled on dough/cookies.

You can see what Clare had on her plate at the end of the day.

Book #9 - King of the Badgers

What can I say about King of the Badgers by Philip Hensher?  I really hated this book.  The purported plot of the book centers around the disappearance of a child.  However that only takes up about half of the 436 pages.  The rest mainly centers on a lonely gay man and follows various other characters habiting the small town in England where the missing child was abducted.  It felt disjointed and wandering. 

I don't have much to say, so I'll use a quote from Francine Prose's review in the New York Times which expresses my feelings much more eloquently than I can.


"This is satire at its most superficial, filled with meanness unredeemed by compassion, notable for its lack of heart and its catty superiority toward hapless characters jerked around and mocked like contestants on a Japanese game show. And just when you may be trying to recall when you last read a novel whose author showed such contempt for so many of his characters, the plot takes a turn toward the melodramatic. The secrets grow sillier, the events less plausible, the punishments visited on the innocent harsher and more severe. Eventually things are sorted out and most loose ends tied up."


I have been somewhat disappointed in the fiction books so far. I'm really hoping the next one is better or I may end up just reading non-fiction selections.

A Handful!

Especially when they start making faces like these:

Maria's going to cry,

Thomas is plotting something,

And Clare isn't telling us something. ;)

Little Cowpoke

Don't mess with a cowboy

"Yippie kyo tyay!"

Someone's looking for some trouble!