Thursday, December 18, 2014
Wednesday, December 17, 2014
Ron's Crazy Comments
Ron commenting on the images of himself in our Christmas card:
"Oh my gosh! It looks like a beaver left something on my head!"
And, "It looks like I'm a fat, middle-aged man. It looks like my medication isn't working!"
"Oh my gosh! It looks like a beaver left something on my head!"
And, "It looks like I'm a fat, middle-aged man. It looks like my medication isn't working!"
A Game Called: "Where It Goes"
Annie is four and a half. She leaves toys and messes wherever she goes!
Yesterday I cleaned up all her toys, putting all the little pieces of her games in their right places all over the house. Then I showed her my big "surprise"! All her toys were in their right places! Shockingly, she exclaimed, "All my lost toys! You found them!" That shows how big of a deal it is that a child's things are in their right places. They cannot even conceptualize that they have a game that is just spread out.
Then I said, "I have a new game for you!" She was so excited. "What's it called?" she asked.
"Where It Goes," I responded.
I had her sit on the floor and close her eyes, the way many fun games begin. Then I took one toy from the toy kitchens area, one doll dress, one hanger from the closet, and one brush, and I put them in a pile in the center of her room. "Open your eyes!" I exclaimed. I told her, "I know that you know where SOME of these things go. But if you can put ALL of them away, you get a sticker." She put one thing up. I cajoled, "Yeah, well that's just one. But I bet you can't get the next one!" And so forth. The other girls were watching all this, and Leigh was giddy with excitement every time Annie put something in the right place. They share a room, and Leigh has been constantly frustrated that Annie won't put things away. None of us, really, could believe it, that Annie was doing it!
When she got the last one in its right place, we all shouted, "Hooray!!! She won the game!!!" I told her we could get her a sticker. She said, "Can I earn special time instead?" The older kids earn 10 points to get time out alone with one parent. I said, "Are you old enough for special time?? Okay!!" And she squealed with delight.
The truly amazing thing is that she asked several times that afternoon, "Can we play Where It Goes again?" She even cried, telling me that Mary would not play Where It Goes with her!
The even more amazing thing is that this morning, she took a cup out of the drawer, handled it a bit, and then set it down and started to walk away. I said, "Oh Annie, let's play Where It Goes! Where does it go?" She put it back where it belongs. I cheered, "Yay!!!! You did it!!!! You won a special time point!!" And she ran and hugged me, and I tickled her and she laughed hard. She is so, so proud of herself. She also won another point when Leigh took her upstairs to get leggings to wear under her dress. Leigh reported, "Annie took a bunch pif clothes out of her drawer, looking for the leggings. Once she found some, she put them on. But then, playing the game, she put all her remaining clothes back in the drawer and closed the drawer!" Leigh was as thrilled as Annie, because now Leigh's room is still straight.
We all win!! It was an all day endeavor. It took me a long time to get the toys where they belonged in the first place. And then, adding things like hangers and clothes made it seem "upper level" or "advanced" to Annie. But it was a big undertaking for me. I had to get my will in line, and push through the big effort. But it worked! And now we have a family game to play, instead of tears and time outs, for the next several years until Annie is as good as all the older children at keeping their belongings in the right places. Hooray!! Hurdle cleared!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Yesterday I cleaned up all her toys, putting all the little pieces of her games in their right places all over the house. Then I showed her my big "surprise"! All her toys were in their right places! Shockingly, she exclaimed, "All my lost toys! You found them!" That shows how big of a deal it is that a child's things are in their right places. They cannot even conceptualize that they have a game that is just spread out.
Then I said, "I have a new game for you!" She was so excited. "What's it called?" she asked.
"Where It Goes," I responded.
I had her sit on the floor and close her eyes, the way many fun games begin. Then I took one toy from the toy kitchens area, one doll dress, one hanger from the closet, and one brush, and I put them in a pile in the center of her room. "Open your eyes!" I exclaimed. I told her, "I know that you know where SOME of these things go. But if you can put ALL of them away, you get a sticker." She put one thing up. I cajoled, "Yeah, well that's just one. But I bet you can't get the next one!" And so forth. The other girls were watching all this, and Leigh was giddy with excitement every time Annie put something in the right place. They share a room, and Leigh has been constantly frustrated that Annie won't put things away. None of us, really, could believe it, that Annie was doing it!
When she got the last one in its right place, we all shouted, "Hooray!!! She won the game!!!" I told her we could get her a sticker. She said, "Can I earn special time instead?" The older kids earn 10 points to get time out alone with one parent. I said, "Are you old enough for special time?? Okay!!" And she squealed with delight.
The truly amazing thing is that she asked several times that afternoon, "Can we play Where It Goes again?" She even cried, telling me that Mary would not play Where It Goes with her!
The even more amazing thing is that this morning, she took a cup out of the drawer, handled it a bit, and then set it down and started to walk away. I said, "Oh Annie, let's play Where It Goes! Where does it go?" She put it back where it belongs. I cheered, "Yay!!!! You did it!!!! You won a special time point!!" And she ran and hugged me, and I tickled her and she laughed hard. She is so, so proud of herself. She also won another point when Leigh took her upstairs to get leggings to wear under her dress. Leigh reported, "Annie took a bunch pif clothes out of her drawer, looking for the leggings. Once she found some, she put them on. But then, playing the game, she put all her remaining clothes back in the drawer and closed the drawer!" Leigh was as thrilled as Annie, because now Leigh's room is still straight.
We all win!! It was an all day endeavor. It took me a long time to get the toys where they belonged in the first place. And then, adding things like hangers and clothes made it seem "upper level" or "advanced" to Annie. But it was a big undertaking for me. I had to get my will in line, and push through the big effort. But it worked! And now we have a family game to play, instead of tears and time outs, for the next several years until Annie is as good as all the older children at keeping their belongings in the right places. Hooray!! Hurdle cleared!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tuesday, December 16, 2014
Becoming More Peaceful
Every liturgical year, beginning in Advent, I choose one spiritual goal on which to work throughout the year. I reflect: where am I rock bottom miserable in my behavior? What am I really flubbing up? I figure out what kind of virtue would correct that, and then I pray and work, pray and work, to improve in that area.
As I wrote recently, this year's spiritual goal is joyful trust. I recently looked back and noticed that last year's was peacefulness, and the year's before was speaking the truth in love.
It is rather amazing to me to see how much I failed all the way through the past two years regarding those goals, but how now, when I reflect, I can see marked improvement in both areas that have managed to finally settle in.
Baby Sebastian has brought a huge amount of peace into my life. I expected the reverse, and fretted a good bit during the pregnancy with him how we would manage. But once he arrived, all of that evaporated, and I am content just to get through the day--peacefully. Planning our homeschool this year, I decided, "Our benchmarked won't be academic. Rather, the year will be about personal relationships. Let's just enjoy each other more than we ever have before." Now, we do a TON of school each day. Each of the three girls have a minimum of ten subjects each day. But we are imperfect. And I am just so happy to focus on personal relationships instead of academic perfection! I plan to homeschool these three girls all the way through high school, so we have time to catch up if we were to fall behind this year. What is important for now is--peace.
I am so surprised to realize that last year's goal, which seemed so impossible all through that year, my heart being a barren wasteland for peace, has finally taken root and a little blossom has finally bloomed!
As I wrote recently, this year's spiritual goal is joyful trust. I recently looked back and noticed that last year's was peacefulness, and the year's before was speaking the truth in love.
It is rather amazing to me to see how much I failed all the way through the past two years regarding those goals, but how now, when I reflect, I can see marked improvement in both areas that have managed to finally settle in.
Baby Sebastian has brought a huge amount of peace into my life. I expected the reverse, and fretted a good bit during the pregnancy with him how we would manage. But once he arrived, all of that evaporated, and I am content just to get through the day--peacefully. Planning our homeschool this year, I decided, "Our benchmarked won't be academic. Rather, the year will be about personal relationships. Let's just enjoy each other more than we ever have before." Now, we do a TON of school each day. Each of the three girls have a minimum of ten subjects each day. But we are imperfect. And I am just so happy to focus on personal relationships instead of academic perfection! I plan to homeschool these three girls all the way through high school, so we have time to catch up if we were to fall behind this year. What is important for now is--peace.
I am so surprised to realize that last year's goal, which seemed so impossible all through that year, my heart being a barren wasteland for peace, has finally taken root and a little blossom has finally bloomed!
Monday, December 15, 2014
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Eucharistic Motherhood
My neck is out. It hurts when I move it more than about 30 degrees.
My back hurts.
My jaw is tight and my eyes are bloodshot.
It is so hard not getting more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep! It is so hard getting out of bed three times per night in response to a crying baby! It reeks havoc on your body!
And then I recall: "This is my body, given for you." In the Eucharist, Christ gives His body for us. When we give our bodies to care for and nourish our children, we are a tiny, minuscule reflection of Christ's love for us.
God, help me to see all these aches and pain as beautiful!
My back hurts.
My jaw is tight and my eyes are bloodshot.
It is so hard not getting more than 4 consecutive hours of sleep! It is so hard getting out of bed three times per night in response to a crying baby! It reeks havoc on your body!
And then I recall: "This is my body, given for you." In the Eucharist, Christ gives His body for us. When we give our bodies to care for and nourish our children, we are a tiny, minuscule reflection of Christ's love for us.
God, help me to see all these aches and pain as beautiful!
Friday, December 12, 2014
P90X3
I am only 8 days away from the end of P90X3! It is a 90 day workout that is intense: 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week, for 90 days.
I have done the program in earnest: I even want to earn the t-shirt that we get for completing the program! You have to send in "before" and "after" photos to get the shirt. I know it's corny, but I just think of the shirt on tough workout days, and the very idea carries me through!
One really funny moment today was that I was doing our Christmas cards online. I was dragging photos around, trying to design our card.
I almost dragged my "before" pictures onto our Christmas card! Oh, how humiliating that would be! I laughed all day thinking about it!
I have done the program in earnest: I even want to earn the t-shirt that we get for completing the program! You have to send in "before" and "after" photos to get the shirt. I know it's corny, but I just think of the shirt on tough workout days, and the very idea carries me through!
One really funny moment today was that I was doing our Christmas cards online. I was dragging photos around, trying to design our card.
I almost dragged my "before" pictures onto our Christmas card! Oh, how humiliating that would be! I laughed all day thinking about it!
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
spiritual goal for the year
Every year, I choose one thing that I need to work on, and make it my goal for the year. The year is the liturgical year, which begins with Advent. So, two weeks ago I began my new year, pursuing my new spiritual goal: joyful trust.
Trust in God is hard for me. I like to see the blueprints, the road map. I don't currently see where my life is headed--will my book ever get published? Will it be well received? What impact will that have on my life? What will my family life be like in a few years? What needs to happen for me to feel like my life is a success? Some days these questions are just so hard for me.
So I am happily taking on "trust" as my year's goal. But even that word sounds gloomy to me. It sounds macabre, like I am walking through the valley of the shadow of death! So, I have renamed my goal, "Joyful trust." I am seeking the kind of trust that my children have. They are happy, knowing that things will basically turn out well for them, because Ron and I are working so hard to ensure their happiness, safety, and personal fulfillment.
I, too, want to have a childlike, joyful trust that my Father has a GREAT plan for me, whether the fulness of it be experienced here or in heaven. I want to joyfully embrace what life brings, knowing that it all works to the fulfillment of God's purpose (Rom. 8:28).
What I want more than anything is to be a "saint": not a canonized saint, but what the Bible means when it talks about the "saints." I want to be one of the people of God, whose whole life is reborn and renewed and is living in the Spirit of God. I want every aspect of my life and heart to be sanctified, and I want to be totally purified of all that is evil, ugly and sinful. I want to shine in the world, shedding the light of Christ wherever I go. I want my small, maternal actions to be big, holy work that makes a difference in the kingdom of God.
Trust in God is hard for me. I like to see the blueprints, the road map. I don't currently see where my life is headed--will my book ever get published? Will it be well received? What impact will that have on my life? What will my family life be like in a few years? What needs to happen for me to feel like my life is a success? Some days these questions are just so hard for me.
So I am happily taking on "trust" as my year's goal. But even that word sounds gloomy to me. It sounds macabre, like I am walking through the valley of the shadow of death! So, I have renamed my goal, "Joyful trust." I am seeking the kind of trust that my children have. They are happy, knowing that things will basically turn out well for them, because Ron and I are working so hard to ensure their happiness, safety, and personal fulfillment.
I, too, want to have a childlike, joyful trust that my Father has a GREAT plan for me, whether the fulness of it be experienced here or in heaven. I want to joyfully embrace what life brings, knowing that it all works to the fulfillment of God's purpose (Rom. 8:28).
What I want more than anything is to be a "saint": not a canonized saint, but what the Bible means when it talks about the "saints." I want to be one of the people of God, whose whole life is reborn and renewed and is living in the Spirit of God. I want every aspect of my life and heart to be sanctified, and I want to be totally purified of all that is evil, ugly and sinful. I want to shine in the world, shedding the light of Christ wherever I go. I want my small, maternal actions to be big, holy work that makes a difference in the kingdom of God.
Tuesday, December 9, 2014
family photographs
We just had Emily Alexander, a local photographer, shoot our family. Oh, she is so talented! We just loved her.
Here are some of our pics on her blog.
http://www.emilyalexander.blogspot.com
Thank you, Emily!
Here are some of our pics on her blog.
http://www.emilyalexander.blogspot.com
Thank you, Emily!
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
Salad Days!
What I have come to see is that these are the very, very best days of my life. None will compare. I will spend the bulk of my older years thinking about these days: all 6 kids are born, the baby is still a tiny, adorable infant; we still have a 4 year old and she is sweetly precocious; Leigh and Clare are still grammar school age and play with dolls; Mary is a pre-teen and was BORN to be a pre-teen so fits the role well; Jacob is having the smoothest possible transition into teenage-hood I could imagine, making straight A's and loving his new classmates. Our home is peaceful; the children are well behaved. Ron is so loving and kind to me, always checking in with me and doing everything as a team. I have completely let go of all things that I wish were different about our marriage, and so we have the world's kindest relationship. We have never been more happily married.
This vision is hard to remember. The refrigerator is always half empty; the laundry is always piled high; the baby is always wanting to be held; the school work is never quite complete; I am always a little overweight; Ron has never gotten in today's run; the bills are always overdue; the dog got out of the yard; most of the light bulbs are out; the hammock still hangs down, half of it tied to a tree and the other half sagging on the ground.
But I am committed, completely committed, to seeing the glass half full. Life just does not get better than having this huge, loving family. Oh, how I thank God for this life!
This vision is hard to remember. The refrigerator is always half empty; the laundry is always piled high; the baby is always wanting to be held; the school work is never quite complete; I am always a little overweight; Ron has never gotten in today's run; the bills are always overdue; the dog got out of the yard; most of the light bulbs are out; the hammock still hangs down, half of it tied to a tree and the other half sagging on the ground.
But I am committed, completely committed, to seeing the glass half full. Life just does not get better than having this huge, loving family. Oh, how I thank God for this life!
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