Happy Birthday, Leigh! You are an angel! May you always be held close in the arms of Christ and our Blessed Mother!
Friday, March 31, 2017
Birthday Fun!
Leigh turned 10! Her classmates did the limbo, "Junk in the Trunk," and other crazy games!
Happy Birthday, Leigh! You are an angel! May you always be held close in the arms of Christ and our Blessed Mother!
Happy Birthday, Leigh! You are an angel! May you always be held close in the arms of Christ and our Blessed Mother!
Thursday, March 30, 2017
Monday, March 27, 2017
Tips for Getting Through School Mornings
As our school mornings are sometimes incredibly intense and frustrating, I have started to problem solve. Here are my five tips for how to survive the chaos!
1) Wake up 3 minutes early, and glance at the Bible verse you put on your nightstand the night before. The first thought of the day being the Word of God makes, perhaps, all the difference. This is not a time commitment, as 3 minutes fall within the margin of error. Then, do Morning Prayer after you drop the kids off at school or, if you are a homeschooling mom, at your first break.
2) Have a time (eg. 7:15 am) all kids need to be in the kitchen. Reward each one who makes it with a fitting reward (for young kids, a sticker or a sugar free candy to put in their lunch box; for older kids, internet or phone privileges, etc.). Do the same for getting in the car (or being at the homeschool table, if you are homeschooling). Instead of yelling, nagging, or fussing, stay quiet. Never speak in louder than a whisper. But if they are not there, they do not get the reward.
3) Pay a dollar to anyone who puts away all the breakfast and lunch-making foods and still makes it to the car (or homeschool table) on time. A dollar is a small price to pay for a clean kitchen!
4) Vitamins and hair brushing: I have put a gallon-sized bag of duplicates of all our vitamins in the car. So, if they have not taken their vitamins at home, they can take them in the car. A hairbrush in the car helps with emergency hair needs as well.
5) A Bible verse in the car (or at the beginning of the homeschool day): As your children are taking their vitamins and brushing their hair, say together a Bible verse that you have picked for the family to memorize. Then remind them: They are missionaries to all the people they encounter. They are called to be the self-appointed "Class Chaplain" (or the "Family Chaplain" if they homeschool). Being a beacon of light to their classmates (or family), and having a prayerful response to all class (or family) trouble, drama, and conflicts is their role. Say a quick prayer with them, such as a litany with their favorite saints, and root them on!
1) Wake up 3 minutes early, and glance at the Bible verse you put on your nightstand the night before. The first thought of the day being the Word of God makes, perhaps, all the difference. This is not a time commitment, as 3 minutes fall within the margin of error. Then, do Morning Prayer after you drop the kids off at school or, if you are a homeschooling mom, at your first break.
2) Have a time (eg. 7:15 am) all kids need to be in the kitchen. Reward each one who makes it with a fitting reward (for young kids, a sticker or a sugar free candy to put in their lunch box; for older kids, internet or phone privileges, etc.). Do the same for getting in the car (or being at the homeschool table, if you are homeschooling). Instead of yelling, nagging, or fussing, stay quiet. Never speak in louder than a whisper. But if they are not there, they do not get the reward.
3) Pay a dollar to anyone who puts away all the breakfast and lunch-making foods and still makes it to the car (or homeschool table) on time. A dollar is a small price to pay for a clean kitchen!
4) Vitamins and hair brushing: I have put a gallon-sized bag of duplicates of all our vitamins in the car. So, if they have not taken their vitamins at home, they can take them in the car. A hairbrush in the car helps with emergency hair needs as well.
5) A Bible verse in the car (or at the beginning of the homeschool day): As your children are taking their vitamins and brushing their hair, say together a Bible verse that you have picked for the family to memorize. Then remind them: They are missionaries to all the people they encounter. They are called to be the self-appointed "Class Chaplain" (or the "Family Chaplain" if they homeschool). Being a beacon of light to their classmates (or family), and having a prayerful response to all class (or family) trouble, drama, and conflicts is their role. Say a quick prayer with them, such as a litany with their favorite saints, and root them on!
Friday, March 24, 2017
Joyful Visit
Our family was blessed by a joyful visit with Fr. Koterski! Many wonderful memories of spiritual direction and class instruction flooded my heart. Fr Koterski directed me as I prepared to be received into the Church when I was in my 20's in graduate school at Fordham. What a profound impact he had on me. God bless Fr. Koterski!
Monday, March 20, 2017
Good Friends
It was a great joy to see these wonderful friends from college.
They remind me of the saints in heaven depicted by Fra Angelico.
They remind me of the saints in heaven depicted by Fra Angelico.
How they have blessed me by their luminous example and sacred friendship!
Sebastian and His New Puppy
Sebastian loves his new puppy, Charlie! Charlie is a calm and gentle playmate. Imagine a dog just laying at the feet of a boy with a weapon (even shovels are weapons to Sebastian)!
Tuesday, March 14, 2017
A Mother: The Suffering Servant
"Behold, My servant will. . . be high and lifted up and greatly exalted" (Isaiah 52:13).
Catholic mothers rightly see themselves in this beautiful passage from the Suffering Servant's passage in Isaiah. It depicts the future Messiah, who will be "pierced through for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities" (53:4). The Messiah, the Scripture tells us, will bear pain and suffering, for our sake. And by his pain, we will be healed: "The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed" (53:5).
Mothers, especially those who live out their vocation with devotion and faith, live a close parallel to this Suffering Servant described here. The devout mother suffers intense pain for a time. She gives up her hopes, her dreams, her comfort. She relinquishes her time, her interests, her control. She takes on physical suffering: stretch marks, unwanted weight, strange blemishes; labor and delivery pain; challenges with nursing, infections, postpartum struggles. For years, she carries a baby on her hip, hunched over, back out of alignment. She spends years for each child she bears, giving her body over to this child.
But mothers do not suffer in vain. Mothers suffer for the sake of another. Like the Suffering Servant, mothers endure pain and difficulties, out of sacrificial love for their child and their family. They resemble the Suffering Servant, who bears pain for the well-being of his people.
I recall crying, two years ago, lamenting my postpartum weight, fatigue, and general misery. My husband said to me, "You have taken a hit for the team! We all see and appreciate what you are doing for us! We have this precious baby boy in our family now, because of what you have endured! Thank you, Kathryn!" That sentence meant the world to me. It carried me through many more months of emotional and physical challenges. I knew that "this too shall pass," but my eighth pregnancy and postpartum phase was a long and arduous path. Mothers can hit terrible lows.
But like the Suffering Servant, faithful mothers one day will be "high and lifted up and greatly exalted." We wear our crown of thorns, only one day to wear heavenly crowns. The kingship of Christ began with his suffering on Calvary. But it ended in eternal glory. So too, mothers who share in His suffering will one day share in his radiant triumph.
It is a great hope that we may rightly share, that our suffering will be redemptive and that one day we will enjoy the great exaltation of Christ.
Catholic mothers rightly see themselves in this beautiful passage from the Suffering Servant's passage in Isaiah. It depicts the future Messiah, who will be "pierced through for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities" (53:4). The Messiah, the Scripture tells us, will bear pain and suffering, for our sake. And by his pain, we will be healed: "The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed" (53:5).
Mothers, especially those who live out their vocation with devotion and faith, live a close parallel to this Suffering Servant described here. The devout mother suffers intense pain for a time. She gives up her hopes, her dreams, her comfort. She relinquishes her time, her interests, her control. She takes on physical suffering: stretch marks, unwanted weight, strange blemishes; labor and delivery pain; challenges with nursing, infections, postpartum struggles. For years, she carries a baby on her hip, hunched over, back out of alignment. She spends years for each child she bears, giving her body over to this child.
But mothers do not suffer in vain. Mothers suffer for the sake of another. Like the Suffering Servant, mothers endure pain and difficulties, out of sacrificial love for their child and their family. They resemble the Suffering Servant, who bears pain for the well-being of his people.
I recall crying, two years ago, lamenting my postpartum weight, fatigue, and general misery. My husband said to me, "You have taken a hit for the team! We all see and appreciate what you are doing for us! We have this precious baby boy in our family now, because of what you have endured! Thank you, Kathryn!" That sentence meant the world to me. It carried me through many more months of emotional and physical challenges. I knew that "this too shall pass," but my eighth pregnancy and postpartum phase was a long and arduous path. Mothers can hit terrible lows.
But like the Suffering Servant, faithful mothers one day will be "high and lifted up and greatly exalted." We wear our crown of thorns, only one day to wear heavenly crowns. The kingship of Christ began with his suffering on Calvary. But it ended in eternal glory. So too, mothers who share in His suffering will one day share in his radiant triumph.
It is a great hope that we may rightly share, that our suffering will be redemptive and that one day we will enjoy the great exaltation of Christ.
Sunday, March 12, 2017
A 2 year old's Hail Mary
As I drive my 2 year old around town with the other kids are in school, I often pray the Rosary aloud. Recently, little Sebastian has started shouting, "My turn!" So I'd let him give the Hail Mary a try. But he would be silent. So I'd pick back up. But again, he would shout, "My turn!" I was confused.
Finally, I decided to stay silent while it was "his turn." I'd say it in my mind. Sure enough, Sebastian would be silent until, in perfect timing as though he had said the whole thing out loud, he'd say, "Fruit. . . .Womb, JESUS!"
These are his three words! He must say the rest of it in his mind, because he says these words just when an adult would say them.
So, Sebastian "says" the first half of the Hail Mary, and I say the second. We pray whole decades this way, driving around town!
Finally, I decided to stay silent while it was "his turn." I'd say it in my mind. Sure enough, Sebastian would be silent until, in perfect timing as though he had said the whole thing out loud, he'd say, "Fruit. . . .Womb, JESUS!"
These are his three words! He must say the rest of it in his mind, because he says these words just when an adult would say them.
So, Sebastian "says" the first half of the Hail Mary, and I say the second. We pray whole decades this way, driving around town!
Saturday, March 4, 2017
Geaux, Saints!
Here are some of the saints in my life--those who helped me know what Jesus and Mary are really like through their lived example. These are my Louisiana friends, the Gianna's Mammas and some of our husbands. Being from Louisiana, they are not only saints, but. . . Saints!
Jenn and Christine
Chris, Cory and Ron
Char, Jenn, Anne, Patricia, Mary Beth, and Christine
Anne, Jenn, Mary Beth, Char, Patricia, and Christine
I love you guys! Thanks for making me who I am today! I owe you more than I can express!
Jenn and Christine
Chris, Cory and Ron
Char, Jenn, Anne, Patricia, Mary Beth, and Christine
Anne, Jenn, Mary Beth, Char, Patricia, and Christine
I love you guys! Thanks for making me who I am today! I owe you more than I can express!
Wednesday, March 1, 2017
Lent Explained to Our Children
Five kids sat around me as we discussed what we were giving up for Lent.
"Sweets!" said one.
"Chocolate!" said another.
"Movies!" said the third, to which all the kids replied, "Ohhhhhh!" That really touched a nerve.
I asked, "If Lent is a time for fasting, prayer and almsgiving, and you know what your are going to do for your fast, what are you going to focus on for your prayer?"
They were silent.
I said, "One thing we can do is think about ways we need to improve, areas of our lives that we need to bring to God. The Bible says, 'You are concerned with the speck in your neighbor's eye, but you have a log in your own.' We can take that time to consider what the log in our eye is."
They nodded. But I could tell that one of the girls was pondering if she really had a log in her eye. Indeed, she is a very virtuous, sacrificial, humble girl. So I said, "Lent can also be a time to become more grateful. You know that I teach poor, distressed, and homeless mothers at the crisis pregnancy center. You could be one of their daughters. But instead, you have our family. You could spend Lent thanking God for that."
This comment stirred responses.
"Yes, you and dad are married, unlike some of my friends' parents!"
"And we have enough to eat, and clothes enough to wear. We have so much!"
"That's right," I replied. "In Mass today, the priest will put ashes on your forehead, and say, 'From dust you have come, and to dust you shall return.' You may think about that--nothing you have, even your breath or life, much less you opportunities and comforts and many blessings, is owed to you. It all comes from God. God is the giver of all good things. Perhaps you could write many of these blessings down, and pray over them every day as your Lenten prayer." They were resolved to do that. One of them said, "This is a better way to go through Lent, rather than just giving up chocolate!"
The other one piped up: "If I do that, do I still have to give up movies?"
"Sweets!" said one.
"Chocolate!" said another.
"Movies!" said the third, to which all the kids replied, "Ohhhhhh!" That really touched a nerve.
I asked, "If Lent is a time for fasting, prayer and almsgiving, and you know what your are going to do for your fast, what are you going to focus on for your prayer?"
They were silent.
I said, "One thing we can do is think about ways we need to improve, areas of our lives that we need to bring to God. The Bible says, 'You are concerned with the speck in your neighbor's eye, but you have a log in your own.' We can take that time to consider what the log in our eye is."
They nodded. But I could tell that one of the girls was pondering if she really had a log in her eye. Indeed, she is a very virtuous, sacrificial, humble girl. So I said, "Lent can also be a time to become more grateful. You know that I teach poor, distressed, and homeless mothers at the crisis pregnancy center. You could be one of their daughters. But instead, you have our family. You could spend Lent thanking God for that."
This comment stirred responses.
"Yes, you and dad are married, unlike some of my friends' parents!"
"And we have enough to eat, and clothes enough to wear. We have so much!"
"That's right," I replied. "In Mass today, the priest will put ashes on your forehead, and say, 'From dust you have come, and to dust you shall return.' You may think about that--nothing you have, even your breath or life, much less you opportunities and comforts and many blessings, is owed to you. It all comes from God. God is the giver of all good things. Perhaps you could write many of these blessings down, and pray over them every day as your Lenten prayer." They were resolved to do that. One of them said, "This is a better way to go through Lent, rather than just giving up chocolate!"
The other one piped up: "If I do that, do I still have to give up movies?"
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