On a Plane Headed Toward Heaven

Years ago I read Stephen Covey's 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families. He uses a metaphor that has been helpful, especially when our family isn't feeling on track and are working hard to not feel behind. Here is my take on it. When a pilot begins his trip from one airport to another, he has a final destination and a map. Yet while flying, the pilot is off his precise course most of the time. He anticipates this. He brings the plane back on course over and over again. He trusts that he will reach his destination.

Too often I am tempted to become anxious if I feel that our family is off course. The goal is to somehow lovingly get back on course, over and over again. We work at trusting our map, the teachings of the Catholic Church. We keep our eyes upon Christ and our final destination of spending eternity with Him.

Comfort Food: Chicken Soup

If I had to choose only one hot meal for each of my family members to learn how to make, it would be chicken soup. Chicken soup is the ultimate comfort food, perfect for illnesses, cold nights, and gift-giving to a family in need. It took a few years to find the right chicken soup recipe for me. This recipe is easy to make and tastes light. Roasting the chickens first is key.

Chicken Noodle Soup from Whole Foods for the Whole Family

2 1/2 to 3 lb. whole chicken
2 C. water
1/2 lb. carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
4 or 5 stalks celery, chopped
1 T butter
8 C water
6-8 oz. noodles
1/2 to 1 t salt
dash of pepper

Place whole chicken in baking pan with 2 C water; bake 2 hours, uncovered, at 325 degrees. Cool chicken (reserving broth,) and discard skin and bones. Saute vegetables in butter in 4-5 qt. pot until golden. Add broth from baking pan and 4 C water. Add remaining water to baking pan; bring to a boil on top of stove, stirring up cooked bits from pan; add this water to pot with chicken meat. Bring to a boil; simmer 1 hour or longer. Add noodles 20 minutes before serving. Season to taste. Makes about 14 C.

I usually double the batch to make sure that I have enough to freeze for a quick family dinner.

Two Week Meal Planning and Sprouts

I've been food shopping differently since Sprouts came to our area. I take a simple one sheet grid with days of the week listed down the left and meals listed across the top. Within some of the grid blocks, I add notes, such as "Crockpot Meal" or "Meatless." I go shopping on Wednesdays when Sprouts weekly specials overlap. While shopping, I fill in the grid with meal ideas.

I know the usual shopping rules. Always go with a menu and a list. Well, Sprouts has unpublished managers specials so it now makes most sense to purchase what is on special, then make a meal from it. allrecipe.com makes it easy to find recipes to fit our food.

Have you ever asked yourself, "Where does the fruit go that doesn't look perfect and isn't oversized?" It goes to Sprouts at great prices! Sprouts also sells clean meats and fish as reasonable prices. They have a Sprouts label for some basic items as well.

No Sprouts near you? A two week meal shopping grid may still help. Fill in the meals before hand out of the store flyer. Leave a block or two for specials and inspiration. When you return home, put the grid on the refrigerator. Over the next two weeks, note items you need in the margins. Make sure to train family members to do the same.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Olympic Memories

Our family was watching the women's figure skating finals of the Torino Winter Olympics when the discussion turned to past Olympics. My daughter talked about Sarah Hughes and Tara Lipinski. My parents and I talked about other skaters we remembered, right back to Dorothy Hamill, and beyond. Dating myself here, I was one of many young girls who promptly when out and cut my hip-length hair to look like Hamill's. My daughter thinks that's pretty funny.

As we sat on the couch, listing names, I was surprised at the details we all remembered, where we were when we watched a particular Olympic, what the different skaters wore, additional drama, and more. And all of this from people who don't follow ice skating!

My daughter was enthralled with all our skating memories. My guess is that in the future, God willing, family members will gather again to watch the women skate at the Olympics and we'll remember this night. I thank the Olympics, and especially the women skaters, for giving my family shared memories of excellence. Sometimes we just don't know what will turn into family glue.

23rd Psalm - Sharing Bible Verses

23rd Psalm

The Lord is my Shepherd;
I shall not want.

In verdant pastures He gives
me repose;

Before restful waters He leads
me; He refreshes my soul.

He guides me in right paths for
His name's sake.

Even though I walk in the dark
valley I fear no evil;

for you are at my side, with your
rod and your staff that give me
courage.

You spread a table for me in the
sight of my foes; you anoint my
head with oil; my cup overflows.

Only goodness and kindness
follow me all the days of my life;
And I shall dwell in the house of
the Lord for years to come.

Our family loves when we read the23rd Psalm during Mass or our daily bible reading. We all smile in recognition. Years ago we memorized the King James version found in Michael Hague's sweet book. This was one of the first bible verses that we chose to memorize. Since then, we have enjoyed comparing the different bible versions of this well-loved psalm. During today's reading, we gave special attention to this verse KJV, "Thy rod and Thy staff, they comfort me." Our St. Joseph's Edition of the New American Bible reads as the above quote, "You are at my side, with your rod and your staff that give me courage." We talked at length about the richness of words and other related thoughts and ideas.

Shared common experiences are family glue. Sharing the Word of God is super glue!

Activities for Body and Beauty

I wish I could remember the resource that first brought the idea of "one activity for the body and one activity for beauty" to my attention. This idea is a real keeper. Simply, when our family looks at extra curricular activities, we look for one that will help us to care for our body and one that will help us to appreciate beauty. Currently, for beauty our children are taking piano lessons with me at home. We have discussed other options for the future such as chorus, acting, and painting. For the body, our daughter has taken karate for years and is becoming quite accomplished. Our boys are playing baseball and loving it.

Here are some other ideas that have helped us to choose activities. We pay attention to and encourage the children to consider their interests and talents. We start formal lessons when they have a strong desire and readiness. We look for activities that are close to home. We find great local opportunities and folks willing to share their talents. We stay within our financial means. We share activities when possible. For example, the boys play baseball while the rest of us cheer them on and the whole family follows the Diamondbacks. We also hold in our hearts that these activities are to bring challenge and joy as well as to do God's will.

Never Behind

Living as if our family is exactly where God wants us to be is great family glue. It is so easy to fall into the trap of chronically feeling "behind." Our culture moves so fast, often moving rapidly away from God. Yet, even those of us who love God and want to love Him better can get too busy. We make our to-do lists, fill in our calendars, and make plans of noble pursuits. But then the unexpected happens. We get the flu. We move. We have unexpected company. We don't finish the math lesson. In a blink of an eye, we are behind. But are we really behind?

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, on your own intelligence rely not; In all your ways be mindful of him, and he will make straight your paths.

~Proverbs 3:5

We prefer to see ourselves as being exactly where God wants us to be at this moment. We are taking a detour, from our perspective, that will make us more loving and more God focused. He is making straight our paths, just as He promised.

Family Movie Night

There was a time when our children were young and we didn't own a television. Slowly over time we have integrated television use back into the family. One of the best uses of the television has been Family Movie Night. Once a week, usually on Friday night, we all watch a family movie together. We do our best to pick a movie that will be enjoyable for the whole family which is not an easy feat!

Our most recent family movie was, Around the World in 80 Days. No one would rate this a great movie, but sometimes good enough movies are just what this family needs on a Friday night after a long week. We all laughed out loud at different parts of the movie. We also laughed twice as loud watching our seven year old fall on the floor while laughing at the slap-stick antics.

I can be practical to a fault. I'm tempted to turn everything into a "learning experience." I'm also not a movie fan. I'm tempted to dismiss my older children's desire to watch movies as unnecessary. Fortunately over time, relaxing with my family in front of a good enough movie (and sometimes a GREAT movie) is changing my mind. Pass the popcorn, please!

Sleep

Sleep is serious family glue. When our family doesn't get enough sleep, we don't do well before God or with each other. Sleep deprivation can sneak up on us and leave us snippy and lethargic. We prioritize sleep as part of our personal care that will help us to love God and others better.

This past week, we goofed. We lost sleep while taking a child to the emergency room one night. We lost sleep watching the Olympics for "just a little bit longer." We stayed late at Grandma and Grandpa's. We missed a few naps for good reason too. Sigh.

Many great saints have deprived themselves of sleep and have been given many graces to persevere. I'm no where near this level of calling. I have to humbly stick to basics, to include at least nine hours of sleep a day. As a mother, I start at the place that I am not entitled to 8 hours of straight sleep each night. Mine is a 24/7 vocation. By sharing sleep with my little ones and napping, I am able to cobble together the sleep I need. I help our children to get the sleep they need. We carefully monitor our sleep-related virtues...are we being lazy?...are we giving into sloth? Usually the answer is no. We are most often trying to do too much and just need to stop and sleep.

Family Learning Quote, Charlotte Mason

Example is better than precept, and more convincing than the soundest reasoning.

~Charlotte Mason

Found in Learning for Life: Eduational Words of Wisdom, compiled and edited by Teri Ann Berg Olsen.

Valentine Centerpiece

Often the simplest ideas have the best and most pleasntly surprising results. This past Sunday I strewed material and supplies to make valentines on our dining room table. We leisurely made valentines and gave them to each other on Valentine's day. The valentines were all so pretty, we decided to display them as part of our table centerpiece. This ballooned into everyone contributing something else to include flowers, candles, candy, and more. The final product isn't Martha Stewart pretty but in our eyes, it is beautiful.

St. Valentine Day

We have collected a few sweet St. Valentine day family traditions. Years ago we made these easy as can be crayon hearts. To our delight, they have lasted and we have hung them in our different homes in a sunny window. Saint Valentine is a lovely book to read aloud to the whole family. We have to have the classic candy, Sweethearts. Heart shaped pancakes for breakfast are fun. If strawberries look good, we slice them vertically to make heart shapes and serve them on the pancakes with whipped cream. A drop of red food dye turns milk pink.

We also make special Valentines for family members. This year we purchased some beautiful Valentine paper and card kits at the Target Dollar Spot back in December. We added some paper doilies, stickers, glitter glue, and voila'.

Happy St. Valentine day!

Slow Cooker

Early in my mothering, I wasn't into using a crock pot, also called a slow cooker. I guess I was into making things as hard on myself as possible.

I currently use two 6 qt. oval programmable slow cookers. I really appreciate the Warm Setting that it switches to when it has finished cooking. I have the classic, Fix It and Forget It cookbooks, the original and the one for entertaining. Don't forget to check out allrecipes.com for other slow cooker ideas.

Here's one of my favorite ideas for entertaining. Choose a main dish recipe and make one with beef/pork and the other with chicken. Serve this with a big green salad and whole grain bread. Most folks will find something to enjoy!

Laugh Break 4

I found this Considerate Catholic Parking Lot Pointers at the back of our church recently. I live in a town that triples in population during the winter. Retirees, also known as snow birds, come to beautiful Arizona during the winter months to enjoy the heat. Some of the greatest HEAT can be found in my parish parking lot as folks jockey for position in a way that I have never witnessed anywhere else. We're talking, the Sheriff's Department has been called out on Sundays to deal with traffic issues that are affecting the community to include accidents and fender-benders galore. What is the answer to this dilemma? You betcha...a gentle and positive pamphlet.

You have got to be kidding! The ruthlessness of this parking lot can't possibly be touched by, "The main reason for problems in the parking lot is the impatience of people who are running late." Not here. Retired folks show up 45 minutes early for Mass. "Go to your closet and look at the outfits you and your family plan to wear. You may find some of the items aren't ready to be worn." Not here. Making a fashion statement doesn't seem to be an issue for retirees. "This may seem obvious, but it needs to be said: If you see a sign that says No Parking, please don't park there." Not here. No one reads signs. "Pray that someday everyone will be as good a driver as you are and for the strength to tolerate them until they are." Now that's, funny.

It is obvious to our family that these pamphlets can't touch our parking lot issues. The level of problem here would need to be addressed by, let's say, on-going homilies about entitlement. The good news is that this pamphlet has given our family an inside joke and an ongoing laugh. Not the intended outcome, but a good one none the less.

allrecipes.com

Once again, All Recipes saved my day. I started using this free webpage a few years ago and continue to enjoy what it offers. I'm good at looking past the advertisements in order to find great recipes, helpful reviews, and a useful filing system.

I purchased fresh catfish on sale today and found this oven fried catfish recipe. Cabbage was on sale, too, so I made this apple cole slaw which was yummy, even when I added sliced fresh spinach for added color and nutrition. I rounded this meal off with whole grain crackers. We had a thumbs-up family dinner within 40 minutes.

A Kitten and a Baby

Most of our family was recovering from the flu the day after Christmas when my well son came running into the house from the backyard with news. He had been in the shed and saw something small and fluffy with big eyes. Sure enough, there was the tiniest kitten sitting quietly and helplessly in the corner of our shed.

Noel is now a chubby kitten who is our furry entertainment committee. She and our nine month old are especially cute together. They like the same things. Balls, paper, ribbons, and tiny specks of debris on the floor are endlessly fascinating. They look at each other with great interest, as if they have a special understanding that the rest of us don't quite get. They know simple joy.

I must have been delirious with fever when I agreed to bring this kitten into our home. Under normal circumstances, my practicality might have gotten in the way of bringing this bundle of furry joy into the family. I wonder how many other opportunities for joy, and family unity, I have missed because I wasn't weak enough to say yes.

Toddler Rules - Laugh Break 3

Our littlest has been the most easy going baby I have ever known. He has most certainly been the most easy going baby I have mothered. Well...he is nine months old now and he is decidedly one of us. Over night he has become Mr. Opinionated! As he was demanding the telephone and the remote and the knife, I watched my older children look on puzzled. Then I reminded them about Toddler Property Laws:

1. If I like it, it's mine.
2. If it's in my hand, Its mine.
3. If I can take it from you, it's mine.
4. If I had it a little while ago, It's mine.
5. If it's mine, it must never appear to be yours in any way.
6. If I am doing or building something,all the pieces are mine.
7. If it looks like mine, it is mine.
8. If I saw it first, it's mine.
9. If you are playing with something and you put it down, it automatically becomes mine.
10. If it's broken, it's yours.

My children thought these were hilarious! Instead of locking into a view of their baby brother as a wrecking ball on hands and knees, they received a glimpse into normal child development which often softens the heart. Once again, humor saves the day!

What You Won't Find Here!

A friend with a great sense of humor told me that she read my blog and was disgusted. "Do your kids REALLY clean that easily?" We laughed and had a great discussion about the reality of our day in and day out lives. She told me that she had one perfect day a long time ago and that it still fuels her. You know, the day that goes seamlessly from one activity to the next including a home-made meal for dinner. In the future, when her children-in-law ask her, "How did you do it, Amazing Mother Dear?" she is going to describe that day as if it were everyday. Perhaps she'll grow to believe it herself. Unfortunately, we have a strong suspicion that her children won't let her get away with the deception.

So, just to prove that my family doesn't have all the answers and that our life is messy, perhaps even MESSIER than my friend's, here is a partial list of what you won't find at this blog:

financial management, saving money, investing money, shopping, sewing, scrapbooking, crafts in general, photo albums, gardening, landscaping, raising Merit Scholars, style in general to include make-up, nail care, flattering hair styles and outfits, and home decorating, home repair, organizing big projects, group trips, traveling, juggling a lot of outside the home activities, taming the paper tiger, running a home business...

Well, you get the drift. I better stop here before I REALLY embarrass myself.

This blog focuses on what our family does well, we stick together. I share what has worked for us and may work for others. This isn't meant to give a false impression or to discourage. Quite the contrary! This blog is to give hope based on the truth that God blesses each family with an abundance of opportunities to grow in family unity. We just need to trust Him and say, "Yes!"

Have a blessed Sunday!

Birthday Traditions

Today we are celebrating one of my son's 7th birthday! Seven is a sweet age with one of the perks being that you know exactly what you expect for your birthday. We parents find out weeks in advance what is most important according to the birthday boy.

As I listened to what this child wanted, he talked about the sweet birthday traditions that have creeped into the family over the years. He likes that his dad decorates the family and dining room with birthday streamers and balloons the night before so that when he wakes up, he is "...surprised because I'm still sleepy and haven't remembered that it is my birthday yet...then I remember!" He likes the poster board that dad decorates with birthday greetings, stickers, and stick people and animals all singing the birthday boy's praises. He likes that he gets to pick out his dinner (French toast made by his grandfather this year,) and his cake (Carvel ice cream cake.) He likes using the "THIS IS YOUR SPECIAL DAY" plate. He especially likes when we go around the table during dinner and share ALL the things we like about him. Of course he can't wait to open his gifts, many sent from across the country. Finally, he likes to hear his birth story. He is very proud that HIS was my easiest birth.

My husband and I never set out to make sweet birthday traditions. Fortunately for us, they happened. Our day started with Mass and our family will give the birthday boy a final special birthday blessing before he goes to bed. When all is quiet, his Dad and I will spend a few minutes together before the Lord, thanking Him for this most precious child.

Prayer Pegs

When I took my first tentative steps back toward Catholicism, the first prayer that we prayed together as a family was Grace before meals.

Bless us, O Lord and these Thy gifts,
Which we are about to receive,
From Thy bounty through Christ Our Lord.
Amen.

This simple prayer opened the floodgate of Grace through which the Holy Spirit helped guide us home.

Once this habit was developed, I had become increasingly interested in the many beautiful Catholic prayers that I hadn't learned as a child. Our family began memorizing prayers and connecting them to family activities. One of the simplest prayer pegs is to "stack" our prayers at meals. For example, currently at breakfast we say Grace plus the Spiritual Adoption prayer, and a prayer for the souls in purgatory.

More prayer pegs to come...