Sweet Names

Little did I know when I started calling my husband, "Honey," in our early years of marriage that the name would stick. My first baby became "Sweetheart" early, and Sweetheart she remains. My second baby became "Babe," giving our family a glimpse into his baseball future. My third baby became "Spunky," then morphed into "Little Man" and now has reverted back to "Spunky." The name fits.

With our current baby, I call him "Chunky Monkey" and "Hunk a Chunk a Burnin' Love" and any combination of the two. I was tempted to call him "Fang" when his top teeth came in, not with the usual top two first but with the teeth on either side first. I thought better.

It's funny. These sweet names aren't interchangeable. I don't call my husband Sweetheart and definitely won't call my daughter Chunk. I wonder if the names will stick. I wonder what other names will arise and fit in the future. For more on terms of endearment, check out "Let Me Call You Sweetheart" by Elizabeth Foss.

Have a blessed Sunday.

More on Pegs

Lissa has done a fabulous job of explaining family organizational pegs while also giving credit toLeonie for first sharing this concept with the CCM list. Thank you, Lissa and Leonie!

Here are two of my previous posts about how pegs work in our day and help us pray.

Sacrifice and May 19th Family Activity Suggestion

I've had a general post in my draft box about the othercott to The Da Vinci Code for two weeks. Now I know why I didn't post it earlier. I just heard that one of my dearly loved ones is tempted to see TDVC. My general post has just gotten personal.

Sacrifice it. Yes, "Curious," sacrifice seeing TDVC. Why? Because it is the right thing to do. It really is that simple.

I'll let others explain the nitty gritty of why TDVC is a "frontal assault on Jesus Christ and all of Christianity" according to Teresa Tomeo, Host of Catholic Connection. You'll appreciate their thorough and intelligent research. I'll speak to you. I know you love movies. I also know that you enjoy being in the know and in the now. But I also know that you have worked so hard to straighten your path and seek the truth. This is a perfect opportunity for you to sacrifice.

According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church,

2099
It is right to offer sacrifice to God as a sign of adoration and gratitude, supplication and communion: "Every action done so as to cling to God in communion of holiness, and thus achieve blessedness, is a true sacrifice."16

Not only is this an opportunity to sacrifice, it is an opportunity to trust the Catholic Church and to trust fully evangelized Catholics to speak the truth about this movie.

Here's an idea. I know a way that you can see a good movie AND have fun with your family AND avoid having to discuss this topic with me ever again. The movie, Over the Hedge is getting good reviews and just so happens to be opening on the same day as TDVC.

Sony and Dan Brown urge us to SEEK THE TRUTH! I wholeheartedly agree. Let's seek...

...whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

Seek...and find...the Truth. You bet!

Open to Life

The area of the heart where I have grown most in clarity since my reversion to the Catholic Church is in openness to life. This is largely due to the wonderful families that I have come to know through online friendships and local Catholic homeschooling families. In Elizabeth Foss' article, In Praise of Big Families, you can see an example of the loving hearts and clear minds that have highly influenced me. Lovingly said and lived, Elizabeth.

In her article, Elizabeth quotes another friend, Bridget,

It is hard to explain to a young couple just starting out or even to an older couple who has not had this openness how married love can grow from the challenges of many children. Indeed, the openness may be key here, rather than the actual numbers of children. The openness is up to us, the number is up to God.

Lovingly said and lived, Bridget.

Last week I had a follow-up conversation with a new friend at a local Catholic homeschooling event. Previously, Christy had told me that her family was caring for her husband's grandmother at home. The grandmother was in hospice care, facing the end of her life. Now Christy informed me that grandma had responded so well to being in their loving home care that grandma is no longer with hospice, which according to these experts means she is no longer looking at near death. Christy went on to tell me that she quit her part-time job to be more available to grandma. She talked about the privilege of caring for grandma and shared with me tender and funny ways that the family helped grandma to receive their care and keep her pride in tact. With a pretty smile, she told me that caring for grandma fits right in with being the mother of four young children. Then she quipped, "You could say that we're open to the END of life, and what that brings to a family." Lovingly said and lived, Christy.

Lack of Love

Or Pope says low birth rate is due mainly to lack of love.

It is children and young people who are often the first to experience the consequences of this eclipse of love and hope. Often, instead of feeling loved and cherished, they appear to be merely tolerated. In "an age of turbulence" they frequently lack adequate moral guidance from the adult world, to the serious detriment of their intellectual and spiritual development. Many children now grow up in a society which is forgetful of God and of the innate dignity of the human person made in God’s image. In a world shaped by the accelerating processes of globalization, they are often exposed solely to materialistic visions of the universe, of life and human fulfillment.

Yet children and young people are by nature receptive, generous, idealistic and open to transcendence. They need above all else to be exposed to love and to develop in a healthy human ecology, where they can come to realize that they have not been cast into the world by chance, but through a gift that is part of God’s loving plan. Parents, educators and community leaders, if they are to be faithful to their own calling, can never renounce their duty to set before children and young people the task of choosing a life project directed towards authentic happiness, one capable of distinguishing between truth and falsehood, good and evil, justice and injustice, the real world and the world of "virtual reality".

Amen.

Girlfriend Call

I was blessed today to have a long phone conversation with a girlfriend. It is rare for me to have a leisurely phone conversation and yet when I do, I am reminded how important talking girl talk with a friend is to me...and my family. It is obvious why this is important to me. I'm very fortunate to have intense women friends who challenge, reassure, and encourage me. They also make me laugh. All of this helps me to strive to fulfill my vocation wholeheartedly. Why is a girlfriend chat important to my family? You guessed it; when I'm happy, the family is happy. Or at least they don't have to deal with my foreign-to-them-woman-need that is being met quite nicely without them.

Have you talked on the phone with a girlfriend lately? Consider giving a call. Especially consider giving a call to the friend you are sure is to busy to talk. She might be just the friend who needs to hear from you most.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Together in Prayer

I just received word that my sweet eight year old niece, who lives thousands of miles away in Pennsylvania, was hospitalized with severe abdominal pain and other serious symptoms. She is being observed and waiting for test results.

It is so hard to be separated from my brother and his family, especially when his daughter is in the hospital. I gain great comfort from knowing that our family is together in prayer.

From St. Frances De Sales,

Never think that geographical distance can ever separate souls whom God has united by the ties of His love. The children of the world are separated one from another because their hearts are in different places; but the children of God, having their hearts where their treasure is, and sharing only one treasure - which is the same God - are consequently always united and joined together.

Please join me in prayer for my niece. If you feel so called, join our family in a novena to St. Gianna Molla. I have gained much peace from praying to this lovely Saint, knowing how much she loves children and wants the medical profession to be a conduit for God's grace. Thank you.

Arizona hEATS

My daughter and I have a new blog, Arizona hEATS. We're having a lot of fun working together in the kitchen and at the computer. As the temperature heats up, come and pull up a seat on our virtual covered patio and we'll serve you up some iced tea and good hEATS.

Apology to Commenters

I just learned from my blogging friend extraordinaire, stef, that it is proper etiquette to comment on comments left at my blog. Fortunately for me, comments have been left by dear friends and family who will not be surprised that it was my ignorance, not my lack of gratitude, that kept me from commenting. I honestly thought that if I commented on a comment it was like sending a thank you for a thank you OR that I was already saying too much and taking up even MORE of your time! Now I see that I am free to send my thank you, one that is truly heartfelt.

To make up for my past errors, I want to say thank you all for visiting me here. I know how valuable your time is and I am grateful that you choose to spend some with me. I try to make it worth your while! From now on, I'll also do my best to respond to comments.

Little League Glue

Little League is in high gear right now and will keep me well occupied through May. Our 10 year old is in the Majors and our 7 year old is in Coach Pitch. We are at a game up to four nights a week!

We have had our Little League lumps over the past two years. Fortunately, this season is fantastic. At the Major level, the play is very skilled and exciting. The 10-12 year olds play their hearts out! Our family also enjoys the company of the other players' families, a mixed lot which makes for many an interesting encounter.

I sometimes wonder what our family did before Little League. We hang out at the games together, cheering. Our daughter is learning how to keep score for her brother's team. We talk about the games over and over and over. Throw into the mix that we are having fun with our neighbors...take me out to the ballgame!

Family Project

This past week was Easter vacation here, to include taking a break from blogging and much of our usual stuff. I'm convinced that a business as usual mentality the week after Easter robs us of Easter joy and distracts us from Christ.

So into the void we tackled a family project that has been gnawing at me for two years. We organized a small seating area on our patio. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, I should have thought again! The good news is that four trips to Home Depot and many hours of manual labor and we have a sweet place to kick back and enjoy our beautiful Arizona outdoor living.

We purchased a couch secondhand and a white woven throw slipcover. It fits perfectly up against the wall under our bedroom window. My daughter made sweet pillows for it out of blue material with a multi-colored bird print...too tweet (couldn't resist.) Across from the couch we purchased two all weather wicker type chairs in powder blue. This is a big step for me because I can be practical to a fault and feel compelled to purchase white. My frugal side won out because only the blue chairs were on sale:). My daughter is making coordinating seat pad covers using material that only has the branches and white blooms from the bird print. On the ground between the couch and chairs is a blue indoor/outdoor rug. NEVER did I think I would use a rug outside; my mind always thinks astroturf. With a baby and a desperate desire for color in the desert, a dark blue rug it is. Between the two chairs is a secondhand table on which the children and I placed multi-colored kitchen tiles (3X4) in the center, surrounded by mostly blue with some multi-colored glass gems. The grout is "almond sand" which gives it a rippling water over sand effect...if you have a really good imagination. Finally, behind the two chairs we put up (5) 4X8 panels of white privacy lattice between our covered patio posts. This has brought not only privacy, but shade which is a high commodity in the desert. Figuring out and implementing this part of the project was quite a team effort. Phew!

The planner that I am is chagrined to admit that this big project wasn't planned. To be honest, I woke up the day after Easter and "just couldn't take it anymore!" After sitting on my friend's sweet, shaded, patio the day before, I was compelled to shake my handywoman inhibitions and go for it! Shortly into the project I lost my temper because...well never mind. Once I apologized I was ready to not only produce a pleasant patio, I was going to avoid sinning as well! It was fantastic to work with the children. They carried, measured, painted, tiled, washed, cleared, mowed, and so much more. In fact, this family project was so successful, I have one planned for the Fall.

Holy Week and Sacred Triduum: Saturday

This is what I had in my draft box before I brought my husband to the hospital emergency room with severe abdominal pain and swelling...

I love this day! As our seven year old said while bouncing up and down, "Mom, I can hardly wait until Easter! I think I'm going to bust!" Today is all about waiting and preparing.

We'll shop for last minute Easter basket items and fresh food needs for tomorrow. We'll make some dishes that we are bring to our friends' home for our traditional Easter ham dinner tomorrow. Can't forget to get all the Easter clothes ready! We will dye Easter eggs and finish up a few craft loose ends.

We will miss the Easter Vigil Mass tonight, which is a sacrifice. Our daughter will lecture at the family Mass tomorrow, with our whole family present. Tonight after the sun set, we will decorate the front of our home. We hang plastic eggs that have been tied to multi-colored ribbons from our trees. We also hang our Easter flag. Colored wicker Easter baskets with tacky multi-colored Easter grass line the front of the house. For the grand finale, add a purple 6' Easter Bunny similar to this one and you have a can't miss explosion of Easter joy!

(Disclaimer: If I had my way, our front yard would look more, umm, sophisticated. Last year when I was hugely pregnant, the family took the decorating of our "new to the desert front yard" bull by the horns and that explains the purple bunny! So now I eat humble pie, again, because the yard is perfectly eye-catching. It is especially noticeable since we are the only family in the near neighborhood who decorates for Easter.)...

There is nothing like a health scare, and this one was one of the scariest, to put things into perspective. However many wonderful activities we had planned, they didn't have to happen for the risen Christ to come in Easter glory. In fact, Easter is even more delicious exactly because Easter is NOT dependent upon me or you or health or anything human. Easter comes. He is risen!

Thanks be to God and to all my prayerful friends, my husband was home and in bed by 2:00 am on Easter morning. He received the best case scenario results and is on oral antibiotics for an infection. Praise God and Happy Easter!

Holy Week and Sacred Triduum: Friday

Good Friday is a full, slow moving, deliberate and somber day here. No music or entertainment. It is also a day when we need to be careful not to fall into traps of bickering, impatience, and sloth. It is as if the heaviness of the day weighs on us and in our weakness we want to take it out on each other. This article, The Holiday Halmark Can't Handle, touches upon the unique mix of feelings today.

Fortunately, we have several activities to help keep us out of trouble. We plan to make my friend Mary Ann's Hot Cross Buns. (Thanks again, Mary Ann!) We will clean the house. We'll begin the Divine Mercy Novena and will add prayer for troops. We will abstain from meat and fast.

Later today we will do the Stations of the Cross using these prints from Catholic Heritage Curriculum. We will attend Mass for The Lord's Passion, Liturgy of the Word, Veneration of the Cross, and Holy Communion.

Finally, we get to call my Dad and sing Happy Birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad! I and we love you.

Holy Week and Sacred Triduum: Thursday

Holy Thursday is when Jesus ate the Last Supper with his apostles. Although not my tradition, I love the meaning behind calling today Maundy Thursday. Maundy Means "command," which refers to Jesus command to "love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34.)

Today we will make unleavened bread. Tonight my husband will lead us through our simplified version of a seder meal. Our evening will conclude with my husband washing our feet.

My heart is about to burst with gratitude.

Holy Week: Wednesday

Yesterday we planned to clean and shop. I don't mind cleaning but shopping is a whole other matter. Not being a gifted shopper, shopping falls into the category of sacrifice. I do what needs to be done to fulfill my vocation as wife and mother and holiday maker extraordinaire!

What God had planned for me yesterday was quite different. I had the privilege to talk to a dear friend about her family challenges and to suggest ways of helping that included a discussion about the sacramental grace found within the Catholic Church. My friend is a talented, funny woman, a beautiful seeker, a devoted wife and mother, and an inspiration. I prayed out loud to my friend for the ability to represent God and His Church well and with loving truth. It proved to be a challenging and beautiful conversation, one that brought these words to my mouth...

I may not completely trust humans or human constructs, but I do trust God. I trust Jesus Christ and his perfect example and sacrifice for us. I trust the Holy Spirit to lead us Home. I trust the Holy Tradition (I'm not talking Bingo here) of the Catholic Church which Christ promised would never be overcome.* I trust this with my life.

This was when I burst into tears! I'm not one to cry easily and I most certainly didn't want to turn emotional during this delicate conversation. Then I found myself apologizing for the tears, saying...

I've never said that before, in that way, to anyone. I'm crying because not only do I completely trust this for me, I completely trust this for those I love, for my children, for my husband, for you.

My gracious friend blessed me yesterday. I hope and pray that I was a conduit of God's grace for her. We've been good friends to each other for years. God works in amazing and surprising ways.

Yes, I managed to shop yesterday (with an extra bounce in my step) and the cleaning was rescheduled...gladly.

*Matt 16:18 - "You are Peter, and on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."

Holy Week: Tuesday

We collected our recipes and made shopping lists. We watched Veggie Tales An Easter Carol and colored this page. We'll continue watching Jesus of Nazareth.

We also looked at family service and decided to do something special for dad. We will make him home made nutrition bars, to take to work. We will also suprise him by caring for the lawn.

The day has been quiet. The children have played. I have spent leisurely time at the computer with friends. Our anticipation is growing....

Holy Week: Monday

I want Holy Week to feel very holy, special, and different from our usual week. Oh how I wish the whole community would stop business as usual! Until then, we'll stick to doing holy, special, and different family activities.

To start, we take a break from our formal school work. Today we'll visit with friends and eat pizza together. We'll watch The Miracle Maker and make paper flowers, tissue paper or crepe paper flowers. We'll pull out our Bibles and spend time reading about and looking at illustrations about Jesus's death and resurrection (Matthew, Chapters 26, 27, 28; Mark, Chapters 14, 15, 16; Luke, Chapters 22, 23, 24; John, Chapters 18, 19, 20, 21.) We'll do some Holy Week themed word puzzles. Here are some more ideas for Holy Week.

Holy Week: Palm Sunday

Holy Week is here. Our family will keep our preparations simple and low key.

For Palm Sunday we will attend Mass, decorate our home with blessed palms, make palm crosses, and spend the day outside together. In the evening we will begin watching Jesus of Nazareth.

Have a most blessed Palm Sunday.

Prayer Chair

I have a prayer chair that I picked up years ago via a parish garage sale. It is old with red velvety upholstery. Some would say it is tacky but I love it. I have prayed a thousand prayers, wept a thousand tears, and controlled a thousand temper tantrums, in this chair.

There is something special about having a space set aside for peace and quiet and prayer. When the rest of the house is out of order, I can close my eyes in my chair and feel at ease. When I leave the scene of a family misunderstanding, I go to my chair and gain calm.

When others are having a hard time, I'll invite them to sit in my chair. My children have spilled their stories there. My husband has debriefed from his rigorous days at work. When the baby is fussy, I sit with him in my chair and pray.

Although I have moved too often, my chair comes with me. There was a time when I envisioned upgrading my chair to something nicer. For now I'll keep it, like I would a comfortable old sweater. One filled with memories and prayer.

Laugh Break 6: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus

Although this book is recommended for children pre-Kindergarten through second grade, I would say ages 7+ is more like it. Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus had my children rolling on the floor. The illustrations are simple and unique, with a surprising peak of visual action in the middle of the story. They identified with Pigeon's antics, seeing them as silly and outrageous.

There are more books in with Pigeon series. Hopefully, there are more laughs to be had.