Lenten meme

I was tagged in this Lenten meme (pretty serious meme for the first time I have ever been tagged!) by Rosemary at A Catholic Mother's Thoughts.

What is your favorite Sorrowful Mystery?

I would have to say that the crucifixion is the most powerful of these to me, because...well...I mean, geez -- it's the crucifixion. I don't know that there is much more I can say that sounds more powerful than that.

What is your favorite Station of the Cross?

Hard to choose, really. If I had to choose one, I would say it was Jesus met his mother. As a mother, this station is both horribly painful and comforting, all at the same time.

Do you fast during Lent?

Yes, I have been fasting on the appointed days. Maybe next year, I will try to cut out/cut down on snacking between meals (at least on some days that are not otherwise appointed as such).

What is your Lenten Resolution(s)?

We are trying to make time to pray a decade of the Rosary as a family. Because we are new to the Catholic faith, our children aren't as familiar with these prayers, and it is really helpful to them as they learn them.

Also, I am not allowing myself to spend money on scrapbooking supplies or photography supplies (unless things I directly very much need for my business right at this time). I am also trying to cut down on other spending that is not necessary, if at all possible. This is really hard for me -- I'm a spender.

Do you use Holy Water during Lent?

Yes, just as I might normally. I would like to have a font for our home as well, though we do not currently.

How many times do you go to Mass during Lent?

On Sundays, of course. We are also often going on Wednesdays throughout Lent (though not every Wednesday). During Holy Week, we will be going quite frequently (just about every day).

I tagged: Martha Martha! , The Mac and Cheese Chronicles, and Waltzing Matilda.

"You're looking very Catholic today."

Today was our fabulous annual Pampering Day at my MOPS group. (If you aren't familiar with MOPS, it is a great organization that you can read about here -- it's for mothers of kids kindergarten and younger.) This day is always fun, and it allows for some time to visit a bit more with other moms than at our usual meetings, and there are also all kinds of great ways to be pampered (chair messages, manicures, foot scrubs, facials, etc). This year was the third annual, and I think it was definitely the best one yet -- complete with a chocolate fountain and Chick-Fil-A breakfast sandwiches (Yum!).

While walking around, I ran in to my table discussion leader. She cracked me up! You see, I was wearing this fabulous necklace that is pictured here. It is so cool, and I have been getting lots of compliments on it since I purchased it on Etsy.com in late January. (The seller of the necklace allowed me to use her image of the necklace -- thanks! Here is her shop on Etsy.)

Anyway, so my discussion leader came up and said, "You're looking very Catholic today!" I burst out laughing. She said, "Oh...I hope that's okay to say that." I told her it was more than fine, it just cracked me up, that was all. She said that since we had talked about my conversion process and it was the first time that she had seen me wearing this necklace, she just was thinking about it, and just thought I looked very Catholic. LOL To her surprise, I told her that although I may "look" Catholic -- I'm still not done quite yet. She was pretty shocked that we were doing the whole process for about 10 months. I told her that it was okay, and we were enjoying our time. Although, of course, I will be happy when I actually am Catholic, and not just looking Catholic.

Fun Word Cloud!

I saw this on Minnesota Mom's blog and thought it was too cool! So, I went and made one based on my blog. Click here to go make your own!

Here is mine:

Busy day in my head...

Just a heads up, I had a lot to say today. But, since it was three separate subjects, I made it into three separate postings. They are all below, and all written at the same time.

Feel free to partake in my angst, as well as my joy.

Trying to choose my confirmation name

As long as I'm full of angst and indecision, why not bring it here again?

Next week, we need to turn in our forms for confirmation. On it, we need to write our confirmation name. And, darn it -- I'm torn.

I started by researching saints. I narrowed the field to a few, and decided to think on it. We had to dress up for All Saints Day and tell about the saint we dressed up as. I dressed up as Saint Martha and read this essay: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=79. I was moved by this essay -- it really spoke to me.

During an RCIA session, Father suggested (as an example) that I might consider St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, since she was also an Episcopalian who converted to Catholicism as an adult. In addition to that, she was also a mother, and in education. This *did* seem perfect. And, really -- Elizabeth is a nice name. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton can be read about here: http://www.catholic.org/saints/saint.php?saint_id=180. (My Mom also commented that she thought Elizabeth was a MUCH better name than Martha. And, really, I'm a Mom pleaser.)

So, I decided on Elizabeth. But, now as the time nears to make it official on paper, I am having some inner conflict -- should it be Elizabeth or should it be Martha. St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was a great woman and she and I *do* have several things in common. But, St. Martha seems to be a kindred spirit. I also find myself often putting my own busy life in the way of God. I truly am the one who is so busy with preparations that I sometimes am the one in the kitchen hoping to please everyone with my hospitality.

And, so -- darn it...it's going to be a long week of thinking.

You mean people really feel done sometimes?

This is a concept that I have to admit is one that alludes me and always amazes me. It is hard for me to wrap my mind around that there are people who have a certain number of children and then can honestly and fully think, "We're done. We have no desire for any more children." This is hard for me to figure out because I have never really felt that way. Sure, I have had more than enough days when I think, "Wow -- the kids have made me crazy today -- I'm glad this is it." But, then there are definitely times when I sit and think, "Why in the world was I so adament that we had to be done?" (I have to admit that I think a lot of that was because I felt pressured to be done by others.) Let me share for those that don't know our family -- prior to our desire to become Catholic, we made arrangements that made it official that we were not increasing our family size (or, at least as I joked to Eric, I made sure that if he ever remarried that he wouldn't give our children any step-siblings).

So, why does this come up? Well -- because, quite frankly, it is an inner conflict that has been torturing me. And, so, one of the purposes of my blog was to try to occasionally lessen some of my inner conflicts. And, I kind of just felt like it had to come out.

I will admit that I have a lot of guilt now over that decision that we made, and probably more so now that we are becoming Catholic. But, it's not like I am feeling any pressure from anyone about it during our conversion. It's not like anyone asked even. Although, I did offer up my concerns to one of our priests, and he didn't even really tell me what he thought we should do. (Though, as is his way, he told me a couple of stories, and I thought I could read into it to "hear" his suggestion.)

But, then I think, "Ya know, I have had at least one child in diapers for the past seven and a half years. And, for just shy of five of those years, we had TWO children in diapers." Shouldn't this be enough for anyone?

Perhaps the problem is that our kids are just too darn loveable. LOL Even when they make me crazy. But, then again, I sometimes wonder if they have made me crazy because I try to do too much in my time. I sometimes don't take the time that they need me as seriously as I need to. Why do I need to have two businesses and then various volunteering, etc. when I have three small children?

And, so, you know what? I won't solve this one today. This entry seemed to have a weak beginning, and guess what -- it has no formal ending. So is life sometimes, I suppose.

With the enthusiasm of a child...

Last night was pretty exciting. For RCIA, we had to go to Mass for Ash Wednesday before our meeting. I wasn't sure if we would be going up for ashes or not, so after I asked our sponsors, we were told that yes, we were supposed to as well.

This information made me check with Noah and Jack's teachers on whether they would be going up. When I found out they would, I quickly pulled both of the boys out of their rooms to brief them on what would happen. Surprisingly, Noah was okay with it. I showed them what it would be like, and promised it didn't hurt. Jack, on the other hand, did NOT want to do it. I assured him that his hair would cover it back up, and then he seemed a little more ready for it. In an odd twist of fate, perhaps it was good that Jack was (literally) the next to last person at Mass to get ashes. So, with his front row seat, he got to watch hundreds of people walk past him as they had it done. (I'm happy to say that Eric and I intently watched for the boys to each go up, and both of them were guided by their teachers on what to do. We were proud to see them go up so nicely.)

Anyway, right before they invited everyone up for ashes, Fr. Dan made a point of saying that everyone could come up. He said, "Even everyone who hasn't made their first communion yet, like the 1st graders and kindergartners." I thought that was nice, because then it felt like we were also being told, "It's okay -- come up -- take part in this with us." And, then one kindergartner felt moved to do aloud what I felt in my head -- as soon as Fr. Dan said that, she called out (loudly), "WooHoo!!!" It was precious. I thought she put it perfectly. WooHoo, indeed!

Seems too indulgent for Ash Wednesday

We had a two hour delay from school today! I decided this felt like too much of an indulgence here on Ash Wednesday. But, the boys and I laid together in bed and watched some TV with our extra time anyway. I suppose, on the up side, at least we were spending some family time together, and that is good.

So, this is also my first Ash Wednesday trying to fast. I know that some people are more hard core in their fasting, but we were advised that it was one full meal and two smaller meals which do not equal that full meal. And, perhaps next year, I will do even more fasting. But, for this first year going into this (and because I'm such a snacker), this is what the plan is. This is also the first time that we will be giving up meat on Fridays during Lent and on Good Friday and Ash Wednesday. Of course, since we were Episcopalian, we always observed Ash Wednesday, Lent, etc. But, the Catholic way of doing things is new to us. Since I have always been a sucker for traditions and the like, I'm all set for it though, so this is exciting.

Eric and I have already decided on what we will give up and what we will add. We didn't make the kids do anything this year, since they are young. But, we'll be doing a decade of the Rosary as a family during Lent each day (and hope to continue past then too), so I'm thinking that will be something added for them. I guess we're just being sneaky about it. ;)

Reflections on Presidents' Day

The boys were both very excited to fill me in on some of the things they learned today at school about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"Abraham Lincoln was a boy. And, then do you know what happened? (pause) His mother died! He was sad. But then his Dad got married and he had a step mother. Then he was happy. And, then 23 years later, he was a grown up! And then do you know what he did? He became president!" ~ Noah (age 7, first grade)

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Noah: George Washington was in a war. And do you know which team won?

Mom: Which one?

Noah: George Washington's team! (pause) Oh yeah, Mom -- what were the bad guys called?

Mom: Well, the other team were the British.

Noah: Oh yeah...the British (said with a sneer). Hmmm...I stay away from them

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Jack (age 5, kindergarten): There was a king!

Mom (expecting some revolutionary war talk): Really? Who was it?

Jack: It was a great man. His name was Martin Luther King. He had a dream...he had a dream that all people would be nice to each other.

(We then talked about Martin Luther King for a while, but I had to tell him that though he was a great man, he wasn't a president. Jack said, "Well -- he should have been a president!")

Noah then chirped in, "Martin Luther King had a dream that white people and brown people could all be together. He thought they should all be able to drink from the same drinking fountain. But, then some white people didn't like that, and they shot him." (He then about looked like he might cry.) "Mom -- why do people shot all the great men?"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When asked if Abraham Lincoln was in a war, Noah said, "Oh yeah! Some bad men took some big canons, and they shot the United States right in half!"

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

"I have bad news, Mom," Noah started in.

"What's that, Noah?"

"Some bad man shot Abraham Lincoln and then he died."

"Oh," I answered, "that's really too bad."

Jack chimed in, "Yes -- a man went to a theater and shot him in the back of the head!"

Noah quickly turned to look at Jack, "How did you know that, Jack?"

"I just learned it at school," he answered.

"Wow, Jack!" Noah said with amazement, "You are getting as smart as me!"

So far, so good...

Just took this quiz online -- so far, so good. :) Maybe by the time I am actually truly Catholic, I will be able to do even better! LOL

You are a 88% traditional Catholic!

Congratulations! You are more knowlegeable than most modern theologians! You have achieved mastery over the most important doctrines of the Catholic Faith! You should share your incredible understanding with others!

Do You Know Your Baltimore Catechism?
Make Your Own Quiz

Dancin' like we're in an iPod commercial

I sometimes find the iPod commercial songs to be ones that get stuck in my head. I also find that it is not uncommon for me to end up downloading (buying) a song that they are currently featuring in their ads. One favorite that comes to mind from one of their commercials is "Are You Gonna Be My Girl?" by Jet. Love that one!

Anyway, the newest one out is "Flathead" by Fratellis. I downloaded that one from iTunes the other day, and have been enjoying it. In fact, I got to enjoying it so much that I docked it onto the speakers that I bought, and the the kids and I got to dancing. And when I saw we "go to dancing," I mean we were DANCING.

Several minutes into our dancing, the phone rang and Eric answered it. It was my Mom, and I took the phone, deeply out of breath and laughing. She said, "What are you doing?"

I casually got out, between shallow breaths, "We're dancing like we're in an iPod commercial." If you are unfamiliar with this latest commercial or the way in which we were dancing around our living room, I invite you to check it out: http://www.apple.com/itunes/ads/partyanimated/ . (Same music, same dancing -- LOL)

I think sometimes as busy parents, we don't take the time that we should with our kids (or maybe this even applies to busy grandparents too). Sometimes there just doesn't seem to be time to drop everything and play elaborate games of Pokemon battle or whatnot. But, sometimes it just takes a few minutes of dancing like you're in an iPod commercial to have a special time to connect with your kids. And, who are we kidding -- it's not bad for your heart either!

I am taking my own challenge, and I'm going to try to find those little moments that I can fill my kids' needs for fun and spontaneity. Whether it mean that we dance like we're in an iPod commercial again, or I pretend to be an attack chicken like I did the other day and chase them around the house squawking like a mad fool. I will let my kids know that fun is good and necessary -- and it was something they found in their mother.

My menu for the month - Feb/Mar 07

The long awaited (or, maybe not -- LOL) monthly menu plan (for part of February and running into March)...

(Oh, and you may notice that there are a lot of very similar things as the last one I posted. Sometimes it's just because we like it. Sometimes it because we didn't end up getting around to eating it last menu. LOL)

• Scrambled French Toast
• Cheddar Cheese & Rice Skillet
• Chicken & Biscuits (chicken breasts in the crockpot all day)
• Layered Fiesta Casserole
• Spaghetti Casserole
• Roast with potatoes and carrots (two times since I picked up two roast last night -- one for the freezer, and one is in the crockpot as I type)
• Asian-style chicken and broccoli
• Ham with sides
• Fried mashed potatoes with ham
• Ham & Cheese Stuff n Puff
• Loaded baked potatoes (notice my many uses for the leftover ham -- LOL)
• Beef Enchiladas
• Steaks with parmesan fries
• Quick chicken teriyaki
• creamy rice, chicken, and spinach dinner
• ham & cheese grilled sandwiches
• crockpot chicken and rice casserole
• spaghetti (no meat -- that will be a Lent Friday for sure)
• tuna helper
• french dip (from Market Day)
• popcorn shrimp
• oriental chicken & noodles (from Market Day)
• Chicken Fajitas and Spanish Rice
• Beans and Cornbread
• Chicken Pot Pie (from Market Day)
• Beef and Broccoli Skillet
• Taquitos
• Fish Sticks
• French Bread Pizza
• Pancakes
• Roasted Chicken

As I covered last time, we don't really plan in meals out, which is why sometimes we have things that we don't get to. Or, that sometimes happens when we have a night when we just say, "Hey -- want something like tuna sandwiches and baked chips tonight instead?" Oh, and we don't plan for leftovers. Leftovers usually go with Eric to work the next day. If there is enough, I'll have them for lunch as well. It is rare that we actually eat leftovers for dinner.

Wow! That was some Grey's Anatomy last night!

Eric and I have a set date on Thursday nights. We make sure the kids are in bed a bit earlier than normal, and we plop ourselves very close to the TV and we become engrossed in Grey's Anatomy.

Last night was no different. Or, perhaps it was. I had run to go to the gym to exercise and then stopped at both Kroger and Walmart for groceries. I knew my time was going to be running short, but I did it all anyway. I was like a mad woman in Walmart, filling my cart as quickly as I could. In fact, when I did a re-enactment for Eric of what I looked like at Walmart (during a commercial), he started laughing and said, "Were you a squirrel while you were shopping?" Hmm...I suppose that I did, perhaps, look a little squirrel-like.

Okay, so I ran into the house at 9:04 with the episode already in progress. Eric refused to tell me what was going on until the first commercial break.

Commercial break #1: Eric went to help sickie Jack. I sprinted to unload the groceries from the van. I got them all in just as the show came back on. And, so they sat.

Commercial break #2: Eric and I both (literally) jumped up and sprinted to the kitchen. I told him, "We're running triage here, Eric, only things that need to be cold are being put away." LOL! We got everything in the fridge and freezer just in time for the show to come back on. Whew!

Oh my goodness!!! What an episode. I laughed, I cried, I wanted to have a nervous breakdown. We've got our fingers crossed for Meredith to make it through. And, unfortunately, next Thursday is quite a long time away, it seems. We'll be anxiously waiting to finally see the conclusion of this three episode arc.

Oh, and at the end of the episode, we then discussed the show and put away the rest of the groceries. (And, we found the time to snack on some of the powdered donettes that I bought as well!)

(Overall -- it would have been a great date night if it wouldn't have ended with two boys in our bed, one with a raging fever laying next to me, whom I also had to jump up with to take him to vomit. Yippee.)

As predicted...

Yes, as predicted by the lady in the urgent care (see http://randomangie.blogspot.com/2007/02/first-repeat-and-blizzard.html) -- Jack now has a fever. Goodness gracious...that's about all I can say about that!

A change in comments on this blog

I know that some people who follow my blog are not blogger members. And, so, at least until I would decide that it needs to be changed others, I am allowing ANYONE to be able to leave comments. (You may do so by clicking on the comment link at the end of a post.) If you do not have an account, you can now still post a comment! Hope this brings a few people out of the woodwork. ;)

However, in an attempt to make sure I don't get inappropriate comments, comment moderation has been put in place. What that means is that I will get an email when I receive a comment. The comment will not be officially posted to the blog until I approve it. If I do not approve it, your comment will NOT be posted.

Okie doke -- hope that helps anyone who has been wanting to comment but hasn't been able to. (I know my dear friend Stephanie has commented before that she can't remember her blogger login, so she can never post to me. And, I *know* there are others out there following along as well. Feel free to drop me a line!)

It is a blessing to know good people

Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.

~ St. Francis of Assisi

I had a variety of things that I wondered about talking about today. But, I have suddenly felt inclined to just give thanks for all the good people that I know. I know so many people that make me think of the above quote from St. Francis of Assisi.

I have a dear friend that is going out of her way to make sure that my family will be going on our first real family vacation this year. (That's right -- my kids have never been on what I would consider a vacation, other than to go visit family.) I have been thinking of her today and thinking of what a blessing it is to be friends with her.

And, then, my day was again blessed this afternoon. The county finally has been coming through the plow the subdivisions and we finally had our cul de sac (and subdivision) plowed out today. Unfortunately, this made the bottom of our driveway impassable. Eric told me not to worry about it, but I planned for the boys and I to go work on it once Molly laid down for a nap. We got all bundled up, and I stuck the baby monitor in my pocket, and we headed out. Well...what a blessing -- our new neighbors across the street saw that we were out, and they came right over to help. I told Bob that he didn't have to help, but he seemed more than happy to. So, not only did the end of my driveway get dug out, but I got a wonderful opportunity to visit with my neighbors. This action on their part really made me think strongly of the quote from St. Francis. Nobody made them come out to help me. I didn't expect it, and was actually shocked when they came out...Bob with a snow shovel in hand. They simply did it because they felt it was the right thing to do. And in that action, I was able to be reminded not only of the goodness of people, but the love that God has for us -- he has given us each other.

I am truly blessed.

A first, a repeat, and a blizzard...

Okay, but not perhaps in that order.

Yes -- it was now officially a blizzard that we had this week. Of course, 17 inches of snow wasn't enough to just call it a blizzard, there are other conditions that must also be met. But, I just heard it on the news tonight that the National Weather Service has indeed declared that we have met the blizzard qualifications. Pretty crazy, I must say! Personally, I have really enjoyed it. But, then again, I have also pretty much stayed in the house since Monday evening. It makes it a lot easier to enjoy like that!

Jack & Noah enjoyed finally getting out of the house today. Poor Noah has been inside since Sunday when we got home from church, because of being sick. (Jack, however, did go to school on Monday.) Both of the boys seemed to enjoy getting out, but then Noah was quick to want to return inside. Jack, however, seemed content to stay outside forever, particularly after seeing some of the kids on our cul de sac had created snow tunnels and a sledding "hill" in their front yards (which connect to each other). Jack was happy as a clam to head down and partake in their fun. (Check him out as he crawls into one of the snow tunnels!)


I have to say -- these snow tunnels were just amazing! This particular one was probably at least 10 feet long. (Then again, I will admit, my spatial abilities leave a lot to be desired, so I will say at the very least -- it was WAY long! LOL)

After a while, Eric decided to trek out and get us pizza for dinner. (This was also his way of testing whether he would be able to get out and get to work tomorrow.) Since Noah was in the house and Molly was napping, I didn't feel right to stay out with Jack and the neighborhood kids. I asked Jack if he wanted to come with me or if he was okay with the kids. He said told me it was fine and then seemed to almost shoe me away. This brings us to my "first" that I mentioned. This was my first time ever leaving one of the kids outside not supervised. I will admit -- I would never have done it if our cul de sac hadn't been so impossible to drive down, and definitely not without those older kids out there. Still, I checked on him frequently, and finally had him come in after he had been playing for about 30 minutes or so (especially since that was in addition to about 20 minutes of playing outside with me there). This was a big step for me. But, it is not probably one I will repeat again soon. I know that at his age, I was running around our street with all my little friends, but I just can't imagine allowing it. Either I'll grow out of that feeling, or I will be hitting the mall with my kids when they are 17.


Oh, and the "repeat?" Looks like we have the sickies in our house yet again. Of course, having multiple children has made our home a breeding ground for bacteria and viruses of all sorts. Noah has been sick since Sunday, and then Molly woke up today sick. We took them in to the doctor tonight and it turns out that Noah has an ear infection (the ear complaint that started today was the catalyst for the doctor's visit) and bronchitis. Molly "just" has an upper respiratory infection. While I was checking them both in to the clinic, I did call out to Jack, "Are you still feeling fine?" Hey...as long as we were there, it was worth a check. Everyone in the waiting room chuckled and then the lady behind me said, "Oh, just wait two days, and then you'll be back with him." I suppose it would be funny if it hadn't happened to me so many times before. Here's hoping for continued good health for him!

Lots of snow, not so much school

Well...the snow just kept coming and coming! It finally finished last night, and on the 11 o'clock news, they say that we got 16.5 inches of snow in the storm. Wow!!! And, of course, that's on top of the several inches that were already on the ground from last week.

The city/county (and all the surrounding counties) pretty much shut down. Eric was able to leave work at 1 pm on Tuesday, and school was (of course) cancelled, as I already mentioned. Then, by noon on Tuesday, school was already cancelled for Wednesday (today). So, just a while ago, I checked on closings and school was already closed for Thursday and Friday! That means the only day of normal school was Monday of this week! And, when you consider that Noah was sick and stayed home (and with 2 hour delays on every single day last week), it means he hasn't had to be at school at the normal time since Friday, February 2nd! Wow!

We also saw on the news that both RCIA and Religious Ed classes were cancelled for tonight. Although we'll miss having our RCIA for the week, it is nice to know that we don't have to try to get over there in the dark!

Eric hopes to be able to make it out for work tomorrow, although he is currently working from home. (He figures he will have somebody pick him up tomorrow, if need be. Although, he did just read that they are going to start trying to snow plow subdivisions today.) I told him that his first mission to see if he can get out should be to go try to get us some dinner from out tonight. LOL After all -- what's being stuck at home if you can't have some pizza or the like?

And then came the snow...

For the last few days, we have been hearing reports of the big snow storm that would be headed right our way. I have lived in the midwest long enough (well...um...forever, I guess) to know that this does not always mean that we actually will get even a single snowflake. I watch these kinds of things with constant doubt.

Apparently others weren't feeling the doubt that I was feeling. I planned to go to Walmart (ours has a grocery store side) to do shopping for my grandma. It was UGLY. When I say the parking lot was full, I mean that not only were people in most of the parking spots, but they lanes for driving were also FULL of cars coming and going. I did manage to get a spot though, and I filled my cart for Grandma (and a bit for us too), and then I waited in line for quite a while before finally checking out and leaving.

By the time I got home, I was positive that there would not be any snow because I checked for school delays and there wasn't a single one. However -- there was a huge list of school CLOSINGS for Tuesday. I thought these cancellations so early in the game would, indeed, be the surest way to guarentee that no snow was coming.

Eric tried to show me on the National Weather Service's website to "prove" to me that the snow really was coming. When I tried to dispute it still, he shouted to my Mom (who I was on the phone with), "You paid too much for your daughter's education." When I reminded him that they had only paid $2,000 total. Eric probably thought on the seven years I was in college for two degrees and then quickly said, "Okay -- then I paid too much for your daughter's education." LOL

Last night, when I finally went to bed, the only snow I saw was the 4 - 5" that was still on the ground from last week.

And...then the snow came, apparently.

I woke up this morning to the snow blowing all around. We woke up around the time Noah would have been at school, and I was thankful for the cancellations. And, the snow just keeps coming. And so do the cancellations! Businesses, churches, daycares, and government agency closings just keep coming. I decided it was a bad sign when even KFC is closing. Apparently there will be no chicken for the masses today. LOL

We will try to keep warm and stay inside. And, I suspect we will also watch in amazement at the beautiful snow that we have been given.

Kids are something else!

Okay, I just had to write one more quick snippet. After Jack (literally) talked to me the entire time I wrote the post below, as soon as I hit "publish," he jumped out of the chair next to me and walked away to play on the computer. What in the world???

So, as long as I am posting again, want a Jack riddle?

"What has eight legs and goes 'neigh, neigh?'"

Answer: A horse with eight legs.

This week in RCIA...

Our journey in conversion to the Catholic Church continues and though it seems like we are going to be in the RCIA group forever, we really only have a couple of months left until we are received into the Church. (Hard to believe, when looking out at all the snow outside, that we started this while it was still hot outside!) Even though it's been a long process, it has been enjoyable. I prefer that it has been this way to just being something that we were allowed to go in and say we wanted to be Catholic and then just get "signed up" right then and there. This process has given us time to grow and learn. And, one of the things I have liked so much, it has given us a chance to get to know others that are doing the same thing.

Last week, Fr. Dan was our speaker again. That always makes for such a nice evening! At the beginning of the evening, he was kind to pass along compliments that he had received on the Hail Mary canvas that we donated to the church.

The class was about the sacraments of initiation -- baptism, confirmation, and eucharist. Since we had already had a talk on the sacraments, this was just a more in depth version of the previous talk. One thing that I liked hearing (that I had worried about while going through the process), we were told that if something happened and one of us died before Easter, we would still be able to have a Catholic funeral, etc. Maybe it was silly to worry about that before, but I was. I finally decided to stop worrying about it because I figured it would get figured out if something horrible happened. So, now for the next two months, I can feel like I really don't need to worry about it.

Another highlight of last week was Noah's (first grade) religious ed class. They went to Mass and then had a tour of the church. Eric (being the darling husband that he is) let me go to RCIA while he spent the first half with Noah (since parents were invited). I told Noah that he would have to tell me two interesting things he learned. He told me about getting to see in the tabernacle, getting to see a relic from St. Anthony of Padua, and the story of the martyrdom of St. Lawrence. Of course, he needed some cueing from Daddy on some of it, but I was glad that he seemed to be paying attention during their tour.

Okay, so I suppose I will close for now. And, I will apologize if this has not been cohesive or interesting -- the entire time I have been writing this, I have been talking to Jack who has been talking non-stop and telling me silly riddles. Oh, the life of a Mom.

What is up with people anyway?

Seriously. Why do some people feel the need to be nasty buttheads? I'm still stewing a bit from kindergarten drop off on Thursday afternoon.

I was driving slowly in front of the school on the icy "road." (This was in the school's parking lot.) I was looking for a spot, and then all the sudden a woman and her kindergarten stepped out from between parked cars and appeared to be about to walk right in front of me. I stepped on my break quickly and probably had an obviously surprised face as they then walked in front of my car.

Well, imagine my surprise then when I see that this Mom is then saying all kinds of things. I only know this by the fact that she seemed to be angrily talking at me and could only pick out the word "school" with my poor lip reading. What the heck???? Here I was getting the "what for" from some lady that had walked out from between parked cars. Am I getting scolded for not having ESP?

I tried to tell myself that I needed to let it go. Perhaps she had a bad day. Maybe her kid had been running all around and she had a hard time getting him ready for school. Maybe she just got some bad news. Maybe she really thought I was driving faster than I was. Or, maybe she really did think I had ESP and couldn't imagine why I was being such a butthead and not using it to know they were going to try to walk in front of me. Who knows -- I guess it could be any of those, plus many more options.

Hopefully writing this will help me let go of the annoyance of it. Forgiveness is sometimes a hard thing, and understanding can be even harder.

You mean my eyes AREN'T brown?

Okay, so I will preface this with saying that I don't often stare deeply into my own eyes. In fact, I can't think that I look in the mirror too much -- just when I go into the bathroom and wash my hands. So...here we go...

Jack had a "curious" time the other day (yes, he did state, "I feel curious, Mom."). He started asking things about "which had more" in the house -- for instance...boys or girls. Boys won in a 3 - 2 victory. Then, I said something about Jack's beautiful brown eyes, and I asked him what color my eyes were. He looked and then scrunched up his face, "It's hard to tell because there are two colors."

"Okay, so which two colors?"

"Blue and green." (My Mom says they are blue and gray, but obviously Jack says blue and green.)

This made me stop and think, "Oh yeah -- that's right...I don't have brown eyes." I think because I walk around and look into so many big brown eyes in this household, I forget that mine aren't just like theirs. As is probably apparent, brown eyes won in a large 4 - 1 victory.

It may sound silly, but then I couldn't help but wonder about people who are in large minority whereever they may live. Do they sometimes forget their identity in the sea of people that are all alike but different from themselves? Seriously...I know...here I am talking about eye color and then I go into something so NOT eye color like. But, I just thought it was funny that although I wouldn't go forgetting and tell someone that I have brown eyes, it was still something that surprised me to remember. (In all honesty, I even ended up going and looking at my eyes just to be sure they hadn't magically become brown when I wasn't paying attention. LOL)

Apparently Jack's curious mood put me in one too.

The Agony of Defeat

I had already planned to come write about last night's game when I got a reply to yesterday's posting asking if Noah switched sides when the Colts won. So, I thought, "Well -- why not get on blogger and do it now?"

So, the Super Bowl was bitter sweet in our household. Noah was thrilled for the quick Bears touchdown. He brought out his thingee he made at school to cheer with. He was then even more excited to receive a phone call from Aunt Kristin congratulating him and cheering on the Bears. (Later, at another Bears touchdown, he got a call from Grandma.)

When the game was nearing the end (maybe part way through the third quarter), Noah asked if he could switch teams. I told him he would have to do the secret Colts handshake, and then he could switch. We did a quick handshake that I made up, and I was happy that he would likely not be sad at the end of the game.

Well -- apparently his switch was not really heartfelt. As we cheered the game ending, Noah just about burst into tears. Poor sweetheart! I reminded him that he switched to the Colts, but he admitted that he really wanted the Bears to win. He continued to be quite sad for the rest of the time leading up to bed time. I was glad to allow Jack & Noah to sleep together, because of the two hour delay for school today. Noah needed someone to snuggle.

Noah was not, unfortunately, moved by me telling him that it is hard to get to the Super Bowl. So, really, both of the teams were winners because they were there. I even said, "Maybe the Bears will go again next year." He sighed and said, "Or maybe not..." with an air of defeat.

This morning, as we got ready for school, I did warn him that people would probably be talking about the Super Bowl today. He said, "I don't want to hear about it." Poor guy! I did cheer him up by reminding him that we had a really nice Super Bowl Celebration with snacks and lots of family time. He admitted that he did think that was pretty nice.

So, it was a bittersweet game ending. Although, I will admit, maybe it will make me a less than stellar Mom, but I'm still glad the Colts won. I'll just have my fingers crossed that Noah will come around for next year.

Too late to have "the talk" with Noah

I knew there would come a time to have "the talk" with my kids. Of course, there is not just one "the talk." Every one of them will, at some time, have to sit down to hear "the talk" from us on things like drinking, drugs, smoking, sex, and of course, Molly will have to get an exciting discussion on menstration. WooHoo! LOL

I couldn't have ever imagined that I was already too late for one important talk until Noah came home from school on day this week.

He excitedly told me, "I have something in my backpack to show you, Mom!"

"Oh, what is it, Noah?" I asked with matched excitement. He then pulled out an oval-ish shaped decorated paper that was attached to a popsicle stick. "Oh, that's cool," I told him, "What is it?"

"You see, Mom, there is going to be a big football game called the SuperBowl. And, there are two teams playing -- one is the Bears and one is the Colts. I'm going to root for the Bears. Who are you going to root for, Mom?"

WHAT? The Bears?!? How did I not know that this first "talk" I needed to have with him was about football teams?

Jack jumped in to the exchange, "I'm going to root for the Bears too!"

I had to intervene. "Well, I'll be rooting for the Colts."

Noah thought about this for a moment and replied, "Maybe Dad will be rooting for the Bears."

"Oh no, he won't," I quickly informed him, with a twinkle in my eye.

We then went on to have a discussion that the Colts are our team because they are from Indianapolis. This made the kids want to know where the Bears were from. Perhaps it would have been better if they were from some place they had never heard of before. Maybe I should have said, "Oh, they're from Anaheim. You know, the Anaheim Bears."

But, instead, when they found out it was Chicago, they gasped and both shouted together, "THAT'S WHERE AUNT RENEE LIVES!" Apparently this was to be another plus for the Bears.

In the end, Jack (ever the momma's boy) has decided that he actually wants the Colts to win. I suppose it has helped that just about every relative that they have asked "Who are you rooting for?" has answered with "The Colts!".

Still, Noah has persisted, and is still going to be rooting for the Bears in just a couple of hours. And, admittedly, this has been fun. We decided to have our own "SuperBowl Celebration" (as Noah is calling it) with snacks and decorations (complete with a large mylar Bears balloon and a large mylar Colts balloon). This has made for a special weekend for us that probably wouldn't have happened if Noah had come home declaring that he was for the Colts. Instead, we are having a good time getting ready for this celebration and have had a great time asking all kinds of relatives, "Who are you rooting for?", even if Noah has been a little dismayed to hear so many Colts answers. Although, if you want to know what true love is, it was that after Noah came home with a 100% on his spelling test, his eternal buddy, Papa, declared that he would be rooting for the Bears, just for Noah. That's some kind of love.

It's like going to a craft show in your own home!

Okay, so I have made a dangerous discovery this past week or so -- it is etsy.com. It is kind of Ebay-like in that it is people listing items for sale. But, it is very different as well. Etsy is all homemade stuff, and each seller gets their own "shop." The shops are free, and listings aren't very expensive at all (just $.20 per listing, plus a fee of something like 3.5% of whatever you sell). Then, your listing stays up for four months.

I have been working on my "shop," with mostly photographs right now (though I do plan to add some more stuff later). But, the dangerous thing is, not only have I been spending too much time at the computer getting that set up, but I have also been browsing all through Etsy. I have already bought just a couple of smaller things, but have my "favorites" feature full of things that I would love to pick up. Seriously...it's like going to a cool craft show, but you can do it in your pajamas. Fun, fun, fun!

I would definitely suggest that you pop on over to Etsy.com and take a look around. There is SO much neat stuff, and it's fun to know that it is all individuals selling these things.