Book #14: Still not my Spring Break Read

So this is what happened.  I was reading one book and had to return it to the Library.  I had started another book when I decided I wanted a light, comical romance, so I picked up and read Thanksgiving (reviewed earlier this week).  Then I went back to my current read.   And the book I had returned to the library came in again so I picked it up and started it again.  But then I went back to this one because it is due back first and I want to clear my table so when I read the other I can take notes... it's a teaching me book.  The Journal of Best Practices  A Memoir of Marriage, Asperger Syndrome and One Man's Quest to Be a Better Husband was an excellent read and one I didn't really want to put down because you kinda lose the perspective and it takes a little to get back into it.  This brave soul "changed" himself to become a better husband and father after learning, as a adult, he has Asperger Syndrome.  I felt truly like I was walking a mile in his shoes while reading it, rooting for him the ENTIRE way.  His wife's perspective isn't shared with us except through the author's eyes, but I couldn't help thinking "How do you do it?"  When the answer was clearly "LOVE".  And commitment.  And probably an overwhelming sense of "one day at a time".  I also spent my time wondering how these special people find their soul mate, like this author.  And praying that the son of my oldest and dearest friend finds his soul mate. 

Spring Break is FUN!

Who says you have to travel to have a great Spring Break?  Me, usually, that's who.  However, we are quite enjoying our Stay-cation!  Monday was a trip to Denver with the LRHB to the Zoo with Aunty and Uncle Spoilers followed by dinner at Casa Bonita with College Boy, too.  What do I mean by Aunty and Uncle Spoilers?  Yeah, they're the kind of doting people that spend too much money on a sword that you buy at the dinner table from someone walking around - a sword that lights up and makes ridiculous noises.  Just the kind of thing that a 7 yr old LOVES and drives a momma crazy!  Yeah, that's them.  They also thought it was a crime that my first 2 had never been to Chuck E Cheeses so they took them out there one night.  Spoilers, that's what they are and I love 'em for it!  On Tuesday, LRHB and I spent 3 or so hours at the park with Dr. A and sweet LM followed by a trip to the pool.  I brought my sunscreen with me and shared it all around.  Too band I didn't actually use it on myself.  Wednesday, I thought it best to stay inside (with my super red face) so it was off to ZUMBA and then sweet LM and I took the kiddos to see The Lorax (not 3-d).  SO CUTE!  Totally recommend it!!  Yes, my first trip back to Zumba in over 2 months and I had to still be careful with how I placed my left foot.  So exhausting and SO. MUCH. FUN!  Today, LRHB and Hero Daddy went fishing and did fishing prep work (how come when HD says let's go to Walmart, LRHB goes willingly?  Is it really because he likes to buy worms or what?).  Teen Boy and I headed to the theater to see Hunger Games.  It is totally my next read.  When I finish the 3 (yes I have 3 started now!) I already am reading.  Tomorrow, LRHB and Hero Daddy are headed out-of-town fishing so although I have cleaning to do, I am thinking I will be reading, reading, reading.  It is my vacation, too!

BTW, I read a few other blogs, that are listed on the right.  Some don't post too often, but when they do, I just love it.  However, I have been following Momastery and today's was a LOL blog about parent-teacher conferences.  I recommend it for a hearty chuckle!  Happy Thursday!

16) Divine Mercy Chaplet
17) Rhyme Time Bible reading - More on miracles

14)  A Rosary.  A seven decade Rosary.
15) Sucessful learning of Genisis Chapter 1 and Chapter 2:1-2 by mom.  I mean I got it.  I really got it.

XIII, Thirteen, 13, Trece, Treize

When I realized that this was week 13, I'll admit I was a bit spooked.  I'm a little superstitious, not a lot, but for some reason, it spooked me.  Then I thought about how it is kind of a magical number... it marks that I've lasted longer than 12 weeks which is in theory 3 months and most resolutions do not last that long.  And although I am about to review book #11, I didn't review books 1 & 2 so it is truly book 13!  And LRHB and I took our 13th step in our Lenten Journey last night.  We also discussed the math of it and how we have to all do our own steps each day if we are going to finish.  And the lack of beans in our jar due to his NO habit.  But I digress.

On this journey, I've discovered that the more specific the task, the better I am at achieving them.  Last week, the Inventory Your Health was really to help everyone else.  For me it was about taking that multi-vitamin/calcium daily and I am now on a roll.  This week it is Spring Cleaning.  I don't make it into the boys rooms weekly to dust and vacuum.  Sometimes I don't make it monthly.  But during Spring Break, we usually do a good and thorough cleaning job so we will this week.  I don't need them to clean the bath or main rooms with me this week.  I'm learning to stay on top of those.  We are concentrating on their bedrooms and that's it. 

13) LRHB and I used his Chaplet to pray the Divine Mercy last night.  The first time we prayed it we only did one decade so when we finished the first decade, he announced, "done!"  I then explained that it is actually not done, and that we do it 5 times.  And away we went!  He kept track of it and I prayed, just prayed without worrying about the counting.  And when we finished, we'd achieved a sense of peace that had been missing from our relationship.  We then read 5 chapters in our Spring Break Read: Stuart Little.  It was a great evening!

Books 1 & 2:  Cedar Cove Series, books 11 & 12 by Debbie Macomber.  I don't care for unevens.  I am trying to keep track of the books I read this year and while this Blog will help me, I discovered after going back through that although I read these books in early January, I mentioned them but didn't review them.  Since I am always talking about what a great author I think Debbie is, I am not sure why I need to review them.  Its a great series.  She's starting a new series and some of these folks will be back to visit in the new series.  If you want to know all of the names, the best way is to visit Debbie's website and check out the book list by series under the Books link.  http://www.debbiemacomber.com/

Book Review #13:  Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich.  Another quirky romance novel that I couldn't put down and plowed right through in no time at all.  Brainless.  Fun.  Just the right way to start Spring Break!

Book Review #10

I've really enjoyed reading Talking with my Mouth Full, My Life as a Professional Eater by Gail Simmons.  Who is she and why did you read the book other than the delightful title?  She is the Host of Top Chef: Just Desserts and she's a regular judge on Top Chef, a reality show that my whole family enjoys.  And mostly, I loved the title of the book, not because I was a huge fan of Gail.  However, after reading it, I am a bit of a fan of her.  Her story is very interesting and filled with hills and valleys, like my life (well, I'm not sure I'd call mine VERY interesting, just interesting).  When she started college, there was no reality TV. She now is on two of those shows and the book chronicles how she got there.  If you've ever watched her on TV, the book reads just like you'd expect her to be sitting across from you telling the tale.  I especially liked that.  And really, in my next life, I think I would quite enjoy being a professional eater!

GOTTA LOVE FRIDAY!

It is Friday so if your goal was to make that appointment you've been putting off, pick up the phone RIGHT NOW!  Calcium, CHECK.  Multi-Vitamin... sorta CHECKED.  I haven't taken it all week, but I moved the bottle to the coffee basket so when I make my morning cuppa JOE (love Polar Express, the DVD), I will take the multi-vitamin.  Yahoo!  System in place!

Inventory your health.  This is the time of year that the commercials all warn that bathing suit season will be here before we know it.  Sadly, that doesn't intimidate me.  I will be comfortable in my bathing suit whether I am svelte (which I am not) or not svelte.  BUT, I am coaching baseball with the LRHB (yeah, I know I needed another hobby).  And I am huffing and puffing out on the field chasing those balls.  Part asthma, part sinus infection, part too much weight.  I have been exercising consistently since early January.  Notice I say consistently not regularly.  Cause I was sick and stuff, BUT I keep going back.  And now I'm back to dry land activity and still doing some water stuff.  AND I've been adopting healthier eating habits.  AND I have dropped some pounds, but since I don't weigh myself, I have no idea how many.  So....

I am doing a 30 Day Feeling Fit Challenge from Arbonne.  I will be blogging about it on a different blog (http://thirtydaystoahealthierme.blogspot.com/) and may carry into this one, but really my goal is to keep them separate.  Wish me luck!  Happy Friday!

It's Wednesday...

How are things progressing for you this week?  Did you schedule that appointment?  Did you start those vitamins?  Hero Daddy started his vitamin routine this week, but sadly I have not.  So the week isn't over.  And it takes 30 days to form a habit so on April 21st, I should be regular at this, right?  I have figured out that my calcium chew comes best right after lunch so I'm off to enjoy that.  I have been back on the water consumption so maybe I've done okay so far this week.  How about you?

Now, I've been a bit back and forth on the whole healthy eating thing... when College Boy and I had lunch yesterday, I gave him my egg roll and he ate the majority of the crab wonton and I didn't order the breaded chicken sesame that I love, so kudos to me.  And when I went out for dinner, I had lettuce wraps and no dessert.  And when I went out for lunch with College Boy again today, I ordered a salad with my soup instead of the chicken salad that I wanted and gave him a third of my roll (mostly because I had used up the 2 pats of butter already).  So the real problem here is my eating out continuously.  And today's problem was no breakfast (I KNOW HOW DUMB).  I tried to eat breakfast, but here's what happened:  I took one bite of a Special K peach/berry breakfast bar and EWWWWW!  It was so gross I spit it out and put the bar away.  I don't know how the LRHB eats them.  I really don't.  So now I will put bars in the car that I like so this doesn't happen again.  And I will hope that the Teen Boy doesn't read my blog and find out how many times College Boy and I ate out.  Happy Wednesday!

12)  Another step in our Lenten Journey... this morning I prayed the Rosary.  I decided that my prayerful steps count on this journey to and was very purposeful while saying the Rosary and thinking of Lenten preparation. And yes, I was swimming laps, but it is no longer my only form of exercise as I did a class today, a bike session with sweet LM yesterday, so this was a bonus time for me. And my Lord.  Happy Wednesday.

11)  So LRHB and I read another book to be returned to the St. Pat's library:  Daily Prayers for Children.  (Now, this is me putting myself out to you, remember that)  He didn't realize that people really prayed daily other than at meals eaten at a table (or when his mother offers up a thank you Lord prayer for green lights when she is late).  So the fact that there were other daily prayers was a bit of new information for him to assimilate.  Then I showed him the bedtime prayer card I found in his brother's bedroom (and promptly borrowed) and introduced the idea of a bedtime prayer session.  We had a chat in Bible Study about evening prayers and it came up that the old prayer we all learned was a bit morbid and some had newer, more upbeat versions that they knew and I thought, I like that.  And then I found this card with the newer version (Blessings for Gramma) in my own house.  We agreed, he was busy learning the Our Father for now so it could wait.  Baby steps.

A Wee Bit More From Last Week...

So we never finished the other car, but I plan on attacking it Friday when the kids are all home again.  That worked well whatever day that was last week.  I emerged late yesterday afternoon from the SICK ROOM (first Hero Daddy and then ME with tummy bugs) to discover that my College Boy was reading a book from his shelf.  "What's that?" (duh mom) "Oh you're reading it?  For what?  Just because?  Why yes, I do remember talking to you about it the other day.  I just thought you might choose something more, uplifting.  Good for you!"  He's reading Over a Thousand Hills I Walk With You which is an amazing story of a young Rwandan girl in the days prior to, during and after the genocide of 1994.  I read it with him when he was a sophomore.  But, he's reading.  And I chose my Book & a Movie read for Spring Break with LRHB:  Stuart Little.  I might even con Teen Boy into reading it with us.  Maybe.

10)  Happy Be-lated St. Patrick's Day to you!  It is a day worth celebrating around our house not only due to our Irish heritage (my maiden name of Quade was MacQuade when we came from the land of the faeries), but because in a bar on St Paddy's day drinking green beer, I met Hero Daddy, my sweet hubby, 23 years ago.

So, LRHB and I read about St. Patrick or Patricius as the Pope named him.  And we prayed the following prayer:  May St. Patrick guard you wherever you go and guide you in whatever you do.  And may his loving protection be a blessing to you always.

9)  I think I've mentioned a few times that I am lacking in RE time with the last child.  What happened is this:  I signed him up for preschool RE and preschool in the same month.  He promptly got sick soon after starting preschool.  Ultimately he missed like 8 of 11 weeks of school that fall due to constant stomach issues, H1-N1 (which due to round the clock nursing from mom for 72 hours kept him out of the hospital), and secondary infections culminating in a diagnosis of Compromised Immune System keeping him sequestered for 2 full weeks.  Now, this is not a child that was kept free from illness his first 4 years of life.  He was out in public being oooohed and aaaaaahed over at a swim team party at 6 days and at 12 days on the deck for a swim meet and a week after that in the elementary school for a holiday party.  And that just continued.  He was diagnosed as lactose intolerant which cleared up the stomach issues.   But he never made it to one RE class that year.  The following year, I was too afraid of him missing Kindergarten to sign him up for an RE program he probably wouldn't make due to illness.  And this year, I just dropped the ball.

BUT, he does love going to church on Children's Liturgy Sundays so I am thankful for the families that support and run that program.  And we are taking this Lenten season to begin our journey.  He ALMOST has the Lord's Prayer down, but being sick for a week slowed down his progress.  And Teen Boy is busy after missing more than a week of school trying to slowly get caught up so we've not had the prayer time together that I've envisioned, he and I.  But LRHB and I have taken some steps...

Thanks to Stina needing me to return some books, we had some books to read.  One was The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes.  He learned the word miracle doesn't only apply to the 1980 US Olympic Hockey team, but was actually a Jesus term.  It was a great discussion as the story also told of Jesus walking on water.  Again, it was a miracle.  It is available to borrow from St. Patrick's Catholic Church Library, once I return it.  I think learning about Jesus and miracles is a great step on our Lenten Journey.

Week 12: Take inventory of your health

This might mean alot of different things to different people.  Maybe you've been procrastinating on setting up an appointment for a physical, colonoscopy, mammogram, dentist visit, etc.  This is your week to do that.  Maybe you keep meaning to add more calcium, vitamin d, iron, etc into your diet.  This is your week to start that!  I am on-again/off-again with my multi-vitamin and my calcium so my specific goal of taking inventory of my health is to create a SYSTEM (there it is again sweet LM) that helps me to remember to take them daily.

I want to mention that I am STILL EATING BREAKFAST (week 1!) except for yesterday when I was sick as a dog with the tummy bug that Teen Boy brought home from Wisconsin and that Hero Daddy had over the weekend.  UGH.  Thanks to College Boy for holding down the fort and allowing me to actually stay in bed to recover!  He even volunteered in first grade!  Don't you think that deserves a treat lunch out today?  I do!  Happy Tuesday!

I came, I cooked, I am exhausted

I am soooooooooooooo tired that I am not going to take the time to post the Lenten steps we've taken the last few days until tomorrow, but I wanted to just say a few words to my friends out there...

I made about 25 meals today.  That's right... 25.  I loved that we were at my friend Dr. A's house (I am confident she will get there so I am starting to call her that now) because I dripped meat juice (better known as blood) across her kitchen, on her floors, counters and cabinets  AND my bag with tomatoes and water tipped over meaning that sweet LM needed to use her hands to push it off the counter into my food bag so I didn't lose any AND Dr A's hubby shared his beer with us (of course we told him about it after we drank it but it still counts as sharing).  When we got home, I made the boys and my hubby come out to help me unload the car and load the freezer so they could see exactly why I was gone from 9:45 in the morning until 5:45 at night.  I am tired.  Sleep tight!

Working toward a goal...

"Um, guys... do you know that I made a New Year's Resolution? Actually, I am making 52 resolutions in 52 weeks.  What does that have to do with you? Well, I've included you in this week's resolution.  And in last week's resolution that I am doing this week."

And one car is almost done... it just needs some wiping down tomorrow afternoon. It was vacuumed and WOW doesn't it just make a big difference in how nice it feels.  Both cars have been cleaned out.  This occurred following the book for Spring Break conversation.  College boy was the toughest sell as he brought home school reading, but I pointed out the benefits to reading for enjoyment.  NOT SURE HE BOUGHT IN.  Teen boy is the kind of kid that buys himself an E-reader and that you have to take books from to punish him.  He has 5 books on his shelf to read over break.  He's spent the week re-reading the Hunger Games series in preparation to see the movie.  LRHB is going to finish reading the Henry and Mudge series.  He has fallen behind on his monthly reading chart due to illness, but is inspired by the idea of reading the "whole series!"  I am also going to surprise him with a book/movie program for the mom-read time over break... I just need to figure one out.  Happy Saturday!

They Don't Know It's Coming...

What a week!  What a busy, slow, crazy, sane, wonderful, horrid week.  On the one hand it has been busy because everyone was home most if not all week due to illness.  Slow because since there was illness, there were no extra kid activities.  Crazy because I had bible study, volunteer, volunteer, volunteer, 2 sick kids, meetings, meetings, doctor appts (2 by 9:15 am Tuesday), Bunco and had to make a trip to Denver to pick up College Boy for Spring Break. Sane because I have extra hands and heart at home to help a momma out!  Wonderful, college boy is home; horrid, LRHB has broncitis and with his asthma, it's a bad combo.  Wonderful because teen-boy has plateaued; horrid because we have so much work to make up. 

But tomorrow, since they will all be home again and there is only so much basketball and hockey to watch, we are going to clean out the cars and pick our Spring Break books.  And with the taxes MOSTLY done, I'll be diving into 2 For the Money, by Janet Evanovich.  I have some "real reads" that will be due back to the library before I get through them, but I need a good, fun Spring Break read.   Then I will tackle one of the others.  And I kinda feel like I get 2 spring breaks, one with CB and one with the others when they finally get out at the end of next week.  In the meantime, this has been an interesting week with having both kids home under the weather.  Hope your week has been FAB and you haven't missed me too much.  Happy Friday!

Can we go back to finishing tasks again?

So, I like to pat myself on the back.  You know I do.  I had a dinner party the other night.  After the guests left, my sweet hubby and I cleaned up the kitchen.  Then he went to watch some TV and I was headed to bed.  Then, I spotted the tables and chairs still set up.  "Those can wait until morning," I thought to myself.  So can the wine glasses, unused.  And the unopened bottles of wine.  OR CAN THEY?  "FINISH THE TASK OF CLEANING UP!" I told myself, and I did.  I put those things away and put the furniture back.  And my house was back to normal.  Boy, when I got up the next day, I was so happy to see my house with nothing more to do!

8)  You know, I have said over and over again that I don't want to be the slacker mom with this decade later child.  BUT, when it comes to his religious ed, I am the slacker mom.  This Lenten Journey is our chance to rebuild and grow in our faith and religious education.  So last night, I pulled his bible out.  Oh he complained.  He hollered and covered his ears.  But after backing him into a corner (I threatened not to read at all and since it is our special time he caved), he sat down and we did shared reading (a page for me, a page for him) starting with Genesis and the creation of the world.  We're still trying to get that down.  And then, wait for it, HE ASKED ME TO READ ANOTHER BIBLE STORY!!!  I'm not sure that if it becomes a habit, that each time I will count is as apart of our Journey, but what a blessing!

Week 11: NO QUITTING ALLOWED

So this week I will be doing 2 resolutions:  Clean Out the Car and Read a Good Book.  After all, it is 52 weeks, 52 resolutions so if I do two this week, I will still be on track!  And I have college boy coming home this week so I will have some help with the cars.  I will have help in the house.  I will have help!  I mean, lately trying to get the LRHB (little red headed boy also known previously as the first grader, but it was pointed out to me that soon enough he would no longer be that so I should revert to the name he is best known as) to do anything has been like pulling teeth.  Even the bean jar hasn't helped.  And Teen Boy is too busy.  He really is.  So when he has time, I like for him to focus on his Lenten Journey. 

Read a good book.  Many of you are headed into Spring Break.  Have EVERYONE in the family choose a book for Spring Break!  I like reading a good classic like Charlotte's Web.  Then I like to take the movie(s) out from the library and have a special viewing session.  Follow that up with a good discussion comparing and contrasting the book and the movie (or movies).  It sounds like work, but is really great, fun, quality time with the kids.  Then, choose a book for yourself!  Read one that I have suggested or pull one off of your own shelf that you've been meaning to read!  Show the kids that you VALUE the time of reading a good book.  Children learn by example.  Many ask me how I have raised readers.  I have read for pleasure, I have read to them even as they have gotten older and I have done the book/movie combo on MANY occasions.  Like last summer.   We read Mr. Popper's Penguins and I recommended it to friends on our swim team.  Then they read it and we ALL went to see it in the theater.  You too could organize that with soccer friends, school friends, cousins... it is an ageless activity!  So read a good book.  I will be encouraging all three of my boys to do the same!  Happy Monday!

Week 10: Utter Failure

Totally didn't clean out either car.  Nope.  In fact, they are worse than when we started the week cause we travelled to Denver twice this week and all the extra stuff we take like jackets, just in case, food, drinks etc. are all in there.  Plus clothes as the teen boy left them in the car when he changed between the band performance/competition in Denver Friday and the airport as he left for Wisconsin to swim.  Tomorrow I will decide if cleaning the cars will come up again or not.  But statistically, people don't stick with resolutions longer than 1 month.  And one failure in 10 weeks isn't that bad.  But life happened and though I am not ready to blog about it, I appreciate the prayers and support I've been receiving.  And this too shall pass.  Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.

More about Books...

I spent the last week getting caught up on my Bible Study reading (since I had to miss, I fell behind) and starting a book for my Lenten Journey, A Mom After God's Own Heart.  And I had to start that OVER again because I had taken 2 pages of notes while eating lunch at Olive Garden the day my car was in the shop for HOURS and then I threw the notes away because they were on the back of my grocery list and since the shopping was done and I was cleaning up and "finishing tasks", I threw the no-longer-needed lists away with the notes. Too efficient for my own good.

But somewhere in there I read a romance novel by Janet Evanovich called The Grand Finale.  Totally brainless and LOL funny.  I mean at some point I was reading on the couch while the HS boy was doing homework and he looked at me and I was like "what?" and he was like "you are laughing!" and I was like "yeah it's funny!"  So it would make a fabulous beach read. 

7) I made a reference at some point about how whenever my Grammy and I would travel, we would say the Rosary.  So on Friday evening while travelling back from Denver, "we" said the Rosary.  I said it and he fell asleep.  Another step for us. 

The real me...

I like to think I am entertaining to the masses as I sit and blog about my 52 resolutions and plodding my way through making change in my world.  But I am a real mom.  And today is a bad mom day.  My 1st grader has regressed to toddlerhood and only says no.  no, no, no.  My teen boy has 21 missing assignments in school.  We have battled this all year.  This time, it has cost him $600; yet he seems unfazed. ( Don't do the math, it isn't an amount per missing assignment, rather I am no longer paying for his trip to Wisconsin to swim this weekend - and it will likely be more.)  What have I done wrong?  Don't tell me nothing, I don't want to hear it.  It might be true, but I don't want to hear it.  Yet.  Eventually I can hear it, but for now I am writing my pain.  Better than eating my pain which will come later.  No it won't.  I didn't resort to the chocolate painkiller yesterday and I refuse to give in today.  But it is hard to not eat when you are an emotional eater.  I could say just one piece, but that doesn't work for me.  It is usually just one bag.  Because buying a bagful is cheaper than buying just one.  And I am supposed to be smart when it comes to my purchasing power, right?  Just say no.  Just say no.  Just say no.  Stay away from the store and the drive-thru line.  Make a list of things to do and work on that plan and stay away from the car.  Okay, clean-up the house as we are having 18 boys here for dinner.  And by clean, I mean straighten, not actually clean the floors as they are teen-aged boys.  Empty the dishwasher.  Fold that extra load you did.  Vacuum out the dryer (washed the kitchen rugs yesterday and now I need to vacuum out the sand/backing that is in my dryer).  Wipe down the counters.  Baby steps.  Volunteer at the high school.  I am tight in the lungs so don't feel like I should work out, but think in some ways that would make me feel better.  Postponing that decision until the chores run out.  Clean the kitchen sink.  Get the mail.  First things first, eat breakfast.  And maybe have a second cup of coffee.  Wednesday.

Some random thoughts on this journey...

So I keep thinking about last week and finishing tasks.  I shopped my big shopping at the end of last week.  One thing I often do, is pile up stuff I get from like SAMS and never put it AWAY right.  It sits on a bench or a bathroom counter until we use it.  So that is another example of finishing tasks I felt compelled to share. 

For me, the 52 weeks, 52 Resolutions are about making small changes all year long to improve my life, my family's life and thereby our overall happiness.  I was happy to go into the bathroom and discover the bulk toothpaste and razors were put away (in my reorganized bathroom!! nothing like patting my own back again and again and again...).  This week's resolution to clean out the car(s) is about making it a quarterly habit.  About coming up with a plan to keep life cleaner, more organized etc.    Good Night Tuesday!

Week 10: Clean out the Car(s)

I saw this on a list of 40 days of preparation for Lent.  They were only spending a whole day on it.  However, with my lifestyle, I need a week (plus 2 cars).  It is a great Spring Activity.  We are gearing up for spring sports (baseball and high school swimming) and will need to keep different items in the car.  It is dirty from the snow stuff.  Windows should be cleaned.  It is a great spring cleaning project and my resolution for the week.  And I am going to add it to my chores chart as a quarterly to-do item.  How about you... need to spend some time cleaning out the car?  Happy Monday!

6)  So Teen Boy and I are memorizing the Apostles Creed.  However, yesterday we practiced it from our Rosary sheet.  Then we read it from our Divine Mercy Chaplet sheet.  NOT THE SAME.  I'll be investigating that later.  However, this doesn't count as a step UNTIL we have it memorized.  So that is not this step.  This step was sitting down after dinner and praying the Divine Mercy Chaplet as a family (minus dad at work).  What a great way to finish the weekend and start the week.  This might just be the start of a new tradition (of course football season will raise its own issues).

5) The first grader and I have been having some tough times.  He is two all over again and his favorite word is NO.  However, yesterday we got to a good place and we were able to even do a craft together.  We made a one decade Chaplet for the Divine Mercy.  He can read the prayer, count the beads and join us when we pray the Divine Mercy that I am teaching Teen Boy (and will teach College Boy when he is home for Spring Break!).  I have looked and looked and looked this morning to tell you where I printed it from and I think that it was Making Music Praying Twice, but that site is down this morning.  It was just the prayer on 10 circles and a cross with the ending prayer.  We cut them out and strung them together on yarn.  In the meantime, trying to find this site, I have found CatholicMom.com which has a bunch of Lenten Activities that I will be checking out later.

4)  So Teen boy and I have had a running commentary on Genesis and what happened when and that sort of thing.  Let me back up, I am a cradle Catholic.  I went to CCD through my senior year of high school AND was very active in Young Life my junior and senior years.  BUT I don't have bible verses memorized.  I joined Newman House when I went to college.  I was married in the Catholic church and attended not only sessions with a priest and the retreat weekend, but also did an 8 week pre-marital counseling program with a married couple.   BUT I don't have bible verses memorized.  My children have made their sacraments and I have sponsored young ladies for Confirmation several times. 2 years ago or so I recommitted myself to my faith as my New Year's Resolution and I've been in a wonderful group on Mondays ever since learning wonderful things.   BUT I don't have bible verses memorized.  So the other night, we read Genesis and learned about the creation, however now my personal challenge to Teen boy is to memorize it.  First we are memorizing the Apostles Creed, though.

The Little Engine that Cooks...

Cooking, cooking, cooking... If it is the beginning of the month, the freezer is bare and it is time to get together with friends and cook!  Together we each made 6 meals.  Since they left I've made 5 more (including tonight's dinner).  It was a fabulous time with a playdate that was peaceful, friends sharing celebrations and commiserating over struggles.  Oh, I love my cooking days!

I was thinking about this week's resolution and I know that it is the end of the week, but I had some more ideas about it.  I mean, for me it was going through and finishing tasks.  But for you it might have been ironing that stack of clothes, finishing the mending or the filing or the taxes or whatever was left unfinished in your life.  I know that it is MY 52 weeks, MY 52 Resolutions, but if no one finds reason to journey with me, then it isn't quite the same, ya know?  So I hope you had some tasks that needed finishing and you wouldn't mind sharing those with me.  Happy Saturday!

Calendar Catch Up

I spent about an hour yesterday putting items on my calendar for the next few months.  I don't have an electronic one... I print out pages for free and put it together in a nice folder with brads so I can carry other papers around also with it and keep many months.  I just flipped back the other day and gave someone a date of something that happened last spring!  It's helpful to have those back months!  Anyhow... it was part of finishing tasks as I had 4 lists in there of dates to put on the calendar.  Then, I took another list and typed up notes.  And finally, I printed my grocery lists for March and filled them out (partially).  Today, I am going to finalize one of the lists (the other I did finish and actually did the shopping this morning!) with recipes so that I am all planned out for the month.  Then on Saturday, my cooking friends and I will make our March freezer meals.  I have really come to depend on them!  What was I doing before?  I swear we were eating the same things OVER and OVER!  Now I am trying new recipes!  Woohoo!  The things that I find entertaining!  Anyway, for now the calendar is up-to-date and there are some more papers I need to go through from there to finish off my tasks for my various committees, but for now... lunch!  Happy Thursday!