Quick Takes - Volume 3

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One thing I did not figure into my school year schedule is time for blogging! I have so enjoyed this these last couple months. It has been a source of fulfillment for me. I have been able to record special moments in my children's lives with words and pictures (something I had been wanting to do in the way of scrapbooks since my eldest was born!). I have made time to reflect on life, which has given me a deeper appreciation for the everyday and helped me to keep things in perspective. I have been able to share what our family is doing with friends and family out-of-state. I have "met" some wonderful Catholic women and found more inspiration and affirmation than I could have imagined.

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Tuesday we celebrated Our Lady's birthday by making the blueberry cheesecake I read about on Shower of Roses (it was delicious!) and by praying a family rosary.

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One of my favorite times of the day is family reading time. Most nights, after everyone is in their jammies, we say our bedtime prayers and then read together as a family. I know this is also one of the highlights of my husband's day. This week we sadly (yes, I even shed a real tear) finished The Last Battle, the last in the Chronicles of Narnia series. Lewis is such a great author and has such a gift. The kids always groaned at the end of a chapter -- "That can't be the end of the chapter!" -- they couldn't wait until the next night. In fact, last week, before school started, all of us thought the same -- I think we read four chapters in one night! Last night we started the first in the Harry Potter series. I know this series is controversial. I've read them all. I enjoyed them. A lot. I'd love to know what you think.

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One of the things I have desperately missed lately (for years) is a weekly holy hour in front of the Blessed Sacrament. There is a parish nearby with Perpetual Adoration and part of our new fall schedule allows for Mommy to have a holy hour on Wednesday nights while the girls are at dance. A whole hour of silence with Our Lord. every week. I am so excited! This past week was my first visit in ages, and it was blissful. (Although I am pretty tired by six-thirty in the evening, since I have been getting up at five o'clock, and I spent most of my time reading to stay awake!)

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I think I've mentioned before that around dinnertime my nerves are shot and my patience is beginning to wane. To alleviate some of the noise and dinnertime battles, we have started again listening to something on CD for at least part of the dinner hour and then discussing it together. On Mondays we will be listening to a selection from the composer-of-the-month. On Tuesdays we will be listening to a chapter from The Story of the World, our history curriculum this year. After clean-up on Tuesdays we will complete our history lesson and work on projects together. On Wednesdays we will be listening to a recording from Greathall Productions (right now we're listening to A Treasury of Wisdom: True Stories of Hope and Inspiration) or one of the Glory Stories, stories from the lives of the saints.

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The girls are trying to find ways to raise money for horse camp next summer. They have been collecting aluminum cans on the way to and from Mass and at the park (living near a college campus, there are no shortage of beer cans around!). I'm afraid that's not going to be enough, though, and they keep asking me how they can raise money. I don't really believe in giving them an allowance. And I'm not going to pay them to do things they are expected to do as part of the family. Suggestions?

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Tonight I am going with my best friend to visit my sister-in-law, who happens to also be our hairdresser. We are getting our hair highlighted and cut (one of my FAVORITE things) and, since my sister-in-law has her own place, we are bringing wine and cheese and chocolate to enjoy at the same time. I am so looking forward to it!

Have a great weekend! For more quick takes, visit here.