Quick Takes - Volume 4

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We recently got a new pastor at our parish. Father Humberto Palomino came to us from California, but the religious order he belongs to is Peruvian, Pro Ecclesia Sancta. He has already been such a blessing to the parish and to our family. My children LOVE him, and the two brothers who are also living in the rectory, studying at the nearby seminary. All three of them joined us for evening prayer and dinner on Monday evening. It was the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, so we had a lemon-flavored, cross-shaped cake for dessert -- I forgot to take a picture of it, but it was delicious.

(This picture is a little fuzzy, but you get the idea.)

They brought us chocolates, made by some of the women religious of their community. The chocolates are raisin, cherry, or pecan (yummy!), and each one is wrapped with a Scripture verse. They also brought rosary bracelets for the kids, and a beautiful framed print of the Sacred Heart of Jesus for our family.

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Last night, my husband and I attended a dinner and lecture at the University. The speaker was Father Paul Murray, an Irish Dominican who teaches at the Angelicum University in Rome. The lecture was entitled Aquinas at Prayer: The Interior Life of a Mystic at Campus. My husband and I met Father Murray eleven years ago when we were studying in Rome. He counseled us through and blessed our engagement. It was such a treat to see him again, and a JOY (for me) to attend a lecture. I know, I know, it sounds kind of nerdy, but I loved college, and I love academia. And Father Murray is an especially good lecturer. Being married to a university professor has its perks!

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My in-laws came over to watch the kids last night while my husband and I were gone (thank you, thank you, thank you!). They brought with them a bag of tomatoes and a bag of zucchini and squash from their garden (thank you, thank you, thank you!). These zucchini are ginormous, so I think I'm going to make some muffins for breakfast next week. Yummy!

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I generally try to get the kids out for a field trip on Friday afternoons, somewhere related to something we're studying. And on Sundays, we generally try to get out of the house together as a family. When the weather is nice, we're likely to be enjoying the outdoors. But, Minnesota winters are LONG and COLD. As of last week, we are all set for winter field trips and Sunday outings. We have memberships now to the St. Paul Children's Museum, the Minnesota Zoo, the Science Museum of Minnesota, and the Minnesota Historical Society. Later this afternoon we are off to the zoo to classify animals.

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Does anybody have any good ideas for getting a five-year-old boy to use the toilet consistently? The Boy is driving me crazy with waiting too long because he doesn't want to take the time to go. He rarely has a full-blown accident -- he goes just enough in his underwear to relieve the pressure. But sometimes he waits so long that he can't stop -- and we're talking number one and number two. Help!

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My dad came over this morning for Science Friday with Papa. He loves science and he loves spending time with the kids; I love not having one subject to plan; and the kids love having a different teacher once in a while. This morning he also brought me a mocha. I love my dad!

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Our weekend plans include running errands, my niece's sixth birthday party, and visiting with a priest friend who will be in town for a few days from Washington, DC, where he is also working on completing his dissertation.

Enjoy your weekend! For more quick takes, visit here.