Jack Gregory

Here's my newest nephew! I haven't talked to my brother yet, but from what I hear Momma and Babe are doing well.

My Daybook - February 8, 2010

For Today... Monday, February 8, 2010

Outside my window... it's been snowing. all. day.

I am hearing... the dishwasher -- man, that thing's loud!

I am thinking... about what to do for Lent. I've been VERY pregnant during four Lents and I have never come up with a plan for the family that I feel good about. Suggestions?

I am praying... for a young mother I met in January who was diagnosed with breast cancer this past week and is having a double mastectomy soon.

I am thankful for... the safe arrival of my newest nephew. Jack Gregory was born earlier this evening. Stay tuned for pictures ... when I get some.

From the school room... business as usual. We'll be working on a special birthday project tomorrow -- can't say more, but will post pictures when we're done. Wednesday we'll break out all the arts and crafts supplies and make valentines.

From the kitchen... barbecue pork sandwiches, french fries, and broccoli for dinner tonight. Tomorrow night we're celebrating my DH's birthday, which is Wednesday, with one of his favorites -- Country Captain Chicken -- served over rice with green beans and banana cream pie for dessert.

I am creating ... plans for Valentine's Day ... shhh!

Pondering these words ... of Maureen Conroy, RSM, as quoted by Rev. Timothy Gallgher, OMV, in The Examen Prayer:

Growth in relationship with God occurs through mutual self-revelation.

I am going... to drink my wine, finish working, and go to bed when I'm done with this post.

I am reading... The Professor's House, Shiloh, and The Examen Prayer.

I am hoping... The Baby's sore gums will not keep her (and me and DH) up tonight.

Around the house... I started cleaning up in the basement after last week's "rain," but there's still quite a bit to do.

Noticing that ... my Christmas chocolates are almost gone.

One of my favorite things... getting lots and lots of snow at once.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Little Flowers and dance classes as usual. Friday night we're headed to my parents for a taco party and to watch the opening ceremonies for the Olympics. This is one time I wish our television was out.

Some picture-thoughts: Thank you Aunt Annette and Uncle Norb for hosting us for a turkey dinner and fun yesterday! The food was delicious, the company most enjoyable, and the kids had a blast ...

... sledding ...

... sitting on the tractor ...

... swinging ...

... climbing trees and goofing around ...

... building a fort ...

... and seeing Uncle Norb's plane. They look forward to a ride when it's not snowing so much!

For more daybooks, visit here.

Saturday Successes - Volume 1

I tend to get bogged down with my to-do list on Saturdays. With working full-time and home-schooling, everything else tends to have to wait until Saturday. My list is usually a week's worth of stuff that I'm trying to cram into one day. I don't eat properly. I run around like a chicken with my head cut off. I yell at the kids to stay out of my way. I'm a machine. This week I'm trying something new ... instead of a to-do list, I'm starting with a clean slate and seeing how many successes I can add. Check back often for an update ...

*** finished working on the marriage case I started yesterday afternoon

*** had a cup of coffee and a brownie

*** made a menu for the week

*** made a grocery list and a Sam's Club list

*** sent a couple e-mails

*** got The Baby dressed and ready for the day

*** helped The Girls finish a reading project

*** did a little birthday shopping on amazon

*** helped The Boy with his virtues project for Blue Knights

*** took a shower

*** made some Pizza Rolls to eat while I created this post

And it's only 10:30! Stay tuned ...

Won't you join me in celebrating your Saturday successes?

12:30 UPDATE:

*** picked up kitchen

*** packed away winter dishes (a little prematurely, but I started cleaning up in the basement after our rain shower and this bin was next in line)

*** typed up and printed Lord's Day prayers for this evening

*** supervised lunch for the kiddos

3:30 UPDATE

*** brought The Boy to Blue Knights

*** went to Sam's Club

*** picked The Boy up

*** unloaded Sam's Club purchases

*** made a loaf of garlic herb bread for dinner (actually, I just put the ingredients in the bread machine and I'm letting it do the real work)

10:00 UPDATE

*** went to the grocery store

*** unpacked groceries

*** made bolognese sauce for dinner

*** put away all the groceries and Sam's Club purchases

*** made salad for dinner (with The Older Girl's help)

*** picked up the main rooms of the house

*** set the table

*** hosted a wonderful evening with Fr. Humberto and Br. Adam and Br. Alvaro

*** loaded the dishwasher

Quick Takes - Volume 9

--- 1 ---

I had intended to celebrate Candlemas on Tuesday by making this cute dessert, but ... I never made it to the grocery store. So the kids had to settle for decorated oatmeal (which they loved, because they never knew about my original plan ... I have learned a few things about sharing plans with children).

--- 2 ---

Wednesday morning the kids and I headed to the Tribunal offices to celebrate Fr. B's successful defense of his dissertation. Afterward, we headed to the seminary, where Father celebrated Mass for us. When we finished, The Boy said, "He didn't bless our throats" -- it was the Feast of St. Blaise, who we had read about that morning. After a search for candles, all was well.

--- 3 ---

The Boy is finally getting excited about reading. Last night marks the first time he asked me to read with him before bed and suggested we take turns -- "You read one page, Mom, and then I'll read the next one." Yeah! Thank God for small successes.

--- 4 ---

It is definitely not supposed to rain in one's basement. While cleaning up from dinner last evening, I thought the kitchen sink drain was still running slow (despite my pouring half a bottle of Drain-o down it the night before). I went downstairs to get the other half of the bottle and heard it raining. Yes, water was dripping profusely from a beam in the middle of the basement, onto the Christmas decorations that I hadn't had a chance to pack away yet. At the same time, The Boy yelled from upstairs -- "Mooooooooooom, there's water all over the kitchen floor!" This all happened about ten minutes prior to the time when my DH was to start teaching his first graduate course. Apparently, the drain clogged, the water backed up into the dishwasher, and overflowed onto the floor. I'm still not sure how it ended up dripping through to the basement, because where it was dripping was not directly underneath the dishwasher. Anyway ... the plumber was here for three hours this morning. The drain is cleared, the basement is a disaster area, I have washed two loads of sopping wet towels, and the house smells like ... well, you can imagine. It's always something, isn't it?

--- 5 ---

Fr. B joined us for dinner tonight. We had clam chowder. He brought bread and brownies from Breadsmith. Yummy! Thanks, Fr. B!

--- 6 ---

Tomorrow night, our pastor is joining us for dinner. Hmmm ... I think I'll make bolognese, a Mediterranean salad, and homemade herb bread.

--- 7 ---

Sunday after Mass we're heading to my sister-in-law's for dinner. The kids love playing in her huge yard. And I will enjoy the company, and the fact I won't have to cook.

For more quick takes, visit Jennifer at Conversion Diary.

My Daybook - February 1, 2010

For Today... Monday, February 1, 2010

Outside my window... winter is back. We had our January thaw, and now it's fifteen degrees again with a light snow falling, the kind that leaves everything glittering.

I am hearing... the space heater purring under my desk, keeping my footsies toasty, and the dishwasher running in the kitchen. All the kiddos are in bed and my DH is at an evening of recollection.

I am thinking... about pillows. I have been feeling out of whack in the morning lately and am thinking our ancient pillows are to blame. But how does one go about choosing a good pillow? There are so many to decide from. I've even been to hotels with "pillow menus." What do you recommend?

I am praying... for my DH. Lord, grant him perseverance and peace in his writing and teaching commitments this semester.

I am thankful for... this post and the support of other Catholic blogging moms.

From the school room... Shiloh, Dr. Seuss, subject and verb agreement, stories of Aaron and Balaam, Candlemas coloring, addition and subtraction with exchanges, first declension Latin endings, map drawing, the earth's rotation, Raphael, and mummies. Whew!

From the kitchen... chicken divan leftovers from my mom -- thanks, Mom!

I am wearing... jeans, a green long sleeve tee, black socks with froggies on them, and my slippers.

I am creating ... a plan to let go of all expectations and just survive, cheerfully (read, "without yelling at my children too much"), until the dissertation is completed.

Pondering these words ... from St. Francis de Sales (thank you, Jessica, for bringing them back to my attention):

Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do not lose your inner peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole world seems upset.

I am going... to get my haircut tomorrow night! This is very exciting Mommy alone time -- my sister-in-law is my stylist, and my best friend and I are going together.

I am reading... The Professor's House, another Willa Cather novel.

I am hoping... my nephew can wait until after February 9 to make his entrance into the world, so my sister-in-law can attend a memorial service for her grandfather.

Around the house... I unclogged a bathroom sink over the weekend. And I can't stand the kitchen flooring in this rental house -- no matter how often you wash it, it ALWAYS looks dirty and disgusting.

Noticing that ... our season of birthdays is about to begin: DH on the 10th, Oldest Girl on the 26th, Baby on the 28th, Younger Girl on March 11, and Boy on April 1. We can never give up sweets for Lent around here, because most of the birthdays are celebrated during this time!

One of my favorite things... snuggling with my DH after not seeing each other all day.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Little Flowers and haircut tomorrow, dance on Wednesday and Thursday, Blue Knights on Saturday.

Some picture-thoughts: I finally learned about King Boreas and Vulcanus Rex and the St. Paul Winter Carnival legend. We took the kids to the History Center yesterday for the last day of the carnival. They made crowns and scepters and we attended a puppet show that explained the above legend.




For more daybooks, visit here.

Quick Takes - Volume 8

--- 1 ---

First of all, yes, I am still alive. barely. I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I've posted anything. It's amazing what a sick kid or two can do to one's schedule -- any precious minute of free time I may have had disappeared in a flash. This, combined with a crazy goal I set for myself, and the fact that my DH is working overtime on his dissertation (read, we never see him) and ... well, I'm sure you can figure it out. Right now, The Baby is in bed, the other three are watching a Backyardigans movie (BTW, I LOVE the Backyardigans), and my DH is on a train headed home -- he was in Milwaukee meeting with his director. So, though I have a ton of work to do, and I'd really rather be watching the Backyardigans, I thought I'd catch up here first.

--- 2 ---

Last Friday, after being cooped up in the house all week with a sick son, I was ready to fly the coop. I decided to pack a picnic lunch and head to Wild River State Park for a winter picnic and a walk in the woods. It was in the thirties and perfect weather for getting rid of some major ants in pants around our house. My sister and her three (ages six, two, and three months) joined us. After PB&J at the trail center, near a blazing fire, we headed to the trail head. The ranger at the front gate had suggested a loop trail I'm pretty sure she said was a mile and a quarter in length. Either I heard her wrong, or we did not take that trail. As near as I can tell from the trail map, we ended up walking at least three miles! with seven kids under eight! And we made it back to the vehicles for hot cocoa and cookies with only about fifteen minutes of daylight to spare! At least one husband was getting a little nervous. But I, at least, had a blast. It felt good to get outside and to get some exercise (although my shoulder was pretty achy from carrying The Baby). I love the quiet winter woods (although there wasn't a lot of that with all those kiddos). And my kids said they want to do it again, so they must have had a good time, too. Really, there wasn't very much complaining. until we got to the ginormous hill at the very end. after they had already trekked two and a half miles. And I'm not sure my brother-in-law will be too keen on letting his wife and kiddos join me for a "walk in the woods" again anytime soon. Next time we'll pack a flashlight.

--- 3 ---

My best friend has a son The Boy's age and started a Blue Knights Boys Club for the two of them and two others. They had their first meeting a couple of weeks ago. At the meeting, the boys were "knighted." The Boy couldn't wait to tell us about the sword and the blue cross on his cheek. He learned about St. Peter and made a shield. And I have been quick to remind him these two weeks that he made a promise to be a protector of the true and good!

--- 4 ---

We finished studying Leonardo da Vinci in art and moved on to Michelangelo, but I wanted to share the kids' self-portraits. They worked on these after we studied the Mona Lisa. You can't tell from these pictures, but they texturized the backgrounds by applying salt to the wet watercolors.

The Boy painted himself wearing his pirate costume and his Lightning McQueen T-shirt. What amazed me is that he knew to just draw a little bit from his shirt -- "because you can't see the whole thing."

The Younger Girl

The Older Girl

--- 5 ---

The Kids got a snowman kit for Christmas last year and we never seemed to have the right kind of snow last winter. They finally got to use it for the first time last week. These photos were taken by The Older Girl.

--- 6 ---

What do you do for your sick kiddos that are too little for cold medicine? I've learned that Vicks BabyRub works pretty well. And on the bottoms of their little footsies it appears to help with coughs (don't ask me why). I tried these cold tablets (recommended by a friend) with The Baby, but haven't tried the cough syrup (recommended by my sister) yet. But I'm ready to go when the next round hits. I also bought another humidifier -- what's your opinion -- warm or cold?

--- 7 ----

I long for a vacation. My parents just returned from here and looking at their pictures of warm sand and sun was torture. Two years ago they took us on a Caribbean cruise ... Where's your favorite place to escape the winter cold?

Dreaming ...

For more quick takes, visit here.

My Daybook - January 18, 2010

For Today... Monday, January 18, 2010 - Martin Luther King Day

Outside my window... it's dark, twenty-six degrees, and foggy. The January thaw is upon us.

I am thinking... about how tired I am.

I am thankful for... an evening with my son. Friday night Daddy and The Girls were gone, so I asked The Boy what he wanted to do. He wanted to watch a movie and eat a TV dinner (I don't know why he likes these, I think they look disgusting, but I digress...). He picked out a Veggie Tales video (Gideon, Tuba Warrior) from the library. We played this Memory game and Mancala while The Baby was finishing her dinner. After we put her to bed, we had root beer floats while watching the movie. Trusting God has been a big theme in my life as of late. And do you know what the lesson of this movie was? "If we're doing what God asks us to do, He'll meet all our needs. If we're doing what God asks us to do, we can trust Him with the outcome." Hmmm.... Good choice, Son.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart. And do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do. And he will direct your paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

From the school room... We're finishing up the second quarter already! The Girls chose their third quarter language arts study: Shiloh. I'm not at all familiar with this one.

From the kitchen... I made a scrumptious ham dinner last night -- spiral cut ham with glaze, cheesy potatoes, green beans, apple sauce, and cinnamon buns. We enjoyed the leftovers today.

I am wearing... black warm-up pants, a T-shirt, and a gray fleece hoody from Old Navy that I bought in the boys department on clearance about ten years ago!

I am creating ... plans for our Little Flowers meeting tomorrow.

I am going... to go to bed.

I am reading... I finished O Pioneers! last night. Yes, it only took me a week. I think I'll wait until Shiloh gets here later this week before I start anything else. Has anybody read any good fiction lately?

I am hoping... that The Boy doesn't give his drippy nose and cough to anyone else in the family. Here we go again!

I am hearing... the space heater under my desk.

Around the house... most of the Christmas decorations are down. I left out a few pretty winter things though. The house always seems so bare after taking the decorations down, and less cozy and warm without the tree and its pretty lights.

One of my favorite things... When the kids decide on their own to be extra loving and kind. My DH has been missing dinners lately because he's working late on his dissertation. Last Tuesday evening I told the kids that Daddy would be home for supper. They immediately started planning what they could do to make the evening special. The Boy and The Younger Girl made him cards, thanking him for all his hard work. The Older Girl made sure the kitchen was spotless -- "because that's usually Daddy's job after dinner, and he won't have to do it." They had a glass of water all ready for him when he arrived, because they know he gets thirsty on his walk home. So sweet. Saturday morning The Girls decided on their own to clean the schoolroom, including my desk, for me, because they saw that my chore list for the day was much longer than their own. Thank you, God, for small blessings.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Nothing out of the ordinary: tin whistle lessons, Little Flowers meeting, dance classes. It is a week of birthdays though: my brother-in-law on Wednesday (the BIG 30!), a goddaughter on Thursday, and my mother-in-law on Friday. Happy birthday all!

Some picture-thoughts I am sharing: The Girls went with Daddy to a Little Flowers Father-Daughter dance on Friday night. They loved dinner at the malt shop, their pretty rose wrist corsages, the face painting, the treats, the limbo, the chicken dance, and, especially, a whole night with Daddy!

For more daybooks, visit here.