![Weekend Update and Lenten Facebook Fast]()
by Catherine | Feb 22, 2012 | Family
We had my family over for the February birthdays on Sunday. It’s always such a joy to see our family all together–especially the little cousins. It’s pretty incredible watching your children play with your siblings’ kids. My favorite part is seeing how different they are and the personality traits they might have picked up from their parents. Jane, unfortunately, picked up her mother’s trait of struggling to wake up gracefully from naptime. She had a marathon nap before everyone came over, and she wasn’t thrilled to have her picture taken…
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| Jane’s trying to escape. Sorry she used you for leverage, Lucy! |
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| Calm cousins without Jane |
Once she had some food in her and a chance to play with her cousins, she was a happy camper again.
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| Kiddie Table |
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| Birthday Cake |
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| I made it low-fat, of course |
For part of my Lenten promises, I’m giving up Facebook. The fact that I had to consider whether or not I could do it coupled with the thoughts of the things that would make it difficult for me solidified that a Facebook Fast was necessary! I’ll be anxious to see what kind of withdrawal symptoms come about. Stay tuned. I know you’re supposed to do your Lenten promises in private, but I’m cluing you all in so you don’t think I’m a complete jerk for not responding to any posts or messages.
I know many of you reach my blog via Facebook. If that’s the case, consider subscribing through the RSS Feed so that you’ll continue getting blog updates while I’m away from Facebook during Lent. If my readership goes down, I’ll just take that as an exercise in humility and get the hint that you needed a break from me, too! 🙂
Off to upload some last pics on Facebook before Lent begins, and then it’s off to work on a craft item. More on the craft later.
Have a blessed start to your Lent!
![Janie Turns 2!]()
by Catherine | Feb 13, 2012 | Family
Janie turned two on Saturday, and we had a Barney-themed birthday party to celebrate. Here are a few pictures of the preparations and festivities.  |
| Jane’s Happy Birthday Sign |
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| Invitations |
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| Dino cookies out of the oven |
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| Frosted dinosaur sugar cookies. (Great job decorating, Philip!) |
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| Slicing open the crayons (you’ll see why later) |
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| Chopping up the crayons |
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| Into the dinosaur molds |
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| Crayons out of the oven |
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| Ta da! Dino crayons! |
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| Dino PBJ |
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| Dino chicken nuggets |
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| Janie’s cake |
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| Make a wish… |
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| Do you think they’re related? |
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| Partying with Aunt Maddy |
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| Opening presents. She tried to hold everything all at once! |
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| Barney DVD! Yessss! |
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| Family Shot. The one picture we have of Janie in her full outfit (well, minus the bow. Close enough!) |
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| Walt loved the balloons |
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| Hours and hours of fun |
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| Another round of “Happy Birthday” that night as a family |
It was a fantastic day. In fact, I think Jane would say it was the best day so far in her two years of life! Janie is (and we are) so blessed to have such good buddies to help us celebrate. I didn’t get pictures of everything I wanted to that day because we were so busy having fun and visiting with our friends. That’s what matters, after all! Thank you to everyone who made it such a special day for Janie. We love you!
![Week In Review]()
by Catherine | Feb 5, 2012 | Family
Recent Milestones/Developments/Victories/Funny Things:
Our gaggy baby Walt is adjusting to textures! This week he tried yogurt bites, puffs, and moved on to 3rd stage foods. He must be going through a growth spurt because he suddenly has an insatiable appetite and he’s taking long naps.
We’re working on teaching Jane how to pray before meals. On Wednesday morning, Jane and I prayed before breakfast and started eating. A few minutes into her oatmeal, Jane put her spoon down and spontaneously attempted the prayer by herself. “Father, Son, Holy Spirit. Amen.” Hooray! Sure, she had a crazy combination of hand gestures, but it’s starting to look and sound like the real deal. Hearing her little voice pray so slowly and reverently reminds me to slow down.
When I got Walt up from his nap today there was a rosary in the crib with him. I don’t know how it got in there. My suspicion is that Jane thought Walt needed to work on his prayer life. Maybe it would help him to stop swiping her toys.
Favorite Quotes of the Week:
From the changing table this morning. Jane said, “Daddy work. Daddy loves me!”
Whenever I get the diaper bag down or put on a jacket, Jane says, “Mama shopping? Church?”
Every time we arrived in the parish parking lot this week for events, Jane said, “Church! Jesus!”
Looking at nightlight in nursery on rocking chair, Jane said, “Oh, woooooooooow!” She quickly followed with, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.”
The pregnant squirrel came to visit everyday. At least we think the squirrel is pregnant. Maybe she’s just fat and I’m not helping her to make good choices with her diet. She loves NutriGrain bars.
Where did my baby go?! Walt’s size 12 month clothes are getting tight and his 12-24 month socks squeeze his chunky calves and ankles like sausages.
We had record high temperatures early in the week and went for a walk on Monday night. It was so nice to get out and about as a family in the fresh air.
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| The hummus was in the middle of the table. When I had my back turned, Jane pulled it closer to her, scooped a big heap out of the bowl, and put it on her tray. This girl loves her hummus! |
Walt loves his food and has to have it right away. He was starting to whimper, and Jane immediately ran out of the room. I thought she might have been trying to escape the noise. She came back a few seconds later with her ladybug nightlight. She pushed it up on Walt’s tray and said, “Here, Walt. Ladybug.”
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| The Girls |
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| Philip playing with the kids after dinner |
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| There’s no such thing as too many accessories, Mom. |
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| Sometimes Walt makes faces that are so eerily Philip. I love those footie jammies. |
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| I’ve started pushing Jane into the table without the tray that goes on her booster chair. That way she can eat from the table like a big girl. She was eating some Goldfish crackers Thursday morning, and I left her while I went to change Walt’s diaper. I was gone for less than a minute when I heard a huge crash. She had pushed herself back and the side strap on her booster seat came loose. The momentum must have sent the whole chair backward. Jane was shaken up, but she didn’t get hurt. As I was hugging her, she said through tears, “Mama, I scare you? Goldfish SCARY!” She decided that Goldfish crackers are now very scary things. |
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| SNOW! We received about 10″ of snow on Saturday. This is the view from our living room window. A burning bush usually blocks the view, but the weight from the snow bent the branches down to the ground! |
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| The deck. Check out the precariously leaning pine… |
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| Walt and Monty, hanging on the couch |
Philip had to work all day today. Fortunately, he made it there and back through the snow in his little Honda Civic. We’re looking forward to a quiet family day tomorrow at home.
On to preparations for Jane’s birthday next week! How is she already 2?!
![Light a candle and eat a stack of pancakes!]()
by Catherine | Feb 2, 2012 | Faith
Today is the Presentation of our Lord, aka Candlemas (formerly the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin). Candlemas is celebrated every year on February 2. February 2 is 40 days after Christmas. (Again, that number 40! Dr. Taylor Marshall gives a great bullet point summary of the number 40 and its appearances in the Bible in this blog post.)
Back to today’s feast day: The Gospel of Luke recounts the presentation of Jesus in the Great Temple of Jerusalem. To fulfill mosaic law, Mary and Joseph bring the male baby Jesus to be presented at the temple and to offer a sacrifice 40 days after His birth. They encounter Simeon, an elderly man.
“…it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And inspired by the Holy Spirit he came into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, ‘Lord, now let your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel” (Luke 2:26-32).
The prophetess Anna also meets the Holy Family, gives thanks to God, and tells everyone she meets about Him, the “redemption of Jerusalem” (Luke 2:38).
In celebration of Jesus, “a light for revelation to the Gentiles,” (Luke 2:32) Catholics bless and light candles on this day. All of the candles that a Catholic church will use in the upcoming year are blessed on February 2. Here is the prayer to be said by priests to bless the candles at Candlemas:
God our Father,
Source of all light,
today you revealed to Simeon
Your light of revelation to the nations.
Bless + these candles and make them holy.
May we who carry them to praise your glory
walk in the path of goodness
and come to the light that shines forever
Grant this through Christ our Lord.
Groundhog Day and Punxsutawney Phil are great and all, but I never knew it was a rip-off of an older tradition.
Candlemas Day was also the day when some cultures predicted weather patterns. Farmers believed that the remainder of winter would be the opposite of whatever the weather was like on Candlemas Day. An old English song goes:
If Candlemas be fair and bright,
Come winter, have another flight;
If Candlemas bring clouds and rain,
Go winter, and come not again.
Thus if the sun cast a shadow on Candlemas day, more winter was on the way; if there was no shadow, winter was thought to be ending soon. This practice led to the folklore behind “Groundhog’s Day,” which falls on Candlemas Day.
If candles aren’t your thing, adopt the European tradition of eating crepes or pancakes on Candlemas Day. Because they are yellow and round in shape like the sun, they are supposed to make us think of Christ, the “Light of Light.” That’s definitely a tradition I can get behind–especially if my grandma’s buttermilk pancake recipe is involved. I’d take a stack of pancakes any day over a stinky groundhog!
So, happy Candlemas Day to you! Get some candles blessed, light them, thank Jesus for being our “Light of Light,” and eat a stack of pancakes!
![Encouragement On THOSE Days]()
by Catherine | Feb 1, 2012 | Faith, Family
No matter our age, our vocation, our sex, we are all called to sainthood.
“We are at Jesus’ disposal. If he wants you to be sick in bed, if he wants you to proclaim His work in the street, if he wants you to clean the toilets all day, that’s all right, everything is all right. We must say, ‘I belong to you. You can do whatever you like.’ And this is our strength. This is the joy of the Lord.” – Blessed Mother Teresa
When we respond to our station in life joyfully, especially in difficult times, it gives glory to God. Imagine the great joy Mother Teresa gave God by embracing her vocation to the religious life, serving the poor and rejected, and treating all those that she met as though they were Christ in a “distressing disguise.”
I don’t know about you, but I, uh, well, struggle a bit with that most days.
When the babies wake up at 5:30, they don’t take a nap, refuse to eat, have 8 timeouts in the pasta aisle at Walmart, Monty (our dog) has his fifth accident of the day by the door, someone hits the mailbox, a speeding driver nearly hits us and flips us off, or Philip has to work all weekend, I don’t always feel like offering it up.
Instead, I am really good at throwing myself a grand ol’ pity party. Population: 1 scary mama! Look out, world! I’m having a pity party, and you’re only invited if you tell me, “Wow! That does suck!”
Once I realize for the millionth time that doing that only makes me (and the people around me) feel worse, I end up turning skyward. When I pray for it, I’m able to will myself to stop the pity party and “offer it up.”
As a stay-at-home mom, it’s so easy and tempting to listen to the devil on the bad days. He usually tells me something along the lines of, “What you do doesn’t matter. You’re wasting your life here. All you accomplished today was changing some diapers, some cooking, and changing a few loads of laundry. Zip-a-dee-doo-dah-day! You didn’t even shower before 5! What kind of a life is that?!”
On the days when I haven’t spent time in prayer, I’m more likely to listen to that voice. What’s worse is that sometimes I even start to believe that voice. Sooner or later, I inevitably end up brought to my knees in frustration. I’m convinced it’s God’s way of saying, “Remember Me? You need Me. I’m always here, just waiting for you. Stop trying to shoulder it all on your own. Come to Me. I’ll give you rest.”
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| “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:30 |
So, here’s the good news: it turns out holier and wiser people than me (understatement of the century!) are human and experience their share of those days. Fortunately for me, some of them have written about their struggles, and their words are so encouraging.
I came across a beautiful prayer written by Mother Angelica called “A Prayer at Day’s End.” I think about this prayer on those days.
A Prayer at Day’s End by Mother Angelica
Good night, Lord. Thank You for Your Grace and Strength today. I didn’t do all the things I wanted to. I wasn’t like Jesus all the times I could have been and I didn’t think of You as much as my soul needed to. All in all, it wasn’t the day I planned when I saw the light this morning. I have acquired more self-knowledge and I do realize I need to put forth more effort. I am the recipient of Your Merciful Love for once again You put up with my many frailties. It seems the only thing I have left tonight is my desire to know You better and love You more. I end the day a little more humbled by the realization of my weakness but exulting in Your Holiness and Goodness. I shall find my joy in You and not in myself. If I have grown in seeking You alone then it has been a good day indeed. Good night, dear Lord; let Your Angels protect me and intercede for me while I sleep. Let Your Son’s Mother make ready many graces for tomorrow, that I may love You more and be more like Jesus. Amen.
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| Image from divinewordradio.com |
If a woman as holy as Mother Angelica has those days, I’m surely guaranteed them.
Now, I’m not saying the bad things go away when my prayer life is strong. Sometimes the opposite is true. I’m saying a strong prayer life makes it easier to “offer it up” and roll with the punches when the bad things come. When my prayer life is strong, the bad things become opportunities to unite my sufferings to Christ on the cross–even the little inconveniences. When my prayer life isn’t happening, the prayers turn into, “Lord, WHY ME?!” When my prayer life is strong, I’m able to will myself to say quick prayers like, “Lord, I offer up Jane’s temper tantrum in the grocery store to You. Thank You for this very public exercise in humility.” Yup, I’ve learned to pray even when I’m making this face–especially when I’m making this face!
Jane likes to run over and hug my leg throughout the day. Just like Jane needs those little moments to know that she’s loved, I need to have the same little “check-ins” with God. My
prayers, especially the little ones throughout the day, may not be as beautiful or eloquent as Mother Angelica’s, but I think God loves them just the same. I’m just His little girl, checking in to make sure that I’m still loved and that I’m not as wretched as the devil tries to tell me I am.
After my little check-in with God, He gives me a grace-filled pat on the head, and sends me along to “be a good girl” – to try my darnedest to become a saint.
