![Jane’s 6th Birthday Party]()
by Catherine | Feb 6, 2016 | Family
Jane has always loved her birthday, so it came as no surprise when she started talking about her party master plan several months ago.
“Mom, this year, I’ve decided I want to have a poor party.”
“What’s a ‘poor party,’ honey?”
“Well, instead of presents, I want my friends to bring food for the poor, and then we’ll go around and deliver it to them.”
Yeah. I cried. That was SO not how I dreamed of my birthday party at six years old! My little kindergartener didn’t want presents; she wanted to use her special day to bless others. Between the hormones of pregnancy and all of the sweetness, I just couldn’t handle it!
We talked about how we could put her plan into action and have a little fun with her classmates at the same time. We decided we’d have a Friday evening pizza and cake party at the local indoor playground for Jane’s kindergarten class and their families. Instead of presents, we’d ask everyone to bring a donation for the food pantry to leave at the door. After pizza and cake, the parents could visit while the kids ran amok and burned off the sugar!
Jane was also very, very concerned that everyone got a special treat bag. She selected pink baggies with purple stickers that she signed. Since she has a birthday so close to Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to find her favorite candies with pink and purple wrappers. As a final touch, she got an assortment of holy cards of favorite saints/prayers from the Catholic bookstore in town, and she stuck one in each bag.
Walt was very happy to help with this project!
I’m slowly learning how to not be a perfectionist and let the kids do their own thing when they can. I’m very proud of Jane and Walt for doing this project together!
We arrived early at the indoor playground to set up the party room. The boys were happy to entertain themselves while we set things out.
The guests started arriving with all of their food donations and handmade cards for Jane. Is there anything more adorable than a handmade card from a kindergartener?! So sweet! Jane can’t wait to drop off the donations from her classmates at the food pantry.
First, the food:
Cheers!
Then, a magical moment: Mrs. C., Jane’s kindergarten teacher, entered the party scene! Oh my word, the shrieking and hugs from the little kindergarten girls! What an amazing woman to come on a FRIDAY NIGHT (at the end of a busy Catholic Schools Week, no less) to her student’s birthday party! We love you, Mrs. C.!
Jane and Mrs. C.
The cake and blowing out the candle with Harry’s help
Play time!
The playground has a carpeted indoor track (notice all of the “ONE WAY” signs?) for the kids to burn off steam around the play structure with wagons, trikes, and cozy coupes.
Harry did not struggle to keep up with the big kids
The kids gave high fives to the dads when they circled the bend
Harry *so* desperately wanted to be a part of the big kid action inside the play structure, but the employees kept telling him he was too little. Poor buddy! It didn’t stop him from sneaking in a few times, though.
Jane with her classmates (and a few siblings!)
Jane’s class (and a few siblings) with Mrs. C.
We probably had 25-30 kids and a dozen adults at the party. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and went home WORN OUT!
On the ride home, Jane declared, “This was the BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER!” Music to this mama’s ears. Mission accomplished! Love you, Jane Louise!
![Jane's 6th Birthday Party]()
by Catherine | Feb 6, 2016 | Family
Jane has always loved her birthday, so it came as no surprise when she started talking about her party master plan several months ago.
“Mom, this year, I’ve decided I want to have a poor party.”
“What’s a ‘poor party,’ honey?”
“Well, instead of presents, I want my friends to bring food for the poor, and then we’ll go around and deliver it to them.”
Yeah. I cried. That was SO not how I dreamed of my birthday party at six years old! My little kindergartener didn’t want presents; she wanted to use her special day to bless others. Between the hormones of pregnancy and all of the sweetness, I just couldn’t handle it!
We talked about how we could put her plan into action and have a little fun with her classmates at the same time. We decided we’d have a Friday evening pizza and cake party at the local indoor playground for Jane’s kindergarten class and their families. Instead of presents, we’d ask everyone to bring a donation for the food pantry to leave at the door. After pizza and cake, the parents could visit while the kids ran amok and burned off the sugar!
Jane was also very, very concerned that everyone got a special treat bag. She selected pink baggies with purple stickers that she signed. Since she has a birthday so close to Valentine’s Day, it’s easy to find her favorite candies with pink and purple wrappers. As a final touch, she got an assortment of holy cards of favorite saints/prayers from the Catholic bookstore in town, and she stuck one in each bag.
Walt was very happy to help with this project!
I’m slowly learning how to not be a perfectionist and let the kids do their own thing when they can. I’m very proud of Jane and Walt for doing this project together!
We arrived early at the indoor playground to set up the party room. The boys were happy to entertain themselves while we set things out.
The guests started arriving with all of their food donations and handmade cards for Jane. Is there anything more adorable than a handmade card from a kindergartener?! So sweet! Jane can’t wait to drop off the donations from her classmates at the food pantry.
First, the food:
Cheers!
Then, a magical moment: Mrs. C., Jane’s kindergarten teacher, entered the party scene! Oh my word, the shrieking and hugs from the little kindergarten girls! What an amazing woman to come on a FRIDAY NIGHT (at the end of a busy Catholic Schools Week, no less) to her student’s birthday party! We love you, Mrs. C.!
Jane and Mrs. C.
The cake and blowing out the candle with Harry’s help
Play time!
The playground has a carpeted indoor track (notice all of the “ONE WAY” signs?) for the kids to burn off steam around the play structure with wagons, trikes, and cozy coupes.
Harry did not struggle to keep up with the big kids
The kids gave high fives to the dads when they circled the bend
Harry *so* desperately wanted to be a part of the big kid action inside the play structure, but the employees kept telling him he was too little. Poor buddy! It didn’t stop him from sneaking in a few times, though.
Jane with her classmates (and a few siblings!)
Jane’s class (and a few siblings) with Mrs. C.
We probably had 25-30 kids and a dozen adults at the party. Everyone seemed to have a wonderful time and went home WORN OUT!
On the ride home, Jane declared, “This was the BEST BIRTHDAY PARTY EVER!” Music to this mama’s ears. Mission accomplished! Love you, Jane Louise!
![Our Romantic Getaway]()
by Catherine | Jan 26, 2016 | Marriage
Philip and I had the most wonderful, relaxing, romantic getaway a few weeks ago! There are so many pictures and things to share. Let’s see if I can do my best to wrap up the trip in ten minutes with just my very favorite things…
We had our very first all-inclusive resort experience at Excellence Playa Mujeres. After our stay, I’d love to make this trip an annual tradition! I can’t recommend that resort highly enough! The accommodations, the food, the entertainment, the beachfront location, the hospitable staff…I could go on and on.
Our room was gorgeous and had a beautiful view of the ocean. We were greeted by these sweet swans when we checked in.
While unpacking, one of the bartenders from the poolside bar near our room brought us this cute coconut monkey with a mango mojito. Philip took one for the team and drank it for the two of us since this prego couldn’t!
What did we do while we were there? Mostly this.
The resort had these wonderful bed cabana things on the private beach. They were so comfortable and provided this pale lady with plenty of shade. When we weren’t at the beach, we lounged poolside, sipping our favorite drinks (mango mojitos and banana mamas) and reading.
We loved the food at the resort. Our favorite restaurants were the French and Indian spots. Although I couldn’t enjoy the alcohol of the all-inclusive experience, I most definitely DID enjoy the food! It was a prego’s dream!
We only left the resort once during our 5-day stay, and that was to go to Mass on Sunday morning. What a gift to be able to call up the concierge, find a Catholic church 15 minutes away, and get to attend Mass. The church, María Estrella del Mar, was a beautiful, beachfront open-air building surrounded only by glass on one side.
Before Mass began, the parish priest asked those in attendance if they could participate as readers. Philip read the 2nd Reading. The universality of the Church shone through when we realized that those in attendance represented many different countries, but we celebrate the same Mass throughout the world, so we were able to participate without hesitation with the same familiar prayers, gestures, and same Jesus in the Eucharist. What a gift!
After Mass, our taxi cab driver gave us a tour of the parish. As it turned out, our driver, Manuel, is a Catholic himself, and he knew a lot about the church. Here’s Manuel with Philip in front of a statue of Martín de Porres. (Manuel’s last name is Porres, too!)
In addition to driving his taxi, Manuel does some photography. He took us around the building and offered to take our pictures. Here we are in front of an image of Our Lady of Guadalupe.
Up the hill from the church is another beautiful open-air area dedicated to baptisms. All of the chairs and pews are made of a saline-resistant wood.
In addition to enjoying our time eating, drinking, and relaxing by the water, we: watched different evening entertainment each night (pop star show, fire show, opera singers, traditional Mexican singing/dancing) and indulged in our first couples massage. It was such a treat to get to lay on my belly since the table had a special area for my belly. I’m usually a stomach sleeper, so that was awesome!
We spent little pockets of time throughout our stay working through a “Family Board Meeting.” We got the idea from this podcast episode of Messy Parenting. A “Family Board Meeting” is simply a chance to get away with your spouse to discuss your family’s goals for the year and beyond. The three key parts of a Family Board Meeting are 3 A’s:
- Away
- Alone
- Affirm
It was so nice to be able to spend part of our time alone and away discussing our family’s goals for the year and beyond. Our favorite part of the meeting was how we ended our time at the resort. Before we checked out and got into the car to go to the airport, we brought some frozen drinks back to our room’s patio. Then, we did the “Affirm” part of the meeting–telling one another all of the things that we noticed and admired the other person doing in the past year that we want them to know we saw and appreciated. It was the perfect way to end our time at the resort.
With the exception of some rain on our first night, we had nearly perfect weather our entire stay. As we wrapped up our Family Board Meeting and headed to the airport, the storm clouds were rolling in. It made it a lot easier to leave paradise with storm clouds overhead!
When we got home, we were greeted by a plethora of crafts, pictures, and dictated cards from the kids. They were *very* well taken care of by their favorite sitters and gave us the play by play of all of the fun things they did when they woke up the next morning. It was wonderful to get away for a bit, but it was nice to be home again with the little ones!
We don’t know if the kids were more excited to see us or the souvenirs we brought them. Harry especially loves his wooden snake!
![Remembering Thérèse]()
by Catherine | Nov 29, 2015 | Faith, Family
November 5th marked the 3-year anniversary of the day our Baby Thérèse went to heaven. That day, we wanted to do a few special things to remember and honor our family’s little saint.
First, we took a family trip to the cemetery where Thérèse is buried. We arrived just as the sun was beginning to go down.
To our pleasant surprise, the cemetery had recently redone the area dedicated to babies. It was absolutely beautiful!
Before leaving their roses behind, each of the 3 kids gave Thérèse little updates on what’s new in their worlds. We’re not sure what Harry said, but his face was very animated, and he used a lot of hand gestures! Afterward, we said a few prayers together as a family.
Leaving their roses at the statue of St. Rachel weeping for her children.
We wanted to start a new tradition this year that would both honor Thérèse and celebrate life. We were inspired by our friends who have a similar tradition to honor their daughter. We looked at the birth records in the newspaper to find out who had the first baby girl born on November 5th. I asked my very talented friend Rakhi to create a beautiful custom print of a quote from St. Thérèse of Lisieux with a pink rose border. (Check out Rakhi’s Etsy shop, Signs of Love by RakstarDesigns!)
We put the print in a beautiful frame and mailed it to the family with a card assuring them of our prayers. I like to imagine the print in the baby’s nursery as a reminder that we have countless opportunities to love and serve each other. Hopefully Thérèse is somehow blessing that family the way she has blessed ours.
We love you and carry you with us everyday, Thérèse.
St. Thérèse, pray for us!
![When I Knew Spiritual Direction Was Making A Difference]()
by Catherine | Nov 9, 2015 | Faith, Family
After talking about it for years, I finally started getting serious about finding a spiritual director as part of my revised Mother’s Rule of Life for 2015. What’s a spiritual director? Simply put, a spiritual director helps his/her directee along their way toward sainthood. To learn more, read about spiritual direction here.
I wanted my spiritual director to be a priest so that we could start our monthly meetings with confession. In terms of personality, I wanted the priest to be:
- Faithful to Church Teaching
- Down to earth, relatable
- Knowledgeable about the vocation of marriage–its blessings, challenges, and everything in between
- Experienced with working with married people
- Willing to challenge me and ask the hard questions
In addition to praying, I asked good friends who know the priests in our diocese who they thought would be a good fit. Then, I created a short list of good and holy priests who might be willing to work with me. When I talk about experience with spiritual direction, people ask me how I “got him” (my spiritual director). I usually say, “I’m shameless. He didn’t know me. I just called and asked him.”
I knew our monthly meetings (we’ve been meeting for 9 months) were helping me to grow in sanctity, but I don’t think I knew exactly how big the changes were until the other week. I was talking with Philip on the phone when kindergartener Jane came up to me, touched my arm, and said out of the blue,
Philip was out of town for a long weekend at a medical conference, so I was distracted by our conversation and opportunity to chat for a few minutes on the phone. It wasn’t until I had put the kids to bed that night and had a quiet evening ahead of me that Jane’s words sank in.
“Mama, you don’t yell at us anymore.”
So simple. So direct. So matter of fact.
I don’t yell at the kids anymore.
Wait.
(Cue the tears.)
I don’t yell at the kids anymore!!!
It’s one thing when you start to notice yourself kicking yourself less for your parenting mistakes. It’s another when your little one tells you that you’ve kicked a vice in the butt. I don’t know about your kids, but mine are very honest about these kinds of things. Sometimes, they’re painfully honest.
That night, sitting on the couch, wiping away the tears as I realized Jane was right, I realized something else: spiritual direction was the reason why I wasn’t yelling anymore.
Before I started spiritual direction, I wasn’t very good about scheduling confession on a regular basis. With a monthly meeting for spiritual direction on the calendar, I had a guaranteed scheduled confession every month. This was exactly what I needed to start magnifying where I was struggling and work with Father on how to overcome (or at least wage a more convincing battle against) my sins. Yelling at the kids was one of those sins that I was embarrassed to keep bringing with me to my confessions month after month.
After confession, when we talked about whatever issues I wanted to bring up, I often shared how discouraged I was with how often I was losing my temper with the kids. Father is a great spiritual director for me because he allows me to see my sins, but he doesn’t allow me to beat myself up unnecessarily over them. He encourages me to fight against them, to struggle with them, but he reminds me that I can’t let the struggle ruin my joy.
“but he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
At our last meeting, we started with an opening prayer and confession as usual. Afterward, I told him that I’m seeing the fruits of spiritual direction in my day-to-day life. I shared the story of Jane telling me, “Mama, you don’t yell at us anymore.” As my confessor, he knows as well as I do that I still struggle with controlling my temper and restraining my tongue from discouraging the kids, but he also knows that it’s not happening with nearly the same frequency or severity. That’s the beauty of having a spiritual director who is also my confessor. He knows my struggles, he works alongside me to help me to see how I can do better, and he sees the difference the graces make in between our meetings. Perhaps the best part is the sweetness of finally getting to share a baby step victory toward conquering a big sin in my life. I can’t begin to explain how awesome it was to have him look at me with tears in his eyes and say, “I am so happy for you.”
Isn’t that what true Christian friendship is all about anyway? As Christians, we believe that love seeks the other’s good, and our ultimate good is eternal communion with God in heaven. With that definition in mind, imagine if all of our friendships were like a relationship with a spiritual director. A true friend is someone who can help you to acknowledge your imperfections, love you as they pull you up when you fall, and celebrate with you as you grow.
I’m slowly learning how to not be a perfectionist and let the kids do their own thing when they can. I’m very proud of Jane and Walt for doing this project together!
