![7QT: A Few Updates and a Few Favorites]()
by Catherine | Jun 25, 2015 | Everything Else, Faith, Family
A few updates and a few recent favorite things:
-1-
We took our first-ever family vacation to Kansas City last week. We had a great, great time! More on that next week.
-2-
2 weeks until The Edel Gathering. Can’t wait to connect with other Catholic women from around the country! Counting down the days!
-3-
Philip went on a retreat for young fathers a few weekends ago. When was the last time you encouraged your hubby to take some dedicated time for himself? Philip tends to want to spend his time away from work at home with us, and it’s rare for him to seek out guy time. I’m so glad he had this opportunity to get to deepen his interior life with some awesome, faith-filled men.
-4-
What I’m reading:
The Appalling Strangeness of the Mercy of God by Ruth V.K. Pakaluk
Unglued: Making Wise Choices in the Midst of Raw Emotions by Lysa TerKeurst
Laudato Si (Encyclical “On Care For Our Common Home”) by Pope Francis
-5-
What I’ve read recently that I would definitely recommend:
The Joy of the Gospel by Pope Francis
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Overcoming Sinful Anger by Fr. T. Morrow
Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives by Gretchen Rubin
The Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic by Matthew Kelly
Mother Teresa: Come Be My Light by Brian Kolodiejchuk
-6-
What I’m Listening to:
The Little House Mothering Podcast
“Catholic Youth Summer Camp” Playlist on Spotify
Good Things Radio
Catholic Answers Live (Been listening since sophomore year of college)
The Doctor is In
-7-
It’s nearly July already. I say it every year, but where is this summer going??? I’ve been taking stock if life lately and setting some new goals for the next month. I’ve been praying about which ones God wants for me and which ones aren’t worth the effort. Looking forward to sharing them with you next week.
Has your summer been going how you thought it would? Any changes you’d make now that we’re nearly to the halfway point?
* * *
If you’d like to read more 7QT posts, head over to Kelly Mantoan’s blog, This Ain’t The Lyceum.
![Abusing Girls to Fight for Women]()
by Catherine | Oct 24, 2014 | Everything Else
These issues should be important to everyone in this country, and we should all be working to stop them:
- pay inequality for women
- rape & violence toward women
- physical objectification of women
There is no denying the sad truth that women are used and abused in this country.
Unfortunately, some adults also think it’s okay to use and abuse young girls for the greater glory of another “f” word– feminism.
FCKH8.com produced a video called, “F-Bombs For Feminism: Potty-Mouthed Princesses Use Bad Word for Good Cause.”
FCKH8’s idea behind the video seems to be this: They got a group of young girls ages 6-13. They did their hair and make-up and put them in fancy princess dresses. Then, they coached them to deliver lines from a script designed for shock factor. Not only do the girls deliver as many f-bombs as possible, they rattle off serious issues (pay inequality, rape & violence of women, physical objectification of women) using adult language. “..and start teaching boys not to f–king rape!” FCKH8 wants us to think that we should be less offended by little princesses with potty mouths and more offended by the issues the girls are talking about.
Certainly, it’s fantastic to raise awareness about these big issues, but let’s not abuse little girls to fight for women.
The video ends with two adult women wearing a FCKH8 t-shirt that says, “Girls just want to have FUN-damental rights.”
Here’s the video. Keep a bucket nearby in case you feel the urge to vomit.
What is FCKH8, anyway? FCKH8.com’s “about” section says:
FCKH8.com is a for-profit T-shirt company with an activist heart and a passionate social change mission: arming thousands of people with pro-LGBT equality, anti-racism and anti-sexism T-shirts that act as “mini-billboards” for change.
In case you had any doubt after watching the video, a for-profit t-shirt company does not have little girls’ best interests at heart. Their goal is to shock us with a disgusting video to get as many shares as possible so that we will buy their “mini-billboards.” What happens in the two-and-a-half minute video is child abuse. Period. Abusing young girls is not the way to teach this generation or the next how to respect women. FCKH8’s use and abuse of young girls as a means to their end of promoting misguided “feminism” to sell some t-shirts is shameful and disgusting.
by Catherine | Oct 17, 2014 | Everything Else
It was time for a hair intervention! I hadn’t gotten my hair cut since April. Between the move, getting settled, and the start of the school year, my locks fell further and further down the list of priorities on the totem pole. I had dry, dead ends, and my spring highlights had grown out so long that I looked like I had a poser ombre look going.
Here’s my before picture:
I finally got in yesterday, and I feel like I lost ten pounds. Maybe I should have weighed myself before and after because I probably DID lose one pound! Every little bit counts, right? Right???
 |
| So long, dead mousy brown hair! |
My hair isn’t super thick, but I do have a lot of it, and it has some natural curl. I asked the stylist for something versatile that I can wear curly or straight. I wanted a big, swoopy bang across my brow, but I wanted it juuuuuuuuust long enough that I can still tuck it behind my ear or pin it back. These were my inspiration pictures for the style. Thanks, Keri Russell and Charlize Theron:
For the color, Miss Emma Stone was my muse:
Here’s my version:
It’s so much easier to get ready with half of the hair, and it’s fun to have some new color. Whatcha think?
Don’t be like me and wait until it’s hair intervention time to make an appointment. Get a date night on the calendar, call your stylist, and rock a new ‘do! It’s amazing how a little cut and color can put some extra pep in my step.
by Catherine | Oct 17, 2014 | Everything Else
It was time for a hair intervention! I hadn’t gotten my hair cut since April. Between the move, getting settled, and the start of the school year, my locks fell further and further down the list of priorities on the totem pole. I had dry, dead ends, and my spring highlights had grown out so long that I looked like I had a poser ombre look going.
Here’s my before picture:
I finally got in yesterday, and I feel like I lost ten pounds. Maybe I should have weighed myself before and after because I probably DID lose one pound! Every little bit counts, right? Right???
|
| So long, dead mousy brown hair! |
My hair isn’t super thick, but I do have a lot of it, and it has some natural curl. I asked the stylist for something versatile that I can wear curly or straight. I wanted a big, swoopy bang across my brow, but I wanted it juuuuuuuuust long enough that I can still tuck it behind my ear or pin it back. These were my inspiration pictures for the style. Thanks, Keri Russell and Charlize Theron:
For the color, Miss Emma Stone was my muse:
Here’s my version:
It’s so much easier to get ready with half of the hair, and it’s fun to have some new color. Whatcha think?
Don’t be like me and wait until it’s hair intervention time to make an appointment. Get a date night on the calendar, call your stylist, and rock a new ‘do! It’s amazing how a little cut and color can put some extra pep in my step.
![GREAT News Update On Team Baby Teixeira]()
by Catherine | Aug 15, 2014 | Everything Else
Remember when my brave friend, Amanda Teixeira, talked about her and her husband’s struggle with infertility? Then, remember how I told you that they were starting the adoption process?
GREAT NEWS!
A couple chose Amanda and Jonathan to be the adoptive parents of their precious baby! YAAAAAAAAAY!!! The baby is due in November 2014. Talk about a time of Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for your prayers for our dear friends!
I am so proud of Amanda and Jonathan for trusting in God’s perfect timing when many of us may have turned in on ourselves, become bitter, or lost faith. They are a beautiful example to all of us of what trust, strength, and faith look like while shouldering a cross and making sense of God’s will.
Please continue to lift up your prayers for Amanda and Jonathan as they complete their home study and move on toward Baby Teixeira’s due date. Pray for Baby Teixeira’s biological parents as the journey continues. Pray that God’s will be done and that the rest of us can help in whatever way we can along the way.
If you are in a position to help Amanda and Jonathan with your treasure, please consider doing so! As many of you know, adoption often comes with a hefty price tag. I told Amanda the other day on the phone that I’m so glad they’re asking for financial help from others. It’s a powerful, tangible way for the Body of Christ to lift them up and help bring Baby Teixeira home. I thanked her for letting the rest of us have a real way to help during this blessed time. If you’re interested in helping them financially, please consider donating to their puzzle fundraiser. As of their August 15th blog post, here’s what the puzzle looks like:
You can purchase a piece of the puzzle for a donation of $25 (or more!), and Amanda and Jonathan will write your name on the back. The completed puzzle will go between two pieces of glass and hang in Baby Teixeira’s room. Here’s what the completed puzzle looks like:
 |
| From TRUEGOODANDBEAUTIFUL, photo credit to Alzbeta Volk of Voboril Photography
In 8 days, they hope to be at their goal of having raised $13,000 toward their home study and out-of-state agency fee. I know many of you have already joined Team Baby Teixeira. Thank you for your support! Keep those prayers coming, and I will send along updates as they come.
In the meantime, follow along on the journey via Amanda and Jonathan’s blog, truegoodandbeautiful. Leave a comment, and let them know that you’re lifting them up in prayer!
|
![PMS-ing and "Safe Friends"]()
by Catherine | Aug 6, 2014 | Everything Else
THANK YOU! In my last post, I asked again for your prayers and your prayer intentions. THANK YOU for your prayers and for asking for mine. I’m feeling more patient with the kids, and the little changes I wrote about last time are making a big difference. God’s teaching this little complainer how to stop wasting whatever big or little suffering comes my way through offering it up. I am so grateful for those of you who have asked me to pray for specific intentions. It is so helpful to have a tangible list of prayer requests a few feet away when I’m tempted to throw in the towel on the day or have a pity party. It helps to put my suffering to work and weave prayer throughout the day. I’m sure some of you are laughing at this post, thinking about my not-so-big suffering and my “first-world problems.” That’s okay because I know it is pretty ridiculous. Yet, God’s meeting me where I am, and I’m making itty bitty little baby steps toward trying to be more saintly with your help. In theory, it’ll be my training to be ready whenever the big stuff comes. So, thank you for sharing your prayer intentions.
Onto the point of this post: Can we just admit that it’s tough to feel like a good mom to young children when you’re PMS-ing? I’ve been keeping track of when my moods are wacka-wacka-wacka in relation to where I am in my cycle. I learned that PMS is the real deal during our marriage prep Creighton Model classes, but I never sought help. Perhaps a lil progesterone therapy will be in my future for PMS!
Knowing that I’d be PMS-ing this week, I knew I’d need all of the extra help I could get in the prayer department. Additionally, I thought it’d be smart to pick up the phone and set up a few playdates with “safe friends.”
What’s a “safe friend,” you ask? Well, a safe friend is a friend you can call up at anytime to say, “I think I’m going crazy over here. We need a playdate so that I don’t do something I’m going to regret.” It seems to be a Law of Motherhood that when you and your children shouldn’t be seen in public that you need to get out the most. The times when I want to leave the house the least are the times when I need a safe friend. A safe friend will take the call, hear your plea to get together, and make it happen.
Safe friends bring new energy to the day, diffuse the craziness, remind you to keep fighting the good fight, and cheerlead you on to bedtime. You’ll leave a safe friend playdate feeling like a good mom–even if your kid has an epic temper tantrum or you start PMS crying. Safe friends get that motherhood isn’t always perfect or pretty, and they’re there with you through the teething, potty training, and hormone roller coasters. They know that we love our job but that sometimes we need some reinforcements.
Safe friends make you glad you asked for a playdate so that even when the good, the bad, and the ugly are on display, you’re not fearing that she’s thinking, “There’s a whole bunch of crazy happening over here, and I am never coming back.” When it’s a perfect storm day of craziness and you’re just trying to make it to bedtime, it’s oh so glorious to have an unfazed firsthand witness to your life sincerely tell you that you’re doing a good job. Inevitably, I can lift her up next week when she asks me to talk her down because of her 3-year-old’s penchant for whining. Safe friends return the favor that way.
Do you have safe friends? How do you help each other out? What happens when a playdate can’t happen? How have you been a safe friend?
