![What happens after 5T?]()
by Catherine | Apr 1, 2014 | Everything Else
Tis the season to go consignment sale shopping and get the kiddos their spring/summer wardrobes. One snag: I’m struggling to figure out what size to buy Jane. Her winter clothes are 5T, so I was planning to get the next size. Turns out kids’ clothing sizes are just as wackadoodle as women’s. There’s no real universal sizing system, and I want to make sure whatever I buy fits for the whole season. Help a mama out, and tell me what to do!
Jane’s stats:
- Weight: 39 lbs.
- Height: 40″
My confusion:
Here is the size chart from Carter’s for toddlers:
5T is definitely too small for her. So, where do we go from here? The toddler and kid sizes overlap. Here’s the Carter’s kid size chart:
Can someone please explain how the children’s clothing industry decided to go from 5T back to a regular 4? And what’s with the 6X? Here’s the international clothing size chart for kids from Overstock:
Everything was just peachy with kids’ clothing until we outgrew 5T, and now I don’t know where to go from here size-wise. The problem with consignment shopping is that you gotta get it right the first time (no returns!), and I’m not bringing the kiddos with me because I actually, you know, want to shop. God bless my sweet friend who is watching the kids for me. 🙂
I’m thinking she’s a regular kids size 5 if I want her to be able to wear these clothes until August. Whatcha think?
![The 2nd "P" in Our Rule of Life: Person]()
by Catherine | Mar 1, 2014 | Everything Else, Faith
If you have no idea what I’m writing about, I decided to create our own Boucher Family Rule of Life as part of my lenten mission. It’s modeled after Holly Pierlot’s A Mother’s Rule of Life. In previous posts on this topic, I have written about:
(Note: When I said I’d tackle 1 P each day for the next 5 days, I should have said, “I’ll tackle 1 P at my earliest convenience because we’re putting our house on the market.”)
Today, I’m looking at the 2nd “P” in a Rule of Life: Person.
The 2nd “P,” Person, is an essential part of our Rule of Life. Examining the Person isn’t about naval gazing; it’s a humbling moment to examine ourselves (good and bad) in order to make the necessary changes to become what God intends us to be. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve’s reason and intellect were in complete communion with God’s will for them. This gave them complete independence because they were free of attachments to sin. Have you ever heard the phrase, “sin makes you stupid”? When I live in patterns of sin, I find myself in bondage to them. When sins become habitual, it’s easier to reason them away or blindly give in to temptation, and it becomes harder and harder to break free. Examining my weaknesses and tendencies to sin with the intention to change is so liberating!
Holly Pierlot quoted her university professor, Fr. Tom Daley, as saying that “freedom is taking responsibility for who you are to become.” If I want to live out our family’s mission statement to be a domestic church where saints are made, I need to take responsibility for taking the necessary steps to become who God wants me to be. In order to do that, I need to take a holistic approach to ensure that every area of my personhood is in balance.
So, I examined a few areas:
Psychological and Emotional Health
In her section on Person, Holly Pierlot suggests asking yourself a few questions to determine why you react the way you do.
- Why do I feel this way?
- Why is this bothering me?
- Where have I encountered this before in my life?
- What does this make me think of?
These simple questions helped me to realize that I respond to the world around me because of the accumulation of past experiences. Taking a moment to think about these questions, especially when I find my anger surfacing, is extremely helpful. Usually, my anger is tied to a previous hurt unrelated to the moment at hand. This exercise taught me that I need to work on processing my emotions more than simply relegating them to the back of my mind because it’s easier to ignore them.
In addition to thinking about these questions, I am going to start journaling regularly. I am going to start a weekly thorough examination of conscience. This will help me to uncover habits of sin and hopefully help me to break those cycles. Recognizing these chinks in my spiritual armor and asking God to strengthen me where I am weak is a good place to start.
I’d love to find a spiritual director after we move to help me further identify and work on overcoming habits of sin.
Rest
This is me without enough sleep:
I earned the nickname “Kindergarten Catherine” when I attended all day kindergarten while still desperately needing a nap. It was probably the longest year of my mother’s life! I’m 29, and my family still teases me about this! I need my sleep. For this mama, that means 7-8 hours of sleep to be fully functioning. Philip and I have a new rule that we must be in bed by 9:30, and lights go out at 10. This ensures that I’m rested enough to rise before the children at 5:30 for prayer and exercise.
Aside from getting adequate rest at night, Holly Pierlot wrote about having a “Mother’s Sabbath.” For her, a Mother’s Sabbath is her regular time away for “rest, solitude, and restoration with God.” She takes one Saturday away every other week to go to Adoration, confession, run errands, read, etc. She reasons that even Jesus took time away to pray and that we all need to get away in order to recharge. In our family, a few hours on a Saturday once a month would be divine! Since Philip is away from home all week, he doesn’t have the same desire I do to get out of the house, and he wants to be a homebody most weekends. Having this regular opportunity to get out by myself would do me some good. I see myself going to confession, spending time in Adoration, running a few errands, reading at a coffee shop, and working on my blog. I haven’t had a Mother’s Sabbath yet, but I doubt I’ll have trouble making it up as I go!
In addition to my Mother’s Sabbath, I need time to rest with my gal pals without our kiddos. Philip and I think that having some girl time (aside from my Bible study and parish mothers group) two times a month is a healthy amount. (Likewise, he is supposed to schedule regular outings for himself with his buddies.)
Nutrition
I’m still using the Paprika app to organize my recipes and plan our weekly menu. Having a plan in place reduces the amount that we’re eating out and helps us to eat more nutritiously. I build in healthy snacks throughout the week. I need to work on prepping the snacks ahead of time (cut up fruits and vegetables) so that I can access them more easily than the less healthy options. Simply having a list of nutritious snack ideas helps, too.
Exercise
I haven’t been able to get my regular exercise in because we’ve had a constantly shifting schedule during the day with Baby Harry. Now that he’s 6 months and has a relatively regular schedule with sleeping and eating, I’m finally ready to say that I have time to exercise at a regular time. I’ve decided it makes the most sense for me to exercise after my morning prayers before I make breakfast for the kids. If they wake up during this time, they can have quiet reading time until I’m done with my 30 Day Shred DVD. They love acting like my personal trainers with cheerleading or even joining in next to me, so maybe this will turn into a family activity!
Medication
I am so grateful to my Catholic OBGYN and nurse practitioner for helping to treat my hormone irregularities. Through using the Creighton Model and doing a simple blood draw, we were able to identify a progesterone deficiency. Supplementing my progesterone levels helped me to maintain a healthy pregnancy when I was pregnant with Harry. Assuming my progesterone levels remain low in the future, I will be able to get supplements earlier to greatly limit my risk of miscarriage. During the post-partum phase, my nurse practitioner was able to identify post-partum depression and successfully treat me with progesterone therapy. As my body gets back into the swing of things with a cycle, I am going to be on the lookout for PMS as progesterone therapy can limit those symptoms as well. I think Philip would appreciate that, too!
Hygiene and Grooming
With exercising in the morning, I’m still trying to figure out the best time to shower. When do you exercise and shower? I don’t think I’ll ever be a shower in the evening kinda gal. I never feel clean that way. I think I need to move my wake-up call to 5:00 in order to get it all done without interruption. We’ll see how my first week goes. Right now, I’m thinking things will look like this:
- 5:30 Wake up and get dressed to exercise
- 5:40-6:00 Eat breakfast and morning prayer (Daily Readings, Gospel reflection, Morning Offering)
- 6:00 30 Day Shred DVD
- 6:30 Shower (kids have quiet reading time if they’re awake)
- 7:00 Breakfast with kids
Blogging
30 minutes during the kids’ nap time
A few questions for you on the 2nd “P” of Person:
- How do you work on overcoming areas or habits of sin? Do you journal?
- What about rest? What kind of sleep are you getting lately? Do you have something resembling a Mother’s Sabbath? What would your time away look like?
- How do you plan your weekly menu for your crew? Do you have any tips or recipes you’d like to share?
- All of us are busy, but how do you find time to exercise? Do you have a program you love? Do you have any advice for a mama with little ones?
- Is there something you’re eating or a nutrition supplement that’s helping you to feel better? Have you identified any areas of concern in your health?
- When do you fit in your grooming needs? I’d love any tips or advice in this area since it’s tough to get ready AND exercise with the little ones!
- Blogger friends, how do you organize and fit in time to blog? Do you do something to help you organize your thoughts? I feel like my method is to pre-write it all in my head the day before and “brain dump” whenever I get a free chunk of time!
* * *
This is my 6th of 7 posts in Jen Fulwiler’s “7 Days, 7 Posts” challenge. Come on over, join in the fun link-up, and read some great blogs!
![The 2nd “P” in Our Rule of Life: Person]()
by Catherine | Mar 1, 2014 | Everything Else, Faith
If you have no idea what I’m writing about, I decided to create our own Boucher Family Rule of Life as part of my lenten mission. It’s modeled after Holly Pierlot’s A Mother’s Rule of Life. In previous posts on this topic, I have written about:
(Note: When I said I’d tackle 1 P each day for the next 5 days, I should have said, “I’ll tackle 1 P at my earliest convenience because we’re putting our house on the market.”)
Today, I’m looking at the 2nd “P” in a Rule of Life: Person.
The 2nd “P,” Person, is an essential part of our Rule of Life. Examining the Person isn’t about naval gazing; it’s a humbling moment to examine ourselves (good and bad) in order to make the necessary changes to become what God intends us to be. In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve’s reason and intellect were in complete communion with God’s will for them. This gave them complete independence because they were free of attachments to sin. Have you ever heard the phrase, “sin makes you stupid”? When I live in patterns of sin, I find myself in bondage to them. When sins become habitual, it’s easier to reason them away or blindly give in to temptation, and it becomes harder and harder to break free. Examining my weaknesses and tendencies to sin with the intention to change is so liberating!
Holly Pierlot quoted her university professor, Fr. Tom Daley, as saying that “freedom is taking responsibility for who you are to become.” If I want to live out our family’s mission statement to be a domestic church where saints are made, I need to take responsibility for taking the necessary steps to become who God wants me to be. In order to do that, I need to take a holistic approach to ensure that every area of my personhood is in balance.
So, I examined a few areas:
Psychological and Emotional Health
In her section on Person, Holly Pierlot suggests asking yourself a few questions to determine why you react the way you do.
- Why do I feel this way?
- Why is this bothering me?
- Where have I encountered this before in my life?
- What does this make me think of?
These simple questions helped me to realize that I respond to the world around me because of the accumulation of past experiences. Taking a moment to think about these questions, especially when I find my anger surfacing, is extremely helpful. Usually, my anger is tied to a previous hurt unrelated to the moment at hand. This exercise taught me that I need to work on processing my emotions more than simply relegating them to the back of my mind because it’s easier to ignore them.
In addition to thinking about these questions, I am going to start journaling regularly. I am going to start a weekly thorough examination of conscience. This will help me to uncover habits of sin and hopefully help me to break those cycles. Recognizing these chinks in my spiritual armor and asking God to strengthen me where I am weak is a good place to start.
I’d love to find a spiritual director after we move to help me further identify and work on overcoming habits of sin.
Rest
This is me without enough sleep:
I earned the nickname “Kindergarten Catherine” when I attended all day kindergarten while still desperately needing a nap. It was probably the longest year of my mother’s life! I’m 29, and my family still teases me about this! I need my sleep. For this mama, that means 7-8 hours of sleep to be fully functioning. Philip and I have a new rule that we must be in bed by 9:30, and lights go out at 10. This ensures that I’m rested enough to rise before the children at 5:30 for prayer and exercise.
Aside from getting adequate rest at night, Holly Pierlot wrote about having a “Mother’s Sabbath.” For her, a Mother’s Sabbath is her regular time away for “rest, solitude, and restoration with God.” She takes one Saturday away every other week to go to Adoration, confession, run errands, read, etc. She reasons that even Jesus took time away to pray and that we all need to get away in order to recharge. In our family, a few hours on a Saturday once a month would be divine! Since Philip is away from home all week, he doesn’t have the same desire I do to get out of the house, and he wants to be a homebody most weekends. Having this regular opportunity to get out by myself would do me some good. I see myself going to confession, spending time in Adoration, running a few errands, reading at a coffee shop, and working on my blog. I haven’t had a Mother’s Sabbath yet, but I doubt I’ll have trouble making it up as I go!
In addition to my Mother’s Sabbath, I need time to rest with my gal pals without our kiddos. Philip and I think that having some girl time (aside from my Bible study and parish mothers group) two times a month is a healthy amount. (Likewise, he is supposed to schedule regular outings for himself with his buddies.)
Nutrition
I’m still using the Paprika app to organize my recipes and plan our weekly menu. Having a plan in place reduces the amount that we’re eating out and helps us to eat more nutritiously. I build in healthy snacks throughout the week. I need to work on prepping the snacks ahead of time (cut up fruits and vegetables) so that I can access them more easily than the less healthy options. Simply having a list of nutritious snack ideas helps, too.
Exercise
I haven’t been able to get my regular exercise in because we’ve had a constantly shifting schedule during the day with Baby Harry. Now that he’s 6 months and has a relatively regular schedule with sleeping and eating, I’m finally ready to say that I have time to exercise at a regular time. I’ve decided it makes the most sense for me to exercise after my morning prayers before I make breakfast for the kids. If they wake up during this time, they can have quiet reading time until I’m done with my 30 Day Shred DVD. They love acting like my personal trainers with cheerleading or even joining in next to me, so maybe this will turn into a family activity!
Medication
I am so grateful to my Catholic OBGYN and nurse practitioner for helping to treat my hormone irregularities. Through using the Creighton Model and doing a simple blood draw, we were able to identify a progesterone deficiency. Supplementing my progesterone levels helped me to maintain a healthy pregnancy when I was pregnant with Harry. Assuming my progesterone levels remain low in the future, I will be able to get supplements earlier to greatly limit my risk of miscarriage. During the post-partum phase, my nurse practitioner was able to identify post-partum depression and successfully treat me with progesterone therapy. As my body gets back into the swing of things with a cycle, I am going to be on the lookout for PMS as progesterone therapy can limit those symptoms as well. I think Philip would appreciate that, too!
Hygiene and Grooming
With exercising in the morning, I’m still trying to figure out the best time to shower. When do you exercise and shower? I don’t think I’ll ever be a shower in the evening kinda gal. I never feel clean that way. I think I need to move my wake-up call to 5:00 in order to get it all done without interruption. We’ll see how my first week goes. Right now, I’m thinking things will look like this:
- 5:30 Wake up and get dressed to exercise
- 5:40-6:00 Eat breakfast and morning prayer (Daily Readings, Gospel reflection, Morning Offering)
- 6:00 30 Day Shred DVD
- 6:30 Shower (kids have quiet reading time if they’re awake)
- 7:00 Breakfast with kids
Blogging
30 minutes during the kids’ nap time
A few questions for you on the 2nd “P” of Person:
- How do you work on overcoming areas or habits of sin? Do you journal?
- What about rest? What kind of sleep are you getting lately? Do you have something resembling a Mother’s Sabbath? What would your time away look like?
- How do you plan your weekly menu for your crew? Do you have any tips or recipes you’d like to share?
- All of us are busy, but how do you find time to exercise? Do you have a program you love? Do you have any advice for a mama with little ones?
- Is there something you’re eating or a nutrition supplement that’s helping you to feel better? Have you identified any areas of concern in your health?
- When do you fit in your grooming needs? I’d love any tips or advice in this area since it’s tough to get ready AND exercise with the little ones!
- Blogger friends, how do you organize and fit in time to blog? Do you do something to help you organize your thoughts? I feel like my method is to pre-write it all in my head the day before and “brain dump” whenever I get a free chunk of time!
* * *
This is my 6th of 7 posts in Jen Fulwiler’s “7 Days, 7 Posts” challenge. Come on over, join in the fun link-up, and read some great blogs!
![7 Posts, 7 Days]()
by Catherine | Feb 22, 2014 | Everything Else, Family
Starting on Monday, I’m joining Jen Fulwiler’s “7 Posts, 7 Days” link-up. Just like it sounds, I’ll be writing 1 post everyday for 7 days from Monday, February 24 to Sunday, March 2. This link-up is exactly the motivation I need to write short, imperfect posts, but to keep posting on a regular basis.
I’m drawing up our Boucher Family Rule of Life this weekend. My goal is to have it completely squared away by Ash Wednesday (March 5). In the meantime, I’ll probably be writing about putting it together and anything else that comes to mind!
If you want to join in the fun, come on over to the link-up here. C’mon, you know you wanna join in! Do it!
![Grade School Valentine’s Day Memories]()
by Catherine | Feb 14, 2014 | Everything Else
I’m reminiscing about Valentine’s Day in grade school. So many memories!
I went to St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic grade school, and every year, we had a homeroom Valentine party hosted by the sweet “room moms” that volunteered to bring treats and organize games. Aside from the parties, I have some distinct memories.
In first grade, I was in Mrs. Walsh’s homeroom. Around Valentine’s Day, my seat happened to be right in front of my mega crush, Matt. My last name and Matt’s were right next to each other in alphabetical order, so we were often paired together. He was so sweet, smart, and funny, and I thought he was the cutest. In addition to whatever valentines I had made with my mom for all of my classmates, I had created a special construction paper heart valentine for Matt. As everyone was handing out their valentines, I mustered up my courage to deliver Matt my special pink creation. He was talking to his guy friends, so I was a little nervous, but I bravely interrupted their conversation, and I handed him my valentine. “Matt, will you be my valentine?” It took him all but two seconds to give me an embarrassed laugh and said, “Uh, no!” He just wasn’t that into me. Bummer. My little first grade heart was broken, and I remember telling his big sister all about my heartbreak after school while we waited for our rides. I told that story to Matt’s wife at a bachelorette party, but I can’t remember if I ever told him. If you’re reading this, Matt (and I doubt you are), you were such a heartbreaker back in first grade! I clearly still have issues from it. Ha!
In second grade, Mrs. Ryktarsyk’s homeroom (yeah, I had to spell that name as a second grader) had a Valentine box decorating contest. Some of the creations were huge and so impressive! I wish I had pictures of them.
In fifth grade, I decided to create a little mischievous entertainment. I thought it would be a good idea to stick a “Be Mine” conversation heart in my classmate Nick’s uniform sweater pocket. He had it hanging on the back of his chair, and I put it in the pocket when he wasn’t looking. I had completely forgotten about it until later that afternoon when he put his hand in his pocket, pulled out the heart, read it, and it became the hot topic in 5B for the rest of the school day. Who could have put a “Be Mine” candy heart into Nick’s pocket? I was so thrilled with myself for creating the mystery and intrigue! I probably had a crush on him at the time because I was beyond boy crazy.
At home, Mom and Dad put out a card and a present for each child at our seats at the kitchen table. It was always so exciting to wake up to those special treats! In 7th grade, our dog, Trev (named after Nebraska Cornhusker #34 Trev Alberts), got into the special treats overnight. At that point, only 3 of the 6 kids were living at home. Trev had jumped up onto the kitchen table, unwrapped the red cellophane wrap on all THREE of the Russell Stover boxes of chocolates, and ate every single one. He politely left all of the wrappers behind. The 12-pound Bichón Frisé was lucky he didn’t die from it, but we had to have the carpets professionally cleaned. My mom likes to tell the story of how my dad woke her up that morning when he was leaving for work. “Honey, Happy Valentine’s Day. THE DAMN DOG ate all of the kids’ chocolate and puked all over the house! Gotta run. I love you.”
What about you? What memories do you have from your childhood Valentine’s Days?
![Grade School Valentine's Day Memories]()
by Catherine | Feb 14, 2014 | Everything Else
I’m reminiscing about Valentine’s Day in grade school. So many memories!
I went to St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic grade school, and every year, we had a homeroom Valentine party hosted by the sweet “room moms” that volunteered to bring treats and organize games. Aside from the parties, I have some distinct memories.
In first grade, I was in Mrs. Walsh’s homeroom. Around Valentine’s Day, my seat happened to be right in front of my mega crush, Matt. My last name and Matt’s were right next to each other in alphabetical order, so we were often paired together. He was so sweet, smart, and funny, and I thought he was the cutest. In addition to whatever valentines I had made with my mom for all of my classmates, I had created a special construction paper heart valentine for Matt. As everyone was handing out their valentines, I mustered up my courage to deliver Matt my special pink creation. He was talking to his guy friends, so I was a little nervous, but I bravely interrupted their conversation, and I handed him my valentine. “Matt, will you be my valentine?” It took him all but two seconds to give me an embarrassed laugh and said, “Uh, no!” He just wasn’t that into me. Bummer. My little first grade heart was broken, and I remember telling his big sister all about my heartbreak after school while we waited for our rides. I told that story to Matt’s wife at a bachelorette party, but I can’t remember if I ever told him. If you’re reading this, Matt (and I doubt you are), you were such a heartbreaker back in first grade! I clearly still have issues from it. Ha!
In second grade, Mrs. Ryktarsyk’s homeroom (yeah, I had to spell that name as a second grader) had a Valentine box decorating contest. Some of the creations were huge and so impressive! I wish I had pictures of them.
In fifth grade, I decided to create a little mischievous entertainment. I thought it would be a good idea to stick a “Be Mine” conversation heart in my classmate Nick’s uniform sweater pocket. He had it hanging on the back of his chair, and I put it in the pocket when he wasn’t looking. I had completely forgotten about it until later that afternoon when he put his hand in his pocket, pulled out the heart, read it, and it became the hot topic in 5B for the rest of the school day. Who could have put a “Be Mine” candy heart into Nick’s pocket? I was so thrilled with myself for creating the mystery and intrigue! I probably had a crush on him at the time because I was beyond boy crazy.
At home, Mom and Dad put out a card and a present for each child at our seats at the kitchen table. It was always so exciting to wake up to those special treats! In 7th grade, our dog, Trev (named after Nebraska Cornhusker #34 Trev Alberts), got into the special treats overnight. At that point, only 3 of the 6 kids were living at home. Trev had jumped up onto the kitchen table, unwrapped the red cellophane wrap on all THREE of the Russell Stover boxes of chocolates, and ate every single one. He politely left all of the wrappers behind. The 12-pound Bichón Frisé was lucky he didn’t die from it, but we had to have the carpets professionally cleaned. My mom likes to tell the story of how my dad woke her up that morning when he was leaving for work. “Honey, Happy Valentine’s Day. THE DAMN DOG ate all of the kids’ chocolate and puked all over the house! Gotta run. I love you.”
What about you? What memories do you have from your childhood Valentine’s Days?
