Category Archives: reality

Piano Recital!

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Abby,  Mary and their friend Ginny participated in the OMTA Music Festival last weekend.  All three girls did a wonderful job.  They have an awesome piano teacher.  Abby has been taking lessons for nine years,  Mary for four years.    Ginny has been playing for two years now.  It was my privilege to  take all three girls to the festival.

Before the recital:  L to R:  Ginny, Mary, Abby

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Celebrating after the Recital.   (Can you tell the nerves have calmed?!)

Where Does He Go To School?

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  I received this timely Wall Street Journal opinion column this morning in my email. I consider it very timely for many reasons. I have been hearing this terribly annoying commercial on afternoon talk radio lately. I wish I could place it online but I’ve had no luck. The closing statement is along the lines of “The future of America is as good as it’s schools.” I cringe each time I hear this. I pray ‘Lord have Mercy’ and pray for the intercession of John Paul II. He knew that the condition of the education system, while quite important, pales in comparison to the condition of the family. His words, “Humanity passes by way of the family” run though my head each time I hear this commercial. Sure, a good education can contribute to good future, but a good family assures one.

  The movement toward universal preschool is perplexing to me. Children are encouraged to be away from their families earlier and earlier. Do the benefits truly outweigh the family time lost? The time for a little boy to  run around the house and yard to just be a little boy, where he can run to his mother anytime he needs connection and security? When is there time left to climb on Daddy’s lap for a good book? When is there time for siblings to just talk, play, share stories and dreams together?   Will early childhood now become a time of strict schedules and pigeon holes for reading time, play time, painting time and eating? 

  I had our three year old in the emergency room yesterday afternoon. (The stinker is fine by the way, just two staples to the back of the head after a tumble in the bathroom.) The triage nurse was asking the typical questions of birthdate, weight, allergies, immunizations, (which is never a fun question for me since we do not vaccinate our children and they can never leave it at a simple “No”.) etc.. Then she asked me a question that took me completely off guard, “Where does he go to school?’. I kind of paused for a moment and replied in astonishment, “He’s only three!”. The nurse pushed her chair away from her desk and in a very curt manner said, “Plenty of three year olds go to school dear.” Then with a deep sigh she said, “I suppose he’s homeschooled.” I tried to explain to her that he’s not ‘schooled’ at all, that he is a jolly three year old boy that spends his day playing in the backyard with his brother, finding bugs, riding trikes, and building forts. He asks me a million and one questions per day.  He holds my leg while I make dinner, asks for a story in the afternoon and tries to keep up with his older brothers on the chin-up bar in the basement. He is a kid.

  But, she clicked the little “Homeschool” button on the screen. It was my turn to sigh. My three year old is homeschooled, I had no idea.   I wonder how this conversation would have went down if I had my one or two year old in there? I would expect it with my older kids, but it was my three year old, and I’ve never even considered his current “schooling”.

  Then came the Wall Street Journal piece in my inbox, and what I’ve known all along in my Mother Heart was confirmed and edified. He is right where he is supposed to be, home, with me, being a kid.

You Know You Have a Large Family When…

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…the Amish lady at the store asks you if they are all yours!

Organizing Our Hearts by Sactifying the Moment

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   I presented a short, reflective talk at our Mothers Retreat the first weekend of February.  The theme of the day was “Organizing Our Homes,  Organizing Our Hearts”.    Judy Lubowicki from Clutter Free Organizing  gave a very energetic and inspiring pep talk on clutter free home organization for the Organizing Our Homes aspect of the retreat.    Her hand outs are worth their weight in gold!   I presented the following for the Organizing Our Hearts aspect.  We enjoyed mass,  wonderful fellowship,  food,  and many laughs with others “in the trenches”.    Following is the talk I gave,  I edited here to better fit the medium. 

Organizing Our Hearts by Sanctifying the Moment

  Now that we have ideas for keeping our homes in order, let’s turn to organizing our hearts. Let’s face it, even with the best laid dinner plans, filing systems, curriculum, and laundry organizers – life as a homeschooling mother, often with many children, is unpredictable. The temporal demands of managing a household can sometimes become so pressing and necessary that we are tempted to push spiritual matters off to the back burner – if we can even find the back burner under the stack of dirty dishes!

  We have in the sacraments a firm backbone of an organized spiritual life – namely Holy Communion and Confession. We also have in our rich Catholic faith, the rhythm of the liturgical year to guide our devotions and meditations. We have many sacramentals and heavenly intercessors to aid us on our journey toward holiness. Then we have what the late Bishop Fulton Sheen called The University of the Moment, or simply The Now. This, I believe, is the key to organizing our hearts.

  Let me share with you the “perfect” spiritual day in my family. It would be begin with me – mom – rising early to pray a morning offering and study a scripture passage. I would sit with my coffee and listen to Our Lord whisper to me in the cozy silence of the morning. The children would begin to wake and we would all gather around the table for a gospel reflection and morning prayers with Dad. The children and I would dress and head to St. Josephs for daily mass. We would stop our studies at noon to greet Mother Mary in the Angelus. We would learn about the saint of the day and observe their feast day with tea and a craft to illustrate a virtue. We would observe the hour of Mercy with the chaplet at three o’clock. We would end our day with the Rosary, family litany, and night prayers. I would thoroughly examine my conscience before climbing into bed. I would fall asleep reading the biography of a great saint while the children would drift off with visions of Joyful Mysteries in their heads. Oh how holy we would be!

  Then there is reality – beautiful reality! As mothers we often hit the ground running each morning. My morning offering may be nothing more than a glance at the crucifix on my way out of the bedroom door. The baby needs nursing, the toddlers want oatmeal. There are clothes to iron, diapers to change, dishes to wash. Husbands rush out the door for early meetings; adolescents grudgingly drag themselves out of bed just about the time Father would be reading the gospel at mass. Some days, when we do make it to mass, I often think I should probably make a stop the confessional beforehand to confess the behavior I stooped to in order to get us all there in the first place!
  Now don’t get me wrong, we should always aim high when it comes to prayer time and devotions. My vision of a ‘perfect’ spiritual day does actually happen from time to time, and usually at least few of those items are accomplished every day. But even in that ‘perfect’ scenario, there is a lot of time left in the day. As terribly romantic as it may seem to be able to spend our days deep in prayer, it’s simply not in our job description as mothers. In a nutshell, our job description is to serve
  We are each created in the image and likeness of God. Christ lives in the soul of each baptized person around us. As mothers, we have the privilege of intimately knowing many faces of God right in our own homes. We have the opportunity to see, reflected in the faces of each of our children, another unique image of our own Creator. Through the adolescent boy with fuzz beginning to grow above his lip, Christ asks, “Listen to Me” Through the toddler with peanut butter smeared in her hair, Christ asks, “Tenderly wash me” Through the baby with a gaping smile and milk dripping off his chin, Christ asks, “Hold me.” It is in this reality, this present moment that we are given the opportunity to truly grow in holiness.
  But what do we do when the requests seem to us more like nagging demands, or they are fired at us one after the other, or even all at the same time? We can sigh in exasperation “Calgon take me away”, but that only works in commercials. (Ask me how I know!) We can fulfill each request with the slamming of doors we feel they deserve, or we can do the ever so tempting: shut it all out and retreat to a book, television, or computer. In doing any (or all!) of the above, we are giving up moment after moment of sanctification. We are ‘skipping classes’ in the University of the Moment.

  What exactly is “The University of the Moment”? While contemplating this phrase, I thought of how much sense it makes to us as mothers concerned with our children’s education. The University of the Moment is the unique curriculum tailored to each individual by God’s perfect Love. As mothers, we pray, research, discuss, and sometimes even agonize over education choices for our children. We take each child and examine their strengths, weaknesses, learning abilities, temperaments, and interests. We may decide to homeschool from a boxed curriculum, we may choose a parochial school, public school, or an eclectic homeschool. (, or Montessori, boarding school, classical curriculum, the choices alone are enough to exhaust us!) And there is no doubt that whatever choice we make, it is done out of our love for that child. -An imperfect love. As much time as we may spend with our children, as intimately as we may known them, our love for them is imperfect. Only God Loves with a Perfect Love. In His perfect Love, he tailors a unique curriculum to each and every one of us and that curriculum is the present moment – the Now. This curriculum is laid out before us only moment by moment, in each trial, setback, and obstacle we face. This is what Bishop Sheen said about our ‘unique curriculum’ designed by God:
 

 “Every moment brings us more treasures than we can gather. The great value of the Now, spiritually viewed, is that it carries a message God has directed personally to us. Books, sermons, and broadcasts on a religious theme have the appearance of being circular letters, meant for everyone. Sometimes, when such general appeals do appear to have a personal application, the soul gets angry and writes vicious letters to allay its uneasy conscience. Excuses can always be found for ignoring the divine law. But though moral and spiritual appeals carry God’s identical message message to all who listen, this is not true of the Now-moment; no one else but I am in exactly these circumstances; no one else has to carry the same burden, whether it be sickness, the death of a loved one , or some other adversity. Nothing is more individually tailored to our spiritual needs than the Now-moment; for that reason it is an occasion of knowledge that can come to no one else. This moment is my school, my textbook, my lesson.”

  When it comes to managing a household and raising children, discerning the “Now” takes some serious on the spot prioritizing. What exactly is my ‘NOW” when many things are being asked of me at once? The nitty-gritty of this is, of course, up to each of us to individually discern. I personally look to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as a guideline. Just the other day when my oldest son was studying his catechism, he remarked to me how many of these works of mercy I accomplish each and every day! A few of these are obvious such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and admonishing the sinner. As I was reading through these again while preparing for this talk, instructing the ignorant really jumped out at me. Now, before you think I am calling my children ignorant, bear with me, this can be applied in a very practical way while discerning exactly how to meet everyones needs justly and with charity. An example of this may be when your four year old is just begging you to color with him and you are nursing the baby. Dinner still needs to be made, and then it will be bath time, prayer time, and bed time. It is quite obvious to you that coloring is simply not a possibility, it would be very easy and tempting to say No, and don’t ask me again! Instead you could look at this “Now” moment, as an opportunity to practice a spiritual work of mercy. You could say something along the lines of “Sam, I would really like to color with you, but Markie needs to nurse right now, then Daddy will be home and we will all be hungry for dinner, so we need to make dinner, maybe we can color tomorrow.” In this case, the four year old was ignorant to the needs of the rest of the family, and you instructed him. Both of you have learned a lesson from the University of the Moment! Of course this is a very simplified example and we will often be faced with many bigger, constant, and not so clear demands. But if we practice these things in small matters, they will come easy and natural in big matters. Like Our Lord said in Luke (Lk 16:10) “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.

  We have to keep in mind that sanctifying the moment goes beyond the practical. It is a lot more than just plopping oatmeal into bowls, wiping bottoms, and teaching multiplication tables. We need to be truly present in the moment. When we serve Christ by serving our family members, do they, in turn see Christ in us? Do they see someone who is welcoming the opportunity to serve them, with warmth, love, and a genuine interest for their well-being?

  It never ceases to amaze me, when I am kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, in a chapel full of people that God is there, present to me. He is concerned with nothing more than what is best for me, and at the same time, He is concerned with nothing more than what is best for the person beside me – all at the same time! This is only possible because God is outside of time and we live very much under time constraints, but there is still a lesson for us in this. We can imitate Him by being fully present to our individual children in even the most fleeting moments throughout the day. We need to learn to truly stop what we are doing, turn off the background noise in our heads, and focus on the person we are serving. This elevates our service from obligation to Love. It is certainly not our first inclination, and in reality is it not possible 100% of the time. (There is that pesky little “T” word again!) It is tempting though, to go on auto-pilot for the sake of efficiency. But when it comes to relationships, we should be aiming much higher than mere efficiency, the goal should be sanctity! And sanctity is possible, moment by moment…

  I would like to wrap this up with the following beautiful thoughts from my dear friend Holly at Seeking Faithfulness:

What will they see?
Infant of mine,
What will you see,
As I wash your skin and change your clothes?
Eyes that are focused on the next task or eyes filled with the wonder of you?

Toddler of mine,
What will you see,
As my head bends over yours and we brush your teeth?
Will you see a mouth turned down, a brow furrowed with thought,
Or a quick smile, just for you?

Little boys of mine,
What will you hear?
Words that seep with tiredness and frustration,
Or encouragement that you really can be the good boys
You want to be?

Daughters of mine,
What will you learn?
That mothering is a chore, a burden, a list,
Or a fulfilling, joyful job, worthy of your life’s attention?

Strapping sons of mine,
What will you observe?
A woman eager to control, to keep you under her thumb,
Or a mentor eager to disciple by example, a helping hand?

Husband of mine,
What will you find?
A spirit that is hard to please, a distant soul,
Or warm arms to welcome you as you walk in the door?

It is humbling, frightening of sorts, to realize that I create the majority of the memories that my family will carry with them regarding home. How have I framed that memory for each individual? Will their childhood have been filled with one of love and warmth, or of mommy simply “doing her job?” Will their adolescent years be full of good times, or will they be years of bad recollections? Will they grow up to desire a family for themselves, or will they believe that the cost of a child is much too high in terms of time, work, and finances? And my husband, if I were to be called home tomorrow, what would his memories of me be?
Have I, through the help of the Holy Spirit, given my best for these I love?
Isn’t it good to know that we do not walk this path alone?
His mercies are new every morning!

Another Chilling Anniversary

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542401bwoman-praying-with-rosary-beads-posters.jpg Thirty-five years.  Today I will pray for my birth parents, that chose life over death.  I will pray for my adoptive parents that opened their hearts to me.  I will pray for every pregnant woman, no matter what her situation,  that she is shown compassion, support, and the infinite power of God’s gifts  of  grace and mercy.  I will pray for fathers-to-be,  that they come to realize and embrace the awesome and holy responsibility of fatherhood.  I will pray for abortion providers,  that their hearts be turned to truly providing help and care to the mothers and babies that come to them,  rather than  violence and death.  I will pray that as a country we will stand up and admit that for thirty-five years we have given murder a name and legal status,  and that we can admit that we we’re gravely wrong,  repent, and change our ways. 

  “For the sake of His sorrowful passion,  have mercy on us and on the whole world.”

Attachment Parenting: How it has Worked and Evolved in Our Large Family

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  Introduction

    Attachment Parenting International  has developed a list of eight basic tenets of attachment parenting (AP).   I really have to laugh because last week was the first time I had ever heard of Attachment Parenting International or became aware of any sort of ‘list’ to check off to see if one qualifies as practicing AP.   It has been very interesting for me to read through it all, and more importantly, reflect on how I apply these principles in our family each day.    It has been particularly interesting to reflect on how these principles have changed and developed in our family the past thirteen years  as the babies have come “fast and furious” as Danielle says.   

  I am going to take each of the tenets and share  my reflections on each one and how they have worked for us over the years.  I think I will do this in a series of posts,  starting with how we came to learn and live the AP lifestyle. 

Part I:  Our Introduction to Attachment Parenting

  When Nicholas was born almost thirteen years ago, (yes,  this mom of a bunch of littles is about to become the mom of a teenager!),  I was clueless about parenting,  let alone any style of parenting.    

  My preparation for birth amounted to the literature passed to me from my OB at the time,  who was chosen for me by our insurance company.   I followed every suggestion in the birth literature,  I didn’t dare ask any questions.  My quiet remarks about desiring a ‘natural birth’  we’re belittled with “It’s okay honey,  you don’t have to do that, we’ll take care of you.”  I often wouldn’t bother talking about my desires and concerns because I figured they wouldn’t be ‘allowed’  anyway.    My first birth experience was terrifying and brutal.      My first few months of motherhood were worse.

  We brought Nicholas home to our tiny little apartment.  We were newlyweds in a new city with the closest family two hours away and no friends.  During the pregnancy we decided that I would leave the work force and be a stay at home mother.    The decision was based more on finances than principle.  Tony was a full time student and part time package sorter for UPS.  My job as a cashier payed little more than minimum wage.  We didn’t know anyone to babysit and daycare was financially out of the question. 

    The decision to breastfeed was also based finances rather than principle.    Paying our rent each month was a struggle,  how could we even think about adding the cost of baby formula to that?  I was naive enough at that time to think it would be a piece of cake too. 

  Those first few months we parented exactly the way everyone was badgering us to.  “Don’t hold the baby too much, you’ll spoil him.”   “You have to teach him to sleep through all night long now or he never will.”  (Now the problem is getting that strapping lad out of bed every morning!)  We were miserable,  Nicholas was miserable.  We were so sleep deprived and stressed out.  We couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t ‘get’ this parenting thing.  It hurt our hearts to hear our newborn cry in his crib each night,  but we were told that it was best for him in the long run.    It killed me to hear him cry all day long because he wanted to be snuggled and nursed,  but I was told I could only do that every four hours. 

  Then one afternoon,  I sat on the couch to nurse him.  It was a big production every four hours.   He was often so exhausted from hunger and crying that it would take fifteen minutes or more to coax him to latch on properly.  I was often so tired, sore, and irritable,   I would fight feelings of resentment toward that little person that was keeping me up all night.  But this particular afternoon,  a small miracle occurred.  Once I got him latched on,  he nursed for a few minutes, and then – we fell asleep!  We didn’t just doze off as we often did while nursing.  We fell into a deep,  relaxing,  much needed slumber.  Right there on the couch,  together,  for six full hours.  I remember I woke up,  looked at the clock and nearly panicked!!  Oh, my!  What have I done?   I slept with my baby!   I’ve ruined him for life,  he’s going to grow into a spoiled brat!  But….  He slept!!  I slept!!  We finally got some sleep!

 That night we put him in the bed with us.  We became ‘closet’ co-sleepers.    The imperative word here being ‘sleepers’.  This wasn’t based on any deep principle that baby needed mommy,  we just wanted some sleep!   

   But it felt so right and natural.  It felt like something fell into place.  What I was feeling in my heart as a mother began to make more and more sense to me.  It occurred to me that when he was crying throughout the day,  he was not doing it to frazzle me,  or because he hated me.  (Yes,  I often though he hated me and that was why he cried.)   It was his way of telling me that he needed something.  Someone.  Me.  His mother.  He didn’t want to be held.  He needed to be held.  To hear my familiar heartbeat,  to smell my familiar smell.  He needed to nurse,  not only for nutrition but for comfort.  He didn’t need a fake soother in a fake swing.  He needed the real thing,  his mothers breast and the familiar way she moved.    We began to recognize and respect that our baby had needs beyond the basic cleaning and feeding,  needs that should not be dictated by a clock. 

   I bought a “Snuggli” baby carrier at the thrift shop and began strapping him to me throughout the day.    He blissfully slept right between us at night.  I would just sit and snuggle with him during the day,  interacting with him while he was awake,  holding him close while he slept.  I would nurse him when ever I sensed he needed to nurse,  not when the hour struck on the clock or when he had to work himself into a tizzy to tell me he needed to.  My feelings of resentment began to dissipate.  I no longer felt my baby hated me.  Our family began to develop a sense of peace.

  We did most of this in secret for awhile.  I felt like I was breaking so many ‘rules’.  I felt  like a rebellious teenager!  One day I was invited to a LLLI meeting  by the wife of one of Tony’s coworkers.    That first meeting changed everything.  I met other mothers that didn’t hesitate to hike up their shirt and nurse their baby whenever and wherever he needed it.  Many of these mothers slept peacefully at night with their baby right next to them.  They held their babies in slings,  soft ones without buckles even!  Of course there were many things that still seemed very very weird to me.  Like the mom nursing a toddler!  Or the mom with a baby and two older siblings that slept in her bed at night,  and the mom who used cloth diapers.  Oh,  and then,  there was the mom with FOUR KIDS!!  But I realized that what I was learning was natural and good.  I realized that my baby wasn’t ruling our household or making demands on me.  I realized that I was simply getting to know this little person intimately and helping him to grow and develop in a respectful and peaceful manner. 

  That day I checked out Nighttime Parenting  by Dr. Sears and really began to enjoy motherhood. 

 

The Irony…

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  I am changing the baby.  The children are in the next room quietly cutting paper while listening to Sing-a-Longs and Lullabies.   The lively beat of The Sharing Song fills the house.   Suddenly, someone shouts,  “Hey,  those are MY scissors!!!”  Ah,  so much for sharing, eh?    I guess I’ll go clean up all those paper scraps now.  Is that The Three R’s  I hear?

Thinking Outloud: Menu Changes

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Just thinking out loud here,  talking to myself more or less…

Monday:  BUSY day!  Chicken and cheese quesadillas on the go…

Tuesday:  Torio’s are graciously bringing us a meal.

Wednesday:  Pork Chops and Pierogis

Thursdays:  Meal incoming from the Swain family

Friday:  Crockpot Corn Chowder

Saturday: Honey Roasted Pork Tenderloin and roasted potatoes

Sunday:  Turkey Divan

Monday:  Another ‘On the Go’ meal:  Chicken Salad Sandwiches

Lunch Ideas:

Quesadillas, Tuna Salad, Pasta & Sauce, Eggs and Sausage,  Beans and Corn chips, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches,  Homemade Pizza,

Our School Season Menu

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  We started our new chore assignments two weeks ago and it is running very smoothly.  We are still spending alot of time outside and the lawn and garden need tending too,  so that throws a kink in the inside upkeep.  I know that will slow down when the weather cools.  

  Last week we implemented our three week menu rotation.  I listed each week in our Homekeeping Journal.  I also listed each recipe and the ingredients needed to make each dish.  This has made my meal planning, list making, and shopping so much easier.    The nesting urge is also in full swing,  so most of the meals I doubled and froze an extra.  As of right now I have five dishes and two meatloaves (giant ones at that!)  in our freezer.  We always get TONS of much appreciated meals from friends and family after having a baby. So many, that when Molly was born that we had a warm meal delivered every other day for over a month!  My goal is to make my postpartum time simple,  enjoyable,  and memorable for the entire family.  I know proper meal planning plays a big role in this. 

  First I thought I’d share our lunch menu.  We have the same thing each day of the week.  This way the older children learn how to make these simple meals well,  my shopping list stays the same for lunch items,  and we know exactly what to grab out of the fridge each day after spelling lessons! 😉

*fridays are aways meatless

Lunch Menu

Mondays:  Beef, bean, and cheese quesadillas/burritos,  tortilla chips and salsa/nachos.

Tuesdays:  Soup,  (homemade or canned, depending on circumstances) peanutbutter      bread, milk

Wednesdays:  Pasta with alfredo sauce and broccoli and homemade rolls

Thursdays:  French bread pizza,  cheese cubes, baby carrots

Fridays:  Egg or tuna salad sandwiches, yogurt

Dinner Menu Week 1

*unless otherwise noted,  I have steamed spinach with each meal and we all have some form of either frozen veggies or fresh salad.  Drinks vary from milk to icy lemonade, and of course a Killians for Dh ! 🙂

Monday:  Magnificent Casserole,  corn muffins.  (made three, ate one, froze one, Mary and I took one to a family that just had their third precious child.)

Tuesday:  Son of a Manic Mealoaf is on the menu (from Leanne Ely’s Frantic Family Cookbook) but we had a pleasant visit with unexpected guest during dinner prep time.  I threw some steaks under the broiler and made a quick salad instead.  I made up the meatloaves yesterday and tucked them both into the freezer.

Wednesday:  Baked Chicken.  It was Samuel’s birthday and he requested pizza,  so Papa John’s delivered dinner this night.  I made two baked chicken dishes up and froze them both.)

Thursday:  English Muffin Casserole was on the menu for this night but one of my dearests friends showed up with a piping hot meal for us at 6 o’clock.  We enjoyed her delicious chicken chili over brown rice, green beans, fresh bread, and chocolate pudding! 🙂 Her 5 children made the most adorable cards for me and the kids!  I made the English Muffin Casserole up yesterday (2 of them) and tucked one into the freezer and one is ready for us to enjoy after Mass this morning.   

Friday:  Baked Macaroni and Three Cheese.  (I made two and froze one)

Saturday:  A Saturday favorite, made by Tony  and Abby,  Tomato soup and Grilled Cheese!  (They talk about opening up a diner one day,  they would call it D&D Diner.  Dad and Daughter…funny, those two!)

Sunday:   We will have one of the English Muffin Casseroles I prepared yesterday.

  So week one had some change ups,  but I always had something on hand to make no matter what cropped up.   Yesterday afternoon Dh took most of  the kids to play some baseball while Molly and I did our shopping for the upcoming week.  (I won’t share with you the ugly details of my stereotypical pregnant woman breakdown in the parking lot…)  We plan on begining our lesson times on Monday.  I  am hoping to have few to no distractions while we try to get back into our schooling groove. (you can laugh at me later! LOL!)    Following is our menu plan for next week.

Dinner Menu Week 2

Monday:  Chicken and Rice Chowder.  I plan on making a big simmering pot for dinner,  and the base for another night to be frozen for later.

Tuesday:  Red Beans and Rice with Keilbasa.  I have enough to make one/freeze one.

Wednesday:  Parmesan Chicken Drumsticks.  I have enough for two meals,  one to eat, one to freeze.

Thursday:  Pot Roast and Potatoes.  I will make two roasts,  one to eat,  one I will shred for another time. 

Friday:   Creamy Tomato Pasta.  Again,  one to eat one to freeze.

Saturday:  Spicey Hoppin’ John – YUM! (and of course,  one to eat one to freeze)

Sunday:  Chicken/Pasta/Greens salad and bread.

Thinking Out Loud – Homeschool Plans

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  My husband and I are supposed to be at a Homeschooling Conference today,  but once again,  life had other plans for us.   So I will be spending a good part of my weekend concentrating on our plans for the upcoming school year.    We will have a kindergartner,  a first/second grader.  (he’ll be doing first grade work in some areas,  second grade in others.)  A solid second grader,  a fifth grader,  and a seventh grader.   Add to all of that the sweet little people we will have running around:  a 4 year old, 3 year old, 14 month old, and in a few short weeks,  a newborn.   God is so good to us. 

  I spent the early hours of this morning revamping our homekeeping duties to reflect the shorter, more structured days, and more time spent at home in the cooler seasons.   I have simplified our meal planning on a three week rotating menu that everyone has agreed upon.  I re-assigned kitchen duties to suit who will be home when.  (Three boys are in Conquest,  and our oldest daughter will begin her first year of Challange Club.)  I have divided out some of the basic household chores so all of the children contribute to keeping the house in decent working order.  

  Now it is time to concentrate on our academics.    We will be enrolling our 7th, 5th,  and 2nd graders in Seton this year.  It is a big change from our usual ecclectic hodgepodge of resources that we have drawn from.    The structure seems to be what my 7th grader craves,  what my 5th grader needs,  and I think it will be a good move for my 2nd grader that completed the CHC second grade lessons last year.  (I use the word ‘completed’ loosely,  we deviated from the lessons plans in many ways,  yet always using them as a guide.)

 Mary will be the fifth child that I will homeschool for kindergarten.  While we will loosely follow CHC here again,  I have plenty of resources  on our bookshelves to draw from.  She is so very eager to learn new things and master new tasks.  I really look forward to watching her blossom. 

  Isaac will also follow CHC’s second grade lesson plans.  We will probably follow these pretty closely for him,  as he thrives in structure and likes to have his tasks neatly laid out before him.  He will be preparing for his First Holy Communion later next year and I firmly believe that when it comes to sacrament preparation,  CHC cannot be beat!

  I have some very specific goals for each child,  and then some very specific goals for the entire family.  I will delve into some of these in a later post.  I actually expect many of my upcoming posts to focus on our plans for next year and our preparations for welcoming a new little child into our family.  While all of this overwhelms me at times,  I know that my worry accomplishes nothing.  I am trying to to keep the words of St. Benedict , (a heavenly intercessor that has been very present in our family this year!)  in my thoughts,  “Ora et Labora!”  – “Pray and Work!”  I trust that God will supply me with all of the Grace and strength that I need to raise and educate my children for His glory.   What He wants, I want.  It’s that simple!