Fruit of praying St. Thomas' Prayer for Ordering a Life Wisely

So, I had this wonderful grace today. As I looked around seeing all that needs to be done, which usually overwhelms me, I realized something. Paradoxically, I think it's the fruit of praying St. Thomas Aquinas' prayer for ordering a life wisely. It's a paradox because my life feels very far from ordered right now. But God revealed to me that He loves me and is pouring out His grace on all of us right in the middle, and really through our messy life (in a physical and spiritual sense). When I looked around, suddenly all of this:

-legos built and unbuilt (not fun to step on)
-A pile of toy nerf guns confiscated yesterday on which I stubbed my toe really bad in the dark this morning (ouch!)
-dust (lots and lots of it)
-a hot wheels race car set at the bottom of the stairs (why there?)
-train set somewhere, or so I've heard
-dirty kleenex (I know! gross, it's not me)
-food on the floor (we don't have a dog, working on Chris in this matter)
-dirty (and also clean, unfolded) laundry taking over (literally overflowing)
-piles of papers with printed out prayers/articles I like
-prayer books
-piles of kids' school projects, homework, forms that need to be filled out
-childrens' books on the nightstands, on the floors, on the beds, on the counters, on the stairs (not fun to slip on), on the kitchen counters
-my books in all the same places as the childrens' books
-unsent Christmas cards that I didn't have an address for (I give up on this one)
-unsent school pictures (working on that one too!)
-dirty dishes
-coats, blankets, socks, shoes, mittens, etc...
-Christmas tree still up
-Nativity sets still out
-Superhero birthday decorations still hanging up
-Pink flower birthday decorations still hanging up
-wonderful school books laying around haphazardly in the living room that when used teach God's beauty in all parts of our life and studies
-a violin with music scattered around
-a very dusty piano that needs tuning
-unmade beds
-and much much more believe it or not

made me realize something beautiful. My messy life, and that of my family, is the evidence that there are 7 beautiful souls living in this house, learning to love God and each other, and that despite the fact that it feels and looks so "disordered", it is in fact ordered. Ordered to the love of God, the love He has for each one of us, and the love we have for Him.

Thank You Jesus! Amen.

Out of the mouths of babes

:) Today at lunch, when Michael was sharing his food with Luke:

Luke: "I think Michael is going to be a priest when he grows up."
Me: "Really, do you think so? Why?"
Luke: "Because he is always sharing."

So true! :) And Luke shares a lot too!

Lord, let them all be open to your will for their lives in whatever vocation you have planned for them! Amen.

How I got my kids to not complain about my loud music...

Told them that my good friend, our neighbor, and one of my son's dearest friend's mom is the DJ! 

She DJs here at our local University radio station from 9 - 11am every Wednesday.  And she likes similar music as me, plus expands my horizons too!  Pray for her, she is a great gal.  Her name is Jen.

So Wednesdays are my favorite.  We take a little break from school and go to Adoration, then for coffee and donuts and now loud cool music, with no complaining!

Smiles all around here!

Thank You Jesus!

Seriously? :)

To lighten the mood around here a bit, Michael's dear sisters decided to introduce him to a few of their barbies:

Hmmmm....

Seriously?

 er, what is this sparkly thing with feet?

My thoughts exactly :)  Yuck.   He's definitely not amused.

 

But he still has a great smile for his mama! :-D

A Friend in Christ is a Treasure

Good friends are hard to find, but they are out there!  There have been many people in our lives who have come and gone, and as I am growing in faith, it is becoming less painful to say good bye because I trust that God has a plan for each person He places in our lives.  Once every relationship is viewed in the light of Christ and His Love, the ups and downs are easier to handle because Christ is always the same and He never leaves.  And we can recognize that it is Christ loving us through those people with whom we are friends and Christ loving them through us.  With Christ in a friendship, it is possible to truly love another person for that person's sake, not for one's own selfish reasons.  And with Christ in a friendship, it becomes possible to truly forgive and to be forgiven.  Today, I am speaking about relationships where Christ is the foundation for both sides, but in reality, this can apply to all people with whom we meet and interact.  We can love them for who they are, love Jesus in them, and hope for Jesus to come into their hearts when it seems like they do not know Him.  In all of this, it is Jesus Loving us, and them, with an eternal Love.

One such family that has come into our lives will be moving away next week.  We knew they were only here temporarily, so it has been easier to prepare in this sense, knowing always that they would be moving.  But it did not stop us from nurturing a close friendship in Christ.  Christ has provided us with the freedom to enter into a friendship that we know will change over time, and to dispel the fear that we would get too close and then have to say good bye.  It is sad to say good bye, but yet, I also have a great amount of hope and am looking forward to see what Jesus has planned for them and for us over the years.  I will truly miss spending time with them, and so will my husband and our children.  The best part was how well our entire family got along, moms, dads, and the children!

Really, God has provided such grace in all of this.  We both homeschool; we both had 4 children when we met, and had babies 1 month apart last year.  I came home from the hospital on Mother's' Day, and their daughter was born on Father's Day!  Our families are both lego fanatics (well maybe not us moms, even though we think legos are cool); the dads are both Eagle Scouts and went camping with the boys' cub scout troops, we love playing games (except a couple of us need to work on the other two about their lack of desire to play cards ;)  ); we went to Mass together for the first time in our newly restored Cathedral here in our diocese; both moms blog; and both families have a heart for Jesus!

Our oldest son Joseph will be going to his first confession this weekend.  Joseph has found a true lego soul mate in their oldest son, Kolbe.  They have spent hours building legos together.  Kolbe made the card shown above for Joseph (all out of his own desire in religious ed, with no prompting from his parents).  My heart is full of gratitude for each person in their family.   

Thank You God!  We pray for their safety and blessing as they finish packing and as they travel back home.  Give them courage, hope, perseverance, a strong faith, and love as they live out their beautiful vocations in You.

Except that today I'm a mess...

Yesterday's post was written with peace in my heart.  Today, life is back to insanity.  The good thing is that God doesn't change with all this.  I'm up, I'm down, I'm calm, I'm crazy.  I'm an absolute mess.  He is the same.  Always.  In this present, seemingly insane moment, You Love me Lord, and I love You in return, despite all of my weaknesses.  And so His peace remains.

Let Your Mercy be on us Oh Lord, as we place our trust in You.

Hopefulness, Eagerness, Kindliness, and Gentleness

Many years ago, much earlier in my faith journey, I was praying at the Chapel at our local Newman Center. I asked God to show me how to live my life for Him, how to be a good wife and a good mother.  I was struggling with a lack of peace, with a lack of hope, and with a great deal of anger.  So often, I have doubts about my ability to be a good wife and mother, and back then I felt so alone with these doubts and with my own sin.  It seemed like everyone else around me had it so together, but I have since learned that many people, if not all, have these types of doubts.  I have also learned that all of us are fighting some type of battle, and that it is in our weakness that we find the strength of Christ, if only we turn to Him in our troubles.  And I am learning to love others the way God does, both in their weaknesses and in their strengths.

That day, He answered my prayer as I opened the hymnal to this song:




In this song, God gave me a way to look to Him at each moment of the day, with hopefulness and joy at the break of the day, with eagerness and faith at the noon of the day, with kindliness and grace at the eve of the day, and with gentleness and calm at the end of the day.  With the gift of looking to Him as He is, He gives us bliss, strength, love, and peace.  Now, I will be the first to admit that I forget this often, probably more often that not.  But He reminded me today, as I heard this song again earlier this evening (as Be Thou My Vision) while sitting in the living room with my husband after dinner, that the peace we have is His, and I am so grateful for His peace in our hearts. 

Lord of All Hopefulness

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever child-like, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord, at the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours, and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord, at the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, your arms to embrace,
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord, at the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord, at the end of the day.



Note:  edited for clarity.

Quote of the Day

DS1:  "Mom, all I want for Christmas is a Bible and a $400 lego death star."

:)

Subsidiarity in Action

My daughter was quizzing me from a set of Brainquest cards the other day (it's nice to know I'm so good at 5th grade questions). One of the questions was something like "This organization improves conditions for employees in the workplace." And the answer on the card was "labor union".

So we had a little discussion about labor unions and how they were very important and are still, except that they have been corrupted by power and seem to have lost their mission. In addition, we discussed how labor unions actually give a great deal of money to anti Catholic organizations, such as abortion providers like Planned Parenthood. Our children know what Planned Parenthood is because they have prayed for an end to abortion in front of a local Planned Parenthood clinic as part of a local 40 Days for Life campaign. Anyway, after the discussion went back and forth for awhile, my daughter said, "Oh, I wish I wouldn't have asked that question!" Clearly, she had enough, but it was a good discussion to have with her.

Anyway, in talking to a friend (H/t Suzanne) about this, she told me about Rerum Novarum, Pope Leo XIII's encyclical on Capital and Labor. I have it bookmarked, but have not had a chance to read it yet. She also told me about the Acton Institute for the Study of Religion and Liberty, which is named for Lord Acton, who said, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power absolutely." The Acton Institute looks like a helpful place to sort through all the news reports regarding the Pontifical Council for Peace and Justice call for a central World Bank. Many of these news reports say the Vatican is calling for this, when in actuality it is not the Vatican itself, but the Pontifical Council.

So thus, this post about subsidiarity. But as the mother of 5 young children, I cannot write as much as I would like about this subject (lucky for you, especially if you have already made it this far into this post). If you are interested in learning more, I would recommend The Acton Institute, and with all the labor disputes that seem to be occurring around the globe, it would be good to read Rerum Novarum as well.

I thought when soccer ended, there would be more time to write posts here, but, alas, it is not so. Michael has started crawling!! It looks like he may be an artist (when he is not sailing of course) as he loves paper and has a blue face this morning after finding our 3 year old's marker.

So, I leave you with the principal of subsidiarity in our house right now: "Whoever is closest to Michael is responsible for making sure there is nothing around him to put in his mouth." We are in zone defense right now, that is the only way to survive.

Practicing Patience

Last week humility :)

So, I was planning to write a beautiful, insight-filled post on the virtues of prudence and courage and how we need one with the other, especially as it applies to standing up for our Catholic beliefs in an increasingly secular world. Really, just go read Archbishop Chaput, he's all over it.

But, instead, I have the definition of torture:

Sitting in a closed van with a restless 3 year old that cannot sit still or sit quietly, a crying baby, and a 5 year old boy that has to go to the bathroom while waiting for piano lessons for the older two to finish. There was the option of watching a DVD, but I was trying to save gas and... oh.... well.... another long story having to do with leaving the van running too long and batteries dying and piano teachers being late to pick up their own children....

I thought that it would be a great time to sit and finally finish writing those thank yous. What used to take an afternoon to finish, now takes weeks, wait scratch that, months to complete. Guess I'll have to finish those thank yous another time. It was not prudent to think that this was a good time to write thank you notes. I guess the courage part comes in sitting that long in a van with a restless 3 year old, a 5 year old with an incontinent bladder, and a baby that doesn't like the sun in his eyes.

This. is. so. much. fun!

next up: magnanimity and confidence as we go to play in the park next week instead of waiting in the van.

What'd You Do?

Sigh

I really want to write a spiritual post. I want, no desire, a beautiful homeschool filled family day with smiles and learning and good food and such. Some kind of sign that yes, I am exactly where God wants me to be on this beautiful blustery First Friday Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary. But instead, this is what I have (warning, from Tommy Boy):



Why? Well, because it was what came to mind on my way home from a delightful First Friday Mass with the kids (just us, hubby was at work) and play time for the kids in the gym afterwards. We brought a few treats, and on our way out of the Church, DD1 was carrying the bag with leftover coffee cake in it with explicit instructions from me on how to hold it so that the aluminum tray wouldn't bend in half and the napkins and plates wouldn't fall out. I opened the van doors for her while wrestling with DS3 in my arms and trying to kick DS2 off of hanging on the diaper bag because he was hurting my shoulder (automatic doors are so cool).

But alas, I forgot that it was windy out. Since we haven't been too faithful about keeping the van clean, everything blew out of the van and the kids (bless their little souls) went running all over the parking lot and Church grounds chasing little socks and papers and cups and burp cloths. Right about that time, I noticed DD1 had given DD2 the bag of left over coffee cake. DD2 did not get the memo about how to hold the bag and tray, so I literally leaped over to her (while still wrestling with DS3) to help her, and I managed to let the bag open just enough for all the cute little paper plates I picked out at the grocery store fall out and go flying all over the parking lot and Church grounds. DS3 is squealing in delight at this point; who knows, maybe he'll be a sailor since he seems to like the wind so much (by this time, the blanket that I had so carefully covered him with was nowhere to be seen).

So what does all this have to do with Tommy Boy? Well, when I finally did get to my door to get in and start the van, I opened the door and it practically blew off and all I could think of was that scene from Tommy Boy when Chris Farley tells David Spade, "What'd you do?" when the door falls off. I was laughing out loud all the way home, and the kids kept saying, "Mom, what's so funny?"

There's more. So much more. But the day is young, and I am going to try to retrieve what I can of it. Have a blessed Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary today, and if you think of it say a little prayer for us today, we need it.

It's time to go to the grocery store again.

So, DS1 took matters into his own hands this afternoon and made himself a snack:


oyster crackers mixed with peanut butter and rainbow sprinkles.


Gotta give it to him, that's even better than chocolate chips and marshmallows. I think...

"When you're in the moment, it takes a lot of work to stay there"

Great post from Rachel Balducci over at Testosterhome that echoes my sentiments about this time of year and just the passing of time in general: the relief of entering back into routine, but the pang of another summer gone by and getting closer to when the kids leave the nest. Like Rachel, I also feel sadness about thinking of this time as anything less than perfection because it is such a blessing, but so hard to stay in the present moment while in the throes of raising a family. Thank You God for this blessing, help me to live in the present moment of this gift. In Your Holy Name, Amen.

So what is the point anyway?

So, yesterday, I told DD1 she could write a guest blog post some time about something she is learning in school. At that time she said, "No thanks, Mom."

A little while ago she came up to me and said, "I would like to post about what I'm learning in History, Mom." So, I said okay, let me look at what you've got. So I read what she has, and really it was just kind of jumping around between 1743 and 1804 without a real point with a few facts thrown in here and there that didn't really have any thought pattern (I did explain to her yesterday how important it was to use her own words and not plagiarize).

I think she can improve the flow a little better, and I told her, "Well, why don't we work on your writing a little. You need to have a point and a better flow of your thoughts."

And this was her answer, "Well, Mom, some of your blog posts don't really have a point either, do they?"

Er, yes..... this is true.

Look for a guest blog post from DD1 some time soon! :)

UPDATE: DD1 wanted me to let you know that she specifically referred to the Is it Yoda or a sleestak post as one that did not have a point. I think that post had a point, but who am I to say?

Blowing Rasberries

Highlight of our day:

DS1 and DD2 trying to soothe Michael by blowing rasberries to "encourage" him to release his gassiness since he was really fussy after his nap. He quit crying and then tried to blow rasberries himself. So cute. Never. thought. I. would. write. something. like. this.

That's all I have right now. My brain cells are disappearing faster and faster by the day.

Life was easier when we didn't have new carpet...

A new family motto:

With eating popsicles comes great responsibility.

I am REALLY beginning to dislike popsicles, almost as much as I dislike playdough. Popsicles serve no purpose at all. At least with ice cream there is some sort of nutrition, you know, dairy. And ice cream fills you up. Popsicles do nothing but make messes and make everyones' tongues and faces and hands orange, purple, bright red, blue, or the best, green.


By the way, the start to homeschooling is going GREAT. Really! Really ;)

Actually it is (homeschooling going great), once we got over the whole beheading John the Baptist beginning and looked at the Joyful Mysteries and Luminous Mysteries and talked about how instrumental John the Baptist was in preparing the way for salvation, going before the Lord and all... I know, I'm weird, going from popsicles to the Canticle of Zachariah, it's the life of a homeschooling mom. Catholic homeschooling mom. Any family that may be reading this, you were right to be worried about homeschooling.

It was all fun and games until the popsicles started dripping everywhere......

Oh, That Teacher

So, this week we are trying to get ready for school to start next week. And DD1 says, "I can't wait to start school! I'm so excited!" [Good so far]

Then she says, "So, Mom, do you think that when we start you could be like a Catholic school teacher that doesn't know us very well?"


And I think to myself, Oh, you mean the one that is nice/isn't afraid of crafty activities/loves playdough/never yells/doesn't look at all your faults as a reflection of her/isn't an emotional basket case/never spends too much time on the computer/doesn't have a pessimistic bone in her body/makes wonderful snacks every day/never disengages/is cheerful/is more of a coach than a dictator/never burns grilled cheese sandwiches (yeah, that has happened more than I care to admit)/always knows exactly what the plan is for the day/never second guesses your math curriculum/and never EVER pulls your hair?"

~~~

No, I can't be THAT teacher, but I can be the one that loves you so much she will do everything she can to try to get you to heaven (of course it is God getting you to heaven, but you know what I mean)/look at all your good qualities as a reflection of God/feel a sense of gratitude every time a language art, history, or science lesson teaches you the beauty of your Catholic faith and God's creation/teach and learn with you about the ordinary and heroic lives of the Saints/obsessively review different math curriculums only to stay with the one we started with/pray with you and for you/cry with you/yell at you, but seek your forgiveness and God's/disengage at times to maintain my sanity/admit I am flawed/have tea with you/cook with you (even if it doesn't turn out exactly the way we planned it)/will point out when you are mean to others/will try to never, EVER pull your hair again/will expect more out of you than you think you can do/will challenge you to love and forgive even when you do not want to/will teach you as I learn myself how to listen to God/will teach you how to love God with all your heart, your soul, and your strength and how to love others the way He does and when we fail in this to seek His forgiveness/will teach you our Catholic faith by living it all day, every day.

That's the teacher I can be.

It's Monday.....

A sample of our house today:

Me (yelling): "OKAY, EVERYONE SIT AT THE TABLE, AND NO SPITTING AT ANYONE OR ANYTHING, OR THERE WILL NEVER BE ANY POPSICLES AGAIN!!!!"

And I really mean it.

UPDATE: I'm starting a new blog post category: From the Sublime to the Ridiculous

Deep Thoughts

S & P downgrades U.S. Credit rating! Dow plunges 635 points! President gives another non speech!

And DS2 asks me, "Mom, when are we ever going to see another escalator or moving door?"

I love that boy :)

A Mother's Heart

My heart is full after reading Raising a Vocation by Anne over at Imprisoned in My Bones and her oldest son's discerning a call to the priesthood. He has a blog about his experiences at St. Francis de Sales Seminary Camp, a high school camp for high school boys discerning the priesthood. I am so amazed at how beautifully God works in people's lives!

What an amazing privilege, honor and blessing to have a son called by God to become a priest or to have a daughter called by God to become a nun. It would be wonderful for any or all of our children to have such a beautiful vocation as this! This is my prayer, but I often find myself doubting my ability as a mother to help guide their hearts. This is why I was so happy to see Anne's post, which encouraged me that God has placed this desire on my heart for a reason. Whatever His plans are for our children, we must encourage them in their walk and help them learn to listen to God.

One of the things we tell our children is how important it is to listen to God in their hearts, to listen to Christ's call and to go where He wants them to go, wherever that may be. Listening with the ear of their hearts may be in simple every day ways now, but will hopefully guide their hearts to Him more and more as they grow in age and wisdom. Living our lives in an authentically Catholic way is the best way to form them in this way. When I begin to neglect living an authentically Catholic life, I begin to fall away and it is harder to be the mother God has called me to be.

I am so thankful for Our Holy Church, Blessed Mother and St. Joseph to guide us as parents, so that we will grow in His Love and continue to nurture the faith growing in our children. God speaks to us in many ways, through receiving Him in the Holy Eucharist, at Holy Mass or during Adoration, at Confession, during prayer, through everyday experiences, and through people. May we always know and receive the graces He desires to give us, and turn back to Him when we fail to receive Him and His Love.

Lord, let me see You, hear You, receive You, and love You everywhere and always! If it be Your Will, let any or all of our sons hear and respond with an enthusiastic yes to Your call to be a priest. If it be Your Will, let any or all of our daughters hear and respond with an enthusiastic yes to Your call to be a nun. If it be Your Will that they live a married vocation, let them respond with an enthusiastic yes and bless their future spouse. Teach them all to listen to You and Your specific call for them. Help us as parents to guide them to do Your will and let them live their lives here on earth so that they will be with You forever in Heaven. In Your Holy Name, Amen.