New Work-out Zone

I must start by saying this was NOT my idea.  We had toyed with the thought of moving the work-out area to the second floor of the garage (which is to be the kids' zone/skating rink/giant theater/awesome-open-area-to-do-amazing-stuff-indoors).  I was not too excited over this idea as many of my work-outs are high impact.  I used to only work-out in the basement simply because I did not like the way the house shook with my jumping on the main floor.  Imagine how I would feel jumping in a second story on the garage - even higher up!!  In any case, as the hubby tried to join me for some work-outs in our basement laundry/utility room, he realized it was just too crowded there.  This, coupled with him getting a GREAT deal on some giant mirrors (from a school auction - about $600 worth of mirrors for $15).  I think it was the mirrors that really cemented the deal because he realized we could not put those upstairs where the kids would play as they would throw stuff at them or run into them, etc.  And then one day he said, "Hey, let's move the work-out room to the garage."  And we did.  It is not quite done (we need to mount the mirrors and the computer screen and build some shelves for my equipment) but it is usable and I am LOVING IT!!  I'm not sure if it is the mirrors so I can see myself (and push harder - "I bet I can jump higher than that - I bet I can push my legs out further or my arms higher") or just having more space to really get into the movements, but whatever it is, my garage work-outs have DEFINITELY upped intensity from those in the basement.

So, without further ado, the before and after pictures, for your viewing pleasure.



BEFORE (laundry/utility/storage room)

BEFORE (other side of laundry/untility/storage room)

AFTER (in garage - main floor)

Yes, I LOVE my husband!!  Thank you so much for offering up a chunk of your garage for our physical health!!

Lenten Reflection

“My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”  (2 Corinthians 12:9)

I was recently reflecting over Lent as it is Holy Week and THE END IS NEAR!!  I feel that I put forth a valiant. . . ok, maybe not quite valiant. . . I feel I put forth a decent effort.  Maybe I could have pushed harder. . . but I definitely did really try.  Some days were better than others as far as keeping calm.  I think it did get a little easier.  We did our Lenten Cross and that went better than I expected.  Unfortunately we never got to the Stations of the Cross matching which makes me tremendously sad as I was REALLY looking forward to this.  But I got hung up on coloring the pictures to laminate them.  This was a bigger project than I realized (and coloring 14 stations twice, NICELY, takes more time than I could find).  Likewise, I wanted to pray the Stations of the Cross with my kids, at least on Fridays.  I even bought a special book I was so pumped about and have we done it yet?  No.  It was this final reflection that made me think I should blog about this. 

My initial reaction to it all, FAILURE!!  But within seconds I realized that exempt from Mortal Sin, failure is not a big deal unless I make it one.  Ok, so I did not get the stations matching game made up in Lent.  Should I give up and move on?  NO!!  We can still pray the stations even when it is not Lent!!  Every Friday we are to recall the passion and offer special sacrifice.  So I ate some sweets once or twice after giving up sweets for Lent, does that mean all of my attempts and sacrifices were for nothing?  I would like to think not.  What it does is keep me humble and I can tell you I can definitely use a good dose of humility now and again!!  So if you are in my boat (feeling a bit like a failure), then lets go wake our sleeping Jesus (Mark 4:35-41) and have him calm the storm so we can smooth sail the rest of this amazing season.  And maybe tomorrow I will break out that book and pray the Stations of the Cross with my kiddos.  Get up and keep going.  When we are weak, he is strong.

Journal #10

Out my window:

Nice and sunny, but still a bit cold (around 30 degrees).

Clothing myself:

Jeans and gym shoes, NEW anniversary black t-shirt.

Around the house:

Miriam is crawling and cruising all over so of course all the "little stuff" we own seems to be showing up EVERYWHERE.  But hopefully a good sorting/tidy-up today will help curb this problem.  (I have been focusing on other things a bit much and need to catch up on the housekeeping some this weekend.)

 

The Baby:

 

She is working on her two top teeth.  They are amazingly close to breaking through her poor little gums.  She is taking it fairly well (fussy and sleeping worse, but not the end of the world).  Since the doc basically ok'd all foods (other than honey and eggs) I have been giving her bites of pretty-much everything we eat and she seems to enjoy it.  Her favorites are still cheerios, bread, mashed potatoes, and homemade yogurt.

 

The Kids:

Paul has mastered #1 of potty training, but is still lacking in figuring out #2.  I changed his big brother Jacob's poopy underwear, once a day (at least) for six months.  So far Paul is following in Jacob's footsteps. . .  But I am hopeful he will figure it out sooner.  Paul is quite precocious. 

As far as naps. . . Paul skipped it one day with no melt down so I tried going without for a few days.  It seemed like this was the end to naps, but then he had a melt-down day.  I'm not sure if he needs naps again or is just a little under-the-weather (we had some coughing, sore throat stuff here).  I tried to get him to do "quiet time" - aka stay in his bed until the music stopped.  One day that resulted in a nap, the next he was out of bed within 10 minutes and sneaking upstairs when I was not looking.  Hopefully this issue will resolve itself quickly.  At this point I am ready to hope he is just done napping (and can handle being awake all day) as getting him back on a napping schedule (after such a break) seems like a lot of work.

In the Kitchen:



I do not have much to report about the actual cooking, but I am doing something new for our grocery shopping.  We are giving Azure Standard a try.  I did not order EVERYTHING we could possibly need, but several items were cheaper than at our local grocery stores with the same or better quality.  I am hopeful and will surely let you know how it goes when I actually get my goods.

Crafting:

I have not even picked up my knitting needles in months now.  Mom's scarf sits unfinished and somewhat forgotten. For some reason I just have not had time!!  I guess it will be a gift for next year.

Learning:

I just blogged about this yesterday, but I will include it here.  I made these fun charts to help with Samuel's reading vocabulary.

 

Otherwise it looks like we are fairly on track to complete our homeschool curriculum (aka all the books I planned to work through).  I have already put a lot of things on the list for summer, too, but I think the kids are up for it.

 

 

Our Lenten cross is looking good.  I am surprised how easy this project is this year and how much the children seem to get out of it!  Some of the Scripture verses are over their head but I muscle through the reading of Scripture (often using a my International Children's Version bible) and then try to give good explanations.  We also review the symbols that are already up there.
 

Reading:

I just finished a fictional novel, recommended by a friend, called Wife 22.  Although the ending was cheesy and predictable (unfortunately - I kind of wished it were different, that would have made it deeper), it was an enjoyable read about a troubled marriage.  It also gave me reason to reflect on my own marriage (which I would not classify as "troubled" btw :) and be grateful.

I recently stumbled upon this introduction to Scripture book, Bible Basics for Catholics, and it is proving to be most enjoyable.  A good "big picture of Scripture" book.
 

Bringing me joy:

 

+My husband.  He brought me a rose for no reason the other day.

+The baby.  Her smiles are just the best and her cuddles, too.

+Exercise.  A good work-out is worth so much!

 

Thinking about:

 

How it is difficult to think on little sleep - seriously, I have been going through life in a bit of a fog lately, not able to focus well or remember things!  Ugh, hopefully I can catch up some this weekend.

 

Bible verse:

 

Do not be afraid, little flock, for it is the Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.  (Luke 12:32)

Pictures to share:

 

My Latest Inspiration for Reading Assistance

Samuel (my kindergartner) and I were reading his children's bible this morning.  As he learned some new words - just reading them several times, I realized that I could be doing more to improve his reading vocabulary.  A while back I labeled some items around the house (just notecards with words written on them in marker) and that helped some, but some of the labels have worn off and I just feel I should be doing more.  So, as he learned the word "snake" and "fruit" this morning, it dawned on me that I could make up little charts like those below to help him make the connection between these words and the objects they represent.

This is Paul's hand, pointing to our exciting new posters.

 I simply googled each item I wanted and chose the images tab.  Then I copied down these images (saved them to the computer) and put them in a drawing document.  I added the text, printed them in color, threw them in page protectors, and sticky-tacked them to the wall.  Viola!!  Now I can draw attention to them during meals and other times we are at the table.  I hope to make more, but this was all I had time for today.

What do you think?

Happy Birthday Daddy!!

We celebrated Gordie's birthday today.  It was kind of a crazy day.  We have had 17 inches of snow so far (and it is still going) so Daddy was not able to get the car out to go to work - seriously - and he drives a Ford Escape!  He worked from home.  No big deal.  For dinner I chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes and cream gravy.  We are all stuffed now.



Rebekah made the gravy.  She is getting SOOO helpful in the kitchen!

Nice writing, 'eh?  Saying this (rather than "Happy Birthday") seemed easier.  Gordie's response to the cake: "Wow!  Do you or the kids do the writing?"  Yep, he had to ask. 



Fun facts about Daddy:

*This year I put "tech guy" down for his job description on our taxes.  (Jokingly as I planned to go back and fix it later, but forgot to do so).

*His favorite meal (that I cook) is chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes.  (He likes to eat his with cream gravy on top and ketchup.)

*His favorite dessert is a toss-up between homemade brownies (my friend Karen M's recipe) and homemade chocolate chip cookies (his Mamma's recipe).

*He likes to work on cars in his spare time.  Right now he just saves us and his friends money, but one day he hopes to build (or rebuild) an old car (or several).  This is one of the driving factors behind the addition of our "monster" garage.

*Along the same vein as the previous, he recently lamented that our children are homeschooled (which is not set in stone for any pre-determined time, btw) as he wants to work with each of them to build AWESOME cars for them to drive to high school.

*He likes to play games online.  He has dabbled in World of Warcraft (well, we both did that for several years), Star Wars Online, Tabula Rosa, Dungeons and Dragons Online, a few others that I cannot remember, and currently plays League of Legends.

*He equates playing online games with playing real sports.  We argue about this regularly.  He claims he has to "practice" to play online games just like I used to practice to play college basketball.

*His favorite liquor is Grey Goose Vodka.

*This year I got him a remote control helicopter.

*I like him very much.

 

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!



Daddy being Daddy :)

Journal # 9 - Mildly Depressing Snow Day

Out my window:

Snow.  Supposedly we are in the middle of a HORRIBLE winter storm for the next few days.  I'm not overly concerned. . . but perhaps I'm the only one thinking this way.

Clothing myself:

Wind pants, Camp Hansen tie-died t-shirt, sneakers. (Looking AMAZING today, let me tell you - hah)

Around the house:

Fighting an uphill battle to keep it "tidy" and "sanitized" around here.  There is simply too much "picking up" and "cleaning" to be done, but having the children help takes 15 times as long, however I am obviously a "bad parent" for not already having a routine where they help (and are actually a help - yeah, you figure it out).  [Depressing point #1]

The Baby:

She actually slept REALLY WELL last night.  She only woke up once, after almost 9 hours of sleep!!  Then she nursed for a bit and I put her back in her crib (awake) and she slept another 3 and a half hours. 

She is getting into food more and more.  At her 9-month-check-up on Monday we got the ok to introduce all foods except eggs and honey.  Yes, you heard that right, peanut butter is fine to introduce at nine months now - crazy!  Although I'm not quite ready to give her a big PBJ sandwich (just goes against my training thus far), I did give her some orange (a fruit I would normally hold off until about a year) and she LOVED it.

Speaking of her check-up, she is perfectly proportioned, 75th percentile in everything (head size, weight, height, body mass).  My little 19lb 6oz bundle of joy :)

The Kids:

Paul is potty training.  I put this off as long as I could.  He has been showing signs of readiness for some time.  Finally, it seemed like "the right time."  And surprisingly he has done really well.  The first day he pooped and peed in the toilet all by himself, at least five times.  But now, about a week later, he is having issues timing his bowel movements and this Momma is TIRED of finding "packages" in his pants (after only a week, what a wienie I am, but I changed Jacob's poopy underwear every day for six months while he "figured things out" and I am NOT excited to repeat the process with Paul).  I really dislike potty training.  Rebekah got it so well and so quickly.  None of the boys have been so easy.  [Depressing Point #2]

Also, Paul missed his nap the other day (because I was out of the house and Daddy gets "distracted" sometimes) and he did not melt down in the evening.  So I tried him skipping nap the next day.  Again, no melt down.  He is now on day four of no naps and although he is still a crazy 2-year-old, doing crazy 2-year-old things, he is not a crying blubbering mess and he actually goes to sleep better at bedtime, so it looks like farewell to naps for Paul.

Jacob still WAILS when Paul takes his toy or messes up his stuff and I am TIRED of that reaction.  But Jacob is only four, so I'm trying to cut him some slack (but failing a lot - hello Lenten Resolution to keep calm - lots of "practice" on that here).

As odd as this sounds, my kids normally do not fight much with each other, but lately they have had some scuffles over toys and that is frustrating.  And it usually ends with me doubting my parenting style.  [Depressing Point #3]

In the Kitchen: 

Today I made yogurt and jelly.  The yogurt has become routine (thankfully), although I'm still not happy about using store-bought hormonal milk (haha) but that is something I cannot control right now.  The jelly has been a HUMBLING experience.  We are OUT of jelly and since I give the kiddos peanut butter and jelly toast every morning, we need to NOT be out of jelly.  Plus, they LOVE the taste of the jelly I make.  The trouble is that in the two times I have made it, some of it did not set up well, or seal right (still a beginner in the canning and such - and don't look now, but one of the jars I did today I did not fill full enough - I guess I was distracted or something - oh well, I'll just toss it in the fridge with the open one).  But I suppose since it is just to feed us, it really does not matter, as long as it is edible, right?  [This was going to be Depressing Point #4, but now that I've reasoned myself out of that I will say it can be demoted to "Depressing Point #3.5 - only half a point of depression here.]


Crafting:

We (aka MOSTLY ME) made homemade valentines for our homeschool valentine party and we also made valentine boxes.  Yes, I only shared that so I would have something to write here.  I have not had time for real crafting.  [Depressing Point #4]

Learning:

Here is a snapshot of our 2nd semester assignments.  We are plugging along.  The visual REALLY helps me and I think the kiddos like it, too.

Curriculum reviews are coming up at my homeschool group and I am getting anxious.  My doubts and fears about homeschooling are resurfacing as I try to review and decide on what materials would serve us best.  Plus I think it is natural to compare my kids to the other homsechool kids when that really is not fair as we do not use the same material, have the same personalities, or are really even in similar situations as far as other responsibilities (having a baby and a toddler to run after - or other additional duties to factor in).  Being new to homeschooling makes this a bit overwhelming.  [Depressing Point #5]

Reading:

I finished Christopher West's new book, Fill These Hearts: God, Sex, and the Universal Longing.  I LOVED this book.  Seriously, it really "moved" me in a good way.  But every time I sit down to write a review of it I get stuck and end up deleting it all as junk.  I think the devil might be poking fun at me over it right now and making it difficult for me to share about it.  Do not fear, I will keep trying.

I am focusing on Scripture and my Catechism again to keep up with the regular catechism readings.  We are almost a fourth of the way through the catechism.  And I am enjoying it immensely - as odd as that sounds - I'm just a nerd like that I guess.

The following catechism quote really struck me recently:

For all their (the laity's) works, prayers and apostolic undertakings, family and married life, daily work, relaxation of mind and body, if they are accomplished in the Spirit -indeed, even the hardships of life if patiently born - all these become spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (Catechism of the Catholic Church #901).

Entertainment:

I'm still sorely missing Warehouse 13.  We are keeping up with Castle but that is about it.  I have been working out in the evenings lately instead of "socializing" with the hubby, so not having anything to watch has not been too big of a deal.

We actually got to "GO OUT" to dinner the other day.  (Well, I took Gordie out for a late Valentines, early Birthday dinner.)  Nana was kind enough to watch the kiddos.  THAT was quite entertaining :)

Bringing me joy:

I have not been very joyful today.  I definitely need to work on that "attitude of gratitude" bit.

Ok, after some thought I'm concluding that baby smiles bring me joy.  And Paul in general is just a joyful little man.  EVERYTHING is a reason to smile for him - and he has some great dimples and curly hair.  Ok, even I am smiling now.

Thinking about:

Exercise.  I am still waiting to "bounce back"after this last babe.  I lost the "extra" weight fairly quickly, but the aches and pains during and after my work-outs. . . well, they are making me feel old and frail!!  (And I like to think I am neither of those!)

Bible verse:

I give you a new commandment that you love one another.  Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.  By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.  (John 13:34-35)

Pictures to share:

Here Comes Lent!

I am really looking forward to Lent this year.  I'm not sure if it is because I really feel like I personally need a good solid "detox" from worldly thinking, acting, eating, and just living in general, or because I am looking forward to Easter!!  The resurrection, the climax of our love story with God!  Joy that I desperately need this time of year when sickness is running crazy, cabin fever grows, cold weather lingers, and life just looks bleak.

In any case, ready or not, here comes Lent!!  So, what is the plan in our household, you might ask?  Well, read on and I will tell you all about it.

First off, check out my calendar.  After much deliberation, I concluded that construction paper taped to the bottom of my number pockets was my best bet for now.  I just do not have time do to anything more elaborate.  It is not fancy, but it works!  The kids can look and see that now we are in Lent!!

(Side note, this picture was taken last week - we are not that far behind in our calendar-keeping-skills :)

Secondly, the "Prayer Platter."  This concept came from Advent a couple years ago.  With young, curious children, I needed to move the Advent wreath off the table after use, so to make it easier, I put it on a platter.  Then I realized that lighting candles helped my kids focus on prayer, so when the Christmas season ended, we changed up the platter to reflect ordinary time and have been using it ever since (changing to the appropriate season, of course).  I try to have at least four candles (one for each kid to blow out) and the correct color (or close) for the liturgical season, and then whatever I can find to fill in.

As for the prayer part, we usually do a reading from this devotional (mostly for the little kids - although the big kids enjoy it, too).  Then we do some Scripture.  Sometimes I read from this Read-Along-Bible.  Other times I use the daily Mass readings (which I now get on my kindle from The Word Among Us - and am very pleased with I might add).  Then we usually do some sort of catechism lesson.  Sometimes I read from the "school" religion book (Religion 1 for Young Catholics, from Seton Homeschool), or we read a seasonal devotional,such as This Pamphlet, or we might even just read part of an educational children's book (such as Living the 10 Commandments for Children or Beatitudes for Children).  We close by saying our Morning Offering:

Good morning, dear Jesus, this day is for you.  We ask that you bless all we think, say, and do!

a Hail Mary (because that is Paul's favorite prayer), an Our Father (Samuel's favorite prayer), and a St. Michael prayer (which they all love).

Sometimes I also read a prayer from My First Prayers for My Family or My First Prayers With Mary, either before or after our formal prayers.  When we get back to studying the Rosary we will do the mystery for the Scripture and catechism part and then pray that decade (with our Scriptural Rosary book) instead of the formal prayer.  (That is what we have done in the past, anyhow.)

I should add that we usually do our "prayer" at breakfast.  But in a pinch, any meal will do - or snack for that matter.  The Morning Offering can easily be adapted to "Good afternoon, dear Jesus. . . " or even, "Good evening, dear Jesus. . . "

Up next is the Lenten Cross. We tried it a couple years ago, but I was not really properly prepared and the kids were a bit young.  The youngers are probably still too young, but I think Rebekah will get something out of it and possibly Samuel.  It has taken a bit of work to get it "set up" but I hope we can enjoy it for many years.



Here is what it will look like on the last day of Lent.

 I have a great 8x10 picture of Jesus with the crown of thorns and his head bent in prayer that I wanted to put here but I cannot find it. I used this frame to keep the spacing when I made the cross. Then, the only picture I could find to put here was this little postcard, so I left the frame up, but I am really not all that happy with it. Another bit of suffering I guess.

For the cross, I got a piece of fleece fabric and cut it into this cross. That was tough for my perfectionist nature as my hands are not crafty enough for what my brain thinks it should look like, but I sure tried.  Then I copied the symbols, colored them, laminated them, cut them out, and put velcro on the back so they would stick to the cross. Here are a couple close-up examples of the symbols and verses for each day.





I want to focus on the Stations of the Cross and I'm in the middle of making up a matching game for the stations as mentioned here.  I would show you a picture, but I'm not quite finished.  I'm hoping to pray the Stations of the Cross on Fridays.  We have the Stations of the Cross for Children book and I think it will work well for the kids.


This year we put our Lenten resolutions on crosses and put them up on the wall.  I did mine (Remain Calm, No Sweets, and Prayer - just to remind me of the prayer habits I am trying to continue and add to) and then Rebekah came up with her idea ("If one of my brothers wants something I have, I will give it to them.")

 

Return to the Lord, your God.  For gracious and merciful is he.  (Joel 2:13)