7 quick takes

1 - I'm not sure if there's another carol that captures the emotions of the Christmas story better than the first verse of this one.

2 - If you didn't see it, here's a post I wrote called Holy Innocents - why it's best not to tell a grieving parent "God needed another angel".

3 - A mild 24 hour flu slowly made it's way through the house, though Travis and Resa were spared fortunately.  I am hoping and praying that we're in the clear now.  Hope you are all well!

4 - So, what did we bake for Christmas?  Great question!

Some from-scratch cinnamon rolls.  My mom always made these for Christmas and Easter mornings and since they're delicious I thought I should continue the tradition in my own home.

The recipe makes 3 dozen and one of them I shaped into a tea ring.  Or, well, I tried to.  I let the kids top it with some Christmas-y sprinkles which wasn't as exciting for them as they had hoped it would be.

Neighbors and great-grandparents also got a plate of cookies.  Chocolate crinkles, peanut butter choc chip cookies, peppermint kiss cookies, and sugar cut out cookies.  Delish.

5 - Christmas Eve was spent with my parents, which is pretty traditional. 

This is the "What I Wore on Christmas" part of the post. 

The only person whose outfit is worth mentioning is Ben who wore the catfish shirt with the googely eye.  He insisted and so I let him. Feliz Navidad.

I love the look on JF's face here.

Big present = big excitement

6 - Christmas morning looked like this:

New big kid bikes for the big kids.

In between the above picture and the next we attended Mass.  During the homily poor JF threw up.  The priest made an expression like, "Oh!" but just kept on talking.  The woman in the pew in front of me (whom I don't even know) turned around and grabbed my diaper bag so I could pull a scarf out of it.  JF and I went to the bathroom, leaving my mom with Resa, Ben, and L while Travis and my friend Jen went to get a bunch of paper towels to start cleaning up.  The couple in the pew ahead of us, turned and had Ben come sit with them so Mom wouldn't have her hands quite so full.  Another friend, who also happens to clean our church, came in and asked what I needed.  She got me a plastic bag to put JF's clothes in and took some Lysol spray to finish cleaning up.  So all this to say that no one was upset and everyone was really great about it.  It was awesome.

After Mass they played with their new grocery store, train tracks and Creaky Cranky.

My 7 month old baby girl, wearing the super cute outfit her great grandpa picked out for her.

7 - The rest of Christmas Day and the days since have been mostly spent watching movies, playing with toys, taking naps, and eating yummy food.  I hope you've been blessed this Christmas Season, too.

Thanks to Jen for hosting!



7 quick takes

 1 - Once again I have to say 'thank you' to Pandora for introducing me to new music.  Thank you!

2 - I made the Santa Lucia bun recipe that Grace shared with us yesterday on the Advent series.  Yum-o.  Everyone in the family loved them.  I ran out of all purpose flour and had to use 1 and 1/2 cups wheat flour and they were still good!  You'll want to Pin that recipe for next year, friends!

3 - So I don't know what you're doing this weekend but Travis and I have an afternoon date with The Hobbit.  WooooHooooo!

4 - Did you watch Minor Revisions last night?  Ahhh - loved it like the Jen fan that I am!  I suspect there will now be a bunch of Catholic women rockin' the low side pony just like Jennifer did at the coffee shop.  While watching it I kept wishing my brother and sister-in-law, fallen away Catholics who now attend a megachurch that literally had ribbon dancers at their Easter service - oh sorry, I got off on a tangent there, didn't I?  Anyways, I kept wishing they were watching it with me.  So many of the things Jen and Joe said (about looking for a church they wanted vs. considering if there was a church God wanted them to join) and Jen and her dad discussed about their conversion were great points to consider.  I would love to hear how my brother and his wife would answer those questions in light of the Fulwilers' commentary.

5 - Did you celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe?  Inspired by Lisa's post about Our Lady and the feast we did, though we kinda spread it out.  Tuesday we read the book The Lady of Guadalupe, which is a book I highly recommend.  The book is a little longish but it does an excellent job of telling the story of OLOG so I didn't have to.

Then we made paper bag tilmas, which the kids looooved.  They were really proud of them and didn't mind wearing them.  L even went back and colored roses on hers and then acted out the story, having me be Our Lady and Travis be the bishop.

We had tacos and chips and guacamole for supper.  We were going to have crispas and Mexican hot cocoa for dessert but I ended up not feeling well and so we just called it a night.

So we had crispas for breakfast today.  :)

6 - Did you notice how JF isn't wearing pants in the above picture?  That happens a lot here.  JF is always taking off his pants.  Ben is always taking off his shoes and socks.  And then there's L, who is usually dressed in layers, sitting under a blanket.

7 - Thursday was the best day the kids and I have had for a long, long time.  We played a matching game, worked on puzzles together, read books, played with trains, made the St. Lucy rolls, did our Jesse Tree ornament and prayers.  I think I only became upset once and no one peed on the carpet.

I'm pretty sure the secret to the success was that I never showered, changed out of my pj's or brushed my hair or teeth.  Really, that was the only thing that was different than every other day but for some reason it made a difference.  I'm wondering if anyone else has experienced this phenomenon.

7.5 - Make sure you check out Lisa Schmidt's contribution to the Advent series: A Perpetual State of Advent.  It's all about low key living and it was a great read during this crazy time of year.

And thanks to Jen for always hosting!

Kids at Mass tips for a convert

This morning I got a great email from a woman who is joining the Church; Her name is Emily.

First - YIPPEEEEE!   Emily, I am so excited that you're becoming Catholic!  How beautiful, how joyful, how wonderful! 

Second - don't be overwhelmed, Emily.  ;)

Third, Emily is looking for some tips on who to get her 4 year old and 2 year old to be good during Mass.  I'll let you read a portion of her email:

My husband and I are in RCIA right now and we can't wait to be in full communion with the One True Church!! There is, however, the small (okay, medium) issue of bringing my almost 4 year old and 2 year old daughters to Mass.  [T]his Sunday we need to start coming to Mass (which we are excited about) and then have a little discussion about the homily or any questions we may have. Because we are both in the class and because we want to going to Mass to be a family thing (obviously), we will be bringing our daughters. And well, I am nervous about my girls' behavior. They are good girls, but they are little and loud. And ask millions of questions. 

I am just at a loss on what I should do or if I should bring anything to entertain them. Our instructor said we could bring toys/activities for when we are doing our discussions, but I'm not sure if that's appropriate for Mass. I think I am mostly freaking out because they haven't experienced anything like a Mass before. I guess I feel like cradle Catholic kids would be used to going and therefore, better behaved? I don't know. I'm just afraid my daughter will be asking me questions the. entire. time. loudly. Please help!! Did I mention because we're in RCIA we're suppose to sit in front? Um, yes, there's that also. Help!

I'll give my thoughts but I ask you to leave yours in the comment box.  Even if we have differing opinions I think it's important because what works for us may not work for Emily, but what works for you just may!

A) My kids do not always obey / sit silently / whisper quietly as needed / behave during Mass and they've been raised there.  

B) I think books are okay for Mass, especially for your 2 year old, but I wouldn't bring any other toy.  We do not do snacks during Mass but when our kids are 2 and under they do get a bottle, sippy cup, or they nurse.  We used to do toys and snacks and it just was NOT worth it.  I'm so glad we did away with those things - my kids behave so much better.

C) A little bit of noise is okay - noise can be some talking, laughing, singing in the wrong place, even some crying or fussing.  However, prolonged crying, fussing or screaming means our kids are taken out of the sanctuary.  They are reprimanded and then brought back into the pew - being able to run around in the back of church or outside is a reward not a punishment for our kids!

D) We always sit in front and the kids tend to do better because of it.  They can see what's happening at the alter, watch the bells ring, see the host be elevated, etc.  It helps them engage and my husband and I try to point things out and tell them what's about to happen or is happening.  "Father's going to read the Gospel so we're going to stand up to listen to Jesus' words."

E) Before we even go into Mass we tell them what we expect.  Your kids may not have ever been to a Mass before but I'm sure they've been places they've had to obey - doctor offices, weddings, nicer restaurants.

F) If you can take them to the church when no one else is there and show them how to genuflect, point out the statues and tabernacle, talk about what's going to happen.  Sit in the pew with them and show them how to kneel and make the sign of the cross.  Allow them to be comfortable in the hopes that there will be less questions during Mass.

Okay - so that's what I thought of.  I hope this helps, Emily!  God bless you, your husband, and your children as you continue your conversion process!

7 Quick Takes

1 - The words of this song are so beautiful, and they remind me of the Bible story of when God passed by Moses, quiet as a whispering wind.  I love our good God.

2 - Let's talk a minute about the Advent series.  It is so good!  Oh my gosh - I am loving this and I'm so grateful to everyone who has said yes!  I can't wait to read the rest of them, and I know you feel the same way.  I've gotten so many comments, emails, and messages about how much people are enjoying the posts - what an honor and a delight for me to facilitate it!

3 - Yesterday we had a St. Nick party.  For some reason I decided I had all the talents of a pre-school teacher.  Dudes, I created a timeline for the party.  I think it worked rather well, though.  First, the kids came and did a miter craft, since we were celebrating St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra.

JF with his finished miter.  So cute!

Next we tried to gather the kids in the living room for a story.  I was going to read a book about St. Nick but L asked me to read Twas the Night Before Christmas.  I gave in and then tried following up with the St. Nick book but Ben was acting dumb, climbing all over me and somehow got hurt.  While all that was going on the jolly old saint was in the dining room, filling all the kids' shoes with treats.

L with her stuffed shoes. 
On seeing pictures of girls with miters one dad asked if it was a heresy party. 

Next was snack time, followed by regular, old play.  It was a lot of fun and I'm so glad so many of my friends were able to make it.  Before everyone left I had wanted to end with a simple prayer, asking St. Nick to pray for us as we continue to prepare for Jesus' birthday, but I forgot.  Oh well!

Yay for candycane cookies, grapes, clementines, chocolate coins, and chocolate covered pretzels!

4 - New post up at Ignitum Today.  It's a bunch of Advent music.  Go give it a listen and let me know if I missed anything: A Playlist for the Next Few Weeks.

5 - This year we're doing something new, though inconsistently, and I really like it.  Every day, or almost every day, I let each of the kids pick a Christmas card from the small pile we've gotten so far.  We then say a special prayer for just those people.  I feel like it gives another purpose to the cards, which would just sit around otherwise.

6 - On a related note, I LOVE getting Christmas cards!  Really!  I have a dream of having a big frame with some kind of roping that I can hang my cards from, hanging in my living room. 

Kinda like this but not quite so fancy.
Image source.

I've noticed that not as many people send us cards as we used to get.  There's three probable reasons for this.  1) I've burned some bridges, unknowingly.  2) They don't send cards any more. 3) They never got a card from us so we were taken off their list.  If #3 is the reason you may consider taking us off your card list this year, please let me tell you that we are just too poor to send out cards.  I would love, love, love to send them out!  I would especially love to hire Kathryn Whitaker to make our cards.  She sent me one of hers and it is a-ma-zing!  Wow!  But we can't afford the cards and stamps, or I choose to not afford them.  There's a lot of expenses this time of year and something had to go, so Christmas cards went.  Maybe some day I can send them again!

7 - Lastly, I want you to know that Kathleen at The Boring Blog is one of the best kept secrets in the blogosphere.  If you don't already read her, please do yourself a favor and check her out.

7.5 - I LOVE JIMMY FALLON!!!!!

As always, thanks to Jen for hosting!

What I Wore and What I Ate: a Thanksgiving recap

I finally have time to sit down and post all these things.  And now that most of you have moved on to Christmas despite the fact that it's still November, you may not care anymore.  But if you do, well here you go!

6 month old Resa wore a hand-me-down onesie and some cute polka dot pants.

4 year old L wore a hand-me-down dress, hand-me-down cardigan, shiny red shoes, and pink socks that she was certain matched her dress and shoes.

Everything I wore came from Target.

I think the watering can really makes the picture.

This was supposed to show the detail on the neckline.  It's what you get when a toddler is taking your pictures.

And now what we ate for lunch.

(My cranberry fluff turned out well - yippee!)

And then the kids did dishes.

For supper Mom set out a bunch of yummy, lighter food. 

Veggies and dip and lunchmeat and soup...

... homemade bread and grapes and cheese and jam.

Then on Saturday we hosted Trav's family for Thanksgiving. 

Here's the hubs cutting our first turkey. 

Every year I trace the kids' hands and we make a turkey.  Then on the same page I write a list of all the things they're thankful for.

L said picnics and going to Grandma's.

Ben said "all birthday for me" and all the people he loves.

JF's list was made up by me, filled with things I know he likes, like trains, chicken nuggets, and his speech therapist.

boys and their trains...

Many thanks to Brandon for pointing me in this direction.

Watching these videos warmed my heart and made my eyes swell up a little bit.  I remembered my childhood, and they so beautifully portray a universal love between a child and his best friend.

Enjoy!

a smooth road trip with a little kid

A few weeks ago Travis, L, Resa, and I left the boys at Grandma's and drove to Nashville for my friend's profession of final vows with the Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia.  The 7 hour drive was done in a little over 8 hours each way and it was really, really smooth.  

Before we left I did some research into travel tips for toddlers and I'm so glad I did.  We don't have a dvd player in our car and there was absolutely no screen time in the car.  I thought I'd share the ideas that worked for me in case they come in handy for anyone else in the future.

#1 Leave the ornery ones with Grandma.

She fell asleep with her arm propped up like that multiple times.

Okay, this one is partially a joke, but I do want to acknowledge that 4 year old L and 2 month old Resa are both really happy, easy kids.  Not having super active Ben and tends-to-whine JF made the trip easier.

#2  Activity Binder

L picked out a cheap binder and then, without her seeing, I filled it with the following:

- A map showing our route.  I printed it off Google Maps, cut it down to size, and inserted it in the front of the binder.

- A pencil case that had markers, crayons, and a pen.

- Blank paper for her to draw and write on.

- Stickers

Except for the binder we already had these things in the house, I just had to collect them and package them in the new binder and they were then special.

#3 Scavenger Hunt
Mom's Minivan has a great scavenger hunt you can print for free.  It has a words and pictures so it doesn't matter if your kid can read or not.  I still had to help L with it until she got the hang of it but once she did she would proudly check things off on her own.  I printed off two, one for each way.

#4 Packages to open
This was another tip I found online.  Have a series of gifts to hand out as needed.  The gifts don't need to be new - part of the fun is just opening a present for Pete's sake!  The gifts I used were:

- Pipe cleaners.  This one was suggested on several sites but was a complete dud for L.  I tried to get her to make jewelry and different shapes out of them but she wasn't interested.

- Snack necklace kit.  Around the time of her afternoon snack I gave her a bag with a shoelace, chocolate covered pretzels, fruit loops, and fudge striped cookies (they are shaped like 'O's).  She strung everything together, finished in time for snacks, and munched away happily.  I gave her this gift on the way down and the way home and she loved it both times

yum

- Glow sticks.  This was the best gift of the bunch.  I waited until the sun was setting to give them to her and she had a blast forming them into halos, bracelets, and whatnot.  The glow sticks kept her happy for over an hour - I think the darker it got the neater they were so she didn't tire of them too soon.

L's "loop-dee-loop"

- Some I Spy books.  L already owned them but hadn't looked at them in a long time.  The beauty of the I Spy book is that she just has to match pictures, though I did also read them to her, too.

- A rosary.  This way we prayed the rosary as a family, asking for safe travels.  L even led some of the decades.

These few little tricks made our drive so nice.  Our trip was quick - down on Tuesday and home on Wednesday - but we were able to do it peacefully and happily.  I hope some of these ideas will help someone else!

Sister and L

7 quick takes

1 - Before you get too far into this song please be warned that a major f bomb is dropped in this one.  I'm pretty much sick of their single, which I posted a few weeks ago.  I can no longer listen to it.  Top 40 radio, you have overplayed and therefore killed another good song, for me anyways.  This song, though was recommended to me by my husband who had a student play it for him earlier this week.

2 - Honestly, I had no idea what song to post here this week.  I've been listening to the Maccabeats a lot lately, especially their cover of Matisyahu's Miracle.  It's how I'm prepping for the birth, weirdly.

If you're in the mood for a Hannukah song, and not a song that sounds a little like The Lion King, then you can watch this one:



3 - And yes, I'm still pregnant.  Last night I had some pretty strong, long contractions but whenever I'd sit and rest they'd stop.  I was tempted to go for a walk or scrub my tubs or something but overall I'm just too tired to do a bunch of work for something that would end once I sat down.

4 - Today I will have my first one of these since last fall.

Aaahhhh!  Pioneer Woman's iced coffee.  I bought Bailey's creamer just to go with it.  I am excited.

5 - For Mother's Day I'm doing this awesome thing:  hanging out with my mom without the kids.  Maybe it's bad that on the day that celebrates my motherhood the one thing I want is to be by myself with another adult.  No diapers, holding, correcting, wiping, feeding, buckling in, buckling out... 

6 - Today we have a playdate and since I am not in labor we will be there!  Yay for playdates!

7 - Courtesy of Netflix my kids are now fans of three staples from my childhood:  Care Bears, Strawberry Shortcake, and My Little Ponies.  The Ponies and Shortcake and updated, ya know, but I still like that L loves what I loved as a little girl. 

Hallie's hosting Quick Takes this week.  Please pray for Jennifer, the soul of the man who was in the motorcycle accident she witnessed, and his loved ones.  Thanks.

we've been watching Disney movies

Today my sweet little three and a half year old oh-so-sincerely asked me,

"Mom, do I have a Cave of Wonders in my mouth?"

So we've been watching Aladdin...  But we also were on a Sleeping Beauty kick for awhile which brought a terrible fear of dragons into my little girl's heart.

"Mommy, what if a dragon comes and tries to get me while I'm sleeping?"

"Well there aren't any dragons around us.  None will come to our town."

"But what if one does?"

"Well, St. Michael and your Guardian Angel will protect you."

"But they're up in Heaven."

"Well then Daddy will get his shot gun and kill it."

"Okay.  Good night, Mommy."

What I should have said

Yesterday the kids and I went to the bank.  JF was strapped in the double stroller and slightly fussy.  Ben, who was supposed to be strapped in the double stroller, was walking around it in his stocking feet.  L, who was supposed to be standing sweetly next to the stroller, was following Ben.

If we had been at Mass we would have been in the hall.  But we were at the bank and the teller had made a mistake so it was taking longer and the kids were a little noisy but not that bad.  I mean, sometimes babies fuss and there's nothing wrong with little kids playing and laughing.

But the grumpy old man the next station over must have thought they were more than a handful and he told his teller, "I'm glad they're not my kids."

I looked at his teller, who looked at me.  She clearly felt awkward.  I didn't say anything, though I decided that if we left at the same time I'd let him know I had heard what he said and that I found it offensive.  I don't think he was intending to be mean - I think he was essentially saying the same thing that everyone is saying when they comment, "Your hands are full!"  Unfortunately for him he just sounded more rude.

But what I wish I would have done is said, clearly and just as loudly as he had, "Sir, I am glad they're not yours, too.  I wouldn't give such joy to one who cannot appreciate its value."

BOO-YAH!

what to do on a Monday night

Travis is on a bromance man date with his best friend, at a bar watching the Bears game. 

The kids are asleep (finally!  nap time was horrible today!) and my headache has finally gone away (maybe it was all the water I drank?).

So now I can finally post a picture of my kids on Halloween.

A knight, a princess, and a lion.  roar!

Wow those kids are cute!  How 'bout we look at some more pictures of them?

I caught L "reading" the Bible.  She was actually saying the words to the Guardian Angel prayer.  (Do you know that prayer? So good:  Angel of God, my guardian dear, to whom God's love commits me here.  Ever this day be at my side to light, to rule, to guard, to guide.  It's a great prayer to start the day, at bedtime, when you've got the heebie jeebies, or when you're about to blow your top.)

Also, L's been practically living in her Rapunzel dress since mid October.  She's so cute.

JF, greeting me at the door.  Did you know he's walking now?  He's walking now.

Ben, super happy about his gigantic, warm from the oven, made from scratch chocolate chip cookie.

Do you remember awhile ago when I was on a serious hunt for the. best. chocolate. chip. cookie. recipe. EVAH!?  I found it.  That's what one looks like.

It is possible that Ben may not be wearing pants or a diaper in this picture.

This was gearing-up-for-quiet-time time.  (Yes, I know it's lame that I do that but sometimes it's needed.)  Put on a PBS Kids show from Netflix to occupy L and B while I lay JF down and then send the other two upstairs. 

Notice how spread out L is?  I had just painted her toenails and fingernails and she's letting them dry. 

Need something a little different to read?  My dear, dear friend, Crafty Katie, has started a blog to chronicle her year on sabbatical.  She turned down a teaching position and is living off savings and a small income from working as DRE at her church.  Already her blog is great.  God check it out: 

Look to Him and Be Radiant

Lastly, if you don't like country music or you didn't got to MTHS don't click on the following link.  But if you do like country, went to my high school, or want to see my high school crush is up to these days then check out Jake Maurer. 

I had a serious, mad crush on that man some 12 years ago.  Whew!  It's almost embarrassing to think about it now.

The crazy thing is that last night I spent the first half of my sleeping dreaming about Jacob and the Black Smoke Monster (does he have a name?  I never caught it.)  And the second half of the night I was dreaming that I was back in high school, dating Jake.  So it was interesting when I saw the link to his updated website on Facebook today. 

And I know what you're thinking.  But I was not stalking him - I saw it in my newsfeed.

Good night!

for tantrum throwing toddlers

Momopoly has a great post today on dealing with that very thing.  Here's a snippit:

I’m nursing the baby and reading with my oldest daughter from Teach Your Child How to Read in 100 Lessons when my toddler starts to fall apart. She throws a crayon. She hits her big sister. She starts screeching.


“Use words,” I screech back.

More tears spill from her big, brown eyes, saying what words cannot. I need you, Mommy.

Later that same day we are cuddled next to one another. She places her hand on my cheek, a tender gesture that never fails to tug at my heart.

And then she uses her words very well. “Mommy, why do you yell at me when I ‘cwry’?”

To read the rest, go here.