Pentecost & bird update

A mother's heart can even extend to a little bitty birdie. I mean, look at these pics. The poor thing is so hungry and on the side of our house. His nest that we found a few days ago is in the front. Oh, poor thing- I hope your momma bird brings you some food and soon!

This reminds me of this book, don't you think!?

I know he is just a bird...but a hungry little bird tugs at my heart. Poor thing. I hope he can fly soon and/or get his food from his momma bird soon!

Oh, HAPPY PENTECOST TODAY!
Happy Birthday to our Church! This is our Birthday! It would not be right to celebrate without a cake, right?! A red cake with red sprinkles at that! Oooohhh...my kids will be so excited to see it! I'm going to try to make it right now before they all come back from the park. I have lesson plans that I should be doing right now...and I am on the computer right now instead uploading these pictures!

This morning at mass, we all dressed in red in someway. My hot hubby wearing his suit, with a red tie of course! Me with my skirt with red in it, my girls in their red dresses. My boys wearing red ties-except Kid #5's red bow tie kept falling off on the way there so we left it in the car. My kid #3 did not want to wear the red tie I picked out (no shock for this kid! He has his own way of doing things-that's why we love him so!) and my Kid #1 wearing a bright red stripped shirt. I can't help but to think when this will change. When will they start to notice their crazy Momma doing this to them?!?! heee heeee! I love it! I will keep loving it and keep doing it till they want otherwise-till then, this is so fun! :)

After the homily, Father asked if there were any parishioners-adults and children- that would like a special blessing on Pentecost to ask for a specific gift of the Holy Spirit. I was so thrilled-what Mom would not want their child up there, right?! So, after a little nudging, my kids all went up, and their Daddy and I followed. We lined up with about 50+ other people at the foot of the altar. Father asked what the gift is that they desired and he blessed their foreheads with the holy water and the sign of the cross. Do you know what my kids all asked for? Piety. What a beautiful sight! It could have been that because Kid #1, who is 8 years old, asked for it first and they followed suit. But either way, I loved to see them ask for it and loved to see them blessed. BTW, I also asked for Piety and we did not plan it this way that we'd all be asking for the same thing. It was so cute. We've been reading this book by Fr. Lovasik- The Gifts of the Holy Spirit. It is a child's book but what I learned was awesome too!

Acts 2: 1 - 11 :
When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place.
And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed and resting on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together, and they were bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in his own language. And they were amazed and wondered, saying, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native language? Par'thians and Medes and E'lamites and residents of Mesopota'mia, Judea and Cappado'cia, Pontus and Asia, Phryg'ia and Pamphyl'ia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyre'ne, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, Cretans and Arabians, we hear them telling in our own tongues the mighty works of God."

(After this reading, my oldest commented "Wow, that is a lot of languages and a lot of countries!"--ha! ha!- I found that kind of funny!)

Isn't it kind of fitting that we are discussing the birdie update and it is Pentecost-the symbol of a dove? WOW, God is so good in teaching us things! If only we can step back and not rush... and see His hand in our life and the way things are connected.

HAPPY PENTECOST! Go celebrate! Happy Birthday!

I don't think my cake will turn out to look like this one!

God bless,

Mary

Prodigal Son in LEGO

This was done by a great family locally and I had to share it. Great job boys! This is just awesome!
God bless,
Mary

Happy Feast of St. Joan of Arc!

St. Joan of Arc, pray for us!

Isn't she the coolest girl you've ever seen? She is a major hit with my boys-b/c of course, the sword and shield. And if you know or seen my girls, they are not shy to get right in the middle of them boys- proclaiming "I'm Joan of Arc! Watch out!"

Check out this quick clip of "this day in history" for today from the History Channel.

We will also be listening to St. Joan of Arc Glory Stories from Catholic World Mission.

God bless!
St. Joan of Arc, pray for us!
Mary

Look what we found!

Aren't these the sweetest baby birds you've ever seen? Kid #2 was putting outgoing mail in the mailbox and passed by something. She took a double look, a closer look and it was, sadly, a dead baby bird. She came and told me and I went to look at it. Upon closer look, I saw lots of white bird poop in an area right near it. Thinking that was odd, I looked closer to find these little guys! Aren't they so cute?

My kids are THRILLED to see them! They are very concerned how to make sure no more fall out of the nest. Any ideas? They immediately said "Let's ask St. Francis to pray for them!" So cute, huh!?!? There is that little one that is not in the nest and on the branch near it. I have a feeling they will be checkin in on their friends very often! I hope the momma and daddy bird don't mind!

This finding makes me think of Jessica- and her blog post! And this post she did too!

God bless, Mary

There is nothing like it. Nothing.

There is nothing like hearing your oldest child teaching morning prayers to his little brothers. He is so patient and calm with them. He is amazing. Thank you Lord for them all!

God bless,
Mary

Small Successes- It's Thursday!

Small things done with great love mean a lot!

For this week:

1. For one, I am finally back to jotting down my small successes for Thursdays! I have been neglecting them a bit lately...partly b/c I forget and partly b/c I just can't seem to THINK that much lately! But, here is it for this week :)

2. I have consciously been trying to hug my children more and telling them how proud I am of them and pointing out all the great things they do many times every day. Too many days, I find myself harping on them waaaaay too much. I am working on it...I am such a work in progress.

3. Last night I met up with friends for a Holy Hour. I was a tad bit late -20 mins.!-so it was more like a "Holy 40 minutes"! ha ha! After the Holy Hour we were having a Bible study that I was sooooo ready for. I called to check in w/ my wonderful man and he asked me to just come home. What, you ask, is my small success? Well, I did not freak out at him but simply obliged. Maybe this counts as a huge success! (heee heee) It was not that he actually needed me home to help out (although it surely does not hurt to have Momma home to snuggle with before bedtime) but he was thinking of me b/c I had to get out early this morning. What a sweetheart!

Well, that's it folks. God is good!

Go check out some more at this website, Faith and Family Live!

God bless and good night,
Mary

My baby's new favorite toy!

What a deal --I got this Noah's Ark and all its animals at a tag sale for only 50 cents!

God bless,
Mary

I'm loving finding these videos!

Now if this does not tug at your heart strings and make you cry, make you think. WOW! I love this! Thank you God for helping us to use the internet in such a positive way!!

God bless,
Mary

Need inspiration? Watch this!

This is one of my husband's all time favorite inspirational team!



God bless,
Mary

American Idol/Kris Allen songs

Just because...its cold today (47*! yikes!) and it looks like rain. And just because I am kind of sad American Idol is actually over, but happy Kris won! Yay! And just because we put away our cold season clothes ready for summer but now we're back in them, at least for today. And just because I think Kris did a totally awesome job singing Heartless. And just because I had an awesome night of actually sleeping and want to sing along. And just because, because, because! That's why.






God bless,
Mary

Rest in Peace, dear baby Faith

Remember I posted about baby Faith?

I just noticed that her Mommy posted this- titled "the best 93 days of my life".

It brought tears to my eyes.

Life is so short. Thank God for those in your life. Thank them for being there. Go hug them, hold them, love them, pray for them.

You just never know when...

God bless,
Mary

Quote of the day

You suffer and you want to bear it in silence. It doesn't matter if you complain; it's the natural reaction of our poor flesh; as long as your will wants, now and always, only what God wants.
-- St. Josémaria Escriva

Glad to know it's a natural reaction b/c I have a long way to go! Please God, hear my plea and forgive me for being so weak and complaining so easily. I want what You Will in my life. Inspire in me the ways that will bring You glory and honor and not to seek my own. Amen.
God bless,
Mary

Memorial Day 2009

Memorial Day is about so much more than the start of summer, a long-weekend, parades and fun cookouts. It’s a chance to teach our country and our own families about veterans and our military, and what they have done for us! Chances are, someone in your family has served in the military. In both mine and my husbands-we have lots!

We will be making the phone calls to them today to say thank you. It is simple gesture but it shows we appreciate all they did and continue to do.

This morning my husband took the oldest 3- ages 8, 6 and 5 to a nearby town parade which directly following will have a Kids Run road race. Then my marathon training hubby will run it's 10K road race. My kids and hubby have been waiting for this day for a long time now. They have practiced on our town High School track, been timed by Daddy, have done sprints up and down our driveway and they are super excited about it! They had all their clothes and running shoes lined up last night so they could get out the door early-by 8am-this morning~! They did it-out by 8:15 am!

I wish I could see them and my hubby run their races and cheer them on! To see those smiling, proud and happy faces just melts my heart. I am so proud of them. But, alas...I am home with the 3 youngest ones-ages 3, 2 and 8 months. It will be an extra long *fun* day and it is too much for all the kids so we opted to keep the little ones home and get an early nap in. What a difference! So far today...mind you...its only 9:15am-

• we have painted and finger painted lots of who knows what on lots of paper (that I will be throwing out when they are not looking!! heee heee! Sneaky Momma that I am!)
• role played going on a hike, playing house, & played tag
• read "Goodnight Moon"
• fed the baby applesauce
• changed out of pj's and into play clothes

This is going to be a long 5 hours till I get them into the van to meet up with Daddy and the other kids at Grandparent's house! :) But I love it :)

In honor of Memorial day....here are a few sites that offer resources for making Memorial Day a little more meaningful. I think we'll be doing some of them too today!

• Department of Veterans Affairs
• This site has coloring pages and craft ideas, short stories and poems on veterans, puzzles and word searches.
• This site has fun crafts and activities, and coloring pages and ideas on talking to kids about war.

I also found this site that has a great prayer petitions for today in honor of our troops and specific prayers for family members that are soldiers and in the military, and even a prayer for our enemies.
All these prayers are just beautiful. Here is one prayer that stood out, for me, amongst all the prayers on that site.

For Courage in the time of Battle

O Prince of peace, we humbly ask your protection

for all our men and women in military service.

Give them unflinching courage to defend

with honor, dignity and devotion,

the rights of all who are imperiled

by injustice and evil.

Be their rock, their shield, and their stronghold

and let them draw their strength from you.

For you are God, for ever and ever.

May God bless our troops!

May God bless America!

Thank you for paying the price so we can live in America-

THANK YOU and GOD BLESS YOU!!!

God bless,
Mary

Quote of the day

Greed will demand of you labor, danger, hardships, and troubles, and you will readily agree to its demands. And for what purpose? So you can have what will fill up your purse but empty out your peace of mind!.
-- St Augustine

God bless,
Mary

Things that make my kids

TOTALLY HAPPY:

Fresh from our backyard. I can't even begin to tell you how eager they were to find one. The day we all came to see this house for a showing, my kids found 2 in the backyard. So they knew there had to be some once it got warm out. It sure is warm out (88*!) and today is the day! May there be many many more little frogs to be found this summer. The little frogs satisfy their intense desire for a pet. If you could only hear their enjoyment of this little guy. And that makes me happy too :)

God bless,

Mary

My new best friend, Mr. Distilled Vinegar

Today, as every Friday, is our family cleaning day. We all help do as much as we can to CLEAN our house. Thank you hubby for this gift, so our bathrooms are shiny clean right now but the rest of the house can use some major help.

Meet my best friend, Mr. Distilled Vinegar. Awesome and cheap and all natural. I found this site that gives you advice of his many use. Here are just a few-there are tons more...the link is at the bottom:

• To shine chrome sink fixtures that have a lime buildup, use a paste made of 2 tablespoons salt and 1 teaspoon white distilled vinegar.
• 
  Make your own scouring cleanser by combining 1/4 cup baking soda with 1 tablespoon liquid detergent. Add just enough white distilled vinegar to give it a thick but creamy texture.
• 
  Clean counter tops and make them smell sweet again with a cloth soaked in undiluted white distilled vinegar.
• 
  Clean and deodorize a drain by pouring in 1 cup baking soda, then one cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let this sit for 5 minutes or so then run hot water down the drain.
• 
  Deodorize the garbage disposal by pouring in 1/2 cup baking soda and 1/2 cup hot white distilled vinegar. Let sit for 5 minutes then run hot water down the disposal.
• 
  Deodorize and clean the garbage disposal with white distilled vinegar ice cubes. Make them by freezing full-strength white distilled vinegar in an ice cube tray. Run several cubes down the disposal while flushing with cold water.
• 
  Clean the microwave by mixing 1/2 cup white distilled vinegar and 1/2 cup water in a microwave-safe bowl. Bring it to a rolling boil inside the microwave. Baked-on food will be loosened, and odors will disappear. Wipe clean.
• 
  Clean the shelves and walls of the refrigerator with a half-and-half solution of water and white distilled vinegar.
• 
  Cut the grime on the top of the refrigerator with a paper towel or cloth and full-strength white distilled vinegar.
  Avoid the bad smell when you heat up a newly cleaned oven by using a sponge soaked in diluted white distilled vinegar for the final rinse.

To find out more uses....click here to this site

Happy Cleaning!

God bless, Mary

My prayer

O Lord my soul is sick, I bring to you all my sins and misfortunes. All my salvation and joy are in You, O Crucified Christ, and in whatever state I happen to be, I shall never take my eyes away from Your Cross.
-- St Angela of Foligno

God bless,
Mary

Feast of the Ascension

What a glorious day!

Happy Feast of the Ascension!

I attended a most beautiful mass early this morning with my 2 oldest kids. I still get giddy and am in awe when I see my oldest receiving communion. What a gift for him and the closeness we now share.

As tempted as I am to go to the beach today-its going to be 87*---I know we can't, not today. I am determined to make the most of this great feast and day. I already agreed to setting up the little "baby" pool in our backyard for the first time this season. What delight it brings my kids! Swimsuits and towels, picnics and ice pops? Oh, yeah, this is going to be a great day :)

A few weeks ago, I bought (yet another!) Candy-land game at a tag sale and I just found it in the trunk of my hubby's car. My oldest 3 have been playing it non stop for an hour now! :) That makes this Momma very happy! No fighting but pure enjoyment of the game and giggles with each other. It amazes me how many of these games we've been through-at least 3 or 4 already! That game is so good for all the ages-a good learning tool too.

I am printing up some of these pics for the kids to color.

Did you know that Lilacs (Syringa vulgaris) are also referred to as the Ascension Flower? Great! Good thing I have a ton in my yard :) So, that will be the duty of my young ones-a good reason to pick Momma's flowers. Plus, I love the color purple and their smell! :)

I have also heard the idea of making a trip to a high spot or a mountain or cliff (Yikes! not with my little ones!) to remember the Ascension. What a great idea, and we do have a great mountain to hike near us...but I know it will be way too much for us all (er...me!).

Happy feast day!

God bless,

Mary

Mary's month

Mary, pray for us!
God bless, Mary

How to win over your hubby

How about some shitake and asparagus, garlic and fresh parsley over penne alongside some broiled salmon with lemony dill?
(all done within 30 minutes after my arrival home!)

This is the way I buttered up my hubby right before I told him the amount of money I just spent on food. (Yikes!!!) Did it work?? You betcha! Us women so know how to win over our men- either through a really yummy meal or a great back rub! (right ladies?!)



Now, I just have to show this picture:Is this not the CUTEST thing to see on your 6 year old daughter's bed at 8:45am this morning? She is so adorable! And get this- I did NOT tell her to do this~! Can you tell she has soccer tonight and loves it?!

God bless, Mary

Heads or Tails?

I told my husband that I was working my tail off this morning with teaching the kids school and keeping them somewhat focused on school ...b/c we had this visitor here.

My son overheard us and said "Oh Mom! You don't have a tail!"

My hubby and I were laughing hysterically and my hubby says "I think he's listening to too much Amelia Bedelia!"

Ha ha!!! SO FUNNY!

God bless,
Mary

Physics 101 in 2nd grade?

The best babysitter, by far, is here right now for the whole day, maybe tomorrow too! The sweetest looking bucket and crane I ever did see.

3 whopper trees are coming down baby! And lots of tree trimming too.

Almost all of the kitchen chairs are lined up against the windows in the den. Not one foot has moved. Not one head has turned. (I should get my camera!)

I have a feeling this will be one awesome learning experience and one heck of a physics lesson!

As for this Momma, I am totally soaking up this free (well, kinda-not really) babysitting deal. Wait, one has moved...she runs to tell me "Mom, he went up in the bucket! The white one!"

Now I hear simultaneously: "Oh! Wow! Oh cool! Oh yeah!"

Please say a prayer that all remain safe. I would really appreciate it. We have those 3 huge trees that have to travel OVER, yes OVER our house! Yikes! So, I bet you can imagine I am a wee bit nervous!!! Thanks!

God bless,
Mary

Need vs. Want

This is not really a Sunday related post but I did want to mention about this. Have you heard of it? Check your area and see if you have it there. This has been a HUGE blessing on our family. I am so not shy of mentioning to others what we are in need of. I guess it's God's way of providing for us! Of course, you have to take precautions -there are quite a lot of loonies out there. So, be careful but do go see! I have had only good experiences with the people online and in person from there and so I do recommend it. (I say a quick prayer to my guardian angel and theirs so that our meeting ups are safe-so far so good!) Just tonight I got a toddler bed! Free! There are free things in life-you just have to look for them!

People ask me all the time -how do we do it? They cringe at having one or 2 kids and wonder how they can provide for them. Well, for one, we do not need the most expensive clothes or the best vacation or the best car or the best toys. God has revealed to us that what we need is Him and each other and that is most important. All this other stuff in life will come in God's timing. He knows what we NEED, not does not always give us what we WANT. This is an ongoing lesson in humility and detachment. I am so very glad that my kids are not hung up on the latest fashions or fads. We don't have to deal (yet!) with that stress right now and I am content and at peace with this. And very grateful! What a blessing it truly is to have my child be okay with one black sock/one white sock on; or "new" clothes that a friend dropped off at my house, or going to tag sales to buy a "new" bike or doll. I like to think that it helps others be generous and God loves a generous heart!

So, as long as there is this out there plus many friends and family that keep asking if we are in need of this or that, or even just drops stuff off to our house...well, we see it as God providing for our growing family. I think that is sooooooo cool! Thanks everybody!

So, go check out this best kept secret and see if there is something you may need! It might just be there! :)

God bless, Mary

Note to self*

*If you decide to load the kids in the van, go buy a Dunkin Donuts iced latte in the next town over that you do not know too much about...do not, I repeat, do not think you know your way around looking for a playground.
You will inevitably drive through 4 towns, 2 not so nice cities, get totally lost, call your hubby at work to ask him to google where you are to get you home after one hour and 40 minutes in the van. The kids will not like this.
And if, only if you decide to do this again (why?!) do plan on making choc. chip pancakes again-b/c the kids forgot all about that terrible van ride.*

**Second note to self: **BUY A GPS NATIVATION SYSTEM**

God bless!
Mary

A little bit about me

I thought that since my kids are with me 24-7...I wonder - do they REALLY know me?
Here are the questions and their answers. And yes, it was fun and quite funny!

1. How old am I? T-17, M-80, L-1,K-33 (Yikes! 80?!?!K is just one too many! I'm 32.)

2. What makes mom happy? M-doing chores and cleaning; T-being nice to Mommy, K-spending time with us (the kids), L-being nice to our brothers and sisters (awe...I like these answers. They got them right! These DO make me happy!! :))

3. What makes Mommy sad? M-not doing our jobs, K-not obeying you, T- you yelling at people, L-being loud and yelling (Okay, they got these right too! We're on a roll here....let's keep going...)

4. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do with you, the kids? M- doing schoolwork, T-being grateful, K-spending time with us, going to the park and having McDonald's and stuff like that (Hey, a little bit of everything wrapped up into a MOM! I love this one!)

5. What do I like best about Daddy? M-cause he’s the daddy, K-you kissing him; T-having a wedding with him; L-going to the park with him (How cute is this? The answer of "Me kissing him"- awe, these kids are soooo cute!!! And BTW, yes, I agree! :))

6. what is mom’s favorite food? M-lettuce, T-carrots K-ice cream (Uh, lettuce? carrots? Are you kids for real?!? OK, the last guess is 100% accurate- ice cream it is! yum!)

7. what is mom’s favorite drink? M-cranberry juice, T-water, K-Pepsi, (uhm…hello? Coffee! Do they not notice the many cups I drink EVERY SINGLE DAY? They must think it is just an extra part off my hand or something!!! ha ha!!!)

8. what is my favorite vacation spot? K-going to meet with my parents and staying at the hotel; M-Georgia; T-family land (Nope! None right- I love the BEACH! Rewind back to Mother's day...where did we go b/c it was my choice, my pick? THE BEACH!)

Now that was fun! And now you know a little more about me too! :)
God bless,
Mary

We started today...

...with finding a tick. Tweezers to pull out the tick. Tick in bag. It is over. Thank You, God!

If that is how my day is starting by 8:20am, I wonder what the rest of the day will bring!

To make light of this, I even got the little stinker in a bag and we are having quite the science lesson!


Take a look:
Do you see it? I bet not- that stinker is sooooooo small that I am surprised I even saw it on my kid #5! It was on his shoulder/neck area. Makes me wonder how many more may be on my kids and I don't even see them or know about them.
Dear Lord, help me trust in You so that I do not worry. You are in charge. You are my peace.

Hope your day is not as eventful as mine by 8:20am!!!

God bless!
Mary

Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us!

We did a little bit of coloring for this feast day-check out THIS awesome coloring pic!

About 4 or 5 years ago, we went to this beautiful shrine after coming back from a little family vacation at the "Jersey Shore" and I wish I could remember it clearly. Our little pilgrimage included 3 little ones (at the time) so I was a bit distracted but I do remember the great beauty of the shrine. I remember the intense feelings of love for our Lord and from our Lord. I guess that would apply to ANY shrine! I also remember the adoration chapel and sitting there with our little ones and feeling Mary's motherly love pouring out on us.

Here is the information about the messages from Fatima, which I find very intriguing. I do not have the time to get into details of my thoughts of Fatima and it's messages. But, if you are interested, it's worth the look!

Here is also the direct link to Our Lady of Fatima Shrine in Portugal. So beautiful!

Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us! We need your prayers, Mother Mary!

God bless,
Mary

Brush your teeth!

Now, here is a really really good reason to keep tabs on whether or not your child brushes his/her teeth!

God bless,
Mary

Tune into "The Doctor's"

at 10am Wednesday, May 13th.
Why, you ask?
Well, the story I mentioned in my previous post about Baby Kayleigh Anne will be covered. We may not get to watch it then but sure hope to see some clips of it or a full episode taped.
God bless,
Mary

Prayer Request for baby Kayleigh Anne *Update*

Remember I wrote about this sweet baby, Kayleigh Anne?

Rest in peace, dear little one.

My kids were very touched by this little miracle, especially my Kid #2. Amazing that our hearts are so heavy right now...and we only know of her from the "blogosphere".
God does bring out good with the Internet.

We got to know and now are praying for Kayleigh Anne and her family.

God bless,
Mary

8 yr old Math Whiz Kid

Do you see this?

You'd think he copied it out of a book or perhaps used a calculator...but nope! He created this all by himself and it wasn't even a school assignment!

I hope this does not come off as braggin' - I am in awe! Wow! Good job there, buddy!

Keep it up and we'll keep praying for a college scholarship!

God bless,

Mary

Catholic Vote

Catholic Vote

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Here's a laugh!

Check this out for some major laughs!!!

Hey, it's Monday... and we all need some laughter!

God bless,
Mary

Happy Momma's Day!

Ha ha!!! I looooooooove this!

Happy Momma's Day!

So far today, I was treated with lots of spoiling:
I woke up to the smell of bacon! When was the last time I smelt that in the morning- and me not being the one to be making it!?! It was a very yummy egg sandwhich with bacon and fresh fruit, yogurt, OJ and my hubby even made me coffee that tasted awesome! Thank you hubby!

Handmade cards came from the kids-almost all of them depicted me as a momma with a baby in the tummy! Are they trying to tell us something? Do they know something we don't know?

My husband gave me a gift of a house cleaner to come to OUR HOUSE! He surely knows how much we can use one- THANK YOU Hubby!!! I love you!!!

A beautifully decorated official "Mom's Chair" loaded with lots of pink flowers from outside. From the girls, of course! It's just so...girl-y!

We went to early Mass and we even made it through to just after the consecreation before I had to bring sweet lovey baby in the back. That is awesome for us! yay! That is a gift for him to last that long :)

After Mass, Dunkin Donuts COOOOOLATTA baby! Yum! and of course jelly donuts and pink frosted to all :)

Oh, there's more...

My hubby just took all 6, yes- all 6 of them! -out to the park to play baseball and the playground. (Have I mentioned how much I adore my hubby?!)

Now, what to do...what to do...of course, I am on the computer! Then I am going to read Faith & Family Magazine while sipping my COOOOOOOOLATTA baby! And I will watch the last 20 minutes of Kate and Leopold- that which I started to watch a week ago! hee hee

Then it will be nap time...yes, those glorious naps...

Then we will be headed to the...BEACH!

Oh yeah, bring it on! So what that its only 58 degrees? I L>O>V>E the beach! My kids absolutely love playing in the sand and I am sure their time there will include water too, but hopefully not too much. I will be bringing change of clothes of course and PJ's too since from the beach we are off to my hubby's favorite- lobster rolls :) We go to the BEST lobster roll making restaurant! Delicious :)

Now, I am off to do what I want to do! yippee! Do you notice how very busy our day is? Just the way I like it! My hubby on the other hand, would rather stay put. Oh, the things he puts up with around here! Don't worry, hubby, Father's day (your day of going NOWHERE and not doing much is coming! :)

Happy Mother's day!
God bless,
Mary

Be alarmed. Be very alarmed.

You’d worry too if your 2 sons went off to ‘build a tree house’ holding a bucket filled w/ these items:

• a hammer
• about 20 nails
• black electric tape
• a hand saw
• a screwdriver
• measuring tape
  

We have to let our boys be boys, but us Moms still worry!

God bless,

Mary

SOOOOOO Extra Credit

God bless!

Mary

Sticky Question

I am convinced that whomever invented stickers did not have children.

Small, tiny, stickers plus many little children do not mix for a good outcome for Momma's cleaning day!

(BTW, does anyone know who invented stickers b/c I googled it and found nothing but funny and silly answers! Thanks!)

God bless,
Mary

Hilarious!

We were discussing St. Gregory the Great and how he adapted to changes in his life. Some he warranted himself but other things he opposed like being Pope- but in the end, obviously he followed God's Will. Thank God!

We gave Kid #1 his own Holy Bible for his First Holy Communion and in the first few pages it lists all the popes from St. Peter to our current Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI. It is quite awesome! We looked up St. Gregory the Great and began laughing b/c we found there to be a Pope from 461-68 and his name was St. Hilarius!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't that hilarious!!!!!!!

God bless!
Mary

Prayer Request for baby Kayleigh Anne

My family and I have been drawn to this little miracle baby and her story and following her blog. My kids ask about the blog post about her daily, and if they forget, I remember. It is an amazing story- they posted some videos on the sidebar or on the top of the home page. If you get a chance to check it out, its worth it. But do bring those tissues. And while you are there, say a prayer. Baby Kayleigh Anne needs all the prayers in the world. (Do notice how many people are on her 'follower' list! Oh my!)
Jesus, Mary, Joseph, pray for us!
God bless,
Mary

Play & Pray

So full of graces from his First Holy Communion only a short time ago, my Kid #1 found another purpose for this shape sorter box for saying his morning prayers!

That small prayer book dates back to 1930-for a little boy making his First Holy Communion. That young boy became a priest and is now deceased. He asked me earlier this week if I think Fr. John is in Heaven now. So now he also says a special prayer just for Fr. John's soul :)

It was given to kid #1 a few years ago and he absolutely loves it!!!

God bless,

Mary

Last night's adventure

A Park Visit

The funniest sight if you could see
Is me pushing my 5 kids in a row on the swings.

Kids swarming the park at dinnertime today
I gave them the rules or they would pay.

A woman said “Whoa” 2 times obviously
As we approached with my little responsibilities.

They listened, they obeyed and I was so proud
McDonald’s was their reward, and boy did they get loud!

Getting happy with happy meals
It really is such a deal.

For 6 people it was only 20 bucks!
Now I have to clean my van of all that muck!

The other moms gazed with awe and some w/curiosity,
Some w/feelings of emptiness and some with painful animosity.

I may not know the impact one park visit had on others
But my blessings do I love with even more love I’ve discovered.

-Mary
May 6, 2009

More mommy-hood perks & kid-thinking

While holding a skinny cow ice cream sandwich, my Kid #2 says "Mom, when I do this (holds the ice cream in her hand) my hand has a brain freeze!" (sooooooo cute!)

Then another mommy-hood perk...

As I finished my skinny cow treat, then I was bad and grabbed a rice krispie treat too. And once again, my street -smart -smarty -girl replies "Mom, I was just about to ask you if I could have one but I didn't. I know, you are Mom and that is why you get 2 treats." (how I love that way of thinking!)

Oh yes, darling. I have trained you well!
hee hee!!!

Then my Kid #1, out of the blue, says "Mom, what if a meat tree was real? I mean, I know that meat comes from cows, goats, deer and that stuff...but not from us, right Mom? But, a meat tree...now that would be really cool! So, how many kids did Jacob have from the Old Testament? There was just so many."
---that shows you just how Kid #1 thinks! He is outta this world!

God bless,
Mary

Perks of Mommy-hood

You'll be confused when...

...you question a 3 year old about her boo-boo b/c it will sound like this:

"Honey, why do you have a scratch near your eye?" I ask.
She replies "Because my toe was itchy."
"Your toe?"
"Yes, my toe was itchy."

??????????????????????????????????

God bless,
Mary

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Here is a great link for activities!

Here is a excerpt from the same link behind this wonderful celebration:

"Cinco de mayo is celebrated on the 5th of May. Contrary to what many people believe, Cinco de mayo is not Mexico's independence day from Spain. Rather, it's a remembrance of a David and Goliath-like fight. In 1862, as the French invasion of Mexico began, Mexican General Ignacio Zaragoza's force of 4,000 soldiers defeated twice as many French soldiers in the Battle of Puebla. The French occupation would continue until 1866. But the Mexican soldiers' courage and determination inspired Mexican Americans. Even back then, historians say, California's Mexican Americans celebrated the win. Later, in the 1960s and 1970s, Chicanos involved in the civil rights movement related the Cinco de mayo story to their quest for respect in the United States. They identified with the Mexican Indian and mestizo (people of Mexican Indian and European descent) soldiers' triumph over European conquest attempts. Chicano activists publicized it and made it a popular holiday in the United States. Today, it's become much like St. Patrick's Day. You don't have to be Mexican to celebrate it. "

How true is that? A few years ago in my parish, we had 'cinco de mayo' parties b/c of the large part of our parish being Mexican. It was awesome to have us all together. We have a Sunday Spanish Mass every week but we never get a chance to really get to know those that attend that Mass. That is why the party was so fun to make new friends, experience a bit of their culture, and to expose my children to all ethnicities in a good Catholic setting. Unfortunately, it was not put on the parish calender the last 2 years and ohhhh...how we do miss it!

For today, we will celebrate it by watching CCC's video of St. Juan Diego. We'll have some salsa and chips at lunch and dance to some Mexican music!

(I have to admit, with the celebration of today, I can't help but think of that nasty terrible swine flu!)

God bless,
Mary

It's black, it's white...

This post goes out to my friend Sam.

Check out her post a few days ago and then look at this picture of mine!

Funny huh?

Only one of my kids would be perfectly content to wear these socks, out in public nonetheless! (And no, I did not tell him to wear them like that! But once he did, I said-"Hold on, buddy. This is perfect for a post" as I thought of yours, Sam!!! :) )

You just gotta love how innocent children :)

God bless,
Mary

To make you think...

"The bread which you do not use is the bread of the hungry; the garment hanging in your wardrobe is the garment of him who is naked; the shoes that you do not wear are the shoes of the one who is barefoot; the money that you keep locked away is the money of the poor; the acts of charity that you do not perform are so many injustices that you commit."
-- St Basil

1st Communion Highlights

It was the most perfect, most beautiful day that we could have imagined.

Before I go into details, I need to mention this amazing thing that happened the day prior. After I wrote the post on Thursday at 7am, I kept looking around to find no dressy brown pants. We decided to throw in the towel and just go buy him a new pair of pants. I opted not to pay full price of 20 or 30$ only for him to grow out of them within a few months (he is growing VERY fast!) so we stopped by a local consignment store. Finding none, we turned around to head out but to see 2 suits on a rack. One was very big and the other looked like it could fit Kid #1. I looked at the tag and sure enough it was his size! We grabbed it and he tried it on. As he buttoned the buttons, he was full of smiles saying "Mom! My wish came true! I get to wear a suit!"

Not only did we find the suit he wished for but it was 50% off! You would never believe me if I told you the price we paid! God is sooooo good! :)

Little did I know that months ago when he was thinking about his first holy Communion that his desire to wear a suit was SO VERY STRONG! He really did want to wear one with the utmost passion. He told me "What else would I wear? Of course a suit!"

So, his wish came true and that was only the beginning.

To start the actual day of his Communion, my Kid #1 was concerned and really wanted to go to Confession prior to receiving his first Holy Communion. Isn't that the sweetest thing?! I am so proud of him thinking that way and acting on the inspirations from the Holy Spirit leading him to confession. So I took him to the parish close by us and showed up towards the end of their daily mass. We waited for Father to come to the back and then asked him if he would be so kind to hear both of our confessions. I figured I should go too- well, why not?! I needed to go too :)
So, he obliged happily and both of us went. I love to see my baby, err... I mean big boy go to confession b/c afterwards he is flying high- smiling and happy go lucky. It is quite a sweet sight to see! He mentioned to me a number of times that after he receives communion, that he may just die of happiness. What a thought process for an 8 year old little boy! He truly amazes me of how he thinks of such things. He makes me do a whole lot of thinking too!

We got home with just enough time to watch this. It is about Eucharistic Miracle reports that have happened here in the USA. He was totally enthralled by it and it only excited him more and more to get to holy Communion. (BTW-this is a link to an amazing true story- the Miracle of Lanciano)

We made it to the Church actually on time, even with some minutes to spare. This is huge for us! As all the families gathered in the church, emotions were building up inside me. It is true how a mother feels so much of what her child goes through. This was definitely one of those times. He processed with the other 6 children down the isle and seated next to me in the pew. I was trying to take it all in. Not wanting the time to go too fast. To make the most of this special moment. I felt so close to my son, in a way that cannot be expressed in mere words. Seeing my son grow spiritually into the person that God is calling him to be is a happiness unlike any other.

There was a moment before the consecration where the 2 little girls first communicants honored the Blessed Virgin Mary by crowning her with flowers since it is the month of May- Mary's month. Then the other children each brought up some flowers. It was very touching.

Then the time came for them to receive Jesus. He was the 4th child to go up. Each went up individually, knelt down and received. My eyes did not drift away. Any noise or cry from any of my children, I did not hear.

Completely focused on the union of my son with the Son of God, my Saviour.

He came back to the pew, knelt down next to me, hugged me so tightly and looked at me in my eyes with his eyes of pure happiness and smiled.

The priest then said a special blessing over the brown scapulars and placed each one over each of the children's heads and enrolled them.

Then after the Mass ended, there was a party that followed in the hall. All the children, their families and friends all gathered together to celebrate this most Holy Sacrament. It was beautiful! What a gift for us all to be a part of. Thank you Lord for this day!

Thank you for your prayers.
God bless,
Mary

Momma Video

Need I say more? This is hilarious! Thanks to my long time friend who recommended that I watch it. I watched and I laughed and watched and laughed! Then my kids watched and laughed. "Again Momma, again!" said my 2 year old.
I think they find it quite funny to see how it's not just their momma who is like that! There are more of us out there- ahhhhhh!!!
God bless,
Mary