St. Juan Diego, pray for us!

Woohoo!
I found a super great site for a St. Juan Diego craft activity.  My kids are working on it as I am typing right now.

HERE it is!


This morning, we went to visit Santa Claus at our little neighborhood library.  Believe it or not, this was our first time really ever doing this and having the kids sit on Santa's lap!  I almost feel sort of bad about not bringing them up until now!  I just never wanted to wait in line at the mall for -forever- to just have them cry hysterically and I go balistic with no patience left.  So, I never ventured out to do it.  But when I saw that at our little neighborhood library there was a story time and Santa there, I thought to myself  "Hey, I can manage something like that!"  And we did.  It was cute and harmless and it brought back so many memories of when I was little and I sat on that magical red suited man's lap. 

What joy my heart felt by such a simple thing.  I am grateful that I had enough pizazz to do it!  Even more so, I am totally impressed that my 2 yr old went straight up to Santa's lap as the 3rd kid on his lap-the 1st kid from our family to do so!!!  He did not have to watch his big siblings go and do this. 

He knew this is what he wanted and he went for it. 

What a sight!  It sure does show how very strong willed this little man is.  Now, if I can just work with this strong will and help aim it for God's glory.  Then that will be something!

We'll also be trying to find this movie to watch today too:


Have you seen this cute cartoon? 
If not, you must. 

It is worth it, along with all the othere CCC movies too.  They will be a welcome addition to your movies, I promise you! :)


St. Juan Diego, pray for us.

God bless,
M

Tis' the photo Christmas card season!

Tis' the season for Christmas photo cards!

Are you done with ordering your Christmas cards yet?

If you are like ME and not done YET, then wait right there.

Check out these really cool, and I mean, REALLY AWESOME Christmas Photo Cards from Shutterfly. 
My family members have used shutterfly and this will be my FIRST time ever using them.  I can't wait!

(FYI---pics below are NOT my own kidos but samples from the Shutterfly website)

I think it will be perfect this year since I cannot decide on just one picture, I think it is time I change it up a bit and do something creative like this:

 
I like the black and white pics with the red and green standing out very clearly!  And the year 2010 is important too! :)

OR how about this one:



My favorite Christmas song is "Oh Holy Night" (esp by Josh Groban!) and so I think that this one is really nice but only fits ONE picture but still it's so pretty!  Here it is:



This one too!!!:



Oh wow, check this one out...

I REALLY like this one a lot since I can add in a little blurb about our family and how we moved with our new address.  Since we are now a bit further away from family...this would be perfect!  So far, this one is in the lead. 

Here is one that is simple and to the point and kind of like the ones that I have sent in the past years:


And this one too reminds me of ones that I have sent out:



This one is really cute too with lots more pics than just 1 or 2:


As I was looking through what shutterfly offers, I came across Birth Announcements too!  With our new baby due soon, this would be perfect, don't you think?

A few years ago my sister made some personalized calenders and I also have a friend who does it every single year for certain family members.  I did not think I could ever be that organized or on top of things to do it but Shutterfly makes it so easy.  Click HERE for the link.

I hope that I can get to these photo Christmas cards within these next few days! 

Friends, please keep an eye out for our card!!!

Gdo bless,
Mary

Give me a break

Ok, where do I start?

I feel like all I do lately is rant on this blog and I do hope you don't mind (at least not too much).  It sure seems like when it rains, it pours.  Such is this season for me lately.

I mentioned about our sleeping issues HERE and then our Advent issues HERE.

Then late Monday morning one of my little guys ended up getting sick to his stomach.  I think it was just too much chocolate from St. Nick so early in the morn.  Since then no one else has gotten it, so that is why I think so. At least I can hope! :)   It was enough to throw me for a loop as any mother knows---we become almost obsessed with every noise and movement they make running with a bucket after them or making sure a radius of 5 feet around the couch is covered in blankets and towels!!!  Ok, that is too gross too early in the morning to talk anymore about so I'll stop there...

Then yesterday was the bomb.

2 kids in the Emergency Room simultaneously...but for totally different reasons.  My oh my.

My little 2 yr old fell into the corner of the fireplace with bricks, right on the corner on his temple.  Anytime the head gets a laceration, watch out-blood everywhere!  It was so nasty.  It looked horrible and I flipped out.  My hubby made it home in his shortest time ever (thank God no cops sighted him!).

He was home no more than 5 mins then I took the 2 yr old to the ER.

I was there in the ER no more than 15 minutes and then I got a call from hubby that our 10 yr old was having a major allergic reaction with hives everywhere and he started to say his throat was sore.  (This is totally new to him and any of our kids-we never had anything like this before.  We have no allergies in our family and we still cannot pinpoint what the hives came from).   In less than 2 mins, he and all the 5 kids were en route to the ER. 

I was freaking out.  I could not be there for my 10 yr old, but thank God my hubby was.  But it still is not the same as a momma.

Once I saw him walk through to the ER, my heart sunk as looked absolutely horrible and to think I just saw him 20 mins before!!?!?  So, there I was with 2 of my kidos-my oldest and youngest both sharing a stretcher in the ER.

Never a dull moment.

After 4 hours, a little bit of nickelodeon and an Iwo Jima movie, 3 medications, special super glue for the hole in my 2 yr old's head, and no nap for the cranky 2 yr old... we were home.

The stress that comes with all this the past few weeks is close to unbearable.  But on this great feast day of Mary- the Immaculate Conception, I do feel some consolation.

May you have a blessed feast day.  May Mary intercede on my behalf with my greatest desires.  Amen.

God bless,
M

Good ol' St. Nick, please no coal!

...to visit us tonight, I hope! :)

The kids all reminded me that tomorrow is the feast of St. Nicholas.  An old tradition (and a very cool one indeed!) is to put out our shoes near the chimney.
 
Why, you may ask?

Check out HERE for more details...
THIS is a whole website about St. Nicholas.

The short of the story of St. Nicholas is that he threw down some gold down the chimney of this family that needed it so that the 3 daughters could soon marry.  And that gold ended up in the stockings that were being warmed by the fire.  Hence,why we have stockings for Christmas!  Cool!

In our house and many others too, we put our shoes out near the chimeny so that St. Nicholas can throw down some golden chocolate coins into them!
Oh, those precious gold chocolate coins near the day of Dec. 6th!
It took me 2 stores to find these gold coins today.  I'm glad I did...I was starting to wonder what I was going to do!  My kids would be devasted without seeing those coins in the morning.

And I am still in need of finding 3 purple and 1 pink candle for our advent wreath.  I ended up actually buying an advent wreath this year b/c I could not find ours!?!? I think the movers took it!!! haaa.  Those special advent candles!  Argh, can't find them anywhere!  Been to 4 stores already.  So much for being on time and ready this year for Advent, huh? 

DO you have Advents like this too?

Anyway, Happy 2nd Sunday of Advent today!

There is so much that I would love to do with the kids to have us all experience Advent in a special way this year.   My expectations were pretty high, I guess.   Not this year, I guess.  It's been very hard of an advent for me.  (you too?  Oh,  please say you too!!??!) 

"It is what it is", some say. 

But it is hard for me to let go and not have everything go as planned or hoped for.  Even if I got 1/2 of what I would have liked for this Advent, actually being done, I would not be so bummed out.  Things such as I would have loved to do the Jesse tree (even to some degree) ...but can't swing it this year.  I would love to be able to keep our manger Nativity set up all day long, even all Advent long...but not this year.  My sweet -gone- wild 2 year old has made me use the glue gun too many times.  Mind you, we just found the nativity manger and JUST put it out yesterday.  So much for the change of scenery around here!  argh.  I would have also liked to have prayed certain prayers for the Sundays of Advent ...but not this year, b/c I just bought an advent wreath yesterday after spending over a week trying to find ours.   And...I am still on the hunt to find some candles too.  I would have also liked to do a "secret Santa" but not this year.  It is hard enough to keep some secrets untold around here and it would only end up in a fight and whining about doing more things for another sibling...at least this year.   I wonder when is a good age to start that.  It seems so fun to do! 

As many seasoned mommas have told me, and I truly believe it, is that things will change and time flies by.  Then remind me to just accept what life brings right now, and try not so hard to understand it as much to just accept it.  Sounds simple, but it's not.  It is my own will that gets in the way!   I believe what they tell me but man is it hard to accept when in the middle of it.  It is very hard to see that big picture, some days.

Well, that was a big of a tangent, huh?!?! :) 

Hey, Jolly and good ol' St. Nicholas, please pay us a visit tonight?
Then again, maybe some lumps of coal is what I deserve...

God bless,
M

I needed to read this today

"I asked God for strength that I might achieve. I was made weak that I might learn humbly to obey. I asked for health that I might do greater things. I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy. I was given poverty that I might be wise. I asked for power that I might have the praise of men. I was given weakness that I might feel the need of God. I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things. I got nothing that I asked for, but everything I hoped for. Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered. I am, among all men, most richly blessed."

-unknown

Thanks God. 
I needed You to get through to lil ol' me.
 
God bless,
M
 

fyi post

Have you ever been just so very very tired?

I mean, the tiredness of many many countless sleepless nights?

If so, then you know how I am feeling.
If not, then count this as a blessing!

My current out of womb 'baby' decided, oh about 2 months ago (yes, that long ago!), that he prefers to see and hold his mommy and daddy all night long.  If this request is not obliged, then he will let not just this house know but maybe this whole cul-de-sac know! 

Houses this close together should not have 2 year olds in them, at night that is.  It simply does not create a good neighborly friendship.  (Do you know what I mean?!?!)

Ouch.  It is really that bad.

I have not relinquished this info on my blog b/c I think it's pretty depressing, wouldn't you say? 
I don't want to disappoint my small number of readers with non-uplifting news on my family life and life in general.

But nonetheless, this is my real life. 
The reality of it. 
So there you have it.

So, it is on mornings and days like this that I wonder how I will make it through.  This momma does not have a 'sick day' to call on.   This momma does not have a bed that is open and ready for me to climb back into.  (Well, I do have one but I think you can agree that is not an option, eh?!?!)   

This momma needs lots of grace and patience and teh best idea yet...an extra hand to help out.  If only that extra hand was not 300+ miles away.  It stinks being new in town without anyone to depend on and understand my needs.  It stinks that I feel alone in this.  It stinks that my kids have to see me in an unpleasant state and that I know how to help this out but cannot do anything about it. 

But nonetheless, this is my real life. 
The reality of it. 
And it is not always peaches and cream as I may create it to be on my blog. 

Just an fyi post, that's all. 

Thanks for any prayer you can say today.  It's been a long 2 months and I need some rest before our newest baby arrives in 6 weeks!  Thanks.

God bless,
M

It's our Pajama Day~!

Today is a day my kids have been long waiting for.

Happy December 1st!

It also happens to be our family's

1st annual

PAJAMA DAY!!!

We have a lineup of fun games for today...

• musical chairs
• popcorn and a movie in sleeping bags and maybe even hot chocolate too! :)
• duck duck goose
• kneeling spoon and ball game

We're making the most of this rainy day.  And, can you believe it?...we have yet another tornado watch this morning.   What in the world?!?! 
We're making lemonade out of this lemon of a day...

O Happy Day!

God bless,
M