Daybook: Brrr...

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Outside my window::

::it's dark and raining sideways. It is cold and there's the threat of that northern Virginia phenomenon known as "wintry mix."

 I am listening to::

::children cleaning the kitchen. And a sweet baby who is wheezing. Oh dear.

I am wearing ::

::a plaid flannel nightgown.

To be Fit and Happy::

:: sheesh. I'd just settle for being able to talk and breathe without coughing and wheezing.

I am thankful for::

::praying friends.

I am pondering ::

::We can never have too much confidence in the good God who is so powerful and so merciful. We obtain from him as much as we hope for.  --St Therese

I am reading ::

:: How to Be Lovely: The Audrey Hepburn Way of Life at the recommendation of a fellow soccer mom.

From the kitchen::

::we're tweaking the autumn menu and expanding it to a three week cycle. One week cycles were crucial for the last couple of pregnancies and some shorthanded seasons. This autumn, though, I have some very able sous chefs who are more than capable of taking plans and running with them on their own, so we're going to have some happy variety for the autumn and into the winter.

I'm thinking::

::that Rich Edgar deserves an award. And you can vote anew every day. How crazy is that? Speaking of voting, it's Homeschool Blog Awards time again.

I am creating ::

::a talk for the campus ministry at George Mason Thursday night. I usually turn down speaking engagements, but as Sarah's birthday approaches, I am reliving my gratitude for the energetic prayer warriors who carried me through our season of crisis. I'm looking forward to hanging out with them for the evening and talking love. Besides, how often is that a grown son invites you to talk to his friends about marriage?

On my iPod::

::nothing new this week. Any suggestions?

Towards a real eduction::

::a complete, uninterrupted, unexceptional week stretches ahead of us. I'm so glad.

Towards rhythm and beauty::

::I'm clamping down on screen time for all of us. No screen during school hours unless it is directly related to studies. That includes TVs, computers, iPods, cellphones--and "quick checks" of any of those. Same rules for Mom. Monkey see, monkey do. I think we all need more quiet and focus.

To Live the Liturgy::

::I'm going to really focus on daily Mass readings this week and take Lisa's suggestions for the daily liturgy reflections at USCCB.

I am hoping and praying::

::for resolution to a bunch of up-in-the-air things. Any resolution at this point. I just want to know.

In the Garden::

::pansies and bulbs still need to be planted. I'm thinking that the weather will clear and warm a bit by Tuesday.

Around the House::

::some focused de-cluttering is in order.

On Keeping Home::

::Like the school schedule, I hope that the homemaking schedule is ordinary, ordinary, ordinary this week. 

One of my favorite things::

::wedding bands. Isn't there something that just makes your heart skip a beat when you notice--really notice--your husband's wedding band? I remember the first time I noticed it the day after we were married. I caught my breath. I still do.

Sarah Anne this week::

::Let's see. She crawled about two scoots (maybe). She pulled herself to standing and then let go! Sarah wants nothing to do with being on all fours, staring at the dirty carpet. She much prefers to be upright and reaching for the world.

She loves to play peekaboo and is blessed to have no end of people willing to play with her.  

How's the burnout recovery going?

::Now, it's just flu recovery.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week::

::I'm really determined to put together five productive, academic days. I hope everyone stays healthy enough.  Mary Beth's birthday is Friday, so there will be a bit of celebrating, suitable for the momentous birthday that marks the beginning of the teens. Depending on how the playoff week goes, we might head west a bit for a soccer championship on Saturday

 A  Picture Thought I'm Sharing:

DSC_0104

DSC_0012

DSC_0224 

Hard to know who had more fun.

 

 

 


Seven Quick Takes

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1. To those of you who wrote to express your appreciation for Patrick's birthday post, I passed your thanks on to him. As my children have grown older, the publication policies around here have changed. Family life essays are often stories of my children. When they are little, there's nothing particularly tricky to navigate, but as they get older, telling their stories changes a bit. With big kids, I tend to think much, much longer before I even begin to write. Then, if I can't sit on the stories any longer,  I write them, put them in draft files, and let the older child read them. If they don't want to publish, it doesn't get published. Period. It's one thing for me to share my thoughts and my feelings, it's another thing entirely to share theirs. I try to live in such a way as they know that the reason for writing is always to offer encouragement to other people and to give glory to God. My kids can (and do) read everything I write. So, it's all true, because kids are very good judges of hypocrisy or dishonesty. But, just because something is encouraging and glorifying and true doesn't necessarily mean I'm called to share it. There is something to be said for privacy, too. As my children move into social networking that seems inevitable for their generation, we have lots of opportunities to discern what's right and good out there in cyberspace and what's not. Fortunately ;-), I've made lots of mistakes in writing and in relationships. Hopefully, we will continue to learn and to share together.

2. And, I also told Mary Beth how many people appreciated the Dressing Room discovery we made. Body issue struggles, it seems, are nearly universal to some degree. Mary Beth and I continue to talk about the big topic this is. It encompasses so much: diet, exercise, nutrition, fashion, modesty. God created women to be beautiful. I believe that. I also believe He wants us to see ourselves as he sees us and to reflect that to the world.

3.I've been thinking and thinking about Jen's insights during her internet fast. I wonder how many of the pitfalls could be avoided if we stopped reading blogs. Of course, there would be no point in writing if none of us was reading. Or would there? Lots of times, I write because I just want to get "it" out, whatever "it" is. Because I don't have comments open and I avoid checking stats, I really do forget sometimes that there are readers in the equation. Like Jen, I love blogging. I think it's important for mothers at home to have something in their lives that actually gets "completed" and stays completed. Blog posts--especially those without comments--can be that satisfying sense of completion. But reading other blogs and engaging in comboxes really fuels my sense of the endless, anxious incomplete.

4. On the other hand, there is so much that's so good to read.

5. Let's go back to that teenaged thing. I think there are some myths floating around out there. People are being led to believe that homeschooling families who raise their kids well totally avoid all adolescent angst or rebellion. There is this sometimes stated fallacy that homeschooling circumvents "the terrible teens." Since this is a quick take, and I have no desire to think hard about the topic this morning, I'm not going to look at every angle. But if my own limited experience and my boatload of mail is any indication, some homeschooled teens can and do struggle. Wouldn't it be nice if moms were more open about their own challenges and less judgmental of  other families hardships in raising children? We wouldn't feel so alone when our idealism meets harsh reality. We could offer hope to each other that the prodigals do come home. My mail tells me that some of the greatest pain mothers of struggling teens suffer is the pain of the alienation and even condemnation of holier-than-thou homeschoolers. Christ came for sinners. If you are a mother whose heart is breaking for your teenager, lean on Christ and not those "perfect" parents. Christ won't ever fail you.

6. This stuff is awesome (cold and flu version). I'm still sick as a dog (what does that mean exactly?), but I could live in the tub with this stuff if only life would let me.

7. Colleen is well. Many thanks to you who continue to hold her in your thoughts and prayers. My hope is that one day, she'll find her voice again here in the blog world and bless you as she has blessed me as I have been privileged to walk this painful journey with her. 

Visit Jen for more quick takes.

Small Successes

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FaithButton

It's been awhile since I've listed my small successes. This week (since last Thursday) feels like a month; surely I can come up with three things.

1.  I took seven kids to Virginia Beach for a soccer tournament.  Twelve games. Everyone was on time to everything. And I returned home to Northern Virginia with 10 kids. I'm sure there's some sort of gold star in that.

2. On Sunday night, I was starting to feel like just putting one foot in front of the other was more effort than I could muster. Then I remembered the promise to fall in love again. I went for a long hand-in-hand walk on the beach with Mike. I think it might be the highlight of this fall. No,  I'm sure it is.

3. Despite feeling exhausted and achy, I dragged skipped along with those children through  Colonial Williamsburg on the way home on Monday. The "extras" had never been, save a trip to the candy store on a fourth grade trip to Jamestown. They wanted to know what was up with all the people dressed like Pilgrims. I firmly pried their fingers from their iPhones and shoved some living history down their throats. Speaking of throats, by the time I got home, it was clear I had the flu. Or something.

And now, I'm returning to my sheets, my tea, and my general crankiness. What are your small successes this week? Share them here.