Our Crucifix

We moved into our house almost 8 months ago, and we still have bare walls.  Well, not all of them, but a lot of them :o).

You know how it can be so difficult to bring yourself to put a nail in those pristine, neutrally-painted-to-attract-a-buyer, fresh, clean walls?

Not that I thought we'd leave them bare.  I just wanted to be good and sure about what I wanted and where.
The thing is, we didn't bring a lot here to hang, and buying wall art hasn't exactly been in the budget. 

We knew we wanted a crucifix though.  The largest one we owned previously was mine from my bedroom growing up, and it's about 6 inches tall.  It's above our bed, and really more suited to hanging over a doorway.  We wanted something that could stand on it's own on a wall in the living room.  We looked at Catholic stores and websites, but everything we saw that would work, and appealed to our taste, was so darn expensive.

I came across this one from catholiccompany.com
At first I thought it was too good to be true.  The more I looked at it online though, the more I thought about buying it.  The reviews on it are great.  It's the size we wanted (20 inches!), and far less expensive than even the much smaller ones at our local Catholic stores.  The material is actually resin, but fashioned to look like wood.  I took the plunge.

My only fear by the time I ordered it was that it would look cheap in person, but the reviews said otherwise so I went ahead with it.

It is breathtaking.  I can hardly believe this is my wall.
I ordered it on Wednesday and it arrived on Friday, very quick.  Their shipping is a bit steep, but I also ordered a Communion gift and a book, and it didn't go up, so I feel like I got my money's worth ;o).

If you're looking for a beautiful crucifix for a reasonable price, I highly recommend this one.

Lenten Cleaning

During the first three days of Holy Week, Easter housecleaning takes place
in many Catholic communities. This is more than just another secular custom.
Its purpose is to prepare the house for the blessing by the priest on
Holy Saturday, and is an outward sign of the inner newness of soul of the family.
This meaning should be made clear to the children so that they may help prepare
the house for the Church's blessing. By Wednesday of Holy Week the cleaning
should be finished, and the remainder of the week should be considered as
semi-holidays. (from EWTN.com)

There are six Saturdays during Lent, not including Holy Saturday.

When planning my Lenten cleaning, Saturdays are important because Mr. Smith is home.  I plan to organize my cleaning by the week, and  I know I'll have those Saturdays to finish anything I didn't get to Monday through Friday... even if it's everything.

Let's back up a little.  I recently made a checklist for our regular weekly cleaning.  I have each room listed, then the things that need to be done in that room itemized.  As we finish them, we check them off.  For example:

o   kitchen

o   sweep
o   vacuum
o   mop
o   clear/wipe countertops
o   wipe appliances
o   wipe cupboards
o   clean stovetop
o   clean high chair
o   clean out fridge
o   clean garbage can
o   finish dishes
o   empty dishwasher

It's a one page document and I print it out on Thursday morning.  We're generally home on Thursdays and Fridays, and I like to get a head start on the cleaning.  There have been times that we've finished everything on Friday, and that frees up our Saturday for family time.  During our regular chore times on those days, we chip away at the list.  Anything that's not finished has to be done on Saturday.  Of course, anything that gets done on Thursday morning is at risk of being undone by Sunday, but I had to come to terms with that long ago. The goal is to have all of that basic cleaning done well once a week, along with all the daily maintenance, and to have a peaceful, work-free Sunday.  It's never perfect, (there have been many weeks when "clean out fridge" gets a line through it, rather than a check mark next to it) but this system has helped move us closer to that goal.

So during Lent, I plan to keep up on our regular cleaning routine, as well as work on one extra area per week.  These are my dirty half-dozen:

• basement utility area
• clothing (sort, donate, organize)
• basement play area
• closets (linen, craft/sewing, foyer, shoe, boy's)
• bedrooms
• food (fridge, cupboards, snack cabinet, pantry shelves)

If we can tackle one of these areas each week, and keep up on our 40 Bags in 40 Days, I will feel pretty darn good about things come Holy Week.  My plan is to print our regular cleaning list at the beginning of that week, so that by Wednesday of Holy Week our home will be prepared for Christ's rising, and we can concentrate on preparing our hearts.

Week one is the basement utility area, and we only have three days now!  It's the most pressing, since it includes my laundry room, but also the closest to being finished, which is why I chose it for this first short week.  

So, that's the plan.  I will try to update our progress on Saturdays!

The Beginning and The End

We celebrated yesterday, in true Mardi Gras fashion.  We Alleluia'd our lungs dry.  Blake played the chorus on the piano for 3 minutes straight, while the younger boys ran around, singing and dancing and screaming it out.  We ate donuts, we ate paczkis, we had pizza and king cake.  We played video games to our heart's content.  It was too much, but it was as it should be, for it was the end.

a less-than-perfect monkey bread version of king cake

  

The end of the indulgent season we've been living.  The end of ordinary time.  The end of the Alleluia.  At least for a bit.  We placed our golden letters into a purple bag.  And stapled it shut.

Today, the ashes.  The fasting.  The reflecting.  The quiet.  Mass this evening as a family.  All is as it should be.

Small Steps Together

From Elizabeth's blog - 2/28/11 :

 

"Just give up.

Give up me. All of me. Give up worry. And all my illusions of control. Do I really want to be in control anyway? Wouldn't it be better for all of us if God were in control? What is worry anyway? Can I hold worry and trust in the same soul? If my soul is filled with worry, if I am anxious about the things of this world, can it be filled with Him? If I am worried, am I really able to seek God's kingdom and His righteousness?"

 

 

From Small Steps - March 2 :

"Unhappy is the soul enslaved by anything that is mortal."  --St. Augustine

 

From my heart - March 2011 : 

 

It makes so much sense, doesn't it?  My brain and my heart get it, they know what I should do... and yet the free will, the habits, the weaknesses, that affect my daily actions are constantly working to the contrary.

I had a fairly typical day yesterday.  I was thinking after lunch, "this has been a really good day".  Mr. Smith got home, we ate dinner, and pulled out a family game to play.  I was slicing fruit up for dessert and the boys were getting the game ready at the table....when my mom called.  Let's suffice it to say it was not a pleasant phone call.  Something that was important to me, that I had worked hard on, had gotten really messed up.

I was angry with her, with other people involved, with myself for my part in it.  I was so upset, of course I got short with the boys.  I was close to tears, and over the top with anger.  I went off by myself, abandoning my family, to breathe (and seethe).  Mr. Smith was sympathetic, he understood why I was upset and he tried to talk it over with me.  I had been saying Hail Mary's and asking for peace, but it wasn't coming.

Then, I just made a decision.  I decided right then that I would not let it take this evening with my family away from me.  What had happened was nothing life-altering.  It was mostly vanity and annoyance that was eating at me, I realized.  Not good reasons to abuse my family.  So I told myself and Mr. Smith that I was over it, not going to worry about it.

At first I had to fake it, for sure.  My insides were still boiling, I just wasn't showing it anymore.  Then after a bit, the inside caught up with the outside and I started feeling more peaceful.  A little time brings a lot of perspective, and I knew by then that what had happened wasn't worth sacrificing a good day for.

So that's what I'm trying to do, to look for times when I can make a conscious decision to just stop, and change my path.

We can't expect not to hit those bumps, they'll always be there.  And our failed human nature will allow the initial flare up.  But there's always a point where we make a choice about how far we take it and how deeply it affects our day and our spirit.

Initially I'll still feel like I failed, just by letting something get in and cause a hiccup.  Victories are sometimes small and imperfect though, and a victory it is, to make that decision for the better.  We bless our families by sparing them, even if not perfectly or wholly.

When I bump into something that I can feel is getting me off track, I've been trying to keep this (sent to me by a friend with good timing), or something like it, in mind:
 "The accomplishment of the divine will is the sole end for which we are in the world."   --St. John Eudes 
Again, it's so much easier to stay on track when you keep your eyes on the goal.  I ask, "Is being upset,  worrying about this, or concerning myself with it at all, going to bring myself and my family closer to Christ, now and eternally?"  Most of the time, the answer is no.  Then I know what I need to do.

Everything in its Place

Dear Mr. Smith,

I'm so glad,
that your toothbrush,
is next to mine today.

Instead of in your bag,
in another state,
like yesterday.

From Home Sweet Home,
Your,
Mrs. Smith

2011 Lent: The Plan

-Fat Tuesday-

Mardi Gras Celebration:  Pancakes, King Cake, Paczkis (oh my!)

Pizza carry-out for the last time
We give up all food of any kind that's not from the grocery store.  No drive-thru coffee.  No fast food dinners.  No restaurants of any kind.  We don't eat out much at all as it is, but when we do it's very expensive for so many people.  This is a good way to save money, after all the over-indulging of the Christmas season, as well as a lesson in self-discipline and sacrifice.

Put away the Alleluia 
Our happy little golden letters.  They'll find their home again on our altar table for the Easter season.
 

King Cake 2010

-Ash Wednesday-

(fasting, abstinence)

Evening Mass, Ashes

Blake 2010

-Throughout Lent- 

PRAY:

Daily Divine Mercy Chaplet

Sunday Rosary

Friday Masses

Stations of the Cross

FAST:

No restaurant/carry-out food of any kind

No candy

No video games

TV-free Fridays

GIVE ALMS:

Extra 10% from spending allowance to donate to charity

Gather food items to donate

Give time at food bank

Lenten Calendar
We've done one similar to Jessica's the past few years.  One of my favorite Lenten traditions.
 

Crown of Thorns
We've always done a braided salt dough crown with toothpicks for thorns.  We pull out a toothpick for each sacrifice we make during Lent, and when they're all out on Holy Saturday, we paint the crown gold and glue jewels on.  It's a great concept, but implementing it has sometimes been a pain.  The dough can get moldy by the end of Lent if it's too moist.  The toothpicks are difficult to pull out, especially if they're pushed in too deep to begin with.  We end up breaking them off, and are left with a somewhat dangerous crown in the end.  So instead of our original crown of thorns, which we would miss if it were absent entirely, I was absolutely delighted to see Charlotte's version.  I plan to pick up the things we'll need this week to adopt this new tradition.  
 I want to keep the visual and tangible reminder of our daily sacrifices though, which is why this year we're going to bring in:

Sacrifice Beans
An empty jar, a bowl of dried beans.  With every sacrifice made, a bean gets transferred to the jar, with hopes of all the beans being moved by the end of Lent.  We've done this before, using beads or stones.  What the children don't know is that those dried beans just might become jelly beans on Easter morning.  A sweet reward for their walk through the desert.

40 Days for Life
We'll be spending some time praying in front of an abortion clinic, with our local 40 Days for Life campaign.

Pretzel Fridays
The soft pretzel recipe in this book is awesome.  I think it'll be a fun tradition for meat-free Fridays.  
 

-Lenten Cleaning-
40 bags in 40 days
Is anybody else doing this this year?

...detailed Lenten cleaning plan to come!

 -Feast Days-
St. Patrick
 St. Joseph
The Annunciation

St. Joseph Altar 2010

-Palm Sunday, Holy Week, Easter-
...plans to come!

Getting Organized

It's time!
We've had such a busy/overwhelming/exciting/crazy year, that I've allowed myself to get really off track on a lot of things.  Other things, I've never really been on track with.
I feel an opportunity though.  At this time in life, lots of pieces have fallen into place, some of which have eliminated many of my excuses (crutches, really).  Right now:

• I don't have a newborn.
• I am not pregnant.
• We aren't in the process of, or planning for, a move (now, or ever, God willing).
• Our home has adequate space for our family.  Room for living, schooling, and playing.
• I do not have to work outside of the home.
• We are all healthy.

Now of course, this doesn't mean my life's a breeze.  I have lots of everyday challenges (tons of them!), don't we all?  But they're of the ordinary sort, the ones that I've taken on and accepted as part of my vocation, part of this life that God has called me to.  It's time for me to embrace my life's circumstances and incorporate them into everyday functioning.
What better time than Lent, right?  To prioritize?  Get rid of the muck?  Strip down to the essentials, to make room for grace?
Plus... I have no memory anymore!  I don't do baby books.  I'm terrible about printing pictures, much less getting them into organized albums.  I make lots of lists (many, many lists), but when the focus of the list has passed, it gets tossed!
In preparing for this coming season of Lent, I looked around to find the remnants of what we done in the past, and I found... nothing!  I don't have pictures, blog posts, lists of any kind.  Thankfully, my childrens' memories function much better than mine, and they remember everything.
So, after a brainstorming session with them, we have our Lenten plans mapped out.  I'd like to get them up here, in this ever-permanent little space of mine, so that next year we can build on our plan without having to start from scratch!
Blessings to you who still come here to visit me!  Bear with me as I try to make better use of this space!

10 Things I Learned From My Children This Week

1. An A+ on a math test is a thousand times more special with a sticker next to it.

2. Never let a 2-year-old eat Pringles on your bed.

3. Fevers can be random and scary.

4. Adoption instead of abortion is just plain common sense.

5. I am capable of maintaining physical contact with my baby for 11 hours straight, no breaks. (note #3, above)

6. A paper towel can substitute for a coffee filter, in an emergency situation.

7. There is, in fact, such a thing as too much pizza.

8. 6th grade English is where we cross the line between what comes easily for me to teach, and what I have to really think about. 6th. grade. English. Deep breath.

9. Cabin fever is a very real thing.

10. Sometimes it's okay to call it quits at noon and pile into bed to watch a movie. (Or, in my case, to close your eyes and listen to the movie while a 2-year-old flicks your nose and points at the screen.)

And I thought I was teaching them.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

May you find Joy in the Babe in the manger, Peace in birth of the Savior, and Happiness in your heart and home.

God Bless You and Yours,

Mrs. Smith

I'm Sensing a Pattern

-- UPDATE --

The very night of this post, Mr. Smith's brother and his wife (N&L), gave birth to a beautiful baby... GIRL!

only one chance left for now, for our boys to have a boy cousin. my sister and her husband have their ultrasound next week!

Dear Mr. Smith,

It's happening again.
My brother called. We're getting another niece.

In case you've lost track, here's a little chart:

Between us, we have 4 siblings + spouses

----------my side ----------------------------------------- your side--------------

- R&K- = 2 girls - --------------------------------N&L - 1 girl, having ??? any minute
- R&H- = having a GIRL in may
- A&S- = having ??? in may

-------------------------- mr.&mrs. smith = 6 BOYS -----------------------------


I've got ten bucks on what those ??? are going to come out as, what do you think?

Surrounded by Testosterone,
Mrs. Smith

p.s. You know this is all in good fun. I'm thrilled for them and love all my sweet nieces. And I wouldn't trade a single blue blanket or ounce of mischief for all the bows and tights in the world.

Advent Notes

First notable -- the reason I'm only doing about half of what my heart desires in homemaking, crafting, and baking this Advent: Totally worth it.

In a most prominent place, a reminder:

To be replaced with JOY for the Christmas season. With hopes that our hearts reflect our intentions.

The St. Andrew Christmas Novena--
Last year, I began making 15-beaded chaplets with St. Andrew medals for this novena. We never really got off the ground with it then, and I've since realized that beaded chaplets are not really ideal for us, with as many little hands as we have. This year I was a more determined than ever to say this novena. We decorated and laminated cards with the prayer on them on November 30th, the actual feast of St. Andrew. (I know. can you believe it? we haven't missed a day yet.) As a way to count the prayers, I came up with this:

I had wanted to pick up some wooden fish (since St. Andrew was a fisherman) that the kids could paint, but couldn't find what I was looking for. I grabbed these fish stickers instead and they do the trick (they're just stuck to card stock and trimmed around). We use a glass votive holder that Owen made for me a few Christmases ago. We take turns. One child is in charge each evening. They drop one of the 15 fish stickers into the cup, "on the Amen!". When the fish are gone, our prayers are said. It is truly a beautiful novena. I'm so glad we've finally adopted it into our Advent traditions.

Another work in progress -- Jesse tree ornaments:

I've mentioned before how we came to use our Christmas tree during Advent. I'm excited about these ornaments I started making (sometime I'll get around to doing a separate post on them), even though daily life has gotten in the way of finishing them. We've started switching over to our regular Christmas ornaments, so now I have a whole year to get the rest of them ready for next Advent!




Our Advent wreath, which I forgot I had purchased last year. I was happy to find it tucked away:
It makes a nice centerpiece, and the boys are fully dedicated to lighting it every night during prayers.

Even in this crazy hectic time in our lives, I feel like we're establishing some beautiful Advent traditions, which I hope our boys will carry with them throughout their lives.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit SouleMama and leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Another Year

Dear Mr. Smith,

I would like to take this opportunity to say...

Happy Birthday!

It's weird getting old, isn't it? I know.

Thank you for spending your special day working your pants off for your family.

Thank you for being born on such a beautiful day, and for appreciating that you'll forever celebrate your birthday at Mass.

Thank you for being you, the best husband and father, ever.

I will try my best to keep the children from calling you Old Man when they see you.

No Promises,
Mrs. Smith

A Timeline

1:30 -- Isaac walks in the direction of his bedroom.

1:45 -- I notice he's been quiet for way too long, "Where's Isaac?!" I say, jumping up and running for the hallway.
1:46 -- I open the bathroom door and find Isaac, dental floss in hand, looking like the cat that swallowed the canary. I briefly think to myself, "Two feet of dental floss? That's all the damage he did in that time?", and then let the thought pass and pull him out of the bathroom.

2:10 -- I step into the bathroom to throw a tissue into the garbage. I notice that there's no spare roll of toilet paper where I keep one, where I knew there had been one earlier. I look to the floor, under the sink...nothing. My eyes go to the toilet itself, the lid is closed. My 6th sense kicks in and I know exactly what I'm going to find when I look.
2:11-2:13 -- I plunge my hand into cold water over and over, pulling wads of half-disintegrated toilet paper out and dropping it into the garbage.
2:14 -- I think to myself, "At least he didn't flush."
2:15 -- I realize it requires a special state of mind to be a mom.

First Words

Dear Mr. Smith,

I was wrong.

When I took Isaac for his first speech therapy session, and came home saying it didn't go well.

When I said Miss E. looked like she was 15, that she wasn't going to be able to get through to him, and I wished we had been assigned another therapist.

I was wrong.

When I told you that we should cancel, and start pursuing other options of treatment for him. When I said that he wasn't ready for this, that it wasn't going to work, he wasn't going to make any progress with this method.

I was so wrong.

When he comes to me now, making the sign for "more", and his little lips form the word, and force his sweet, husky voice out, and he holds out his cup, and the word "more" spills out at me in a rush of joyful progress.... I can hardly stand it. And I realize how wrong I was.

Thank God for nudges from the Holy Spirit, prompts that push us past our rushes to judgement.

Thank God for progress and hope, and guidance when we are wrong.

Love,
Mrs. Smith

Thank You

Dear Mr. Smith,

I think I'm in love.

From Shoe Heaven,

Mrs. Smith

Brothers

Dear Mr. Smith,

We have cool kids.
(my, how my definition of cool has changed over the years.)

Anyhow.
Right now, they are all at the table playing with play-doh. They're being chefs, talking with Italian accents, and serving up things like spaghetti, bread with olive oil and lemon juice, and coffee with caramel and whipped cream. (where did they ever get that idea?)

None of that is the noteworthy part, though. The thing that I admire about them is how they play together, without a thought or a care of how old (or young) the others are.

There's no talk of things being "babyish", no one making another feel silly because they can't do something as well as someone else. They are serving each other, helping and encouraging one another in their creativity.

It is a testament, I believe, to this life that we lead. And it makes me happy.

Contentedly Yours,
Mrs. Smith

A How-To Guide

How To Make Haircut Day As Stressful As Possible

(in seven easy steps)

Step #1 -- Choose a Saturday. Everyone else you know is sleeping in, relaxing, or watching college football, you'll question your sanity in taking it on before you even begin.


Step #2 -- Make sure it's a Saturday that your husband is working. Even better if he's clocked 60+ hours for the week, you should be just about at your wits end.


Step #3 -- Start off by announcing what's going to happen to all the children at once. The moans and groans of despair should set the mood quite well.


Step #4 -- Be certain the 2-year-old (who is new to haircuts) is adequately afraid of the hair clippers. Also, give him pretzels for a snack before you begin, to aid in the execution of Step #5.


Step #5 -- Allow 2-year-old to get worked up and crying hard enough that he throws up on you during his haircut. Be sure he then tries to hide his vomit-covered face in your hair-covered pants, let the two mix well.

Step #6 -- Once you have finished cutting the hair of the 2-year-old and the 4-year-old, put them in the bath and begin on the 8-year-old. (For optimum stress, it is best if the 8-year-old has an attitude the size of Manhattan.) Next, make sure the 4-year-old dumps a cupful of water on the floor at your feet, where all the hair clippings are. This will make them nearly impossible to clean up.

Step #7 -- Finally, when everyone is trimmed and presentable, turn away from the mess that is now your bathroom, it'll still be there later. Take and deep breath and admire your work. And remember: Only a few short weeks until you do it all over again.

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit SouleMama and leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

I'm Just Sayin'

Dear Mr. Smith,

Thank you for sending pictures of the big machines that are your job. I know you intended them for the boys, they think that kind of thing is cool after all, but I spotted you in one of them, and just so you know, you're kinda cute.

There's something about a man in his element.

You Can Stop Blushing Now,
Mrs. Smith