Birthday Boy

this baby face is now 8  and is taking his own pictures!
Today my youngest turns 8. Where does the time go?  It seems like just yesterday he was a little boy. Now he wears a size 4 shoe, no biggie but his 11 year old sister wears the same size. (hence her nickname Peanut).
He is growing up and I can’t wait to see what sort of man he grows into. For now I am hoping he will be like the young man that Rudyard Kipling was writing to.
IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:
If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:
If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’
If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

How Time Flies

My children are growing up! And much too fast in my opinion. Just last year they were little kids all of them, Look I have evidence. Here are some pictures of my kids one year ago.
 

Okay now yes they are adorable, not just my opinion either, people tell me that all the time. But a year makes a big difference in how a kid looks and behaves.

Can you believe those girls are the same ones in the pictures above? Mama’s don’t let your girls grow up!

First Communion Take Two

My son will be making his First Communion this Saturday for the second time. Say What? You read that right. My son made his first communion back in the Fall of 2009. He went with his father and older sister to a work day at the Monastery with Father Kirby. While there they attended a mass. Father Kirby happened to accidently give Pumpkin communion. As soon as mass was over Father Kirby realized what had happened and sat down to talk to the boy. It was determined that the sacrament was valid, even though Pumpkin was only 5 1/2 years old. Yup, at 5 1/2 her had a complete understanding of the sacrament. In fact this occasion became a matter of discussion and a teaching moment for Deacon G and his classmates while they were in formation.
Since it was not fair to “take away” a sacrament we allowed Pumpkin to continue to receive communion but decided that we would have him receive instruction with his classmates, and enjoy the traditional First Communion Mass.  We also wanted to be able to have family attend and celebrate with us this time. Especially since MOM (me) did not get to be there for the first First Communion.
The banner is made and we are ready. At 3pm on April 21st we will be celebrating a First Communion Mass with all of his friends. Most importantly of we will have pictures to document it this time not just the one taken on a phone camera after the mass (see above).

What can I say my family has a pattern of celebrating the sacraments in unusual ways. Wait till I tell write about Pi and her baptism/anointing of the sick.


this post is linked up to The Kennedy Adventures

Do Miracles Happen?

Let me start this by saying I am a realist, a pragmatists, when someone asks me if the glass is half full or half empty, I am most likely looking for my glass because I have lost it.
It is not that I don’t believe in miracles it is that I am looking for the proof. But I would have to say that I just might have to being believing.When I lose something I always say a quick prayer to St. Anthony.  Some of you regular readers may remember last December when my Mother-in-law was hit by a pick up truck while crossing the road one morning.  When my husband called me to give me the news, he had just pulled into work and immediately pulled out. By he drove East to West across Tulsa, my mother in law had been moved to a Level 1 Trauma Center. My oldest was home from school the day of the accident exempt from semester finals. She and I immediately began packing bags for everyone. We did not expect her to make it through the surgeries.  According to my mother in law at one time they gave her a 5% chance of living, at another time they suspected brain damage and said that she had a 5% chance of being able to recognize a person as a human being. The day after doctors said that she started to wake up.
At one point Father Kirby suggested that we pray to Blessed Seelos,

 miracles had been attributed to him. I said a few quick intercessory prayers to Blessed Seelos, and my husband said a novena to him. Not wanting to put all of our eggs in one basket we also took some holy dirt from Chimayo to her. What has happened to my mother in law is nothing short of a miracle. She who was given a 5% chance of living just celebrated another birthday this past Holy Saturday.  The most amazing part to some of you is that my mother in law knows nothing of this, and she is not Catholic, (Deacon G converted)
Do you believe in miracles? Have you ever experienced one?



This post is linked up to Scriptures and Saints Sunday

On the Third Day

On The Third Day He Rose from the Dead.


Have a blessed Easter!

Getting the Most out of Easter

When I say Easter do you think of this ?
(Peanut at 9 months)

or do you think of this?

So often in our culture we put the emphasis on the worldly, the material. In the case of Easter it would be the basket, the bunny the new clothes and the food.  There is nothing inherently wrong with these traditions but how do we shift the focus and celebrate Easter the HOLY Day instead of Easter the Holiday?

• Make attending mass or church together as a family the priority. That means the whole family, not just mom while the kids stay home because they are hyped up on candy. 
• Mass comes before the baskets, many families wake up to the Easter baskets. We started right from the beginning with Mass first. While we were at mass the Easter Bunny would drop off the baskets for the kids to find.  At our house the Easter Bunny drops off the goodies and Mom (me) reuses the baskets filling them and hiding them.
• Keep the TV off on Easter, send the kids outside to play, weather permitting.
• Make Resurrection Cookies – best done on Holy Saturday before.
• Take the Bunny out of the basket. Some churches have the tradition of Blessing Easter Baskets, this does not refer to the the candy baskets but rather a basket of food preparing Easter Dinner. Instead of chocolate bunnies in the basket include a lamb or crosses.

Now it is your turn. How do YOU put the emphasis on Christ in Easter and not the bunny?

Experience Stations of the Cross for Kids

this picture was taken by dh at a Living Stations of the Cross several years ago.

One of my most indelible memories of Lent growing is Stations of the Cross.  We not only attended regularly during Lent, most Friday’s growing up, and definitely on Good Friday, but we also attending special Stations of the Cross events that had us traversing across cities and towns. I remember going to one Stations of the Cross where the priests carried a very large cross from station to station. I also remember attending regularly on Fridays during Lent. What makes these events so memorable is that I attended these when I was young, the same ages as my kids.
When Deacon G and I started having kids, we found ways to take the kids to stations of the cross, Outside Stations are a great option for children especially on Good Friday, where many places do the stations at 3pm, usually a good time for little ones. Outdoor Stations of the Cross are great for little kids, as they are not as confined, they can “wander” a little bit more. Outside stations are more mobile too. Since you move from station to station you are not staying in a pew.
If you are lucky enough to have a living stations of the cross near by I recommend going. One of the Parishes in the big city here does a very dramatic Stations of the Cross, complete with horses. The photo above is from when Deacon G attended with our oldest one year. As I was looking through these pictures, my youngest said “that is soo cool, Can WE go this year?”. I don’t recommend living stations for all ages, because it can be graphic, but apparently my 7 year thinks he is ready.
Some Resources for Stations of the Cross and Children
Printable Stations of the Cross at Catholic Icing
Children's Prayer Stations of the Cross
Catholic Mom - Kid's Stations
I do hope you will consider attending Stations of the Cross this Good Friday with your family.  PS. You certainly don’t have to be Catholic to participate, experience or learn from going to the Stations of the Cross. Don’t worry that your child is too young to get much out of Stations, they will get something out of it. Even the youngest child will pick up on the tone and understand that people were said or that Jesus suffered.
As for my family we will be attending the traditional Good Friday Stations of the Cross at 3pm. Come join us if you are local. I would love to see you there.

The Jelly Bean Prayer

 (I am not a fan of Jelly Beans, never liked them but I know many of you do thought this would be cute to use with kids for Easter)
RED is for the blood He gave.
GREEN is for the grass He made.
YELLOW is for the sun so bright.
ORANGE is for the edge of night.
BLACK is for the sins we made.
WHITE is for the grace He gave.
PURPLE is for HIS hour of sorrow.
PINK is for our new tomorrow.
A bag full of Jelly Beans, colorful and sweet. is a prayer, is a promise, is a friend's small treat.

Ten Things I Want to Tell My Daughters

A friend recently shared this post Ten Things I Want to Tell Teenage Girls. This prompted me to think of a few things I want to tell my daughters (Peanut is 11 and Pi is 14).

1. It is better to be loved than to be popular. To be loved be a friend, be a true friend.
2. It may be hard to do what is right but doing what is right will get you where you need to go.
3. Study hard, and work hard, but make time for friends and family.
4. When you are talking to someone, speak kindly, you never know who that person is or what sort of day they are going through, do not judge people by the first meeting, they may be having a bad day. In the same vein, do not let people take advantage of you because they are having a bad day.
5. Stick up for yourself, others and what is right. Just as you would not speak unkindly to others do not let them speak unkindly to you .
6. Friends will come and go, you will only be friends with about 4% of those people you went to high school. Your family will be here forever for you. Remember that when your sister and brother drive you crazy. They will still be here for you if you are there for them.
7. Treat your friends like family and your Family like your friends. Don’t save your good manners for the company, use them with your family. Conversely treat your friends like family  and make them feel welcome in your house.
8. Money does not buy happiness, learning to manage your money will however help you get there. Spend less than you make and save 10% of everything you make, no matter how little you make.
9. Dress nicely appropriately for the occasion. You don’t have to spend a lot of money to have a nice simple outfit that does not embarrass yourself or your family. Before you leave the house look in the mirror and think what does this outfit say about who I am and who my family is? Does it say “we don’t believe in doing laundry?” As unfortunate as it sounds, people will judge on how you dress.
10. Wait to find your love, pray to find your love. You may not recognize your true love when you find it, but if you give God a chance your true love will find you. Your true love may be your future husband a job or a vocation.

What would YOU add to this list?

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Why do we Get New Clothes for Easter?

(my mother, as a young girl in center with her mother and neighbors circa  Easter 1954)

I recently posed a question to my Facebook and twitter followers. “Do you get new clothes for everyone at Easter?” It seems that at one time or another everyone either got new clothes or gets their kids new clothes for Easter. I have been pondering this question myself. I always got the kids something new to wear, and sometimes for myself and Deacon G. I don’t have to worry about his clothes for church anymore though. This year I was struggling with my urges to downsize and minimize while deciding on whether to get everyone new outfits for Easter.
But I was curious, why do we have this urge to get new clothes for Easter? Growing up my mother always got us a new “dressy” outfit for Easter. Sometimes even a hat for me. Even when my mother was growing up, and she was what some would consider poor at times, there was always at least new shoes for Easter.
It appears that wearing new clothes at Easter is an old one. The  newly baptized would wear white clothing throughout the entire Easter Week as a symbol that the waters of their baptism had cleansed them from all sin.  Other Christians would dress in new clothing to show that they, too, had risen to a new life in Christ.  This became an outward sign of one's faith and participation in the dying and rising of Our Lord. 
Now that I have had some time to think things over and we have accessed the wardrobe situations of everyone, and looked at other events coming up, First Communion and the Madonna House Fashion Show and Tea Party, I have decided that some new clothes are in order. We went and did a little of that shopping today. A new shirt and a sweater for Pi to go with a skirt we had acquired she looks very ladylike; a new shirt and tie for Pumpkin to go with his suit and we are still looking for a nice sweater for Peanut. I even found a dress and matching jacket for me. All this for much less than you would think for about $40, which gives me a little more money for shoes for the girls. Ah, shoe shopping, believe it or not,
How About You? Do you get or plan on getting new outfits for Easter? Do you still do Easter Hats?


Saint's and Scriptures Sundays

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Happy Saint Patrick’s Day

(image credit)
How will you be celebrating the day? For us it will be a day to remember my Irish Roots and enjoy some time spent visiting with family friends.. There will be Corn Beef and Cabbage to eat and Wearing of the Green. How ever you spend it please take a moment to remember the reason we celebrate this day with green beer. St. Patrick was a Saint first and a bishop who brought Christianity to Ireland. (Not green beer)  He is also attributed with driving the snakes out of Ireland. 

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An almost average Day in My Life

yup, me not happy to be in front of the camera, giving someone THE LOOK
Sometimes we all need a laugh, especially me. So I figured I would would remind myself just how funny life can really be. So here is a typical day in my life, without pictures, since I did not think to do it photographically and plan ahead. While this day is not exactly and average day it is a pretty typical Tuesday.
6am – Wake up call from Principal – “Can I teach history today?” “Sure”, I say
6:30 am – Kiss dh goodbye as he heads off to Monastery to say goodbye to Father Kirby and the monks on their way to the airport to move to Ireland
6:31 am - Start waking up kids
6:32 am Throw a load of laundry in, put clean dry clothes in basket (they are still there on Thursday)
635 am – put on cute dress and leggings ensemble because it is supposed to be 70 degrees in February.
6:40 am  Put electric tea kettle on, do make up and attempt to do hair, go for curly look because it is supposed to storm and that means humidity is high.
6:45 am Check to see who is up and who is not awake, get dogs to jump on beds to wake up kids and get them moving.
6:50 am Pack a lunch of a salad with walnuts, a breakfast of grapefruit, lament that I do not have any lentils and rice pre-cooked
6:51 am  Throw together a quick soup in the crock pot. Taco Truck Soup – made up of mostly leftovers from night before. Think "I need to write down the recipe for a blog post."
7:00 am Make sure ALL children are up and moving towards getting dressed, Realize that one is STILL in bed
7:10 am Realize that I did NOT charge anything last night, quickly plug in phone and kindle because my car phone charger is AWOL.
7:15 am Fill water bottles for everyone – Long Day ahead, Make sure everyone else has their lunch, backpacks, Dance bags. Enough luggage for a 2 week trip
7:20 am Make sure all animals are where they are supposed to be. Chase cat back in the house. Let big dog out, make sure little dog is not trapped in my room, under the covers where she likes to be
7:30 am Quickly grab work out gear and remind tell all kids to grab rain gear. Storms coming in evening. We now look like we are headed on an African adventure and need porters to carry everything
7:31 am Start loading up the car with all of our crap, necessities for the day. Remember to get kindle and phone.
7:35 am Head to school, dodge construction traffic obstacle course just past our driveway
7:37 am Drive 2 extra miles to get to school, because of said construction obstacle course
7:40 am Drop two children off at their buildings. Lord we are a small school, but kids are in three different buildings. Head to the high school, where 34 kids ask me “Who are you today” note I am always myself. What they mean is what class will I be attempting to teach
7:45 am Get lesson plans, talk with other teachers about how big babies were/are they delivered or someone’s grandma/college roommate  delivered.
8:00 am Teach first class on US History – Roaring Twenties – Love that era.
9:00 am Teach 2nd class on World History – Medieval France, Swoon. Did you know I was a French Major?
10:00 am – Teach Geography Class – i.e. – have high school students color maps.
11:00 am Teach another class – forgot already
11:45 am  LUNCH – still not happy I don’t have any lentils and rice or Homemade Cliff Bars
12:30 Current Events class, wherein I can not get the computer to work properly, and log on to show news clips and attempt to lead a discussion on politics. Who knew that high school students could get so heated over politics. There is hope for us yet.
1pm – 3pm Repeat morning classes with different students
3pm – Track team meeting – I am NOT coaching I just eavesdropped because Peanut wants to bump up to the JR. High Track team, as a 6th grader.
4pm – Get kids from their perspective buildings and meet with Track Coach
4:15pm Get All Kids, head to Library since we have dance at 5pm and don’t have enough time to go home because we have to run through a construction obstacle course and drive 4 miles out the way to get home.
4:50 pm Leave Library and head across the street early because girls have to change for dance.
4:51 pm Think about putting on my socks for the track and getting a fleece out of the trunk, since it is NOT 72 degrees, but cloudy and about 62. But opt instead to turn on the heat in the car and be stylishly cold.
5:10 pm Head to Sam’s to get fruit and Lara Bars, I still need to have dh make some more Homemade Cliff Bars.
5:20 pm Have door lady at Sam’s chat with me forever about the weather to read a receipt with three items on it. Seriously, even the little guy was complaining
5:25 pm Head to the Monastery to meet dh and Mother Miriam. Help her pick out what she needs for her priory.
6:00 pm Realize that I won’t be getting in a 1 mile walk, never mind the 2 mile one I had planned.
6:16pm  Listen to Mother Miriam sing a song from The Sound of Music. She has a wonderful voice by the way.
6:20 pm Help Mother Miriam pack some items in her car, while packing some in my car. The one that is full of stuff for our African Adventure , normal busy day stuff. Notice that her trunk is pristinely empty.
6:30 pm Watch my sweet Pumpkin give Mother Miriam a bouquet of daffodils
6:36 pm Have my dear Pumpkin give me some daffodils, putting one behind my ear
6:38 pm Try to get dh’s attention to let him know that I will have to leave soon as the girls will be finishing dance and can not walk home 10 miles
6:39 pm Get text from oldest. “I am hungry bring food’
6:40 pm Get text from oldest. “Can I walk to McD’s and use my coupons to get food?” McD’s is about a 1/2 mile from dance studio. Cringe because she wants to go to McD’s and use coupons well meaning grandma gave her.
6:46 pm Leave monastery head back to Dance studio to pick up girls at 7pm The drive is more than 20 minutes.
7:04 pm Pick up oldest daughter on her way back from McD’s to the dance studio.
7:06 pm Arrive at dance studio, get confused middle child who has no idea where anyone is as she left her phone in the car with me, while her sister left her things at the dance studio to go to McD’s.
7:10 pm  Stop to get gas, Notice that  at this point I have driven almost 200 miles since Friday
7:25 pm Drive 1 mile out of my way to get home because of road construction obstacle course
7:30 pm  Get home, start unloading my car with three bags of food, our African Adventure  stuff, and things from the monastery that is moving to Ireland that we will store, find new homes for, or eat.
7:36 pm  Change out of the cute shoes that are now hurting my feet, and put on my pj’s
7:40 pm  Feed family Taco Truck Soup, while I eat strawberries, because I am hungry but not THAT hungry.
7:45 pm Put feet up, wish I had opened a bottle of wine, but since feet are hurting from cute shoes deal with it.
7:50 pm Start getting kids ready for bed, lunches ready and daughter ready for first day of track.
8:00 pm Start to wonder what is taking kids sooo long, Why are they still eating, and not in their pj’s. I am in my pj’s.
8:30 pm Tell kids to GO TO BED or at least STOP TALKING. By this time everyone sounds like the teacher on Charlie Brown to me. Even my dear husband is annoying as he is trying to have conversations with the kids who need to get ready for bed.
8:35pm  Put headphones on and pretend I am listening to video on laptop.
8:45 pm  WHY ARE THESE KIDS STILL UP? Take some vitamin B-12, think this is probably not a good idea.
9:00 pm kids are in bed, NOW I decide I am ready to eat some Taco Truck Soup
9:30 Decide that now is a good time to start cooking the lentils and rice I have presoaked, and was wishing I had had for lunch.
10:30 Take something for my headache, everyone talking a mile a minute has given me a headache.
10:35pm  Tell husband to be quiet and leave me alone. I am an introvert and needs some alone time to recharge. Pick up closest book to read.
11:00 pm Nod off and wake sleep up, to put up glasses and book.
6:15 am Start all over again. Same song different verse.

this post is included in Catholic Bloggers Network

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Preparing for and Observing Lent

Lent for me is a time of renewal. Strangely I look forward to it each year as a reason to simplify my life and renew myself.  For some that may include retreats and acts of service.
For us Lent as a family usually includes stations of the cross on Fridays and adoration. We also give up as a family TV time and enjoy  meatless Wednesdays and Fridays for the family for all of Lent.
In years past I have opted to go vegan for all of Lent as has my husband, who has followed a Raw Food Diet. Regular Readers may remember that I have chosen earlier this year to adopt a diet that is gluten free and vegan, by default my family is enjoying this diet (at least at home).  
While many have plenty of activities they like to do for Lent, I prefer to keep our Lent simple. We eat simple meals on Friday’s no elaborate vegetarian feasts,  spend more time together as a family.
Lent is a time of preparing through fasting, prayer and almsgiving. We fast by abstaining from meat and giving up sweets and other treats, we pray with the community going to stations of the cross, adoration and Solemn Vespers. We practice almsgiving by raising money for the poor or taking on a family service project.

If you are looking for more Ideas for Lent please check out these resources
101 Practical Fasting Ideas for Lent a great list of different ways you can fast and prepare for Lent.  This list is filled with the normal you would expect and then has some you may not have thought of.
Lenten Resources Kitchen Stewardship Style What can I say? Katie is one of my favorite bloggers, and then I discovered that she was Catholic. Be still my heart. She shares not only recipes, but ideas for observing Lent with a family.
Catholic Icing – another of one of my favorite blogs. She has all those great ideas you wish you had for all things Catholic, but especially for kids. This link will take you to a wonderful resource of all sorts of bloggers who are sharing their ideas for Lent.
Now it is YOUR turn. How do YOU like to observe Lent? Share with us here in the comments section below. Come on you know you want to.




this post is linked up with Lent Link UP

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Sh*t Granola Catholics Say

This post is inspired by the very funny Sh*t Girls Say videos, since I don’t have the time to make my own video you will have to imagine my running around and staging all the scenes. Instead I am going to share my take on this very funny trend going on.

• Try some tea tree oil on that
• Where do you keep the honey? I need to wash my face.
• Where do you keep the baking soda, I need to wash my hair.  
• I get my honey from a neighbor
• My kids don’t drink juice, they however LOVE Kombucha
• It’s time for Mass
• It’s time for Vespers
• Have you been to confession lately ?
• I love going to Fr. Incognito, he only assigns 3 Hail Mary’s for confession, Fr. Finnagin makes me do community service
• Make sure you fill your water bottle before we leave the house.
• I am eating gluten free now
• I only eat meat I know the farmer/ranchers
• The ugly fruit always tastes better
• No you can not put the holy water in your water gun
• We go through so much baking soda we buy it by the 5lb bag
• Where do you keep the compost pile?
• Where do you put your recyclables?
• Did you hear she named her new baby John Paul?

What things do you catch yourself saying?

this post is linked up to Saints and Scripture Sundays

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Praying for a Miracle

For those of you who follow me on Twitter and Facebook you know that our family suffered a setback. Back in December my mother in law was walking across the street when she was hit by a pick up truck. She has extensive injuries. Doctors and nurses are cautious in their prognosis.  At this point there is not much that can be done, she has made it through multiple surgeries and is recovering from them well, but there is still a long way to go.  My husband has found renewed hope in Blessed Fr. Francis Xavier Seelos.
We have decided to take some holy dirt from Chimayo New Mexico down to see if that helps. Chimayo is called the Lourdes of America, the dirt from the back room is said to cure physical and spiritual ailments. Deacon G and I traveled there some time ago, and stumbled upon the church, not realizing how special a place it was. We had been camping in New Mexico and were taking the scenic route to Santa Fe.  When we happened upon this old church we got out to explore. When we learned of the miracles and of the holy dirt we rushed back to our car to find a receptacle for the dirt. We have kept that same dirt in the original baggy in a vase we bought on that trip on a book shelf.  It is that same dirt that will be brought down to my mother in law.

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Pretty or Hot? What do You want your Girls To Be?

 A while ago a friend sent me a link to this blog post at the National Catholic Register.  The Death of Pretty.  In it Pat Archbold of Creative Minority Report  defines pretty as “ a mutually enriching balanced combination of beauty and projected innocence.” He laments the disappearance of pretty. Girls no longer want to be a pretty princess. They want to be HOT.  Just last week I heard two little girls singing the Pussy Cat Dolls Song “Don’t You Wish Your Girlfriend was Hot Like Me?”  and they knew the all the words.
One upon a time ago little girls wanted to be a Princess now they are bombarded with media images that are of a different sort.  When I was a girl We had toys that looked like this.

/Now Holly Hobby  and her friends look like this.


Not only is it Holly Hobby but if you have not watched cartoon lately and you have little girls, or even little boys you should at least check them out. Dresses are getting shorter, and bodies are curvier.

So what does this have to do with pretty?

Girls of all ages, yes from 3-33 emulate those images that they see in the media. It is up to us to educate our son’s and daughter’s as to what is appropriate. When my girls were young I used to define appropriate clothes to go to town or church as those that were not stained or torn (We do live on a farm.) Now we discuss hem lengths and how people perceive you when you dress in particular manners
After reading the  post in The my daughters and I had a discussion as to what is popular attire today. We picked the Khardasians vs. Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn.  In Breakfast at Tiffany’s Audrey Hepburn is iconic and considered classy by today’s standards. While she is scheming and trying to find a rich husband she still exudes a certain innocence.

Lets compare that to the Kardashians.  They seem to be dressed a bit more proactively even for daily appearances.  In 50 years we have gone from Audrey Hepburn to Kim Khardasian?








What can We Do?
We can talk to our daughters and our son’s and let them know what is appropriate dress not only for Church but school, running errands and     . Talk to your daughters about how beauty important but more important than beauty is how they act. Dressing nicely does not mean you have to spend a lot of money for clothes, it means dressing in a way that does not embarrass your family,
Do you have standards on how to dress for your children or how to dress for yourself? If you are interested in further reading Here are some great resources.
Clothed Much – a great Fashion Blog by a young lady you shares modest clothing
Pigtail Pals – a blog dedicated to Redefining Girly and Keeping our little girls little girls
 Does It Matter How you Dress for Church
Why I Wear Dresses and Skirts
 

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How to Make Christmas Morning Last All Day

In so many households Christmas morning is over in a blink of an eye. The kids wake up early and race Mom and Dad to the tree and stockings. While Mom and Dad are still trying to fully wake up the kids begin tearing into the gifts and wrapping paper going every where. 10 minutes later Christmas morning is over, well at least for the kids it is. Mom and Dad have a mess to clean up.
So how can you make Christmas Morning Last?
Some families have Christmas Morning traditions that help Christmas last a little longer than 10 minutes.

1. Establish a stockings only rule before Breakfast.  Kids and adults may only open their stockings before breakfast. Be sure to have a really special breakfast for the kids to enjoy.
2. Save the majority of the presents for after Mass or Church. Let the kids get their stockings and Santa Clause gifts if time allows before Mass. Save the gifts from family, grandma, grandpa for after mass.
3. Pass out only one gift at a time from under the tree and take turns opening the gifts.
4. Pass out all the gifts and have everyone sit in a circle, take turns going around the circle opening gifts.
5. Have a scavenger hunt for the gifts or just on special one.
6. Save some gifts for after dinner, Grandparents gifts make a good choice for this especially if Grandparents are not there in the morning but are there for dinner
7. If you visit other relatives over the holidays save their presents for when you visit them. 
8. Exchange some of the gifts on New Years Eve or Day. This is something I have done with my brothers and their families since we were kids.
9. If you really want to make Christmas last save a few gifts for the kids for the Feast of the Epiphany, We all have those gifts we bought real early and hid and forgot where we put them.

How Do You Make Christmas Morning Last All Day?

Technorati Tags: Make Chirstmas Last all day,Make Christmas morning last all day,Christmas Morning Traditions

7 Quick Takes

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Oh my it has been a long time since I have done a 7 Quick Takes post. Maybe because I am busier now or just because I have fallen into a rhythm and pattern I am not posting as much as I used to. My first month blogging I posted something like 50 posts. Seriously.

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So much has happened since my last 7 quick takes. We went on a impromptu road trip to see the Nina and the Pinta  and the Cherokee National Museum, Christmas plays were had as well as a High School Theater Production, at which I got no good pictures.



Maybe Santa will bring me a new camera for Christmas?

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Advent started and we celebrated this year with a new wreath made by my sweet 7 year old son with his very own hands. Shopping was done, presents made and sent and delivered

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But all that seems small after the phone call we got yesterday. It was one of those phone calls. You know the type we hate to get. It was from a friend of the family. My mother in law had been hit by a pickup truck. She was walking, he was driving 35 mph. She has sustained many injuries and is in critical condition in the ICU. She has had one 5 hour surgery and goes back in tomorrow for more. Now all the sudden the decisions about when and where to meet up with her for Christmas seem trivial. All has changed in the blink of an eye. I am thankful however for the support of everyone who has offered, offered to watch kids, feed dogs, and simply pray.

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One thing I do ask for though is that you pray for the man who hit her. See he was a co-worker of hers, He knew her and I can only imagine the anguish he is going through right now knowing he caused so much pain.

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So we watch and wait, wait and watch. We wait for the doctors and wait and watch for planes to arrive.  I am ever vigilant watching my children in parking lots, knowing that people this time of year are in more of a hurry and less attentive in their driving. Please keep an eye on your kids and cars. My father always made sure I did, I remind my own kids that parked cars can't and don't always see you so you much watch them. 

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On a lighter note my daughters have taken up some interesting hobbies. Pi received a crochet kit for St. Nicholas day and was crocheted everything from head bands to coffee cup cozies( or at least I have an order in for one.). Peanut has taken up bow making to curtail the cost of her bows. It is much easier than we ever dreamed. We are currently just taking care of her but who know both girls may be offering items for sale in the near future. One can hope that they are budding entrepreneurs.

for more 7 Quick Takes check out Conversion Diary

Waiting Watching Praying Hoping

It can all change in an instant. We all dread the phone call. Today was a day we got one of the those phone calls. My husband’s mother had been in a car accident and was taken to the hospital. He had just arrived at work, called me at home and told me he was driving the two hours to the hospital.
Then the second call came. My mother in law was being transferred to a second hospital. There is no time to think when something like this happens. You just react and do what needs to be done. But perhaps the hardest part is the waiting. While my husband went to the hospital I waited here at home. I waited for him to get to the hospital, and then I waited for updates. Right now everything else seems trivial, the holiday preparations, the family quibbles and quibbles, None of it really matters. What matters now is that family is okay.
Watching Waiting and Praying
That is a classic theme of Advent. Except this year our watching has turned to watching the clock or  my phone for updates and phone calls. Our waiting is waiting for surgery to be over or a doctor to come out and tell us how she is doing. With all luck our waiting will be for her healing, mind, body and soul. Last but not least our praying has changed to praying for Grammy Sugar and her team of doctors.
Hoping
Today instead of hoping for the promise of Christmas and the birth of the redeemer we are hoping that Grammy Sugar makes it until her next surgery.
A friend said to me today “Feed Your Faith and Your Fears will Starve to Death”.  I will be doing my best to live by these words.
a special thanks to all you who have been with me and sharing your prayers on Facebook and Twitter. It means a lot to us.

Road Trip–Word(less) Wednesday

Now that soccer is over for the season and no new sports looms in the immediate distance to take its place we have been finding new things to do on our Saturdays. Recently we took a road trip to rediscover America’s Roots.  We were lucky enough to go see the Nina and Pinta. Yes that is right. The NIna and Pinta, Christopher Columbus’s boats. No not his original ones but life size replicas. Now let me tell you I have a whole new found respect for those men who traversed the oceans. I have seen whaling boats and tall ships and even the Mayflower in Plymouth, but the boats that Columbus crossed the Atlantic were Caravels. I have seen boats in dock bigger than these.
After seeing Columbus’s boats we decided to make a quick trip to Tahlequah to visit our roots, well my husbands roots. He is Cherokee, as are our kids. The camp Peanut attended last summer was a  Arts and STEM camp. hosted by the Cherokees. While the museum has an inside component. My children had more fun checking out the Cherokee villages. They have a traditional village and a post relocation village.

We did all this on a day that the local like to refer to as Bedlam, and still got home in more than enough time to watch the game on TV.

Technorati Tags: wordless wednesday,road trip,family fun