The Sun-Kissed Home

Reeda Turns Two

2009-04-18T20:32:00.000-05:00

(She actually blew out the candles. I hadn't seen her do that before.)

Last week we celebrated Reeda's second birthday. Things have been really hectic around here lately, so it was just a quite celebration with the four of us instead of the party with the godparents that I was hoping for.

We had presents, ice cream and a thrown-together-cake-at-the-last-minute-that almost-wasn't. As I was mixing some of the ingredients for the cake I realized that we were out of baking powder. I called a nearby friend and ran over to her house to get some from her. Can I begin tell you how relieved I was that she was home when I needed her?

Reeda's favorite present was a doll stroller. She has barely stopped playing with it since she got it. The few times she doesn't play with it, Happy Boy can be seen running around with the stroller on his head. :)

File Under: Things I Never Thought I’d Say

2009-04-03T11:38:00.001-05:00

Don’t screw yourself.

Context? Happy Boy was using a thin cardboard tube as a screw and “screwing” different things and people. After asking him not to use screws on the furniture or me, he started using it on himself. What I said came out before I thought about what it meant.

18 Weeks

2009-03-26T22:48:00.001-05:00

That’s how far along I am in this pregnancy.

Each pregnancy I have I get bigger faster and yesterday my husband told me that the way I was sitting with that particular maternity shirt made me look seven months. That reminded me of this post by Elizabeth Foss.

My husband didn’t tell his parents until last month, which sounds late for grandparents to know, but his family has a tendency not to tell people things. For example, I found out today (from reading her blog) that his sister-in-law is pregnant and due in May.

Besides being amazingly tired the first six weeks, I have been feeling much better this pregnancy than in my previous ones. In fact, several times I have wondered if I was still pregnant because I thought I felt so well something must be wrong. But then I would hear the baby’s heartbeat and feel relief.

Another Book List

2009-03-18T22:35:00.001-05:00

Some British media group came up with this list based on a request for readers to submit their ten favorite books. Here are the rules:

Bold the books you’ve read, italicize those on your “to be read” list, and tally the total. Then list three books that you think should be on the list.

According to the media group that did this, the average number of books read from the list is six.

(My notes: Some of this seems a little redundant, like 33 and 36, and some of it seems to be somewhat-pop fiction like 37,42 and 50. )

1 Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11 Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare (Read some of them)
15 Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong - Sebastian Faulk
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveler’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch - George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield - Charles Dickens (I currently reading this and am about halfway done.)
33 Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34 Emma - Jane Austen
35 Persuasion - Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner - Khaled Hussein
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Bernieres
39 Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41 Animal Farm - George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meany - John Irving
45 The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables - LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies - William Golding
50 Atonement - Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi - Yann Martel
52 Dune - Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
62 Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History - Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road - Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick - Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
72 Dracula - Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses - James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal - Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession - AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple - Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web - E.B. White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Read at least one book of stories, but not all SH.)
90 The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
94 Watership Down - Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet - William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Read: 32

Want to Read: 25

The “Want to Read” number looks a little ambitious, but since I have the rest of my life ahead of me, it might happen.

My three books:

The Betrothed
The Divine Comedy
The Little House on the Prairie Series (obviously I can include the entire series because there were whole series included on the list).

So, anyone else up for this meme? Flannery? Mrs. Bear?

Interesting

2009-03-09T20:55:00.001-05:00

During yesterday's homily, the priest mentioned that Mount Moriah, the mountain on which Abraham attempted to sacrifice Isaac, and Mount Calvary are one and the same mountain. My husband and I looked at each other in surprise because this was something we had never heard before.

Today my husband asked his Bible-scholar brother-in-law about this and was told that they are generally believed to be the same. Here is the verse that lends credence to that belief:

Then Solomon began to build the house of the LORD in Jerusalem on Mount Moriah, which had been pointed out to his father David, on the spot which David had selected. (2Chronicles 3:1)

I guess the reasoning is that since the Temple is in Jerusalem, obviously Mount Moriah is in Jerusalem. Mountains are not that common in Jerusalem, so Moriah and Calvary are probably the same.

Maybe Not

2009-03-06T18:38:00.003-06:00

Today I mentioned to Happy Boy that I had to make a grocery list for SuperTarget. He took a piece of paper and scribbled out his own grocery list.

As we were leaving for the store he said to me, "Here is my grocery list, Mama."

"What do you have on it?"

"After SuperTarget, we go to Toys R Us."

That's what YOU think, dear.

Fraternal Love

2009-03-04T18:43:00.002-06:00

The other day Happy Boy and Reeda were playing together and they bumped their heads together. Happy Boy just sat there a little stunned, but Reeda started crying. When Happy Boy noticed her crying, he ran to me and said, "Mama, I need a Kleenex for Reeda! She is crying and I need to dry her tears." I probably don't need to mention that my heart melted instantly for his love and concern for her.

Out for a Walk

2009-02-26T21:57:00.003-06:00

I found this picture when I took Happy Boy's birthday pictures off the camera. This was taken in December when we went for an outing. I think it's funny that Reeda is taking Happy Boy for a walk. :)

Too Funny Not to Read

2009-02-24T23:49:00.002-06:00

I just found this blog post and wanted to pass it on. It is only three sentences, so you have time to read it.

Material Discontent

2009-02-24T19:03:00.003-06:00

We* have had our vacuum since we received it as a wedding present. In other words, our vacuum is almost six years old. For quite some time, every time we use it we have gotten a strong dusty smell, even when the bag was just changed. This combined with knowing that with two children, the floor should be vacuumed or at spot-vacuumed at least every other day and increased knowledge of dust mites and allergens in the carpet has made me want a new vacuum.

I would read blog posts by people with a Dyson and think, "Wow. I would really like a Dyson. It is so powerful." Then I would visit people who had a Roomba and think, " This would be great to have. I would easily be able to vacuum every single day." Or I would have to get out the vacuum just to vacuum up a patch of dirt or food and think, "What I really need is a hand vac. It is just ridiculous to lug out this big thing just to vacuum up a small area of the carpet."

It was with great shock that I realized that I desired not one but THREE new vacuums. That was a bit extreme, especially when the vacuum I had was still functioning. How could this happen? How could I be so materialistic? I could give the excuse that "I want all" like St. Therese said, but I don't think that is a valid excuse for me. Rather, I think it is a consequence of living in a rich country where lots of people buy what they want when they want it regardless of their financial situation. We see the nice things that people have and want them too, not knowing whether they can afford them or whether those things just drove them deeper into debt.

For Christmas I was given a Roomba. However, ideally, I still would like both a Dyson and a hand vacuum. Having one object of my desire unfortunately did not quench my desire for the others. Even though these are only wants and not all-consuming desires, it disturbs me that I feel this way. However, I don't know how to rid myself of this greed (or is it envy? or merely covetousness?). Whatever it is, it seems to be a spiritual ill and I suppose I need to pray more for contentment. Lucky me: Lent begins tomorrow! It seems to be the perfect time to try to become less attached to worldly things.

*I say "we" because my husband vacuums just as much as I do, and more if I am pregnant.

Slumdog Millionaire

2009-02-23T21:36:00.002-06:00

I don't watch the Academy Awards, so I am in no way desirous of watching a movie merely because it did well at the Oscars. However, there are times when a movie I enjoy is nominated for something (such as the Lord of the Rings movies) and then I hope that it does well.

The movie Slumdog Millionaire did surprisingly well at the Oscars for being a foreign film with no big-name actors in it. I don't really care how well it did, but its presence in the spotlight for the last few days has reminded me that it was a movie that I wanted to see.

I love the plot: a poor man raised on the street becomes a millionaire on an Indian quiz show and then has to prove how he learned all the facts he knew. There is a problem, though. I try to keep my standards high when it comes to movies and that means skipping the R rated movies. I simply don't want to subject myself to the sort of thing that contributes to the "restricted" rating. And unfortunately, Slumdog Millionaire has that rating.

I thought, "Well maybe the rating was only because of language." I don't mind that to an extent, so I might have been willing to watch it. I looked up the movie's review on the Catholic Bishop's website and found what I was looking for:

The film contains beating and torture, fleeting rear nudity, crime and prostitution themes, underage drinking, brief scatological humor and occasional rough and crude language.

Well, that settled it. I have no interest in watching that stuff. It's too bad that they don't sell movies edited for airplanes.

All Good Things Must Come to an End

2009-02-21T08:51:00.002-06:00

Reeda is now able to climb out of her crib. This has made bedtime, naptime, and morning time quite a trial. The other night I went to check on the children about ten and found Reeda playing in their room while Happy Boy peacefully slept.

In the mornings she is now getting up between one and two hours earlier than she did ten days ago. Before when she woke up, she would make a sound or two and go back to sleep. Now she climbs out and by the time she has made it to my room she is too awake to fall back asleep. I will pull her into my bed and watch her yawn, rub her eyes and make sleepy-child noises, but she will not go back to sleep.

In anticipation of this unpleasant event, I bought a crib tent off Craigslist several months ago. I got it out after her first escape only to discover that the children had lost ALL the poles for the tent. After scouring the room I was only able to find half of them. Now we are stuck with a tired Houdini and a somewhat tired and very annoyed mama on an almost daily basis.

Happy Birthday, Happy Boy!

2009-02-20T22:11:00.004-06:00

Happy Boy recently celebrated his fourth birthday. For several months he has frequently requested "a birthday hat and train cake" for his special day. He wore the hat most of the day and was very excited as he watched my husband and I assembled the cake. Now he is looking forward to Reeda's birthday so we can have the birthday hats again and more balloons.

For more pictures of the cake, visit my cooking blog.

Happy St. Valentine's Day

2009-02-14T22:52:00.002-06:00

We normally don't do much for Valentine's Day. I would like to do something fun and romantic, but neither of us want to pay for a babysitter or brave the crowds. I love all the ideas for yummy Valentine's treats that have been floating around various blogs, but we are trying to cut back on sugar, so that eliminates just about everything.

However, we were actually able to do something special anyway! I was very happy when I realized that we had all the ingredients for the dinner we had the same thing the night we were engaged! It wasn't anything special; we just went to a local hole-in-the-wall sandwich shop and split a 12 inch grilled pastrami sandwich, but it was SO GOOD. So tonight I pulled out all the ingredients, assembled and grilled the sandwiches, and we reminisced about that long-ago night.

Signing Time

2009-01-31T23:06:00.002-06:00

For the last two or three years that I have been reading mommy blogs I have occasionally read posts about how great the Signing Time DVDs are. I looked at their website, but the cost was too much for me, so I would forget about it until I read the next Signing Time praise post.

Last week I was at the library and I noticed that they had several Signing Time DVDs there. I don't know why it never occurred to me to look there, but I didn't. I checked out the first one for the children, hoping that it would capture Happy Boy's attention.

Not only did it capture Happy Boy's attention, but it also caught Reeda's. This is the first time that she has EVER been interested in watching any type of film and she loves it. I have been extremely impressed with her development in the short time that we have had the DVD from the library. She now has a slightly larger vocabulary, but the main improvement is that words that she said before are significantly more enunciated than before she watched Signing Time. I am excited to see how much of an improvement she has once she watches more of the series.

Hello Again

2009-01-29T21:43:00.003-06:00

Wow, I've been gone a long time. I have been somewhat operating in a fog and have been almost completely out of it since I got back from vacation. It didn't help that our trip home was far worse than our trip there (I won't bore you with the details) and we suffered its effects for days, and then Happy Boy got croup.

Back to the here and now. We have been having some pretty inclement weather for this part of the country. My husband's school canceled classes two days in a row. I don't think that has happened before and I am not complaining. ;) We ended up having what people here call an ice storm, but what my husband says is "practically nothing."

Yesterday morning Happy Boy looked out the window and noticed our landing covered with ice and... hail? sleet? I don't know what it was. He said excitedly, "I see winter!" It is pretty sad that in the middle of January he has no idea that we are in winter. How could he when the month's high was 80? Every time we read a book about snow he says, "I like snow." Unfortunately for him, he has only experienced snow once in his life and was too young to remember it.

Have a great night!

Merry Christmas!

2008-12-30T18:21:00.000-06:00

May all of you have a wonderful, holy, happy twelve days of Christmas (or what's left of it).

Our Christmas began with intense disappointment. We arrived at the airport on Christmas Eve, only to be told that they had already given our seats to standby passengers. We would have to come back on Christmas Day before seven a.m. to get on the standby list.

We attended Christmas Eve Mass with heavy hearts. I felt badly that this was supposed to be such a joyous occasion, but we were all so sad. We came home, ate Subway sandwiches and watched Wall*E, which we had received as a Christmas present in the mail that day. Since there was the potential of us spending the entire day at the airport waiting to get on a flight, I made muffins for us to eat for breakfast and corn dog muffins to each for lunch. Luckily all the ingredients were right on hand for me.

We arrived at the airport at six-thirty and checked in as standby passengers. I can't tell you how many prayers I said that we would get on the first flight of the day. Finally after everyone had boarded we were told that there were two seats on the plane. Happy Boy and I went ahead and boarded and my husband stayed behind with Reeda since her name was on his ticket as an infant. As were were about to get on the plane, Happy Boy noticed that my husband hadn't come, and said, "Papa! Where's Papa?" and started running back to get him. It hurt so much to tell him that Papa had to stay behind and wasn't going to be able to come with us. As we were finding our seats, I saw my husband come into the place after all, and I breathed a huge sigh of relief.

We ended up arriving at our destination about nineteen hours later than if we were able to get on our original flight. My mom had Christmas dinner all ready for us, and we opened stockings and presents on the second day of Christmas.

(Right now my husband and I are at a coffee shop while my mother watches the children. I am on our computer and my husband is using my mom's. A man looked over at us and at the man on a computer at the next table. He said to his wife, "What did people do before there were computers?" She replied, "I don't know. Watched TV, I guess." My husband said, "They did, indeed!")

Well, Okay Then

2008-12-19T22:01:00.001-06:00

Me: Don't touch the Christmas tree.

Him: I wasn't. I was just touching the lights.

Change of Weather

2008-12-15T09:53:00.002-06:00

After writing yesterday that the high was almost 80, I thought I would mention that this morning when I woke up it was only 27. The high is supposed to be 33. I am always amazed at how drastically the weather can change here. I have never seen anything like it anywhere else. A couple of years ago in January it was almost ninety, and two days later the temperature was in the twenties and we were having an ice storm.

Gaudete! An Advent Update

2008-12-14T10:56:00.004-06:00

I can't believe that this is the third Sunday in Advent. Our Advent has been somewhat rocky this year. We have had two Jesse Tree ornaments broken (one of which was not fixable), two or three Advent calender pieces lost, the Advent calender taken down because it was being misused, one nativity piece lost, and so many nativity pieces used like baseball bats that it was finally taken away. Our tree has been up for ten days, but we still don't have any ornaments on it.

However, there have been many joys this Advent as well. Reeda now recognizes both the infant and adult images of Jesus which is a development I wasn't expecting for a while. Happy Boy is very excited any time we pass a nativity scene and points out each of the people or animals in it. Both of them sing the chorus to The Little Drummer Boy and Happy Boy knows most of the words.

Today we went to one of the two churches that I know if the diocese which has the communicants kneel. We have only been there two other times, but it is always a very reverent service. It is amazing how much a difference there is between a beautiful church and good hymns and what we normally experience during the nearby parish Masses.

When Mass was over we went to a nearby Christmas light event. Even though it was daylight, they were still having a lot of activities and things to see. The biggest draw for us though was free admission to the aquarium. The children had a blast looking at everything and fell asleep on the way home.

The temperature was pushing eighty so it was pretty warm walking around looking at everything, but that didn't seem to register for some people. I saw a couple families who were wearing hats, mittens and coats (and one of them was even down). I don't know what they were thinking dressed like that with such warm weather.

Preparations

2008-11-13T19:20:00.003-06:00

Like many of you, I have started making preparations for Advent and Christmas. I enjoy making lists for things like this, but so far only have mental lists. I really enjoy the process of finding presents for my family, deciding how to celebrate the liturgical aspect of Advent, planning what foods to eat, and similar seasonal things. Things will be a little different this year because we will be out of town for Christmas, but that won't change most things.

Here is a list of things that need to be done that I can think of off the top of my head. I am sure it is not complete, but it will at least contain all the big stuff.

• ~~Buy Christmas cards~~
• Address Christmas cards
• Write Christmas cards
• ~~Buy the children's presents~~
• Buy my husband's presents
• Find out to whom we are giving on my husband's side
• Buy or make presents for those people
• ~~Buy presents for my family members~~
• Wrap said presents
• Make photo albums for our parents of the grandchildren
• Find Christmas ornaments for the children
• Put up tree, wreath and other decorations
• Dig out the various Advent prayers and novenas we say
• Unpack Christmas books
• Do some Christmas Mosaic projects with Happy Boy
• Decided on appropriate Advent liturgical studies and celebrations
• Decided on which kinds of cookies and/or candy to make
• ~~Buy Kool Aid~~
• Dye with Kool Aid the white playsilks my brother-in-law bought the children
• Make or buy appropriate foods for an airplane

It turns out to be a long list, but a lot of this will be pretty easy. Hopefully I will be able to accomplish most of this before Advent begins. I am really looking forward to doing with Happy Boy some of the preschool appropriate books from the Christmas Mosaic. Dyeing the playsilks sounds somewhat involved, but at the same time not difficult.

Are you doing anything different or interesting to prepare?

Goodnight My Deers

2008-11-05T20:15:00.004-06:00

Tonight as I was tucking the children into bed I said to them, "Goodnight my dears." Happy Boy replied indignantly, "Mama! We are not deers! Reeda is Reeda and I am Happy Boy." I laughed and said he was correct.

Thinking of his misunderstanding, I remembered some of the homophones which I got confused about when I was a child. Once I heard someone say that a certain restaurant had very good mousse pie. I thought that a pie made out of moose didn't sound very appealing.

Another time my mother, whose name was Mary, asked me to write a card for her to her brother. We had a sign up at the time which said Merry Christmas so I figured that was how to spell Mary. When my uncle opened the card he said, "This is from Merry. Who is Merry?" I couldn't believe that he didn't even know his own sister's name! :)

St. Charles Borromeo and JP II, Pray for Us!

2008-11-03T21:15:00.004-06:00

With the election tomorrow, many Catholics have been praying to Our Lady of Victory or the Immaculate Conception, Patroness of the United States for intercession.

Here are two more suggestions: First, Charles Borromeo, whose feast day, November 4th, happens to coincide with election day this year. Second, John Paul II, whose baptismal name was Karol, after Charles Borromeo. One saint's feast day and another's name day ought to be good enough reasons to bombard them with prayers, right? You betcha!

White Water Rafting

2008-11-03T20:56:00.002-06:00

CNN has an article on how river rafting creates family memories. One year a relative of my family who was a white water rafting guide offered to take us on the river for the day. All of us had a blast and we now occasionally have fun reminiscences of that day. I am not one to find enjoyment in athletic activities or even most outdoor activities, but I enjoyed it so much that I went rafting again each time the opportunity arose.

I know that my husband would love to do this sort of rafting so I think it would be a fun vacation to do someday. I know it never will be possible with a house full of young children, but maybe someday we will all be able to do it. If the opportunity presents itself to YOU, dear reader, I strongly encourage you to take it.

Okie-Jokie

2008-10-29T22:33:00.003-05:00

I don't think either my husband nor I use the phrase "okie-dokie" but somehow Happy Boy has picked up on it. However instead he says, "okie-jokie." He has a great sense of humor, so maybe everything that he is okay with is just a big joke. It is cute to hear him say that and sometimes I even catch myself saying it to him because I occasionally like to talk his talk to him.

I love how children will pick up on a word and it will infiltrate the parents talk. For a long time Happy Boy called ice cream "ompee". It was a bittersweet day recently when I realized that he now properly says "ice cream". However, my husband and I will still say "ompee" to each other because Happy Boy's pronunciation attached itself to our vocabulary. Maybe also because we like his cuteness and want to perpetuate it.

Within the last week I realized that I love this age that Happy Boy is at. He talks in full sentences, we can mutually communicate with each other, he loves helping me, and yet he still has all the cuteness of a young child. I have always enjoyed each of his stages, but this one I am liking even more.

They Were Strong and Good

2008-10-16T23:39:00.003-05:00

As I was looking for books for Happy Boy at the library last week, I noticed a display book called They Were Strong and Good by Robert Lawson. The book caught my eye because the illustrations looked like the more old-fashioned drawings that I prefer.

When I read it to Happy Boy I was surprised at how my emotions were moved. For those unfamiliar with the story, it is a simple biography of the author's parents and grandparents, including how they met and how they contributed to the building of this country. The reason I was so moved by it is because of the underlying premise that everyone in the history of the United States has a story of their own and in some way they have contributed to this country.

The book made me wonder about my own ancestors and what their lives were like 150 years ago when the author's parents and grandparents lived. My ancestors who immigrated the most recently came over in the 1850s. Many of them were here before the Revolution. That is a lot of potential stories about how they lived and shaped the United States, and yet I only know a handful of them.

I would love to write a They Were Strong and Good of my own ancestors; not just of my parents and grandparents but of all of my American ancestors. That would be quite an endeavor and most people would find it boring, but I know it would be exciting and educational for me and many of my family members.

Costco Experiences

2008-10-15T23:35:00.003-05:00

For complicated reasons, we have had to go to Costco three times in the last week. The nearest one is twenty-five minutes away, but the one we went to today was more like forty.

A plus is that Costco gas is the cheapest around right now, and each time we have gone it has been cheaper. Today we paid $2.59. Several of the stations near us are still over $3, so this is a big savings. When we first joined Costco four years ago the first time we gassed up we paid $1.76. That in retrospect was a much bigger savings, but little did we know then about $4/gallon gasoline.

Costco is running a promotion where you can buy five $20 Starbuck's cards for $80. If you want to buy them, you tell the cashier as you check out and he yells, "STARBUCK'S!" and over runs somebody with a packet of gift cards. This is apparently a very popular item, because as we were checking out I heard that yelled at least a dozen times. In fact, it seemed as if almost everyone checking out was buying them. If there is anyone out there who wants to give me a $20 Starbuck's card which they bought for $16 I would be happy to take it. ;)

Happy Boy loves vacuums, so every time we go to Costco we have to go down the vacuum aisle. He used to say that he wanted a Roomba, but now I think he just wants an ordinary upright. When I look at them, I long for the purple Dyson, but then I look at the price and don't want it quite as much.

Strawberry Delight

2008-10-03T22:17:00.003-05:00

This morning as part of Reeda's breakfast I gave her some strawberries. Sometime after breakfast had finished she came over to me and climbed on her lap. As I leaned over to giver her a kiss I caught the delicious scent of strawberries. Even though I love kissing her under normal circumstances, that deliciousness made her eminently more kissable.

It was surprising to me how moved my emotions were towards her simply because of how she smelled. Smell is one of the senses that are least spoken of, but this experience reminded me how important it is. There have been many times when I caught a wiff of something and instantly a memory transported me to some long forgotten place or activity. I hope that things like cooking or tending flowers with my children will someday inspire scented memories of their own.

The New Boombox

2008-10-03T20:05:00.001-05:00

Way back in the fifties and sixties the thing to have for music for teenagers was a transistor radio. Eventually that evolved into the high-tech boomboxes of recent times.

In the last week, three times have I noticed the newest music-playing phenomenon: Laptops. One of the times I saw a kid ride by on his bicycle with a laptop strapped on the back of it playing some sort of pop music. Another time I saw a gangster-looking teen walk by with the typical pants falling down and punk swagger with the computer propped on his shoulder blaring rap music. It seems to me that besides the awkwardness of carrying an open laptop on one's shoulder or bicycle, a computer would be more useful than an ordinary boombox because it would be a cinch to take advantage of people's unsecured wi-fi. (Not that I am condoning that at all.)

As an aside, our neighbors had a wireless internet connection and frequently we would see teenagers standing at the corner with their laptops doing whatever. Once my husband showed our neighbor how to properly secure his connection, the teenagers never came back.

Which reminds me of another tangent. There are several wireless usernames in our apartment complex. One which appears sporadically is "Fetusharvesters." I hope I am not the only one who finds that very disturbing.

Dolphin in the Sky

2008-10-02T19:40:00.002-05:00

I have never been interested in non-fiction children's books, but I know that for the sake of Happy Boy's education I ought to read them to him.

Recently we checked out a book on dolphins from the library. I didn't know how much Happy Boy absorbed from me reading it to him but I now know it is more than I thought. Yesterday as we were going for a walk an airplane flew overhead. He said, "Look! That airplane has flippers just like a dolphin and a dorsal fin, too!" I never thought if it like that before, but he is right.

This is not from the Onion

2008-09-23T23:26:00.003-05:00

When my husband told me about this I asked him if it was from the Onion News because it sounded so ridiculous. He said, "No, this is PETA!"

Here is a crazy article about how PETA wants Ben and Jerry's to switch from cow milk to human milk for their ice cream. I am all for breastfeeding, but this sounds horrible. The article goes on to to mention a Swiss restaurant which pays women for their milk so it can serve breast milk soup.

A Human Element to the Olympics

2008-08-21T23:01:00.003-05:00

When I watch the Olympics I am always impressed with the talents and abilities of the athletes. I can only dream of doing the sort of thing that they do. Even though I know the Olympians are human beings, compared to the average man, what they do is so awe-inspiring that it is somewhat super-human.

Because I have that frame of mind, I really like it when I see stories about the athletes' personal lives. It brings them back down to the human level. Here are some of my favorites:

The gymnast from Uzbekistan whose son had leukemia. She moved to Germany to get him better medical care and competed for them as a thank-you despite being in her thirties.
An American who was profiled in a commercial whose daughter has spina bifida. Unfortunately, I don't know anything else about him, but was touched by that.
The weight lifter from Germany whose wife started a savings plan to come to Beijing to watch him compete. She was killed in a car accident several months ago, so when he was awarded the gold medal on the podium he held up her photo for everyone to see.
The gymanst from Poland who held up a photo of his son immeadiately after he won the gold medal.

I especially liked the last two because by holding up pictures of their loved ones in their moment of glory, it showed that the medals weren't just about them. They wanted the world to know about these other people whom they cared about and who in one way or another contributed to their victory. I have read of many athletes who said that their victory wasn't for them but for their father, mother, child, etc., and I would rather these people win than the ones (who will remain nameless) who are so arrogant or prideful.

Calling All Olympics Fans

2008-08-18T19:43:00.002-05:00

For those of you who love the Olympics, you might be interested in looking at these pictures of Lego reproductions of the Olympic venues. Be sure to show any Lego-fan children you might have.

Internal Struggles at Mass

2008-08-17T21:26:00.002-05:00

I am a firm believer in parents teaching their children about the Mass. This includes taking their children to Mass with them as a family, teaching them how to behave (and removing them if necessary), and trying to explain what is happening on the altar as Mass progresses.

That being said, today my will screamed against it. I didn't mind taking Reeda to the vestibule. I didn't mind walking around carrying her for most of the service. I didn't mind that by the time she was content there weren't any seats left. I found a large stack of bricks which were an extension of the wall and sat down on them. Here is what I did mind: before I knew what happened Reeda had pulled the fire alarm. I tried to turn it off, but no luck. I was mortified. The vestibule was packed with people and they were all staring at me.

As the alarm continued to go off and the usher couldn't find the key to silence it, I struggled not to cry. All of a sudden, I was overcome with the desire to go to Mass all by myself. I wanted to concentrate on it without a child's interruption. I wanted to be able to open my prayerbook and read a communion prayer in peace. But my intellect was able to triumph over my will. I knew that I was doing exactly what I ought to be: training, teaching and exposing my children to the most beautiful prayer on earth.

Let's Play Catch Up

2008-08-14T21:23:00.005-05:00

It's been longer than I thought since I last posted. I think of something of interest to post about and then when I sit at the computer I forget what it was.

One of the highlights of the last few weeks was the wedding of Reeda's godparents. It was one of the most beautiful weddings that I have ever attended. They are such a beautiful couple and I am very happy for them. I must admit though, that I am slightly envious that they were able to go to England for their honeymoon. :)

After having several disastrous potty training experiences with Happy Boy, we are now aggressively trying to teach him where to go. This time is is working amazingly well (so far). However, I still put a diaper on him when we go out. I need to psyche myself up before I take him out without "protection".

We have all enjoyed watching the Olympics for the past few days. Having the TV out is a novelty for Happy Boy and he is just enthralled by it. He will watch anything on it, so I have to guard the remote carefully. We have watched enough swimming that Happy Boy now recognizes Michael Phelps. (The only person he is happier to see on television is Barack Obama. Blech!) By far, the most exciting event so far was the swimming relay with the Americans and the French. I love watching the gymnastics, but am getting increasingly annoyed at the (apparent) bias in the judging. *

UPDATE: I forgive the judges since the Americans scored better than the Chinese when all was said and done. ;)

*I should note that as I write this I am watching the women's gymnastics all-around competition.

As Heard on the Radio

2008-07-20T07:44:00.002-05:00

Classical Radio DJ: Coming up in the next hour we will be having music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Wolfgang Amedeus Mozart, and, uh, some other guy who has three names.

Don't Forget to Love Your Husbands

2008-07-08T10:01:00.002-05:00

Today on Danielle's Coffee Talk post a woman posted a comment about her struggle with recent widowhood. Reading that, along with her most recent blog post brought tears to my eyes and made me appreciate my husband all the more. When you live with someone day in and day out, getting set in a routine which guides us through the year, it is hard not to take that person for granted. (At least that is my experience.) Today, I will thank God that He has given me my husband and that I still have him. I will let my husband know that he is loved and appreciated, and I will try not to take anything for granted.

What do You Think?

2008-06-28T10:30:00.002-05:00

Is this prayer a pious devotional, or piously over-devotional?

I found this prayer in an old prayer book that I have and really liked it. But as I typed it up for a project I am doing, I got the feeling that it was a little over-the-top. That may be because as I typed it word for word, each word sunk in one by one instead of taken as a whole. So after you read it, please tell me your opinion.

Prayers or Litany for a Happy Death

O Lord Jesus, God of goodness, and Father of mercies, I draw nigh to Thee with a contrite and humble heart; to Thee do I recommend the last hour of my life, and that judgement which awaits me afterwards.
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my feet, benumbed with death, shall admonish me that my course in this life is drawing to an end,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my hands, cold and trembling, shall no longer be able to clasp the crucifix, and shall let it fall against my will on my bed of suffering,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my eyes, dim with rouble at the approach of death, shall fix themselves on Thee, my last and only support,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my lips, cold and trembling, shall pronounce for the last time Thy adorable name,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my face, pale and livid, shall inspire the beholders with pity and dismay; when my hair, bathed in the sweat of death and stiffening on my head, shall foreboded my approaching end,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my ears, soon to be forever shut to the discourse of men, shall be opened to that irrevocable decree which is to fix my doom for all eternity,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my imagination, agitated by dreadful specters, shall be sunk in an abyss of anguish; when my soul, affrighted with the sight of my iniquities and the terrors of Thy judgment, shall have to fight against the angel of darkness, who will endeavor to conceal from my eyes Thy mercies and to plunge me into despair,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my poor heart, oppressed with suffering and exhausted by its continual struggles with the enemies of its salvation shall feel the pangs of death,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When the last tear, the forerunner of my dissolution, shall drop from my eyes, receive it as a sacrifice of expiation for my sins; grant that I may expire the victim of penance; and then in that dreadful moment,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my friends and relations, encircling my bed, shall be moved with compassion for me, and invoke Thy clemency in my behalf,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When I shall have lost the use of my senses, when the world shall have vanished from my sight, when my agonizing soul shall feel the sorrows of death,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my last sighs shall force my soul to issue from my body, accept them as the children of a loving impatience come to Thee,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When my soul, trembling on my lips, shall bid adieu to the world and leave my body lifeless, pale and cold, receive this separation as a homage which I willingly pay to Thy Divine Majesty, and in that last moment of my mortal life,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.
When at length my soul, admitted to Thy presence, shall first behold the splendor of Thy Majesty, reject me not, but receive me into Thy bosom, where I may forever sing Thy praises, and in that moment when eternity shall begin to me,
Merciful Jesus, have mercy on me.

Let us pray. O God, who has doomed all men to die, but hast concealed from all the hour of their death, grant that I may pass my days in the practice of holiness and justice, and that I may be made worthy to quit this world in the peace of a good conscience, and in the embrace of Thy love; support me in that my last hour, in the strong arms of Thy sacraments and by the fresh fragrance of Thy consolations.
Let Thy absolving words be said over me, and the holy oil sign and seal me, and let Thine own Body be my food, and Thy Blood my sprinkling; and let sweet Mary breathe on me, and my angel whisper peace to me, and Thy glorious saints and my own dear patron, smile on me, that in them all and through them all I may die, as I desire to live, in Thy faith, in Thy Church, and in Thy love. Amen. My Jesus, mercy!

Waking Rose: The Exception to Catholic Fiction

2008-06-25T21:57:00.002-05:00

When it comes to Catholic fiction it is hard for me not to view it with contempt and distaste. I would much prefer to read secular fiction with Catholic undertones, such as Brideshead Revisited, than some overtly-in-your-face-Catholic novel. I read Pierced by a Sword and didn't care for it, but I gave the author the benefit of the doubt and read the next book by him. That one was just as bad. Then I read Father Elijah and hated it. Again, I gave the author the benefit of the doubt and read one of his other books. I hated that as well. Thus sealed my opinion of Catholic fiction forever. Or so I thought.

While I was visiting my in-laws, many of them were excitedly talking about Regina Doman's newest books, Waking Rose and The Midnight Dancers. I was already familiar with Doman's children's book Angel in the Waters and I had read articles on her blog occasionally as well. I decided to see what the fuss was about and take the risk of reading more bad fiction.

Except that Waking Rose wasn't bad. It was well written* and the plot was enjoyable. It was definitely a Catholic novel, but the Catholicity was not a turn-off the way it was in the other Catholic novels I have read. Perhaps it was because it was mentioned more in the context of being part of the characters' lifestyle rather than in the context of trying to preach Catholicism to the readers. Maybe one could say that this is an overtly Catholic novel, but not an overtly-in-your-face-Catholic novel. Does all this make sense? I have a feeling that I am not articulating my position very well.

Doman took the fairytale of Sleeping Beauty and turned it into a modern story. Everything that happens in the story is possible (although not always probable) which I think is better than if she had written a modern fairytale with a real witch casting a magical spell. After reading this I want to read her other "Fairytale retold" stories as well, which are also billed as "Catholic fiction."

I do think I should add that this is definitely not a children's book. There are many adult themes in the book which would be too intense for children to understand, and it would be disturbing for them if they did happen to understand. But since it is a Catholic novel, any immorality or sinfulness found in the story line is written about with a proper Catholic perspective.

*I am not a very good judge of whether a book is well written or not, so this doesn't mean much. What it does mean, however, is that it is much better written than the other Catholic novels I have read.

We're Back

2008-06-24T14:29:00.005-05:00

We made it home safely from our trip to my in-laws. It was very nice to see everyone again. We hadn't seen most of them in two or more years; some of them had changed and some of them looked just the same.

Happy Boy had a blast playing with all his cousins and running around outside several times a day. The only problem was that the cousins all knew each other, but didn't know him. They kept calling him, "That Boy" because they didn't remember his name. Also, they tended to want to play with the children they already knew so he was used as a last resort.

I was able to read five books while I was there, which was quite a treat since it is very difficult for me to read here without distraction. One of the books I read was Endless Night by Agatha Christie. That story was written differently from her others I have read, and had a masterful twist towards the end.

We had an added pleasure of being able to see my brother. The last time we saw him was in 2005 and before that was at our wedding. He happened to be driving across the country and drove through a city about 90 minutes away while we were there. We were able to coordinate things so that we could drive down and visit with him for an hour or so.

Vacation

2008-06-08T22:15:00.003-05:00

Tomorrow we are leaving to visit some relatives. Happy Boy packed his suitcase with everything he thinks he will need. I might need to repack it with a few other essentials. ;)

We haven't traveled in two years, so I am wondering what it will be like with two children. When I told Happy Boy we were going to fly in an airplane, he was adamant that he could not fly. He seemed distressed that I was telling him we were going to fly through the sky. Then I told him that we weren't going to fly until after he had gone to sleep and awakened again. He came up to me this afternoon at about four telling me it was time for him to go to bed. I guess he wants to fly after all.

Library Book Sale

2008-06-06T16:02:00.003-05:00

This morning I went down to the library used book sale to see if they had any good finds. This is the first year that I went without my husband, but we decided that it would be too much trouble watching two energetic ambulatory children. Since I enjoy this sort of thing more than he does, he disappointedly stayed home.

Every time I go to a used book sale I look for certain children's books that are recommended in various book lists. Sometimes I am lucky and sometimes not, but I am often surprised at what out of print books I am able to find from those lists.

Today I was able two find two out of print books from the Christmas Mosaic list. I also found The Annotated Hobbit, which I didn't know existed but was excited about once I did learn of its existence. Happy Boy is thrilled with the various children's books I cam home with and my husband is pleased because I was able to find a couple of Loeb Classics Latin books for him. I am pretty pleased with the loot I brought home.

One thing that annoys me though, is the way the library prices books. They charge two dollars for hardbound and "softcover" books. I don't mind paying that for the hardcover, but the softcovers can be anything from an extra fat cheap paperback to a fancy glossy coffee table book. I understand that they are trying to raise money for the library, but I wish they could define "softcover" a little better. I don't mind paying two dollars for a quality softcover, but to pay that much for a 700 page forty year old paperback by Sigrid Undset which is so poorly bound it will probably fall apart before I have finished it is a little irritating. I know, I know, you are thinking that if it bothers me so much, then just don't get the book. Well, I didn't. So there. ;)

Thou Shalt Not Covet

2008-05-30T18:03:00.003-05:00

"Covet" being a word which here means to wish for longingly rather than to feel blameworthy desire for (that which is another's).

Yesterday at Costco I discovered the Elizabeth Gaskell Collection. Oh, how I want it. I wrote earlier this month about how much I enjoyed Cranford. I have also seen the two other movies in the collection and loved both of them. Especially Wives and Daughters. I have wanted to own that movie since I first saw it many years ago, but it was always fairly expensive. At Costco, however, the entire collection of movies is a mere $26.99. On Amazon it is forty dollars more. Since it is not a need, and my birthday, anniversary, and Mother's Day have all passed, I can't justify buying it. Sigh. Maybe I will be lucky enough that the library will buy the set so I can check it out.

Five Things Meme

2008-05-29T22:10:00.004-05:00

The Rules:

1. The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.

2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.

3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they have been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.

4. Let the person who tagged you know when you have posted your answer.

What were you doing 5 years ago?

Enjoying life as a new college graduate and a new wife.

What are five things to do on your to do list for the day?

Since the day is almost over, that is a little hard. 1) Tidy up the kitchen, 2) Put away some things in the dining room, 3) Study Latin with my husband, 4) Brush my teeth, 5) Check on the children.

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1) Fruit, 2) A bowl of cereal, 3) Baby carrots, 4) Peanut butter toast, 5) Popcorn

What five things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1) Use my financial clout to hopefully clean up the problems at my alma mater, 2) Do the same for the university my husband is at now, 3) Buy Catholic churches that are being sold to prevent them from being turned into condos, 4) Give money to lots of fabulous religious orders, 5) Do something to help the poor in third world countries.

What are five of your bad habits?

(Why don't you just skip this one? You don't need to know this stuff!)

1) Leaving my shoes in the living room, 2) I have a sweet tooth, 3) Peeling back my fingernails instead of using clippers, 4) I have a hard time getting over first impressions if they are negative, 5) Not emptying the dishwasher right away.

What are five jobs you have had?

1) Assistant to the assistant to the head guy, 2) Peach receiving station manager, 3) Mother's helper, 4) Babysitter, 5) Assistant to the assistant of a different head guy.

What five people do you want to tag?

You, you, you, you and YOU! In other words, if you want to do it, then do it.

In Memoriam

2008-05-26T22:40:00.005-05:00

In honor of Memorial Day, we visited the local veteran's cemetery this morning. Although most of the people who were buried there were veterans of Vietnam or earlier, there were some who died in Iraq. It was quite sobering to see the graves of men who were younger than I. It made me grateful for each day of life that God has given me.

I was happy to see that so many people came out to the cemetery today since it seems that fewer and fewer Americans care about things like honoring our country and the people who gave their lives for it. However, it was sad to see how few of the deceased had any flowers or other things in front of their graves. I hope that many of their families could come later in the day.

There was one woman in her twenties who was there at a grave when we arrived and still there when we left. She had put flowers, balloons (including one that said "Happy Birthday"), and a flag in front of it. For a long time she just sat there looking as though she were having a conversation with this person. It was extremely moving to see how much she cared for him. Even though I don't know her, my heart ached for her because of her loss.

O God,
by whose mercy the faithful departed find rest,
look kindly on your departed veterans who gave their
lives in the service of their country.
Grant that through the passion, death, and resurrection of your Son
they may share in the joy of your heavenly kingdom
and rejoice in you with your saints forever.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.
Source

Watching the Grass Grow

2008-05-25T22:16:00.003-05:00

My husband and I had a disagreement yesterday after I called some bamboo "trees". He said he didn't know what bamboo was, but he was certain that bamboo stalks were not trees. After checking the good ol' Wikipedia, I was forced to concede defeat: Bamboo is considered to be grass.

With some further reading, we discovered that bamboo can grow up to one meter an hour. Wow. I think that I would like to watch that happen. Have you ever heard of someone who actually liked the idea of watching grass grow? Now you have.

It is interesting to note that bamboo flooring is becoming very popular as the eco-friendly alternative to hard wood floors. I bet you never thought people would want their house to have grass floors.

Five Years Ago Was a Monday Too

2008-05-19T22:57:00.005-05:00

Today my husband and I celebrated our fifth anniversary. Both of us agree that our wedding was the happiest day of our lives. I don't look back on it with anything but fondness. I feel very fortunate because both my mother and grandmother cannot say the same of theirs.

Since we didn't have a babysitter today, we couldn't go out alone together. Instead we did something which I think reflects the mission we undertook when we got married: to have a happy family and be good spouses and parents.

Since it was one hundred scorching degrees today, we took our dinner to an indoor park. After we ate, the children played on the slides and other kiddie oriented constructions there. It was so pleasant seeing and hearing them enjoy themselves. On the way home we stopped for ice cream. Of course Happy Boy and Reeda loved it, and my husband and I were able to have a nice conversation while they ate.

Reflecting on the evening, I don't think I would have enjoyed dinner at a fancy restaurant with just my husband more than I enjoyed this. That would have been nice, but I wouldn't treasure that memory the way I treasure the memories of my children's happiness playing at the park or eating ice cream.

Mass. . . In a Heretical Church

2008-05-18T23:16:00.002-05:00

Yesterday evening we went to Mass in a heretical church. Although people often loosely use that term to refer to liturgical abuses, this time there was no doubt about it. Mass was celebrated in a heretical church because it was celebrated in a Protestant church.

Let me explain. The high school seniors my husband teaches had their graduation service last night. The service included both the graduation ceremony and also a Mass which counted for one's Sunday obligation. Because their school is so small, the service (including the Mass) was held in a Protestant church next door to the school.*

The Mass itself was perfectly reverent and abuse free. Everyone even knelt for communion. However, one of the first things Happy Boy said when he came into the church was, "How come Jesus isn't on the cross?" I wasn't sure what to tell him that would be understandable to a three year old.

*Maybe the people who attend that church will get some graces from it and convert.

Prince Caspian

2008-05-17T21:19:00.005-05:00

We were able to get someone watch the children this morning, so we took advantage of $4 Saturday morning movie tickets to see Prince Caspian. I hadn't been to a real movie theater with my husband since the first Chronicles movie.

When I went to see Bella I was angry at myself for not wearing my glasses, so I made sure that I wore them this time. That was a mistake. It has been a loooooong time since I have worn them (at least a year, and maybe two) and I was not used to them at all. The movie was slightly clearer, but I came home feeling nauseous because seeing clearly through the glasses and not as clearly out the sides gave me a feeling akin to seasickness.

As far as the movie itself goes, both my husband and I really enjoyed it. In my husband's words, "The first one follows the book more closely, but this one is a better movie." He does qualify that by saying that he didn't like the song or the kiss in the last scene, but everything else was great. I could only remember the first couple chapters, so I honestly don't know how well the events followed the book.

I loved how they embellished so many things to make them look beautiful and noble. The horn, for example, is a solid piece of horn or ivory, carved with an intricate design of a bear. The children wear colorful, multi-layered and textured clothing with details on all the metalwork that they wear. Even the evil army had amazing masks when they went into battle and the boat which the soldiers used at the beginning was ornately carved. No one ever pays attention to such detail-work nowadays so it makes that era seem much more grand.

Even though this is a PG movie, I recommend screening it if you have children who might be frightened by violence. It certainly wasn't like The Lord of the Rings, but it is more than children below a certain age should see. At the beginning of the movie there is also a scene of a woman screaming in childbirth (why do they always do that!?!) which may or may not disturb some people.

The bottom line is, unless you hate books being changed, you should see Prince Caspian. And if you do hate it when that happens, don't think of it as a movie based on a book. Think of it just as cinematic art, and then you probably like it.

Hooray! I'm my favorite character!

2008-05-16T08:27:00.003-05:00

As Lucy Pevensie, you may be quite timid and shy, but your heart is in the right place! You make sure you tell the truth, even if it results in embarrassment.

Who are you?

HT: Danielle

CVSing for $1.15

2008-05-15T21:37:00.005-05:00

Here's the short story:

In three different transactions at CVS I was able to buy everything pictured above. The first transaction cost $1.08, the second was six cents and the third was only a penny. The total amount before savings was $68.02 plus tax. What I bought included:

3 bags of diapers
2 boxes of Kotex Lightdays
2 bags of Hershey Bliss
1 box of Hershey's Reese's cookies
1 package of peanut butter M &Ms
1 Intuition razor
1 box Tums
1 glucose meter

The long story:

I have been trying to learn the ropes of "CVSing" since January, but until last month I haven't done that well. I started out this week with $25 of Extra Care Bucks which were about to expire, so it was either use 'em or loose 'em. The first time I went to the store I was looking for something that I could use my $10 ECB for. The glucose meter was on sale for $10 and the Kotex were on sale two for $5, so I bought those. Between a Kotex coupon, a CVS coupon and the ECBs the total was $1.08 and I got $10 ECBs back. (Just fyi, the meter I will give to my diabetic brother-in-law.)

The next day I went back with a list of possible things to buy which were both on sale and that I had coupons for. I was trying to look for things that would generate ECBs so that I could roll over the ones that would expire. I also knew that diapers were on sale buy three, get the third free and I wanted to buy those.

In the first transaction that day, I bought the razor for 9.99 with a $4 off coupon, the Tums for 4.69 with a $1 off coupon, the two Hershey Bliss* with a BOGO coupon for 4.28 each, the Hershey Reese's cookies for $2, and when I realized that I needed something else about fifty cents I bought the M&M's for 0.79. I also used three different CVS coupons, and the 10 ECBs from the day before, which brought my total down to six cents. These purchases generated ECBs totaling 15.69, which I can use any time within the next month.

With my last purchase I bought three bags of diapers and with one of them free the total was 17.98. I used a three dollar off CVS coupon which brought me down to $14.98. I had Extra Care Bucks totaling 14.97, so I only had to pay one cent. Don't ask me why they didn't charge sales tax: I am completely baffled by that, but am not complaining. With this transaction I wasn't able to "roll" any ECBs, but that's fine since they were about to expire, and we need diapers anyway.

My husband pointed out that this actually cost me $4.15 because I had spent $3 on Sunday papers to get the coupons, but that is still a good deal. Besides they also have lots of other coupons for other things that I can get (or have already gotten) free or almost free.

*I usually don't buy junk food like cookies and candy, but they were generating ECBs and I am trying to potty train Happy Boy. I bribe him with something if he is able to go in the potty, but I needed a bribe and this is it. If I don't bribe him, he doesn't go.

Mother's Day Highlights

2008-05-12T21:34:00.005-05:00

My Mother's Day got off to a hectic start when I woke up and realized that Mass was going to start in 45 minutes. I was pleased when we got to church and our clock said that we still had a minute to spare. However, it much be late because when we went inside they were doing the Kyrie.

Afterwards my husband offered to take me out to breakfast, but I knew that it would be very crowded so I declined. I said, "What I really want for breakfast is a moist, gooey cinnamon roll." But since the only places that sell cinnamon rolls around here are grocery stores, and they only have dry boring ones, I said my second choice for breakfast would be fruit salad. No, that's not very balanced, but at least it isn't unhealthy. We went to the store to buy a variety of fruit and simultaneously lamented the absence of bakeries that sell good cinnamon rolls.

At some point during the day, Happy Boy came up to me and said, "Happy Mommy's Day, Mama." Needless to say, it melted my heart.

In the evening some friends stopped by with some cake to celebrate the day. It was a pleasant surprise for me, but an honor that they were thinking about me.

I then watched the second installment of Cranford, which I am really enjoying. As it ended, I sighed to my husband, " I love these type of movies," to which he replied, "I know you do." (He will occasionally watch literary romances, but most of the time he would prefer to do more manly things like read up on the newest Linux distro.) That movie was a good end to a peaceful and enjoyable day.

Do You Have Your Forever Stamps?

2008-05-09T14:58:00.004-05:00

Just as a reminder, the price of stamps increases on Monday. If you are too cheap to want to spend a penny more to mail a letter then you better hurry and get some Forever stamps.

We used to mail a lot more things, so we would buy rolls of 100 at Costco for 25 cents less than the going rate. However, for some reason, we don't mail things as much anymore and we STILL have 37 cent stamps. The vending machine at the post office only has one cent stamps so pasting four one cent stamps on has gotten really annoying. I look forward to finally using them all up so I can start using the Forever stamps.

International Midwife Day

2008-05-05T21:02:00.002-05:00

I found out that today is International Midwife Day. Although I recognize the need of obstetricians, I am a huge fan on midwives.

When I was pregnant with my first I went to a practice that had four midwives. The assumption was that over the course of one's pregnancy there would be a natural rotation so the patient could meet all of them at different prenatals. I had met three of them, but the schedule of the fourth, Angela, never matched up with when I could have my appointments. Finally at week 39 I was able to meet her. I instantly fell in love with her. When I came home I excitedly told my husband, "I hope Angela is the one who gets to deliver the baby."

The next night I went into labor. When I called the office to let them know, I found out that a different midwife was on call. I resigned myself to her with the consolation that at least it wasn't the one that I really didn't like. However, I got to the hospital at the same time as a shift change. Angela was coming on duty! God was so good. Later after my husband met the other midwives, he said that he understood how I felt and agreed that Angela was wonderful. Later she proved to be even more wonderful to both of us when a horrible crisis arose, helping us in any way she could.

So, in honor of Angela, I decided to write a post to acknowledge this day.

A Perfect Saturday

2008-05-03T22:12:00.005-05:00

This is the first weekend in months where we didn't have anything that needed to be accomplished. After breakfast we decided to go for a walk. It was a gorgeous day and there aren't many more weeks of beautiful weather before it gets too hot to go walking in the middle of the day.

We went to the park and brought along Happy Boy's new tee-ball set. It was too windy to hit the ball off the tee, so he just hit it like a golf ball. Sometimes he even shared with Reeda! They would run back and forth between excitedly playing with the bat and ball and playing on the playground.

On the way back we passed a friend who recently got engaged. This friend explained how she and her affianced decided to invite a lot of people and have a casual reception rather than only a few and have a fancy one because they wanted as many people as possible to rejoice with them in their sacrament. I love talking with people who are recently engaged because they have so much joy and excitement about them.

For dinner I made a delicious soup and some cornbread to go with it. It was topped off with homemade strawberry ice cream. Reeda happily ate it all, which pleased me since I had to battle with Happy Boy over the soup.

Finally, we found a DVD from the library which Happy Boy lost last week. We had resigned ourselves to paying a fee to the library, but St. Anthony came through before we got around to it!

Hope you all had a pleasant day, and have a blessed (Ascension) Sunday!

Better Late than Never?

2008-05-01T23:54:00.002-05:00

Or, why bother?

Today on the way to Mass we passed a man taking down his Christmas lights. On May first. On one hand, it is good that he is taking down seasonal decorations even if it is five months late, but on the other, since some folks leave their lights on their house year round people probably didn't think anything of them staying on the eaves. It's not like he turned the lights on, after all. BUT they were solid red, extra large bulbs, so his house will now look much better without them.

Ascension, St. Joseph, Our Lady and May Day All Rolled into One

2008-05-01T11:04:00.002-05:00

Grant, we beseech Thee, almighty God,
that we will believe Thine only-begotten Son our Redeemer
to have ascended this day into heaven,
may ourselves dwell in spirit amid heavenly things.

My husband expressed annoyance at the fact that his Catholic school doesn't have today off. I reminded him that it wasn't a Holy Day of Obligation here. When I was growing up, there were about six states in the West where it wasn't obligatory, but it was everywhere else. Now, I think it is only obligatory in certain states in the Northeast.

We don't have any plans to celebrate St. Joseph the Worker. We will celebrate May Day tomorrow at the First Friday Mass at my husband's school, which is also when we will kick-start the month of celebrating Mary. Today, however, we will go to Mass to commemorate Our Lord ascending 40 days after His resurrection. Then on Sunday we will go to Mass to commemorate Our Lord ascending 43 days after His resurrection. Heh.

A Nerdy, Nerdy Family

2008-04-30T22:28:00.004-05:00

My husband's birthday was the other day. Since he is a Catholic philosopher and since we both love St. Thomas Aquinas, I gave him a commentary by St. Thomas. (Yes he liked the book. As I noted, we are a nerdy family.) Happy Boy helped me wrap the present and then we brought it out to the living room. Happy Boy ran up to my husband with the gift and said, "Happy birthday, Papa! Here is a St. Thomas Aquinas book!" I guess he is too young for me to tell him what kind of presents we are giving.

My husband's older brother called him up and wished him a happy birthday. Then he gloated, "This may be your birthday, but tomorrow I turn 12,000 days old. That is much better because 12,000 is a very Biblical number." They then quickly calculated when my husband would turn 10,000 days old. If you think that's nerdy, you should see them when they get together with the rest of their family!

In other nerdiness news, my husband started a blog which is primarily in Latin. When he is feeling benevolent* he translates the posts into English.

*Meaning, when he has the time.

Me to a T

2008-04-24T23:59:00.005-05:00

I took this quiz and was pretty impressed with how they pegged me. Make this hair brown, a little longer and lots more split ends (ahem) and that is what my hair looks like. The only other difference is that this picture looks nice, but mine always looks bad, even when I try to style it. But since they are talking about ones ideal hairstyle, I guess I would have to agree that what they show pretty much is what I would choose.

Your Ideal Hairstyle:

Full and Textured

What Women's Hairstyle Is Right For You?

Muffins for My Honey

2008-04-24T11:48:00.003-05:00

My husband has to leave early for work on Thursdays and often doesn't have time to eat breakfast. Since he has a large break between classes in the middle of the day, he usually comes home about ten. I try to have something waiting for him and most of the time it is muffins. They are easy and Happy Boy loves to help me them, so they are my natural fall-back. At my cooking blog, you can see our family's new favorite muffin recipe.

Bananas for Boys?

2008-04-23T22:52:00.003-05:00

This CNN article claims that eating lots of bananas will help you to conceive a boy. I must admit I am a little skeptical. It didn't give any statistics about the study at all. Since the normal boy:girl birth ratio is about 51:49, I wonder what it was in this case? If it only went up a couple points then it may have been a fluke. On the other hand, if the ratio went up significantly, I might start eating bananas by the bunch if I don't get any more sons.

This reminds me of an antic dote a pregnant friend relayed to me. She said that when she and her husband told her non-Catholic NFP-ignorant inlaws that they were expecting, the inlaws asked if she wanted a boy or girl. She said that she wanted a boy but based on the time of conception thought she was having a girl. She told me there was dead silence and looks of utter disbelief on their faces. I guess they didn't know the benefits of charting. ;)

The Penderwicks

2008-04-22T22:06:00.004-05:00

Recently Elizabeth had a post about how much her daughter enjoyed The Penderwicks. Since I love children's chapter books (I am hesitant to say "young adult" because most YA is trash) I immediately requested it from the library. I am always on the lookout for quality books that are easy for me to read while parenting children who need lots of attention.

I am not quite done with it, but I have loved every chapter. The charming style reminds me of E. Nesbit, or other older writers. Even though the story takes place in modern times, the children actually behave like children ought to: they play outside, use their imagination, and never touch video games. The whole family is delightful: creative, academic, polite. The father even speaks Latin sometimes!

Some of the reviewers on Amazon complained that the story was "idyllic", but that is one of the reasons I enjoyed it. I suppose if idyllic stories aren't your style, you can always read Braless in Wonderland, or any other number of pathetic modern stories. Sure it's not very realistic (it's possible, but not probable), but I'll take that to this any day.

Jealousy and Danger

2008-04-22T21:49:00.002-05:00

Every time Reeda sees me holding Happy Boy she drops what she is doing, runs over, and starts crying. I don't want to not hold my son and reward her jealousy, but her screams drive me bonkers, so I am not sure what to do.

In other news, Reeda is all monkey-business. She is the most skillful climber I have ever seen. (At least, for age.) Many one year olds are not even walking yet, and she is scaling her high chair. It is quite the experience to see someone not even 20 pounds adroitly climb three feet into the air. Most of that experience is fear on my part, but there is some amazement there as well.

A Post Worth Reading

2008-04-16T23:52:00.002-05:00

Flannery wrote a beautiful post about supernatural virtues, grace and God's goodness. Here is an excerpt:

The happiest moment of my life was the moment when I realized that "good" is said of God, not because He happened to take that side of the opposition but could conceivably have taken the side of "evil," but because He is Good in the deepest and truest sense of the word, and it is not possible for Him to be evil: and that if it were possible, "good" would not really be good.

A Field Trip to the Zoo

2008-04-16T23:35:00.010-05:00

My husband took his biology class to the zoo yesterday, so we decided to come along. It was wonderful weather and the students were cheerful and polite, so it was a delightful afternoon.

The striped animal you see is called a bongo. We had been hoping to see the okapis, but there were only tractors in their pen. Happy Boy liked that, but the rest of us were disappointed.

Tax Weekend

2008-04-13T21:48:00.002-05:00

The weekend before April 15th is drawing to a close. For the first time in our married life, my husband and I are not scrambling to get everything done. Instead, our rebate has been earning interest in our bank for the last month. I wish I knew what we did differently, so I could remember to do it next year. :)

The Poisonwood Bible

2008-04-11T16:51:00.004-05:00

Nutmeg's book club was hosted by Erin this month. She chose The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver. For once I thought I would take a stab at the monthly book. I finished it a little late, but oh well.

My first impression of this book was that I couldn't stand the author's style. However, it turned out that she had five different styles: one for each of the women in the Price family. Luckily, only the mother's narrative was convoluted and abstract.

Out of the five narrators, I liked the oldest daughter's the best. Hers were the least substantial, but also the most humorous. She was exceedingly narcissistic and stupid. To be pretentious she would try to use large words, but would inevitably use the wrong word, which would result in some funny meaning which she never intended.

My next thought concerning the book was that, with all due respect to Erin, the story reinforces my opinion that families shouldn't go abroad to be missionaries. (Forgive me, Erin. I have no idea in what capacity your family served as missionaries, or what the circumstances were.)

The father in the book was amazing. Nathan Price was the most self-righteous man who ever walked the face of the earth. He would never listen to correction, even when not doing so made him look like a fool. Because he mispronounced the native language, he would consistently say, "Jesus is a poisonwood tree. If you want your children to be saved, they need to be terrorized." If someone tried to tell him otherwise, he would get angry. His holier-than-thou, self-righteous Bible-quoting attitude reminded me a lot of the wife in Flannery O'Connor's story Parker's Back. They both make me wonder how much of a Christian I really am. Is my prideful attitude going to harm my salvation? I don't think I am prideful, but neither did they and they clearly aren't true Christians. On one hand, I don't want to be like them, but on the other, I don't want to pray like the Pharisee, "Thank you God that I am not like them."

What I liked best was how Africa was described. Leah, and to some extent Rachel, spoke of the vastness and beauty of Africa in such a way that it sounded almost mystical. I got the impression that it was a much more powerful continent than any of the others. In the others, man is able to submit that land to his will, but in Africa, man submits to nature. An example would be that the cities are very unnatural and it is easier to survive in the jungle. Another is that they can't build normal roads because the jungle overtakes them.

Overall, I would say the book was just okay. I didn't hate it, but I don't think I would recommend it either.

Growth Spurt

2008-04-09T22:20:00.003-05:00

Happy Boy has always been on the small side. It has only been in the last six weeks that I put away the last 2T clothing item. I have been building up a decent sized wardrobe in 3T and am pretty content with it. However, I recently noticed that some of them are already looking a little small! I couldn't believe it! Most 4T won't fit him for a while, but some already are. I realized that I have only a couple items in that size. Now I am left scrambling to find clothes for him before his pants turn into capris. At this rate, I won't be surprised if he is totally out of his current size before the end of summer.

A Vocation to Love (By Keeping House)

2008-04-04T22:58:00.004-05:00

It seems that everyone is talking about this powerful post by Elizabeth Foss. Every wife, mother or wife-to-be should read it. If you haven't, you are seriously missing out.

Every word that I think of to describe it falls short in some way. Moving: yes, but more than that. Critical, no because it was more of a positive thing. Encouraging: not exactly. Oh, how I want to put her all words of wisdom to practice immediately. Unfortunately, things like this take time to perfect or we might burn out, as Nutmeg alluded to. (Her post is very good too; read it if you have the time.)

For me, I know I need to improve on my usual standards and I have to figure out the best way to do that. I have read a lot of blogs and websites about the best ways to keep the perfect house, and I know that some people's ideas won't work for my family as well as others. I think I will start by walking around with a critical eye and start with the first thing that I see that ought to be done. Over time, hopefully I will develop some sort of system to help me persevere.

St. Anne, pray for us.

Transgender Follies

2008-03-30T20:48:00.005-05:00

I read something about this last week, and then stumbled across a different article today. There is a woman who "became" a man and then got married. Even though she/he had a sex change operation, she retained her female parts. Since her/his wife couldn't have children, this person decided to carry a baby so that the couple could have a family.

Now the media is going on about how there is a man who is pregnant and the (wo)man is complaining because the obstetric staff are referring to "him" as a "her." What a messed up world we live in, but I bet it will just get worse.

Paschaltide Tidbits

2008-03-28T19:14:00.004-05:00

I am STILL slacking on my blog and I am very annoyed at myself because of this. I have had a dozen post ideas since my last post, but now most of them wouldn't be relevant or interesting.

Today is Easter Friday which is a solemnity that is very special to us. Reeda was born on this solemnity last year. The weather is a little better than last Easter Friday when we had a deadly tornado whip through town. Not as much wind or rain this year.

Happy Boy keeps on talking about wanting to go hunting. My husband and I were baffled by how he knew about hunting since I don't think he even knows about guns yet. Finally we realized that he was talking about Easter egg hunting.

I feel very disappointed with myself that I didn't get as many things checked off my list that I had posted as I wanted to. I got very little cleaning done and no decluttering. Although I did buy an Easter dress for myself, I took it back because it looked much better on the hanger than it did on me.

We recently found out that one of my husband's brothers will be going to school in Europe next year. That will make one brother in school, one in the seminary and one in a monastery in Europe. I suppose I should be happy for them, but it saddens me that we probably will rarely ever see them again.

Two Weeks from Today

2008-03-09T22:05:00.002-05:00

I can't believe that Easter Sunday is only in two weeks. There are so many things I want to do in the next two weeks:

Plan a special meal for Holy Thursday
Clean the house
Get Easter clothes for me and the children
Plan Easter dinner and/or a nice brunch
Do spring cleaning
Buy some Easter ~~chocolate~~ candy
Clean our porch of all the debris that has accumulated this winter
Refill our flower boxes with new flowers
Make plans for something fun during Holy Week since it is my husband's spring break

Did I mention that I want to clean? I love the idea of cleaning one's home during Holy Week to prepare for the Resurrection as the Jews clean their home at the same time to prepare for Passover.

Not What I Want to Hear

2008-03-09T21:57:00.002-05:00

I didn't think my husband and I talked politics very much until I heard Happy Boy singing, "Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Hillary Clinton." I told him not to sing that and he responded by singing, "Bak Obama, Bak Obama, Bak Obama." Ugh.

This was Bound to Happen

2008-03-03T17:04:00.004-06:00

Get your own personal Virgin Mary apparition! On your choice of white, wheat, rye or sourdough! You, too, can have Holy Toast for just $2.50!

When people start to develop a misplaced sense of spirituality, they have the potential to see religion in odd places. Then their so-called piety encourages ridicule and skepticism of all religious devotions.

A Peek into Our Library

2008-03-01T10:14:00.003-06:00

I was playing around with our book cataloging program and discovered that the author whose books we have the most of is St. Thomas Aquinas. We have 33 of his books, not counting the ones in Latin. The runner up is Dr. Seuss, with 23 books, not counting the ones in Latin.

It is my husband's goal to own the complete works of both these men. We are just over the halfway mark for Dr. Seuss, but I have no idea how much St. Thomas wrote, or how much of what he wrote is translated into English.

Something is Working

2008-02-20T13:53:00.003-06:00

We normally go to a local monastery for Sunday Mass, but lately one thing or another has come up and we have gone to one of the local parishes. All of the parishes were built in the "church in the round" style, which I don't particularly care for. However, this style seems especially good for us because we can sit in the front or next-to-front row, but don't have to walk down the main aisle in front of everyone in case there is a noisy child.

I have been trying to get Happy Boy to pay attention to the Consecration by pointing out Our Lord's presence to him, but I didn't know if it was working. The a couple of weeks ago I saw him lift up his cup at dinner and say, "Aaaaameeen." A few days later he said while holding a piece of bread, "This is my body - take and eat this all up." Needless to say, this made my husband and I very happy. The icing on the cake, however, came this Sunday. As the priest elevated the consecrated host, Happy Boy pointed and said, "Jesus!"

Although I am not anti-Traditional Latin Mass, something makes me think that in this case the English Mass is better. I just can't see my three year old saying, "Hoc est enim corpus meum."

The Swinging Alphabet

2008-02-14T08:54:00.002-06:00

We recently saw this Three Stooges clip and now Happy Boy sings this song all the time. He got very excited when he saw a picture of some students graduating because he associated the cap and gown with the movie. I wonder if he thought the picture was going to burst into song?

The Ubiquitous Meme

2008-02-05T10:02:00.000-06:00

I don't know if there are any blogs that I read that haven't done this yet, so I guess I get to take my turn now. :)

1) Take the nearest book of more than 123 pages.
2) Find page 123.
3) Find the fifth sentence.
4) Post the next three sentences.
5) Tag some folks.

The nearest book is The Daring Book for Girls which Reeda and I were given for Christmas. My husband and I weren't thrilled with it, especially the occult elements, so it is sitting here waiting for us to decide what we are going to do with it.

So, without further ado, here are the sentences:

She began working odd jobs, including driving a truck and working at a telephone company, to earn money for flying lessons with female aviator Anita "Neta" Snook. After six months of lessons, she bought her own plane, a used yellow biplane that she nicknamed "The Canary," and in October 1922 she flew it to an altitude of 14,000 feet, setting a world record for women pilots. In May 1923, Earhart became the sixteenth woman to be issued a pilot's license by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI).

So if there is anyone out there who hasn't done this, you are hereby tagged.

Lenten Trivia

2008-02-04T21:04:00.001-06:00

Everybody is talking about how early Ash Wednesday is this year. I looked it up and discovered that this will not only be the earliest it will fall in our lives, but also in our children's and grandchildren's lives as well* since the next time isn't until 2160. Happy Boy's birthday falls during Lent this year, but fortunately it won't ever again.

Someone asked me what the cycle was of repeating Easter dates. I had to look it up and learned that it repeats exactly every 5,700,000 years. I suspect that having leap years greatly complicates things.

The Eastern churches calculate Easter differently due to still using the Julian Calendar, so it will never fall this early for them, but their Easter can sometimes fall as late as May.

* Assuming that our grandchildren are in existence now, which mine aren't, so they probably will not see Ash Wednesday ever this early unless they live to be Very Old.

Oops!

2008-01-30T22:28:00.000-06:00

My one year anniversary was on Monday and I totally forgot. I guess that is what I get for rarely blogging anymore.

In other news, we finally succumbed to our desire to see Season Two of Lost, so we signed up for Netflix. Now we just have to exercize the will power to cancel the subscription after the first month when we have seen the movies that our library doesn't carry.

What's Your Contraction Grammar Like?

2008-01-27T22:28:00.000-06:00

This was fun. I don't know how well I would do with a spelling quiz though. Spelling seems to be my downfall. Well, spelling and proofreading.

You Scored an A

You got 10/10 questions correct.

It's pretty obvious that you don't make basic grammatical errors.

If anything, you're annoyed when people make simple mistakes on their blogs.

As far as people with bad grammar go, you know they're only human.

And it's humanity and its current condition that truly disturb you sometimes.

The It's Its There Their They're Quiz

I am such a nerd, sometimes I shock even myself

2008-01-25T17:52:00.000-06:00

For Christmas Happy Boy received a set of unit blocks. I didn't think too much about their actual name but just thought of them as "blocks".

One day we were playing with the blocks and out of curiosity I thought I would see they would fit together for the Pythagorean Theorem. They did! They really were "unit" blocks!

When that worked, I got way too excited and took the large triangles and started showing Happy Boy all the blocks they were equal to apart, and all the blocks they were equal to when placed together. (There are lots of other blocks in addition to the ones pictured.) He had no idea what I was talking about, but it made me so happy that I had to tell my husband when he got home.

Scary, isn't it?

Dog Days of January

2008-01-23T20:41:00.000-06:00

Okay, so I know that January doesn't have Dog Days, but it does need something to describe it. The Slow-Depressing-Cabin-Fever-Pull-Out-My-Hair-Because-We're-
All-Going-Crazy-Days sounds a wee bit too awkward.

Happy Boy is going through a mental growth spurt, which experience has taught me goes hand-in-hand with a disobedience spurt. Today Happy Boy dropped a container of lemonade aid on the floor. Yesterday he poured a whole bottle of red wine vinegar into the bread machine and onto the counter. The other day he got into the food coloring. For the past several days there have been huge liquid messes of one sort or other on the floor that we got to clean up.

It has been mostly in the twenties and thirties here lately. I know that is downright balmy for some people, but for us warm blooded folks it makes outdoor activities difficult to do. Yesterday we all went on a walk and the only person brave enough to be out was someone who had to walk his dog. I decided that without gloves or mittens, we probably should have stayed home.

I am not a skirts-only type of person, but that is what I mostly wear since they fit better due to my shapeliness (or lack thereof). Because it has been so cold I have been wearing pants more often, and my favorite pair just got a hole in the knee.

On a happier note, we are in the middle of saying a novena to St. Thomas Aquinas which lists different virtues of his each day. It reminds me why I love him so much. It also reminds me of when I first fell in love with him, my junior year in college. Just thinking about him makes me feel happy.

Tomorrow is the feast of my husband's patron saint, so I will have to think of something special for him. St. Francis de Sales the patron saint of writers, but I don't know how to incorporate that into a dessert.

Try This Game if You Are Bored

2008-01-17T22:04:00.000-06:00

Fill in the blanks. The last two letters of the first word are the first two of the next. The last two of the last are the first two of the first. I will give one word in the combox as a hint in case you need it. Happy thinking.

_ _ iv_ _
_ _ot_ _
_ _ic_ _
_ _ng_ _
_ _ra_ _

Weird Political Trivia

2008-01-15T22:04:00.000-06:00

I recently found out that Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza and of the Ave Maria empire, sold his pizza company to Mitt Romney. Now he is endorsing Romney for President.

What a strange turn of events.

GPS Oddities

2008-01-05T22:32:00.000-06:00

We recently got a GPS device and is it ever a fun toy! My husband takes it with us just about everywhere he goes, even if it is as boring as driving to work and back. You never know when there might be a fun alternate route.

We have noticed that sometimes the information entered into the system was either not correct or misinterpreted by it. The first time it happened we were told to turn onto "Corporate Doctor" rather than Corporate Drive. It has never gotten doctors confused with drives before. . . Then, when I plugged in the address of the craft store, which happens to be on John D. Doe Avenue, I was told to turn onto "John the Five Hundredth Doe Avenue." I wonder how that humorous mix up happened?

By far the funniest directions that we have been given were when we were instructed to turn onto the Federated States of Micronesia 2468. It really was called F.M. 2468 but now every time we see an F.M. road we joke about going to Micronesia.

This and That

2007-12-30T22:57:00.000-06:00

Christmas was wonderful. There was very little stress and lots of family time. It gave me so much pleasure to see the joy on Happy Boy's face when he opened his stocking and presents. He even took joy in watching us open OUR stockings and presents. His favorite gift by far was a wind-up LED flashlight. Reeda's was a little stuffed girl gnome which my mother-in-law knitted for her.

I had requested no plastic toys (except for Duplos/ Legos) and no toys made in China. They received handmade toys, wooden toys, and educational items, so I was very pleased with that.

We watched the movie Miss Potter a couple days ago. Way back in May and June a couple different bloggers raved about it so I added my name to the library queue. Six months later it finally came up just before Christmas. I enjoyed the movie and now want to read the whole set of books. Luckily for me, Happy Boy was given the set for Christmas.

Tonight we watched the movie Freedom Writers. Except for foul language (which I actually think was appropriate given the context) it was a good movie. I suspect that many public school teachers (and especially the NEA) are like the department chair who worshiped bureaucracy rather than teachers who actually care about giving their students and education.

Some time before Christmas Reeda took her first step. It is still not a daily occurrence so we get very excited whenever it happens.

No More Classes!

2007-12-20T16:06:00.000-06:00

Yesterday my husband turned in his very last paper for his very last class. One of the perks of grad school is that many of the professors don't require finals so he is now officially done with coursework for his doctorate. Now he just has to take is comprehensive exams and write a several hundred page dissertation. . . We are both so relieved that this is behind us. The next big hurdle will be the exams in March, but I personally will find those easier than having my husband gone several nights a week. But then, I am not the one taking a three day test. :)

Christmas Novena Begins Today

2007-12-16T17:31:00.000-06:00

Here is the novena that our family says:

Novena to the Infant Jesus

Petition

O most holy Virgin, and blessed St. Joseph, obtain for us the grace to perform this novena with such attention, devotion, and ardent charity, as will entitle us to join the angels in rendering glory to God. Amen.

Let us say twelve times the Hail Mary, in remembrance of the care and solicitude shown by our Blessed Lady towards the Infant Jesus till His twelfth year.

Let us make three aspirations, to incline the Infant Jesus to turn His favorable attention on us.

O Divine Infant of Bethlehem, Whom we adore and acknowledge to be our sovereign Lord, come and take birth in our hearts. Amen.

O Infant Jesus, grant that each moment of our lives, we may pay homage to that moment in which Thou didst begin the work of our salvation. Amen.

O holy Mother of Our Infant Saviour, obtain that we may so prepare for His coming, as not to be separated from Him for all eternity. Amen.

Let us pray.

Most holy Infant Jesus, true God and true man, our Saviour and Redeemer; with all earnestness and respect, we beseech Thee, by that charity, humility and bounty, which Thou didst display in Thy Infancy, graciously undertaken for love of us, that Thou vouchsafe to grant us the favor we now beg, if it be for the honor of God and our salvation. Amen.

Here each one will beg in spirit the particular favor desired. Pause for a short time.

O most amiable Infant Jesus, we are most unworthy to be heard in this our petition; but Thy holy Mother, the Virgin Mary, and the great St. Joseph, Thy foster-father while on earth, are worthy to be heard soliciting in our behalf. Then, O divine Infant, being mindful of their most sublime merits, especially those they acquired during the time they served Thee in Thy infancy in Bethlehem, Thy flight into Egypt, and Thy childhood at Nazareth, vouchsafe to grant our request, and give us grace to promote the honor of Thy omnipotent infancy, to serve Thee with fidelity, as domestic servants, all the days of our lives, and to obtain a happy death, assisted in that last hour by the Blessed Virgin and St. Joseph, whose zeal for Thy honour will lead us to praise and bless Thy divine mercies forever and ever. Amen.

Anthem

Whilst deep silence dwelt on all things below, and the night was in the midst of its course, the almighty Word came down from its throne. Alleluia

Let us pray.

O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, vouchsafe to reduce Thy incarnated divinity and most divine humanity to the humiliating state of birth and infancy; grant that we, acknowledging Thy infinite wisdom in Thy infancy, Thy power in Thy weakness, and Thy majesty in Thy littleness, may adore Thee, a little one on earth, and behold Thee great in heaven; who livest and reignest with God the Father, in unity with the Holy Ghost, world without end. Amen.

Christmas Meme

2007-12-15T22:05:00.000-06:00

I haven't seen any Christmas memes going around this year, so I took this from someone's blogpost from last year to recycle it with my own answers.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Both

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? The presents are wrapped, but we don't do Santa. Do people actually not wrap presents?

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Colored on our big tree, white on the Jesse Tree.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you put your decorations up? It depends. Sometimes the first Sunday in Advent, sometimes later.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Clam chowder - Christmas Eve is the only time I make it all year.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child? Seeing the living room it by only the Christmas tree with the stockings stuffed and the presents under the tree.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? My mom told me when I was in fourth grade.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Not anymore. I did as a child.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With lights and ornaments but nothing edible.

11. Snow? Love it or Dread it? I like it coming down as long as I am safe and warm at home. I dread driving in it.

12. Can you ice skate? I suppose so. It has been a long time since I tried.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No.

14. What's the most exciting thing about the Holidays for you? Too many to count. To be brief I will say sounds, smells, colors and Liturgical practices.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Don't know for sure. Probably either gingerbread cake or gingerbread cookies.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Reciting the Christmas novena and O Antiphons leading up to Christmas.

17. What tops your tree? Nothing.

18. Which do you prefer - giving or receiving? Depends on the circumstances. I love giving to my husband and children, but not to people I barely know.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? O Holy Night.

20. Candy canes? No. I love peppermint, but not candy canes for some reason.

Since few people read my blog, I will tag anyone who wants to do this.

One Night with the King

2007-12-12T20:56:00.000-06:00

My husband and I recently watched One Night with the King, the movie about the Biblical figure Esther. It is hard to articulate what I think about the movie, but I will give it a shot.

You will probably like this movie if you watch it with a blank mind. If you know absolutely nothing about the story of Esther that will be a good thing. If you have never seen the Lord of the Rings trilogy, that is an even better thing. If not, then those two combined make the movie lame, lame, lame.

Well, to give the movie a fair chance, I must say that in no reviews that I read did people mention the LOTR similarities. Some Christians loved the artistic license with the screenplay and some did not. In other words, what bothered me may not bother you.

First of all, the movie is actually based on a book called Hadassah, not the book of Esther. I suppose that the artistic license taken in the movie was found in the book, but I am not going to read it to find out. An example of what I didn't like was that the only reason Xerxes believed that she was Jewish was because of a Star of David which was "hidden" in her necklace.

The Lord of the Rings was a great movie, but not to be duplicated. Sigh. Too many times did the director, screenwriter, and hair and makeup artists try to duplicate it. I know it wasn't just me, because my husband felt this way before I even mentioned it. A small example is that one of the antagonists in the movie also played Denethor, the Steward of Gondor in the LOTR. He looked exactly the same. All the way down to his hair and costume. Fortunately, the actor who played both Mordecai and Gimli actually looked like a Jewish scribe and not a dwarf. That would have been an amusing disaster.

If you have seen it, what did you think?

December Miscellany

2007-12-04T11:15:00.000-06:00

On Saturday we took the children to see Santa. We aren't going to tell them that Santa is the one who fills the stockings and brings the presents, but I just like the pictures. My husband thinks this is silly but humors me as long as pictures with Santa don't cost any money. Last year we couldn't find a "free" Santa, but this year a local Protestant church had a sign saying "Santa and donuts from nine to 10:30 - bring your camera!" I guess the plan was to lure people to their Christmas services, but it was free so we went. Unfortunately none of the pictures turned out that great, but oh well.

Sunday it was 78. The temperature dropped in the evening and we discovered our heater didn't work. Our apartment manager said that it won't be working until Wednesday. When I awoke this morning it was 51 in my bedroom and colder in Happy Boy's room.

Most of my Christmas shopping is done, but I still have to get a few things. I had been planning on a certain gift for my brother-in-law, but my husband was appalled at the thought of it, so I am back to searching.

One would think that if someone is ordering something online at Christmastime that that something has the potential to be a gift. In other words, when it is mailed to the customer it should be mailed in something that is not transparent in case said customer's spouse collects the mail. I guess not everyone does think like that.

Our Advent is going well. I feel like we are properly focused on the preparations for Christ's coming this year, rather than having four weeks of Christmas before the big day.

Anything interesting happening in your December?

Greatest English Novel?

2007-11-29T20:39:00.000-06:00

I read once that Alessandro Manzoni's The Betrothed is considered the greatest novel in Italian literature*. That got me to thinking about the greatest novels in other languages: in Spanish it is Don Quixote, in Russian it is The Brothers Karamazov, what is it in English?

Since my husband is in a graduate school which has a large literature student population, I started asking around. Most of the people I have asked said Moby Dick, although a couple said Persuasion and one said Pride and Prejudice. (There were a couple other answers which I don't remember.) When I searched online to see if I could find lists of great literature Ulysses is what came out on top most often.

What do you think the greatest English novel is?

*If you haven't read it then you ought to because it really is one the greatest novels in existence (in my humble uneducated-in-literature opinion).

Hooray!

2007-11-27T19:57:00.000-06:00

Reeda's godparents are engaged! When we chose them to be godparents they weren't even dating yet, so this is quite fortuitous. They are such a wonderful couple; we wish them the very best.

Happy Day-After Thanksgiving!

2007-11-23T17:11:00.000-06:00

How was your Thanksgiving? Mine was probably the most peaceful one I have ever had. We got together with a couple of people whom we knew in college. We provided the turkey, but they cooked it. I also made cranberry sauce and a pumpkin pie.

There was a nice surprise for us after dinner when someone pointed out the window and said that it was snowing. That was very exciting, especially since it had been warm enough to run the AC just two days previously.

Now we get to enjoy all the yummy leftovers. Hopefully I can find a couple recipes for casseroles that use leftover turkey, since we have several pounds of it.

Thanksgiving Countdown

2007-11-14T21:28:00.000-06:00

Do you know that Thanksgiving is a week from tomorrow? I just realized that today and it gave me quite a jolt. Normally, when a holiday is approaching I am doing all sorts of planning for it. This time I just plumb forgot.

We have absolutely no plans for Thanksgiving. In the four previous Thanksgivings of our marriage I have always had some sort of plan by the beginning of November. Since we have never lived near family we have always had to come up with our own plans for the holiday, and sometimes we even had backup plans. Not this year. This year I haven't purchased a single Thanksgiving-related item (unless you count pumpkin ice cream), or even thought about whether to fix any special items.

I guess I need to figure out if we will be spending it with others (so I only have to fix a couple dishes) or if we are having it by ourselves (so I have to do the whole shebang). I don't mind doing the whole thing, especially since my husband loves to help out in the kitchen, but I always felt that Thanksgiving is one of those holidays that are meant to be celebrated with others. It sees that some quick decisions are in order.

What are your Thanksgiving plans?

Tis the Season. . .

2007-11-08T21:53:00.000-06:00

For heaps of catalogs! Every day I get two or three in the mail. I try to get rid of them quickly, but sometimes I am not fast enough. If Happy Boy sees one he loves to take it and look at all the pictures.

Despite all the toy catalogs that he has looked at, the item he keeps coming back to time and again is the wet/dry vacuum from Lowe's! He loves vacuums - when they're off that is. (If they are on he is either on the couch in safety or screaming from fear.) To him, the vacuums in the catalog were like clothes for a fashionista. I couldn't wipe the drool away fast enough.

Emergency Preparedness Part II

2007-11-08T20:56:00.000-06:00

Sometimes when thinking about planning for emergencies or disasters I ask myself, "How much of this is prudence and how much of it is paranoia?" Different people will have different ideas of where the line is between the two and that can occasionally make discussions of disaster preparedness difficult.

In the two years before 2000 I heard many people talking about the Y2K bug with grave concern. I knew people who sold their home, move to the mountains and bought expensive solar paneled appliances for the eminent technological meltdown. I considered that paranoia, but they thought that people who didn't do that were in denial.

Here are what I consider the bare minimum preparations for emergencies for a prudent person:

Three days of water - one gallon per person per day.
Three days of food that can be eaten without cooking.
A manual can opener for said food.
Various sanitation supplies for bathroom, feminine, baby and cleaning needs.
Evacuation bags filled with clothes, diapers, light reading, first aid kit, etc.
A first aid kit separate from evacuation bags.
Flashlights and batteries.
Radio, either hand-crank or with extra batteries.
List of phone numbers of friends and relations and a designated out-of-state contact.

I know that some people would frown at the shortness of this list, but as I said this is the bare minimum. Most people don't even have this much ready. FEMA has its own list of essential items.

The Mormons are well known for being concerned about potential emergencies or disasters and many people think that they have crossed the line into paranoia. I have heard (but haven't varified) that Mormons have to have a least three months of food stored but are encouraged to have two years worth. Here is a blog post by a Mormon woman whose stake house had a mock disaster. It is humorous, but also is good food for thought.

One More Time

2007-11-07T22:10:00.000-06:00

More Chinese recalls, this time because they contain the same chemical formula as the "date rape drug." When will it stop? When western capitalists realize that quality and safety are more important than the almighty dollar padding their wallets.

I like capitalism as much as most Americans, but it is a flawed system and this is one of the problems with it.

This is a Surprise

2007-11-04T20:18:00.000-06:00

I found this over at Nutmeg's blog and was hoping to get college graduate status. I can't figure out how it came up with this. If only it were true. . .