{SQT} Ridiculous or Incredible Moments This Week

So many funny, exasperating and delicious things have happened; it's been a good week.

#1

My 3yo, Alice, informing me that "PENGUINS HAVE BUTTS!"

#2

My 6yo, Junior, telling me "I don't want to be a teenager because that's when all the girls fall in love with you."

#3

My 1yo, Lizzie, pointing at the silverware drawer, crying and hysterically wailing, "FORK! FORK! FORK!" until I gave her the SPOON she so desperately wanted.

#4

Me being caught up on laundry. Including having folded and put it all away. Who am I?

#5

This moment of silence. Really, Junior is spending the day with his Grandpa & cousin. Lizzie is napping and Alice is coloring her new purse quietly beside me.

#6

Reading this. And letting it wash over me. As a con(re)vert, I've never felt particularly close to Mary. I believe in the Assumption of Mary, but never gave it much thought. I just sort of figured, "well, Jesus loved his mom, so why not?" But this explanation makes all the sense in the world.

Additionally, it was a great reminder that my children that have died before birth are still with me. And they will be with me forever.

#7

I made this and I ate this and I regret nothing.

Linking up with Kelly today. You should check out some of the other fabulous bloggers that have linked up there too!

Our 6 Year Old and The New Evagelization

Awhile back, Archbishop Allen Vigneron, our Archbishop, was given "kudos" by the incomparable Fr. Z. Check it out.

Then we had an article in our local Catholic paper about him doing some street evangelization. What a surprise it was to see our Archbishop standing on the corner talking to people about our faith! He's a very approachable man and I admire him greatly.

We met him a couple years ago when he came to our parish to say Mass. We had thought he was coming the next week, so when we walked into the Saturday vigil mass we were really surprised to see him up in the Sanctuary. Our son, who was 4 years old at the time, was especially impressed and asked, "Is he the shepherd?"

After that Mass we had a chance to greet him in the gathering space. Our priests introduced us to him, though we had met him previously (not that he would remember us). He got down on his knees to talk with our old son, who wants to be a priest when he grows up. It was a very precious moment; one that he still remembers and talks about.

With such a focus on the New Evangelization, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that our son takes this call very seriously and has taken it upon himself to share Jesus with everyone he meets.

He used to cry at Mass because he wasn't able to receive the Eucharist yet (he still isn't). He would cry because he's not old enough to be an Altar Server. He would beg to go to Catechism to talk about Jesus (he goes now though and he loves learning about Jesus). He and the girls genuflect and wave to Jesus in the Tabernacle when we get to and leave Mass saying, "Hi/Bye Jesus, I love you!" He and the girls ask if we can go see Jesus when we pass our Church. He asks if we can just stop in for a few minutes to see Jesus in the chapel whenever we are on the campus. He used to talk about Jesus so much at his daycare center, they asked him to stop (and I told him he could keep right on talking about Him as much as he wanted). He was always telling his teacher to take good care of herself because Jesus loves her very much and has special things for her to do that only she can do.

For the longest time he carried a 6-inch crucifix in his pocket when we would run errands. He took it out to hold it all the time. He would hold it up to people we'd pass in the stores and says, "do you know Jesus? He died on the cross for you because He loves you." Once, he let an older woman hold and kiss his crucifix at the grocery store and when she gave it back to him with tears in her eyes he said, "Mama, she loves my Jesus too."

While walking through the hardware super store, he shouted out to some people that were passing by, "Hey! Do you love Jesus too? He sure does love you!"

Oh to have his boldness! I don't though. Here is my 6 year old leading me in the New Evangelization. He is not shy about sharing his Jesus and his love for God with everyone he meets. His utter and sheer confidence in his faith, as elementary as it may be, forces me out of my shell. When he talks to strangers about the Lord, he'll look over at me and ask, "is Jesus happy with me for telling that man about Him?" Of course He is, son. He is thrilled to see you sharing your love for God with everyone you meet.

Maybe when Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me" He knew that the adults would follow; parents would be right behind their children. Not many people, even in today's culture, can turn away from a bright-eyed child telling them that Jesus loves them. It always makes them smile.

So in that vein, I've stepped out of my comfort zone a bit and shared a part of my faith walk with The 3:15 Project. The project is named after 1 Peter 3:15 which says, "Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope." 

I hope you'll watch my video and share it with others. Go to the site and watch some of the other videos of people's testimonies. God has worked in people's lives in miraculous ways and He wants to come into your life and transform it with his love if you'll let Him.

#5Faves: Books to Read with My Kids

I am a reader. I hope my kids love reading when they grow up as much as I do.

While only one of my kids is a reader at the moment, we still do lots and lots of reading around these parts. The best way to pass on my love of reading is by reading to my kids often. I don't do it nearly enough, but we try to sneak in some reading as often as we can. I'll usually suggest we read a book before we allow TV or videos to come on at our house.

While I'm not against TV, and I don't necessarily limit screentime, I simply insist on doing some reading before the TV lights up (after I'm up for the day, of course. Before I'm up, they can watch all the TV they want provided they don't make a bunch of screaming + crying = racket.)

Here are five of our favorite books that we read to the kids:

(1)

Snuggle Up, Sleepy Ones by Claire Freedman

We got this book more than 5 years ago for our son when he was about 1 year old. Reading this book just before he was tucked into bed became a tradition. It is a rhyming book, but the rhymes are so sweet and simple that rather than riling up my kids, they calm them right down. My children all eagerly point out all the animals, moths and bugs which helps develop their speech and helps them learn new animals. The illustrations are delightful, with the nighttime colors lulling the kids to sleep.

(2)

Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

A classic of epic proportions. My children have watched the movie and are entranced whenever I put it on. Even my 6yo boy will ask to watch Anne of Green Gables on a rainy afternoon...though he covers his eyes when she twists her ankle in the woods with Diana because he thinks it is too spooky (how cute is that?!?!). I started reading it while they are in the room playing and not necessarily making them sit and listen. Even though it is way above their reading, and truthfully, above their comprehension level, I still enjoy reading it to them. It helps to enhance and enrich their vocabulary to hear such lusciously descriptive narratives and words they have never heard before. My son will ask what new words mean and he picks up some more formal speech patterns every now and then. I love the wholesome nature of the books, the characters, the love of learning and the "each day is fresh with no mistakes in it yet" attitude.

(3)

If I Built a Car by Chris Van Dusen

 Such a fun and imaginative read. My 2yo screams, "MOM, WHAT *IS* DAT?!" on every single page while we work our way through the little boy's imagined car invention. My 1yo likes looking at the pictures and shouting incoherently while trying to tear the pages from their binding. My 6yo gets all sorts of inspired and immediately asks for paper, crayons and markers so he can start designing his own car. Then the 2yo sits and draws for awhile too while the 1yo eats crayons (but not the asbestos crayons, I think hope). It is just such a fun book to get the kids excited about science and inventing. I find their little imaginations to be stimulated and their creative juices flow for hours after listening to me read it to them.

(4)

Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner

 We received this book one year from some teacher friends along with a Snowman Decorating Kit. What a perfect gift for a small child! The book is adorably illustrated with hidden objects on many of the pages. The snowmen look like they have all kinds of fun at night and the book very cleverly "explains" why snowmen look so wonky and tired in the morning. My kids just love searching for the hidden objects and they have even more ideas about what other mischief snowmen get into at night.

(5)

Magnificat

This little gem has all the readings for each mass, the order of the mass, morning and evening prayers, reflections and devotionals. We get the adult version and use it to read Sunday's readings to the kids each evening all week long.

It's a lot of work to incorporate it into our evening routine, but we've found that the children get more out of Sunday mass if they have some idea of what to expect to hear each week. We spend the entire week doing the readings and taking to the kids about them. We ask what they remember about the various readings. We talk about what they mean, explain new vocabulary, and discuss liturgical seasons and feast days. Our kids are still young, but by starting this habit now hopefully they will carry it with them for many years.

And as a bonus for the adults...if we miss the readings due to the tiny tornadoes around our knees and ankles, we still know what is going on, what the priest is talking about and what we were supposed to have just heard.

Any books off the beaten path that you would recommend? We have quite a library going at home and would enjoy adding some of your faves to our collection.

Now it's time to go see Jenna, our hostess with the mostest, and check out some of the other bloggy favorites lists.

*NOTE:  These are NOT affiliate links. I was not asked to review these books, nor do I receive any compensation for recommending these books. I just happen to like these books. All opinions are my own.

A Break from Motherhood

I spend more time alone with my children than I ever thought I would.

My husband travels for his job and when he is on a trip is gone for weeks at a time. Being the only adult in the house means 

I am always taking into account my husband’s thoughts on each and every thing I decide because even though he isn’t here most of the time, his feelings count and he deserves a say, a vote or at least a sideways glance at his opinion on most of these matters.

There are a few things I don’t do. Since I left my outside the home job almost two years ago, I don’t have to go to work to bring home a paycheck. I also don’t get any time to myself. I get no commute alone in the car to listen to the radio station of my choice. I get no lunch break. I get no bathroom breaks.

OK, that last one isn’t true. I do get bathroom breaks. I get to trip over toddlers as I potty-dance my way to the restroom where (if I’ve made it without peeing my own pants) all toilet related activities will be performed under the watchful eyes of my two year old and one year old.

Recently, my sweet two year old with the wavy hair, heart shaped face and twinkly brown eyes kicked the mirrored hallway closet door shattering it.

I dutifully made sure she was alright, then scolded her and put her in her room for a cool-down while I vacuumed up the broken mirror shards and applied packaging tape to hold the remaining pieces together so I could remove the door for disposal.

I packed up the kids in the car and headed out to the hardware store to buy a replacement, a wooden door without a mirror.

I navigated the store with the kids, enduring only one HUGE meltdown by the child who made the outing necessary (mean-mommy refused her “request” to run away walk in the hardware store instead of riding in the cart), several small squabbles when the six year old rubbed his fancy-footed freedom in the two year old's open wound of cart-lockdown like a fistful of kosher salt. We bought the new closet door and made our way home again.

The next day my kind and generous father came to help me replace the door.

Three days later, I was sitting on the living room floor repairing the front window screen (which had been helpfully pushed from its frame by the two & one year olds, of course), when the two year old walked on top of the screen at my feet.

“Get off the screen and go play with your toys in the family room,” I shouted, pulling her by her arm in the direction which she needed to go.

Straight lines not being a thing with which small children are familiar (see also: listening, not eating food off the floor, and staying in bed after being lovingly tucked in for the 58^th time that night), she promptly ambled over to the hallway, flung open the NEW hallway closet door, gripped it tightly between her sticky hands, clung to it with her 31lb frame and ripped it from its track.

I stared at the dangling door, bent frame, and small child saying ever so quietly, without any hint of actual remorse, “oops! I sorry, mama!”.

I started shaking as I walked her to her room, placed her on her bed and walked away.

From behind her closed bedroom door, her screams of remorse landed on her sympathetic brother’s ears.  As our home’s designated peace envoy, he descended upon me ready to negotiate the prisoner’s release. He looked up at me with his how-now-brown-cow eyes, begging mercy on his sister’s behalf. I took him by the hand and walked him to his room and closed the door causing him to redirect his efforts to his own release.

The one year old sat happily in the family room strewing DVD cases around her at random, pausing now and then to chew a piece of paper and shove the ensuing spitball up her nose.

What could I do? All that was left was to speed dial my mom. Physically shaking, my voice breaking, I said, “what are you doing right now? I need to not be with my children right now. Can you come over, please?”

She was already on her way two minutes later when I called back to say never mind; that I had pulled myself together and she could go about her day.

I got out. I went to the hardware store to buy the parts to fix the door and to the grocery store. I wandered a book store. I stopped for a soda.

I came home and cried on my mother’s shoulder. She told me that it was going to be OK. That even moms who longed to be moms, moms who fought infertility to become moms, moms who love being moms need a break from being mom now and then.

After putting my minions to bed, tethered within the walls of our home again, I folded the laundry, finished the dishes, cleaned up the toys and swept the floor. Because I'm the mom.