Recently in family chit chat Category

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Better Late than Never - It's been a busy week, but May is usually a busy month anyway! I was late posting yesterday's {pretty, happy, funny real} but I posted them this morning. They are photos from Matthew's first birthday. :-)

That Sex Book - I have been working on rereading the book Style, Sex & Substance by Hallie Lord and I have been posting my thoughts on each chapter online. When some of my family members heard that I was posting about the book, they were a little concerned and a little opposed to "that pink Catholic sex book." I tried to explain that it wasn't actually a "sex book." After reading my thoughts on chapter 1 (Catholic womanhood), chapter 2 (style & modesty) and chapter 3 (prayer) I think I finally convinced them that just because "sex " is in the title, that is not what the whole book is about. Although I may have to have them skip my blog next Wednesday since Chapter 4 is about sex. (So concerned family members, be forewarned! ;-)

Mother's Day Giveaway - Speaking of the scandal causing Hallie, she is having a Mother's Day Contest and the prizes rock! They include:
--A copy of "Style, Sex, and Substance" signed by all 10 contributors.
--A Moleskin Journal in which a woman could-if she pleased-journal her answers to the questions provided at the end of each chapter.
--A Zebra Ballpoint Pen-which is the single best pen ever created by man (don't even try to debate me on this one)-to use for said journaling.
--A Lavender Aromatherapy Candle to provide pretty lighting and a sweet scent.
--Lavender Bath Salts if she chooses to read her new book in the bath.
--A copy of Audrey Assad's new CD, Heart, to play while she reads, journals, and/or soaks.
--A small collection of Sephora beauty samples that I've collected over the last few months.
--And some sort of sweet treat.

She will send the gift to the winner directly or you can request that it be sent to a relative or friend instead. Sorry, guys, but if this mama wins it, I'm keeping it. ;-)

Dim the Lights, Please - Are you an American Idol fan? I have watched it for a few years then skipped the last two seasons. However, when my mom was here two weeks ago to help Brian with the kids while I was away with Bella, we recorded the show for her on our DVR. After I returned we sat up together and watched and I started getting sucked back into the show. Although towards the end I was falling asleep on the couch (still tired from all the camping) as my mom told me about each contestant and their background and what Jimmy had to say about them, etc. I just kept thinking to myself that I needed to go to bed...and who the heck is Jimmy? LOL! Well, this week I actually watched Wednesday's episode. (Although I sort of cheated and fast- forwarded commercials, Ryan, the judges, and any song that didn't grab me in the first 10 seconds. I easily fit the two hour show into my allotted ½ hour viewing time.) I did think that each contestant did an awesome job, at least with their first songs. I even found myself texting "vote" for Phil Philips, which is my mom's favorite. Yesterday I was shocked that Skylar was voted off. I thought her country kick #$% attitude and talent would have put her in the top 3. Oh, well. We'll see hat happens next week.

Flashback Friday Five - Since I am running out of quick takes to mention, here is an RoL Birthday flashback from the first year I started blogging. This Friday Five was posted on Aug 22, 2003.

1. When was the last time you laughed? Last night with Brian. It doesn't take much to get me laughing.

2. Who was the last person you had an argument with? Myself. Sometimes I am just sooo exasperating.

3. Who was the last person you emailed? My sister BC.

4. When was the last time you bathed? About an hour ago. (I assume showers count. Actual sit-in-the-tub bathing?...who knows. A little thing called reality prevents that.

5. What was the last thing you ate? The last bite of Bella's banana that she was about to throw on the floor. (No, I wouldn't have eaten it if it actually hit the floor.)

Déjà vu - You know what is funny about that Friday Five? It is almost a decade later and if I answered those questions today it would be almost identical!

1. The same! He is my joy, ;-)
2. The same! She is still exasperating.
3. Almost the same. Just change "email" to "text" and switch it from my sister "BC" to my other sister "JC."
4. The same!
5. Almost the same. Just change "Bella's banana" to "Matthew's strawberry."

Wow, I don't know if that is really sweet...or really pathetic.

Only 7 Days Left - Don't forget that you can still sign up for the RoL Birthday Contest. A winner will be picked on May 11. You can leave a comment on this post or just email me your name to join. Here are the 5 gifts you could win in your care package:

Gift 1 - Choose one of the following Catholic books below. (These are all books I've read and loved or I've heard great reviews and want to read soon.)

Gift 3 - A Small (4x6) Divine Mercy Icon

Gift 4 - Mystic Monk Coffee or Tea (Your Choice)

Gift 5 - Chocolate (What's A Care Package without Chocolate?!)

Good luck and have a great weekend!

WAIT! THERE IS A P.S. - After I posted this and added my link to Jen's site, I just remembered two other quick takes I was supposed to mention! So I'm added on some bonus quick takes.

Once Upon A Time - The first is trivial but have you been watching Once Upon A Time? I never got to post my Monday's TV Talk and I barely caught up with the last episode. We were right. August was Pinocchio! But is Emma ever going to believe? Would you have denied a baby the care of her mother in order to save your own child? There are only two shows left. What do you think the cliffhanger will be??

Chen - The second is more serious. Have you been keeping up with the story of Chen Guangcheng, the forced abortion opponent? I have been following his story for awhile and I heard about his escape a few days ago. My mind immediately thought of the apostle Paul when he escaped prison. (Acts 16:26) Keep him in your prayers, as well as his family who are being punished because of his escape. He has done incredible work in promoting the value of all life as well as condemning the horrors of abortion and infanticide. (LifeNew.com has been a great job at keeping us up to date on the situation.)

Okay, this time I am really going. ;-)

This week's {pretty, happy, funny, real} is going to be a little different. I wanted to share a few photos from the trip Bella and I took with her class last week. They could be considered in more than one category so I'll just lump them as one big {p,h,f,r} category.

Bella's fourth grade class has been learning about California history. She is working on her Missions project right now, which is special since Bl. Junipero Serra is buried at the Carmel Mission. (Our family parish.) Last week her class took a two day trip to Sacramento and the Gold Country.

After our stay and tour at the capital, we headed to our camp in Coloma, CA. The surrounding area was so pretty and the camp was situated right along the American River.

We stopped at various places and museums - Sutter's Mill, Sutter's Fort, A Gold Mine, etc.

One of my favorite visits of our trip was to the California State Railroad Museum. It was amazing! I told Brian we have to go back and bring the boys with us. They would love it.

We learned all about the First Transcontinental Railroad. They actually had the Central Pacific Railroad No. 1 Gov. Stanford, which was Central Pacific's first excursion train in the 1860's.

I hope you enjoyed this tiny peek into California. :- )

Please say a prayer for me and for Bella. We're going to her class trip to Sacramento and the Gold Country. We'll leave at the crack of dawn and will be gone for a couple of days. I'd appreciate it if you prayed that we have a safe journey...and that Brian survives caring for the boys while we're gone. (Thankfully my mom flew up from So Cal to help out.) I'll post pics next week. :-)

In the meantime, in honor of RoL's 9th bday, here is a flashback post from 2003 that also has to do with traveling.

Man, I love visiting my family for these week-long trips but I hate all the packing and unpacking. Brian can always manage to put all his stuff in one small suitcase but Bella and I have loads of bags of things we "need" to take with us! I tell you, if God answers our prayers for another child soon we'd also better add "and a mini-van" to the prayer because I don't know how I'm going to fit another human being in our car on these 400 mile long trips! But I guess that's another story.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, really touching. (Except for the fact that my sister EL was missing! But we'll ALL be together during our Christmas visit. :)

Oh my gosh, then the day after thanksgiving we girls hit the malls for all those insane bargains you'll get if you arrive at 3am and stand on your head while reciting "Twas the Night before Christmas" in Spanish. I refused to stand on my head but I did manage to get $100 worth of savings before making morning Mass. But that's not the story I'm meaning to tell...

At the end of the day my two sisters and I were tired and hungry. We stopped at a fast food place to grab a quick bite for the drive home (which would take an hour). We're sitting in the parking lot passing out the food and straws when a cop circles around my sister's truck. My sister jokingly says, "Hey, that cop thinks we're suspicious; he's checking us out." I told my other sister to hold up her pepsi so he can see we're just eating. They laugh until the cop parks behind us and gets out of the car.

He walks slowly over to us and shines his flashlight into the backseat where I was sitting. It was not yet dusk but the windows are tinted. He asked where we were headed. My sister told him but he just looks suspiciously at us. I noticed that he also looked a little nervous so I told him, "We've been shopping all day and we just stopped to eat our dinner, officer." Obviously he has nothing to worry about unless we decide to attack him with the pair of pajamas and slippers I got on sale.

Well, in the meantime, we hadn't noticed that there was a whole gang of policemen driving up and surrounding our car. We were blocked in making it impossible for us to "escape". Finally the cop realized that we were not dangerous. (I should have offered him one of our tacos). He apologized and explained that someone just called in that there was a silver truck (same as ours) with some guys and a girl (so now I look like a guy?) and they had a gun. (Okay, no wonder he looked a little freaked.) My sister then let him know that we had just seen that truck and the kids he was talking about. They took off when we entered the parking lot a few minutes ago. The cop thanked us and he and all his buddies removed their cars so we could leave in peace. (Thanks be to God. )

When we got home and told our family the story my mom just shook her head and half-jokingly said, "You see what happens when you take Bobbi with you. She always has a way of being involved in some kind of escyndalo!"

Hmmm, I prefer to think of it as more like adding a little spice to life. haha!

Have a great weekend!

Thirteen years ago on this day, after five months of writing, emailing and phone calling Brian and I shared our first meet, first date, and first kiss. Since then, he has given me a little taste of heaven every day that we are together. I love you, Sweetie! This song always makes me think of you. xoxo

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Rain, Rain Go Away... - This month we are definitely getting the April showers that bring May flowers but I don't remember every having such a wet April before. Having lived in Southern California for the first three decade of my life, I am used to one kind of weather pattern - sunny. Now that I am living on the central coast of California, I am used to two kinds of weather - sunny or cool and foggy. So having four days in a row of rain and a thunder and lightning storm last night, well, that worthy of its own Quick Take! I just hope that the rain stops by next week because Bella is going on a two day trip with her class to Sacramento and the Gold Country to learn about California history. I'll be one of the chaperones and although we won't be sleeping in tents (I think it's more of a primitive cabin) I'd rather do it in sunny weather!

The Family Tree Grows - It may be grey and dreary but we received joyous news this week - my sister EL gave birth to her fourth child, a little girl named Harriet Rose. Congratulations, sis! And I am an aunt for the fifth time. Yay! Just call me Auntie B. ;-) Look at her...how sweet is she?!

(This Quick Take is long so it counts as two.)

Accidents, Threats & Videotapes - Unfortunately that bit of news was hampered a couple days later when I got into a car accident. Remember what I said about the rain? On Tuesday, I dropped the boys off at pre school. Bella was on Easter break so she, Matthew and I were driving home. Just as we turned around a bend in the highway there was a pile up from a previous accident. I hit the brakes and the car seemed to slide all over the road but I was able to stop in time. I breathed a sigh of relief and just as I was thinking, "I hope the guy in back of me stops in time...bam! We get slammed from behind. I move to the side of the road and the woman (60ish?) was very apologetic. We see that no one is hurt and the damage doesn't look too bad etc. As we exchange info some guy comes up and starts videotaping us. She walks over to him and tells him to turn off his video camera (it was a larger one), that the accident is over, this is a private matter etc. They sort of get into it and I hear the guy yell, "I know my rights... don't touch me... I'm suing... assault... " and the like. I'm thinking what kind of crazy guy is this and why is she talking to him and not ignoring him so we can get out of here?

I finish writing my info down (I already had hers) and I see the lady talking and gesturing to the guy as he is walking backwards videotaping her, sort of egging her on. Soon they have walked so far down the road I can't see them anymore. I look around. Am I being punked? Should I leave? I left my info in her car and got back into my van and out of the rain. I am sitting there wondering if I should make a u-turn and go find the lady. I don't want her to get hurt. Thankfully, just then some cops stopped to make sure I am okay. I explain to them what happened and they said I could leave and they'd go and check on the guy and the lady. To make a long story short (oops, too late!) the lady came back safely. (And she has been more than generous in making sure we are okay.) She told me later that the guy likes to videotape people and threatens to sue but he has no case here. Meanwhile, my Sienna is in the shop to see what kind of damage has been done. However, if you are browsing the internet and you find a YouTube video of an older woman arguing with some random guy on the road and you see a short, chubby Hispanic mom with a WTH? look on her face in the background, you'll know that's me. ;-)

Do Re Mi Fa So La Ti - After that harrowing accident, Bella and I decided to go home and make a cup of hot chocolate, warm up some cinnamon rolls for breakfast and watch an old movie. We've been on a musical kick and it all started when she said they were singing songs from the Sound of Music in her music class. I told her we should watch the movie together since every night when the boys are going to sleep and Brian is showering or getting things ready for work the next day, Bella and I have a half hour window where we cuddle up on the couch and watch a movie (well, a portion of it) together. Sometimes it will be a Disney tween movie or an episode of Good Luck, Charlie (which I, ahem, actually enjoy) but last week I put on The Sound of Music instead. She loved it! We watched a little each night, completing it twice. This week we finished watching Meet Me in St. Louis with Judy Garland. Tonight we are going to start the 1949 version of Little Women with June Allyson. It's not actually a musical but it is such a sweet movie, I think she'll like it. Any other suggestions of what we should watch? (She prefers color and is not really into black and white, which is a bummer since ¾ of my movie collection is in B&W.)

Birthday Contest - I also wanted to mention, if you haven't been reading the blog regularly (What? Am I the only one with 500 posts in my Google reader waiting to be read??) that we are celebrating the blogs 9th birthday with a contest. You can win an RoL care package that will include your choice of books (selections include Style, Sex and Substance, The Catholics Next Door, The Book of Saints for Catholic Moms and The Catholic Girl's Survival Guide for the Single Years) as well as a Divine Mercy icon, Mystic Monk coffee or tea and, of course, chocolate. Get the details here.

Flashback Friday Five - Back in 2003, bloggers looked forward to filling out "The Friday Five" at the end of the week. I'll close with a flashback of what I posted nine years ago, almost to the day.

Friday Five: Music Edition

1. What was the first band you saw in concert? Let's see, years back it was a big Rock for Life concert in Orange County, CA. I think that first really got me into Christian alternative/hardcore music. But one of the first concerts I most vividly remember was when I drove to Santa Barbara, CA with my sister BC to see the hardcore band Focused. Oh, those guys were so awesome and so in love with God. They were the first band I ever interviewed (for the underground music zine I used to do.) Ah, such memories!

2. Who is your favorite artist/band now? Okay, you can tell I am a mommy now because at the moment I am listening to "Wags the Dog" by the Wiggles. (It is Bella's Wiggle's hour; that is the only time I am guaranteed some uninterrupted computer time!) But as far as I'm concerned, I have been listening to a lot of Jeremy Camp, Kutless, and Sixpense None the Richer. But I must say that I also loooove 80's alternative music - The Cure, The Smiths, Morrissey, New Order, Psychedelic Furs, etc. Plus, good old classics like Dean Martin (reminds me of our honeymoon. Sigh.)

3. What's your favorite song? This is a tough one. The song that always reminds me of Brian is The Cure's "Lovesong." I never tire of it.

4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be? Um, I always wished I could play the guitar, write my own music and sing my own songs. I may be able to get away with writing lyrics but the only instrument I can play is the Fisher-Price toddler drum set and my voice it not fit for anyplace other than the car while driving or perhaps in church if the choir sings real loud and drowns me out.

5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why? Back in my teen days I may have said someone like Morrissey from the Smiths but now I just see musical "icons" as regular joes and can't think of one in particular that I'd single out. So I'll have to think about that one.

LOL! Have a great weekend!

Happy birthday, RoL! It's hard to believe that nearly 10 years ago (it'll be 10 years in Nov) Brian and I were a young married couple who loved the Catholic faith and loved to write so we started Revolution of Love.com. The following year on April 11, 2003, I started this blog as an outlet to chat about every day life and to have someplace to put fun and less serious posts.

That was nine years ago! Even though I've been around awhile there were some years I took a break from writing and only posted a handful of times. In 2003, I only had 22 posts. In 2011, I had over 100 so I am slowly making time to post regularly. ;-)

Whatever the amount, I still want to celebrate being here and the new friends I've met along the way so I'm having a RoL Birthday contest! To enter the contest, just leave a comment or send me an email at rol@revolutionoflove.com. (I know the comment box hasn't been working for some people.) In one month, on May 11, 2012, I'll randomly pick a winner to receive an RoL care package, which will contain these 5 gifts:

Gift 1 - Choose one of the following Catholic books below. (These are all books I've read and loved or I've heard great reviews and want to read soon.)

Gift 3 - A Small (4x6) Divine Mercy Icon

Gift 4 - Mystic Monk Coffee or Tea (Your Choice)

Gift 5 - Chocolate (What's A Care Package without Chocolate?!)

Over the next few weeks I'll have "Flashback" posts - favorite posts or articles from RoL and the blog and reminders to enter the contest. I hope you enjoy the fun and good luck!

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

TTIF Already? - How can it possibly be Friday already? The days we were absent from school has thrown me off so in my mind it feels like it's only Wednesday. On the one hand, that's great news since it is the weekend already. On the other hand, I'm two days short with the things I had to get done this week. Oh, well. That means I better quickly get this done and get back to work.

BaSP Blog Contest - First things first, I have to tell you that you must go over to my sister's blog Barefoot and Sometimes Pregnant and enter her Year 3 Blog Birthday contest. She is simply fabulous! Whereas I share with you my struggles to keep a clean house or get more crafty or not kill my garden within the first few weeks, EL is a Martha Stewart-like chica. She is the sister most likely to be in labor with her fourth child and in between contractions she'll manage to bake a loaf of bread, can a jar of preserves, gather vegetable in her garden for a homemade stew, milk the cow, sew a new outfit for the baby and whittle a baby crib. I kid you not. She amazes me. Anyway... she says:

Since barefoot and sometime pregnant is all about homemaking, I am giving away the perfect gift for any homemaker or future homemaker. Enter to win a copy of Style, Sex and Substance by Hallie Lord (if you already have a copy, you can give this one away to a friend), an All-in-one Organizer from the company thirty-one, and a custom apron. Yes, I will sew you an apron of your choice! (I will give you some pattern types to choice from and fabric options.) The giveaway will close on Sunday and I will post the winner on Monday.

Click on over and tell her that I sent you! ;-)

Call Me Aunt B. - Oh, and also keep my sister in your prayers because she is now 39 weeks pregnant and any day she could have baby #4 (although she tends to go late.) We are all excited to meet our new family member! I can't wait to see if I'm an auntie to a little niece or nephew.

RoL - Speaking of Blog Birthdays, this year our original website Revolution of Love.com will be ten years old in November! Can you believe it?! We started it when we were newly married and only had Bella. I had a lot more time to write back then! Since I was still new to mommyhood I wrote more for newly married couples and Catholic singles. There are a few articles about dating/courtship and chastity that still get a lot of hits. That's why we haven't pulled the site off the web. Over the next few months I'll be reposting some of those articles here since the blog gets a lot for traffic that the website does.

Man, I'm Old - As for this blog, next month I'll have been blogging for nine years! My first post was back in 2003. That's just crazy. Although I've been around awhile, some years I only posted a handful of times. In 2003 I have only 22 posts. (Although, I did delete a few that had dead links or outdated info.) I think 2011 is the first year that I posted consistently with over 100 posts. Okay, okay. Useless facts. I'll celebrate next month and, inspired by my sis, I'll put together a little contest too. :-)

The Hunger Games vs The Flu - My mom called while I was typing and she asked me how the movie was last week. I forgot I was going to mention that. (Thanks for the reminder, mom.) As I mentioned last week, I had just finished reading The Hunger Games and planned to go see the movie on Saturday. That is a story in itself. Friday night my stomach was a little queasy but I didn't think much of it. Matthew woke up at 6:30 AM but I was really feeling awful. Brian took the baby, I got sick and then went back to bed and slept until 10 AM. I woke up feeling a bit out of it but not too bad. I figured I must have gotten food poisoning. Brian said if I was up to it I could go ahead and go to the movies since I already bought my ticket and who knows when I'd get another afternoon off. True. I got ready and went. The movie was packed but luckily I found a secluded seat where I wouldn't be touching anyone, in case I really was sick.

The movie started and from the get go it was amazing. I thought they did a great job making the book come alive on the screen, editing what they needed to but still keeping the tone of the book. I certainly think you'd get more out of the movie if you read it first because there are a lot of subtle things that you won't pick up on unless you've read the book first. And although it was not gory-graphic it was still incredibly disturbing to see little kids get murdered like that. More disturbing was the fact that it was also viewed as reality tv/entertainment. With the current obsession with reality TV and the growing lack of disrespect for life, it does not seem too far fetched to think that we could one day return to the days of the martyrs in the Roman Coliseum.

As the movie continued we got to the part where Katniss was looking for the hurt Peeta and we lost our picture. We could hear it but not see it. We sat there as they tried to fix it. The manager came in and told us they were working on it but they couldn't rewind what we missed because it would throw off the show times for the people behind us. The theater nearly had a District 11 riot (that was one of the last scenes we just saw) when he told us that. Finally they got the movie back on and they rewound it to the part where Rue and Katniss were together. We yelled, "NO!!!" We were not going to sit there and watch Rue's death all over again. It was hard enough the first time when we could hear people in the theater quietly sobbing. Fifteen minutes later, they found the right spot and continued the movie. The end seemed a little rushed but I still loved the movie. Did you see it? What did you think?

After we were leaving the theater, the manager gave us all free passes so at least I got a free movie out of it! Plus, I got over my phobia of going to the movies alone, so I am ready to go! On a side note, however, I got home and by the end of the day I was much worse. I realized I had the flu and not food poisoning. As I lay on my bed dead to the world I kept praying I didn't get anyone sick in the theater...from touching the seat or the handrail or the door handle. I kept picturing the movie Contagion. Sorry, my fellow movie goers!

Tiny Bubbles - That's it for now. I better get back to my boys. While I type I'll often put the bubble machine on the bookshelf and they play happily trying to pop bubbles or catch them on their tongue. (Ew.) Here is a photo of them right now still in their pj's. Although Matthew looks like he's ignoring the bubbles and looking for a good book. Maybe he'll have a little more Brian than Bobbi in him. ;-)

Have a wonderful weekend!!

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

I am sorry to say that I am only half awake this morning. I was up at 3:30 AM with Matthew, who was either teething or feeling sick. Whatever it was, he was not happy and not sleeping. I can't say that I felt much different at the time. After two hours I was finally able to get him back to sleep so I could catch another 30 minutes before I had to get up with the rest of the kids. It's times like these I think I should start drinking coffee.

The other day I met an acquaintance I haven't seen in awhile. She remembered me when I was pregnant with Andrew. When I told her I had four kids now she actually gasped. She stared at me for a minute and said I don't look like I have four kids, which got me to thinking... What is a mom with four kids supposed to look like?? I don't know but if she saw me right now she'd be saying, "You look like this and you only have four kids?" Grr. (Okay, let's think of something more upbeat...)

I am in the last month of our school fundraising and Brian and I were actually able to solicit some nice gifts to be auctioned off. It is surprising that I am on the committee because I am terrible at sales. I like helping people but when it comes to talking them into buying something (or giving me something for free) I can't bring myself to push it. There is another mom on the committee that has the ability to walk into a business cold turkey and she walks out with a complimentary deluxe package worth $500. I walk into a business and say, "You don't want to donate something, right? No, I didn't think so. Okay, thanks anyway." Every once in awhile I do get a positive response to which I say, "Oh, you do? Are you sure? I'll understand if you don't. I know money is tight so don't worry if you can't..." Yeah, I'm not a salesman. The other mom said I had a pleasant demeanor so they would donate. "Pleasant"? I don't know. That sounds an awful lot like the blind date with the "great personality." Oh, well. I'll take what I can get.

At least the soliciting of donations has put my "mommy cards" to good use. What's a mommy card? It's like a business card but geared towards my business - mommyhood. It's great for when I need to give people my contact info quickly. Above is the one I use, although my personal info like my last name and phone numbers are edited out. They have a lot of cute ones at Vista Print.com. They have an offer for 250 free cards but the selection is limited. You can also choose the $10 special (with the $5 off savings) and have a large selection. Just search "mommy card."

Last Friday I was going to tell you about a book I read - Stealing Jenny by Ellen Gable - but I was so preoccupied with the my vomit shower and Matthew's near death experience (how's that for an upbeat topic?) that I never got to it. Here's the summary, "After three heartbreaking miscarriages, Tom and Jenny Callahan are happily anticipating the birth of their sixth child. Their neighbor, however, is secretly hatching a sinister plot which will find Jenny and her unborn baby fighting for their lives." The story is well written and although the kidnapping is a harrowing tale, the book is also touching as it explores the topics of love, courage, forgiveness and trust in God, both in the main plotline and the flashbacks of Jenny and Tom's beginning friendship. I may not recommend this book if you are a pregnant woman prone to worry (especially if like me, you recently saw a documentary about real life women who were in similar situations. Scary!) However, to the others, I wholeheartedly recommend the book. You can get it in paperback or download it to your kindle for only $2.99.

After the suspense of that story I was looking for something else that would keep my interest. A number of people I know have been taking about The Hunger Games and there has been so much hype about the movie that I downloaded a free sample chapter onto my kindle. Let's just say that I read the first chapter and was drawn in immediately and downloaded the rest of the book. That whole day I was sneaking my iPhone out and trying to read pages in between whatever I was doing. Finally after everyone was in bed I read well into the night and breathlessly finished the last page. There is a great Book Review and Parents' Guide of The Hunger Games Trilogy from a Catholic perspective over at Catholic Lane.com. It begins:

"The Hunger Games is a futuristic, sci-fi series that draws heavily on themes of violence, war and power. It is set in the dystopia created by the Capitol, the ruling class that satiates its own pleasures at the expense and oppression of the 12 Districts. The Districts, which are made up of the working class, provide the Capitol population with everything it needs to continue its own survival and remain in power.

The story commences with Panem, the country that emerged from the civil war ruins of what was once North America, preparing for the annual Hunger Games. The Games are televised live and are mandatory viewing for every citizen in the nation. They were instituted as a punishment for the Districts' attempted rebellion against the Capitol years ago. Every year each of the 12 Districts must provide one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen who will fight to the death on live television until only one child is still alive. The Games exist to remind the people in the Districts that not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol's power..." (Continue reading.)

The guide reviews all three books so Spoiler Alert if you haven't read them already. There is also a list of topics and discussion starters for those parents with older children who will want to read these books.

To show you how much I loved reading The Hunger Games, Brian suggested that he watch the kids and I take an afternoon off since I've been so busy with household stuff and the school fundraiser ect. I told him I'd like to see the Hunger Games movie this weekend. He was surprised since I've never gone to the movies alone but he was more that happy to give me some time off. So I've bought my ticket and have my handkerchief and a bag of peanut M&M's in my purse. Tomorrow afternoon this mama will be ready for 2 1/2 hours of action and drama. After that I'll be ready to come home and kiss my husband and kids and hold them close!

In the meantime, have a great weekend and may the odds ever be in your favor.

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Yesterday was an insane day and, as usual, my way to cope is to write about it. It started out normal enough but then it went crazy...

Rain Clouds Gather - I got the kids off to school them went to take my morning walk. When I was done and as I was getting Matthew back in the car, I got a phone call from the preschool. My usually playful JP was listless and not himself. I wasn't sure if he has just tired (I loathe you, daylight savings time) or coming down with something. So I picked him up from school and headed home. The poor guy slept for an hour or two and then seemed much better. I gave him his lunch then went to send off some fundraising emails while Matthew played with his toys.

A few minutes later JP came to my chair and I scooted forward so he could take his usual position of comfort - standing behind me on the chair, leaning his head on my shoulder, and rubbing his finger on my lips. I don't know how this soothes him but it does. As he hugged me I was thinking to myself that he seems fine now and maybe we should go ahead and go to speech therapy when he made this strange noise. Now the excitement begins...

TMI Alert - I turned my head to look back at him and saw chunks fly out of his mouth. I was covered in it, the desk chair was dripping and the desk was splattered. Immediately Matthew saw puddles of liquid to be splashed in and ran over. Luckily I was wearing a jacket over a tank top so I threw off the jacket, which had most of his lunch, and in one arm I held JP and my desk trash can, in case more was to come, and in my other arm I grabbed Matthew and ran down the long hallway to my bathroom. (See all that walking is paying off.)

I looked in the mirror and saw vomit dripping from my cheek onto my neck. Nice. There's nothing like the glamour of motherhood. I quickly wiped my face off then bathed JP while Matthew emptied out the contents of the bathroom drawers on the floor.

The Famous Last Words "I Only Turned for A Second" - I finished cleaning JP and then smelled Matthew's stinky diaper. No problem, after JP's fiasco this will be cake. Now this is where things get scary - seriously. I grabbed the phone to call the speech therapist and leave her a message that we won't be there. I placed Matthew on the bed to be changed. As I'm leaving my message, phone cradled in my neck, I had one hand on Matthew and with the other hand I tried to grab a diaper wipe that was just... out... of... my... reach... and my wiggle worm tried to escape but headed in the wrong direction - right off the bed. He fell down and started screaming. I hang up the phone. (What a message that will be.)

Snap Out of It - I picked up Matty to comfort him and you know how a baby cries really hard then sucks in a breathe and cries even louder? Well, Mathew sucked in the air but never let it out. He just stood there then looked almost like he was going to faint. I freaked out. I thought perhaps he hit his head so hard he had brain damage. My mind traveled at warp speed - it a matter of seconds I pictured the whole scenario - me in the hospital, the doctor telling me they did everything they could, my breakdown, the funeral... I slapped myself out of it and rubbed his chest and called his name. He finally took a breath and whimpered but seemed tired out. As I debated going to the emergency room or calling 911, I quickly changed his dirty diaper. There was no time for me to change out of my vomit clothes. I'd have to bring JP with me and hope he doesn't get sick again. In the meantime Matthew had quieted down and seemed better.

Dr. H to the Rescue - I called my pediatrician's emergency line and told him what happened. He asked me detailed questions about what happened. How far did he fall (off the bed), is the floor carpeted (yes), did his eyes roll back (no), are his pupils unequal (no), is he vomiting (no, just his brother), etc. He said it sounded like he was okay but I had to keep an eye on him for any warning signs. It seems he didn't so much hurt his head but rather he was crying so hard that he lost his breathe.

Perspective - I sat on the couch with the boys grateful that Matthew finished his milk and was now hitting me on the face with his "love taps" as he laughed and babbled away, "Mamamamamama..." Who cares if my desk area was still covered in vomit or that I had yet to shower after getting drenched in it. Who cares about all the things I "should" be doing today. I was just relieved that I had my babies snuggled in my arms and God has spared me a scary, scary cross (at least so far.) There's nothing like a little shake up to help you put back perspective in your life!

Lesson Learned - Today is a new day and the kids are home from school. I hear yelling, screaming, laughter and the sound of JP and Matty giggling as they play with the bubble machine by my desk. The chaotic noise never sounded so beautiful.

So if today happens to drive you mad and you are feeling like you are going to lose it, stop and take a breath. Remember what matters most and count your blessings. God will get you through the rough spots. Don't wait for a near tragedy to remind you.

Thanks for listening and have a wonderful weekend!!

It still has been very busy here and it will probably stay that way until our school fundraiser is over in April. However, I was thinking about how I can organize my schedule but still make time for blogging. I decided I would divide my days into different topics.

Mondays - TV Talk Mondays I discuss the new Masterpiece Theater shows or other similar mini-series/movies. Currently we are enjoying a Date with Dickens and watching Bleak House.

Tuesdays - Operation Clean & Organize where I share my progress in taming the procrastinating, ADD, mess cat within me.

Wednesday - Weight-In Wednesday is new. I share my progress in getting physically and spiritually healthier.

Thursday - I participate in Like Mother, Like Daughter's photo journal with {pretty, happy, funny, real}, capturing the context of contentment in everyday life.

Friday - I participate in Jen Fulwiler's 7 Quick Takes Friday.

There is no way I can post every day and I'll certainly have posts that don't fit into these categories but since these are the main things I write (or at least think) about, I'll do my best to post at least a couple times a week with these topics.

If I have time I'll try to finish writing my Weigh-In Wednesday thoughts and post it this evening. Either way, have a good late afternoon/evening/night!

Six years ago Bella went to a local Catholic preschool. I loved the fact that it was small, family oriented and shared the love of the Catholic faith with the children. Bella is in 4th grade now but Andrew started his first year at the same preschool. I don't know if I've shared this on the blog before but we were worried about Andrew because he had a serious speech delay. At the age of 3 he was speaking like a 2 year old who is just beginning to talk. Now at 4 years old he speaks much better but he is still going to speech therapy to help with pronunciation and clarity, especially with some of the more difficult consonant blends. When Andrew started school in September he was often quiet in class. Foremost because he was shy but I think he was also a little uncomfortable not being able to speak as clearly as the other children. Slowly, he came out of his shell and is speaking more in class and with his friends.

I've been busy lately with the spring fundraiser for Andrew's preschool. Last week, I had to attend a meeting at the preschool in the morning. At the end of the meeting, Andrew was playing outside having recess with his class and I watched him without him knowing. He was riding a tricycle with some of his friends, talking and laughing with them. He was happy and the same playful little boy I see at home. I was pleased to see that he was now comfortable at his school and with his friends. I am also grateful to his two teachers who have met with his speech therapist so they could better help him in the day to day learning of class. It brought peace to my heart to see him happy and doing well.

Unfortunately, this road has to be traveled a second time. John-Paul is showing the same speech problems at the age of two and we recently started him with speech therapy as well. As I mentioned, I had to attend that meeting at Andrew's preschool and I was a little concerned because I'd have Matthew and John-Paul with me. I knew Matthew would be okay but I wasn't sure what to do with JP. The principle offered to let JP visit the 2 year old room until I was done with my meeting.

I was happy for the opportunity because although we usually don't put the kids in preschool until they are 4 years old, I was feeling like I needed to put JP in next year at the age of 3. He doesn't have the same personality as Bella and Andrew. They were/are more sensitive and have a tendency towards timidity and they were more than happy to spend their time at home with me. JP is more adventurous and independent and he is not afraid to be around other people. I could see him benefiting from going to school sooner. At least this would give me the chance to see how he reacted in a classroom setting.

That morning when I took John Paul to the classroom they were starting circle time and I worried that my rambunctious boy would not sit still. He was a little nervous and clingy at first, but he soon became interested in the activity and had no problem letting me go. I went to my meeting and over an hour later returned to JP's class and watched him unnoticed. (I secretly love to spy. ;-) He was doing great and babbling away. I felt very at peace seeing him there. And I knew he loved it because he was so upset that he had to leave early.

I have been praying about what I should do with him in regards to school and his therapy and everything finally seems to be falling into place. I talked to the Brian, to the principle, to his speech therapist and prayed about it and I think Brian and I are going to try and put him in the preschool this March three times a week for a few hours. I never imagined having my two year old in school, but then again, when Brian and I got married we never imagined doing anything but homeschooling. We may still be homeschooling in the future but for now, this is where we feel God is calling us.

It is very difficult, and a little foolish, to get my mind set on one fixed way of doing things in regards to our family life. Circumstances change. Situations come up. Children have their own unique needs. As I grow older, and hopefully wiser, as the years go by I have to adjust my plans accordingly. There are some things that remain fixed - we will always try to love and serve God above all else - but the means of attaining that can change. I think the most important thing for me is to continue to learn to quiet myself down so I am able to hear the Holy Spirit whispering to my heart and then I have to have courage and trust in God's grace that I can follow through on whatever he is asking of me. These are things that don't come easily but I think Lent is a perfect time for me to put it into practice!

Please say a prayer for me, Brian and the kids that God continues to guide us on the best road for our family. Thanks!

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Walking Zombie - It's Friday morning and I have my little block of morning time to use the computer and write my Quick Takes post but I am feeling like a zombie right now. Matthew went to bed sort of early last night (8 PM) and he decided to wake up at 2 AM ready for playtime. I couldn't get him to quietly go back to sleep so I brought him to the family room before he woke up everyone else. We watched random TV for over an hour. I finally got back to sleep around 4 AM and the 6:30 AM alarm came way too soon. So my mind is in a fog and if I don't make a lot of sense, forgive me.

Golf & God's Creation - This weekend is the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro Am Golf Tournament so the Monterey Peninsula will be super busy. That means only one thing for us - we'll most likely not leave our house except to go to Mass. Lol. Well, we may not be that extreme but we'd rather wait for the crowds to die down. I am glad that we supposed to have nice weather because I always want the people visiting here to enjoy the beauty of God's creation. Not that you can't do that when it is cold and foggy but some of the scenery here is simply breathtaking at that sunny blue sky is the icing on the cake.

Peace be with you, Mr. James - Brian said that people were buzzing at Pebble Beach because they like to get a glimpse at the stars that come out to play the tournament. The closest I've come to seeing a star here was a couple years back when Kevin James sat in front of me at Mass. I remember how he came in a little late and there was an open seat in the pew in front of me. There was a couple sitting at the end of the pew and I don' know if they were oblivious or just rude because he tried to slip in quietly passed them but they didn't lift up the kneeler to make it easier for him. The poor guy stumbled and tried to work his way to his seat (he's not exactly a tiny guy) and finally made it. I had a hard time concentrating at Mass because all I kept thinking about was him in that movie Mall Cop. During the sign of peace I wanted to say, "Peace be with you, Mr. James. Oh and by the way, I think you are such a funny comedic actor..." but I refrained. (He's lucky I didn't have my iphone then or I would have snapped a photo of him and posted it on the blog. ;-) Hmm...is that why my mom sometimes calls me "Bobbi aka TMZ?") Anyway, I will say that I couldn't help but notice that after receiving Communion that he knelt down and closed his eyes and looked really deep in prayer. I did the same and said a little prayer for him as well.

Dogs vs. Babies - It's funny but someone reading this may be thinking that I am so lucky because I live in a gorgeous town with celebrities eager to play golf where Brian works, etc. Yes, I am extremely blessed but there are also crosses in living here. I think the biggest cross is living in a town that bends over backwards to pamper your pooch (doggy spa anyone?) but will give you dirty looks because you dare have more than your 1.2 kids quota. I remember one time we were taking a walk downtown with the kids and I saw another couple pushing a baby stroller. You hardly see babies here so I was excited to pass them and say hi. However, as we got closer and heard a few people commenting on their "little precious" I felt sick to my stomach that it was a dog, not a baby. I tried not to be judgmental. Maybe they wanted kids but can't have any. Brian and I are blessed to have fixed our infertility problems and to now have four lovely children. Sometimes I just wish more people would see it as a blessing and not something to belittle, judge or be rude about.

For This Chica, Nothing Says Love Like Sweet Bread - I was looking at the calendar and noticed that Valentine's in on Tuesday already. I don't know why I was thinking I still had a whole week, not just a couple of days. I guess that means that the east coast cousins will get their Valentine's cards late, again. (Sorry, EL!) Brian and I don't have anything special planned since it is a school night and we already had a wonderful date night last Friday. We'll most likely pray the little ones fall asleep early (But not too early. Those 2AM playdates suck.) and then watch a movie or one of our DVR'd shows. Hmm, maybe I should make him a special dessert... Yes, he has a big sweet tooth. Actually, as I'm typing this I'm thinking I should get him some pan dulce (Mexican sweet bread) and make him some Mexican chocolate. That would be a special treat since we don't get it very often and he loves it. Perfect!

Rachel Rocks. Again. - Speaking of love and Valentine's day, Rachel Balducci at Testosterhome.net has a wonderful post Keep the Love Alive. In fact, I love it so much I'm going to repost it as my last Quick Take. Read. Enjoy. Then go give your hubby a big kiss. ;-)

Keep the Love Alive

This is my weekly column for the Southern Cross, which is something I originally wrote over at Faith and Family Live.

Here's an aside: I feel funny writing about marriage. All I can do is write from my own experience and pray that inspires or encourages someone. But I totally understand that the list I included below is not a one-size-fits-all. There might be a marriage where the wife does everything, the husband does nothing around the house and I'm not suggesting that you just ignore that fact. That all depends on a million other details -- if you feel like things need to change, for instance, it's perfectly healthy and acceptable to address this situation.

So please, if there are areas of your marriage that need attention and help, please don't think for a minute I'm saying you should just work harder and it will all fix itself.
See? It's tricky writing about this stuff -- every single marriage is different and works in different ways. But prayer -- that really is a universal factor we can all utilize to our benefit!

Valentine's Day is just around the corner and that's got me thinking about love. Love is in the air! Chocolates, roses, red wine and crab dip. (That last one might be specific to us?).

But what really keeps the love alive? Flowers and candy are all well and good but a happy marriage they do not make. Yes, they add an extra spark, but no amount of ornamentals can make up for a good foundation--and if you don't have that, the little extras will do very little to help.

In my experience, in my reading and talking and listening about what makes the very best marriages--and in reflecting on the best tools Paul and I have come across--here are my recommendations for what will get you far in your marriage, what will bring you true happiness and love to last a lifetime.

• Quit thinking about how you could improve as a couple. This might sound counter-intuitive, but let me tell you from experience that always looking at the ways your marriage could be closer to your ideal will get you nowhere fast. Yes we want to improve and be the best we can be. But when we're always looking at how other "ideal" couples operate, we only become more aware of our flaws and (worse!) of our spouse's shortcomings.

• On that note, Don't Compare. Don't look at the great job your best friend's man does of taking out the trash, especially if that's something your own husband isn't quick to do. Trust me, for every two really amazing things her husband does, your own husband has at least that many good qualities--but most likely in totally different areas. Stop finding fault and start finding favor.

• Respect your husband. A few years ago I heard a talk by Dr. Emmerson Eggerichs, based on his book Love and Respect. The book spells out a very basic premise: men want to be respected, women want to be loved. This revolutionized our marriage. Too long had I been giving my husband all kinds of helpful "tips" and "advice" on a variety on topics, only to end each conversation with "I love you baby." What a husband would rather hear is "I respect you" and oftentimes the best way we can do this is to be supportive and encouraging. Thank your man for how hard he works for your family. Don't tell him how he could do better.

• Don't keep score. Don't keep track. Today you grocery shopped and cleaned the house and took care of the kids and did homework with them and trained them and took care of the dog. What did your husband do? Well, it doesn't matter. Maybe he did ten times more. Or ten times less. The minute you start keeping track of who did what, things are going downhill. Give until it hurts. And then give a little more. The key to a happy marriage is not 50/50. It's 100 percent ON YOUR PART. And not worrying about how much your spouse is giving. If every married person woke up each morning and asked himself (or herself) "what can I do to make my spouse's life better today?" can you imagine what a wonderful world it would be?

• Pray together. Even if it's three minutes, holding hands as you fall asleep, spend time as a couple in prayer. If your spouse isn't comfortable praying with you, then pray for your spouse. Prayer and personal holiness is at the heart of so much good in every situation. Pray for patience. Pray for more love. Pray for the ability to love your spouse extravagantly.

While these tips might not be the full solution for every marriage, they can do a world of good for those of us who can too easily get sucked into the dangerous self-centered seasons of keeping score. Don't do it! The person who suffers the most is YOU.
Dying to self is the best way to keep the love alive.

Well, for being so tired I guess I had more to say than I thought. Thanks for listening. Have a wonderful weekend!!

xoxo,
B.

Thanks to our complimentary stay at Pebble Beach last weekend, I have lots of photos to show! It's a little out of order so the story makes more sense.

My happiness was seeing the ones I love the most having a good time.

Maybe this should have been in the funny category but we were excited to be treated to such delicious food! On Friday, after dinner at the Italian restaurant Peppoli's we were too full for dessert. However, we were hungry later that night so we ordered their room service dessert special. It was chocolate raspberry cake/soufflé with a raspberry center, a dish of raspberry sorbet with vanilla ice cream on top and hot chocolate fudge to drizzle over it all. Ohmygosh, it tasted so good!

If that wasn't enough, in the morning they brought us room service breakfast. It's a good thing we had a lot of walking planned to work off our meals!

We are truly blessed to have this once a year mini-vacation but Brian always dreads me coming back home afterwards. It takes him a few days to reprogram me to let go of all the pampering, special treatment and being able to use the bathroom uninterrupted. I have to get back into the mode of stinky diapers, sticky hands, dirty dishes and piles of dirty laundry.

He says I'm like Lucy after she comes back from the home show...

After seeing all that luxury her own house makes her say, "Yesh!" LOL! (If you don't remember the episode, you can watch it here.)

Well, I'm happy to report that I'm back to myself again and ready for the next mini-disaster to photograph for next week. ;-)

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

Today I am doubly blessed. First of all, two of my sisters are here visiting. (One of these days we are going to get our east coast sister EL here so the four of us can all go out together!) I love when my sisters visit but I always feel sorry for Brian. After awhile all the loudness and laughing takes a toll on his introverted quiet ways. Poor guy.

The second big blessing is that since Brian works at Pebble Beach, once a year he is able to "test the product" and we're given a complimentary dinner and stay at one of the hotels and then we rate how the service/experience was. This year we are staying at The Inn at Spanish Bay, which I actually prefer over the famous Lodge. I am not the least bit interested in golf but Pebble Beach is breathtakingly gorgeous. Besides that, I am just excited to have a whole night out with my husband. Since my sisters are here they offered to take care of the kids for us. I gladly accepted! The following day we'll take them to the 17 Mile Drive. I'm so excited. :-)

It's funny because my sister EL was just mentioning in her post yesterday that one of her goals this year is to have more dates with her husband. Brian and I were just talking about this the other day. We get so busy with the day to day business of running a family that it's hard to stop and take time out for our relationship, but we must! So far we've done a lot of "at home" dates after the kids go to sleep but sometimes it's nice to actually get out of the house and still know my four "babies" are safe in someone else's care.

Usually when my sisters come we'll go out to dinner or go to one of the local bakeries for coffee and a treat but that is off limits this time. Next week the girls are running their first half marathon and right now they are in training. I'm so proud of them! Since I was a little girl I always dreamed of being able to run and run like one of those marathoners. These days I'm lucky to get out and walk around but I seriously need to make a greater effort to get moving (I mean other than chasing kids around) and now that the weather is getting warmer I can get back to walking again...and maybe one day, running.

Okay, speaking of needing motivation to walk/run/exercise, my brother posted this on Facebook. The video is about a man who is really overweight but who wants to fulfill his life long dream of running a marathon. He also wants to get healthy for his family and to raise money for his ill niece who has cystic fibrosis. His transformation, and his niece's fight, is beautiful and inspiring.

One of the people who commented on facebook about this video said, "...that's the two edged blade of manhood. We get so focused on everyone else's needs and lives that we can give everything and have nothing left for ourselves. Our own needs (like staying healthy) can be easily forgotten for righteous reasons. But I will tell you that to be our best at providing and trying to be men of and for God we have to take care of ourselves too so we can do that providing according to His will right into eternity..."

Words to live by for dads and moms!

Well, the baby just woke up so that's it for today. Have a great weekend!

Love,
B

Hosted by Jen at Conversion Diary.

I've got a lot to do today so I'll just take a few minutes to make my Quick Takes this week. I have errands and house cleaning to do since I have company coming over next week. Two of my sisters will be visiting from Southern California and I can't wait! I get a double treat since not only will be able to spend time with my sisters, they have also offered to babysit the kids, baby included, so Brian and I can go out. He has a special treat planned for next Friday night and I can't wait!

I'm hoping the weather stays nice next week. It has been like spring! The other day was actually warm, so warm that I saw an old homeless guy on the street with his shirt off sunbathing next to his shopping cart. Not exactly a pretty picture but he seemed to be enjoying the California sun.

Tonight I'm going to a baby shower and I'm looking forward to seeing some of my Catholic mom friends. Sometimes I get so busy with life that the first thing to slip away is spending time with other moms. Yet, I truly need it. There is something about being able to talk to another mom face to face (not that I don't appreciate my online friends ;-) and being able to have an adult conversation or just joke around about the quirks of motherhood. I miss it and am glad to have it back.

It is the norm amongst (practicing) Catholic families to have a number of women pregnant at the same time. But lately, there seems to be a number of people I know dealing with the pain of miscarriage. For some, this is their second, even third. For others, this is their first. Brian and I lost two babies during the years between Bella and Andrew. Both happened early in the pregnancy but that didn't diminish the anguish it caused. That first miscarriage was honestly the most painful experience of my life. We had been dealing with infertility for awhile and were so excited when we finally conceived.

I remember how happy I was to buy a new pregnancy journal to record the next nine months of my pregnancy. I never thought I'd have to say good bye to my little one in that journal. Years ago I posted my pregnancy journal online on RoL, just as I had done with Bella's journal. I wanted to show that my little one was no less loved just because I never had the chance to hold him in my arms. How my heart goes out to these moms. I pray that Our Lord brings them peace, comfort and strength as Our Lady takes care of their babies until they can hold them one day in heaven.

Hearing about these miscarriages has also been a stark reminder to me of how blessed I am. This week has been a bit of a struggle for me. The kind of days when my facebook status should read - Although I love being a mother, today sucked. Of course, the problems aren't really major but lack of sleep and caring for sick ones can make the usual little problems seem magnified. However, when I hear about someone losing their baby (no matter how young) I can't help but get a swift kick in the rear and realize just how blessed I am. Suddenly things are put into perspective and things don't look as bad. It helps me find the joy in the chaos.

That reminds me of today's quote and prayer from Small Steps for Catholic Moms. The quote is from St. Francis de Sales. "To keep the soul continually in a state of gentle calm, it is necessary to perform every action as being done in the presence of God, and as if he himself ordained it." The prayer goes on to say, "God, sometimes it's so hard to let go of control! Help me to trust that you are in charge and to find the peace and joy that comes from accepting each moment for the gift it truly is."

Some days it is easy to refocus and reclaim your joy. Other days, especially when you are carrying a heavy cross, the struggles weigh you down and sometimes you just need some time before you can start to even grasp the thought of joy. God knows that and he gives us just what we need.

I can't help but think about my little Matthew as he is learning how to walk. I let him go and he toddles a bit and falls down. Then he gets back up and tries again. But at some point he is exhausted and can't try anymore. He sits on the ground crying with his hands raised up to me. I often think of us as babies and toddlers learning to walk. Like a loving father, God knows exactly when to let us try and walk on our own. And he knows when we are exhausted and can't go on, we just need to be picked up and carried in his arms.

So whether you are walking upright under the close eye of your Father or being held in his arms while you gather your strength, the point is that God is always there. Surrendering yourself and your situation to him doesn't mean that the pain will suddenly vanish, but slowly the healing will take place and we'll be given the grace and courage to walk once again.

(NOTE: I meant only to spend a few minutes doing this quick takes but it has been over an hour and Matthew has miraculously been asleep the whole time. I just now reread my journal and although I lost our first baby seven years ago, all the pain and grief has swept over me as if it were fresh and I'm just sobbing. I can barely type here. I need to stop for a moment...

I guess the pain never completely goes away. Maybe I needed to be reminded that my two little saints are up there looking out for me and praying for me. I've reposted my pregnancy journals for Bella and our miscarried Baby Victor Brian on the blog. Maybe reading it will help another mom know she's not alone in her grief and that there is hope in the end.)

Have a blessed weekend.

xoxo,
B