Week in Review: Wrapping Up The To Do List

Can you believe it?  The last Friday before Christmas!?!?  This is also the last day of work and school for the Martins until next year and we are so excited!  I was truly enjoying Advent this year, feeling pretty calm, remembering to say the St. Andrew Novena, attending a retreat, but this week I am feeling the pinch and trying to figure out the Christmas Present Fairness Math like:

Does everyone have the same amount of joy-giving presents intermingled with things they need?  Even though I'm an accountant, the math is not mathing.  I will feel like one kid needs something more, then get it, then realize another kid would also like that gift so I get it for them too, but now we are out of alignment again and on and on it goes.

I'm going to finish up the wrapping this weekend and see what else there is left to do, but in a panicky state yesterday I stress ordered a few more small gifts/stocking stuffers as if I was a contestant on a timed game show:

Cute earrings (these are for MY stocking)

Deck of Cards (Brendan's really into card tricks right now)

Tau Cross Necklace (Andrew came home from Assisi with one he wears and the littles want to copy)

Tweezers (to go with all the Perler Bead crafting)

Magic Book (for Magic Tree House lovers)

But I have to stop and just accept that it is what it is.  I don't think I ever feel 100% ready for Christmas morning but you know what?  Jesus comes no matter what and we always have the best time together.

What else has been going on this week?  

Out and About & In and Reminiscin'

A little weekend recap, shall we?

Eamon went on a school trip to New York City for the day last Friday.  They left at 5am and returned at midnight and had lots of fun but boy was he tired the next day.  Youth is not wasted on my kids, as they are always up for an adventure.  I was happy to be home in my pajamas by 8pm :)

On Saturday, Phil had a Confirmation retreat all day, so the kids picked names for their Sibling Swap that takes place on Christmas Adam (the day before Christmas Eve) and I took the littles shopping to find their treasures.  The line at Kohl's was crazy and I'm reminded why online shopping is so much better.  But we had success and it's fun to have one on one time together and see how they want to spoil their sibling.

Maggie went to a friend's house for a little Christmas gathering, including a visit from St. Nick himself!

I've been trying a new treadmill workout where I run for four miles, but walk for one minute of each mile.  I line up the walks with the commercials in my show that I'm watching and I've never wanted more commercials in a show!  Yikes, it's hard to run on a treadmill especially when they keep the gym warmer than I would prefer.  It's mostly the elderly population that uses this gym near my work and while they're working out in their flannel shirts and pants, I'm over here like:

Sweaty Betty

On Sunday morning, I came home from the gym to see this adorable sight:

JP and Andrew and Declan were creating with perler beads.  We sort of forget about these and then they become a big hit again for awhile.  Look what they made:

JP's Nativity

Andrew's Grinch

JP was feeling very grateful because he had an interview last week for a potential medical school scholarship and he heard back that he got it!  The scholarship is called The Physicians Scholarship because it was funded by physicians in the area who donated to give two new med students $25,000 a year for four years.  Can you believe it?  That's $100,000 less in loans and we are sooooo thankful.  JP is still not 100% sure on what school he will attend as he hasn't heard back from most yet, but this one in Maryland is his top choice right now.

On Sunday night, after a very yummy dinner of Maple Chicken (Andrew's belated welcome home from Europe dinner) Maggie was stressing about her AP Bio test and Phil captured this photo of her three big brothers, all AP Bio graduates, helping her study.  

This is the stuff big family dreams are made of and what I prayed for back in the days of dirty diapers and sibling squabbles.  Those days were hard but the payout is so worth it.  Don't give up mamas!  You are doing the most important, often times invisible and thankless, work.  I see you :)

Week in Review: Sports Banquets, All My Babies and A False Alarm

Let's see, where were we?  Last Friday I saw the For King + Country Christmas concert movie and it was good!  Definitely got me in the Christmas spirit and now I want to go watch Unsung Hero about their family's story (seven kids!).  On Saturday I went to a womens Advent retreat that was pretty good, but a bit of a let down from the previous year, when Danielle Bean spoke.  However, I got to go to Mass, Confession and Adoration AND hear Marie Miller sing a few songs including 6'2:

There was a nice gathering of women from my parish that all attended, so that made it fun too :)

This is one side of the church - there were 280 women in attendance, mostly sitting in the central pews.

Meanwhile, Eamon and Ellie went for an unofficial tour of Providence College given by our niece, who is a freshman there.  They ate delicious food at the dining hall and went to a hockey game together that night and thoroughly enjoyed the day!

On Sunday, Declan went to a friend's annual Grinch Day party and had an absolute blast with his buddies:

Week in Review: Adventy Things, a Book Review and An Almost Embarrasing Gift

Happy Feast of Saint Nicholas!!

The kids got their special St. Nick chocolates in their stockings and a new pair of (non-matching) pajamas or robes.

The Advent Calendars have been big hits!  Declan received this one and Brendan received this one and Xander received this one and my candle one is almost too good, as I am still burning the candle from the first night - it just won't quit!  At this rate, I'll have enough candles to get me through the whole winter, whatta deal.  

Building their sets each evening

Funny story, I had originally bought Declan this Lego Advent Calendar, not realizing it was "for girls" according to him.  I guess it's Lego Friends and not just Lego.  Declan picked out a new calendar and I said I would return the Lego Friends one.  Declan then had a bright idea that he should give it to his teacher because she loves to watch the show.  I was like, great go get wrapping paper, then I thought that it was a little strange that his teacher would watch a kid's cartoon, so I asked a few more questions until I finally got the answer:

"Yes, she told us her favorite show ever is Friends".

Aha.  Friends makes much more sense.

Brendan came with me to return the embarrassingly accidental almost-gift the poor 5th grade teacher was about to get.

Say goodbye to your little friends

How Dare She Grow Up?

Somehow, someway this little beauty:

with the sassy attitude:

turned into this big beauty:

with a residual amount of sass:

Our Maggie in the Middle turned seventeen this weekend and awoke to some nice/funny cards from her little brothers and a joke gift, then real gift from her older brothers.  She certainly is loved!

Her dad, whom she has wrapped around her little finger, made her a hootenanny for breakfast because the birthday girl gets what the birthday girl wants.

 

A Wicked Awesome Thanksgiving Break

We had such a nice long Thanksgiving break this year.  On Tuesday, I drove to the movie theater right after work to meet up with these three to see Wicked:

Ellie, Eamon, Galinda, Elphaba, Maggie

The movie was 3 hours long (including previews) and would go through dinner, so we had to eat and I snuck my pastrami sub from Jersey Mike's into the theater and devoured it during the previews.  I just love a nice hot pastrami and wish I lived near an authentic Jewish New York deli.

Wicked was SO GOOD.  The rest of the family wants to see it when it comes out on some streaming service, and besides the scene in the beginning when Elphaba's mom steps out on her dad (I can just imagine innocent Declan asking "But why is she hugging that man that's not her husband?" so we will fast forward that part) the rest is great.  We've been listening to the music non-stop and can't wait for Part Two.  I have seen the play and read the book (I don't recommend the book) and the movie had a much more clear storyline and entertaining scenes and was cinematically beautiful and powerful.

On Thanksgiving morning, we woke up at 7am and ran our own family Turkey Trot:

Maggie was fretting that we would look like weirdos running together, but not to worry as we all run at different speeds and distances anywhere between 2.25 and 4 miles.  One of us walked the dog instead of running, which was a necessary task since she would be alone the rest of the day and it would be rainy all day.

Maggie and Brendan were running buddies

We got this text from Andrew, who had run in the school's Turkey Trot in Austria:

Andrew and Smiles

Then he played in a football game for two hours before dressing up in Austrian garb and having an American Thanksgiving with the faculty and staff.  I guess the mayor from the town was there too and there was music and dancing and so much merriment.

Pinkies up!

Back in America, we all showered and went to 9am Mass to start Thanksgiving Day off right.  We have so much to be thankful for including JP's 1st med school acceptance!!  He got into a new DO school opening in Maryland, close to Phil's side of the family and his girlfriend's family and one he was really hoping to get into.  He had the interview about two weeks ago and got the acceptance news this week which is a huge stress reliever.  He's not 100% sure this is where he will attend, but at least he has one option thus far.  I have to admit, I kinda feel like *we* got into medical school with how much I guided and supported him through the application process ;)