Burst: A Review

I recently received the book Burst by Kevin Wells to read and review.  It was a very quick read, I think it took me two nights of laying in bed to get through before falling asleep.  The fact that I could actually stay up to read it says a lot coming from this tired mom! 

Kevin writes about many stories from his life, all of which I found very interesting: a medical emergency and miracle, infertility struggles, failed adoptions, a murder, his career and his lovely wife.  Through all of these stories, you travel with Kevin along his journey of faith.  And what comes through is his strong love for his family and devotion to the Eucharist.  After finishing this book, I wanted to drive straight out to Adoration at the chapel downtown to feel the peace he describes (and I've experienced) while sitting and praying in front of the Eucharist. 

Although the content of the book really captured my attention, the style in which he writes was a little confusing.  I couldn't quite keep up with the timeline of events as he jumped from present to past quite easily.  This could just be because of my current state of pregnancy brain, and in any case it was worth reading because the stories were great, and the messages were uplifting. 

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Burst - A Story of God's Grace When Life Falls Apart. They are also a great source for serenity prayer and baptism gifts.

Hi Lo: March 11th

HI's:

1) Thankful to be alive and safe and healthy.

LO's:

1) Praying for everyone affected by this.

I have nothing to say today

Imagine that?  Me, with nothing to say.  Phil's probably doing a happy dance right now.  I could write about my inexplicable craving for an English muffin with lots of butter, or talk about how my little girl has strep throat, or ask remind you that Kohl's is having an awesome sale, and with the coupon codes "love2shop" and "free4mvc" you can get 30% off and free shipping and $10 back on every $50 you spend. 

But I won't ;)

Instead, I'll let you know that for those of you wanting to learn more about NFP, please go read this article.  It explains the whole process as simply and compactly as I've ever heard, and gets into the nitty gritties for those needing more detail. 

{Please excuse this brief interruption and continue on with your day!}

I Love My Kids

Gosh, I just love my kids so much!  I know I'm biased, but I just think they are the greatest little kids God has ever created.  Well, except Maggie.  Kidding!  She's just going through a phase (see header photo!)

We have talked a lot about Lent, and they wanted to give up something, so we came up with a plan after reading Therese's post.  The kids thought of ten different things to sacrifice, John-Paul wrote each one on a little piece of paper, and we put them in a hat.  Each morning, they will randomly pull one sacrifice out and follow it.  Today's was "Give up dessert". 

The rest include (I can't remember them all):

~ Eat our vegetables without complaining

~ Give up our show

~ Give up Wii and DS

~ Give up our snack money for the poor

~ Listen the first time to Mom and Dad

~ Clean our bedroom

~ Drink only water

I think this is an awesome way to get little kid's involved in Lenten sacrifices without it being too hard on them.  They came up with the ideas themself, and anyone can give up anything for one day, right?

Like I said, I love my kids!

And thanks, Therese for the great idea :)

Innapropriately Funny

A male co-worker came over to my computer to look at the ultrasound picture of Baby Boo, and said:

"That's definitely a boy.  Look where his other hand is."

Gearing Up for Lent 2011

I'm actually looking forward to Lent and dreading it all at the same time this year.  Dreading it because, well, it's Lent.  And looking forward to it because I NEED it.  Just like the seasons of the weather, God provides us with our own seasons of spirituality.  And though they are all necessary for our salvation, I think the times of sacrifice and repentance are the most important.  We can't truly celebrate the Easter Vigil without walking the Way of the Cross, right?

This year, I am focusing on the three goals of Lent: Prayer, Fasting, and Almsgiving.  I don't want to pile on too much, because then I know I'm doomed to fail, but I also don't want any excuses if this turns out to be my last Lent ever. 

Prayer:

  I need to devote a lot more time each day to prayer.  Yes, I say morning and evening prayers with the kids, and we grace before meals, but some days...that's it.  I talk to God throughout the day, and I try to remember to offer up my happiness and sorrows, but it's just not enough.  SO, this Lent, I am going to attend daily Mass at least two times during the week (it's offered during my lunch break at the Catholic college near my work), go to Stations of the Cross with the family on Friday nights, pray the Rosary on my morning commute, and pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy at night with the kids.  In order to fit all this in, I'm going to watch less tv and spend less time on the computer.

Fasting:

  It's hard being pregnant during Lent, but I will follow all the abstinence rules (no eating between meals on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday, and no meat on Fridays).  I am also giving up all sweets/desserts.  If I am hungry after my meal, I can have a piece of fruit, but nothing with added sugar.  I had to give up all sweets while pregnant with Maggie (borderline gestational diabetes) so I now I can do this for Jesus.

Almsgiving:

   First and foremost I am going to make sure I remember to give my weekly tithing.  Sometimes I forget to bring the envelope to church, and then I don't make it up the next week.  I am going to set it to come automatically out of my bank account - no more excuses!  If I am cheap, then why would I expect God to be generous?

   I also want to go through our toys and clothes and donate tons of stuff to the Salvation Army.  I need to detach myself from materialistic things (luckily that's not too hard for me) and clear out the clutter.

    Finally, I want to be generous with friends and family.  When friends come over and don't bring a dish to share, instead of fuming over it later, I want to thank God for the opportunity to share our food.  Instead of worrying about what which family member gets the newest car, or big bonus, I want to thank God for a lesson in humility and poverty.  I just want to be a better person.

   What are some things you are doing or have done in the past?  What's helped you the most?