7 of the Lamest Quick Takes in the Land

1)

Eamon had his first basketball game of the season last night!  

They lost by 2 points, but it was such a good game.  Gosh I love watching my kids play sports.  I was sitting between two moms from the team, one had four kids, and the other had nine kids.  What a treat to find mom's with big families to chat with!  He also had his final xray this week for the finger he broke back in September.  It's just about done healing...one more week of taping then he should be good to go.  He's still allowed to play sports with it taped.  Thank goodness, because seeing him sit on the sidelines, injured, gave me a little inside peak into what Purgatory must be like.

2)

Maggie will be in our parish's variety show tomorrow night, dancing a little Irish jig while my sister, Holly plays the fife.

I hope she feels confident on the stage and does well.  She's super excited and I'm so nervous for her!!  A mother's life y'all!

3)

Phil and I went to a fundraising dinner to support Catholic education in our diocese.  The fund raises money for scholarships to help with tuition.  Our kids benefit from these scholarships, so I felt like I was double dipping going to the dinner also, but I got over it as fast as I was inhaling the scallops wrapped in bacon and fried calamari.  Mmmmmm.  Anyway, the speaker was the former Miss America from Hawaii, Angela Perez Baraquio, and she gave a great talk about being raised as one of TEN children and announced the pregnancy of her 5th child that night.  It was so cute!  Her book looks interesting, and if she writes as well as she speaks, then I know it will be great!

4)

Andrew had his palate expander removed this week, and will be getting a retainer today!  We were doing a little victory dance that he didn't need braces, and then they warned us that he still might need braces after the retainer.  What a racket!  I'm praying to the patron saint of teethly things, St. Appollonia.  

For any of you with tweens and teens, I'm sure she will become one of your go-to intercessory saints.
Don't you just love Catholic life...Got a problem?  Yeah, we've got a Saint for that! 

5)

Has anyone seen the new Peanuts movie yet?  Worth it?

6)

Oh the joy of American Girl dolls.  Maggie really wants one for her upcoming 8th birthday, but they are so expensive and I feel like she won't really enjoy it for all that long.  Maybe I'm just jaded because I really wasn't into dolls.  She has her heart set on Maryellen, and I'm hoping she gets enough in gift cards and birthday/Christmas money to buy one for herself.  

Beth, Maryellen reminds me of your daughter!

Moms with older daughters, when did you make the plunge into a real AG?  Was the doll worth the price tag?

7)

Is this possibly my most boring Quick Takes ever?  Benedict thinks yes.  

Sorry, but Christy's last post inspired me just to get something out there.  Go read all the betters at Kelly's!

Have a wonderful rake-the-leaves-out-your-yard-and-into-the-neighbor's-yard kind of weekend everybody!  

Giving Uncomfortably

The readings from this Sunday always make me a bit uncomfortable.  First from 1 Kings 17:10-16 about Elijah asking the widow for some bread and water, and she responded that she was just about to use the last of her ingredients to make bread for her and her son before they died.  Elijah promised her if she brought him back some bread, the widow and her son would not die, and would not go hungry again.  She did as he said, and they ate for another year.

The gospel reading from Mark 12:38-44 then goes on to talk about the widow who gave all she had in the form of two coins, as opposed to the rich men who gave more money, but not all they had.  He praises the widow for giving her whole livelihood while the rich men only gave from their surplus wealth.

Yeah, there were quite a few of us squirming in our seats during this homily.

Giving generously can be so hard!  As someone who deals with budgets and figures and money all day, I am prone to erring on the side of caution when it comes to tithing.  Raising a family with six kids can be expensive, and we have chosen this lifestyle of living simply rather than living stressed.  In order to make that work, we both have full-time jobs, we live in a two-family house, we drive paid off vans, we barely have any money in savings, we only go on vacations if they are basically given to us (parent's timeshare), eat homecooked meals, etc. etc. etc.  In other words, we make all our decisions based on our finances and always try to save more, spend less.

But, because we do these things we have a little cushion in our budget.  We are able to pay our bills every month and can splurge from time to time - sports for the kids, a date night for Phil and I, gifts at birthdays and Christmas don't overwhelm us.  It's nice and it hasn't always been like that.  When it was only Phil on a teacher's salary, we could barely pay our bills.  I was pinching pennies just to try and buy groceries.  It wasn't prudent for us to have me stay home with the kids when we couldn't feed or shelter those kids.  I worked part-time, nights and weekends doing whatever I could until we only had one that needed daycare, and then I went back full-time.  

I'm not saying that this is how every family should work, actually I believe if a mom (or dad) is financially able to stay home with their little kids, they should.  That is such an important job, and it kills me to have to hire it out.  I know my kids will only be little once, and I know nothing matters more than my vocation to motherhood.  It's just not an option for our family, and I have worked through making my peace with it (mostly).  If I win the megabucks tomorrow, I'm quitting and staying home, but until then, it's off to work I go.

Wow, that got off topic quick.  Where am I even going with this?

Oh right, tithing.  So, like probably everybody, when I am trying to decide how much to tithe at church, I sometimes have a hard time letting go.  I have no problem at all being generous in other areas - making a meal for a new mom, driving a friend's child home from sports practice, sending a gift to someone who needs a pick me up, volunteering my time at school or church, giving blood to the Red Cross, being open to life.  These things are "giving from my surplus", a place where it's easy to give.

Giving more financially would be giving from a place where it hurts.  Our whole married life has revolved around money - not having enough, figuring out how to make more, paying off debt, saving for the future.  It's been our biggest struggle (well, alongside learning NFP) and giving it away seems in opposition to our family's needs.  

It's a tough decision to make...where does the line ends on being prudent and responsible for what we have vs. being generous and trusting in what will come? 

I once heard Peter Kreeft give a talk at my church, and he said that when it comes to determining family size, we should have a little more than we can afford.  That is to say, give until it's uncomfortable.  The same goes for tithing, we should give more than we think we can afford, and God will bless us for it.  I think that really is the answer when discerning more babies and discerning how much to tithe.  Give until it's uncomfortable.  That Kreeft is a smart man.

I have experienced this all the time in the past...when I am generous with others, others are generous with us.  I know it's true.  Then why is it still so hard to believe it will happen in the future?  Why is it so hard to stop the financial worrying when I know it is in giving that we receive?  Lord help my lack of trust in this area, and let me grow to be more like the widows who gave their all., because for crying out loud, I know I can't take it with me!  I guess that's why I'll always be a practicing Catholic, there's always room to improve :)

Weekend Workouts

The big boys ran a 5k this weekend.

Andrew came in 7th overall with a time of 22:46.  He was close to his best 5k time, but was upset that he was in first place for the first two miles, but ran it a little too fast and then got passed by 6 people at the end.

Eamon finished with a time of 28:29, he was disappointed in his pacing (he tends to sprint then wog on repeat) and wants to train with Phil to get a better pace. 

JP had a personal record of 23:36 (10th overall).  He said after that he could have kept on running and wants to try a 10K.  I am much impressed with the improvement he's made over the year!  He was happy to beat this guy at the very end too :)

They have another 5k coming up in 2 weeks, maybe we can squeeze in a few training runs with them before then.  Phil and I aren't running races, just because they cost $$ and the boys love doing them and we're a lot slower.  Thankfully, we have been able to run a lot this Fall with such gorgeous weather.  We haven't even missed the gym yet (we cancelled our memberships back in June) but I think we will join one again as soon as it's too cold/snowy to run outside.  We are hoping to run our 3rd Half Marathon in March, as long as Mother Nature allows for some gentle winter weather to train.

Maggie and Xander and Declan are just slackers when it comes to running ;)  Haha, Maggie looks at us like "Why would anyone want to do that?" so she sticks with Irish step dancing instead.  That is a tough workout!  They just jump for an hour straight!  Xander's thumb muscles get the biggest workout as he plays Wii and other video games like a champion gamer (but only on the weekends!) and Declan is the cutest baller in training with our indoor hoop.  He can't throw a ball without jumping, it's adorable.

I love being an active family, I couldn't imagine it any other way.  Maybe that's because we have so many boys, and boys are like puppies and need to be ran around :)  Our pastor has been giving a lot of homilies lately about the importance of putting Mass and church events before sports and work events.  I always flinch a little when I hear these homilies because while I know we would never miss Mass for a sports practice, we do put a big emphasis on sports and health and fitness in our house.  I need to make sure I'm putting more emphasis on the soul workouts as well.  I'm thinking of getting one of these for the house, maybe they can pray Hail Mary's while they use it ;)  

{7QT} It's Friday, Finally

1)

A while back I had my first dermatology appointment in over 20 years.  With my Irish skin and family history, I don't know why I put it off for so long.  They found a suspicious mole and biopsied it (on my buttock) and the biopsy showed that it is "Moderately Atypical", so not yet cancer, but on it's possible way.  

I have to have it removed next month.  I am so glad I went, and this got caught, because I never would have seen this mole on my own.  I'm embarrassed to have someone surgically removing pieces of my derriere, but it's better than letting it grow into cancer, obvi.  Humility for the win.

2)

Declan is talking!  Finally!  He's been adding cute little words as his 19 month old birthday approached, and it seems like everyday he is able to repeat more and more.  This morning he was turning off the light in the bathroom and saying "off" when it turned off, and "off" when it turned on.  Haha, I love toddler speak so much!  

3)

Maybe it's because Declan is finally starting to seem less like a baby (though he still drinks milk from a bottle!) but lately I have been dreaming up baby names.  I know!  What is wrong with me? 

 Here's my current top girl and boy names:

Emerson Grace

Rowan Asher

But, if we ever have another one, I think Phil will veto those.  The name game is hard!

4)

We have a NeighborDog!  It's all the fun of having a dog with none of the work, because it's actually you're neighbor's dog.  My perfect kind of pet :)  

Her name is Chippi, but our kids just call her "The neighbordog".

5)

We will be a house divided on Sunday at 1 pm.  The Patriots (my team) are playing The Redskins (Phil's team).  

Our kids are so confused for who to cheer for, it's funny.  What kind of game day snack do I make for nervous bellies?  Ginger cookies and pepto-bismal?

6)

Maggie needed some leggings to wear under her dresses, and I got her these for $5 and found this dress for less than $25.  I almost always order my dresses in Tall because even though I'm only 5'6" so many dresses come way above my knee, which would make them work-inappropriate.  Someone at work told me that Kmart has really cute clothes, and I didn't believe her, but then I started looking online, and she was right!  Plus, they give awesome coupons once you're signed up.  Go check them out if you haven't lately.  I'm a sucker for cute and cheap clothes, why invest a lot of money in something that will go out of style in a few years?

7)

That's all I can think of this week...this Daylight Savings is making me fall asleep so early and wake up even earlier.  It's a vicious cycle of darkness and tiredness.  

Oh wait, I do have one more, Andrew's soccer team made it to tournament but lost, and John-Paul's soccer team won their U15 division!!  

So 5 months of bi-weekly practices and weekly games actually paid off ;)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend cheering for the Patriots to crush the Redskins.  Love ya, honey ;)

Fashion for Posterity's Sake

With the passing of Halloween and All Saints Day,  I had a realization, an AHA! moment if you will.

At the high school where Phil and I work, some of the students dressed up as teachers for Halloween.  It's totally funny and respectful and everyone involved enjoys it.  One of our teachers always wears a suit, so he was pretty easy to imitate, another teacher has a sort of eclectic style that includes flowery skirts and jewelry, also a good one to pick.  But it left me thinking, if somebody were to dress up like me, what would they wear?  How do they view me?

Fast forward to All Saints Day.  For ten years now, we have had kids in Catholic schools which means my kids have been dressing up as saints for a decade.  Wow how time flies!  

All Saints Day 2010

Anyway,  it is so cute to see all the elementary school kids dressed as saints, and they are all dressed so modestly and properly.  Because that's how saints are viewed and depicted and revered.  We're probably not going to see any future saints whose normal day-to-day outfit is a skimpy bikini or ripped jeans and tank top.  

This all led me to my revelation...What we wear matters!  How we present ourselves matters!  The way we handle ourselves matter!  

That's not to say we should all be wearing designer clothes or suits all the live-long-day because: 

1) Life.

2) Expense.

3) Jobs.

But!  Here's where the light shined on my marble head, we can still make our (public) appearance as good as possible for the role we are called to play.  We can shower, and comb our hair, and keep our homes picked up, and exercise and eat well, and speak well of one another, and smile more often, and help others in need, and go to confession to get our inside sparkly clean, etc.  None of these things cost too much or require too much energy.  

On the weekend, after having dressed up for work all week, I usually tend towards comfy clothing.  But I have to get dressed no matter what, so I can choose to wear crumpled old sweats or I can put on some real pants and a sweater and look put-together and make sure my outwardly appearance is happy and cheerful.  The same goes for our kids, clean clothes and good grooming and nice manners can go a long way.  This is not about being vain or proud (which it can easily turn into) but about taking care of our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit and presenting ourselves as someone who is joyful and helpful and beautiful from the inside out. 

At Mass, when I see the families who take the time to dress up, and appear to be happy and peaceful, it actually moves me.  It makes we want whatever they're having, do what they're doing.  They make family life look attractive.  I want to do that for others.  I don't want to be the huge family that people look at and feel badly for or become the poster family with the slogan "Big Family Life - As Terrible As We Look."  I want to smile more, and wave hello more, and iron my wrinkly skirts more ;)

Again, this is not purely about physical appearance.  One of the most beautiful women ever, in my opinion, is Mother Theresa - her smile and gentle humilty speak volumes about her love for God.  

Her beauty shone through in the way she lived and how she carried herself.  Nothing is less beautiful than somebody with a mean spirit and selfish personality.  But I am realizing more and more that what's on our inside can carry over to our outside and we can be as beautiful as possible with a little effort.   Then if God-willing, one day we actually make it to Heaven, future generations of children can dress like these Saints Martin:

and not these Saints Martin:

Who's with me?

Saints on All Souls

Because the Feast of All Saints was on Sunday, the kids dressed up as saints today on All Souls Day.  What powerful days these are in our liturgical life, I'm so glad my kids are able to celebrate them fully at their Catholic school.  Love, love, love.

Here's my favorite group of saintly impersonators for 2015...

Let's break it down, saintly style...

Eamon is St. Michael, whom is a very favorite in my house with all the boys.  They all can't wait until it's their turn to be St. Michael, the evil defender.

Alexander is Pope Saint John Paul, which is the costume we had made for John-Paul (by Franciscan sisters!) when he was three years old, and Pope John Paul II wasn't even yet a saint (but, we all could see that one coming!)

We finished buttoning him up right after this shot.

Andrew is Padre Pio, his robe has a big hood, which I should have made him put up for the photo, but it was a little rushed at 6:30 this morning!

John-Paul is St. Anthony of Egypt, basically because he wanted to be St. George but I never got around to buying him a crown.  I did draw that amazing beard though ;)

And last but not least, Maggie was Our Lady.  Baby Jesus wasn't prepped for this photo op, but He appears in the next, wrapped in swaddling blanket clothes.

And here's my group once more: 

Lord help them one be be Saints JP, Eamon, Xander, Maggie, and Andrew and have future generations of children dressing up like them.  Which makes me want to start dressing them better.  Amen.