Seven Quick Takes: Lent, protein shakes, cute babies and more...

Linking up with Jen at Conversion Diary again this week for Seven Quick Takes.  Mine certainly won't be as entertaining as hers, but alas...

1. Yesterday when the baby woke up from his nap, he got up and opened the door all on his own (he sleeps on the floor), ran down the hallway to the living room, and shouted "BOO!" at us.  It was sooooo cute!
2. I pulled this DVD out today, I do each year around Holy Week (for the kids).  It is so beautifully done, in a cartoon sort of way.  Really.  If you are Catholic, Christian, whomever.  Check it out.   I will be honest, I always tear-up at the end when I watch it with the kids, a beautiful depiction of the Easter story for even the youngest viewers.
3. Today is the Feast of St. Gemma, and being a Friday it was also Show-and-Tell.  I checked with her teacher in advance and Gemma was able to bring her St. Gemma (First Class) Relic to show her class.  Pretty neat.  
4. I am enjoying our Lenten Cross Readings with the kids so much.  I made the cross and icons and everything three years ago, and it was way above the kids then.  I almost got rid of it, I'm so glad I had the foresight to hold onto everything.  This year I correlated about half the readings with our Children's Bible (the other half just from our NAB) and it has been just great.  We do our readings each day at breakfast.
5. The weather today is so gorgeous...baking Feast-day cookies (per Gemma's request) and playing outdoors are on the "to do" list this afternoon.
6. We finally found a protein shake that we like AND has an acceptable ingredient list.  Check out Designer Whey.  This is my sanity saver most mornings (because if I do not eat breakfast, I turn into a bear.  For real.)
7. I read several good articles this week.  Portraits of Reconciliation was a beautiful reflection on the Rwandan Genocide, 20 years later.  And I really liked this Catholic Mama's take on modesty.

PEACE OUT!!!

Journal: early Advent

TODAY

Out my window:  Dark.  Cold.  Wiiiiiiindy.  Twinkly Christmas lights.  

Clothing myself in: pass

Around the house: Most of the Christmas decorations are up.  The kids actually helped with the ornaments on tree...all three of them (well, Clem played with the purple shatter-proof ornaments that don't match the red and gold on the tree)...and it went really well.  I think they are OCD like me (scary, yes? no?) because I only had to move like three ornaments.  They did a really good job.  Aaron got a bunch of icicle lights and lined the outside of the house with them.  In years previous he has just done our two evergreen trees, but he decided the kids were getting old enough to think that was kind of lame.  ;-)  It looks really nice.

I need to write our Christmas letter.  Sigh.  Starting is always the hardest part.

 

The baby: Cute cute cute.  My parents have this dancing monkey thing that sings Jingle Bells and he started rocking. out. to it on Thanksgiving evening.  Never seen that kid, or ANY kid, dance with the moves he had.  In footie-jammies no less.  I got some video on my phone, but it is horribly awful quality.  Kind of makes me want to cry.  OH well.  Maybe he'll do it again.  I treasure the memory.  He has started shaking his head "yes" when you ask him a question.  When he has to poop he grunts and looks at me and holds my hand while we walk back to his "poop chair".  He doesn't talk much but he definitely communicates.  Oh, and he LOVES the big slide at the park and can climb up to it and go down it all by himself.  I usually guard him because I am paranoid and over-protective but he can do it on his own.  The other kids weren't doing this until they were sneaking up on two.   Oh my.

 

The kiddos:  I enjoyed Gemma's week off school, it really was nice having her around all day and I loved seeing her get to just play.  But it is nice being back in our usual routine this week too.  I am excited for Christmas break and so is she.  Not much else new.  I have been getting more "okays" and less fits when I ask her to do something, or answer something she asks, even if she isn't particularly happy about what I ask or answer, and that has been nice.  She is growing up, have I mentioned that?  

Kolbe's speech is improving so much.  He has been working on initial /k/ and is learning how to say his name!!!!!  I am noticing that he is starting to use sounds that he learns/works on at speech in his everyday conversation and I think that's so cool. 

In the kitchen: This week homemade pizza, chicken picadillo, meatloaf, chicken noodles and baked salmon.  Steamed veggies, some stuffing, tortilla chips, cheesy bread and fried rice for sides.  We have also discovered ground pork at the local meat locker and have been subbing it for beef in some things and it is really tasty! 

Crafting: We made pine cone turkeys for Thanksgiving!

I have been working on Christmas shopping (mainly online, although I did get out on Saturday for a bit...no Black Friday shopping for me this year!) and thinking about wrapping.  Lest anyone think that I think shopping is crafting, I do not.  I just had nowhere else to put that.  Progress is being made.  WHEW, this late Thanksgiving is really throwing me for a loop.  Tomorrow is the 5th?  Of December??  holy crap.

Learning:  Advent is in full swing, and I love our activities.  I was telling a friend the other night, Advent just brings such a nice rhythm to our days.  The kids are watching the Holy Heroes Jesse Tree DVD each morning during breakfast and coloring an ornament for that.  We light our Advent wreath during mealtimes.  Our Picture Book a Day selections are being enjoyed by all and we are using O Radiant Dawn (I really love this book) for family prayertime/meditation/discussion each night.  The kids also have a story each night before bed from The Advent Storybook. It is very sweet.  We are also using our activity chain again this year and I am liking it, as are the kids.  It's a fun visual to count down the days and the activities are simple yet meaningful.

Reading: bleh. nothing.  I really should pick up something.  Should. 

Watching:  This and that some evenings.  Enjoying this season of Gold Rush immensely.  

Bringing me joy: Advent.  I think this is my favorite time of year, liturgically speaking (and maybe otherwise as well).  Shopping for the kids for Christmas.  Listening to Handel's Messiah.  (Buy it.  You will not regret this purchase.)  Kolbe singing Christmas carols.  The beginnings of Christmas traditions in our family...it is really fun that the kids are getting old enough to remember things we've done other years, and I love how excited they get about some things.  Kolbe thinks Christmas lights are THE BEST, and gets so excited when he sees them. 

Thinking about: Life and death.  My aunt passed away today and there is nothing like death to get you thinking about life.  May she rest in peace.  

This article, Choosing to Make the Coffee, was really good and since I don't think I will Food for Thought anytime soon I am just sharing it here.  And speaking of Food for Thought, I liked this one entitled Can Charity Hurt? as well and thought it brought up some really good points.  I am glad to see that those who oversee large charities are asking these challenging questions of themselves and others. 

Pictures to share:  

Happy Feast Day, Clement!

LEAVES!!!

Journal: Let's see if I can do this quickly...

The kids are watching a show, so I'm going to see if I can be brief (enough) and get this done in under half-an-hour...

TODAY

Out my window:  Poop.  I don't want to talk about it.  

Clothing myself in:  Black long-sleeve shirt, pink tank, dark grey sweats.  That should tell you enough about the weather.  Seriously though, last night we had a thunderstorm watch, a freeze advisory and a pollen warning.  All at the same time.  Blurgh.

Around the house: Just keeping up, nothing terribly exciting or out of the ordinary. 

 

The baby: Oh goodness, he is just Mr. Personality these days.  He is so much fun.  He loves baths.  He is really close to crawling.  He went to bed for Aaron (without nursing) one night last week when I was at a meeting.  He is sooooo close to crawling.  He just got his 6th tooth.  He feeds himself really well and is learning to drink water from a sippy cup.  He's getting so big.  It just amazes me how much change happens in that first year of life outside the womb.  Wow.  What a ride!

The kiddos:  For my birthday Aaron bought me a new purse from Vera Bradley.  I told him yesterday I think we got our money's worth in the sheer entertainment value that the box in which it came has provided.  Gemma spent a good two-hours plus yesterday building and decorating a house with it.  She is so creative.  We have been working on Phonics lately, she really enjoys doing "school work" and will request to do things during the day in addition to our "learning time" each afternoon.  I'm glad she likes to learn, it is fun learning with her!  Gemma really likes to wear dresses lately.  I actually pulled her dresses from last summer out and they still fit her.  That's a first!!

Kolbe is such a cute guy, he is so happy-go-lucky and grateful.  I was telling my dad the other morning that Kolbe seriously thanks me for buying him underwear at least once a day.  Kolbe and I took a date to Target the other day (while daddy and Gemma made my "surprise" birthday pie) and he was so enthusiastic about every single thing we saw.  It was fun to spend some time one-on-one with him.  He got to pick out a Hotwheels car and was pretty excited about that, he has been really into playing cars lately.

In the kitchen: Homemade pizza with red-sauce, meat, spinach, mushrooms and green peppers (my fave)...I have FINALLY perfected the crispy, thin crust and oh YUM!; Chicken Enchiladas; family bday dinner; Calamari Linquine with whole wheat pasta and lots of fresh veggies and steamed asparagus on the side (so glad it's coming into season!!)

Crafting: I go in spurts.  As I'm sure you've deduced I am in a rut recently.

Learning:  As I mentioned above, Gemma has been requesting to work on "school" activities throughout the day, so I made this chart to kind of track progress and make sure we're working on a variety of things throughout the week.  One of those things I wish I'd done at the beginning of the school year.  OH well.  I hung it inside one of the kitchen cabinets and put an X in the corresponding box as we work on any given activity.  It's a nice, concrete way for me to keep track of things on a weekly basis.  

We had Art Class at the local museum today.

Reading: Same as last week.  Really enjoying Navigating the Interior Life and looking forward to discussing with my Spiritual Director. 

Watching: Another new episode of River Monsters this week, otherwise none of our shows are really having new episodes so our watching habits have been kind of random.  It bugs me just to watch for the sake of watching, but Aaron really seems to enjoy doing that to unwind at the end of the day when the kids are in bed, so I don't complain too much.  

Bringing me joy: Eucharistic Adoration, oh my heavens.  Daily Mass (well, once a week anyways).  A nice quiet birthday weekend with the family.  Watching Aaron fish with Kolbe.  Spending time with Kolbe and listening to him talk.  Accompanying one of my piano students for her flute competition and being on campus at my Alma Mater (college).  Watching Clem in the bathtub.  Reading with Gemma, especially the farm animal stories she loves so dearly.  Pretty birthday flowers on the center of my table.  Nerding out about my new purse.  Gemma's songs she makes up while she plays.

Thinking about: Lots of stuff, most especially my children's educations recently, but I'm out of time!!

Pictures to share:  

Gemma on her feast day a couple weeks ago, with her St. Gemma relic.  We made cookies with the letters of her name, and crosses and hands (since St. Gemma had the stigmata).

Mommy and daddy pics

We rarely seem to get good pictures (or any pictures, really) of Aaron and me with the kids, so I was tickled to randomly get a couple good ones recently!  Aaron was watching "funnies" one night with all three kids, so I snapped this one (that's why Gemma isn't looking at the camera...heaven forbid she tear herself away for half a second ;-D).  The one of me and the kids was taken on the Feast of St. Monica.  Gemma and Kolbe were playing in the backyard and asked the neighbor if he'd pick some flowers from his yard for them to give me...so sweet.  I sure love my family!!

Feast of St. Kolbe

Sweet Kolbe celebrated his feast day this past week.  He was so happy to inform everyone that it was "St. Babby".  So cute.  He received a copy of this book (which was great for the feast of the Assumption, and next week's feast of the Coronation), and some religious stickers that our local Catholic store now carries!!  His sweet godmother also brought him a Brother Francis "DDD"  (as he calls it) which both kids are enjoying, although Kolbe was admittedly a bit befuddled at the fact that the whole show didn't revolve around the "ball-ball" on the DVD cover.  ;-D  That's my boy!  Happy Feast Day to my big little guy!  May St. Kolbe always pray for you as you grow in Christ.

Our Lady of Guadalupe

As I mentioned, we've taken some time off from our "letter of the week" activities to really focus on the Advent and Christmas. seasons  We have had plenty of other activities to occupy our time for sure and I am grateful I decided on a break.  For the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Gemma did this coloring/painting.  She used crayons to color the picture, and then watercolors over it.  I realized after the fact that to achieve the desired effect I should have had her use non-washable crayons.  Oh well, it still turned out pretty neat I thought.  She and I also made the little craft (to the right of the her painting) with brightly colored yarn like we read about in The Legend of the Poinsettia (which takes place in Mexico).  We also enjoyed Tomie dePaola's The Lady of Guadalupe immensely.

Feast of St. Nicholas 2011

It is really neat - as the children get older - to watch various traditions develop in our family.  St. Nicholas is one of those really fun traditions.  Gemma made sure all our shoes were set out on the fireplace well before bedtime (actually, it was even before dinner I think) on the eve of the Feast of St. Nicholas.  

And as expected, St. Nicholas left some fun treats.  Candy canes and M&M's, some fancy buttons in Gemma's shoes (she loves playing with buttons), a book for each child, and a board for building with their duplo-blocks.

 

And if that wasn't enough, after examining the treats at the fireplace, they headed over to the deck door to realize there was a very light dusting of new-fallen snow!

Gemma begged and begged and begged and begged and begged to make a snowman.  Since daddy is off on Tuesday mornings, and is pretty much the best daddy in the world, he took her out to play for a bit.  No snowmen were built (imagine), but he said she had fun playing abominable snow monster with the buckets of snow he scooped up for her.  It's the little things!

More Advent 2010

We really have been enjoying Advent around here. As I mentioned previously, the tangibility of the daily prayer and other various activities, the waiting and hoping for the "goal" of Christmas day, it's all just a really great way for us to start anew and refocus our efforts at the beginning of a new church year. A wonderful and simple way to pray with children (and adults as well for that matter). Anyways, here are a few more things we've done. In celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe and St. Juan Diego, we made these Mexican Crispas from Catholic Cuisine. I was hoping Gemma would be a little more into the project but alas, maybe next year. I'm not going to force it. We talked a little about Our Lady and Juan's visions of her using this book, and she helped me shake the bag of cinnamon and sugar to coat the fried tortillas, but had absolutely no interest in trying them. Weird. "Gemma," I told her, "it is tia (what she calls tortillas), sugar and cinnamon. What's not to like?!" No dice. Oh well, I enjoyed them. We were doing some painting on Saturday morning and I had Gemma paint this Advent wreath.
She had some guidance from me, but I was tickled that she was able to actually kind of paint the wreath 'correctly' rather than just doing a big old smattering of random colors (not that there's anything wrong with that). I think I'll do this project at the beginning of Advent next year and maybe hang our chain from it, then she can tape on a new flame each Sunday.

This past Sunday, as I was grabbing a bulletin, holding a just woken up baby (and the coats, the hats, the bag, etc. etc.), trying to keep track of my daughter and husband as they made a beeline for the donut hall ;-D and chat with a few fellow parishioners, I happened to notice these little publications on a table in our Church gathering space. I picked one up for Gemma and she really enjoyed looking at it and coloring on it this week. She even proudly hung it on the fridge all on her own (upside-down, but hey!). It was a great tool for discussion about Mass and Advent in general. I hadn't noticed these the previous weeks, but then I wasn't looking. I am crossing my fingers that this is something they have started doing all the time and not just during Advent, I think this could really be a great thing for us.

That's all for now. Can't believe we're more than half-way through the Advent season. It is exciting for Gemma to see our chain getting shorter each day as we near the celebration of Christmas, Jesus' birthday!

St. Nicholas 2010

St. Nicholas made a stop at our house night before last. He left some fun goodies in the children's shoes (and daddy's too!) for them to enjoy the morning of his feast day. It was exciting!! If you are looking for a neat Christmas book for a two to three year old, check this one out that St. Nick left for Gemma. It is a lift-the-flap book, and it's just really cute. She likes it a lot.
I look forward to really focusing on this Feast during Advent in years to come as the children get older. St. Nicholas and his story are such wonderful teaching tools in this season of giving and generosity, and I hope to really expound on that. We have this book which still seems to be a bit above Gemma, but the pictures were good, lovely actually; and this one which I intend to pull out next year.

Our Advent activities have been going really well. I'm finding Advent is a really great season for formal, tangible prayer activities with children and it's been wonderful. Our morning decade of the Rosary had been kind of a flop lately. With Kolbe mobile (very mobile) and all the other morning things that happen with a baby and toddler it just hasn't been the most practical thing for us. Which is fine. I just want to make sure we do something. I found this Everyday Prayers book at the Catholic store and it had been suiting our needs nicely before Advent, so hopefully once Christmas has come and gone we'll be able to stay in a nice groove with our daily morning prayers. Any tips?

Celebrating the angels

This past week we celebrated the Feast of the Archangels (Sept. 29)
and the Feast of the Guardian Angels (October 2).
I thought it would be fun just to kind of make an angel theme of the whole week, and it worked out well. I know as the years go by activities like this will mean more and more to Gemma, but I think she enjoyed the small things we did and learned from them. We checked out several Angel books from the library, including an over-size one with lots of angel art. It was just beautiful, and wonderful to be able to see so many famous works of art that we will likely never see in person. I also put a small angel statue with her things on the fireplace. Here she is with our items for the week (and the diaper pail in the background ;-D). She has taken a HUGE liking to the song "Angels Watchin' Over Me" the past several weeks (it's on one of her CD's) so I was excited to find a book by the same title at the library. It was sort of cute, but nothing special. I was kind of disappointed but oh well. The story of Pasucal and the Kitchen Angels is sweet, honestly I don't think you can ever go wrong with Tomie dePaola.
Our main activity for the week was making angel cookies. This was a lot of fun, Gemma really enjoyed it. And she reallllllly enjoyed eating the cookies too of course! They were very special to her since they were something she helped make and they made fun snacks and desserts several days in a row. We also shared a few with the neighbor-girls, since "Jesus wants us to share." (ooooohhhhhh such a tough lesson to learn, especially when you have a baby brother who is becoming more mobile as each day goes by. But that's a whole other post in and of itself...) I was so excited with the recipe too. Usually when I bake things they turn out OK. These were fabulous!

What cookies are complete without sprinkles?
She was very proud of her work.
May the angels always help to light, guard, rule and guide our bodies and our souls!