**Sharing the triumphs and missteps on my journey towards a healthier physical, emotional and spiritual life.**
Physical Update
My summer walking program of 100 Miles in 100 Days had been temporarily put on hold. I made it to 50 days but in August (and early September) a number of factors pushed it to the back burner and I wasn’t walking consistently. However, now that the kids are back in school and we are settling into our new routine, I am able to get out and walk again. So I hope to finish the second half of my 100. š
This Monday was the final weigh-in for Running with Jess’ Lose a Half-Marathon. My goal was to lost 13.1 pounds. I didn’t quite make it but I did reach 10 pounds. It’s going to take me a couple more weeks to hit the original goal. I carry on…
Lastly, I was thinking about Cari’s Catholic Exchange Virtual 5K. Is that still taking place? Are you doing it? Let me know.
Okay, that’s it for today. (I still want to make a quick Downton Abbey post. š
Have a healthy week!
This Is Why We Don’t Have A Cat – Over the past two weeks we’ve been touch and go with a cold bug tagging each of the kids. This week it finally hit me. At first it started as allergies due to a bad experience with Target. I know, the store I love! Well, it wasn’t really Target’s fault but one of their shoppers. I purchased a slip cover for our horrid front room couch that has an even more horrid slip cover that always comes off. (It is taking the word “slip” too seriously.) I opened it up and as I was placing it on the couch I started sneezing like crazy. I then realized that the cover had cat or dog hair all over it. I pulled the cover off and folded it back into the box but the damage was done. My allergies went crazy. (It’s weird but I know it’s my allergies when the roof of my mouth gets really itchy.) Well, slowly my allergies went into a head cold and sore throat and if you call my house and hear a raspy whisper answer the phone, don’t hang up. It’s just me.
– 2 –
Silence Is Golden – However, I’ve noticed a curious thing with not having my normal voice, I can’t yell at the kids when I am mad moderately raise my voice to demonstrate my displeasure. Yesterday, I almost blew my top, but not being able to talk loudly, I had to take a deep breath and firmly but calmly and quietly correct Child A. This automatically had a calming effect on me interiorly and I then calmly corrected Child B. I swear I felt like Michele Duggar when she sweetly corrects her kids (at least on camera.) I walked into the kitchen and Brian was smiling at me. I think he is secretly praying that my voice takes a long time to return. š But seriously, it’s amazing all the little lessons God can teach you when you are quiet and humble enough to listen.
– 3 –
Pass the Visine – Okay, okay. One more quick take about being under the weather. (Cut me some slack, guys, it’s been a slow news week.) Along with the stuffy head and raspy voice, I have been wearing sunglasses outside the house all week, despite the clouds and the fog, because my eyes are so red and watery. I looked in the mirror the other day and saw puffy eyes, bags and dark circles and I swore I aged 10 years in a week. Man, if this keeps up I’m going to have to break down and buy some kind of cover up/ make up. I’m also really resisting the urge to watch the movie Mr. Skeffington just to witness Fanny get ill and age 20 years after always looking so youthful. (I love that movie!)
– 4 –
Movie Night – I think I’ve mentioned this before but one of my favorite times of the day is when I put John-Paul and Andrew to sleep. After prayers and bedtime stories, it’s lights off. Usually I would sit in the room 5-10 more minutes while they dozed off. Now they are out within minutes but It is so quiet and peaceful that I find myself staying in there 15 – 20 minutes just to read. No emailing, texting or web surfing allowed. I can only read. One of the books I finished last month was To Kill A Mockingbird. Can you believe I had never read the book nor seen the movie before, particularly since I love B&W classic movies? Now that I’ve read the book I was going to rent the movie but I noticed that our local theater is playing the movie on Nov 15 as part of the TCM Event Series so I think I’ll wait and watch it on the big screen.
BTW, if you are a classic movie fan, next Wed, Sept 19th they are playing Hitchcock’s The Birds and on October 24th it is a Halloween Double Feature with the original “Frankenstein” (1931) followed by “Bride of Frankenstein” (1935). Sounds fun!
– 5 –
Catholicism & A Zombie Apocalypse – Speaking of reading, I was going to do a Quick Take about Ryan Charles Trusell and his new, innovative novel Ora et Labora et Zombies but I think it is too exciting to merely mention it quickly so I made a separate post instead. Check it out.
– 6 –
Making It Count – Hey, did you notice that I am now hosting Making It Count Tuesday? Sarah and Pam are unable to do it right now so they were kind enough to let me oversee it. If you are not familiar with Making It Count, it runs every 2nd and 4th Tuesday. You simply start with any one of those fabulous ideas you’ve found online. Then, do it. Make it. Cook it. Create it. Take it from the screen, give it life and let it bless your world. When you’re done, snap a photo, write about it and share it with us. Make your time online count.
You have until Sunday night to participate in this week’s MICT. Or you can come back on Tues 9/25. I hope to see you there!
– 7 –
Sew what? – Speaking of getting creative, as readers of this blog know I am not exactly skilled in the sewing department. (Duct tape to hem pants, anyone?) However, I’ve been trying to correct my ways and spread my creative wings and I’m thinking about trying a simple sewing project – such as making your own cloth napkins. How hard could that be? (Famous last words.) I was thinking of buying a simple sewing machine with some birthday money I have saved but let me ask you a question – what is the minimum I should spend on a machine. I don’t need anything fancy but I don’t want it to be so cheap that it doesn’t work properly but I honestly don’t know where to start. So if you could recommend a brand or price range I’d really appreciate it! Thanks.
Okay, my time is up and I made it to the last take. Have a great weekend!
Over the last week or so numerous blogging top guns such as Jen Fulwiler and The Anchoress and Dorian Speed have plugged Ryan Charles Trusell and his publication Ora et Labora et Zombies as well as his printing/publishing company called Labora Editions.
The unique thing about Ryan’s book is twofold. First it is a Benedictine zombie apocalypse novel. Yeah, get your head around that one. But first read what Ryan posed on his website:
While his wife, Ava, is out of town, Dr. Thomas Schutten is off for a week to take care of their eighteen month old son, James, and to enjoy the last few days of carnival, and then… something misunderstood and mysterious… and his world changes, almost overnight, into a dangerous place. Information services stop, society begins to pull itself apart, and Dr. Tom does the only thing he knows to do; he follows his own emergency plan and flees with James to the nearby Benedictine monastery, where he and his wife serve as oblates. They have agreed upon the Abbey as their meeting place in emergency circumstances. Now, without word, without news, with only hope… he waits.
Ora et Labora et Zombies is an epistolary novel, told through letters. In this case they are Tom’s letters, written to Ava while he waits for her to join him and their son at the Abbey. All that stands between them is time and uncertainty… and zombies?
Second, his novel isn’t available in book format. Rather it is written in the form of Tom’s letters to Ava – real letters. The handwritten letters are sent as a weekly serial through the mail. Real paper. Handwritten letters. Watermarked stationery. The mail box. Anticipation. Egads, I swoon at the thought. It is new school meets old school.
Okay, I admit when I first heard about it I kept thinking, whaaaat?? But after reading over his website and all the great things others were saying, I couldn’t help but order the first set of letters. I’ll let you know what I really think after I receive them. I can’t wait. š
You can order your copy here.
As photo-happy as I usually am, I have no photos to share this week. So instead, I am joining Like Mother, Like Daugther with a {pretty, happy, funny, real}: Downton Abbey edition for all my fellow DA fanatics supporters.
Please be warned – there are some SPOILER photos. If you do not want to see Mary’s wedding headpiece or the top of her wedding dress, skip this post. If you do not want to see someone holding a baby, skip this post. If you do not want to see a video with more Season 3 footage, skip this post.
This may be my last spoiler since DA will air in the UK on Sept 16 and after that it will be all out there. I like a few peeks here and there but I don’t want to know everything that happens. I prefer to watch it unfold before me in January 6 on my couch with my hubby and a chocolatey dessert. Soooo, this may be my last DA post for awhile. (But we’ll see. š
Okay, that should have given you enough time to skedaddle if you weren’t interested. Here we go!
I was never 100% about the Sybil and Branson relationship but I think this won me over.
Source: lucylovesmemore.tumblr.com.
{funny}
This is not really funny, as in HAHA, this is more funny as in “strange” that we are so absorbed into the lives of these fictitious characters. But I have always thought that a bit of moderated, relatively innocent diversion keeps a mama happy, which makes the rest of the family happy. (Yeah. Yeah. That’s it.) š
Here is the book that (I believe) all these photos originally came from. The Chronicles of Downton Abbey is available on Amazon for pre-order, to be released Nov 13, 2012.
~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
AND
It’s been a busy week (AGAIN) so it is time for another Saturday morning {pretty, happy, funny, real}/7 Quick Takes Mash-up.
– 1 –
{happy}
All the kids are officially back in school. Bella started the 5th grade – and moved out of jumpers and into skirts. (Although, after this photo day she is wearing her favored uniform pants since she doesn’t like skirts. Oops, a little like her mama.)
Andrew started Pre-K and was all smiles when he found out he got to get out earlier than Bella. (He only goes half-day.)
– 2 –
It’s funny that I imagined myself having all this free time and I had my plans of continuing to clean and organize, I thought of all the projects I’d start and blog posts I’d write but I’ve done nada! First of all, between three kids attending two schools with three separate school schedules, I spend a good portion of my day lugging kids in and out of the car. In fact, yesterday when I took John-Paul to school, I must have been on auto pilot because I accidentally drive him to School A instead of School B. Luckily, I had enough time to turn around and head in the opposite direction. Anyway, add in a few errands into the mix and I have to drive right back to School A & B for the 1/2 dayers and literally don’t get back from “taking them to school” until 1:30, unless it’s a speech therapy day, then add an extra hour. By 3pm I’m finally putting the breakfast dishes in the dishwasher. Thankfully next week Brian and my father-in-law will be doing a couple of the shifts so that should ease things up.
– 3 –
My other misconception was that mothering would be easier with only Matthew in the house. Egads, I am more exhausted just watching Matthew than I am caring for all four. He is at that “Cyclone Stage” where he runs around the house leaving a path of destruction everywhere. At least with the kids at home he is occupied playing with them and there is always another set of eyes to lets me know when he is causing trouble. We are both getting adjusted. In the meantime, this is what happens when I try to get some housework done.
{funny}
Put in a load of laundry – find him on the table throwing puzzle pieces.
Put my breakfast dishes in the dishwasher – find that he gave himself a yogurt facial and shampoo.
Try to make dinner – it’s his invitation to dump out the kitchen cabinets, again.
The first few times, this is cute and photoworthy but as I pick up the dumped cookware he runs and dumps out a book shelf. As I am putting the books back on the shelf, he opens the dishwasher and climbs inside. I get him out and wipe his dirty feet prints off the washer and he runs over and dumps over the trash can. I pick up the trash and find in the rubbish the remote control, my serving spoon and his lost shoe. He’s too young for a time out chair and I’m not into spanking but even a little swat on the bottom does nothing. I tried throwing him in his crib and fencing him in but he climbed out and knocked down the barricades. I don’t remember any of the kids being this persistent in giving me a heart attack. I don’t understand how someone so small and cute can be so strong and relentless. So we’ll see how we manage together as the weeks progress.
– 4 –
Okay, since I am getting my complaints off my chest, let me just add one more thing. Normally, the boys get along fairly well but every once in awhile Matthew likes to tease John-Paul by taking one of his toys and running away with it. John-Paul, unable to fully verbalize his displeasure, will resort to screeching at the top of his lungs and grab his toy back. Matthew in turn will yell and screech at the top of his lungs. They were so loud I got flashbacks of those nature shows where the monkeys, chimpanzees, or gorillas go crazy. The boys sounded just like this…
I ran into the room and broke it up and I swear I am still shocked that the neighbors did not call child protective services or the animal control center.
– 5 –
{real}
Somehow all this craziness has made me want to enjoy some of the quieter moments of mothering and homemaking. On the weekends or during a moment of uninterrupted, blessed naptime, I have been feeling domestic and cooking and baking more. I think it is partly because of the weather. Normally we have warmer weather in September but there are still those days when the fog starts to creep in…
It looks like this.
Until it completely covers the mountains behind us.
That is when I am most likely to go baking crazy.
Here we used up all the over ripe bananas with Banana Blueberry Muffins, Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins and Oatmeal Banana Chocolate Chip Cookies. In fact someone was asking me for the recipe for the cookies (I tried making them a little lower in fat) so I’ll post it next week.
– 6 –
I also dusted off my bread machine and have been making fresh bread for the family. Last night we had Italian wheat bread. The smell of bread baking is lovely!
It went fast.
– 7 –
{pretty}
Well, with all the mommy craziness, I certainly need more of God’s grace to get through it. I took this photo at the Mission’s garden and it reminds me of a mama and her baby.
It also reminds me of St Therese of the Little Flower. I have to remember that my life with Matthew (and all the kids) is my specific road to sanctity. God knows exactly how selfish, self-centered and impatient I am. He gave me just the little guy I need to help me chip away at those faults and give me opportunities to practice patience, charity and selfless giving. (It also helps to repeat my motto, “And this too shall pass.”)
With that, I must get off the computer and practice some virtue in the form of a stinky diaper that needs to be changed, breakfast dishes that need to be washed and countless piles of laundry to be tackled. š
Have a great weekend!
