A Week in My Life 2014: Monday

By bobbi
November 12, 2014
2 Comments

Kathryn over at Team Whitaker is hosting Week in My Life 2014. The point is to record a week with all the joys and bumps along the road. She explains:

These sweet people in your life, those toddlers screaming at you, that pre-teen rolling his eyes, that husband winking from across the room – they love you. And you’re going to want to remember this time in your life. In its crazy, messy, un-Pinteresty pictures, you’ll want this snapshot.

I love the idea! I may not be be able to post each day but I’ll pop in when I can and remember the highlights of my days this week. 🙂

The morning started with a nice treat since the kids had the day off and I was able to sleep in an extra 1/2 hour. It may have been longer if certain munchkins didn’t decide to dance in my bed with me in it.

After a quick shower and feeding the kids, I made myself some breakfast and headed to my desk. I try to do my daily mediation in the morning to get me in the right frame of mind. One day I may actually manage to wake up a half hour earlier and pray first thing in the morning but knowing me… it may be a while. For now, I say my prayers at my desk using the Blessed Is She daily meditations. I love that they are written by other Catholic women who are trying to find holiness in the nitty gritty of their daily lives.

Mondays are my planning days and when I get my computer work done. After I finish my prayers, I go over my schedule and make my TO DO lists and catch up on emails, room mom stuff and the like.

The kids were home but they were playing and building train tracks. However, Matthew came to see what I was doing and, as usual, asked if he could sit on my lap.

I just can’t resist those cute chubby cheeks! I savor these moments when he still loves to spend time with me.

But enough of the fun. There is laundry to be done. Always laundry. If I miss even one day or two the laundry baskets look like this.

Normally I wash then fold the clothes as I pull them out of the dryer and I have stacks of each person’s clothes on top of the dryer. More often than not, I never get around to putting the boys clothes into their drawers. They in turn just grab clean clothes from the top of the dryer. After a couple days the clothes are gone. I wash again and the cycle continues.

Today I actually cleared off the dryer and put away all the piles of clothes. Then this happened.

Me: Boys it’s time to get washed up and get dressed.

John-Paul: But Moooom! I don’t have any clean clothes!

Me: What are you talking about? I just did all the wash?

John-Paul: But look! (Pointing to the cleared off dryer.)

Me: I put the clothes away in your drawer.

John-Paul: (Looking puzzled.) Oh. (And he walks away.)

(JP was also the one who thought I got a new bed on the day I happened to make my bed.) Yeah, housekeeping is not my strong suit. 😉

But every now and then the domestic bug hits me. I pulled out the slow cooker and tried a new recipe – Paleo Beef Stew. (Although I added potatoes and celery that I needed to use up.)

While that was cooking, I packed the kids’ lunch.

Then we headed to speech therapy for Andrew and John-Paul.

While the kids were eating their lunch in the car and watching a movie, I snapped this shot. I love her garden!

The rest of the day was pretty much the usual… we got home. More laundry. Dishes. Step on Legos. Swear under my breath. Make the kids clean up their mess. Walk outside while the kids ride their bikes. Laugh. Giggle. Get Brian’s text that he is on his way home. Run back into the kitchen to finish the dishes and get dinner on the table.

I had high hopes for the stew but it came out too spicy. Luckily I had some beef broth left over so I was able to fix it up. Oh, well at least we had a treat of fresh bread.

When dinner was over I remembered that the Blessed Is She twitter chat was happening. So while the boys cleared the table and Bella unloaded the dishwasher. I was able to jump in for the last 15 minutes.

The topic was prayer and there were a lot of great ideas and and shared experiences. Have I mentioned that I love BIS. 😉

After 15 minutes of fun, I bathed the boys and got them ready for bed. Brian read them their stories and we said prayers and kissed them good night. I love my babies but I relish when 8 pm hits and the boys are asleep and Bella is reading and the night belongs to me and Brian. I take a little time to say my prayers and then we meet in the family room, talk alone and then watch something together before going to bed.

It’s been an enjoyable day. I’m grateful it wasn’t too hectic and I felt like I was able to catch up on some work. After some really busy weeks, I needed the breather. Blessed be God. 🙂

PS – You can follow RoL on Bloglovin, Feedly or another news feed. If you are a social media fan like me, we can stay in touch through Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, GoodReads, Letterboxd or Instagram. 😉

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 11): Protectors of Peace

By bobbi
October 11, 2014
2 Comments

The 31 Day of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 11 of my 31 Days of Gratitude.

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With three boys in the house it is natural to see them with light sabers hanging from their belts or swords tucked into their shirts. They are often fighting the bad guys or being “protectors of peace.” I love the sense of duty in their play to protect the innocent and keep people from harm. Naturally, there are still those moments when we have to remind them that they cannot fight each other in anger or strike one another outside the realm of pretend play. But I hope that sense of protecting others and fighting for what is right continues to develop in them as they grow into young men.

I’m blessed to have these little guys in my life. For this, I am grateful.

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 5): The Little Girl That Made Me A Mom

By bobbi
October 5, 2014
2 Comments

The 31 Day of Writing Challenge continues. It’s Day 5 of my 31 Days of Gratitude.

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On Monday, my sweet Bella turned 13 years old. 13! A teenager! It is so hard to believe.Today she had a birthday party with her closest friends and it was lovely to see her laughing and having fun with them.

I still remember vividly the day that I found out I was pregnant. It was Valentine’s Day 2001. We had been trying to get pregnant for a year with no luck. In January, we went on a pilgrimage to Rome for our 1st Anniversary. The prayer of our heart during that pilgrimage was that we’d be blessed with a child. God, in his mercy, finally answered that prayer. I was rereading Bella’s birth story and reminiscing about it all. Here is what I wrote that Valentine’s Day:

February 14, 2001

It is Valentine’s morning and I still can’t believe it. I suspected that our dream was finally coming true so I took a pregnancy test. I followed the procedure then closed my eyes while I waited for the results. I prayed three Hail Marys that I would accept God’s will graciously. After the last prayer I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the test… there it was! How many times have I seen that awful negative result but this time it was positive. There is a little one growing inside me!

Your Daddy was in the kitchen so I went in there and asked him to close his eyes and hold out his hands to receive a Valentine’s gift I wanted to give him. He did so and I then placed his hands on my stomach and told him to open his eyes. With a puzzled look he said, “What?” I said, “Guess!” His eyes grew wide and with astonishment he exclaimed, “You’re pregnant?! Are you sure?” I convinced him that it was true and we just hugged each other and cried. There are no words to describe our joy and gratitude to God for answering our prayers. I’m still in shock…but I will never forget the moment I learned of the existence of my little one. Blessed be God!

It brings tears to my eyes when I think of that tiny little baby that arrived a month early and had to stay in the NICU for 11 days. When we brought her home was ecstatic and petrified. There were no more nurses to guide me and help me along. I was on my own. I’ll admit those first couple of months were the toughest. I don’t know who cried more – me or her. But eventually we got into a rhythm and we both found our way. Since then, everyday she has brought sunshine to my life, even on the bad days.

For six years it was just the three of us as we dealt with secondary infertility and miscarriages but eventually God answered our prayers again with three little boys in a row. Now it feels like just me and Bella in a house of boys and I cherish that female bond.

Bella is still as sweet as she was when she toddled around next to me and I marvel as I watch her cross over from little girl to young lady.

So today, I am grateful for my dear Bella who made me a mother for the very first time. Blessed be God!

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 1): Feast of St. Therese

By bobbi
October 1, 2014
10 Comments

It’s Day 1 in the 31 Day of Writing Challenge. St. Therese has been on my mind lately and since it is her feast day today, I thought this quote would be a good start to my 31 Days of Gratitude.

Growing up, many Catholics I knew had a great devotion to St. Therese. Me? Not so much. I had nothing against her, I just preferred the less popular saints who wouldn’t be so busy praying for everyone else. 😉 However, in the last couple years, I have read more about St. Therese and her “little way” and have grown to love it and her.

When I redesigned the blog two years ago, her motto is what motivated me. I suppose for a mom busy in the trenches of raising kids and maintaining a home, it can be a little daunting with all the menial tasks that must be performed throughout the day… over and over again. Intellectually, I know it is important work, but psychologically, it can weigh on a mom’s hear when she is up to her neck in dishes, diapers, dirty laundry, spilled milk and toys all over the place. It’s hardly glamorous. Yet, God has a deep love for the humble… for those who follow the “little way.”

It’s easy to say, “Do the little things with great love,” but, at least for me, it is much harder to actually do. More often than not I’m uttering a groan and an “Oh, come on!” at a little cross than kissing it and saying, “For love of you, my Lord.” Thankfully, God is patient and merciful. He knows that I am trying to surrender to Him and trying to live in a spirit of gratitude.

Instead of complaining about all the dishes and laundry, I should be thankful that we have warm clothes to wear and plenty of food on the table. Not everyone is so blessed. I ask for the grace to keep turning my eyes to God throughout the day. To accept whatever cross I have at that moment in time – whether it is scrubbing a toilet or bathing a stinky munchkin or working on a school fundraiser – this is where God calls me. This is where God teaches me sanctity. This is my opportunity to be a witness of love to my little ones, to my husband, to my neighbor and to those in my community. This is my mission field. I am grateful for the grace to understand that. Now I pray for the grace to live it.

A Blog Hop about Writing

By bobbi
September 28, 2014
2 Comments

Sweet Niki over at A Catholic Heart for Home, tagged me for a blog hop about writing. It has taken me awhile (Sorry, Niki!) but I finally got to sit down and finish the post. She asked me to answer four questions then I tag three bloggers to do the same. So here we go…

1. What am I writing?

I have always loved to write, even as a young girl. In my late teens and early 20’s there weren’t blogs. Instead there were underground magazines (or ‘zines), which were basically B&W self-produced booklets. After my reversion, I started my own called handmaid. The first half covered music reviews and photos from local shows in the Christian alternative music scene. The second half was a collection of thoughts about the faith, journal entries and poems. I loved the creative process and kept it up while I discerned if I had a religious vocation or not.

After Brian and I were married, we decided to join our efforts since we both loved to write and we started Revolution of Love.com. Back then I was newly married and Bella was our only baby. Brian and I both wrote about the Catholic faith and family life but the articles we posted on our website were more serious. I wanted a place where I could just chit chat about daily life so I started the blog. That was over a decade ago.

Nowadays I write mostly about motherhood, homemaking and family/ life happenings. My blog motto is “Little things with great love” because it is what I desire to do…to love God through the caring of my husband and family. God knows that dealing with all the little crosses in mommy life with a patient and charitable attitude is little a martyrdom. Writing about it helps me to keep my attitude on the positive side and to see the blessings disguised under the mess. I want to capture the simple joys of my life. Trying a new recipe or taking a pretty picture or making my messy house more homey, and then sharing it with other women online, feeds my creative hunger and builds new friendships. 🙂

Life is not all daisies and sunshine.

2. How does my work differ from others in my genre?

Well, I don’t know if it is very different since there are so many mommy bloggers out there but I hope I can be an encouragement to those moms who don’t feel like they measure up to the “perfect” moms. I love organizing blogs but I am so messy it’s just sad. (As I type I am trying to see the monitor over a mound of paperwork and random objects.) I am trying to tame the messy beast within me and get my home in order but it is a slow process. However, I like sharing the cleaning projects I do finish in order to say, “See! If I can do it, so can you!”

Also, while other moms post about their running marathons and cross fit classes, I am excited to share how I got off the couch and tried to walk a couple miles without having a heart attack. When they talk about trying to get back into their size 4 jeans, my eyes glaze over. I can’t even relate to the “normal sized” moms trying to get out of a size 14 or 16. Dang it, I’m trying to get into a size 16!

Sometimes I talk about struggling or having a bad day because I want other moms to know that it’s normal to struggle at times. Being a mom is incredibly hard work and it is physically, mentally and spiritually demanding! But God can use us – with our strong points, weak points and quirks – to change the world one diaper and one load of laundry at a time.

3. Why do I write what I write?

I have to admit that I first write for myself. I love the sound of the tapping and the feel of the keys beneath my fingers. I love the smell of blank paper and watching my pen dance across the page. Typing or writing things out helps me to reign in the thoughts that are running around my head. It allows me to express myself in a way that I sometimes can’t verbally. The creative process of blogging – finding the right things to say, taking photographs to suit the subject, and making it look pleasing to the eye, all those creative components energize me and make me smile.

The other reason I write is for the community it builds. There is a real joy when someone comments or tells me that they appreciate what I have written or that they understand what I am saying because they have felt the same way. It builds a sisterhood and I love that. I love the bond it creates. Sometimes I feel like my online friends know me more intimately than some of my real life friends, but that’s a topic for a different post. 😉

4. How does my writing process work?

Well, it has been sketchy as of late but in general when a thought hits me and I want to expand on it but can’t write at the moment, I make a note on my phone, whether it is a word or a phrase or a few rudimentary ideas. Later when the kids are asleep or playing relatively quietly during the day I’ll go back to those notes. If it is an “easy” topic, I just sit and write. If it is something that is a little harder to express or close to my heart, then I say a prayer to the Holy Spirit for guidance. Sometimes I need to stop typing and finish in the morning so I can have fresh eyes and mind to look it over. Usually, the post will “click” and I feel I did the best I could to express my thoughts. Life is busy and I often don’t have time to do all those steps. Consequently my thoughts will often sit in my draft folder for weeks. I am working on getting things out more often and hopefully this post is just the nudge to get me going. 🙂

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Okay, now the fun part! I get to nominate three fellow bloggers but I’m going to cheat and nominate four since I took so long to keep this blog hop going. Here are the ladies I nominate. (The first pick is a no brainer since she is my sis and an awesome mom. 🙂 )

Elena at Barefoot and Sometimes Pregnant

Elena says: I am mom to five little munchkins and one little saint in heaven. Edith is 6, Frank is 4, Greta is 3, Harriet is 2, Ike is 1 and our little St. Joan went to her Maker on July 11, 2014. I love every moment of being a mom…okay, okay, I admit there are times when I want to sell the kids to gypsies, but the thought never lasts long. 🙂

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Sarah at Fumbling towards Grace

Sarah says: My name is Sarah and I have a wonderful husband “Atticus” and three amazing children: Maggie, Charlie, and Mary Cate. We’re Catholic, by baptism and by choice. We love the Church, warts and all. We strive to follow all of the Church’s teachings. We love taking our scruffy, black dog Sirius to the park. Every Saturday from September through November is Notre Dame football. We’ve been known to conduct a culinary experiment from time to time.

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Erica at Saint Affairs

Erica says: Hi! My name is Erica.We are a Catholic homeschooling family. We love the Lord, the Catholic Church, and each other. I am married to my high school sweetheart. I homeschool our three children. In my free time, I enjoy reading, knitting, cross-stitching, gardening, and running. I cook and clean, too, but only because I promised my husband that I would take care of him and our children. I used to scrapbook, but I stopped several years ago. I keep this blog to record what is happening in our life, my craft projects, and the books that we are reading. Occasionally, I write about things like clothes, food, and my struggles with polycystic ovary syndrome and infertility.

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Christina at A Catholic Reversal

Christina says: Hi! My name is Christina and I am a Catholic wife to Greg and mother to 6 kids ranging in age from 14 to 7 months. We are cradle Catholics married in our mid-twenties with a lack luster faith life. Through a series of (divine) events we discovered Pope Saint John Paul II’s Theology of the Body were led back to the Church. Our reversion/conversion has been ongoing for the past 7 years as we have gradually and sometimes feverishly tried to learn the Truths of the faith that we never knew or had barely been exposed to.

Our reversion led us to a deep change of heart as we learned about the Church’s teaching on marriage and contraception. We had chosen to have a vasectomy after the birth of our 3rd daughter and would come to painfully regret this decision. By the grace of God we were able to have Greg’s sterilization reversed and have since been blessed with four more children, three of whom are here with us.

I hope to share about the joys, struggles, and other what nots of going from a family of 5 to a family of 8. We have had many reversals in our marriage especially since our conversion led to many new family members. As if growing our brood to 6 wasn’t enough, we will also be homeschooling some of our children this fall!

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Okay, the writing torch has been passed. I hope you enjoy getting to know these Catholic blogging mamas. 🙂

PPS – This post may contain affiliate links.

Revolution of Love

Do small things with great love.

Category Archives: motherhood

A Week in My Life 2014: Monday

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 11): Protectors of Peace

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 5): The Little Girl That Made Me A Mom

31 Days of Gratitude (Day 1): Feast of St. Therese

A Blog Hop about Writing