First Friday

Just so you know it is not always "all things rosy," this was one of those days when I did not think one of us was going to make it to the end of the day!  I think the excitement of officially starting our break from school was just a little too much for all of us.  Maybe it was just a sign that we really do need this break.

We started off with a late start to the morning...mainly because Little Miss decided to stay up late into the night.  We had to be out the door by 0930 to make it to Mass.  However, the children were eager to find our Advent Angel.  We looked back at the story from yesterday and focused our attention on Mary.  She was willing to do God's will.  How would you react to a visit from an angel?

Brendan made a cute LEGO version of Mary when returned later in the afternoon.  However, we did not have a lot of time to go into details as we rushed out the door.

When we arrived at the church, the older boys had the opportunity to go to confession.  After our car ride to the church it was very much needed to clear the air!  The boys were really wound tight and were really getting on each others nerves!  We also had arrived early because the older two were serving on the altar today.

This Mass is set up each month for the home schoolers in the area, which means we are all in the same position...moms trying to encourage the love of faith in our children.  So, we all huddle close together and have a lively Mass without worry of disturbing those without children.  I usually do not go into the cry room for this reason.  However, because we were early, I decided to start out there for those who wanted to have quiet prayer time before Mass.  The two youngest were also wound up and were running in the cry room.  I told them to stop so they would not get hurt, but the next thing I knew...Little Miss was head over heels tumbling over the pew!  She bang her nose and mouth hard on to the tile floor.  She is truly a girly girl when it comes to seeing her own blood!  She was frantic but I got her calmed down.  Another mom was in the room with me and asked if she was OK.  After checking to make sure she was fine, I told the mom that by the end of Mass she would probably be doing it again!  Do they ever learn?   In spite of the mishap, we did enjoy Mass.  It was nice to hear Fr. Michel emphasize the same lessons we have been discussing all week.

We made our way home and planned to finish up the last of the school work.  However, SOMEBODY decided he did not want to have a clean break.  I won't mention names but I am hoping the activities planned for tomorrow will motivate him in the morning.

Zaira added a fence around our nativity scene to represent the need to guard our hearts.  She loved being able to do this...it was so cute to see her place everything just right.  She even "read" the prayer card for the day!  She also let Brendan help.  Then Brendan added an ornament with a burning bush to represent the story of Moses being called by God to help the Israelites escape the Pharaoh.

We ended the day with Michael reading more of the Advent story, along with a book called The Miracle of St. Nicholas.  It is a story about a Russian town who had hid the items needed for Mass from being stolen.  The day before Christmas these things were gathered and brought back to the church in time for Mass.  This is a great story to show the need for a community to come together in faith.  

This was one night I was glad to see everyone tucked into bed.  I was tired and drained from the day.  However, the day did not end for me just yet.  I had work to do...you will find out why tomorrow.

Michael Wings It

Today was my day to volunteer at the local pregnancy help center.  I had to leave the house before some the children were even awake (possibly Michael was only a little awake as well!)  However, as I was leaving, I heard them say, "Zaira found the angel!"  It put a smile on my face to know they like the new tradition enough to do it even when I am not there to guide them.

Michael made sure to read the remaining part of the story (Luke 1:26-38).  This time the angel (Gabriel) seeks out a young virgin (Mary) who is told she will be the mother of the Messiah.  "And Mary said,  'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her." (verse 38)

If Gabriel visited you, would you listen to him and do what he said? Would you be like Zechariah and not believe? Or like Mary and believe?

The children sang one of our favorite songs...An Angel Came from Heaven (link to cute video...not my children...maybe another time I will video them).  It has a tune that just makes you want to dance.  Then Sean was asked to make a LEGO angel.  He used the wings from an CHIMA eagle.

Then they discussed the many jobs that angels do for God.

• MESSENGERS
• GUIDING
• PROVIDING
• PROTECTING
• STRENGTHENING
• WORSHIPING
• PRAISING
• CARING

We also had our first little gift giving opportunity today.  Zaira had diapers she did not need anymore, so she wanted to give them to a baby.  It worked out great as Michael was meeting me at the pregnancy help center today.  Zaira was so sweet when she walked in with her diapers to donate to the babies in need!  Brendan came to help her...such a gentleman!

This evening we added an ornament with wheat represented to our Jesse Tree.  We learned about the story of Joseph saving his people from famine.  I always thought of this story as one of forgiveness.  Joseph spent many years away from his loving father because of his brothers' jealousy.  He had all of those years to harbor feelings of rejection.  He could have sought vengeance once he was given his position of leadership, and especially after seeing his brothers in need.  However, Joseph only wanted to help his family.  He saw his ongoing situation as a way for God to provide for his family during the famine.  He accepted the will of God in spite of all he went through.  I think his story is especially helpful for those who need healing from past hurt during this season.

This story also links to the broom that we added to our nativity scene today.  The broom is used to clean away the cobwebs.  We need to remove any debris that might hinder us from reaching out to God.  These cobwebs can come in many forms...regret, jealousy, vengeance, hate, and so many other forms.  This is the time of year to rid ourselves of these feelings.

We ended the day by reading the book entitled The Christmas Cobweb.  After all the discussion from the day, it just seemed right to turn those cobwebs into something wonderful in time to celebrate the birth of the Messiah for Christmas.

God always gives us second chances! A nice thought as I tucked the children into bed tonight.

Feast of the Missionary

The boys were on the hunt for Sariel most of the morning.  Edward was the lucky one to find our Advent Angel.   The first thing they learned was that today is a feast day!

We celebrate the feast dedicated to St. Francis Xavier.  He was a friend of St Ignatius of Loyola (they met in college) and he later became a missionary to India and then on to the islands surrounding the Philippines.  He wanted to expand his evangelic work to China but he became ill and died on his voyage.



As I sit and type this blog, I asked Henry what he remembered of St Francis Xavier.  He had read a book about this saint a couple of years ago.  I think we have been watching to many TV shows with police investigations.  He went into elaborate details about the decomposition of the saints bones!  Actually, it is kind of interesting what happened after he died...his companions were determined to bring his remains back home, but the ship captain refused because he said it would smell too bad.  His companions were told if the body decomposed enough before the ship set out, they could bring the body.  So, they poured lime to speed up the process!  I guess he was not meant to go home, as the companions returned to collect his remains and he was found to be incorrupt!

Of course, the boys thought this was a pretty cool story!  Personally, I thought the life story of St. Francis Xavier is very inspiring BEFORE he died.  I am glad that my missionary work is not in the far reaches of the world...I like to show Christ to the world around me.  However, hearing about his life reminds me to pray for those who do spread the message to these countries.

After hearing these stories, we read from the Gospel of Luke about the angel's (Gabriel) visit to Zachariah (Luke 1:5-25).  Zechariah was told that his barren wife would conceive a child.  When he questioned Gabriel, the angel gave him a sign...he would not speak until all came to pass as was foretold.  Just think what would happen if God gave us a sign like this every time we doubted Him?   I guess our world would be a quieter place, right?

To demonstrate to the boys that we should not question the will of God, we told them that they should follow our directions without question.  Then we told them to jump on one foot and jump around, then they were to shout out God's praises!  Now the chance God would ask us to do something so silly is slim, but the idea is that we should not question God's will.  Trust is an important part of our faith.

Henry was asked to make a representation of Zachariah for our mantel.  He came back with a bearded LEGO man!  We added it to one of the LEGO gingerbread houses they made yesterday.

Edward then added a blanket to our nativity scene.  This was used to cover the crevices in the roof and walls.  We are told to repair and cracks in our spiritual lives that tempt us to turn away from God.

This evening we added a ladder to the Jesse Tree.  Do you know what this represents?  Do you remember the story in Genesis 27 about the dream of Jacob (verses 12-15)?  Jacob has just tricked his brother out of his inheritance and runs away in fear of his life.  While in the desert he dreams about a ladder that takes him to heaven.  God tells him that he will prosper in all that he does, including a multitude of descendants.  The ladder represents God's desire to reunite the earth with the divine.

I think the two stories go together...in both stories communication with God were important.  In both stories God reached out to the people.  Zachariah was visited by an angel....Jacob spoke to God through a dream.  In both stories the people needed to choose to listen to God's will.  We are given opportunities to communicate with God through prayer...lifting our hearts and minds to God.  We also must choose to listen to God's will.

The season continues and we reflect on our lives in union with God.  An area that is crucial to our relationship is communication.  So glad we have this time to get it all together.

Potty Training the Princess

We started this journey about ten months ago...not our choice...she wanted to sit on the potty!  So we thought she might be ready at 18 months.  It did not happen!  No big deal...we would just try as she felt the desire to try.  After five children going through the process, if we learned nothing else it was not to rush the experience.

Now she is actually getting to the potty before she wets herself so we thought this was the time to try with more earnest.

Yes...she actually fell asleep on the potty and Michael had to catch her!

It just so happened that I was at the park with another mom of many children.  She said that she pays an older sibling a small fee to keep track of the potty use...they seem to have more time to follow the two-year-old around without distraction...HA!

So...we gave this a try.  I chose Edward to follow Little Miss around for a week to try to make that magical experience take hold.  He was paid a quarter for every time she used the potty correctly and a dime for every time she tried.  The idea was that he would earn an extra ten dollars if he was successful without accidents for a week.  A good incentive for him, but she just did not quite get the hang of it.

SO...we went up a sibling...Henry got his chance for a week.  He did better but still no real progress!

So funny to see but whatever works!
In the end it was just a reason to ask to watch her TV shows!

AND THEN...one day Zaira decided she did not want to wear diapers anymore!  Just like that....and she has never gone back to diapers.  She even has the night time potty situation down without any trouble!

I usually do something really big when the child is potty trained.  It is really based on something specific for the child.  It was not a hard choice for Zaira.  She was going to have her own room!

We are a co-sleeping family...well...we let the babies sleep with us until they are two-years-old.  Then out they go into their own bed!  Zaira was well past this mark BUT...when we moved here a year ago, she did not need her room so it became the storage room!  Boxes we still had not unpacked, tools, unused household supplies, and things we really just needed to take away....we had it all stuffed in that room!  What a mess!  We also had pulled all the carpet and had not tiled the floor.

We had our work cut out for us.  However, after much ado, we got the job done!  She slept in her room all by herself...until she slumbered into our bed around 4am this morning.

The only issue in all of this is TOILET PAPER!!!!  Why is so hard to tear off a small amount and not clog the toilet!  BUT...I know she will get this too!  She is growing up so fast!  Why do babies have to grow up so quickly!?!?!?!

Winter Break Approaching

The boys are getting excited...not sure if it is because of Christmas coming so much as our winter break.  For several years, we have made the decision in our house to take a break from school throughout the Advent and Christmas season (We make it up during the hot days of summer when no one wants to be outside!).  They know that the big break begins on the feast of St. Nicholas (December 6th) and lasts until the Monday after Epiphany (January 6th).  An entire month to dedicate to preparing for Christmas and then celebrating the 12 days of Christmas.  A great time of fun for everyone here.

SO we still have school this week but are trying to hold back the excitement with a few more Advent traditions.

This morning we found Sariel and we were told in a letter that we should focus on the kingship of Jesus today.  Edward was asked to make a crown out of Legos...he decided a miniature one would never due for our KING!  He thought he could take the entire morning to make a very bejeweled life-size crown!  I told him it was a great idea but would need to continue his creation AFTER school.

We also got active with a crown lifting exercise!  The official exercise is a simple overhead press, but we talked about the kingdom of God and how Jesus wears the crown.  As members of His kingdom through baptism, we are called to be priest, prophet and king (CCC 897-913)!  As we lifted our crowns in honor of Jesus, we called out words that describe our king:

• AWESOME!
• POWERFUL!
• ETERNAL!
• WONDERFUL COUNSELOR!
• ALMIGHTY!
• ALL-KNOWING!
• and many more!

We will continue throughout the day discussing this theme.  We will also add a roof to our nativity stable!  The Jesse Tree will lead us on the journey through salvation history stopping long enough to tell a story of sacrifice.  In Genesis 22, we read,

...the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

Henry placed an ornament with a ram head to represent the sacrifice God gave to Abraham in place of his son, Isaac.

We also began reading from our Christmas library.  (We add more books to this each year.) Yesterday, Michael began Tabitha's Travels.  This is a story broken into parts for each day of Advent.  I also read what I like to call our "cuddle books" to anyone who wants to sit around me.  Today's book is The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey.  If have never read this book, be prepared to be touched.  I still feel a special joy when I read this book.  It is a great Advent book because it shows the healing that can take place as one prepares for Christmas.

Have I mentioned that I love this season?

Advent Angel Appears

This morning the boys were SUPPOSED to discover our new addition to our Advent tradition. Unfortunately, I had an early morning doctor's appointment and I was not at the house when everyone woke up.  So, I expected the boys to meet me at the door wanting to have some fun activities.  Well, I was mistaken....they did not say anything about our angel in our empty tree!

Yes...that is right...we have an empty tree in our front room.  We are using our Christmas tree (not lighted) for our Jesse Tree (If you do not know this tradition...here is a link to more information).  The idea is to fill the tree with ornaments that tell the story of God's promise for a savior throughout Advent.  Then we will complete our decorating on the last Sunday of Advent.  We have had a Jesse Tree for a long time and have always waited to decorate our tree.  However, setting up the tree AND decorating was always too much.  This was a perfect solution and we look forward to carrying on this tradition for years to come!

As for our Advent Angel, Sariel (which means Angel of Guidance), the boys said they saw the angel in the tree but did not give it much thought.  When I told them there was more to the angel, they ran to see what we were going to do for the day.

The main theme for the day was the candle that lights our way to Jesus.  We read from Isaiah 9:2-7...

"The people who walked in darkness
    have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness,
    on them has light shone.
...
For to us a child is born,
    to us a son is given;
and the government shall be upon his shoulder,
    and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
    Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

Then Brendan made a candle out of Legos that we placed on our mantel.

We talked to the boys about what is like to be in complete darkness.  We took the boys into our closet to give them the idea of being in darkness.  I talked to them about the darkness we saw in the closet was like a sinner feels in his life.  I asked them how they felt and what they wanted to do.  One said he felt scared...another wanted to fight back against anyone who touched him, and another said that he was fine in the dark.  Our little miss was back out the door and did not look back as she hopped into her Daddy's arms!

I told the children that that experience was much like what happens when we are in the darkness of sin.   Some are scared but do not know what to do, so they stay in the darkness.  Others will be angry and lash out into the darkness, which often times hurts others in the process.   And, still others do not see what the problem is...being in darkness is not so bad.  However, the one who wants nothing to do with sin and is willing to admit that they do not have the answer and will then run into the arms of the father...that is the person who will find the light and be forgiven.  I told them that to do anything else will keep us in the darkness of sin and lead to a state of despair.

SO....off they all ran out of the dark closet and back to our well lit dining room.  We talked about the need to seek the light of salvation.  It was a great lesson followed by dinner.  We all enjoyed a steamy bowl of broccoli cheese soup.  Then we placed the stable in the nativity scene and moved our candle to the next spot along the trail.

We ended the day with our Advent Adventure and placed our first ornaments on our Jesse Tree.  I think we will start doing this in the morning and discuss throughout the day.

More fun to come!  Happy Advent season to you all!

Amber Alert!

About a month ago, I was just walking around a little resale shop trying to find some cute outfits for Zaira.  I was heading toward the back of the store when a young girl approached me and asked for help.  I did not think much about this request at first.  I was glad to help her...thinking she needed me to help her with something on a higher rack.  I was a little surprised when she said that she was afraid because a man in the store wanted to take her away from the store!

I asked her where her parents were and was told that they had dropped her off to shop.  That was as  big a red flag as the man in the store!  She was only NINE YEARS OLD!!!!  I told her I was leaving the store and I wanted her to stay with me.  My thoughts were racing a mile a minute but I stayed calm and kept her by my side as I checked out.

These were my thoughts:

• How can I protect this girl from the man? Keep her away from him.
• Why did her parents leave her alone?  I cannot believe this is possible!
• Can I get her out of the store safely so we can call 9-1-1?  I will protect her no matter what happens.
• Is this a scam to get me to give her money or do me some harm?  I have to take the chance.
• Am I willing to take that risk and help her anyway? YES!!!
• Why is it taking so long to check out?!?!!?  Stay calm and reassure the girl that everything would be OK.

I finally got the clothes purchased, and we began to walk out of the store.  Then a group of people surrounded me and asked me what was happening!  I was thinking that this was a good question!  What WAS happening?

I told them I was trying to help this little girl because a man was trying to take her from the store.  This is when I realized the group surrounding us was a camera crew and a reporter!

They asked me some questions and told me that I had done the right thing.  I was surprised when they told me that many people did not want to help the little girl!

SO...I made the news!  I do not watch TV but they told me they were doing a report like a show called "What Would You Do?"  They did not know when their report would broadcast but it might take a couple of months.  Since I do not watch TV, I just thanked them for the story and left feeling good that I did the right thing.

A couple of weeks ago, I went to church and a friend told me she saw me on the news.  I decided to see if there was a internet site with the report.  I did not have any luck finding it.  So I let it go again.

Then I went back to the store today and they told me to check out their website to find the link.  Cool!  I found it and thought I would share.  AND I am sure I do not have to tell you, BUT if you are ever approached...take a chance...you might prevent a real Amber Alert.