Conversation heard at my home yesterday morning:
*pitter patter of little feet*
*Anne hands me her princess sippy cup*
"Anne don't like this."
"Oh Sweetie, why not?"
I'm bluffing. I totally know why not. It's because I mixed stool softener into her juice. She just has regular stomach, you know, *issues*, and I want to pave the way for a comfortable bathroom experience.
"Orange juice!"
"This *is* orange juice, Sweetheart."
"Mommy. CHECK IT."
She totally wasn't buying it.
Thursday, July 18, 2013
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Catholic Book Club: The Ear of the Heart
When I originally requested The Ear of the Heart: An Actresses' Journey From Hollywood to Holy Vows, by Mother Dolores Hart, from the library, it was because, you know, it featured a NUN. A memoir about a NUN. How could I not read that?
When Mike picked it up for me I got a real eyeful. At nearly 430 pages, this is not for lazy readers, no sir. This is a serious autobiography, and it chronicles Mother Hart's life from childhood to the present day. It includes a plethora of beautiful photographs and extensive notes. I knew that if I was going to make the 21 day loan period (with lots of interruptions to change diapers and scrape trantruming toddlers off the floor) I had to dive right in. So I did.
Ok, I'll start with what I *didn't* like and then move to the positives. What I did not like is the way that the book is structured. It is co-written by Mother Hart and her friend Richard DeNeut. The majority of it is in Mother Hart's voice, which is indicated in italics. Richard's contribution is in regular typeface, and all of this is interjected with some direct quotations from Mother's journals which are indented and indicated with a dash throughout her writing. Needless to say, I found this all quite choppy. I like a single, clear voice throughout a book. If a pair writes a book, I think it is better to have each write separate chapters. I do not like a constant going back and forth between voices. I'm still going on about this, so you can tell that it really bugged me. :) It's not my preference, but I stuck with it, and I'm glad that I did.
So, what did I like? I very much enjoyed the story in this book. Mother Hart has led a very interesting life and it's engaging reading. I was most interested in her life as a nun, but all the same, the early part of the book about her family life (somewhat dysfunctional) and her film career (she kissed Elvis!) was fascinating. She was not raised a Catholic, and made the decision in late elementary school to convert, since she went to a Catholic school and wanted to receive the Eucharist along with her classmates. Throughout, I could see God's hand leading her, protecting her, calling her, to her contemplative vocation. It's quite beautiful.
She depicts her exit from Hollywood and entrance into a cloistered Benedictine community with great detail. I was *dying* for information on life in the cloister, and she does not disappoint. We follow her throughout her postulancy and novitiate, and then on to temporary and final profession. When she talked about how unprepared she was for monastic life, and cried every night for 3 years after she entered, my heart broke for her. Her expression of emotion is very easy to relate to.
She does not talk a lot about her decision to take final vows, it just seems that her perseverance led to a blossoming in religious life and it was natural to continue. I would have liked it if she would have fleshed that out more, but I could see the point she was trying to get across.
In the later years of her life, she discusses some changes in her community (they kept to their traditions following Vatican II, including a rite of Consecration of a Virgin that is very important to them, as well as a legal kerfluffle over an expansion into a sister monastery) and in her health as she begins to experience chronic pain in her legs and is ultimately diagnosed with neuropathy.
It's all quite fascinating. This isn't a quick read, but if you are at all interested in the religious life, I highly recommend it.
And so, announcing the next book for Catholic Book Club, which I'm reading right now: Beyond the Walls: Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life, by Paul Wilkes. Yes, say it with me, it's PERFECT.
*angels sing*
I'll report in on it in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we still do have a Catholic Nook post coming from my sister, Shauna'h. That will be either tomorrow or early next week, depending on how life goes (she does have twin infants :)). Our topic? Catechesis and ongoing formation, interspersed with a reversion story, so exciting!
When Mike picked it up for me I got a real eyeful. At nearly 430 pages, this is not for lazy readers, no sir. This is a serious autobiography, and it chronicles Mother Hart's life from childhood to the present day. It includes a plethora of beautiful photographs and extensive notes. I knew that if I was going to make the 21 day loan period (with lots of interruptions to change diapers and scrape trantruming toddlers off the floor) I had to dive right in. So I did.
Ok, I'll start with what I *didn't* like and then move to the positives. What I did not like is the way that the book is structured. It is co-written by Mother Hart and her friend Richard DeNeut. The majority of it is in Mother Hart's voice, which is indicated in italics. Richard's contribution is in regular typeface, and all of this is interjected with some direct quotations from Mother's journals which are indented and indicated with a dash throughout her writing. Needless to say, I found this all quite choppy. I like a single, clear voice throughout a book. If a pair writes a book, I think it is better to have each write separate chapters. I do not like a constant going back and forth between voices. I'm still going on about this, so you can tell that it really bugged me. :) It's not my preference, but I stuck with it, and I'm glad that I did.
So, what did I like? I very much enjoyed the story in this book. Mother Hart has led a very interesting life and it's engaging reading. I was most interested in her life as a nun, but all the same, the early part of the book about her family life (somewhat dysfunctional) and her film career (she kissed Elvis!) was fascinating. She was not raised a Catholic, and made the decision in late elementary school to convert, since she went to a Catholic school and wanted to receive the Eucharist along with her classmates. Throughout, I could see God's hand leading her, protecting her, calling her, to her contemplative vocation. It's quite beautiful.
She depicts her exit from Hollywood and entrance into a cloistered Benedictine community with great detail. I was *dying* for information on life in the cloister, and she does not disappoint. We follow her throughout her postulancy and novitiate, and then on to temporary and final profession. When she talked about how unprepared she was for monastic life, and cried every night for 3 years after she entered, my heart broke for her. Her expression of emotion is very easy to relate to.
She does not talk a lot about her decision to take final vows, it just seems that her perseverance led to a blossoming in religious life and it was natural to continue. I would have liked it if she would have fleshed that out more, but I could see the point she was trying to get across.
In the later years of her life, she discusses some changes in her community (they kept to their traditions following Vatican II, including a rite of Consecration of a Virgin that is very important to them, as well as a legal kerfluffle over an expansion into a sister monastery) and in her health as she begins to experience chronic pain in her legs and is ultimately diagnosed with neuropathy.
It's all quite fascinating. This isn't a quick read, but if you are at all interested in the religious life, I highly recommend it.
And so, announcing the next book for Catholic Book Club, which I'm reading right now: Beyond the Walls: Monastic Wisdom for Everyday Life, by Paul Wilkes. Yes, say it with me, it's PERFECT.
*angels sing*
I'll report in on it in the next couple of weeks. Meanwhile, we still do have a Catholic Nook post coming from my sister, Shauna'h. That will be either tomorrow or early next week, depending on how life goes (she does have twin infants :)). Our topic? Catechesis and ongoing formation, interspersed with a reversion story, so exciting!
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
The Catholic Nook: Scapulars
I wasn't planning to post today, but I was so inspired by our feast day today of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel that I worked quick and efficient like a bunny to finish up what was on my to-do list so that I could do some research into the Carmelite brown scapular. I learned so much about all different types of scapulars and was so engrossed that I couldn't resist a foray into our Catholic Nook to share the information with all of you. Settle in, let's learn about scapulars!
Scapulars are one of these Catholic-isms that non-Catholics kind of scratch their heads at and wonder where Catholics come up with such odd things. :) So here's the deal: scapulars are actually part of a religious habit. It began with the Benedictines, and it's a piece of cloth that drapes from shoulder to shoulder and down the front and back of a nun or monk's habit. It serves as an apron of sorts, but is now considered a vital part of the distinctive clothing worn by religious men and women.
Eventually, laypeople affiliated with the different monastic traditions wanted their own scapular, and devised smaller versions, like the one pictured above. These small scapulars will match the color of the religious habit for that order, and will consist of two images attached by two strings. You wear one image tucked under the front of your clothes and one under the back. The images, of course, have meaning for that order. I have a plain white one that I received from the Dominicans, although it does not bear any images.
This devotion generally requires that you become "invested," meaning that a special priestly blessing is given to the scapular and to you. Some of the scapulars I will mention below have special rules for investiture, so if you're interested in any of them, be sure to research what is required for that particular scapular.
Scapulars are what Catholics call a "sacramental." We do not believe that the object itself has power, but that it is a holy reminder of something in our faith and has a blessing associated with it that can confer grace. Most of them are based upon a private revelation, and so some may not find them compelling. One of the things that I love about our faith is that there is something for everybody. :) I can't say I have had any mystical visions lately, but I have no problem with other people having them. Let's dive in!
Here are six of the most popular scapulars, plus one that is extra fascinating:
(1) The brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - This is the Carmelite scapular and certainly the most popular one in the Church. People with no affiliation to the Carmelite order are also very devoted to this scapular. Tradition has it that on July 16, 1251, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Simon Stock, gave him this scapular, and promised that those who wore it would confer special grace at their hour of death. You can see this revelation taking place in the image on the first side of the scapular.
(2) The red scapular of Christ's Passion - This scapular is attributed to a vision received by an unnamed Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Jesus told her that the faithful who wear this scapular every Friday would have an increase in their virtues of faith, hope and charity. One side of the scapular depicts Jesus on the Cross with the inscription "Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, save us." The other side bears the image of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary with the words "Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, protect us." The images are on red wool and connected by a red woolen cord.
(3) The black scapular of the Seven Sorrows of Mary - This is the scapular of the Servite order, based on their devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary: (1) the prophecy of Simeon; (2) the flight into Egypt; (3) the loss of Jesus in the Temple; (4) meeting Jesus as he carries the cross; (5) Jesus dies on the cross; (6) Mary receives the body of Jesus; (7) Jesus is laid in the tomb.The front of this scapular depicts Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, her heart pierced by seven swords, and the back bears the image of the Pieta.
(4) The blue scapular of the Immaculate Conception - This scapular is based on a vision of Venerable Ursula Benicasa, foundress of the Theatine nuns, in 1581. Our Lord showed Venerable Ursula the habit and scapular her community should wear in honor of the Immaculate Conception. In 1671, Pope Clement X granted permission for laypeople to wear a smaller light blue scapular, one side depicting the image of the Immaculate Conception and the other side bearing the name "Mary." This is a very attractive scapular, and one I had never seen before!
(5) The white scapular of the Holy Trinity - Pope Innocent III, who approved the Trinitarian order in 1198, saw a vision of an angel wearing a white garment with an image of a cross formed of a blue horizontal bar and a red vertical bar. This became the habit of the Trinitarians, and the model for the small scapular worn by laypeople who became members of the Confraternity of the Most Blessed Trinity.
(6) The green scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary- This scapular is based upon a vision of the Blessed Mother by Sister Justine Bisqueyburu, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, in 1840. This scapular has an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on one side, and the image of the heart pierced by a sword on the other, with the inscription "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death." Besides the brown scapular, this is the scapular I am most familiar with and have seen in religious goods stores.
(7) The five-fold scapular - I had never heard of this before and was quite entranced. This is a compilation scapular of the brown, black, blue, red and white scapulars. I mean, did you ever? It looks a bit like a book, with all of the images piled one on top of the other, and you flip through them. The red scapular must appear first and all five will be connected by a red wool cord. You can see one here. It looks a tad bulky, but cool, no?
So there you have our primer on scapulars. There is a LOT more information out there, but this should get you started if you fancy wearing a scapular. For the brown scapular, you'll even seen teeny tiny versions so that it's not so difficult to wear unnoticed under your clothes, even small plastic ovals that look more like a traditional necklace, or scapular medals. The Catholic Company has a beautiful selection of scapulars, go check them out. I really fancy that blue one!
*Photo is from www.freebrownscapular.com
*A lot of the information for this post came from CatholicCulture.org
Scapulars are one of these Catholic-isms that non-Catholics kind of scratch their heads at and wonder where Catholics come up with such odd things. :) So here's the deal: scapulars are actually part of a religious habit. It began with the Benedictines, and it's a piece of cloth that drapes from shoulder to shoulder and down the front and back of a nun or monk's habit. It serves as an apron of sorts, but is now considered a vital part of the distinctive clothing worn by religious men and women.
Eventually, laypeople affiliated with the different monastic traditions wanted their own scapular, and devised smaller versions, like the one pictured above. These small scapulars will match the color of the religious habit for that order, and will consist of two images attached by two strings. You wear one image tucked under the front of your clothes and one under the back. The images, of course, have meaning for that order. I have a plain white one that I received from the Dominicans, although it does not bear any images.
This devotion generally requires that you become "invested," meaning that a special priestly blessing is given to the scapular and to you. Some of the scapulars I will mention below have special rules for investiture, so if you're interested in any of them, be sure to research what is required for that particular scapular.
Scapulars are what Catholics call a "sacramental." We do not believe that the object itself has power, but that it is a holy reminder of something in our faith and has a blessing associated with it that can confer grace. Most of them are based upon a private revelation, and so some may not find them compelling. One of the things that I love about our faith is that there is something for everybody. :) I can't say I have had any mystical visions lately, but I have no problem with other people having them. Let's dive in!
Here are six of the most popular scapulars, plus one that is extra fascinating:
(1) The brown scapular of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel - This is the Carmelite scapular and certainly the most popular one in the Church. People with no affiliation to the Carmelite order are also very devoted to this scapular. Tradition has it that on July 16, 1251, the Blessed Mother appeared to St. Simon Stock, gave him this scapular, and promised that those who wore it would confer special grace at their hour of death. You can see this revelation taking place in the image on the first side of the scapular.
(2) The red scapular of Christ's Passion - This scapular is attributed to a vision received by an unnamed Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul. Jesus told her that the faithful who wear this scapular every Friday would have an increase in their virtues of faith, hope and charity. One side of the scapular depicts Jesus on the Cross with the inscription "Holy Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ, save us." The other side bears the image of the Hearts of Jesus and Mary with the words "Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary, protect us." The images are on red wool and connected by a red woolen cord.
(3) The black scapular of the Seven Sorrows of Mary - This is the scapular of the Servite order, based on their devotion to the Seven Sorrows of Mary: (1) the prophecy of Simeon; (2) the flight into Egypt; (3) the loss of Jesus in the Temple; (4) meeting Jesus as he carries the cross; (5) Jesus dies on the cross; (6) Mary receives the body of Jesus; (7) Jesus is laid in the tomb.The front of this scapular depicts Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows, her heart pierced by seven swords, and the back bears the image of the Pieta.
(4) The blue scapular of the Immaculate Conception - This scapular is based on a vision of Venerable Ursula Benicasa, foundress of the Theatine nuns, in 1581. Our Lord showed Venerable Ursula the habit and scapular her community should wear in honor of the Immaculate Conception. In 1671, Pope Clement X granted permission for laypeople to wear a smaller light blue scapular, one side depicting the image of the Immaculate Conception and the other side bearing the name "Mary." This is a very attractive scapular, and one I had never seen before!
(5) The white scapular of the Holy Trinity - Pope Innocent III, who approved the Trinitarian order in 1198, saw a vision of an angel wearing a white garment with an image of a cross formed of a blue horizontal bar and a red vertical bar. This became the habit of the Trinitarians, and the model for the small scapular worn by laypeople who became members of the Confraternity of the Most Blessed Trinity.
(6) The green scapular of the Immaculate Heart of Mary- This scapular is based upon a vision of the Blessed Mother by Sister Justine Bisqueyburu, a Daughter of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul, in 1840. This scapular has an image of the Immaculate Heart of Mary on one side, and the image of the heart pierced by a sword on the other, with the inscription "Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us now and at the hour of our death." Besides the brown scapular, this is the scapular I am most familiar with and have seen in religious goods stores.
(7) The five-fold scapular - I had never heard of this before and was quite entranced. This is a compilation scapular of the brown, black, blue, red and white scapulars. I mean, did you ever? It looks a bit like a book, with all of the images piled one on top of the other, and you flip through them. The red scapular must appear first and all five will be connected by a red wool cord. You can see one here. It looks a tad bulky, but cool, no?
So there you have our primer on scapulars. There is a LOT more information out there, but this should get you started if you fancy wearing a scapular. For the brown scapular, you'll even seen teeny tiny versions so that it's not so difficult to wear unnoticed under your clothes, even small plastic ovals that look more like a traditional necklace, or scapular medals. The Catholic Company has a beautiful selection of scapulars, go check them out. I really fancy that blue one!
*Photo is from www.freebrownscapular.com
*A lot of the information for this post came from CatholicCulture.org
Monday, July 15, 2013
A very unordinary Sunday in Ordinary Time
We begin at the vigil for the 15th Sunday in Ordinary Time. Mike and I attended Mass without the kids because we were going out for dinner alone together, and the kids were with their grandparents (God is good :)). All day I had been thinking about Channing, entering a Carmelite monastery that very morning, and let me interrupt my story for this very important announcement:
(a different) Mike over at Distracted Catholic blogged about Channing's entrance ceremony, and you simply must read it. Click on the link, and do it now. :) You can come back to me after you have read it. LOVE.
Ok, so Mike and I at Mass. We walk in, me in my veil and Mike dressed very nicely, and within moments, as I kneel praying in our pew, I feel somebody at my elbow. It's the usher.
"Would you folks mind bringing up the gifts?"
I quickly checked with Mike, and we both agreed happily to bring up the gifts.
Mike leans over.
"I think it's your veil. That's why he asked us." He looked amused. :)
However, when it came time for the gifts to be brought up, as Mike and I waited excitedly in our pew for the usher to come get us...he didn't. I could hear the ushers still walking down the aisle, and the couple two pews ahead of us were making movements like *they* too were awaiting the ushers' approach. I eyed them suspiciously. Suddenly, that couple stood up and the group of ushers went with them to the gift table. Mike leans over:
"What happened?"
I furrow my brow underneath my veil.
"I don't know. Maybe two different ushers made two different arrangements? Must have been some sort of misunderstanding."
We agreed that we were both disappointed. I mean, it's not a big deal, but I'm always looking for little ways to spark Mike's faith, and he had been looking forward to this. Bummer, but God works in mysterious ways.
Over dinner and wine, he agreed to accompany the kids and I to a local Marian shrine the next morning, since I had already gotten to Mass. See the God/mysterious ways thing? :)
The next morning dawned with a temperature somewhere in the neighborhood of the surface of the sun. Or at least that's how it *felt*. We don't do heat real well here, and it was HOT. Mike gamely let Henry lead him to the dome of the church and the Mary statue up there, while Anne and I ran around in the saint garden area. Anne picked up a bunch of stuff that she favored highly (weeds, sticks, crab apples, Read: CRAP) while I pointed out the various saint statues to her.
By this point, about 10 minutes had elapsed and Mike and I were already melting. We spent a little time in the side chapels of the church (one devoted to Our Lady of Fatima, the other to the Blessed Sacrament) and herded the kids to the religious goods store.
Henry and I have a field day in places like this. It doesn't matter what we buy, we always spend $50. It's sort of like when you take your car to the mechanic. You're not getting out of there without forking over what you paid for a month's rent in college.
At any rate, this trip yielded:
1 St. Patrick saint statue for Henry's collection,
2 holy medal bookmarks for me, one of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the other of St. Therese of Lisieux,
1 St. Michael/St. Christopher visor clip for Mike's car, since his original one just broke, and
1 awesome book for the next installment of the Catholic Book Club, title to be unveiled soon! Let's just say that the spirit of the weekend led me over to the "religious life" section, and really good things happened.
Though hot, it was a lovely outing. And I'm ridiculously excited about those bookmarks.
In my excitement to start my new book, I finished Mother Hart's The Ear of the Heart, so you'll see the review up by the end of the week. :)
I hope that you all had a great July weekend!
(a different) Mike over at Distracted Catholic blogged about Channing's entrance ceremony, and you simply must read it. Click on the link, and do it now. :) You can come back to me after you have read it. LOVE.
Ok, so Mike and I at Mass. We walk in, me in my veil and Mike dressed very nicely, and within moments, as I kneel praying in our pew, I feel somebody at my elbow. It's the usher.
"Would you folks mind bringing up the gifts?"
I quickly checked with Mike, and we both agreed happily to bring up the gifts.
Mike leans over.
"I think it's your veil. That's why he asked us." He looked amused. :)
However, when it came time for the gifts to be brought up, as Mike and I waited excitedly in our pew for the usher to come get us...he didn't. I could hear the ushers still walking down the aisle, and the couple two pews ahead of us were making movements like *they* too were awaiting the ushers' approach. I eyed them suspiciously. Suddenly, that couple stood up and the group of ushers went with them to the gift table. Mike leans over:
"What happened?"
I furrow my brow underneath my veil.
"I don't know. Maybe two different ushers made two different arrangements? Must have been some sort of misunderstanding."
We agreed that we were both disappointed. I mean, it's not a big deal, but I'm always looking for little ways to spark Mike's faith, and he had been looking forward to this. Bummer, but God works in mysterious ways.
Over dinner and wine, he agreed to accompany the kids and I to a local Marian shrine the next morning, since I had already gotten to Mass. See the God/mysterious ways thing? :)
The next morning dawned with a temperature somewhere in the neighborhood of the surface of the sun. Or at least that's how it *felt*. We don't do heat real well here, and it was HOT. Mike gamely let Henry lead him to the dome of the church and the Mary statue up there, while Anne and I ran around in the saint garden area. Anne picked up a bunch of stuff that she favored highly (weeds, sticks, crab apples, Read: CRAP) while I pointed out the various saint statues to her.
By this point, about 10 minutes had elapsed and Mike and I were already melting. We spent a little time in the side chapels of the church (one devoted to Our Lady of Fatima, the other to the Blessed Sacrament) and herded the kids to the religious goods store.
Henry and I have a field day in places like this. It doesn't matter what we buy, we always spend $50. It's sort of like when you take your car to the mechanic. You're not getting out of there without forking over what you paid for a month's rent in college.
At any rate, this trip yielded:
1 St. Patrick saint statue for Henry's collection,
2 holy medal bookmarks for me, one of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, the other of St. Therese of Lisieux,
1 St. Michael/St. Christopher visor clip for Mike's car, since his original one just broke, and
1 awesome book for the next installment of the Catholic Book Club, title to be unveiled soon! Let's just say that the spirit of the weekend led me over to the "religious life" section, and really good things happened.
Though hot, it was a lovely outing. And I'm ridiculously excited about those bookmarks.
In my excitement to start my new book, I finished Mother Hart's The Ear of the Heart, so you'll see the review up by the end of the week. :)
I hope that you all had a great July weekend!
Friday, July 12, 2013
7 Quick Takes Friday {Take 3}
-1- I have been finding so much inspiration in this blog lately that it has begun to suck a bit of time from my other responsibilities. :) I've been putting a lot more time and research into some of the posts lately, and I have awesome ideas for some things coming up, too! What I've decided to do is aim for 3 posts per week - 2 plus Quick Takes Friday, so that I can better balance my work load. As small things come up though, of course, like those "conversations in my home last night" types of things that I favor, I will post those in addition to the 3 main topics per week, since those take barely any time to write. So, you may see a day or two during the week where I don't post, and that's the reason. But be prepared for a post that will knock your socks off the following day. :)
-2- A teaser - next week's Catholic Nook post will feature a guest author (a first for this humble blog!)- my beloved younger sister, Shauna'h!
-3- I have mentioned a few times on here that over the course of the past few months I've followed the story of a young woman who will enter a cloistered Carmelite monastery via Twitter and a few Catholic podcasts. Well, her entrance date is *tomorrow*, can you believe it? Keep her in your prayers, her name is Channing. Most excitingly, I am now Twitter friends with a friend of hers (it's a small Catholic world, apparently) and he is attending her entrance Mass! He has promised photos and a long blog post about every detail, and as soon as he puts it up, I will link you all over. I am ridiculously excited about this. :)
-4- Speaking of prayer, I am 3 months into my subscription with Magnificat magazine, and it has made a real difference in my prayer life. I had been doing pretty well with Morning Prayer, but now I find that if I take it up to bed with me and my book, I slip Evening Prayer in before I read and fall asleep. LOVE IT. I had taken out a 6 month subscription as a trial, and it's up in October. I just renewed it for a year so I'm all set through October 2014. I definitely recommend this beautiful publication.They will send you a free trial issue if you like.
-5- If any of you are familiar with Greg and Jennifer Willits, they are having what they call a "we need a miracle! fund drive" over at their New Evangelizers web site. I love their podcast, The Catholics Next Door, and have listened for several years. They have several apostolates that have been going for years, like the Rosary Army ministry to give away free twine knotted rosaries, that are in sore need of some financial TLC. If you are so inclined and are fans of theirs, consider tithing for them.
-6- Every summer, Mike and I go through this British phase in which we watch nothing but Masterpiece Mystery in the evenings. We're not sure how this started, but we love it. Perhaps it's the heat and the fact that we covet the London gloom. At any rate, currently, we're watching the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and we're in heaven. Our local public library has them all on DVD, and yours might too. :)
-7- Finally, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about God's will. Yep, saved a real light topic for last, right? It rather relates back to item #1 on this list, the spiritual boost my faith and creative life have been feeling lately due to this blog. Certainly I know that I discerned God's will in my vocation and career. But what else does God want me to do? Am I being called to use my writing in some way? No notion, but it's very much on my heart these days. Please keep me in your prayers.
I will check in with you all again on Monday. :) Head over to Jenn at Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes!
-2- A teaser - next week's Catholic Nook post will feature a guest author (a first for this humble blog!)- my beloved younger sister, Shauna'h!
-3- I have mentioned a few times on here that over the course of the past few months I've followed the story of a young woman who will enter a cloistered Carmelite monastery via Twitter and a few Catholic podcasts. Well, her entrance date is *tomorrow*, can you believe it? Keep her in your prayers, her name is Channing. Most excitingly, I am now Twitter friends with a friend of hers (it's a small Catholic world, apparently) and he is attending her entrance Mass! He has promised photos and a long blog post about every detail, and as soon as he puts it up, I will link you all over. I am ridiculously excited about this. :)
-4- Speaking of prayer, I am 3 months into my subscription with Magnificat magazine, and it has made a real difference in my prayer life. I had been doing pretty well with Morning Prayer, but now I find that if I take it up to bed with me and my book, I slip Evening Prayer in before I read and fall asleep. LOVE IT. I had taken out a 6 month subscription as a trial, and it's up in October. I just renewed it for a year so I'm all set through October 2014. I definitely recommend this beautiful publication.They will send you a free trial issue if you like.
-5- If any of you are familiar with Greg and Jennifer Willits, they are having what they call a "we need a miracle! fund drive" over at their New Evangelizers web site. I love their podcast, The Catholics Next Door, and have listened for several years. They have several apostolates that have been going for years, like the Rosary Army ministry to give away free twine knotted rosaries, that are in sore need of some financial TLC. If you are so inclined and are fans of theirs, consider tithing for them.
-6- Every summer, Mike and I go through this British phase in which we watch nothing but Masterpiece Mystery in the evenings. We're not sure how this started, but we love it. Perhaps it's the heat and the fact that we covet the London gloom. At any rate, currently, we're watching the Inspector Lynley Mysteries, and we're in heaven. Our local public library has them all on DVD, and yours might too. :)
-7- Finally, I've been doing a lot of thinking lately about God's will. Yep, saved a real light topic for last, right? It rather relates back to item #1 on this list, the spiritual boost my faith and creative life have been feeling lately due to this blog. Certainly I know that I discerned God's will in my vocation and career. But what else does God want me to do? Am I being called to use my writing in some way? No notion, but it's very much on my heart these days. Please keep me in your prayers.
I will check in with you all again on Monday. :) Head over to Jenn at Conversion Diary for more 7 Quick Takes!
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Just a little note of appreciation...
I've been blogging for close to 5 years now, and I have my little following over on the right sidebar that I check in on every day (*waves*) and I know that there are others that follow in an rss feed reader. SO GRATEFUL FOR ALL OF YOU. And it hasn't gone unnoticed that my follower number has increased noticeably over the course of the past month. This is a small little blog, so that number on the side going up by 4 people is pretty significant in such a short period of time! Welcome to everybody!
I've also been getting more comments on my posts. Not hundreds, granted :), but I used to rarely get comments and now I'm getting a few regularly on each post, and I wanted to say how much I appreciate that. My new Catholic Nook posts, in particular, have solicited some wonderful suggestions in the comment box. Go check out the comments under the post from Tuesday on a monastic life for lay people, there are some great suggestions in there for ways to squeeze prayer into your daily routine, and a link to another blog post on this same topic by Lyn.
Speaking of monastic lives, today is the feast of St. Benedict, the father of Western Monasticism, so this is a biggie. And I've been in such a monastic state of mind these days that I did a lot of reading up last night and this morning on our friend Benedict. AND, fittingly enough, the Dolores Hart biography that I'm reading right now discusses Benedictine spirituality, since of course, she is a Benedictine. This morning over breakfast I read a passage in the book about the community accepting oblates, which is the Benedictine term for a third order of lay people. Mother Hart says something to the effect of oblates being for "people with a monastic spirituality who are not called to the religious life."
BAM! I mean, could there be a more perfect description of me (and I'm sure some of you)?
I felt glowy all morning.
Good stuff. Henry's patron saint feast day is Saturday, we're baking a cake to commemorate the occasion. :) And Pray More Novenas is dedicating their July novena to St. Anne!! Super duper excited about this one. If you haven't already, you should sign up to be on their email list. They pray a novena every month and will send the prayers right to your email box. It makes it very easy to keep up. The St. Anne novena begins on Wednesday July 17th.
All right, I'm heading home shortly to clean up whatever disasters my children have cooked up in my absence. Have a great evening, and I'll chat with you all tomorrow for 7 Quick Takes Friday!
I've also been getting more comments on my posts. Not hundreds, granted :), but I used to rarely get comments and now I'm getting a few regularly on each post, and I wanted to say how much I appreciate that. My new Catholic Nook posts, in particular, have solicited some wonderful suggestions in the comment box. Go check out the comments under the post from Tuesday on a monastic life for lay people, there are some great suggestions in there for ways to squeeze prayer into your daily routine, and a link to another blog post on this same topic by Lyn.
Speaking of monastic lives, today is the feast of St. Benedict, the father of Western Monasticism, so this is a biggie. And I've been in such a monastic state of mind these days that I did a lot of reading up last night and this morning on our friend Benedict. AND, fittingly enough, the Dolores Hart biography that I'm reading right now discusses Benedictine spirituality, since of course, she is a Benedictine. This morning over breakfast I read a passage in the book about the community accepting oblates, which is the Benedictine term for a third order of lay people. Mother Hart says something to the effect of oblates being for "people with a monastic spirituality who are not called to the religious life."
BAM! I mean, could there be a more perfect description of me (and I'm sure some of you)?
I felt glowy all morning.
Good stuff. Henry's patron saint feast day is Saturday, we're baking a cake to commemorate the occasion. :) And Pray More Novenas is dedicating their July novena to St. Anne!! Super duper excited about this one. If you haven't already, you should sign up to be on their email list. They pray a novena every month and will send the prayers right to your email box. It makes it very easy to keep up. The St. Anne novena begins on Wednesday July 17th.
All right, I'm heading home shortly to clean up whatever disasters my children have cooked up in my absence. Have a great evening, and I'll chat with you all tomorrow for 7 Quick Takes Friday!
Wednesday, July 10, 2013
An evening in the life of the Catholic Librarian...
Reading The Ear of the Heart (I'm now at the part where she moves through the novitiate and into temporary vows, so exciting!) and all of this monastic spirituality that I've been writing about has really gotten me all passionate about the religious life.
"Honey! I was just reading Hank his before bed saint stories, and we read about this saint that I've never heard of and whose name I cannot pronounce (St. Amalberga) and she was *married* and had children. After their children were grown, she and her husband mutually decided to enter the religious life, and so she became a nun and he became a monk. Isn't that great?!" *enthusiastic elbow nudge*
Let's just say Mike wasn't too supportive of this plan. :)
_________________________________________________
Heard from Anne while taking a bath last night:
"Anne drinking!"
"NO! No Sweetie, don't drink the bath water, yucky!"
*pause*
"Anne drinking!"
Later, she disappears into the kitchen...
"UH, OH, What happened?!"
This is something you never want to hear via your toddler from the other room. Inevitably, it is a calamity of some sort that was created by aforementioned toddler. Like that time years ago when Hank dropped the raw egg mixture on the astro-turf like carpet that was in the kitchen when we first bought our house. All the scrubbing in the *world* wasn't going to get that out.
*shudder of revulsion*
Second runner up is the ever popular:
"There's some-fing WRONG!"
_________________________________________________
"Mommy, what's a 'virgin'?"
Ugh. this is what happens when you read saint stories.
"It means 'unmarried', Sweetheart."
"Oh. But what..."
"Ok, continuing on, she was a very pious girl..."
*saint story continues*
"Mommy, what does it mean to be beheaded?!"
Oh sigh.
"Honey! I was just reading Hank his before bed saint stories, and we read about this saint that I've never heard of and whose name I cannot pronounce (St. Amalberga) and she was *married* and had children. After their children were grown, she and her husband mutually decided to enter the religious life, and so she became a nun and he became a monk. Isn't that great?!" *enthusiastic elbow nudge*
Let's just say Mike wasn't too supportive of this plan. :)
_________________________________________________
Heard from Anne while taking a bath last night:
"Anne drinking!"
"NO! No Sweetie, don't drink the bath water, yucky!"
*pause*
"Anne drinking!"
Later, she disappears into the kitchen...
"UH, OH, What happened?!"
This is something you never want to hear via your toddler from the other room. Inevitably, it is a calamity of some sort that was created by aforementioned toddler. Like that time years ago when Hank dropped the raw egg mixture on the astro-turf like carpet that was in the kitchen when we first bought our house. All the scrubbing in the *world* wasn't going to get that out.
*shudder of revulsion*
Second runner up is the ever popular:
"There's some-fing WRONG!"
_________________________________________________
"Mommy, what's a 'virgin'?"
Ugh. this is what happens when you read saint stories.
"It means 'unmarried', Sweetheart."
"Oh. But what..."
"Ok, continuing on, she was a very pious girl..."
*saint story continues*
"Mommy, what does it mean to be beheaded?!"
Oh sigh.
Tuesday, July 9, 2013
The Catholic Nook: A monastic life for laypeople
After I posted the last installment of The Catholic Nook on joining a third order, I received some feedback on Twitter that there was interest in me writing about how I incorporate the charisms of the Dominican order into my daily life and routine as a wife and mother. I thought that was a great idea, and so let's have at it. :)
I've always been fascinated by daily prayer rituals, whether one follows the focus of a particular religious order or not. Do you pray the rosary as you fold laundry? Listen to the daily Mass readings on a podcast as you clean the house? Pray in the car? If you do, I want to know about it. :) Prayer is a very personal thing, obviously, and we all bring our own touch to it. Prayer is also something that is easy to neglect, but it's very much a relationship with God. When you neglect that relationship, it will wither and die. When you tend to it, it will start to flourish slowly but surely.
We know that priests and other religious have a regimented schedule of prayer that they follow via the Liturgy of the Hours and other routines established by their communities (where applicable). But as laypeople, we are also called to prayer as it is conducive to our vocation, whether it be to the married or single life. I am a wife and mother, but I also work full time outside of the home. All of these are considerations in what I am able to do in daily prayer. Combining this with my affiliation as a third order Dominican, how do I structure my daily prayer routine? Well, with 5 major items:
(1) The Rosary - Dominicans are devoted to the rosary, and in fact St. Dominic is often credited with the vision that started the rosary beads we are familiar with today. I am a very tactile Christian, and I adore traditional Catholic devotions like this one that have a physical reminder of what we are doing as we pray and involve us moving our body in some way to continue the prayer. It takes about 15-20 minutes to pray a complete decade of the rosary, and I love to do this in the car. That probably seems odd, but in the car on the way to work I am (1) uninterrupted by small cute children, and (2) fairly focused, rather than having my mind all willy nilly like it is at home, trying to accomplish at dozen things at one time. This means that I often do not pray a rosary on the weekends, but I do my best. Yes, I do use my beads while I drive, but I promise that I'm careful. :)
(2) Liturgy of the Hours - Even the third order in the Dominicans are called to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, just like the priests and religious sisters. I own the complete 4-volume set of the Liturgy of the Hours, but I'm going to be honest and admit that for the time being I admire their lovely faux leather form on my bookshelf but rarely use them. Sometimes during a major liturgical season like Advent or Lent I'll use them, but I have come to accept that between family and work I cannot consistently (and with the proper focus) carve out enough time to pray fully even just Lauds and Vespers. So, I have come up with a substitution, and I'm certain that God is ok with this. :) I use my Magnificat magazine, which includes a morning and evening prayer consisting of psalms, a reading, a hymn, intercessory prayer, and a meditation. This is private prayer, rather than the official prayer of the Church like the Liturgy of the Hours, but the setup is lovely and works to the same end. Overall it is much shorter than the Liturgy of the Hours, and so I pray it every day and that is what matters. I really do recommend some sort of structured morning and evening prayer. The morning prayers are oriented to starting your day and lifting your eyes up to God, while evening prayer helps you wind down and reflect on the day's events. For any vocation, this is an important thing.
(3) Devotion to Mary- Dominicans are very devoted to Mary, as St. Dominic himself was. This has always been a no-brainer for me. I have always felt close to Mary and I credit her with my adult reversion back to my faith. Now, as a mother, I relate to her all the more. At the beginning of the year I did a 33 day preparation and subsequent consecration to Jesus through Mary and I can't tell you how much impact I have felt from that devotion. I plan to renew that consecration yearly, and with the book I used, 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-it-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration by Fr. Michael Gaitley, it took not more than 10 minutes per day to read the entries and prayers. I highly recommend it.
(4) Mass - As third order Dominicans we are supposed to try to attend daily Mass. I do so love the use of the word "try," don't you? :) I *adore* daily Mass, but so often I am not able to make it. Most weeks I can go 1-2 times in addition to Sundays. Some weeks I cannot go at all during the week, but I'm trying to make that the exception rather than the rule. Even one additional Mass between Monday and Friday is a tremendous boost to the spiritual life and can be accomplished with work and kids.
(5) Spiritual reading - Dominicans are scholarly types (read: nerds. I fit right in) and we are encouraged to practice lectio divina or other spiritual reading to edify our relationship with God. Reading has always been easy for me because I love to do it. Now I will grant, with small kids getting reading time isn't what it used to be. I used to devour books. Now, it takes me weeks to read through anything more substantive than a Harlequin romance. I always read in bed prior to falling asleep, and in the morning over cereal and coffee. Aside from that, well...reading time, how I miss thee. But even those two opportunities are enough for me to get in some spiritual memoirs. I try to mix in some heavier reading at least twice a year, maybe a work by a Dominican saint, something like that. If you become a lay Carmelite your fodder is so wonderful that your cup will runneth over.
And so, there you have it. A day in the prayer life of the Catholic Librarian. :) I recently discovered a related little apostolate that is right up my alley called MonkRock. "You don't have to be a monk to live like one!" is their tag line, and I discovered them first on Twitter (@MonkRock). They Tweet inspirational sayings and ideas, and maintain a blog on monastic topics. I mean, did you ever?! A BLOG ON MONASTIC TOPICS.
Ok, my world can begin rotating again. I just love that so much.
I have always been drawn to the religious life, although I ultimately found that wasn't my vocation. And despite being a layperson, I still feel called to do what I can to live *a* religious life in my vocation as a wife and mother. Mike always looks jokingly worried when I start talking about nuns because I get so passionate about the topic. Like I may seek out an annulment and head off to the convent. :) I'm still slogging away on The Ear of the Heart, and I'm finally at the part where Mother Hart enters the postulancy in the cloistered Benedictine community that she chose and I'm SO INTO IT. Review coming up hopefully next week in Catholic Book Club.
Anybody else want to share their prayer routine? Comments are open. :)
I've always been fascinated by daily prayer rituals, whether one follows the focus of a particular religious order or not. Do you pray the rosary as you fold laundry? Listen to the daily Mass readings on a podcast as you clean the house? Pray in the car? If you do, I want to know about it. :) Prayer is a very personal thing, obviously, and we all bring our own touch to it. Prayer is also something that is easy to neglect, but it's very much a relationship with God. When you neglect that relationship, it will wither and die. When you tend to it, it will start to flourish slowly but surely.
We know that priests and other religious have a regimented schedule of prayer that they follow via the Liturgy of the Hours and other routines established by their communities (where applicable). But as laypeople, we are also called to prayer as it is conducive to our vocation, whether it be to the married or single life. I am a wife and mother, but I also work full time outside of the home. All of these are considerations in what I am able to do in daily prayer. Combining this with my affiliation as a third order Dominican, how do I structure my daily prayer routine? Well, with 5 major items:
(1) The Rosary - Dominicans are devoted to the rosary, and in fact St. Dominic is often credited with the vision that started the rosary beads we are familiar with today. I am a very tactile Christian, and I adore traditional Catholic devotions like this one that have a physical reminder of what we are doing as we pray and involve us moving our body in some way to continue the prayer. It takes about 15-20 minutes to pray a complete decade of the rosary, and I love to do this in the car. That probably seems odd, but in the car on the way to work I am (1) uninterrupted by small cute children, and (2) fairly focused, rather than having my mind all willy nilly like it is at home, trying to accomplish at dozen things at one time. This means that I often do not pray a rosary on the weekends, but I do my best. Yes, I do use my beads while I drive, but I promise that I'm careful. :)
(2) Liturgy of the Hours - Even the third order in the Dominicans are called to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, just like the priests and religious sisters. I own the complete 4-volume set of the Liturgy of the Hours, but I'm going to be honest and admit that for the time being I admire their lovely faux leather form on my bookshelf but rarely use them. Sometimes during a major liturgical season like Advent or Lent I'll use them, but I have come to accept that between family and work I cannot consistently (and with the proper focus) carve out enough time to pray fully even just Lauds and Vespers. So, I have come up with a substitution, and I'm certain that God is ok with this. :) I use my Magnificat magazine, which includes a morning and evening prayer consisting of psalms, a reading, a hymn, intercessory prayer, and a meditation. This is private prayer, rather than the official prayer of the Church like the Liturgy of the Hours, but the setup is lovely and works to the same end. Overall it is much shorter than the Liturgy of the Hours, and so I pray it every day and that is what matters. I really do recommend some sort of structured morning and evening prayer. The morning prayers are oriented to starting your day and lifting your eyes up to God, while evening prayer helps you wind down and reflect on the day's events. For any vocation, this is an important thing.
(3) Devotion to Mary- Dominicans are very devoted to Mary, as St. Dominic himself was. This has always been a no-brainer for me. I have always felt close to Mary and I credit her with my adult reversion back to my faith. Now, as a mother, I relate to her all the more. At the beginning of the year I did a 33 day preparation and subsequent consecration to Jesus through Mary and I can't tell you how much impact I have felt from that devotion. I plan to renew that consecration yearly, and with the book I used, 33 Days to Morning Glory: A Do-it-Yourself Retreat in Preparation for Marian Consecration by Fr. Michael Gaitley, it took not more than 10 minutes per day to read the entries and prayers. I highly recommend it.
(4) Mass - As third order Dominicans we are supposed to try to attend daily Mass. I do so love the use of the word "try," don't you? :) I *adore* daily Mass, but so often I am not able to make it. Most weeks I can go 1-2 times in addition to Sundays. Some weeks I cannot go at all during the week, but I'm trying to make that the exception rather than the rule. Even one additional Mass between Monday and Friday is a tremendous boost to the spiritual life and can be accomplished with work and kids.
(5) Spiritual reading - Dominicans are scholarly types (read: nerds. I fit right in) and we are encouraged to practice lectio divina or other spiritual reading to edify our relationship with God. Reading has always been easy for me because I love to do it. Now I will grant, with small kids getting reading time isn't what it used to be. I used to devour books. Now, it takes me weeks to read through anything more substantive than a Harlequin romance. I always read in bed prior to falling asleep, and in the morning over cereal and coffee. Aside from that, well...reading time, how I miss thee. But even those two opportunities are enough for me to get in some spiritual memoirs. I try to mix in some heavier reading at least twice a year, maybe a work by a Dominican saint, something like that. If you become a lay Carmelite your fodder is so wonderful that your cup will runneth over.
And so, there you have it. A day in the prayer life of the Catholic Librarian. :) I recently discovered a related little apostolate that is right up my alley called MonkRock. "You don't have to be a monk to live like one!" is their tag line, and I discovered them first on Twitter (@MonkRock). They Tweet inspirational sayings and ideas, and maintain a blog on monastic topics. I mean, did you ever?! A BLOG ON MONASTIC TOPICS.
Ok, my world can begin rotating again. I just love that so much.
I have always been drawn to the religious life, although I ultimately found that wasn't my vocation. And despite being a layperson, I still feel called to do what I can to live *a* religious life in my vocation as a wife and mother. Mike always looks jokingly worried when I start talking about nuns because I get so passionate about the topic. Like I may seek out an annulment and head off to the convent. :) I'm still slogging away on The Ear of the Heart, and I'm finally at the part where Mother Hart enters the postulancy in the cloistered Benedictine community that she chose and I'm SO INTO IT. Review coming up hopefully next week in Catholic Book Club.
Anybody else want to share their prayer routine? Comments are open. :)
Monday, July 8, 2013
Bellydance Monday, plus a weekend of toddler wrangling and potty training, join the fun!
I'm back, and I'm certain that you all missed me, just as I missed you. :) Read on for a 4th of July weekend recap!
Essentially though, the 4th of July is rather anticlimactic for us since we never go to watch fireworks. We always have a child who cannot stay awake late enough to go, so we don't go. Next year I'd really like to try though, even despite the crowds, because there is nothing sadder than a quiet 4th of July. But I digress.
Friday was belly dance night, and if we were on Twitter right now, I'd hit "favorite!" for our class this past week. We're still working on our new choreography, and in addition to our candle trays we're using wings of Isis. These look exactly like you would expect, gauzy fabric that attaches at your neck and drapes out at both sides like wings. Our wings arrived during the week, and so we all arrived atwitter on Friday to play with them.
They are, well, not exactly *comfortable*, but that is the case with so much in dancing and yet we do it anyway because it looks beautiful. The thing that fastens around ones neck was giving some of my classmates claustrophobia, and while that wasn't the case for me, I did find the material rather scratchy and ended the evening with angry-looking red marks on my neck. They are so lovely though, and we added on to the choreography using them. You have to love that our group has worked together so long that we can talk in code and know exactly what the person meant:
"Ok, remember, outside ladies: hip drops, swoosh and undulate, bump bump. Inside ladies: vibrate, scoop! Swirly swirly."
LOVE.
We've been invited to dance in a festival at the end of July, and the organizers want us to fill quite a few sets. We'll do our regular group number of a Middle Eastern pop song combined with a drum piece (Claire says that her husband jokes that he could put on a costume and do this one at this point, because he's seen it so many times) and then we have to get creative. We're thinking of using the beginning of the candle tray dance sans candles since we don't have enough time to perfect that little balancing miracle just yet. Claire suggested that we rubber cement some flowers on our trays which seems like an ideal solution. She also said that anybody who wants to do a solo can do one, since there will be plenty of time.
!
I'm quite terrified, but I see solo opportunities akin to eating vegetables: it's good for me. So I will be totally sans props (I can't think of anything worse than attempting to be graceful while wrestling with a silk veil in a wind gale) and improvising. I just need to pick music. We'll see how this goes.
*bites nails*
So, we fast forward to Sunday. I once again braved bringing both children with me to Mass (by myself, hence the terror) and really, it didn't go too bad. We just had,
(a) A very active Anne who climbed every surface available to climb,
(b) One faux pas in which I asked Henry to go back into the sacristy rest room to refill Anne's sippy cup with water, at which time Anne reacted to Henry leaving as if he were being dragged off to prison in chains: "HHHHEENNNNRRYYYY! Want to see HENRY!!!!" During the consecration. Awesome. So I had to quickly scurry after Henry with Anne slung over my shoulder,
(c) My veil was off my head as often as it was on, but it wasn't the veil's fault. It's hard to keep a veil on your head when your head is upside down retrieving a toddler from under the pew for half of Mass, and
(d) The instant Anne stood still long enough to trace the wood cross on the end of our pew out in the aisle she seized the opportunity to pass the most unladylike of noises.
You can't win 'em all.
She's also been expressing an interest in using the toilet, so we've vamped up our potty training efforts to little actual results, but such is the way of things with 2 year olds. I brought out her adorable little pink Baby Bjorn potty which she screamed at and stated that she would NEVER sit on, fantastic. I had to hold her on the toilet which she suddenly loves despite the fact that she could easily fall in. I think it's because she likes being next to the toilet paper roll that she will immediately begin shredding.
So, yesterday found us at Toys R Us shopping for a toilet seat insert for toddler bums. She had her choice between Disney princesses and Sesame Street with Ernie and Bert, and she chose the latter. I was surprised, but then again she *does* have a real thing for Bert. She ran through the store lugging the potty seat cover behind her, because we're just classy like that.
We got it home and I will say that she sat on the thing. None of the promised pee-pee was produced ("pee pee coming!") but she doesn't appear to loathe it like she does the pink potty.
*long suffering sigh*
Oh the day when I don't spend half of it in the bathroom, how I long for you...
Essentially though, the 4th of July is rather anticlimactic for us since we never go to watch fireworks. We always have a child who cannot stay awake late enough to go, so we don't go. Next year I'd really like to try though, even despite the crowds, because there is nothing sadder than a quiet 4th of July. But I digress.
Friday was belly dance night, and if we were on Twitter right now, I'd hit "favorite!" for our class this past week. We're still working on our new choreography, and in addition to our candle trays we're using wings of Isis. These look exactly like you would expect, gauzy fabric that attaches at your neck and drapes out at both sides like wings. Our wings arrived during the week, and so we all arrived atwitter on Friday to play with them.
They are, well, not exactly *comfortable*, but that is the case with so much in dancing and yet we do it anyway because it looks beautiful. The thing that fastens around ones neck was giving some of my classmates claustrophobia, and while that wasn't the case for me, I did find the material rather scratchy and ended the evening with angry-looking red marks on my neck. They are so lovely though, and we added on to the choreography using them. You have to love that our group has worked together so long that we can talk in code and know exactly what the person meant:
"Ok, remember, outside ladies: hip drops, swoosh and undulate, bump bump. Inside ladies: vibrate, scoop! Swirly swirly."
LOVE.
We've been invited to dance in a festival at the end of July, and the organizers want us to fill quite a few sets. We'll do our regular group number of a Middle Eastern pop song combined with a drum piece (Claire says that her husband jokes that he could put on a costume and do this one at this point, because he's seen it so many times) and then we have to get creative. We're thinking of using the beginning of the candle tray dance sans candles since we don't have enough time to perfect that little balancing miracle just yet. Claire suggested that we rubber cement some flowers on our trays which seems like an ideal solution. She also said that anybody who wants to do a solo can do one, since there will be plenty of time.
!
I'm quite terrified, but I see solo opportunities akin to eating vegetables: it's good for me. So I will be totally sans props (I can't think of anything worse than attempting to be graceful while wrestling with a silk veil in a wind gale) and improvising. I just need to pick music. We'll see how this goes.
*bites nails*
So, we fast forward to Sunday. I once again braved bringing both children with me to Mass (by myself, hence the terror) and really, it didn't go too bad. We just had,
(a) A very active Anne who climbed every surface available to climb,
(b) One faux pas in which I asked Henry to go back into the sacristy rest room to refill Anne's sippy cup with water, at which time Anne reacted to Henry leaving as if he were being dragged off to prison in chains: "HHHHEENNNNRRYYYY! Want to see HENRY!!!!" During the consecration. Awesome. So I had to quickly scurry after Henry with Anne slung over my shoulder,
(c) My veil was off my head as often as it was on, but it wasn't the veil's fault. It's hard to keep a veil on your head when your head is upside down retrieving a toddler from under the pew for half of Mass, and
(d) The instant Anne stood still long enough to trace the wood cross on the end of our pew out in the aisle she seized the opportunity to pass the most unladylike of noises.
You can't win 'em all.
She's also been expressing an interest in using the toilet, so we've vamped up our potty training efforts to little actual results, but such is the way of things with 2 year olds. I brought out her adorable little pink Baby Bjorn potty which she screamed at and stated that she would NEVER sit on, fantastic. I had to hold her on the toilet which she suddenly loves despite the fact that she could easily fall in. I think it's because she likes being next to the toilet paper roll that she will immediately begin shredding.
So, yesterday found us at Toys R Us shopping for a toilet seat insert for toddler bums. She had her choice between Disney princesses and Sesame Street with Ernie and Bert, and she chose the latter. I was surprised, but then again she *does* have a real thing for Bert. She ran through the store lugging the potty seat cover behind her, because we're just classy like that.
We got it home and I will say that she sat on the thing. None of the promised pee-pee was produced ("pee pee coming!") but she doesn't appear to loathe it like she does the pink potty.
*long suffering sigh*
Oh the day when I don't spend half of it in the bathroom, how I long for you...
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
A 4th of July Smorgasbord (sp?) post!
Ok, a quick Google search has told me that I did spell that correctly. It's one of those words that you hear and say your whole life without spelling it, and when you go to do so, you become paranoid that people will think you daft. Admit it, how many other people thought "next door" (as in "The Wilsons live next door to us") was actually "next store" for the first 10 years of their life? Just me? All right, then.
Since it's a long holiday weekend, I won't be posting for a few days, missing a 7 Quick Takes Friday, so I thought I'd make this post a bit of an Independence Day Weekend Administrative Summary Including Humorous Highlights. Let us begin.
Tomorrow we will go and barbecue with my parents at their house and I'm certain that the children will want to go in their pool. When I was a child I used to love to swim, but now I have to admit that I avoid it unless absolutely necessary. I don't totally know why, but there you have it. I prefer to sit *beside* the pool and sip a drink while soaking up the gentle breeze. So, I suppose I enjoy a pool's ambiance if not the actual water.
And my mother, who I never saw drink nary a single glass of wine for my entire childhood, now creates inventive cocktails for us when we're at her house for dinner. Maybe it's only after age 30 that we're allowed into this Cocktail Club, but I have to say it's a lot of fun, if a bit surprising. She makes a sangria that could fell a super hero, I tell you.
"Mom, what's in this?"
"Oh, just some brandy and wine. And cognac. And vodka. And..."
Clearly, our mother wants us to become unconscious before the end of the evening. Pacing oneself is an absolute necessity in that house.
So it'll be stiff drinks and hot dogs and hamburgers. Join us anyone?
Friday I'm off from work and we'll be wrangling the children, and then likely having dinner with Mike's parents. I have belly dance class later, and we've been invited to dance at a festival the last weekend in July that will inevitably involve a flurry of choreography practicing and formation changes. It'll be fun, but we have a new member, so I'm not entirely sure how we'll figure out costumes and such, but we'll get there. We have a bunch of slots that we can use to dance, so we've all been invited to do solos if we desire to, which is profoundly terrifying if a bit exciting. I'm not sure if I will yet or not, but if I do, NO PROPS. I'll just dance. But it'll be a big crowd, so I don't know. I'm sure there will be a frenzied discussion of all of this on Friday.
Saturday, Henry is invited to a pool party. He's excited, and I'm excited for him, but you know, this means that I have to *talk* to people that I don't know all that well, and you all know how social I am. :) That is to say, NOT VERY. I'll have to be all brave and everything.
Sunday, we'll have Mass and not much else, which will be lovely. I'm planning on doing lots of knitting, so that I can finish up the projects I'm working on to begin some fall and winter gifts. I'm also reading Mother Dolores Hart's The Ear of the Heart for our next Catholic Book Club installment, and at well over 400 pages, it's a bit imposing. I'm making steady progress, but it's slow going. So I'll work on that as well, but I can't guarantee there will be a book club post next week, may be the week after!
At any rate, Happy 4th of July everybody! I don't know that we'll do fireworks, since Anne can't stay awake late enough for them. We'll probably watch them on tv like we usually do and breathe a sigh of relief that we don't have to talk to strangers and battle traffic to do so. Because we're weird like that.
I'll post again on Monday, see you all then!
Since it's a long holiday weekend, I won't be posting for a few days, missing a 7 Quick Takes Friday, so I thought I'd make this post a bit of an Independence Day Weekend Administrative Summary Including Humorous Highlights. Let us begin.
Tomorrow we will go and barbecue with my parents at their house and I'm certain that the children will want to go in their pool. When I was a child I used to love to swim, but now I have to admit that I avoid it unless absolutely necessary. I don't totally know why, but there you have it. I prefer to sit *beside* the pool and sip a drink while soaking up the gentle breeze. So, I suppose I enjoy a pool's ambiance if not the actual water.
And my mother, who I never saw drink nary a single glass of wine for my entire childhood, now creates inventive cocktails for us when we're at her house for dinner. Maybe it's only after age 30 that we're allowed into this Cocktail Club, but I have to say it's a lot of fun, if a bit surprising. She makes a sangria that could fell a super hero, I tell you.
"Mom, what's in this?"
"Oh, just some brandy and wine. And cognac. And vodka. And..."
Clearly, our mother wants us to become unconscious before the end of the evening. Pacing oneself is an absolute necessity in that house.
So it'll be stiff drinks and hot dogs and hamburgers. Join us anyone?
Friday I'm off from work and we'll be wrangling the children, and then likely having dinner with Mike's parents. I have belly dance class later, and we've been invited to dance at a festival the last weekend in July that will inevitably involve a flurry of choreography practicing and formation changes. It'll be fun, but we have a new member, so I'm not entirely sure how we'll figure out costumes and such, but we'll get there. We have a bunch of slots that we can use to dance, so we've all been invited to do solos if we desire to, which is profoundly terrifying if a bit exciting. I'm not sure if I will yet or not, but if I do, NO PROPS. I'll just dance. But it'll be a big crowd, so I don't know. I'm sure there will be a frenzied discussion of all of this on Friday.
Saturday, Henry is invited to a pool party. He's excited, and I'm excited for him, but you know, this means that I have to *talk* to people that I don't know all that well, and you all know how social I am. :) That is to say, NOT VERY. I'll have to be all brave and everything.
Sunday, we'll have Mass and not much else, which will be lovely. I'm planning on doing lots of knitting, so that I can finish up the projects I'm working on to begin some fall and winter gifts. I'm also reading Mother Dolores Hart's The Ear of the Heart for our next Catholic Book Club installment, and at well over 400 pages, it's a bit imposing. I'm making steady progress, but it's slow going. So I'll work on that as well, but I can't guarantee there will be a book club post next week, may be the week after!
At any rate, Happy 4th of July everybody! I don't know that we'll do fireworks, since Anne can't stay awake late enough for them. We'll probably watch them on tv like we usually do and breathe a sigh of relief that we don't have to talk to strangers and battle traffic to do so. Because we're weird like that.
I'll post again on Monday, see you all then!
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