Daybook-Super Bowl Sunday

I had hoped to get a post up way before this weekend hit, but life happened instead. So I will just post pictures of the wonderful Super Bowl party we had at home. 2/6/2011

{this moment}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. Photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

Daybook

Outside my window: With a high of 44 degrees, all the snow has melted and there is mud as far as the eye can see.

I am listening to: my ipod as often as I can to drown out Firecracker who throws fits all day long lately.

I am reading: Pride and Prejudice on the ipod with my Amazon Kindel ap

I am pondering: Why the abortion clinics are full and how disposable children are in our society. Why little children have to die. Why those who want to have children-can’t and those strung out on drugs are able to have babies born with addictions. Why in America you are the minority if you speak English. Why feds can go into schools to remove children who have illegal parents or are illegal immigrants themselves…..this list goes on and on……I find the world to be extremely depressing!

I am wearing: A gray tee-shirt, flannel pj bottoms with my hair in a messy bun.

In my kitchen: Toast, eggs and coffee

I am creating: A list for the costumes I am in charge of for the Little Mermaid Ballet. It’s time to get very creative!

I am thankful for: sleeping pills at night and fresh sheets.

In my garden: Compost and mud.

A Round the House: I found the master bedroom and bath, now for the rest of the house.

Plans for the New Week: Continuing to stay on top of school- made great progress this past week and feeling the burn- out lifting.

Hoping and praying: Still Praying for little Christopher as his battle with cancer is ending. We are praying for his family in this most difficult time of their life as they say goodbye to their child that God has blessed them with for four short years. Please pray with me.

Living the Liturgy: We were blessed to have the vocation crucifix this past week and loved being able to focus on religious life through prayer.

I am listing on my ipod: Lots of Pandora and the new Faith and Life pod cast. Found a new ap called the WEEMEE and Love it. You can make a cartoon avatar for your contacts, Facebook or just for fun. It is a new addiction for the entire family. The down side besides being totally addicting, is you have to purchase all the add-on.

Rhyme and Beauty: I need a lot of inspiring words on this right now. I know I will find comfort and inspirations in my favorite blog: In the Heart of My Home…..Thank you Elizabeth Foss!

Living Education: Starting our Geography scrapbooks this week…....I hope.

I am thinking: I am thinking so much that it actually hurts to do so. Longing for the time when stillness and quietness will fill the space of thoughts. I am thinking I need to see the blessings in the most redundant parts of my life, for one day the chaos will be gone and my house will be terrible empty and ever so lonely. (Yes, this is from last week, but very fitting in my life still)

One of my favorite things: Wingers double shoot caramel macchiato- a special treat yesterday on my way to the dance committee meeting.

Sharing my photos thoughts:

Daybook

Outside my window: It’s 7:30 and I can see the neighbor kids headding down the lane to wait for the school bus.

I am listening to: The washer running-which only means that there is a ton of laundry to do at our house.

I am reading: nothing at the moment, there is absolutely no time for reading in the midst of chaos.

I am pondering: What lays ahead for our friends as the say goodbye to their daughter who will be interring a group home for intense therapy for RADS. Why must these children suffer so much?

I am wearing: A gray hooded sweatshirt and sweat pants with a hair towel wrapped around my head.

In my kitchen: Is a sink full of dishes and a floor that desperately needs to be mopped.

I am creating: nothing-and I am okay with that for the moment.

I am thankful for: Being able to hang out with my daughters and go
out with friends this weekend. I enjoyed being silly and not worry about my very stressful and chaotic life for eight lovely hours.:0)

In my garden:Compost and lots of it.

A Round the House: I am buried up to my eyes with house work that I just can’t seem to get caught up on.

Plans for the New Week: Hoping to stay on top of school-everything else is not a priority at the moment.

Hoping and praying: Praying for little Christopher as his battle with cancer is ending. We are praying for his family in the most difficult time of their life as they say goodbye to their child that God has blessed them with for four years. Hoping that G is only beginning her journey in life, which she will be able to heal and grow into a wonderful child who will be able to be reunited with her forever family. I pray that God will give them the strength that will carry them though this storm.

Living the Liturgy: We will be focusing on Baby Girls’s First Holy Communion prep for the next serval months.

I am listing on my ipod: Nothing-are you seeing a trend here yet?

Rhyme and Beauty: We are down to one car at the moment so our days are not filled with errands or unnecessary trips to town. The bad side of that is we are feeling very trapped here at home some days.

Living Education: Hope to get history and geographpy started again. We are all missing cuddling on the couch with lots of read alouds.

I am thinking: I am thinking so much that it actually hurts to do so. Longing for the time when stillness and quietness will fill the space of thoughts. I am thinking I need to stay on top of this blog; it’s been over a month since I have posted anything here or even had the time to sit at the computer with free time. Most importantly- I am thinking I need to see the blessings in the most redundant parts of my life, for one days the chaos will be gone and my house will be terrible empty and ever so lonely.

One of my favorite things: A hot shower! It may seem silly, but when you have 12 people under the same roof- it’s a very big deal to be able to shower with hot water.

Sharing my photo thoughts:


Brewfest 2011

Daybook

A very late Daybook this week.

Outside my window: Sunny with a high of 42*

I am listening to: A very fussy Firecracker with a tooth ache and a mouth ulcer. It’s the worst thing to have a hurting child whom you can’t comfort.

I am reading: Lots of Advent and Christmas stories to the children.

I am pondering: What plans God has for the crosses he has given me. If only he would send me a text message or an email.

I am wearing: My snoopy pajama pants, black tee with a zip-up sweatshirt.

In my kitchen: Pesto pasta for lunch and Mexican pulled pork tacos for dinner.

I am creating: We are working on the kids gingerbread houses. This is such a fun family tradition. Not much going on with the Holiday baking yet, but did pick up a few baking items last night from Safeway.

I am thankful for: Being able to talk on the phone with my oldest daughter without interruptions. I am missing her even more with the holidays just around the corner.

In my garden: Compost and a few chickens looking for a yummy snack.

A Round the House: Seeing all the house work that needs to be done and trying to get the Christmas decorations up by this weekend. This certainly is not an easy task with eleven people at home full time.

Plans for the New Week: We are on half days with schooling now and I am grateful for this change of schedule. It’s so nice not to have the added pressure of school during this Holy season.

Hoping and praying: For patience’s and lots of it. To have the ability to parent and love a child who doesn’t want to be parented without judgment or any expectations for such love to be returned.

Living the Liturgy: Working on keeping this Advent season Christ centered in a very materialistic world.

I am listing on my ipod: Pandora Radio on the Christmas station.

Rhyme and Beauty: Enjoying the quietness that comes with the winter months. We are still very busy with dance and youth group, however; our week is not filled with daily trips to town anymore.

Living Education: Working on the Advent lap-books and enjoying lots of Advent and Christmas books.

I am thinking: Yeah, I am still doing way too much of this. I am trying to be more prayerful and doing less thinking and worrying.

One of my favorite things: Waking up most mornings to baby Tay’s beautiful smile! I am so blessed to have my daughter living at home.

Sharing my photos thoughts:

Day Book

Outside my window: Cold crisp air with snow flurries

I am listening to: Christmas music

I am reading: An Amish Christmas by Cynthia Keller

I am pondering: What my plans will be for Advent this year.

I am wearing: A CWU sweat shirt and pj bottoms

In my kitchen: Lasagna, rolls and fruit salad

I am creating: Advent Lesson plans

I am thankful for: Having a second chance in certain parts in my life.

In my garden: compost

A Round the House: Must I think about this right now?

On Keeping House: This is such a challenging area in my life. I am tending house for eleven people and I can’t keep up with all the chores.

Plans for the New Week: Hoping and praying to get caught up on school and house work.

Monday- Total chaos with a last minute change of plans
Tuesday: School, Dr appt and Choir at church tonight for Saint Andrews day.
Wednesday-School, dentist appt, ballet and youth group.
Thursday- School
Friday-School
Saturday- House work
Sunday- Mass, choir, and youth group

Hoping and praying: to survive this week

Living the Liturgy: Praying Saint Andrews chaplet this Advent season

I am listing on my ipod: Pandora Radio

Rhyme and Beauty: Just can’t see this right now with so much going on in my life.

Living Education: Going to down load the Advent Lapbook for this season from Faith Folders

I am thinking: I am thinking of 1000 things and then some.

One of my favorite things: Pumpkin Spice coffee creamer

Sharing my photos thoughts:

Another RADish Day

November 12, 2010
Okay so I have had one of those Radish days. Yep my RADs woke looking for a fight. I knew it was coming, I had that feeling it was coming, because Miss Radish has completely stopped all interaction with me. Heck, I told her it was okay with me and I had no-notta-none-zip, absolutely no hard feelings about this. Yeah, okay it eats me up alive, but no way on earth was I going to let her know this. That would be like giving her a knife and turning my back to her. Like I would do that! So what made Miss Radish snap, well it was a simple question from her oldest brother. He made the fatal mistake to tell her to read something out loud to him and she snapped at him like a poisonous snake waiting for its prey. I jumped in and took over which most often leads into full rage, because after all- in her eyes I have NO business telling her anything, let alone to imposes or enforce my rules upon her. She and only she are in control of Miss Radish life and she will make sure you understand that through her actions, her words, and her rages. The rage came when I wrapped my arm around her and told her all was okay, the questions were simple to answer and she would not be harmed in any way by answering her brother inquiry. I knew it wasn’t about the question that was causing her to rage, it never is about what happened at that moment in time. No, her pain and wounds are so much deeper than that. Something in her unconscious state brings her to this moment that we must witness all too often. Something I desperately try to comprehend, trying to grasp hold of her pain so I can also be in that moment with her, but I simply can’t understand as her trauma is more than human should ever have to endure. Since I can’t mentally be in that moment with her I ride out her physical rage with her, constantly reassuring her she is safe here and no one will ever hurt her again. She is safe with me I whisper over and over and over into her ears until the rage flows into a valley of tears and her ridged body turns to mush. This rage was the shortest one yet, lasting less than an hour. Together we regulate her back to reality. I rejoice in this, give my silent praise to God and see this as a promising act of healing taking place. I celebrate it internally being very cautious not to show anything outwardly as I know Miss Radish will sabotage my joys in a blink of an eye. Later she does just that, sabotage over takes us all when her rage returns two more times that night. I am totally exhausted and all too helpless in the last rage. I don’t want to hold her, so I step back and allow her to try to regulate herself. She must learn to do this, I know this from the bottom of my heart, but it kills every being of me to watch her rage. No longer do we have professional help just a call away to walk with us hand in hand with while she rages. What knowledge we have comes from blogs and web links that we stumble across late at night, searching for any information that will help us parent our Radish While in her rage she goes the to motions of having a server side ache that she informs us that she need to go the emergency room, grasping at anything to get out of being responsible for her actions, so I don’t back off, instead I watch her making sure she stays safe as her rage starts to die off. Finally her rages ends, it is now ten at night. It ended just as quickly as it started is seems, but in reality it lasted ALL day. Miss Radish comes out of the rage with only one concern on her mind. Can she still go to school tomorrow? I give her my answer, holding my breath, “No, you will not be going to school in the morning with that terrible side ache you seemed to be having for the last two hours”. I bite my lip and say my goodnight to her. I know we are not done with this rage because I didn’t cave with her demands of going to school. Exhausted I head to bed, restless I know tomorrow will be another HELL Day for us.