A Day in the Life

When I first started this blog a little over a year ago, I did it with the intention of it being a kind of online scrapbook.  A way to remember the fun little memories that happen in our daily lives.  Sure, sometimes I go a little deeper and write about my lofty ponderings (hah!), but really, I just want to come back one day, years down the road, and read these posts and smile about the silly things the kids said and did, enjoy old family photos, and just be able to remember what life was like as a young wife and mother, raising her children - the good, the bad, and the ugly =)  So, I thought I would try something new today.  Quite honestly, I'm not really a "writer"...I'm a math nerd.  Want to know a secret?  I LOVE calculus (and geometry, algebra, and trig, too)!  So, if you're looking for good, solid literature, or deep, theological discussions then move along folks, because you won't find that here =)  What you will find (in this post in particular) are little snippets of what goes on in my day...so, let's get right to it...here is what a typical day in the life of me is like....I'm journaling freestyle today, y'all!

 8:00 a.m  looking forward to the day when the only person's pancake I have to cut is my own!

after-breakfast:  I literally just locked the kids outside, because their only form of communication seems to be shouting or shrieking this morning O_o...

11:00 a.m. Natalie locked herself in her room while punished (she was quite made at me, thus the locking of the door), and is now asleep...with me locked out! Remind me again that the child is not *acutally* 15!!!!  On the plus side, she really did need a nap, as she is getting over an ear-infection.  And, even better, I now have the opportunity to sit and enjoy a cup of coffee while the younger ones play on the floor with their legos =)

Now, Rachel is pulling the lego wagon around the house, with a little toy alligator in it...she brings it to me, all excited, and says "look, Mom!  an alligator!"  Me:  "Wow!  Rachel:  "He's dead...he died"  Me:  "uhhhh, ok...how did he die?"  Rachel:  "he died!"  Me:  "Ohhhh kay"  

1:15:  Natalie is up from her nap, and still holding a grudge against being punished.....it's going to be a long afternoon.

At naptime for the two middle kids:  I go to lay down in bed with them for a few minutes, and Andrew asks me: "Mom, can you sleep with us?"  Me:  "Oh, maybe for a minute or two."  Andrew: "How about four?!"  Me: "Sounds good...four it is =)"  Rachel:  "pour it is!"  

Now, it is time for the Great Nap Debate!  Do I make efficient use of kid free time while they are asleep, and tackle the pile of dishes and laundry???  Or, do I actually lay down and ease the exhaustion??....Except Luke just put in his two cents; he's crying, so I guess both will have to wait until later.

1:45 p.m.: Natalie is back to her smiley, chatty self again =)  The barriers have broken down!  That, and I think she wants something from me...like food ;)

Andrew: "knock, knock..." Me: "who's there?" Andrew: "banana" Me: "banana who?" Andrew: "a banana who thinks you're pretty!" =)  ~a joke from yesterday~

 ***excerpt from yesterday:  Rachel: "Hey! Not pair!!! wee me awone, Mom!"....luckily for her, she finally gave in to the nap I was "unpairly" coercing her to take, so the second part of her request is now being fulfilled =)***

My kids like to play with all those plastic medicine droppers, cups, and other devices cleverly designed for getting small children to consume their yucky flavored medicines.  They like to play doctor, and give shots to each other (which I always wonder about, because they know how much they hate getting shots, so why would they want to subject their siblings to it, even if it is just for pretend?!?!)...they like to pretend to have a stethoscope, and listen to each others heart beat.  So, today, Andrew collected all his "doctor gear" in a little container.  "I'm going to be a doctor, Mom."  Me:  "Ok, have at it."  He starts to walk away, then doubles back and says "wait, I need a spoon."  Me: " A spoon?  What for?"  Andrew: "In case there's chocolate..."  Oh!  Well, of course!  Because, you never know when a yummy bowl of chocolate will just materialize while you are administering pretend shots to your little sister!

 2:45 p.m.:  There is now a craft explosion on my kitchen table.  Normally, I try to have all the kids napping/resting at the same time each day.  Andrew, Rachel, and Luke all still take naps, but Natalie is getting past that.  However, she is still expected to have quiet time while the other ones are sleeping, and for as long as the other ones are sleeping.  She knows that if she doesn't want to go nap (which she still does maybe twice a week), then she can stay up, as long as she doesn't bother me...I laid out the rule that while the little ones are napping, it is also Mommy's quiet time to get chores done, relax, read, play on the computer, or whatever.  So, today, she is crafting!  I have developed a love/hate relationship with crafts.  I'm glad that she is creative, and not vegging out in front of TV or video games all the time.  I like that she is enjoying herself and having fun on her own.  And, I even enjoy seeing the creations she makes...they can be pretty impressive at times!  What I hate is the mess!!!  All those bits and pieces of paper drive.me.crazy!  It's one of the things I have just had to let go, but it still takes effort to let it go.  But that's ok; all those little scraps of paper everywhere aren't so bad, when I look over there and see my sweet Natalie working so diligently on a project she loves =)  She's in her element!

4:45 p.m.:  Naps are over, kids are outside waiting for Dad to get home, and I didn't get near as much work done as I'd hoped, but that's ok!  It'll be waiting for me tomorrow...on to dinner prep, now!  Tonight, I am making spinach quiche with homemade pie crust!  I'm using the pie crust recipe from here, and the filling recipe from here.  I'm adjusting the filling to things I have on hand (like fresh spinach and mushrooms as opposed to frozen and canned, and Monterrey cheese).  Hope it comes out good!!!

Ok, this post turned out a lot longer than I'd thought it would, so I'm ending it here!  It was also supposed to be posted yesterday...oops!  Oh, and the quiche was really good!

Witnessing to the Truth

So, I've been thinking.  I've been thinking about the vocation to family life and Motherhood.  With the March for Life right around the corner, most people in the Catholic world are vamping up their ever-present support for unborn life, so I, too, have been thinking about what kind of witness I am to the sanctity of life...am I a good witness?...do people look at me and think "wow...that mother really loves her children and her family"?....does my example make others want to value their families more, or be more open to life?  As Catholics, we are called to witness to the truth, and the truth is, life is valuable and worth living - no matter how hard it is.  And, the truth is that it is not up to us to decide whether or not a life is brought into the world...it's God's decision.  But, the hard part is making others see the beauty of raising a family - whether you have 1 or 10.  On the surface, motherhood is anything but glamorous...I mean, the baby literally threw up down my shirt the other day.  My two year old ate something off the floor that she thought was chocolate, but it most certainly was NOT chocolate (what was it doing on the floor, you might ask??...doesn't matter...).  My six year old brings frogs into my house.  My 4 year old is on the verge of learning to communicate using only his bodily functions (what is the deal with boys thinking that is so funny, anyway?!).  And, children need to be disciplined, they make messes that they refuse to clean up, leave their dirty clothes on the floor after being repeatedly told to pick it up, and don't get me started on the sink in the kids' bathroom!  It's a never ending cycle of cooking, feeding, cleaning....lather, rinse, repeat.  But as a mothers, I also know that all those mundane details are SO WORTH it!  The love in a child's eye when they look at you, kissing them good night, hearing them read for the first time, those little hands and feet, baby yawns, the joy of holding a new baby for the first time, hearing them say their first words...there is just so much love for these little people, that it can't fit into your heart, and it can't help but spill out into hugs, kisses, and affection for them.  

But, some days, it's really hard to see past all the grit and grime.  Some days, I feel like I'm in the trenches, and I am the worst witness to motherhood ever.  I yell...it's not pretty.  Many times, when I go out in public, and I have small children climbing all over me, people just think I'm crazy for having all these kids.  They love to tell me just how full my hands are...as if I didn't know that!  And, heaven forbid that I ever complain about how hard things are, because then it's "well, then stop having kids"  Well, I don't want to!  I love my children...I want a big family, but that doesn't mean it's easy all the time.  So, how do we get people to see past the surface, and that by sacrificing so much for our children, we actually gain so much more in return.  It has to be one of life's greatest paradoxes.  But, some people just don't want to see the beauty and the value.  All they want to see is the stuff they would have to give up, and the demand on their time that is too great.  I actually heard a woman on the radio once say that she wanted to have a child, but really wanted to have a surrogate carry the baby for her, because she "didn't have time to be pregnant"!!!  I...what...where does that kind of logic come from?!?!  

I can only do so much in my role as mother.  I can't exactly be present at all the pro-life rallies, and the marches, and travel around doing missions.  My place right now is at home with my little ones.  Much of the time, a mother's sacrifice and effort goes completely unnoticed and unappreciated by the world.  So, for me to be a good witness, even when no one can see it, I have to be joyful...firm, but loving.  And not just for the sake of others, but for the sake of my family.  My husband needs to see me happy and glad that I am part of his family (which, of course, I am...even on the hardest of days I love our life).  My kids need to see that I am honored and over-joyed to have them for my children.  I need to keep in mind that my kids will be adults one day, and the way that I treat them will affect whether or not they will be pro-life.  If they see a mom who completely loves her job as a wife and mother, then they will have respect for life, too.  I can't be a good witness and draw people to the Catholic Faith if my life doesn't reflect joy and happiness, even in the midst of suffering.

On My Mind

 I can't meet the needs of all abandoned, starving children in this world, but I can serve and take care of the ones I've been given.

I can't show love and affection to every adult out there who is broken in spirit, but I can give unconditional love and understanding to the man I married before God and His Church.

I can't stop every woman who walks into an abortion clinic from choosing evil, but I can openly and lovingly accept all the gifts of life that God sends to our marriage; whether I am ready for that gift or not.

All I can do to conquer the evil that is around me is to put love there instead.  Some of us are called to larger missionary acts, like Mother Theresa, St. Patrick, or St. Isaac Jogues, but some of us are called to be domestic missionaries.  

Sometimes, I feel so guilty about not being at abortion rallies, or serving in soup kitchens, or adopting orphans.  But, if everyone was out there, doing obvious missionary work, who would raise our children?  They would suffer for our negligence.  Yes, we do need more missionaries out there, but we also need more mothers and fathers who value the idea of moms at home with their children, and raising strong and virtuous apostles, so that the future will have those missionaries who go out into the field.  "The harvest indeed is great, but the labourers are few."  So, my part is to raise laborers.  Hopefully I can fulfill that need well in the eyes of God. 

Motherhood

Motherhood is stopping to smell even the smallest of flowers.  It's being there for your children even when you don't feel like it.  It's loving them unconditionally, and letting them love you unconditionally.  It's spending an hour filling up an ice chest full of water balloons just to see the happiness on their faces in the two minutes it takes for them to pop all those balloons.  It's dealing with teething, diaper changes, sickness, giggles, story time, afternoon naps,...  Motherhood is more work than anyone could ever imagine, but the joys and love that you experience in motherhood is also greater than anyone could ever imagine, or begin to explain.  I hope that my daughters will one day embrace motherhood as the gift from God that it truly is. 

Happy Mother's Day!  And, good luck to all the contestants in the We are THAT Family Happy Woman giveaway!

***Photo credit:  this photo was taken by a friend of mine, Karen Cunningham, who is a professional photographer.  Please see her Facebook page if you like her work.  Thanks!