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. 

Rockin' the Dipes

So, a few weeks ago I did a post about some cloth diaper soap that I wanted to try out.  I ordered some samples, and promised to come back and do a product review.  So, here is my review of Rockin Green Soap.  I tried samples of the soap that is specially formulated for hard water, which we have, in four different scents:  watermelon, green tea, clean, and lavender mint.  First of all, let me say that this soap is amazing when it comes to rinsing.  Every other soap I have tried on my diapers required multiple rinses, but with this soap, the water was free of suds on the first rinse!  This one detail deserves MAJOR props as far as I'm concerned.  It saves water, time, and money, and there's no harsh chemicals, so that gets an A+++ rating in my book.  And, when they are done washing and come out the dryer, they don't have that weird smell like other soaps I've tried.  It wasn't a bad smell, but kind of off, and not fresh or clean.  With this soap, the diapers came out without any scent at all, which was a nice change.  The *only* thing I was disappointed about was that they didn't actually come out smelling like the scent on the package.  The watermelon smelled weird in the package, the clean one didn't have too much scent at all, and both the lavender mint and green tea smelled nice in the package.  Of all four, I liked the green tea the best.  It actually did have a slight fresh scent after one wash.  So, I'm thinking that maybe if I use it for awhile, maybe the scent will kick in.  Or, maybe it's just our water that over powers the natural oils in the detergent, and causes the other soaps to have that weird smell.  I use regular detergent for our clothes, and not all of those make our clothes smell the way it smells in the box.  Oh, I should also mention that after I tried the Hard Rock samples (that's the name of the line of detergent for hard water), they came out with a Hard Rock 2.0 version, so maybe that one will work better, scent wise.  Either way, I highly, highly recommend this detergent if you use cloth diapers.  I've never tried a detergent that works as well as this on my diapers.  I give it 4.5/5.0 stars.  Oh, and another added perk is that they have a rewards program.  You earn points when you purchase items, and once you reach 300 points, you get a free bag of detergent, or you can cash in for other items they sell.  Good stuff!

Dirt In All It's Glory!

Humility comes in so many different shapes and sizes.  I know this from personal experience.  Just this morning, in fact, we had a load of dirt delivered to fill in a low spot in our yard.  The problem began when I completely forgot they were coming early to deliver the dirt today - like before 8 a.m.  So, the kids and I were all cozy in my room, still sleeping....heavily (no judgment!  we're on summer break), when I heard this deep "Honk, Honk!"  I woke up, half in a daze, realized who was here, and threw on the first items of clothing I could find that were not pajamas...which means, I was decent enough to be seen, but I SO did not match in any way, shape, or form.  I actually debated about brushing my teeth before going out to direct the guy where to put the dirt, but he just kept honking, so I didn't have time.  So embarrassing!  I guess that's what I get for actually begging God for humility.  Humility always comes in ways I least expect, and in ways I really would rather it not.  Anyway, we now have a nice mountain of dirt in our backyard.  Which means the kids have a new playground...at least until Daddy gets around to spreading out the dirt to fill the low spot.  So, they spent the better part of the morning playing in the sprinkler and playing in the giant dirt pile.  I love these kinds of days!  Where the kids have no other care in the world, besides just enjoying being a kid.  Just simple fun.  It's country living at its finest.

Of course, the aftermath is not near as pretty, but hey, that's what bathtubs are for =)
(this was actually from a couple days ago, when they were playing in non store-bought dirt, but they pretty much looked like this today, as well)

Natalie told me before the dirt arrived that she was particularly excited about digging for dinosaur bones...I'll let you know if she finds anything ;)

Oh, and just for good measure, here's Rachel, watching the cows from our front window.  This was too cute to pass up!  She was actually 'mooing' at the window =):

This, That, the Other, and a few Little Thoughts

I haven't really been hanging around the blogosphere lately.  I think I have writer's block, which is ironic, because I'm not a writer...hah!  This blog is just for fun =).  Anyway, I just don't have much to post about these days.  We've been enjoying the extremely lazy days of summer, because it's just too darn hot to do anything else!  Even the cows just lay around in the shade and do nothing (although, they pretty much do that year round, so that's not saying much).  We spent the better part of today lounging around the house reading books.  I heard a fellow southerner say once that summer in the deep south is like winter in the far north, because you are almost quarantined inside because of the heat.  The temperature right now is 96 degrees, with a heat index of 107 degrees!  Way too hot to take kids outside to play.  I was out there for about 45 minutes cleaning out my van (oh yes, Phil, I actually got around to doing that ;), and I felt like I dropped 10 pounds just from the sweat...and, I was in the shade!  We did get to go swimming yesterday evening for a couple of hours at our neighbor's house, which was so very nice, but after a while, it actually felt like bath water...the temp in the water was 91 degrees O_o.

Next week, I go in for my second ultra-sound, and it's the one where we get the option to find out if the baby is a boy or a girl.  For the first 3, we didn't find out the gender, but Philip wants to for this one.  As for me, I don't know if I want to or not.  I usually am really tempted to find out, but since Phil has always wanted to be surprised, I never did, because I can't keep a secret.  Part of me feels like it's cheating, but in the end, it doesn't really matter...I mean, the baby is what it is, and I'll love him or her no matter what.  Likely, I'll break down and find out, because I'm just weak like that =)  At lunch today, the kids and I had this discussion:

Natalie:   So, Mom, I've been thinking...

Me:  oh yeah?  About what?

Natalie:  About the new baby.

Me:  What about the new baby?

Natalie:  Oh, just about having it and stuff.

Me:  It's going to be really exciting!  You'll get to hold it, and help me take care of it...(I left out the part about how I have anxiety attacks and fret think about having it and stuff, too).

Natalie:  I bet the baby gets hungry alot.

Me:  No, not really...babies get everything they need when they are in their mommy's tummy; they don't have to wait around for someone to feed them.

**I then tiptoe on egg shells trying to answer all her questions about how a pregnant woman's body works to take care of a growing baby...she's only 5, not a doctor!!  how many details does the child really need???  I settled on "that's just how God made it work", and changed the subject.  I told her that we get to go and see pictures of the baby at the doctor's office next week.

Me:  Do you want to find out if it's a boy or a girl now, or do you want to wait until it's born?

Natalie:  I want to know now!  (no shocker...she is my daughter)

Me:  Ok, maybe they'll be able to tell us.

Natalie:  Do you want to know?
Me:  I don't know yet...probably...Daddy wants to know.

**Andrew decides to join the conversation now, which is weird, because he seems to have been ignoring our entire conversation, because he's been very intent on eating his lunch for the duration of our little chat...every now and then he would pipe in with "hey, I got two noodles on my fork this time!!  cool!!"  Such a boy!

Andrew:  I want to wait.

Me:  You want to wait for the baby to be born before you know if it's a boy or a girl??

Andrew:  Yes, I want to wait.  The boys have to wait, but the girls can find out.

**Sorry Phil...I guess you have to wait with Andrew this time =P 

Now that everyone is just dying to know whether we find out or not, and, if we do find out, what the gender actually is...I shall not be posting it on the blog.  I remember my mother-in-law telling me once that if we ever find out, she doesn't want to know.  Since she actually reads my blog, I don't want to ruin the surprise for her.  So, everyone else will just have to wait for the ending =)  The hard part will be keeping Natalie away from her Grandma for the rest of the pregnancy, because there's no way she'll keep that a secret!  No, seriously, I'll make sure to drill Natalie about NOT telling Grandma, so no worries!  

Other than that, we haven't really been doing much of anything over here.  My garden is between the summer harvest and the fall planting, so I haven't been doing much with it.  I still have a couple of cherry tomato plants that are going strong, a handful of new cucumber plants that are a few weeks along, and my okra is like the gift that keeps on giving.  Phil did help me clean it out and do some weeding around the beds, so it looks much neater and is ready for the next round of planting.  Hopefully I can get to that in the next week or two.  

We'll be starting school right about the second week of August.  I've actually decided to switch to a new curriculum this year.  Natalie will be in first grade, and she's my only one in school just yet, so I figure now is the time to tweak out these things before we get so far along that it's harder to switch curricula around.  Since we attend the Traditional Latin Mass, Phil and I really wanted a curriculum that supports that.  So, I did a bit of research earlier in the summer and found Our Lady of the Rosary School.  I hope we like it.  From what I've looked at on the website, I like the books, the curriculum looks solid, I like the classes they offer for older kids, and I called and spoke with someone from their office, and she was very helpful and nice.  So, I'll be ordering the first grade supplies sometime next week, and getting some of Natalie's other school supplies tomorrow, when I get to go shopping all by myself!!!!  Well, Rachel will be with me, but she can't ask me to buy everything in the store yet, so I don't mind taking her =)  

Well, the kids just woke up and wandered in from their nap, so that means it's time for me to feed them again. 

Anyone Else Awake??

How come no one ever warns you about the 'real joys' of pregnancy?  Like, pregnancy insomnia, for example.  It hits right around the second trimester, and lasts pretty much throughout the entire second trimester.  I guess it comes from sleeping so much the first trimester, because of the unbearable exhaustion!  Wow, does that always hit me like a ton of bricks.  I literally can.not.stay.awake during the first 3 months.  And, all this lack of sleep in the second trimester will lead me to be a hibernating bear in the third trimester (where the kids and husband know better than to dare awaken said bear ;).  

So, anyway, it's almost midnight, and everyone in the house is asleep...except me.  Even the baby is sleeping; or at least being very still for the moment.  I'm sure once I lay down, it will be more than happy to start bouncing around again =)  On the plus side, all this extra energy has done wonders for my housekeeping/home organization skills!  I actually made a binder full of schedules, planners, meal plans, chore lists, and the list goes on and on, for the upcoming school year.  If you actually know me very well, you would probably cry from laughing so hard at this.  But, the laundry has not piled up, the floors are clean, and Phil has come home to clean dishes for more than 1 day in a row for almost a week now!  It's great!  I hope he enjoys it while it lasts, because it will be gone just as quickly as it came.  I think my nesting phase kicks in around this time, because come the last 2 months or so of being pregnant, I just want to pass out from thinking about putting a cup in the dishwasher.  

I am actually extremely blessed to have easy pregnancies ('easy' is a relative term, here), with no problems or complications.  And, I am definitely thankful for that fact, and the fact that God has given me the gift of motherhood at all, for that matter.  But, the reality is, the things that mean the most in life, and bring us the most peace and joy...it is those things that also require the most sacrifice.  And, it's a sacrifice I am more than willing to make, but sometimes those sacrifices are so not fun....

Good Night!  (maybe...)

"I think being a good father is keeping the mother happy, so she doesn't drive the kids crazy." 

Little Thoughts

At lunch today, Andrew was upset because he got the bumble bee cup instead of the dragon fly cup (don't even ask...it's an ongoing battle over here about who gets the dragon fly cup/plate/fork/spoon!).  Anyway, Natalie got the dragon fly cup, to which Andrew responded with a huge pout and said "that's not fair!"   So, I said:

Me:  Andrew, that's not polite...you can offer it up, instead.

Natalie:  Yeah!  You can offer it up for someone who doesn't get anything to drink or eat today.

Me:  That's right...some people don't get to have any lunch, like you do.

Natalie:  Some people don't get to have a bed to sleep in, either.

Andrew:  Yeah, and some people are mean!

 

I think he totally missed the point of that conversation.  Oh well, at least he stopped the whining and complaining about that goofy cup.  

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

On the way to my doctor's appointment this morning (where everything went great...the kids got to hear the baby's heartbeat, which was really cute), we were listening to the radio, and the lady on there said something about a friend who just had a new baby boy.

Natalie:  *big gasp*  Mom!  Did you hear that?  That lady said she just had a new baby boy.

Me:  Wow, that's really cool, huh?

Natalie:  Yeah!  Why don't we say a Rosary for that baby right now?

Me:  *heart melting*

Andrew:  NO!  I don't want to pray a Rosary!

Me:  Ok, Natalie and I will pray for you

Andrew:  Humph!

Me:  Ok, Natalie do you want to pray for anyone else besides that little baby?

Natalie:  No

Me:  Andrew, who do you want to pray for?

Andrew:  I'm not praying!

Me:  Ok, fine....(I prayed for Andrew =)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

So She Won't Be Disappointed

For today's Tasty Tuesday, I'm posting my recipe for homemade English Muffins.  This one is for the City Wife, Country Life gal, because she was craving English Muffins yesterday, and when I saw that she was disappointed that she didn't get to post about them today, I just had to share my recipe!  They are so very good, but not like anything you buy at the store.  They aren't the sour dough kind, either...I tried sour dough starter once, and there was a comment by someone in the house about it "smelling like death", so I tossed it out.  I would like to give it a go, again, though.  Anyway, my recipe is from the Baking Bites blog.  She has some amazing recipes there...like, homemade Samoa Girl Scout cookies.  WOW, those are good!  And since the Girls Scouts are openly pro-choice, this is a much better and tastier option, IMHO.  

English Muffins
1/3 cup water, warm (110F)
1 tbsp sugar
2 1/2 tsp active dry yeast
1 cup nonfat milk, slightly warm (100-110F) **I'm shameless, so I use whole milk instead**
3/4 tsp salt
2 cups all purpose flour

 

In a large bowl, whisk together water, sugar and yeast and let mixture stand for 10 minutes, until slightly foamy.
Using a wooden spoon, stir in remaining ingredients and mix until smooth.
Cover with plastic wrap and set aside for 40 minutes.

Heat a griddle/nonstick frying pan over medium/medium-high heat (water dropped on the griddle evaporates very quickly). Lightly grease with cooking spray.
Drop dough by scant 1/4 cupfuls onto greased surface and cook until medium brown on the bottom. 

Normally, I use my plug-in griddle, and I can cook all of them at once, but I didn't feel like cleaning it after, so I went with the cast iron skillet this time:

The top with look set and the sides will appear somewhat dry. The exact time depends on the temperature of your griddle and the size of your muffins, but expect this to take several minutes. Flip over and cook 2nd side until brown.  Cool on wire rack for at least 15 minutes or until completely cool.

The recipe says it makes about 10-12 muffins, but I usually only get 8, because we like them on the large side...apparently, I ate one straight off the skillet I only got 7 this time:

When ready to serve, split muffins with a fork and toast.
Serve with butter, jam, peanut butter, etc.  SO GOOD!  For St. Patrick's Day this year, we used these to make Shamrock Toasties a la Catholic Cuisine:

 Enjoy!