What's in a Meme?

 A week or so ago, I was tagged in a meme by my friend Suzanne, from Classically Catholic.  What is a meme, you might ask?  Well, I have no idea.  So, I looked it up.  According to Merriam-Webster, a meme is "an idea, behavior, style, or usage that spreads from person to person within a culture."  Kind of vague, but whatever.  Now that we have that cleared up, the directions for this particular meme are as follows:

Share Your Favorite Catholic Prayers in this meme:
~Step 1: Name your three most favorite Catholic devotional prayers, and explain why they're your favorites. (The Liturgy and the Sacraments are off limits here. This meme is only interested in people's favorite devotional prayers.)
~Step 2: Tag five bloggers you admire and ask them to play this meme.
~Step 3: Tell the person who tagged you that you've completed the meme.

So, in no particular order, my three most favorite Catholic Prayers are:

1.  Ok, I know I said in no particular order, but this one is actually my favorite...well, it is if I follow the rules about leaving out the Liturgy and Sacraments.  Although, this may *kind of* be cheating.  My first choice is Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament.  I love the songs, the smell of the incense, the Latin, the prayers, and all the pomp and circumstance that comes along with it.  We have Benediction every third Sunday after Mass at our parish, and I look forward to it every month!  Especially because I am not able to make a regular Holy Hour right now.  It just lifts my soul in a way that other prayers can't.  Maybe it has to do with the Real Presence just a bit ;)?

2.  I would have to go with the Rosary...an obvious choice, I know, but it's obvious for a reason.  And while I have trouble concentrating and focusing on the mysteries, and it takes a serious act of will for me to sit down and pray one, this prayer always calms me.  The fruits are so immense, I notice them almost immediately.  And, if I have been really good about saying my Rosary, and then fall off the wagon, I can really tell a difference.  It makes such a difference in my life, it's hard for me to argue against praying it.  Oh, and for the record, my favorite mystery is the Fourth Sorrowful Mystery, Jesus Takes up His Cross.  That one always motivates me to work harder at my day's work, because if Jesus can do that, then surely I can wash a sink full of dishes without complaining!

3.  And, third on my list are the Stations of the Cross.  I don't really know what draws me to this prayer, but I just have a special place in my heart for it.  And, similar to the Rosary, it does take an act of will for me to say it, and the focusing problems are there, but I just love this prayer.  It just reminds me what we're all striving for, and that my suffering really does serve a purpose.  

Ok, there you go!  My top 3 Catholic devotional prayers.  Step 2 requires me to tag 5 people...I don't actually have time to do that part at the moment, so hopefully I'll get to that within the week.  So, what are your favorite Catholic devotions??  Thanks for the tag, Suzanne!

Would You Like a New Mantilla?

I just discovered this new blog today.  It's called Will You Mantilla With Me?.  I haven't had too much time to peruse the sight, but it looks like a really great place to be.  They are having a giveaway for 4 beautiful mantillas from Veils by Lily, so head on over there and put your name in the comment box for an entry!  The veils are really pretty.

"Guess what? I got a fever! And the only prescription.. is more cowbell!'

About a year ago, my husband convinced me that we needed more property.  We just didn't have enough grass to keep the 4 cows we had at the time!  What we needed was more land!  Well, we now definitely have just that...a whopping 18 acres of it.  So, naturally when we got here with our 4 cows, there was more than enough grass to go around for everyone.  Actually, there was no grass...the previous owners raised horses, who ate the grass down to the dirt.  Plus, it was New Year's Eve when we moved in, so grass was not in season then.  So, we had to supplement with hay.  But, I digress.  

Now that summer has been in full swing for a solid 3+ months, we have more grass than we know what to do with.  I mean, when the kids and I walk out to the barn, or anywhere on our property that is not within the confines of the wooden fence around our house, we walk through belly deep grass.  I think I've lost Andrew and Rachel a few times in the stuff!  So, the other day, my husband tells me what we need to solve said grass overload problem, is more cows!  And, since love is blind, I pretty much let the man do whatever he pleases. 

Some of our cows have calved since we moved here, so we were actually up to 6 cows total:  we have 2 cows each with a female calve, a heifer (who Phil believes to be pregnant!!  I'm hoping for a boy =), and the bull.  But a week or so ago, we added two new cows to our growing herd (one of which I think is also pregnant, but don't quote me on that one), which brings our total up to 8...oh, I forgot one...we have 9, because we are holding a cow for our cousin right now.
  

Actually, I'm really excited about the new cows.  There's something very quaint and soothing about looking out the window, and seeing a pasture full of cows grazing in the yard.  It makes for a very simple, quiet, and country-esque life...which, is great for raising children!  Please note that nowhere did I say EASY...life in the country is hard work, but much like being Catholic, it's really worth it.  I have to admit, it's not exactly my natural tendency to be a farm-type gal.  I'm pretty lazy.  But, it's one of those paradox things that are so hard to explain.  Even though it's not my natural tendency, I really do find so much joy living life in the country, and being a part of a family who raises farm animals and plants gardens.  Now, the sewing, cooking, knitting, and more domestic type stuff....that I love!  The harder, outdoor, rough and rugged work takes more of an act of will on my part.  But, like I said, I just get a lot of joy out of this kind of life, despite my tendency to laziness.  It's strange, I know, but it's the only way I can explain it.  And, the kids really like the cows, too.  Natalie loves to name them, Rachel likes to moo at them from the window, and Andrew....well, Andrew just wants to ride one =)  He told me the other day, "Mom, I really want to ride one of those cows.  Not a horse, though...I just want to ride one of the cows.  Can I?"  Love that kid!  Not to mention the fact that those cows will not only cut back on the amount of money we have to spend on diesel to run the tractor to cut our 18 acres of grass, but they'll also be providing lean, healthy, grass-fed, hormone-free beef for our growing family.  And, there's promise of a milk cow in the future!!!  Now, that is something to be excited about!  I've always wanted to try and milk a cow.  However, we've also been toying around with the idea of getting a milk goat, instead of a milk cow.  We are still doing some research on that to see which one we want, but there will most likely be some kind of fresh milk in the near distant future.  

Here are some pictures of our new farm friends:

 She is my favorite!  Isn't she pretty?:

Philip likes this gal:

The cows we already had are Dexters.  We went with a different breed of cow this go round, for a couple of reasons.  First of all, Dexters have horns, which Phil is not too crazy about...those are some strong animals, so I imagine they can do some pretty serious damage with those pointy weapons of theirs, and while I don't handle them very much, the man I love does, so I really don't want him getting hurt.  Secondly, Dexters are a smaller breed of cattle, so they can't keep up with the grass as well, it takes a lot longer for them to grow to full size, and you don't get as much beef off of one of those cows as you would a full-sized one.  So, we went with a Limousin and a Hereford....I think...I'll have to run that by Phil to make sure I'm correct.  And, please don't ask me which cow is which breed...I have no idea.  The only ones I can correctly identify are the Dexters.  We also went with the red variety this time, because with the intense heat in the summer, we thought it might be more pleasant for the cow to not be such a dark, heat absorbing color, like black.

Also on the home front, Philip finally got the chute for the cows finished.  It looks really great!  He's been working to get the barn turned into a cow friendly place, as opposed to a a horse friendly place, and little by little, it's coming together.  The chute is finished, which means we can run the cows through there if we ever need to tag them, administer medicine, milk them, or do anything that requires them to stand still and not try to hurt us.  He also built some wooden gates to make a holding pen, should we ever need to keep any of them separated from the herd.  

Here are some of them hanging out in the holding pen, waiting to be run through the chute:

One of the new gates, and the kids watching the action:

There they are, lined up in the chute:

One of the Mama cows and her calf:

Phil, letting them out through the head gate (look at me, using all kinds of fancy farm terminology!  just don't ask me what any of it means...I can repeat what Phil tells me, and that's about it ;):

The holding pen area:

Well, I think that is about it for what has been happening around the farm.  Oh, and I use the term 'farm' very loosely....what we have here is hardly considered a farm, but it's easier than saying 'our relatively large piece of land with cows, pigs, and a small overgrown family garden'.
 

On a more serious note, I really want to get some cowbells for our cows!!  How cool would that be?! 

Insomnia Combined with Access to Babysitters

Last week, I spent 4 days in my home town at my Mom's house, who lives 2 1/2 hours away.  My two sisters, one brother, their spouses, and children all live in my home town, as well.  It was really nice to get to see everyone.  I am actually the youngest of the four kids, and I have 9 nieces and nephews, ranging in age from 21 all the way down to 18 months.  So, with all that access to babysitting, my current lack of ability to sleep at normal hours, and peer-pressure from one of my sisters, I spent a good portion of that time doing some sewing for my girls!  And, man it was fun!  I left the kids with my Mom one afternoon (O.K., it was 2 afternoons!), and spent some time alone just browsing at the local JoAnn's Fabric Store.  Did I mention I was alone??  As in, without small children around me??  Like, pure bliss for a whole 2 hours!?!?!? (1 hour for each afternoon...don't start thinking I'm greedy, now).  It was SO NICE!  I managed to find a nice little selection of some very cute fabric on sale, and my sister and I both made a couple of pillowcase dresses for our little girls (who are both around 18 months old...they are about a month and a half apart), and a twirly skirt for our older girls (they are both 5 1/2...my Natalie is 7 months ahead of my niece).  

My sister already had some fabric at her house, so I went over there with mine, and we let the older girls decide who got which print.  They decided that they wanted to have their skirts match with each of their little sister's dress, instead of matching with each other (which is what my sister and I would have chosen....man, it's a hard thing when your kids don't want to follow your dreams for them! ;)  Anyway, here are the creations we made while I was in town:

Rachel's Pillowcase dress.  I kind of combined a bunch of different tutorials around the web, so I don't have just one link to post for the pattern.  But, just do a Google search, and you'll be able to find something if you are interested.  

This picture would have been so precious if it hadn't been so humid outside!  It fogged up the lens on my camera =(  Oh well...it's still a nice shot:

Natalie's Twirly Skirt.  I used this tutorial from The House on Hill Road Blog.  However, I must insert a caveat here...If I ever make this skirt again (which, I most likely will), I would do it a little differently than she did, because the waistband was kind of awkward the way she has you do it.  If there is enough interest in what I did differently, I'll post about it, but I won't get into details right now...

Another view of the skirt to show the fullness:

I never did get a nice picture of Natalie wearing this skirt, but that's ok...she wears it all the time, so I'll get one soon enough =)

The dress my sister made was in a cute pale yellow fabric, with butter flies and daisies, and it had a brown with white polka dot trim.  See how cute!:

  I wish I had gotten a picture of her finished stuff, but she didn't get a chance to finish her dress and skirt until after I left.  We bought 2 yards of the main print, and 1/2 yards of the trim, and there was enough material to make 3 items!  My sister and I decided to trade material, so now I need want to make either one more dress, or one more skirt....I can't decide....oh, the choices!

Aside from all the sewing, we did some other fun things as well.  Like, going to the park to feed the ducks:

They were everywhere!  And, VERY friendly:

Andrew hanging out with the ducks:

I wanted to take this guy home to our farm, but he wasn't having it...

Natalie and Andrew:

Little Rach, enjoying the ride:

Andrew kept pointing and yelling at the Muscovy ducks:  "Hey Mom, look at those roosters!"

What you might see at a park down in Acadiana...lots of cypress trees growing in the water:

You also might see a nutria...

or two:

And, my Mom also took the whole family out to eat at this really great restaurant called Hub City Diner.  If you ever go there, do yourself a favor, and have the fried green tomato salad, with grilled shrimp and roumalade dressing...oh, and a cup of their chicken and sausage gumbo!  Talk about good!  We made sure to go on Kids' Night, so they ate free, and the Balloon Man was there!  He was not only a great entertainer, but he had the best Cajun accent you've ever heard!  It was awesome =)

Needless to say, we all had a really fun visit at Granny's!  And, a long over due one at that!  It had been about 3 months since we've seen them. 

Tip of the Day

Just a few words of wisdom for parents...

When it's bedtime, and your 5 year old tells you that your 18 month old put a wash rag in the toilet, be sure to go and take it out immediately.  That way, when your 5 year old uses the bathroom in the morning, she won't flush the towel down the toilet because everyone forgot it was in there in the first place.  

I really hope this does not cause clogging issues....

Back to School and Fun with Schedules!

Well, we've given up on the lazy days of summer, and moved on to life in First Grade.  Today is Natalie's first day of First Grade =)  Which is WAY less emotional since we homeschool.  As much as my kids can drive me crazy, just the thought of sending them away to school makes my heart hurt. 

I've mentioned before that this particular pregnancy has turned me into an organization junkie, especially since I've been in the second trimester.  So, I've been organizing everything I can get my hands on over here.  I emptied and cleaned out the school cabinet, organized it with new school supplies, got all of our bills and home paper work in order, set up a new filing system for the school year, and set up a household binder.

Here are the before and after pics for the school cabinet:

*before*

*after*

  The household binder idea comes from a cute little blog called Family Fun Notebook.  It has a section for a calendar, our schedule, school & co-op information, meals & recipes, household chores, grocery lists, and things we need to keep track of for our farm animals.  The only thing that I am still working on is a daily schedule.  While I like my stuff to be organized and look nice and neat (in theory, anyway...in practice it is a different story), my use of time is no so much in the same boat.  I like making colorful, pretty-looking schedules and chore charts on the computer, but I really struggle sticking to them.  So, I've been checking out schedules on other blogs and asking friends how they run their days, and I think I may have something that will work for now.  My schedule tends to change and adjust often, because with little ones, it's hard to keep the same pace all the time...especially when new babies come, and you throw in nursing, diaper changes, and naps at random times throughout the day.  So, after perusing different resources, I've come to realize a few very important things about making a schedule:

1.  There is no absolutely correct way to make a schedule.

2.  While there is no one right way to schedule your day, there is only one correct way to start your day:  on your knees in prayer!

3.  Your schedule should be flexible, easily adjustable, and not too rigid.  I actually read a book that recommended you put a spot in your schedule called "do something spontaneous"!  Really?!  It's not spontaneous if it's on the schedule...The majority of the time, I try to stick to my schedule, but I have no problems dropping everything from time to time to go do something fun when a friend calls; or, when the kids obviously need a break from the regular routine of life, to just stop and be with them (maybe read books on the couch for an hour, go to the park, or go have a picnic outside); or, if I'm just lazy that day.... 

4.  You should start your day as early as possible, without compromising Mom's need for adequate rest (so, if you want to start your day at 5:30 in the morning, by all means, go for it, but make sure you are rested enough to get through the day without unleashing wrath on everyone due to lack of sleep...be reasonable on this one).

5.  Schedules should fit the family, not the other way around.  It's not about changing your entire family life for the sake of a schedule, but finding a schedule that fits the family, and keeps everyone on task.  A schedule should help everyone find the best and most efficient use of time without adding undue stress. 

So, there you go!  My rules and tips on schedules that I always follow.  And, in case you are wondering, the schedule I came up with is not locked into specific times.  It flows more like this:  as soon as we wake up, we say morning prayers, make the beds, and have breakfast.  After breakfast, we clean the kitchen, tidy up toys/bedrooms, get dressed, brush hair & teeth, and start laundry.  And, so on.  Now, we do get up at the same time each morning, and start school at the same time each day, and try to get the kids in bed by a  certain time...outside of that, it's goes more like this:  after item A is finished, move on to the next...whatever time it happens to be is fine with me, as long as it gets done according to my standards (standards depend on the age of the person doing a certain task, of course).  Oh, and during the summer and on holidays, my schedule is tossed out the window!  I still have a routine, to save us from going insane, but it's way more lax than when we are in school.  

As far as curriculum goes, we decided to go with Our Lady of the Rosary Homeschool.  So far, I think I like it.  The content is very good...it's a very traditional Catholic approach, including the Latin Mass, but until I've had a chance to really implement everything, I can't give an adequate review just yet.  It's definitely not as well-laid out and planned as say, Seton, but I really like the texts and materials.  So, while I think it will take a little bit more planning and time on my part to get everything into my lesson plan book, I think the effort will be worth it for the type of education my kids will receive from it.  But, again, like with my schedule, I have no problems re-evaluating as the year goes on and changing if need be.  

I found this really neat site that laid out a homeschool file system that I am implementing this year.  I think it will really help me save time, and stay on task.  You can see the full explanation of how the system works here at the Springs of Joy Homeschooling Blog.  I didn't do it exactly like she did, but I followed the basic concept.  For one, I only have 9 weeks at a time in my file box, instead of the whole year.  After each quarter is over, I'll reload the box for the next quarter.  I also don't have files for the Liturgical Seasons...if there is something special I want to do for that, I'll just put the stuff in the weekly folder that it goes in.  Basically, I have 9 folders each for Natalie and Andrew (1 for each week of the quarter), and I put everything in the weekly folder that they need to do that week.  Natalie's has workbook pages, loose leaf paper for writing out spelling words, blank sheets for painting, etc...If it wasn't something I could rip out of a workbook and put in the folder (like a text book or reader), I put that under her desk.  Andrew's just has a few things in his in case he wants to "do school".  I give him the option, because he's only 3.  Sometimes he wants to sit and color, or do an activity sheet, but not always.  This morning, he joined in about halfway through.  I bought a Pre-K book at Target for him, and I have a bunch of alphabet and number sheets that I use for his folders.  I also keep my teacher files in there:  my lesson plan book, spelling lists, quarterly exams, grading sheets...and, in the back, is a folder for completed work.  At the end of the quarter, all the weekly folders should be empty, and the completed work folder full, so I'll just empty out the completed work folder, put it in a separate labeled file in case I need it later for records, and then refill the box with stuff for the next quarter.

Here is my 9-week file box:

And the tabs (I need to add tabs for weeks 8 & 9):

  On Sundays, I take out the file for the coming week, and put it in a portfolio with tabs for each day of the week (so everything for Monday goes under the Monday tab, etc..)...that way, each day, she can just go to town on her workbook pages after I have presented the lessons for each subject.

Here is Ms. Natalie with her weekly work folder:

**please note the Holy Family in the picture..she chose that page for the picture because of Them =)

And, here is all three of them for Natalie's first day of First Grade!:

**please note the toothbrushes...Andrew was quite adamant about being able to see them in the picture...it's the only reason he agreed to be in it in the first place...boys!

And, Ms. Rachel...that little girls is quite the studious one ;)

Her very first masterpiece =) 

Now, I just need a name for our little school!  And, hopefully my motivation stays high...I'm good about staying on track in the beginning, but once I start losing steam, and have to rely on my own self-discipline, that's when the trouble starts....

Still Learning How to Pray

I sat down this morning read the daily Gospel passage (please note, while this *should* be a regular, daily occurrence for me, it's not, and I am most certainly a work in progress when it comes to being a good Catholic).  The older two kids were outside with their Daddy, and Rachel was playing quietly, so it was nice and quiet for a change.  About halfway through the passage, I look over at Rachel, and she's sitting by the bookshelf, intently looking at a book...one of her favorite past times =)  I can't help myself, so I stop reading my Bible, and just watch her.  I notice how she turns the pages; the facial expressions she has at each page; how she stops at a page now and then, and her eyes move up and down over the pictures; the way she uses her little feet to help prop the book up.  After a few minutes, she looks up and sees me watching her.  So, she gets up, smiles, walks over to me, and climbs in my lap for me to look at the book with her.  I don't say anything..I just let her sit in my lap and turn the pages for her.  She cuddles close to me, babbles about something, and just enjoys being held.  Then, she hops down, says "bye", waves and goes on about her business.  The whole scene lasted maybe ten minutes.  While I was watching her, I realized that the way I just interacted with my child is exactly how Christ wants me to interact with Him!  So many times I try to figure out the "right way" to engage in meditation and prayer, but I always end up making it more complicated than it needs to be.  All it takes for a good meditation to occur is for me to just sit there and look at Christ.  Read a passage of the Gospel, then just look at it...the way Christ talked to others; the words He chose to use; the expression that may have been on His face; the emotion that was in His Sacred Heart; how He used His hands to heal and comfort; things He said to guide and correct our faults.  No words are necessary on my part.  And, if I'm lucky and sit still long enough, maybe He'll notice me watching Him, and He will smile and come sit with me, and speak to my soul.