I'm Still Here

JMJ

I've come to realize that I am very horrible at keeping up a blog. It has been almost a year since I've blogged! Needless to say, I have some updating to do. I will try to hit the main ones the best I can.

It is currently summer and my life is scattered! I am eagerly preparing myself to get back to a school schedule. And I am happy to announce that we are still homeschooling next year! :) Trust me when I say, that is a huge accomplishment. I finally feel like we have found what works for us! In a sense. Homeschooling has been such a blessing and I pray for continued strength! We have changed it up a little though. We were doing CHC and a local charter school but our local charter was 20 minutes away and required a lot of work for me which I didn't feel I could continue this next year. I decided to go a more simple way and enroll in Seton. Yes, I know it is a lot of work but I'm trying it out this next year while I gain experience and confidence. 

The Country has been a little hard to live in lately. I love the area but I feel as if my soul battles with the seclusion of this town. My soul yearns for more frequent union with Christ in adoration, daily mass, group rosaries, etc. however the closest church is 20 minutes away. With kids, it can be discouraging and I have not been able to participate in as much as I want. It makes me sad and I want to move back. We are discerning In where we should go or if we Should stay. Southern California is not the easiest place for a single income family to raise their children in. It can be very pricey. Any prayers would be very much appreciated. 

I don't have time to edit this quite yet but if I don't post now then I probably won't at all. But I do promise to get back on soon and edit, update some more And add some pictures of my heart pieces. 

One last thing. Please keep my husband and I in your prayers for our Total Consecration. We are in the midst of our first consecration and are determined to finish this time! 

Thank you and God Bless!! 

Catching Up

I'm so sorry I haven't posted in so long! I have so much to tell!


1. We have been so busy with getting everything ready for homeschool. We made the decision to return to homeschooling was so spontaneous and unexpected that I had absolutely nothing prepared. As soon as we made the final decision to jump in and get started the following week I was very busy trying to pull everything together.

I have such a peace about our new life choice and my new vocation. It feels like I am home again after being away on vacation for so long. I did a beautiful Novena for Homeschooling Mothers to start off our first week and I have to say.... why did I not do this before? The amount of patience and Grace that I have received is beyond I could have ever expected. I thank God for this over and over again throughout the day. Words cannot expressed the weight of this precious gift of grace.


2. I got Mastitis. And when I say I got Mastitis...I got it bad. I have had it before with Little Optimus but this one was way worse. And not to mention it really hit me out of nowhere. Or maybe I was just in denial. When I first starting getting sore I started texting a friend about it. Being more experienced than I am, she immediately starting referring to Mastitis. For those of you who don't know what it is, just click here. When she started texting me about it I was in denial and I went out grocery shopping... then.. as an hour or two went by I felt 1000x worse. When I got home I had a very bad case of the chills and a 104 degree fever. Have any of you tried cabbage leaves? That was a tip she gave me. And it worked wonderfully. I also called the doctor in my despair and he ordered me a prescription. Note to all: finish your medication when you are given it. Its a medication that you have to take 4 times a day and time it in between meals. Not very good for me. The day I started feeling better I lacked on my medication taking...meaning I skipped a whole day. Needles to say, I was feeling very crummy all over again the very next day. I finally finished it all and I am feeling great. Thank God.


3. My dryer broke! It got fixed.. Then it broke again. As crazy as it sounds I was sort of happy about it. Since we've moved here I've wanted a line outside to hang laundry. I have always loved the idea of letting your clothes dry in the natural air and breeze. So while we were waiting for a replacement part the second time, Jay finally put one up for me! I was so excited and he immediately captured a picture of me jumping up to grab the highest point of the line. I won't be posting that picture here. BUT, here is one of my very first dry...

What I've been reading....

I love Kimberly Hahn and so far this has been a very nice treat to read. 

2013 Patron Saints

This year I am starting with a new Patron Saint for the year. This will be my first year participating and I am so elated. I first heard about doing this at The Hell With It and asked Jessica to give My Husband and I a saint together and also one for just myself. Drum roll please....

Saint Maximilian Kolbe 

Saint Isidore the Farmer

Jennifer at Conversion Diary also has a Saints name generator. When I went to Jennifer's site I clicked on the Saints name generator and I curiously wanted to see who came up. It's so funny how the Lord works. I was generated Saint Isidore the Farmer again. I exited after that and fully accepted my 2013 Patron Saints. I know of St. Maximillian Kolbe but not Saint Isidore the Farmer. I am looking forward to getting to know my new friends for the year! :) 

On another note.. if you could keep our family in your prayers it would be greatly appreciated. We have a new adventure that we are starting. It came up unexpected but we decided to run with what was put in front of us. Which is......

Yup, those of you that know me personally probably think I am crazy about now. I think I am right there with you in questioning my sanity. We did homeschool with Vivi last year but after we had Bear and we moved she wanted to try to go to school in the local elementary school where her cousin goes as well. The school is a really good school and everyone there is really sweet so I was pretty shocked when an opening came up in a home study program she was on a wait list for. I immediately half declined because of the fear I had of puling her out of school mid year... AGAIN... but after praying about it and talking with my husband, my daughter and some friends, we decided to do it. I am very nervous about doing this with the boys but I think I have enough support to be successful with it.  

WE ARE SO EXCITED!!!! I can't wait for all the adventures this year will bring and being able to make God and learning go hand in hand is a blessing that we have missed. 

  

Dancing at Midnight

Last night I went out to dinner with of few girlfriends whom I’ve been friends with since Jr. High... Let’s not count the years.... I think it has been about a year since I have been out to dinner with them sans kids. My youngest is 8 months and since I am nursing, I rarely go anywhere without him. Hubby kept me updated on the kids and assured me he had everything under control and to just have fun. I do have a wonderful husband, don’t I?

It is always great to catch up and have feminine conversations that have nothing to do with transformers, Star wars, or Diapers. Although, we did get to sneak in a few brief topics about the joys of motherhood. (This is not when the dancing at midnight happens….That part is later) At the end of dinner I took a short trip to Riz’s house.  She and her husband just bought their first home a few months ago and this was the first time I was able to see it.  I think I am going to try to hire her to decorate my house when we buy it. Her home was so cute and cozy, like an article out of Better Homes and Gardens magazine! I also got to meet her new doggy, boots. He is an adorable well behaved little Lhasa Apso with such a happy demeanor! I am so happy for her and all of her happiness!

On the drive home, which was about 40 minutes, my head and heart started battling with each other. “O how I miss just running out for a few minutes to grab a quick dinner and coming right back home and not have to drive 40 minutes back.  O, how I miss making daily mass when I am able to. O, how I miss being close to town sometimes. Ok, calm down and stop being so dramatic…. You just have the winter blues.” Yes, arguing with myself actually happens inside my head. The country songs starting coming on about family and kids and I had to remind myself to drive a bit slower so I can make it home in one piece. I could feel it in my body that my little guy was crying for me. All you Moms know how that is. I couldn’t get home fast enough. As soon as I pulled up, I ran in the house and sure enough there was my hubby rocking and trying to console one face soaked little Bear. And in that one second that I grabbed him and held him in my arms again I was at ease.

The rest of the night my little bear was so over joyous to be with me again. He was full of smiles and laughs and wouldn’t let me go. He was bright and animated like I’ve never seen him before. My heart was happy. This is where the dancing at midnight comes in…. O, yes, I forget to mention that I got home a little after 10:00 pm and Bear had taken an hour nap from 8-9 and woke up crying for me. So he was full of energy from his supposed to be bedtime nap. So, I took it and ran with it. It was late and we should both be in bed… Ehhh, O well!! We were having fun! We played music and we danced well into midnight. It was such a beautiful thing to look over at him while we were dancing and to see his wide smile covering his face and his eyes glistening as we went around the living room. Giggles and giggles constantly interrupted the song and it couldn’t have been more perfect.  It played out like a slow motion black and white scene. And I knew I had to keep that memory in my mind forever because as they grow up so fast and these are the memories I don’t want to forget…. And apparently neither did he because he fought tooth and nail to go to sleep after that.

Here he is when we finally settled down to sleep.  

As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Family today, I hold my babies close and Thank God for the love he blessed me with in my children and my Husband. Along with wonderful friends who so happily run at the chance to have dinner with me on a rare night out. 

God sets a father in honor over his children;
a mother's authority he confirms over her sons.
Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them.
When he prays, he is heard;
he stores up riches who reveres his mother.
Whoever honors his father is gladdened by children,
and, when he prays, is heard.
Whoever reveres his father will live a long life;
he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother.

-Sir. 3:2-6

O God, who were pleased to give us the shining example of 

the Holy Family, 

graciously grant that we may imitate them in practicing 

the virtues of family life and in the bonds of charity, 

and so, in the joy of your house, 

delight one day in eternal rewards. 

Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

 who lives and reigns with you in the unity

 of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

Beautiful View

I went on a walk up this very large, long and one of the few paved road in my neighborhood this weekend. It was a tough journey up but the pay off was beautiful! Standing on top on this street and looking out was absolutely beautiful as I was catching my breath. This picture does not do it justice but it gives an idea. Ahhh just another perk to Country living! I took a moment to look out, feeling the presence all around me and prayed out loud. It was the first time I felt as if our loving Mother Mary was standing right next me.... Loving me. Words can not explain to that feeling but pure joy, happiness, comfort and love come to mind.

Advent So Far

Advent is here and it is a glorious season!! Although we are so behind in all the wonderful crafts and decorations we could be doing, we are very excited! And hopefully we can also get started on our Christmas Shopping.

Before I finish up my post I want to ask all of you to keep my Grandma in your prayers. Two days after we got back from AZ my Mom called me and told me my Grandma was in the hospital. She volunteers  for her community police department and whir she was there she had a seizure and fell. After being taken to the hospital, the doctors found a large size tumor in her brain. Following many test they also found one in her stomach. We are still waiting to hear back about the biopsy results so she is still in  the hospital. So please keep her in your prayers. I was very shocked to hear the news because we were just there visiting. She is 77 but she acts as though she is 60. She stays active and was always in good health. My Grandma and I have always been really close so it is so hard to be here in CA and not there in AZ with her. On top of that, my Husband's Grandma has a similar issue going on. She is a little bit older but is as sharp as tack! She is in the hospital too awaiting biopsy results from a mass that was found in her lower stomach. So please keep her in your prayers also.

So that is one reason why I have been behind in our Advent celebration. But this weekend we will hopefully pick up our tree and start decorating and hopefully we can buy or make our advent wreath. We still do not have one. So I have some catching up to do. I found this beautiful Online Advent Calendar so if you need to catch up also it is a great resource.

Special Moments

 This past weekend my family went to visit my Mom’s side of the family in AZ for my cousin Jeff’s Wedding. This was a special visit for a few different reasons. It is always such a blessing when I get to visit my family and spend time with my Grandma and all of family in general. But this trip was the type of trip where you take in all the moments that you can as if it were playing in slow motion right in front of your eyes. My Aunt is one of the sweetest people I know and she is so much fun to be around even in her condition. She has a non-curable cancer right now and she is enjoying everyday that she can with such an inspiring grace. My cousin’s wedding was so beautiful the way it looked out over a beautiful lake and the weather was just perfect. His bride was absolutely beautiful as were their vows. During the wedding he shared a special Mother/son dance that will always be unforgettable. Sharing his dance with his two brothers, there was not a dry eye in the room. It was truly was one of the most beautiful but sad moments ever to experience. 

My beautiful aunt and handsome cousin during their special dance. 

It is hard for my Aunt to do a lot because her body can’t take much activity but she felt up to going to my Grandma’s house, where we were staying after the wedding. That evening with her really was a blessing. I got to just sit and talk with her about so much. We share a love of crafting and it so fun to talk to her about it all. And to get great tips! ;) Over time she has given me a few things that she has made and I have kept them all with honor. Her gifts are priceless to me. The love she puts into her hand made gifts are shown with every placement of material. This trip she gave me little gingerbread ornaments representing our family. Now, she could have given me painted rocks and I would still think of them as priceless because she made them but the gingerbread family was so adorable! She even mentioned how she wanted to make me more for my “future kids” but was unsure of which gender to make them. What a cute statement! J  I loved that!

My aunt put the kids names on theirs but I got familiar with iPhoto retouch for this post. 

Spending time my family is always filled with special moments and this trip was nothing short of unforgettable. 

We are back home now and catching up with things at home. Hubby has a few days off so he has been doing Christmas lights and we are decorating the house while I'm trying to unpack and get organized (or Blogging he he) 

This Week's Book

Seven Story Mountain by Thomas Merton

My Father-in-law and I share a love for similar books and this is one of the books I got from him. I started reading it awhile ago but got into a few other books a few chapters in and its taken the back seat.  But Im picking it back up and will be reading it this week.

Recent Crafts

While in AZ, I visited their local Joanne's and got some great deals on fabric there and picked up enough for a few different projects. I finally got the fabric I needed to make Little Optimus his Super Hero Cape. I decided to do his cape by hand drawing it so it is still not done yet. I got started with it yesterday but I need to make some adjustments to it before I post the picture.  

My daughter's Little Flowers group is doing a home made gift exchange and Vivi was soooo excited to do this! She loves keeping her little hands busy with crafts. She decided to make a rosary for her friend which was great because while I was in RCIA we made our own rosary out of smaller beads so I remembered how to make it. Beads are always so much fun to craft with and she had a blast doing it. 

Since we were in AZ we are getting a late start to celebrating Advent. I hope you all have blessed Advent season. 

God Has Other Plans

Little Bear has been teething this last week like I've never experienced before. After being sick last week he finally got better over the weekend and actually slept through the night again Sunday night. But last night...I could tell that his 7th tooth(is a 6month old supposed to have 7 teeth?)  was just about to break through and I have the marks to prove it..Along with Jay now sporting a set of beautiful bright red raised set of teeth marks on his shoulder. Was it bad that I laughed about it and added in a "well now you know how I feel."?

Anyways.. After a long night of teething and a million failed attempts of teething remedies he finally went down for the night around 10pm. While I settled into bed a little while later and I could hear him rustling around in his crib I said a quick prayer. "Lord, please give Bear comfort and allow him to get a good nights sleep."... HA! Why did I do that? Of course.. God always has other plans. So after a few times of him getting up and going back to sleep I finally got a few hours in when Vivi woke me up...I look at the clock..5:00 am..Great, an hour or so before I have to get up for the day. After getting her back to sleep and laying back down I sort of chuckled and waited until Bear got up again.
Before forcing myself out of bed this morning to get ready for the day, I second guessed myself but I did it anyways... Said a quick prayer..including our wonderful Mother Mary that she help me throughout the day. And then got right into the day.

Of course God always has other plans. So I scrambled to get my kids out the door so I can get Vivi to school and noticed my gas cap was opened in my car. Ummm... huh? And of course the lingering smell of gas was very strong. I looked at Little Optimus who didn't walk out of the house until after me and wondered if he could have done this somehow but he was just as confused as I was. Looked at my watch.. Vivi had 8 minutes until the school bell rang.. Got them all in the car and took off while notifying my husband.

So just to inform you.. I live in one of the safest town and neighborhoods ever. I have horse carriages that walk by, not hoodlums with rubber tubes stealing gas out of peoples cars.

But I finally got Vivi to school while trying to explain to Optimus why we could turn the car around just to get him a cup of OJ to take with. Got home.. Made him and Bear breakfast when I realized it... We only had one banana and i just took a piece off to give it to Bear. Little Optimus, who never eats bananas in the morning all of a sudden wanted his own... He has a scary little fear of germs and wont share food or eat from someone else's plate. Then it started.. Temper tantrum of the year.. which included lots of screaming and throwing and well... you get the point... Where is my cup of coffee??

So anyways.. My morning kept going from there.. And for a minute I had the conversation with God... "Well, you know God...I kinda asked to have a good smooth day today." Then of course I began thinking... God has other plans. And I smiled very peacefully. Remembering all the other times in my life while the bigger issues came about and I prayed and prayed and God choose to say no or not right now.. But he always has his plans and they always seem to be the right way. I gave my life to him to do with what he wants. I promised I would follow him. It might not be the easiest thing to do but it has been the happiest and best thing I have ever done. To follow God's plans for me and to know that somehow it will come together the way he wants to is an extremely peaceful feeling. I am yours Jesus! And then I began to pray again...

"Thank you... For my wonderful and healthy blessings! Today may be a little tiring but at least I have my family.. and at least I have a bed to sleep in and peaceful nights in a home and a country that isn't be bombed or going through any natural disaster.. Thank you! Thank you for drawing me close so I can follow you and allow Our Blessed Mother Mary to give me strength and love through the trying times of stubborn boys."

I know when today is over I will still be praising God. No matter how tired or exhausted I am. because my home is filled with love and little hearts... And lots of laundry... God is Good. :)

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving yesterday! 

As for my family, well... we had a different type of wonderful. We had plans to go to My Mom's house for Thanksgiving but things changed last minute. Bear woke up Tuesday morning with a really high fever that lasted all through Thanksgiving. I thought with my 3rd child I wouldn't be so doctor crazy but being that my 6 month old had a 103.5 fever I couldn't resist and my worry got the best of me. So I took him in and all of the tests were normal. When my kids have high fevers without any other symptoms I usually worry about ear infections but thankfully that was ruled out during the visit Tuesday afternoon. So we waited it out and my little bear was miserable for the next few days. Yesterday his fever went down a little but was still running a low grade. So we ended up staying at home for Thanksgiving. We were disappointed at first but it was still nice to spend the day together as a family and just have fun. My husband had a lot of fun outside game time with the kids and I got some uninterrupted reading time while Bear was napping.  Which, by the way, after reading a few stories from Full of Grace I received an even greater sense of Thankfulness. 

I tried to figure out what I could pull together to have some sort of festive Thanksgiving dinner with what I had in our house besides the two big boxes of stuffing I was planning to make for my Mom's house.  But, I ended up not having to. My Sister -in-law so graciously brought over tons of left over food from every dish that she had had from her Thanksgiving with her family at her home. So we ended up having our own little Thanksgiving feast after all. With everyone listing all their favorite things they were Grateful for. Little Optimus' was especially cute with his list of, "Im Grateful for God, and Jesus, and Daddy and Daddy giving me toys." Those are the moments I am Thankful for the most. Seeing the love of God in their hearts. 

Happy Thanksgiving!

Today, we are doing some fun fall activities and taking advantage of the nice weather. 

Although our printer cut off the top of St. Anthony's name, my kids had a blast with this scavenger hunt. We got the idea from Shower of Roses blog and found an easy printable. Thank you! 

I WON!!!! I WON!!!

About 2 years I got Sirius XM Radio in my car and my father-in-law told me about The Catholic Channel. It was wonderful to listen to as I was in the car and I was getting to know the different shows very quickly. Soon after, I started taking my kids to visit Great Grandma, which is about 30 minutes away from where we lived about once a week. So about once a week I started driving and listening to The Catholic Channel. Shortly after, I stumbled across a show called, The Catholic’s Next Door. Married couple Greg and Jennifer Willits put on the show about various Catholic and family topics and also includes different guests, authors, etc.

 As a recent Catholic Convert and as a Catholic Mother and Wife I remember being happily surprised that there was such a fun, family oriented and educational show was on the radio!  It was about a year after I completed RCIA and was confirmed in the Catholic Church and I was very eager to learn everything I could about my faith and my faith as it pertains to my vocation as a Mother and a Wife. I started listening to their show every time I was able to as we were driving. 

They just recently went off the radio and went back to recording Podcasts exclusively for their faithful listeners. I was sad to see them go off the radio but I was super relieved that they went back to Podcasts. Especially since I can listen to their show anytime now and download their podcasts on my iPhone and listen anywhere.

Last week, I entered their super pack giveaway, which included:

      Envoy for Christ by Patrick Madrid (Franciscan Media)

            Yours is the Church by Mike Aquilina (Franciscan Media)

            Wrapped Up: God's Ten Gifts for Women by Teresa Tomeo & Cheryl Dickow (Franciscan Media)

            Jesus: What Catholics Believe by Alan Schreck (Franciscan Media)

            God's Mighty Servant DVD (Ignatius Press)

            Terrapin: A Mystery by T.M. Doran (Ignatius)

            Fools, Liars, Cheaters, and Other Bible Heroes (Franciscan Media)

            Compassion: Living in the Spirit of St. Francis (Franciscan Media)

            Would You Date You? by Anthony Buono (Franciscan Media)

                        Abandoned by Monica Migliorino Miller (St. Benedict Press)

I’ve entered a handful of blog giveaways but have never won so I wasn’t very confident in entering a contest that I knew would get a lot of attention and entries. BUUUuuuuttt, I thought I would give it a try at the last minute. To make a long story short, I woke up this morning and quickly looked through my inbox and I saw that I WON!!! Yup, that’s right!!! I WON the super prize pack giveaway!!!! WOOOOOOOOO!!!! I am so ecstatic!! So thank you very much Jennifer and Greg Willits for picking me and I look forward to receiving my prizes! And to all my many readers (chuckling as I’m writing that) out there you should go and check them out when you can. What I really love about them is they are real. They talk about real family issues and are very honest about their feelings and concerns. They do it with sincerity, lots of humor and conviction. They have been an inspiration to me and my family. You can view them at http://thecatholicsnextdoor.newevangelizers.com. In their 4^th podcast that came out this evening they announced me as the winner, which I will write off as my 5 seconds of fame. J

This week’s book:

I actually bought this book a year ago but hadn’t had a chance to read it yet. I have been thinking about it for a few months now but I will begin reading this book tonight and I will keep you all update. Let me know if you read it and what you thought about it. 

Home made laundry detergent

Ah ha! I did it! I heard about easy ways to make your own laundry detergent for very cheap on bulk and I just had to know more!! I found a recipe online and followed All of the steps and viola!!!! Home made laundry detergent!! The best part of it is it is all natural and HE compatible. I got a 5 gallon bucket for $2 at Lowes, a box of Borax for $1.85 at Target, a box of Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda for $3.00 and a bar of Fels-Naphtha laundry bar soap for $.98 at Walmart.

You use:

1bar of Fels-Naphtha
1/2 cup of Borax
1 cup of Arm & Hammer washing soda

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.
-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)
-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

•Works well in traditional or HE machines.

•Low sudsing. It is the ingredients in the soap, not the suds, that does the cleaning.

•Clumping and geling of the detergent is normal. Stir before putting in dispenser, and shake before each use.