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. 

Moving

Just an update...

We are Moving!!! Yes, we finally made the leap and found the next home for our family. As you know, we live in a 2 bedroom condo now with now 3 kids. We have been praying for some time now for God to lead us to our next home and we are happy to announce we are moving in 2 weeks!

Our new home is more into "the country" than the suburbs I've lived in for 27 years. It is 15 minutes away but it really does take you away from all of the city...or crowded suburbs.

Although it will be an adjustment for me, our kids are so excited!! They love the outdoor space and the beautiful views!

So back to moving.... Phew!!! It has been a good 4 years since I have moved and it defiantly is different now. It is making me feel so old! I used to be able to get it all packed in a day or two but now I am finding myself taking
More breaks. There always is a good feeling about moving!! Cleaning out all your junk and getting rid of all unnecessary things is so refreshing!! It is also a good way of letting things go!

The Struggles...

My toddler! My wonderful and spirited 3 year old son is having a harder time with boxing up his toys and getting rid of the old ones... All of sudden they are all his favorites! Go figure??!!

But I have a hard time boxing up my books and convincing myself that I can go 2 weeks without needing to read them!

The fun part....

Thinking of all the new decorations and furniture that will complete our new home!

And the feeling of closing a chapter of our lives and starting a new one... And trust me..there are quite a few things we are closing the chapter on!

Family Lenten Journey: Day 1

This year's ASH Wednesday was a little different than the last few years have been. I say the last few years because the first year I celebrated Lent was in 09 while going through the RCIA program while pregnant. The following year I was all ready to "give something up and spend more time in prayer." Which I did and I defiantly grew closer to God. And the same with the next year. This year is different. 

This last year in general has been a little bit of a life changing year and I have had a few conversions in a short period of time. We recently decided to be Open to Life, Am now pregnant and due May 6th(the day after Vivi's First Communion), and we have decided to homeschool and started this past November. All this while living in a two bedroom condo and a toddler jumping off the walls while I nest. 

 But with that, Lent snuck up on me BIG time!! But I also discovered what Lent is really about and this year it has taken a very deeper meaning to me. I didn't decide what I was giving up until the night before and with today being the first day of Lent, I have to say that I honestly wasn't ready for Lent until NOW! My heart was not prepared for it. 

My daughter, who we call "Vivi" on here,  is now 7 and learning about Lent in CCD and I have touched upon it on the surface and have not really got into the deep meaning of it with her. ANd it just hit me... I am supposed to be homeschooling!! Why have I not made more of a preparation of Lent until now. We did talk about it a little bit and she did give the idea up of not watching TV during the day during Lent but then asked me if she could watch a movie in the middle of the day. ha ha So we will see how tomorrow goes. 

We were able to all go to Mass this morning together as a family and it was wonderful! The kids were so excited to receive their Ashes and did great in a packed Church. And today was just one of the most beautiful days of the season we spent most of it outside. We even did some school outside. We really did enjoy the day. Later in the afternoon I got our Family Lent book in the mail that I ordered a few weeks ago. I was so excited to get it in today on the first day of LENT! I knew this book would be perfect for our family the season. 

Once I saw this I knew I was getting a little more closer to where I should be. Everything has been so busy lately where I just haven't had time or a moment to really set my heart and mind straight. Last night   after a suggestion from my Husband it hit me...I knew what I was going to give up and it was not going to be easy. I will touch up on what it is and why in another entry but let's just say for now that this has taken up my heart and mind and placed itself in place of where God should be inside of me lately....And after reflecting on this and how I could let this happen without truly realizing it was a little heart breaking. But it was true..it had become my obsession....where the Lord should be my obsession instead. SO this year (And i am still working on accepting this) is really about me giving up my WANTS  and what I think I have been NEEDING and really giving that decision to God. There are a few things that helped me realize this today. One came from this book that I picked up off a single Catholic Titled shelf in a Christian bookstore the other day. And so far, I am loving this book. It is...

In this there is a quote from John Charles Ryle saying, " Remember what I say: if you would cleave to earthly pleasures, these are the things which murders souls...." That in itself hit me like a ton of bricks and it goes on to say, " There is no surer way to get a seared conscience and a hard impenitent heart, than to give way to the desires of the flesh and mind." He later quotes 1 Peter 2:11 with, " abstain from fleshly lusts, which wages war against the soul."  And this is exactly what has happened to me. My heart has hardened and I realized my time in prayer and reflection has decreased without knowing it. I gave up, although I feel my mind still trying to hang onto,  something that I subconsciously decided I didn't want to wait for God to make happen and that I NEEDED to find a way to make it happen on my own. 

And thank God for my Husband speaking out to me something I knew in my heart that I needed to give up. He said it out loud and it took a day to admit it and truly see what it has taken from me. And now I know this is what I have to do!! This Lent will be another life changing event for me again, I can feel it. Because once again, I find myself on my knees giving it all up to him and wanting nothing but Him. 

                                                                        LENT

Prayer. Fasting. Almsgiving. Repentance. Forgiveness. Mercy. Sacrifice... And a gift of suffering for Lent.

A gift of Suffering..... "The Sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reflect a broken and repentant heart, O God." Psalm 51:17

So although it took me an extra day to really get ready for Lent...I am now there and hopefully tomorrow's posts will be of all the wonderful things we did to celebrate day 2. 

On another note... My Husband added a quick entry on his day. Here it is....

My first day of lent was amazing! I was able to go to church with my whole family and we were all able to share the experience of getting ashes together. Little Optimus was so excited that some ash got on his hands. Vivi was an angel in church and got complimented after mass for being so good. After mass I went to work and at first I didn't want to have ash on my forehead because I didn't know what my customer's would think. But after praying about it I wore a smile on my face and wore the ash proudly to work. I'm so glad I did. My co-workers were asking me about lent and Ash Wednesday and what it meant. One of my clients even did the sign of the cross in front of me. ha ha. It was a great day. It was so beautiful outside there were butterfly's all around my truck. So while I fasted today I know my angels were watching over me. Fasting was hard at some points but I got through it and I'm so glad I did it.

Beautiful

How relaxing would this room be?!!! This room is my perfect dream reading room! Amazing!