First, when I get the pictures downloaded, I'll share our family day. And I believe that the family day was vitally important to recharging all our batteries.
Now, I think my recharged batteries by spending time an amazing day with my family, not stressing about the day, and allowing myself to enjoy a family outing.
This simple recharging really helped my thought processes towards Catechism class tomorrow. For the first time, I was able to read through our classroom text and the teacher's guide without criticizing the content for being "boring." I think my judgement was being clouded every time I was looking at this before, because Satan was discouraging my attempts to be a good catechist. Self doubt is one of the biggest limiting evils. After all, if I don't think I can do it, I can't. That would be score 1 Satan, score 0 Traci.
Today, was different. I was able to look at the text objectively and glean important concepts from it. I will NOT be having them read from the text. Yes, the information is very important to building their faith and reinforcing mine. However, I think the way the text is written is very dry and the language is very complex. I think I am going to be able to do a better job taking the concepts and trying to draw them into conversation.
That is the idea, anyhow. Sometimes, 7th graders don't offer any comments or any discussion. I'm hoping that one of my ideas of having them write their ideas down and then we can discuss them will help draw them out more.
I need to ask the Holy Spirit to guide me in what I say and what I try to teach.
Today was so successful that I actually spent 2 hours writing lesson plans. I always winged it before. So, step back Satan, I've got a plan and I'm going to go with it.
I feel so good about this. Seriously, it's a weight lifted.
Dear Lord, Thank you for the revelation I needed to help guide me toward your truth. Thank you for filling me with the Holy Spirit and allow me to pass this importance along to my class. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
I'm not exactly sure how to deal with this...
I'm trying to be a Catholic Mom. No, I'm trying to be a GOOD Catholic Mom. Some days, I'm just not sure how to go about this monumental task.
I mean, there are tons of resources out there that tell you how to be a Good Catholic Mom. Some of these make me feel vastly inadequate. Some of them, when I find them, seem to resonate with me and make sense and I bookmark them on my computer and hope to be able to find them again when I need them. (Oh, and I'm totally unorganized and can never find anything when I want it.) But, and it's a BIG BUT - How do I be a GOOD Catholic Mom?
I'm a cradle Catholic. I should know ALL this stuff, right?
I had the "uber" Catholic Mom who was the Church Lady. (I love you, Mom, more than anything, but as a Mom you drove us nuts with church, even though I strive to be like you, now!)
But I feel really dumb and lacking when I don't know something that's going on in church or even the prayers that our congegration adds to the Rosary. I learned the Rosary as Apostles' Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. The parish I grew up never said the rosary before Mass. The only time we said the Rosary was during Lent. Now, in our parish that we joined about 4 years ago, they say the Rosary before every Mass. No matter what time we leave the house, we always get to church in the middle of it. It's taken me Four LONG Years, but I finally figured out that the prayer that is added by the Glory Be is the Fatima Prayer. Huh? That's not in my Catholic Book of Prayers. I still don't know the prayer that they put at the end of the Rosary.
Maybe the crux of the problem is that I'm such an introvert that I don't ask anyone. Honestly, shouldn't I know this stuff? But, I never learned any of this.
Now, how am I supposed to teach a Catechism class for 7th graders when I'm not an "uber" Catholic? I didn't grow up in a household where the family said the rosary together every night (and there are families like that in my parish. I strive to be like them.) How am I supposed to teach them when I don't know everything I need to know?
Hmmmmmmmmmm, guess I need to take a deep breath, tell Satan to take a step back, and that I'll learn it as I go - all the while, being honest with the kids that they might know more than I do and I'm just trying to give them a way to continue to learn it.
I mean, there are tons of resources out there that tell you how to be a Good Catholic Mom. Some of these make me feel vastly inadequate. Some of them, when I find them, seem to resonate with me and make sense and I bookmark them on my computer and hope to be able to find them again when I need them. (Oh, and I'm totally unorganized and can never find anything when I want it.) But, and it's a BIG BUT - How do I be a GOOD Catholic Mom?
I'm a cradle Catholic. I should know ALL this stuff, right?
I had the "uber" Catholic Mom who was the Church Lady. (I love you, Mom, more than anything, but as a Mom you drove us nuts with church, even though I strive to be like you, now!)
But I feel really dumb and lacking when I don't know something that's going on in church or even the prayers that our congegration adds to the Rosary. I learned the Rosary as Apostles' Creed, Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. The parish I grew up never said the rosary before Mass. The only time we said the Rosary was during Lent. Now, in our parish that we joined about 4 years ago, they say the Rosary before every Mass. No matter what time we leave the house, we always get to church in the middle of it. It's taken me Four LONG Years, but I finally figured out that the prayer that is added by the Glory Be is the Fatima Prayer. Huh? That's not in my Catholic Book of Prayers. I still don't know the prayer that they put at the end of the Rosary.
Maybe the crux of the problem is that I'm such an introvert that I don't ask anyone. Honestly, shouldn't I know this stuff? But, I never learned any of this.
Now, how am I supposed to teach a Catechism class for 7th graders when I'm not an "uber" Catholic? I didn't grow up in a household where the family said the rosary together every night (and there are families like that in my parish. I strive to be like them.) How am I supposed to teach them when I don't know everything I need to know?
Hmmmmmmmmmm, guess I need to take a deep breath, tell Satan to take a step back, and that I'll learn it as I go - all the while, being honest with the kids that they might know more than I do and I'm just trying to give them a way to continue to learn it.
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
It Was Not Meant To Be (With Witnesses)
K didn't have school today or the rest of the week and Bug doesn't have school the rest of the week. I'm hoping we're able to get some good family time in doing crafty things and whatever we feel like.
Today, K, Fixit, and I took the new van (new to us, 2002 doesn't rank as new in anyone's book) and headed to the grocery store. Woo Hoo! Field Trip! They were suitably impressed with the new wheels.
This afternoon, Bug came into the house ALL EXCITED! Riding her bike as a two-wheeler has been the bane of her existance ever since the beginning of summer. She decided that she was fine on her training wheels and DIDN'T NEED to ride it as a two-wheeler. That is, until today, she told me that she could ride it and I HAD to come see.
I figured this was a photo op waiting to happen. Here's what happened:
I'm pretty sure it was just stage fright and the performing this daring feat in front of a live audience. So, after she gets over her mad at not being able to do it again, I'll have to start lurking by the bathroom window to see if I can witness this act daring act of survival.
Today, K, Fixit, and I took the new van (new to us, 2002 doesn't rank as new in anyone's book) and headed to the grocery store. Woo Hoo! Field Trip! They were suitably impressed with the new wheels.
This afternoon, Bug came into the house ALL EXCITED! Riding her bike as a two-wheeler has been the bane of her existance ever since the beginning of summer. She decided that she was fine on her training wheels and DIDN'T NEED to ride it as a two-wheeler. That is, until today, she told me that she could ride it and I HAD to come see.
I figured this was a photo op waiting to happen. Here's what happened:
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| Getting ready... |
 |
| Getting set....... |
 |
| We never did achieve GO!
|
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Painting the Pumpkins
We wanted to try something different this year. (Like no pumpkin guts, no girls getting grossed how by how pumpkin guts feel, Mom having to dig out all the pumpkin guts) You know - an attempt to add a touch of sanity to pumpkin decorating.
So, we decided to paint the pumpkins this year. K has been chomping at the bit for a week to get these things painted. This afternoon, after all involved took naps, except Mom. We had the plastic tablecloth on the tables and the subjects, er, the pumpkins on the table ready to be analyzed, er, decorated.
K had so much fun doing the first side of her pumpkin that she decided to do both sides.
Bug thought that was a cool plan, and decorated both sides of her pumpkin, too. She even gave her's freckles!
Fixit came to the party a little late aka she had a REALLY good nap. She was just as excited as the other girls to give her pumpkin a go.
I think we will be doing this from now on. Seriously, it took 30 minutes to an hour to do BOTH sides of the pumpkins, no pumpkin goo to clean up from everywhere, and we can stick the pumpkins back out on the deck tomorrow. Plus, we have like 300 bottles of acrylic paint, so every color imaginable to choose from while making our creations.
P.S. Isn't this the cutest little witch you have ever seen? Bug did a great job drawing it all by herself.
P.P.S. Trying a couple of new things in the kitchen, too. Cooked some apples in water and made apple juice. Tastes really good. So, I canned that. On the next batch, I will cook it down more, so that it concentrates more. Then, I also am trying to make pickled dill garlic. Everyone fights for the garlic anyway, so I'm trying it. We need to give it about 3 weeks before we can try it. Oh yeah, figured out why the refrigerator smelled so strongly of garlic. I had the garlic cloves covered in water in the fridge. Two of the cloves must have been bad, because they fermented. Um, let's just say, that is a really gross odor. The contents of the entire jar were flushed. Gaack.
So, we decided to paint the pumpkins this year. K has been chomping at the bit for a week to get these things painted. This afternoon, after all involved took naps, except Mom. We had the plastic tablecloth on the tables and the subjects, er, the pumpkins on the table ready to be analyzed, er, decorated.
I think we will be doing this from now on. Seriously, it took 30 minutes to an hour to do BOTH sides of the pumpkins, no pumpkin goo to clean up from everywhere, and we can stick the pumpkins back out on the deck tomorrow. Plus, we have like 300 bottles of acrylic paint, so every color imaginable to choose from while making our creations.
P.P.S. Trying a couple of new things in the kitchen, too. Cooked some apples in water and made apple juice. Tastes really good. So, I canned that. On the next batch, I will cook it down more, so that it concentrates more. Then, I also am trying to make pickled dill garlic. Everyone fights for the garlic anyway, so I'm trying it. We need to give it about 3 weeks before we can try it. Oh yeah, figured out why the refrigerator smelled so strongly of garlic. I had the garlic cloves covered in water in the fridge. Two of the cloves must have been bad, because they fermented. Um, let's just say, that is a really gross odor. The contents of the entire jar were flushed. Gaack.
Friday, October 21, 2011
Just Life
Nothing exciting the last few days. So today will be in a numbered sort-of display, so I can at least get some thoughts down.
1. I've been dealing with the bank and the car dealership, trying to get the best deal on a new (to me) car loan. I think that is finalized, or will be when we sign the papers on Monday.
2. Which leads to: Yeah, we're getting a new (to us) vehicle. The Jeep has been an awesome vehicle, but we've really managed to put the miles on it. We've had it since 2003 and in that time frame, we've put almost 200,000 miles on it. It's kind of a time bomb waiting to go 'Pop' and it wasn't worth it to put any more money into it.
3. Thank you, Dad! My Dad bought a new vehicle on Monday and asked the salesman what he would have that we could afford (which at this time is you-know, nothing) and they had just gotten a local trade in with low miles, but it was an older vehicle. My Dad dropped everything and had me look at it and called to set up an appointment right away for us to look at it. My Dad is awesome! Thanks for looking out for me. I love you!
4. With that: on Monday we will be picking up our new vehicle. A 2002 Chevy Venture minivan. Yes, you read that right, a 2002. It was a local trade and only has 65,000 miles on it. For the mileage and the price, I can't beat it. Especially, since the bank is going to be rolling our loans into one loan and I'll still be paying less a month than I currently am on just the car. So, yes, it's already 10 years old, but it'll be more reliable than my poor 99 Jeep with 210,000 miles. Plus, it has 8 seats and All-Wheel Drive, which were expensive options back in the day.
5. Fixit and I headed in to town today to stop at the post office and mail an Ebay sale out (yeah, I'm glad this auction was going overseas to a military wife, because it made me feel better about totally messing up on the postage and WAY undercharging - as in, it cost me money to get rid of stuff. Yeah, lesson learned)
6. While in town, Fixit and I went to the library for Preschool Story Hour. We love Miss Cindy and Miss Kay. They get to play games, sing songs, dance, goof off, plus hear some stories and do a craft and have a snack. Quite the hour of fun!
1. I've been dealing with the bank and the car dealership, trying to get the best deal on a new (to me) car loan. I think that is finalized, or will be when we sign the papers on Monday.
2. Which leads to: Yeah, we're getting a new (to us) vehicle. The Jeep has been an awesome vehicle, but we've really managed to put the miles on it. We've had it since 2003 and in that time frame, we've put almost 200,000 miles on it. It's kind of a time bomb waiting to go 'Pop' and it wasn't worth it to put any more money into it.
3. Thank you, Dad! My Dad bought a new vehicle on Monday and asked the salesman what he would have that we could afford (which at this time is you-know, nothing) and they had just gotten a local trade in with low miles, but it was an older vehicle. My Dad dropped everything and had me look at it and called to set up an appointment right away for us to look at it. My Dad is awesome! Thanks for looking out for me. I love you!
4. With that: on Monday we will be picking up our new vehicle. A 2002 Chevy Venture minivan. Yes, you read that right, a 2002. It was a local trade and only has 65,000 miles on it. For the mileage and the price, I can't beat it. Especially, since the bank is going to be rolling our loans into one loan and I'll still be paying less a month than I currently am on just the car. So, yes, it's already 10 years old, but it'll be more reliable than my poor 99 Jeep with 210,000 miles. Plus, it has 8 seats and All-Wheel Drive, which were expensive options back in the day.
5. Fixit and I headed in to town today to stop at the post office and mail an Ebay sale out (yeah, I'm glad this auction was going overseas to a military wife, because it made me feel better about totally messing up on the postage and WAY undercharging - as in, it cost me money to get rid of stuff. Yeah, lesson learned)
6. While in town, Fixit and I went to the library for Preschool Story Hour. We love Miss Cindy and Miss Kay. They get to play games, sing songs, dance, goof off, plus hear some stories and do a craft and have a snack. Quite the hour of fun!
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
Pee Wee Pirate
In an ode to Disney Jr's Jake and the Neverland Pirates:
What's the pirate password?
Yo! Ho! Ho!
I can't hear you.
Yo! Ho! Ho!
Fixit decided to play pirates with me this morning. She got the glorious job of captaining the motley crew, and I was the deck-swabbing, mess-hall-cooking, dog-walking, pirate princess. Phew! Much easier "driving the boat."
Here's a picture of the Pee Wee Pirate:
Her "scurvy dog"
And the "pirate princess" and "make sure you give me an 'Arrr,' Mama, because pirate princesses can't be pretty."
Yep, that would be the pirate princess in her highly fashionable Arrr self-portrait! What we do for our kids...
What's the pirate password?
Yo! Ho! Ho!
I can't hear you.
Yo! Ho! Ho!
Fixit decided to play pirates with me this morning. She got the glorious job of captaining the motley crew, and I was the deck-swabbing, mess-hall-cooking, dog-walking, pirate princess. Phew! Much easier "driving the boat."
Here's a picture of the Pee Wee Pirate:
Sunday, October 16, 2011
Doing the Weekend Hustle
The whole family went to my Mom and Dad's house yesterday morning to make more cider.
Fixit THREW apples into the wash barrel for a couple of minutes. But, she was already an old hat at this, so she got bored. Plus, it was too cold and windy to play outside, so she go to head in the house and watch cartoons.
Bug was a big helper putting apples into the wash water and she got to man the handle on the hydraulic press. Eventually, she was cartoon-bound, too.
K was a trooper and helped put apples into the wash water, put apples into the apple grinder, and was a big helper with Grandpa manning the squishing station. She thought it was neat to watch the cider being squeezed out and then be able to peel the dried apple remains from the muslin.
It went much faster by adding the extra step of the apple grinder, before we put them through the disposal. I haven't heard, but I'm hoping we didn't overload the disposal and kill the motor. It kept getting too hot and stopping. Garbage disposals were never meant for continual running.
Grandma fed us lunch and we headed home for the crew to take a nap.
Today, we all went to church. I will admit that I forgot that Father Jim was going to be blessing the catechists and commissioning them for the coming year. So, I started out sitting with the family and ended up sitting with the other catechists.
I think my poor husband got the bad end of that one, even though I didn't think the kids were that bad. I actually got to sit and LISTEN to Mass and appreciate what was going on, instead of whispering to this kid or that one.
When we got home, Mom was waiting for me and we were going to head in to town to watch THE GREATEST MIRACLE . This wonderful movie featured the amazing music from Libera. The soundtrack was incredible. This was a 3D movie - which I had never watched a 3D movie before, so that was interesting its self. This was an amazing animated Catholic movie celebrating the miracle of every Mass - receiving Christ and preparing for him and keeping him with us all the time, not just at Mass. There was more than once that I had tears flowing down my cheeks from the wonder I was feeling, the insight into the Mass that I hadn't felt before.
I can't wait until it comes out on DVD so I can show it to my kids and to my CCD kids. I will admit that some of the animation was off - the hands were really wonky, but the message was amazing. Mom and I both got headaches from the 3D portion of it, but it was very powerful without being overwhelming.
To top it off, this Catholic company called Wee Believers paid for the first 100 people at each showing that said "We Believe" at the ticket counter. I'm looking at some of their things as Christmas presents for the girls. I love supporting family-owned businesses, especially Catholic companies. If you get a chance, check them out and at least send them a note through their contact page thanking them for supporting a Catholic film.
 |
| My hubby feeding apples into the disposal |
Fixit THREW apples into the wash barrel for a couple of minutes. But, she was already an old hat at this, so she got bored. Plus, it was too cold and windy to play outside, so she go to head in the house and watch cartoons.
Bug was a big helper putting apples into the wash water and she got to man the handle on the hydraulic press. Eventually, she was cartoon-bound, too.
 |
| Bug manning the hydraulic press with Grandpa |
 |
| K & Bug with Grandpa |
K was a trooper and helped put apples into the wash water, put apples into the apple grinder, and was a big helper with Grandpa manning the squishing station. She thought it was neat to watch the cider being squeezed out and then be able to peel the dried apple remains from the muslin.
 |
| Dried apple remains |
It went much faster by adding the extra step of the apple grinder, before we put them through the disposal. I haven't heard, but I'm hoping we didn't overload the disposal and kill the motor. It kept getting too hot and stopping. Garbage disposals were never meant for continual running.
Grandma fed us lunch and we headed home for the crew to take a nap.
Today, we all went to church. I will admit that I forgot that Father Jim was going to be blessing the catechists and commissioning them for the coming year. So, I started out sitting with the family and ended up sitting with the other catechists.
I think my poor husband got the bad end of that one, even though I didn't think the kids were that bad. I actually got to sit and LISTEN to Mass and appreciate what was going on, instead of whispering to this kid or that one.
When we got home, Mom was waiting for me and we were going to head in to town to watch THE GREATEST MIRACLE . This wonderful movie featured the amazing music from Libera. The soundtrack was incredible. This was a 3D movie - which I had never watched a 3D movie before, so that was interesting its self. This was an amazing animated Catholic movie celebrating the miracle of every Mass - receiving Christ and preparing for him and keeping him with us all the time, not just at Mass. There was more than once that I had tears flowing down my cheeks from the wonder I was feeling, the insight into the Mass that I hadn't felt before.
I can't wait until it comes out on DVD so I can show it to my kids and to my CCD kids. I will admit that some of the animation was off - the hands were really wonky, but the message was amazing. Mom and I both got headaches from the 3D portion of it, but it was very powerful without being overwhelming.
To top it off, this Catholic company called Wee Believers paid for the first 100 people at each showing that said "We Believe" at the ticket counter. I'm looking at some of their things as Christmas presents for the girls. I love supporting family-owned businesses, especially Catholic companies. If you get a chance, check them out and at least send them a note through their contact page thanking them for supporting a Catholic film.
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