In the Moment Monday Morning
/I find myself:
::noticing God's glory
Years ago, I went to Girls Nation. After my week playing "Senator from Virginia" was over, the girl who played "Senator from New Mexico" stayed with me at my house. Mike (yes, that Mike--he was in the picture even way back when) and I drove her all over Virginia, showing her the sights. I remember how she marveled over and over again at how green it all was. I'd always lived on the east coast and never known anything but lush green. After that week, I never took it for granted again. I noticed the green. This week, the world is truly greening up.
::listening to
Sarah and Katie playing "babies in the next room. We called it "playing house" when I was growing up. My kids have always called it "playing babies." I like their name for it infinitely better.
::clothing myself in
Layers. The weather in the past week has been all over the {weather} map. Cold in the mornings. Hot in the afternoons. Crazy.
::giving thanks for
mercy.
::talking with my children about these books
Since I'm going to share my own reading on Thursdays at needle and thREAD, I thought I'd share some reading from the children's choices.
Mary Beth is binge reading through the John Paul 2 High School fiction series and enjoying it.
Patrick and Nick are both reading through the Hunger Games Trilogy. If you haven't bought any of them, buy the boxed set. If they read one (or if you read one), they (or you) are going to want to read them all. Isn't it funny to call three Kindle editions a "boxed set?"
And Katie has a series of her own going. After having literally memorized huge chunks fo the Little House books, she's reading the Anne Pellowski series. She's utterly captivated. She knows that she comes from Polish roots and the combination of Polish culture and Catholic references are truly endearing to her. Yesterday, I found her writing her name--only she was using my maiden name. Bless her heart! She managed to get all those counterintuitive Polish consonants in the right order. She says she'll use "Grzymala" as a middle name for one of her kids.
::pondering prayerfully
"I recommend to you holy simplicity. Look straight in front of you and not at those dangers you see in the distance. As you say, to you they look like armies, but they are only willow branches; and while you are looking at them you may take a false step. Let us be firmly resolved to serve God with our whole heart and life. Beyond that, let us have no care about tomorrow. Let us think only of living today well, and when tomorrow comes, it also will be today and we can think about it then. In all this we must trust and be resigned to God's providence." From the Golden Counsels of St. Francis de Sales (tip of the Easter bonnet to Jennifer)
::creating by hand
I finished the embroidery on my first quilt square for the anniversary quilt. And I learned to do French knots. Karoline was very impressed. On to the next square. I've promised a certain sweetheart in Colorado a twirly skirt and I'd like to make some sundresses. We'll see what the week holds.
::learning lessons in
bees. We've gotten all our bee books out in anticipation of a visit to meet a friend's new obsession. With the promise of being able to wear the bee suit, Nicholas can hardly wait! He's come a long way since his bee-phobia.
::encouraging learning
I'm having individual conferences with each child this week to absolutely nail down what will be required of them this summer. We're going to have very strict checklists. Every once in awhile, a season of strict checklists is in order.
::carefully cultivating rhythm
Michael began working the dayshift today! I canot begin to tell you how happy this makes me. Ever since he got the job at USAToday last year, he's worked from 6PM-3AM. He gets home around 4AM. Often, I don't sleep very soundly until I know he's safely home. And, often when he does get home, I wake completely and can't get back to sleep. He's sleep deprived. I'm sleep deprived. In the mornings, when he's sleeping, I spend way too much time telling little girls not to talk, not to sing, not to play music, not to build with blocks... And often, they're still too loud for him to sleep. Tension. All that went away today.
::begging prayers
for my friend, Leslie who carries a heavy cross into the Easter season and for her children: I pray that the joy of the Resurrection will be theirs even as the grieve. And for the repose of the soul of her husband:
Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.
:keeping house
Mike and Christian built floor-to-celing, wall-to-wall bookcases in the basement. We've moved all the books from our library closet to the basement shelves. The room that used to be our learning room has been the little girls' room for a few years now. But the closet remained a library. No more. This week, it's going to be transformed into a dressing room. Yesterday, we painted it pink. More magic to come.
::crafting in the kitchen
To celebrate Kristin's birthday, I taught her how to make homemade Manicotti on Saturday. Recipe tomorrow:-)
Post-holiday notes to self, so that I never, ever do this again:
- Just because it's Easter, don't be a glutton.
- Eating chocolate covered espresso beans found in Christian's basket will have the same effect as drinking coffee. Maybe worse.
- Sugar is not my friend.
- Neither is starch.
- I'm really happiest and healthiest when I stick to that strict diet.
::loving the moments
I'll say it again: I love soccer in Poolesville. Love the ferry, love the farm. Don't really care that it's a terrible field. Love the picnic. Love the soccer friends. Love it all.
{This is where I should insert my first iPhone picture--taken yesterday on the ferry to soccer. But I have no idea how to get it from phone to blog just yet. maybe a quick post of its own this afternoon.}
::living the liturgy
I got an iPhone. And so did Patrick. So we gave our iPods to Katie and Karoline. And that means they inherited the chimes and the apps of my prayer plan. It was pretty darn adorable to watch them keep those prayer times for themselves. The only thing Katie changed was opting for the sounds of a strumming guitar instead of chapel bells. I choose not to ponder the liturgical implications. She's just a girl who likes guitar:-)
::planning for the week ahead
We might make that aforementioned bee trip. We will go to Bull Run--it just wouldn't be the third week in April without playing in the creek down there, flowers or no flowers. Stephen's Confirmation notebook will be finished and turned in. Last detail before his big day on the 28th!
