January 1st: Mary, Mother of God

Hap...

Hap..

Happy New Year!!!

Last night my husband and I  popped over to my brother and new sister-in-law's house for a New Year's Eve party.  I bought these little streamers and some party hats for the kids so they could have some fun of their own.  My sister-in-law is Martha Stewart.  Yep, my brother married her.  Except she's way younger and more glamorous than the celebrity you're thinking of.  And no jail record...

(I'm stopping).

Basically, it was an amazing spread of food and I'm probably going to drive myself back for leftovers this morning...except I was home by 9, and I'm pretty sure they rang in the New Year.  Do you think if I give them until 10:30 they'd be up? ;)

Do check out this sophisticated article (brace yourself!) by my way-cooler-than-I hipster brother, who happens to be a monk (and a genius):

8 Days after the Birth of Christ...

http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/the-circumcised-christ/

On this Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, I am renewing my consecration to her Immaculate Heart.  Might I once again recommend "33 Days to Morning Glory" by Fr. Michael Gaitley (or of course, St. Louis' original version for the more courageous)?  We read the 33 Days with our children last summer and consecrated our family on the feast of the Assumption.  I highly recommend this devotion that was a pivotal point in the life of St. John Paul II.  St. Louis de Montfort's classic True Devotion to Mary takes a bit of work to complete, but the 33 Days is so simple that truly there's no excuse not to do it!  New Year's resolution?  Dooo it!:)

Prayers for a peaceful and blessed New Year!

Christmas :: A Daybook

I am listening to:  Another episode of Curious George.  We've vegging this morning after a dash to Mass, confession, and bagels.

 (I'll never stop being frustrated by the impossibility of getting a picture of a black dog, in case you couldn't tell what furry creature was laying on my legs as I vegged on the couch last night)

Outside my window: Cloudy and grey, rain is fore casted, 90% chance!  I'm shining the "joy" lights I added to our window box after a Christmas Eve dash to Target (I did not go for the lights, but for the paper products I forgot about until the day before the party I was to host!).

Thinking, thinking:  Christmas this year? Many many graces.  Abundant mercy.  I think I went to confession three times in the last week!! Honestly? It was so brutal.  My varicose veins are in a total flare up.  Physically, getting a family of 10 dressed up two days  in a row, preparing the food, cleaning the house (creating a manger scene in the basement), wrapping the presents and getting to Mass in time for my boys to serve on Christmas...just about put me and my husband under.  Thanks be to God for two things: 1) my husband's sense of humor and 2) the sacrament of confession.  I didn't handle every moment of this holiday with the grace I might have preferred to display.

The babe in the manger: The last night of wrapping (yes, Christmas Eve), I had a charlie horse in my back.  It was late.  We were home from the party and tomorrow was Christmas, which I was hosting.  I had failed an fallen so many times, and I SOOOO wanted to be ready (read, "perfect") for the coming of Jesus on Christmas.  I knew I wasn't perfect, spiritually or otherwise.  I wasn't going to be "ready" for Him to come, and He had already come: it was Christmas Eve!  Then, in my pain, it dawned on me: He came to SAVE.  Oh yes, a Savior is just what I needed to come!  I could pray for, and WELCOME a Savior.  Infant King, born to save!  Save me!!

What mercy.  What love.  Thank God for Christmas!!!

Thankful:  So, with the incredible help of my husband and children, we cleared out this house and polished and scrubbed and hung more lights and set up tables and chairs.  My Mom arrived with Christmas dinner in tow (well, the main course!) and another table.  She helped me put on table cloths and fill water glasses.  Tea lights were lit (they were the non-flame kind this year and I must add that I really like the glow of those lights...and the fact that the kids won't burn themselves!)

 A friend dropped off this hand-made Christmas ornament on Christmas Eve.  So sweet!

Christmas at my house: My beautiful sisters began to arrive, one with a 27 pound 8 month old, one 8 months pregnant, one with an angel costume on a hanger for her little pageant angel.  My house filled with even more children, one who began practicing her holiday tunes on her guitar.  My brother called from his monastery overseas.  The kitchen was all a-bustle.  Joy began to fill my weary little heart and I sat (yes, sat!!) down to rest a moment near my brother and new sister-in-law and my swollen ankles thanked me.

After dinner there was the pageant, and oh! The figgy pudding!!

Thank you, Aunt Ann!  Some people live pinterest-worthy lives.  My sister is one of them.  Good to have people like that in your life.  

 Then the ping-pong and foosball tournaments began.  My youngest sister taught my second son a "new word" (actually, he already knew it, but got a huge kick out of hearing her say it) as he beat my very competitive sister in a game of foosball.  There are rumors that there will be a rematch.

The candies came out, and people settled into couches.  Groups began to trickle out the door.  I waved from the couch, feet propped up under a blanket.

It had been so so brutal.  But now I knew it was all so so worth it!

I hope yours was a very Merry, grace-filled Christmas.

Plans for the week ahead:

Today (I'm finally hoping to post this today, a day after I started this post) we're celebrating a rather important anniversary!  And our special day just so happens to land on the Feast of the Holy Family this year!! We were married two days after Christmas, and the Sunday following Christmas is always the feast of the Holy Family.   It doesn't always land on this feast day, but when it does, our wedding anniversary seems to take on a very special cast.  The fact that this year, our milestone "15", lands on this feast of the Holy Family, is very special to me.  I have so much to be grateful for.  But that's a post of it's own.

No school this week!  My opportunity to focus on the deep-cleaning that didn't happen before Christmas and doesn't seem to happen when I'm teaching.  I'm capitalizing upon the fact that today marks the beginning of my SECOND trimester!! Time to nest!! No, not too early.  I beach like a whale on my couch the final trimester--now is the time to go crazy!  (Yes, I'm feeling better!! Not 100%, but waaayyyyyy better!)

'Twas the Afternoon before Christmas Eve...

I got this e-mail from my brother, a monk:

PS, I wish I could take you around this monastery today. Huge floor-polishers -- spinning ones, and one that you ride like a Zamboni on an ice rink -- are everywhere. There are also long ladders and dusters on wands. And someone delivered a harpsichord to the church, behind which wooden risers are being built for a chorus of 100. The take things seriously around here.


I replied to him: "I wish I had a riding floor polisher!!"  Oy.

When you host very seldom, and you home school, and you have a ten person family...well, getting ready for the hosting has it's attendant cleaning requirements.

What this looked like in my house this year (through today...there's still the upstairs):

1) clear out the schoolroom--all books on shelves, desks pushed against walls, chairs stacked, floor washed: making room for an extra dining table or two on Christmas.

2) wash couch cushions that need extra "attention", pin one broken cushion zipper (no time to get it fixed before Christmas).
    2b) move couches, separate sectional (ew, ew, ew--vacuum off sides of each section), sweep under couches, then mop.

3) mop kitchen floor, make one son detail under counters and appliances, hand scrubbing and wiping down the floor's perimeter.

4) scour main floor bathroom.

5) purge and reorganize toy room (three black garbage bags and a give away bag y'all! Oh yes!)

6) Hang "curtains" (bed sheets) and create a "set" for the children's annual Christmas pageant.

Tomorrow: vacuum that basement, attack all laundry that remains (because you cannot be caught on Christmas without socks!), clean bedrooms and scour bathrooms.

Then the fun begins!  I get to make an antipasto platter and a fruit platter (do we all love Trader Joe's?!) and a huge bunch of mini roll sandwiches.

What went wrong:

My husband left with my three oldest girls and took them to the Nutcracker.  Very special.  So sweet. They were so happy and excited....and I was left with 4 boys and a dog.  Some of the boys may have been in a teasing/fighting cycle today.  The dog did eat a tray (yes, tray) of Christmas cookies.  I had a headache.  We still managed to clean the toy room and basement together, and then made a mad dash for last-minute confessions that weren't being held (hubby read the bulletin wrong).  As I dashed for confession, I forgot to turn the stove on, with the meat for dinner sitting in the oven, ready to go.


How it all ended well:

My husband rendez-voused with me at a mexican restaurant.  He was starving and I didn't have dinner.  Instead, we sat in a warm restaurant and ate chips and salsa.  We made it home in time to get Aragorn to basketball practice.  I even began to wrap presents!

Speaking of which, I gotta run!

The Week Before Christmas::A Daybook

(I started this a few days back...ignore time references)

Listening to: Chattering little girls in the schoolroom.  I love that they've started to play in our back room now that it's far too cold to play on the picnic tables outdoors.  The neighbors bring over tupperware full of Lego Friends.  I have been eavesdropping on their hopes for Christmas, and I'm a little concerned--a friend just described an elaborate, many-stories tall Lego house that she's hoping for!  Geez, friends can raise the bar for present expectations! haha

From the Kitchen:  I owe Arwen a huge apology.  She and her friend baked Christmas "cookies" yesterday, except they put the dough in a pan and made "bars".  I was pretty disappointed because I was envisioning getting a head start on the cookie platter.  However, last night I gave the bars a try...and...they were a mazing!!!  I'm cutting them small and putting them on the platter after all! Teaches me to be critical! 

Living the Liturgy:

Despite the several things I posted about in the first week of advent, I just never got around to setting up a "hay for baby Jesus" crib this year.  (I'm sure you know, but you place in a piece of straw for each prayer or sacrifice and thus prepare a soft bed for Jesus by Christmas).  Not to be deterred, last night I capitalized upon the fact that it was the first day of the "O Antiphons" and told the kids that for this final octave before Christmas we would be working extra hard to get ready for Jesus.

Yep, I made it seem like this was all liturgically correct and not at all last-minute-fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants.  I'm really good at that.  It's a talent.  You could be jealous, but then again, you probably had your hay crib up on the first day of Advent! haha

Do you know that I really love the "O Antiphons"?  I didn't even know what these were until a few years ago.  If you don't, just think of "O Come O Come Emmanuel".  That song was written for the "O Antiphons": O Come Thou Wisdom, O Root of Jesse, Key of David...just find all of the verses and you'll have 'em!:)

The Antiphons are prayed in the Liturgy of the Hours, and these are the ones for December 17-Christmas Eve.  The first letter of each antiphon spelled backwards is "Ero Cras", latin for "Tomorrow I Come".  You should check out what Jessica does over at Shower of Roses--someday I'd love to be that organized and have a family gift for each day leading to Christmas.  

Around the House:

Are these nesting dolls cute or what?  Baby Jesus is still inside of Mary.  They're new this year, and I will add that they're quite sturdy.  My kids have been playing with them a lot.  (I think I got them from the Catholic Company??  They sell the shepherd with animals and three kings too).

 Rudolf has been a very present figure in our home this Advent.  Legolas loves him!  His nose lights up and blinks as "Rudolf the Red-nosed Reindeer" plays.

Worth Checking Out:  A friend of mine has shared some beautiful thoughts on suffering, the vocation of marriage, and God's mercy and grace.  Consoling words for those of us feeling a little less than pristinely prepared for the coming of Our Savior:

She writes: I may have lost out on a couple of months, but it wasn't too late to change my tune.  God is always ready and waiting for us to turn to Him.  We fall and fall again.  But we have to keep getting back up again and renewing our firm amendment to try harder in the future.  God's mercy is always available.  His help is always there.  We just have to choose to want it.

read the rest here

Plans for the Week:  Well, besides wrapping all of the gifts for my ten person family...

We're finishing up basketball games before a nice, long, three week break in the season.  My kids are off to a great start.  Gimli is on a great team and holds our family record for game points (I think it's 12, I'll be in trouble if I have this wrong!).  Aragorn is point guard on a team that isn't super-loaded with talent.  They have seen a victory, but yesterday was a devastating (30-point?) defeat.  I'm proud of how hard he plays.  And Arwen is an off-guard this year on a team with lots of good athletes.  There aren't any "stars" on her team, but they all work together really well, and they're fun to watch play.  In fact...I gotta go run to one right now!

Burnout

**my caps isn't working for some letters on my keyboard...the "typos" are something I can't help right now...

It's funny, I've been reading Elizabeth Foss' "Comfort and Joy" e-book this Advent.  It's all about keeping your eye on the important thing, preparing for Jesus, and not pushing yourself to do everything.

she tells us to look at the Christmas tree lights, to slow down, to eat well and take time to pray.

I read, I agree...

and then: my husband informed me that our children's home schooling has been a joke lately.  I came down with a nasty cold on top of my lingering morning sickness, and I've been fighting migraines this pregnancy.  I am also slotted to host Christmas dinner for my (large) extended family.  [And I really, really love hosting my family!]

Yesterday morning I created a schedule in which our children would work diligently on their school work until noon, then we would go as a family into the basement and clean.  we had shelving units that need to be cleared out and a toy room that needed weeding and re-organizing.  There is a ping-pong table and a foosball table (courtesy of Gimli's 11th birthday this month:)).  I love the idea of the kids (and men) having "tournements" in the basement while the ladies chat upstairs.

As I finished math and reading on the couch with Rosie, I also suddenly felt feverish.

I stumbled upstairs to my bedroom and climbed (crawled?) into my bed.  Legolas came up, sobbing, because his Daddy wouldn't let him watch an episode of "Curious George".  I pulled him in next to me.  Eowyn came in too, and cuddled next to me with her dollies.  For some reason she likes to stroke my cheeks...

I gave very specific orders to my children as to their jobs in the basement.   They were eager to help.

And then my husband came in.  Legolas had fallen asleep (pretty sure he has my cold).  He said that if I was this sick that we couldn't host Christmas.

Luckily, there are ten days to go.  But it was a low moment in a very dark day.

After an hour of basement work, the kids were sent back to school.  They worked until it was totally dark outside: 4:00?  I am eagerly awaiting the 21st of December; on the 22nd the days will grow longer again!

we turned on all of our outdoor lights and all 8 of my children went outside to play in the dark (and wet--I did yell at them to get out of the huge puddle at the end of our driveway).

I threw together something for dinner.  we began "Dangerous Journey" by Laszlo Hamori (recommended by Auntie Leila) as a read-aloud for the whole family and we all got hooked (highly recommend!!)   we lit our Advent candles and prayed a family rosary.  I went to bed when the kids did, and was asleep before most.

Today is a new day.  I'm focusing on pacing myself.  school comes first this week.  Then cleaning.  I'm going to be very patient and save my baking for the days before Christmas that we take off of school.

And if I don't recover from my cold, or move a bit past this morning sickness, then we really might let my mom host Christmas.  

I can't burn out.  I can recover from sickness.  I can cut my loses.  I really can cancel hosting Christmas.

 I can't cancel Christmas--that comes, He comes, ready or not.  I need to be ready.

                        

St. Lucia Day: Saved!

Last night it was pitch dark and pouring rain.  All of our Christmas lights were on inside.  There was a ring at the doorbell.  There, hood up, stood my niece with dark golden hair, holding a platter with braided St. Lucia bread drizzled with icing and craisins.

My dear sister had baked it that afternoon and shared the enormous loaf that it makes with us.

I had failed, once again, to remember St. Lucy's day.  I always think it's the 14th.  When Father mentioned the feast at Mass yesterday morning, once again I felt totally defeated.  I pretty quickly reminded myself that this isn't really a tradition we need to keep.  We aren't Scandinavian and we have no "Lucy"s in the house.  Still, I absolutely love the idea of my girls waking early to bring hot rolls to the sleeping menfolk in bed.  Hasn't really happened...

But!

Last night I pulled out two St. Lucy picture books and let the kids munch on the gift of St. Lucy bread while we read two more from our basket.

It was perfect.

Santa Lucia, pray for us!

Overheard

I was stringing lights on our Christmas Tree when Legolas (age 3) suddenly said:

"Oh yeah, it's 'Merry Christmas'".

I thought it was cute that he was calling it not just Christmas, but Merry Christmas.  His speech has been a little slower in developing than some of my chatty girls were.

He continued:

"I want something for 'Merry Christmas'!"

At this point I realized that he thought that since we were putting up the tree he thought it was actually Christmas, and I had to try to explain (several times) that Christmas was still two weeks off...