Category Archives: Catholicism

Bloglovin’….I’m lovin’…

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

In joining in with Jen et al. this week for the 7QTs, I found in my reading the highly recommended Bloglovin’ reader.  Apparently, the Google reader just croaked or got axed or something and this was a good great substitute.  MY reader consisted of my bookmark manager (HIGHLY inefficient) and my WordPress reader (sufficient for WP blogs).  So on a fabulously breezy Sunday evening while at the park with the girls I managed to move my fave blogs to Bloglovin’; I also managed to finish a directed reading on Fungus for my CEUs at the same time (super thrilled, right?).  Gotta love the free WiFi at the park.

Bloglovin

Love the name or hate it, it’s pretty useful.  MOST of the blogs I follow are found on the reader (even mine…) making it super-dee-duperty convenient AND there’s an App for the ole smarty pants phone, too.

It is Spring Break here, I have no children to shake out of bed this morning (they can sleep in all week-long…) and I am up early, so I shall go read some blogs.  or work on my CEUs.  or get some exercise.  I’ve got 2 hours to kill before I have to be at work.  I love Spring Break.  The BEST thing though?  I’m OFF Thursday and Friday.  How about that?  It’s looking like we may actually be able to participate in Triduum services without the constraints of work/school/bedtimes getting in the way!!

Parents, keep fighting the fight!

I have several friends with teenagers who are struggling, and struggling mightily with a wide variety of teen angst and issues and I’ve been praying for and with them pretty regularly now.  It’s heart wrenching.  It’s terrifying.  It’s real.  It’s life.  It’s a time of exercising Trust and Faith in the One who these children ultimately belong to.  Hoping and praying we’ve built that solid foundation.  Praying we’ve planted that mustard seed on fertile soil.  With 4 kiddos of our own and two who are currently teens, I have full expectations that we too, will face our own struggles in these hormone-laden years.  We watch and we wait and we live each day in trial and error, learning as we go and gleaning wisdom and example from those around us.

Teenagers.  Hormones.  Frontal lobe nerve myelination.    These are the days where we must. pray. without. ceasing. (really, every day is)   I came across this quote during my readings this morning:

The faults of children are not always imputed to the parents, especially when they have instructed them and given good example. Our Lord, in His wonderous Providence, allows children to break the hearts of devout fathers and mothers. Thus the decisions your children have made don’t make you a failure as a parent in God’s eyes. You are entitled to feel sorrow, but not necessarily guilt. Do not cease praying for your children; God’s grace can touch a hardened heart. Commend your children to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. When parents pray the Rosary,at the end of each decade they should hold the Rosary aloft and say to her,”With these beads bind my children to your Immaculate Heart”, she will attend to their souls.

— St. Louise de Marillac

There is hope, parents.  There is grace abundant.  Keep fighting the fight.

Happy Papal Inauguration Day!

Habemus Papam!

History in the making.  What a joyful day yesterday!!  I am happy to report my PopeAlarm.com worked fabulously and I received a text @ lunch in Target….white smoke!!!

I’m hungry for information on our new Pope, this man who bowed to the people, this man who asked for prayers prior to his first blessing.  The first Jesuit.  The first Latin American.  The first non-European.  The first Francis.

And the silence.  To hear, feel, see the silence as the world stopped to pray for Pope Francis I.  The reverence.  The love.  My heart could burst with this joy.  Oh, happy day.

Habemus Papam!!

Conclave…..

Today it begins…..Anyone else excited???  FOCUS has several great tools for learning about the conclave and Pope election  and all that jazz AND……they have this awesome alarm….texting or email…..to let you know when the Pope is elected.  For lots of reasons, many of us can’t be “connected” all day, or watching the TV for days on end, and for this reality check I LOVE this alarm!!!

Happy Tuesday all, back to wrangling grumpy time change chillen’ and preparing for work on this rainy day!!!

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Seven Quick Takes (a day late….)

A day late to the party, but the kids have hijacked the computer this week and I’ve been coughing so much I haven’t cared to be on it anyway….however…..bright and early Saturday morning and I’m feeling fine-ish and they are sleeping so it’s MINE.  ALL.  MINE.  And I’m joining in with Jen and her weekly Quick Takes…she says she might go last first…hmmmmm, that might bode well for me  😉   without further adieu….

  1. I’m working on a “Day in the Life” post.  Riveting.  I’m sure you can’t wait to see how my day shapes up compared to yours.  Funny thing is, it’s a little tedious accounting for one’s day AND trying to make it funny.  Clearly I have nothing mind-blowing to talk about if THAT’S my big project, eh?
  2. One week post-flu and I THINK (Oh, please, please, please, please let me not jinx myself here) we are relatively healthy.  Except for this nagging cough/sinus infection I’ve had all week.  I’ve been eating cough drops by the bagful and have had several nights on the couch trying to breathe/sleep/not wake Hubby all night.  I finally broke down and my doctor called me in some antibiotics and cough syrup…hence the early wake up–slept like a baby.
  3. Week 2 of my fitness Groupon and each workout KILLS.  Amazing how hard you can work in a 35 minute period doing just a few exercises and opposing muscle groups.  Super excited to see how I’ll be at the end of the 6 weeks.
  4. This week our boys had a WWF session in the backyard.  By boys I mean including Hubby.  Let me say, I HATE wrestling.  Someone always gets hurt.  It’s loud.  It’s annoying.  And yet…..so necessary.  Hubby had me read (and I probably need to REread) John Eldredge‘s book Wild at Heart and it helped me to understand and appreciate the male “need” to be a male, so I accept it a wee bit more.  Wee bit.  In the end, Dad still won (he’s still hanging on…).  Big brother still won (barely).  And the only blood drawn was on Dad’s chin by a stray long nail. boys
  5. I scored some AWESOME dishes at our church thrift store this week.  Service for 12.  TWELVE I tell you!  12 dinner dishes.  12 small dishes.  12 bowls.  A serving bowl and lid and salt and pepper shaker.  $50.  Except they weren’t.  They were half OFF…..yes, that’s right, $25.  S.C.O.R.E.  Super cute.  AND I saw some fantastic coffee cups that will complement this set from Pier One.  Now when we have company….we’ve got enough dishes!  So come on over!!!rooster
  6. I have the day off Monday to take our youngest athlete to the County wide Fitness Festival.  Little stinker made it to 4 events.  Sit and reach.  Standing long jump.  Shuttle run.  50 yard dash.  Should be great weather.  I’m sure there will be pictures to follow.  And blogging.  Especially since I have the DAY OFF!
  7. We’ve been in the refinancing dance for our house and got a sweet low-interest rate with no closing costs and no re-appraisal.  It takes a while, as you may or may not know, and yesterday we got the call from the title company….because we were late to our closing….that no one ever told us we HAD.  We jockeyed around lunches (fortunately Hubby was working from home that day!) and traffic—-because Bike Week starts this week….but…..it’s done.  We celebrated with a Friday night fire pit and marshmallows after our fish and chips dinner.  ‘Twas a good day, nice end to the week.  fire

Happy Weekend, Y’all!