Tag Archives: family

Fast First Friday aka #7QuickTakes

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Burnout.  7 days in a row of blogging and nada this week, until today, because everyone in my casa is occupied (for the moment), so here I go…all Fast like….on this First Friday in March AND in Lent…woot, woot!  (see what I did there?)  Therefore, jumping back in (for today), with author and speaker of many hours in a row…Jen@Conversion Diary for a weekly wrapup…go see!

  1. So Lent is here, how’s it going for you?  For me, so far so good.  I haven’t felt called to fast from any particular thing but I have been called to prayer.  Lots of prayer….I mean:  Adoration, weekly, and prayer journal for prayer requests.  So, if you are in need of any extra prayer (and aren’t we all), feel free to drop a note in the combox or email me (found on the sidebar).IMG_3716
  2. The other thing I am committed to is finishing some spiritual reading:  Mere Christianity, The power of persistent prayer, St.Monica.  I have a bad habit of having too many books going at once, so this is a great time to actually focus on these!
  3. Meatless meal time.  This year is going to be a little less trying since we have a boy/man in the house interested in veganism and willing to help me out with finding new and fun recipes for the fam.  He’s good in the kitchen and tonight picked out and helped make a (non meatless) homemade version of Hamburger helper with roasted cauliflower and peas.  Makes dinner much less a chore for Mama!
  4. Ash Wednesday ended up being a date night with the Hubby and I.  The only Mass we can make it to is the 7 p.m. and opted to allow the kids to stay home and shower and settle in.  Sometimes you just have to exercise common sense in knowing when it’s forcing too much.  I missed them, but enjoyed the one on one with the Hubs.  We even took a selfie afterward!  Love an unexpected date time with my honey!669831106177617683_3843666
  5. Providing our son wakes up in the a.m. and we make it to the gym, it will have been a full week working out.  Spin this a.m. was with Crazy Courtney (as I like to call her) and I was soaked, so a good workout and start to the day.
  6. Clean(er) eating this week has been going well.  Perfect?  No.  However, definitely have been getting in more fruits and veggies and avoiding miscellaneous crap food at work that seems to show up unannounced and at the most ravenous times.  Planning is key.  Will just keep planning and plugging along.imgres
  7. The end!  Blessings on the weekend and praying all north of Florida will thaw out soon and welcome spring most joyfully.  Until then, I will do my best to appreciate the Vitamin D for you!IMG_1970

Spring fever Saturday

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Day 6 of the blog-o-thon and SATURDAY.  Not to make anyone feel bad, but oh MY word!!!!!  The weather is stunning already and it’s only 7:20 a.m.

The life of a parent:  so funny…we had all 4 kids OUT of the house last night at once, which is unheard of. However…….as life would have it…..the times overlapped a bit and by the time we had the youngest dropped off at the skate rink, the tax guy showed up an hour earlier than anticipated, as he was finishing up our youngest son made it home.  The great news is that we were still able to sit and enjoy the 2nd to last episode of Downton in peace!!  And the taxes are done.  Not to mention we had leftovers, so I didn’t have to cook.  Overall:  GREAT night and no complaints!

Alleged to creep to almost 80 degrees today and we have a bike ride on the beach planned for the afternoon!!

Stole this from a friend who was at the beach the other day!!

Stole this from a friend who was at the beach the other day!!

Until then, though…..I must pay the bills and get the grocery list ready to tackle the “must-dos” before the “fun-dos”.

Happy Saturday!!!

Finally Friday

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Home stretch!  Friday is my FAVORITE day of the week.  Yes, I do have to work, but the light…the LIGHT is so very, very BRIGHT at the end of the tunnel!

Still blogging for the 7 days with the Conversion Diary and friends!!  Woot, woot!  In honor of blogging 7 days, here’s 7 Quick Takes from the week!

1.  Blogging every day is HARD!!!!  Even Jen had a fail day.  Perhaps a fail at ONE missed blog day, but reading her post on her “Day in the Life” made me remember just how hard those years are with littles and I honestly don’t know how you young Mamas blog at all!!

2.  Blogging every day is QUICK!  If I want to do it, I have to sit down and get to it or it’s not going to happen.  Good thing?  Bad thing?  Either way, it’s a blog post.

3.  Blogging every day is helping me to re-prioritize my daily activities and prepping for Lent.  Truly.  I am seeing where and WHEN I can be more productive in certain areas and that is oh-so-helpful in making me a wee bit more organized!  Which I love.

4.  On to other topics…because I need to be quick here!

5.  Last week I shopped CASH ONLY.  Saved about $50.  I’m doing it again.  It’s a little scary, but truly empowering!

6.  Lent is coming and I scheduled my annual physical right in the middle of it.  Perfect time to add eating simply to my goal of keeping Lent simple, eh?  Because who doesn’t get a little motivation from the thought of stepping on the scale for an annual review?  Who?

7.  It’s Friday.  EVERY.  ONE.  OF.  THE.  KIDS.  WILL.  BE.  OUT.  OF.  THE.  HOUSE. TONIGHT.  ALLATONCE!!  You know what that means, right?????  Yesssss, we are catching up on the last two Downton Abbeys!!!  Although we may save the finale and savor it.  Gotta say, I still love Downton, but truly not the most exciting season….nonetheless, I will be having withdrawals and ready for next season!!

Happy Friday, y’all and make it on over to Conversion Diary for other better blogging spectaculars!

Blessings!!

 

Wacky Wednesday

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Back for more, I am a glutton for punishment for blogging 7 days in a row with the crew over HERE.

The day started out pretty well with full cooperation from the kiddos resulting in everyone INCLUDING me getting to our respective places on time.  Always a bonus!!  The work schedule was light in comparison to the last week or two.  I even made it to the gym at lunch time for a very good workout.  Then, the rain started.  We had an impromptu (and much-needed training session) at work.  Due to my training, my co-worker busted the patients in and out and stayed a half hour late.  Then I stayed a half hour late to put all the studies together and finish up the post processing on some of the exams.  I was so COMPLETELY engrossed in finishing and getting out that I totally FORGOT our son had a make up music lesson and I was on pick up duty.  A half an hour ago.  Rain.  Traffic.  Later than late.  Someone send me the Mother of the Year Crown, STAT!!!

The best part is that after I picked up our boy and we got gas (fumes will only get you so far), we had to stop and get bananas (we live in a house of monkeys and bananas are a staple we simply can not keep) but on arriving home……

DINNER WAS READY.  TABLE WAS SET.  And we ate as a family.   A little late.  It was hot.  It was good.  We were together.  It was still raining.  It didn’t matter.

Onward Thursday!!

 

Mass Snapshot

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Day one of a seven-day stretch of blogging fun/torture/chaos with Jennifer Fulwiler and frenz….let’s see I clocked in at about 100 or so, enough blog reading to last a while I’d say.  So stay tuned all week-long.

Sunday night:  Brainstorm #1  Our family Mass snapshot

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*not our regular church, this is the local Basilica. Beautiful church.

Funny how church life mimics life in its constantly changing routine.  When the kids were little we tried the cry room, the right up front, occasional staggering of Mass, etc, etc, until we found our fit.  With each child things mixed up again and then settled and repeat.  Now that we (mostly) get through Mass without  major drama and meltdowns….hahaha, who am I kidding?  There’s always someone with an issue, but we aren’t wrestling in the pews anymore, everyone knows how to whisper or just zip it and the general decorum expected at Mass is upheld.  Just as we hit our rhythm once again…it changes.  Again.  le sigh.

At the moment we are at a stage in our family life that we are splitting up Masses.  It’s so NOT my favorite season, but for now, we do what we have to do….and it IS just a season.  Hubby is working with my brother-in-law on Sundays –good for the BIL and good for our family as we work toward debt reduction, but a total bummer on Sunday morning family Mass.  Our 12-year-old is earning volunteer hours so she’s been hitting the Saturday vigil Mass with Dad so she can volunteer with the PreK crew at the 9 a.m. Mass. Our youngest son plays his horn in the 9 a.m. Sunday Mass and both girls have Religious Ed. following 9 a.m. Sunday Mass.  Which finds us all over the place, people.  All.  Over.  The.  Place.  We have been TRYING for a twice monthly Mass on Saturdays for all of us, however, realistically we’ve probably averaged once a month.  Just keep tryin’;  it’s only a season.  My mantra.

Sunday morning’s Mass was funny because with only our youngest and I present, we sat in the front row because she informed me that she only takes the precious blood if less than 10 people go before her.  She counts.  Everytime.  Front pew made us #1 and #2, so today was body and blood.  For the win.

My favorite priest (retired and 90) was there today and in wrapping up Mass he analogized today’s homily message on forgiveness, Agape love and the gospel readings with his disappointment in Ireland’s rugby showing in England recently (in his Irish brogue), “I may love my English neighbors, but I don’t have to like them.”  Funny.  True.

What’s YOUR church snapshot?

Blessings on the week ahead!