I'm in GREAT Company!

I learned JUST this morning that a long time friend , VERY close to my own age, AND having JUST celebrated 20 years of wedded "bliss" with her own hubby... (We celebrate 20 years November 5 of this year...) that she, too, is expecting a new little miracle!! I can not tell you how EXCITED this makes me!! I won't name names, but i WILL tell you that she is one of the first people that I wanted to talk to after i found out about my own current pregnancy... She has a large family, like me, and I just KNEW that she would understand... I just didn't realize HOW WELL she would understand! lol!! Congratulations to her and her family! She commented to me that we will be able to share the "Geriatric Maternity Ward" together! lol!! Please say a prayer for my friend and for the safety of her pregnancy and for her family... She, no doubt, will be subject to a lot of the same rhetoric and testing that I have been...

I Missed My Dad's Last Breakfast...

My dad passed away 5 years ago this November 28 coming... It was very sudden and unexpected. The day after Thanksgiving, he and my mom were just hangin' around their home, because he was feeling a little under the weather. That evening, close to bedtime he simply collapsed and that was it. He hung on long enough for the paramedics to arrive and get him to the hospital, and shortly after I arrived to meet my mom and sister there, he was gone...

To this day it drives me nuts that I can't remember the last thing that he said to me, but it was almost like a "clue" to his pending death... We saw him the night before, at my sister's house for Thanksgiving dinner. As I was herding kids to the door to leave I kissed him on the head, and did my usual "Bye, Pops. See ya later..." and he commented something back, that at the time, I took as one of his usual smart alec responses... something like "if I'm around that long..." or something like that... I remember doing a double take and he smiled at me and waved.

So when I got the call from my sister that following night that the paramedics were at moms and they were on their way to the hospital I was a little surprised... My dad had NEVER spent a day, in his 79 years, in the hospital. His mother lived to be 104, and he had six siblings still living, 4 of which were all older! But that was it. Dad was gone from this world and I would never get the chance to talk to him again... The previous Sunday, after Mass, we had all walked out together and dad had asked me if we were going to go over to their house for breakfast. Dad liked to make breakfast for the family... It was his "thing"... We (my husband and I) didn't feel much like going any where after mass, except home, and politely declined, that we would go "next time". I would never get that "next time."

I thought of this today, because today is Wednesday. I spend most Wednesday's at my mom's house. I clean her house and do my laundry and do other little stuff around her house to help her out. Today was no different. I had to go out to dad's tool shed to get some sand paper and as I opened the doors I smelled "Dad". That mixture of dirt, grease and saw dust... : ) I thought about how I don't always like going to mom's to do stuff, because there 's always PLENTY to do around my own house. But my Mom isn't always going to be here. She is actually the last grandparent, living, that my kids have to know and love on this earth...

I was blessed with growing up in a very loving household with two parents and 4 siblings that love me. I pray that my children have the same. I pray that they learn, as they grow up, that yeah, parents can be frustrating and not always easy to get along with. But they aren't always going to be around for us. I will miss my mom greatly when she leaves this world. For now I appreciate her giving me the opportunity to be a good example to my own children in how to treat those that are older with love and respect. Life is not "disposable", but precious at all levels. I miss my Dad, still, but we rarely ever miss having breakfast with Mom every Sunday after Mass... Some things just aren't THAT important to get home to...

The Devil Made Me Do It?....

My new COMPUTER made ME do it... it has turned me in to a nasty mean, mean person and made me VERY grumpy, besides... Whodathunk?...

I got everything hooked up and running, and so far, the BIGGEST obstacle has been straightening out our e-mail accounts, because APPARENTLY Outlook Express has been "upgraded" to Windows Mail... okay fine... spent the morning on the phone trying to figure out if and how to transfer my OE accounts to the new and "improved" (so they say...) Windows Mail...

After that was done, and I transferred the main email account and then the 3 sub accounts, I discovered that the mail FOR all four accounts would all go to one inbox... yeah... Microsoft said it was "safer" that way... well, needless to say, the other email account holders in our household were not happy about that... Oh, you could still SEND messages from the individual accounts, but all the incoming mail would have to be sorted through to find whose went to whom... (is that proper English?... probably not...)

Anyway, I ended up keeping just the one MAIN email address in the "new and improved" Windows Mail account and cancelling the other three sub accounts, so that those accounts can still be accessed through our Internet Provider... what a pain...

Other than that, I think that everything is good. I miss my pictures folders and will have to get some pics in there soon, and hopefully figure out how to retrieve them back! : ) Honestly, I have been so used to using our old computer that this all seems new to me, again! In the mean time I'm going to work on getting my attitude in check before there are any further casualties...

New Toys!

Well, friends! Hubby and I have finally given in to our "hamster wheel version" of our computer and gotten a new one... It came today, and I'm going to attempt to get it up and running... wish me luck! And *hopefully* before too long, I'll be back to fill you in on all of life's happenings! God Bless!

Eternal Rest Grant Unto Him, O Lord...

When my husband and I moved in to our neighborhood 20 years ago we were the "yougin's". Most of our surrounding neighbors were original homeowners, older, established and the neighborhood was pretty quiet. As the years have passed, so have our elderly neighbors, and with only 2 of the originals still around, besides us, the homes have been refilled with younger families, and some of them not always so quiet and orderly... times have changed...

The house next door to us has been no exception. Over the past 8 or so years since the original owners passed away, there have been a number of renters rotating in and out. But there was one young family , about 4 years ago, that lived there for a couple of years. Very friendly and very good neighbors for the time they were here. My kids would call to him each and every time they would see him tinkering around out front. "Louis! Hey Louis! Hi Louis!" At the time, he and his young wife had a 4 or 5 year old daughter and a new born baby boy. He managed a local Chili's restaurant and she worked for a local grocery chain. The mom left me a big bag of clothes and shoes for my baby girl before they moved to another part of town almost 3 years ago.

That was pretty much the last I had heard of them, until the neighbor on the other side of me brought this to my attention this morning... Manager's last act at Chili's was to protect co-worker . It seems he made a good impression on just about anyone he came in contact with. God rest his soul... Apparently there was a third child born since they left... I used to tease the mom before they left that they had beautiful children and really did owe it to the world to have more... Such is the world we live in.... We know not the day or the hour that we will meet our maker... Please say a prayer for Louis' soul and for the young, beautiful family he has left behind... I can only imagine the grief...

Ultra Sound, take 3...

Well, I finally was able to have the awaited second ultra sound yesterday. It was a long morning of waiting, between the meeting with the genetic counselor (9:40am) and actually having the ultra sound (almost 12:30). I was a little nervous about the meeting with the genetic counselor, because I didn't want to hear words like "options" and "terminate" that seem to roll off of some people's tongues so easily... But that actually went more smoothly than I had anticipated, thank you, Jesus... She explained to me that in the first trimester u/s that they basically take the results of the u/s, my blood/hormone counts and my AGE to calculate a number. THAT number is what gave me a "positive" result for Downs. The counselor and the Dr./Specialist, both commented that it was probably my age that was tipping the scales for a positive result. My husband and I both come from big healthy families with no history of problems. I then had to "officially" sign a waver to decline an amnio...


When we finally got in for the actual ultra sound the tech was able to make some measurements of the baby's head, leg and arm bones and abdomen. She also told us the gender and said that everything looked as though it was within "normal range". When the doctor/specialist came in, the baby decided to turn his back to the camera and not cooperate... lol... no different than my other 4... He WAS able to get a look at the heart, that he framed up and clicked a button, and this red and blue appeared on the screen. It was the actual blood flow to and from the heart! THAT was really cool! But with the baby having his back to us, The doc really wasn't able to see the arms, legs, face and heart as well as he would have liked to. So, guess what?... I get to go back in three weeks to do it again!


So, while I didn't get the "fairly certain" from the doctor that I would have liked, I heard and saw enough to set my heart and mind at ease... I really think that it is just God's way of telling me to "let go and let God" I really need to just TRUST in Him and His plan... The ultra sound that I will have again in a few weeks will just be "gravy"... : )


I know that it can be easy to try and reassure someone in my situation to "be at peace" and "not to worry. Everything will be fine..." and I really appreciate the support and good intentions. I've done it myself for others... but now, having been through this myself it just shows me that "too much information" can be harmful, especially to the mind... This has been such an emotional roller coaster to me... I knew before I was pregnant that there was a risk of Downs or any other number of problems. But having a test come back "positive" really can have a toll... It's why I have declined the AFP screening for my last 3 pregnancies... I really did not realize when my doctor asked me to have the "First trimester u/s-screening" that it would involve all this, or I most probably would have declined it, as well, just to save myself the grief and worry... I know that they (medical science) do it all in the name of 'health' and 'staying informed', but today's society in general is just too programmed to "disposable life" and wanting to know everything so as to determine which life is viable and which is not... and being the pro-life person that I am, it's a really an ugly place to be immersed...


One of the papers that I had to sign yesterday was one asking if I was interested in having the AFP screening or the testing for Cystic Fibrosis... I wanted to write in BIG BOLD letters across the paper, "NO MORE TESTING!! Thank you!!" but, instead i just marked "declined" and signed my name... Thank you, to everyone that has prayed and offered words of wisdom and support. They really do mean the world to me and help immensely. God is good...


Now, without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to Samuel Elijah...

In Search of the "Perfect" Name...

So, we've been playing around with names, again, for the new baby. We don't have any kind of pattern, or method, really... I mean, we don't have all "J" names or whatever... We like sort of old-fashioned pretty names, preferably something that has some biblical or religious/Saint tie to it, but still a little bit unique.... Girl names seem to be coming easier than boy names... here are some that we've considered...

Gianna Elise
Elizabeth Mary
Antonia (My grandmother's name) ???

Anthony Joel
Charles John
Samuel Elijah

I like all of these, for different reasons, but I'm not sure if any of them "scream out" at me, yet... It seems, with our other 4, we just "knew", ya know?... So, I'm open to any and all suggestions!

24 Weeks down, 16 (or less!) to go!

It's hard to believe it's already been 24 weeks! But there it is! (No, that isn't MY baby in the picture, but a VERY beautiful one that I got off of the pregnancy.org web site...) Anyway, I went to have my ultra sound Friday last, in MUCH anticipation of getting some more definitive answers as to the health of my baby. Instead I was side-lined by another nurse/patient services/assistant manager of some sort... She took me to her office, that she shared with the "Manager" of this department and asked me if I had been informed of the results of my first trimester ultra sound...? I told her "yes". She asked if I had been told about the offered genetic counseling..? and I told her "yes, but I declined..." She then asked if she could inquire as to why....? I told her "#1 because it wasn't going to matter in the long run, one way or the other, as to whether or not I would carry to term. #2 - according to what I understood about my insurance, it was not considered regular 'prenatal' care and therefore would not fall under the 100% coverage, but would go under the 80%/20%. Now 20% may not be alot to a lot of people, but in our situation, it was, and I couldn't justify spending the money on something that wasn't going to change anything..." So THEN she said that she respected my decision, but because of my "positive" Downs result from the last testing it was "HIGHLY" recommended that I have the "level 3" ultra sound with the specialist, that included the genetic counseling. What I was scheduled for that day was just the basic "level 1" ultra sound, with a tech. I already knew and was prepared to pay $60 for this. She continued that since I had a "positive" result from the first trimester result, that the insurance may pay 100%. She was going to have another girl check on it. By this time I'm just in tears, because, well, I'm pregnant, and all this was just starting to take over my emotions...

I went back to the waiting room to try and explain this all to my husband when the "manager" lady from this same office came out and got me. She explained that she had overheard our conversation and did some checking. BECAUSE I had a "positive" result, I automatically fall under the "State Program" and that would pay for a "level 3" ultra sound with the specialist and any additional assistance I might need. It did not matter whether or not my insurance would cover. So, bottom line, I could have gone ahead and paid my 20% for my basic "level 1" u/s on Friday with a tech, as I was prepared to do, or they would re-schedule me to meet with the specialist (He comes up from UCLA once a week, on Thursdays to meet with patients) this coming Thursday, and all would be covered and paid for. I would get the level 3 u/s, that my doctor would rather me have, with the specialist, who would give me a more thorough exam, and hopefully give me some more definitive answers than a tech would. As frustrated and emotionally wrecked that I was feeling at that point, I decided that we would wait...

I still met with my regular OB, we heard the heartbeat (VERY strong) and my BP was terrific (120/77), amazingly!! I just wish that I had been informed of all this in the first place and I would have gone this route initially. But I guess God had His reasons... perhaps giving me yet another opportunity to just TRUST in Him...

My husband asked me today what would happen IF the results come back even stronger for the possibility of having a Downs baby... Well, if it does, it does... So I will know... It's not like I will love the baby any less... Just one thing more to worry about and maybe emotionally prepare... But if it comes back that the baby, as far as he (the specialist) can tell, looks, normal and healthy, then I'm hoping that it will set my fears at rest and be one less thing to worry about.. I don't know... Again, if I had just not gotten the first test, in the first place, this would all be a moot point... This will all be fine in the end and come out according to God's perfect plan, I know... thank you for the prayers... I'll keep you posted...

I Just Really Needed This Laugh Today...

I think I've been having a melt-down of sorts... I'm not sure if it's any ONE thing in particular, or just a combination of things going on... My kids have been making me nuts and I feel like I have been the wicked-witch mother from #ell this past week... I REALLY need to get back to the "box"... I'm getting that overwhelmed/stressed out feeling and I know the kids are feeding off of it... Today I found myself crying at my 9 year old because I am just SO tired of being TIRED all of the time and every time I turn around it seems he's having a tantrum about something he doesn't want to do or because he's mad at one of his siblings...

I think the biggest thing on my mind is my ultra sound scheduled for tomorrow morning... I'm excited to have another look and "see" my baby... hubby and my oldest son and the baby will be there to experience with me, and we will most likely find out the "flavor" : ) Afterwards I will meet with my doctor so that he can go over the results, and let me know if there is further reason to be "concerned" with the babies health.... I really HATE that I'm worried about this... It shouldn't matter...

But today, it started when my nine year old left the peanut butter out, after making a sandwich. And THEN the kitchen gate was left open... AGAIN... the gates went up about 2 months ago after the first time the baby got in the refrigerator smashing 17 out of an 18-pack of eggs... The second time the gate was left open, she was caught after smashing only 5... Last night when the gate was left open she smashed 11 out of a dozen before she was discovered... I mean, HOW MANY times do these children, age 12-6, need to be reminded to keep the gates closed??!! Today I lost it when she discovered the FULL OPENED jar of peanut butter and went to town on the cupboards and floor and, for good measure, herself... (I guess I should be happy she's learned to leave the cereal alone?... )I was SO tired... and now I had a crying baby -naked from head to toe, by the way, with PB in her eyes rubbing her face on my leg... After everyone had gotten lunch I had closed up the kitchen, WHY was it open?? Oh, there was the general responses of "I don't know" and "It wasn't me..." The result was my crying meltdown... sigh ... "Why?" and "How in the world?" am I going to handle another baby when the one's I have are SUCH a handful?... "Lord!! I am SO tired!!" and "WHAT??" will I do if I have a special needs baby?... How am I going to NOT lose my mind?... Bottom line here is, I'm scared...

So, today, when I opened up and got this video, I realized I really needed the laugh... Please pray for me... for my sanity, for my strength, for my family... and for the health of the new baby... All in God's hands, I know, and He will present me nothing that I cannot handle... Thanks everyone! Now, enjoy a good laugh : )

Speaking of New Babies...

My very first Great (or is it "grand"?) Niece was born the day before Independence Day. Gabriella is indeed one of THE most beautifully perfect babies I have EVER seen! I can't wait to meet her in person! She lives about 5 hours south from me, but hopefully she'll make her first trip north next month with her parents, perhaps when her Auntie-Sr.Catherine Marie makes it home for a visit... even better! After a little bit of a scary start, thanks be to God, that baby Ella arrived 3 weeks early, yet perfect, and her new mom and dad are adjusting nicely! I'm sure that my sister, the new grandma is having a wonderful time playing "baby-hog" for a couple of days, before the other grandma is able to make the trip from TX this weekend. Congratulations to the new family! I love you much and wish you all the best!

Married, with Kids...

I have to admit, that even I still sometimes find myself uncomfortable around some of my peers when I tell them of my still growing family... I'm not sure why... It's not like I'm sorry I have so many children... But I guess because sometimes it seems that my generation has gotten so caught up in the "ideal" of 2.3 children, two incomes, the suburban home, with two cars in the driveway, and a summer getaway. Well, it's pretty much NOT what I have... I don't want this to sound bad. Not that a nice suburban home and summer getaways wouldn't be nice, but what would that cost me? Would my life be "better" now if I had chosen to pursue my career?...

I had a job and my own income from the time I was 16 years old, with the exception of my last couple of months of highschool. After highschool I worked 30-35 hours a week on top of going to school. Not the best plan, as it took me two extra years to finish my degree this way, but it's what worked for me. I even got married a couple of years before I finished college. I started working full-time just before I got married. My husband and I both worked full time, at individual jobs and later at our own business for 10 years. It was after we began having children of our own that I started to want to stay home with them. I was tired of taking them with me to the office, when it really wasn't any kind of a place for a kid to be raised... A change in interests and a change in the economy ultimately led to the loss of our business. With two young boys and a new baby on the way, it really wasn't the best timing for closing down, but we had reached the point to where we really couldn't afford to stay open any longer... I worked as a sub teacher that year while my husband looked for full time employment. At the time I know I felt that I was in the eye of the storm. Things couldn't be any worse. The business was done, we were barely scraping by, and expecting another baby and our marriage was shakey, at best... Looking back in 20/20 hindsight, though, I can see that it really was God's blessing...

You see, we really hated that business. We were SO overwhelmed and tired with the amount of time and effort it was robbing from our family. But yet, my husband, especially, felt compelled to hang on to it, feeling that we had no other options of taking care of our family. God told us "no." We were pretty much left with nothing... I worked because I had no choice, and hubby searched for work. Even when he did find what we thought was the "perfect" place for him to work, due to some paper work glitches and other things beyond out control, what should have been a three month process, actually took about 9. He was finally hired on as regular full time employee just weeks before #3 was born. But it wasn't until everything we "had" was taken away, and we basically lived on close to nothing that we realized how little we actually needed... After #3 was born, and hubby was back to work, I was able to stay home with our children for the first time. Slowly building our lives back and learning to live on just his income, as he has been blessed with raises and promotions, it seems we've come out the other side.

I say all this because I think a big problem with many families is that it is so easy to get caught up in having a 2-income family. Once you get used to a certain income level, though, it's really hard to cut back. I feel blessed that I am able to stay home with my children now, even thugh it was a rough way to come about. It isn't always easy. In my earlier post I spoke of currently dealing with tantrums from the baby. There are also the attitude issues of my pre-teen son, and then there are my dare devil younger son, and #3 with her drama, drama, everything is drama and well worth screaming and crying about, especially if her brothers looked at her cross-eyed... and now another on the way... We have chosen, despite our still growing family, to do our best to stay a single income family feeling it is in the best interest of our children. In this day and age when our children are being bombarded from every side by the "village" wanting to take over what "they believe is "best" for them, I think as parents we need to reclaim our children and protect them all the more, especially when they are little and while we still can. God charges us as the primary care givers...

I'm not sure, still, where my uncomfortableness comes from when speaking to old friends about my life and where we are. I don't think it is so much about worrying about what they're thinking of WHY I am 42 and still having children, so much as my wondering WHY they decided to stop...? Why, when many of them were raised Catholic, like me, did they decide that "getting fixed" or surgically sterilizing themselves was neccessary or even okay?... And sometimes I wonder why God, in His good Graces, helped me to see, hear and understand why it is NOT okay, and not them?... It hasn't been easy. Goodness knows that I have had more than one OBGyn tell me that it would "probably be a good idea to have your tubes tied..."

I still like to meet up with old friends. I like to hear where their lives are at, what they've been doing, life, family, that sort of thing... but with some, most perhaps, I just don't relate like we used to... It makes me a little sad... But then, I am all the more grateful for my family, how my life has turned out, how richly God HAS blessed me, and especially to the couple of friends that I have hung on to over the years that "get" where I'm coming from... : ) God is good.

What Makes This Guy SO Angry?

The latest email alert from Catholic League president Bill Donohue is about a Minnesota Professor responding to Bill Donohue's remarks to a Florida college student taking a consecrated host from a campus Mass in "protest" to student fees for religious services. The host was returned.

However, on his Minnesota campus Blog, Prof. Paul Myers lashes out, not only at Bill Donohue but all Catholics that were offended by this act of sacrilege, and threatens to carry it even further. He "Pledges" to desecrate the Eucharist, encouraging his readers to participate by obtaining a consecrated host and sending it to him, so that he may complete his plan. I really have to wonder about some people that seem to take such pleasure in offending others. What makes him so angry, at what seems specifically, the Catholic Church?... I mean, we are all entitled to our opinions and feelings, but what makes this guy so upset by what happened with a student in Florida, that he feels so compelled to "retaliate" in Minnesota, and ENCOURAGE his readers to help? Me thinks that perhaps he's a former Catholic?... I honestly don't know... But once again, gosh, it seems like it's just so "okay" to offend millions of Catholics by desecrating or encouraging to desecrate the Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of our Lord, Jesus. I don't imagine that this story will make national head lines anytime soon... Father, forgive them, they know not what they do....

Drug Use May Start Earlier Than You Realize...

I am really getting tired of the amount of drugs and vaccines that society is wanting to "push" on to our kids. I saw a sign this morning that stated something like "15 vaccines in 15 months"... The point being that your baby "should" have 15 vaccines in his of her first 15 months of life. Call me dumb, but that sounds like an awful lot of "stuff" to pump in to their little bodies... Not that I'm strictly against vaccinations. My kids have each had some, and thankfully, are all fairly healthy kids, thank you, Jesus... But it seems that with each kid I've had, the vaccine "list" gets longer... The latest being Gardisil, to "protect" our little girls... no, thank you, very much, and last week the news was talking about wanting to Rx cholesterol meds to young school age children... I'm sorry, but there has just GOT to be another way...

The general public wants to just eat all this "great" information up, all in the name of "health", but do they take time to think about what the long term affects on their children will be? We lecture and warn them from the time they are old enough to understand, about the dangers of taking drugs, and the long term affects on their bodies. What about these so called "legal" drugs and medications? Just because something is labeled as "legal" doesn't make it safe. All medications give a whole list of "side affects". And if you listen or read closely, many of them include, in at least some cases, "death". How many young girls have to die or become paralyzed before they stop pushing Gardisil as the newest and latest "miracle" medicine to "protect" them from "some strains" of cervical cancer? What ARE the long term affects of giving our young people cholesterol meds starting at a very young age? I don't know the answer for that... But I am not going to rush out and have my kids cholesterol tested tomorrow, either...

Like I said, I'm not completely against vaccinating children. Though I do like to stay informed on the types of vaccines out there and have a choice as to what I will have them get. I do steer clear of the chicken pox vaccine, when I learned that it derived from human embryos. But I am not real concerned about my kids getting chicken pox, either. It used to be, pretty much, part of childhood... Although I did not get them until I was 22 and working in a pre-school... and only my oldest son has gotten them, one week before he was scheduled to receive the vaccine, and before I knew about it's origins... Anyway, if I have any "neighbors" out there, that have kids with chicken pox, I'd be more than happy to have them over to my house to "share" : ) It would be nice to have them all get it done and over with!

The Terrible Two's are Upon Us...

Well this past week the tantrums from #4 - 22 months old - have been increasing in frequency and intensity. We've created a monster, I'm afraid... I have two girl friends with daughters close to the same age (one a couple of months older, and the other a couple of months younger...). Their daughters talk, quite clearly. Mine does not. She doesn't have to... With three older siblings all she has to do is squeak the least bit of a noise and any of the three will jump and run to get whatever it is she is wanting. The goal of #'s 1, 2 and 3 is to simply keep her quiet and happy. Sounds good on the surface, right?... hhhmmm... well, I have to say, it's worked for me... so far... but I'm beginning to think we need to re-think our strategy... When the simple request of asking her to "say 'please'" turns in to a tantrum, well...

#3 is our older daughter, who is 6. #4 has decided that she not only doesn't want #3 in the same room with us, the parents, when she's around, but she has taken to pulling her hair, hitting and screaming and pushing her away. Last night we decided that this just wasn't going to work anymore and so we told her "no" when she started her hitting and screaming. You would have thought that we had cut her right leg off the way she screamed... and screamed... and screamed and cried and threw herself on the floor kicking and screaming some more. She started her usual banging her fore-head on the floor, and when I told her to stop that, she got up and went to the wall, where she proceeded to bang her head again. After about 10 minutes of this, hubby tried to pick her up off the floor and calm her down, when she threw her head back and almost out of his arms, screaming and kicking some more. He put her in her crib where she screamed and sobbed another 10 or 15 minutes. The kids, in the mean time are going nuts, because they just don't want to hear her screaming anymore (like we do?...) and are willing to do ANYTHING to make her stop...

After she finally calmed down, tantrum #2 came when she discovered #3 now was reading a book that she had decided was "hers". Once again she started with the hitting and screaming at her sissy trying to grab away the book. Once again we told her "no" and off she went, in to full melt down... parenting isn't for sissies... After another 15 minutes or so, and encouraging everyone to do their best just to ignore her screaming and let her calm down she decided that she was done... She let me clean her face with some cool water, she got some reassuring hugs from daddy and sissy decided that she was done with the book and let her baby sister have it. These aren't easy lessons, for sure... but I figure that with another baby arriving soon, she's going to have to learn sometime. Now if we can just get her to talk! : ) Communication would be SO MUCH EASIER!!

Catholic Commercials Seem to be Working!

Great News!! Yesterday's Zenit issue posted an article by David Hartline that says that the commercials sponsored by the Catholics Come Home Network are working! According to the article:

"PHOENIX, Arizona, JULY 8, 2008 (Zenit.org).- For many who have left the Catholic Church, there
is often a great desire to come home. However, fear and guilt often lead many to
put off the gnawing decision to return to the Church. Not knowing where to turn,
many who were once faithful feel lost and ashamed.Tom Peterson, founder of
Catholicscomehome.org, has found television and the Internet to be just the
place to reach out to those wishing to come back to the Church.Earlier this year
Peterson tested his methods and ideas using an advertising campaign geared
toward the 3.5 million who live in the Diocese of Phoenix.More than 6,000 people
inquired and came back to the Church via the Catholicscomehome.org Web site, and
many more came back to Catholicism by reporting directly to a parish near their
home. One priest reported that 16 people came to him for confession after they
saw the television ad.“One of the biggest surprises for us was the amount of
inquiries from those who are not Catholic," said Peterson. "About one quarter of
those expressing an interest in the Catholic Church are from those who have seen
our commercials or visited our Web site and want to better understand the
Catholic Church, or have actually made the decision to become
Catholic.”

Reasons

When sorting out what caused many to leave the Church, Peterson
said “about 90% of those who left the Church can’t give a good reason."He also
explained that many can't express why they want to come back. Many simply say
they felt something was missing."They often want to come home but don’t know
how. They feel uncomfortable about coming back and don’t know what to do -- when
to sit and when to stand, and what to pray. We try to ease those fears and
remind them of God’s desire to see them come home,” the director said.Once they
come back to Church, he added, they feel renewed. “They experience the Eucharist
again and the power of confession. They feel their hunger for the truth has been
met and a feeling of joy overcomes them."When asked why he thought his brief
television commercials had such an impact, Peterson said: “Our commercials are a
basic reminder of who we are, the Church Jesus founded, the Church that Jesus
entrusted to Peter and every pope who followed him."We are the Church that gave
the world the Bible. When we quickly explain these facts and use the Bible to do
it, people really respond. They admit that either they never really knew this or
simply forget."

To read more, including testimonies, please see the article at the above link.

If you haven't seen the commercial yet, I have had it posted at the bottom of my blog for a while, now. I think it's a great and non-threatening way to encourage people to take another look at what the Catholic Church REALLY is about. I look forward to seeing more commercials produced!

So Much for Summer Bliss...

We've reached that point of time during the summer, when mom (me) has had ENOUGH of the kids having vacation... They have had some small road trips, company from out of town and out of state, lots of sun, fun and water, not to mention chicken 'herding' and bug gathering... But currently their patience is running thin for one another and I don't know how much more whining and screaming at one another that my ears can take... SO! "Mean-Momma" that I am, I've pulled out the books! I figured that a little reading and writing can't hurt anyone... they will beg to differ... nonetheless, today will be a "summer-school" day... I told them that it's that, or they can get busy on cleaning their l o n g past due bedroom...

Next week they'll get another break, as they spend it at our parish summer camp, and then we'll go from there. What is REALLY amazing though is how WELL they get along with one another when they know I have planned a school day for them. They will play just as nice and quietly together as any mother could EVER dream! "Please" and "thank you's" included!! I know their game though. They figure the nicer and quieter they are to one another, I just might forget about those books and pencils.... : ) Sneaky kids.... But I'm on to them... I WILL, though, try my best to find some "fun" school activities to work on... perhaps a summer "play"... : )

What is WRONG with This Picture?

I had heard Irena's story of bravery not too long ago. And I knew of Algore's "peace" prize... whatever... before, as well. But a friend of mine brought to my attention a video from Glen Beck's show that brought the two story's together, that I did NOT know... I don't think it will be too hard for you to figure out what's wrong here...



Is it any wonder that society is confused?

Happy Independence Day! A day to be grateful to all of the brave young men and women who have given their lives to the freedoms that so many Americans can take for granted... Though there are those who will continue to mock our Founding Fathers, we were formed One Nation under God, and I have news for those who would like to think otherwise... God is STILL in control, and will continue to stay and walk beside those who call on His Name. Thank you to those who have fought and protected me, my nation and our nations rights. Thank you, especially, to those who gave their lives.

And a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my first "great"-niece (or is it "grand"?...) born yesterday afternoon, 3 weeks early! Despite a rough entrance to the world, she arrived safe and healthy and both mom, dad AND baby are doing great! Thank you, Jesus! Can't wait to meet her, but probably won't be until next month.

Other than that, we will be spending a semi-quiet evening at home. I am cooking some tri-tip (yummy) with some salad and veggies, and a peach cobbler for dessert! So, I hope you all are able to also spend some time with friends and family enjoying good food and company. Be sure to take some time, also, to remember those who gave their time and lives to make your life style and freedoms possible, and remember those who are still in our military, away from home and families this day.