A Visit with Sr. CM...

Well, we had dinner at my sisters last night and a nice visit with Sr. Catherine Marie... all too short, and wishing we had more time... but as it goes, when you only get home to visit every 2 to 3 years, EVERYBODY wants a chance to see and visit with you! It was SO GOOD to see her, again! She is as beautiful and vibrant as all the pictures and letters have indicated... She spoke very excitedly about all the new people she met on her trip home. No doubt she turned more than a few heads... : ) At least in THESE parts, a nun in FULL habit is a rarity... she was laughing about all the questions and comments people make. Everything from what she wears to what she eats and why... and how one couple on one of her connecting flights made their relief clear as they borded and saw her seated... "Look, honey! See who's flying with us? Nothing to worry about!" : D

I'm hoping that I will get at least one more chance to stop and visit before she returns to Michigan. It will be another 3 years before she returns home... :( During that time, though, she will be busy with finishing school and her teaching degree, and then student teaching. The Sisters have 2 local elementary schools (K-8) that they teach at, and are in the process of building a highschool that they hope to be opening in the Fall of 2009. She told me that she doesn't have a preference right now as to what grade she teaches, though she likes things about both age groups. She commented that for the "sake of the elementary kids education" she should maybe teach highschool, as she tends to feed off of the younger kids energy and would be happy to teach PE and recess all day long! lol!! So, time will tell... she told me that after she has completed her degree, the door is open as to where they may send her... She may stay close to the convent in Michigan, or they have 4 other mission schools in California, Florida, South Carolina and Arizona, right now, with possibilities of opening more in Texas and/or Wyoming.. Lucky them! : )

Nastia Got Robbed!!

Did you see the uneven bar competition last night? Oh! I was SO tired but couldn't turn it off until I had seen the end (about 11:30pm). Okay, the He Kexin girl is cute and she's pretty good, but I didn't think she was BETTER than Nastia... and I was happy when Nastia tied, but was completely FLOORED when I saw that she STILL took second place!!??

It wasn't until AFTER the fact that the "tie breaker" system was explained, and pardon me, it was late and i was tired, but if I understood it right, that was just really wrong... The judges scores went up - tie for He Kexin and Nastia. So, the system takes the high and low scores off the chart and re-tally's. Still a tie, so the NEXT step was to remove the low score off of each and re-tally again. He-Kexin's low score was 8.9, and Nastia's low score was a 9.0. Nastia lost a BIGGER score!! She lost because she had a BETTER score to lose?? If someone saw it different or if I got this wrong, please enlighten me...

Poor Nastia... She is such a beautiful girl and is just poetry in motion on those bars... She really deserved that gold. According to the commentator (and i really don't know who HE was, but apparently has some kind of gymnast back ground...) felt that Nastia was better than He Kexin over all, anyway and there shouldn't have been reason for a tie-breaker in the first place... God has His reason's I guess... Hopefully Nastia will get her chance for that next gold tonight on the balance beam! It will be another late night for me!

Obama-vs-McCain at Saddleback

I watched the debate the other night... well, okay, in all honesty, I have a hard time listening to Obama... I just don't trust anything that comes out of that man's mouth and i just get irritated and end up turning it off... But i did watch McCain, for the most part and I thought he did very well. Granted, I have a hard time trusting ANY politician, ESPECIALLY when they are running for the most powerful office in the world... But I DID notice, when asked about when he believed a child had rights he didn't even hesitate to say "at the moment of conception". Good for you, John. Good answer. : ) When I read what Barak had answered to the same question, I could have choked at the flip-floppy answer... "theological.." "scientific..." "above my pay grade..." wha?... huh?!... What the heck is he talking about?

At this point, I don't know that McCain is the "best" candidate for the job, but I know that Obama ISN'T who I want in office. The man is a lot of talk that says, really, nothing... He is a dynamic/charismatic speaker and that is what scares me... He draws people in who really aren't "listening" to what he's saying, they are just cheering in the name of "change" like he's going to burst on to the scene and just save the day... I don't think so, Tim... He's young, cocky and thinks WAY more of himself than he needs to and just doesn't really have any experience... He is too much of a "I can make everybody happy" talker, that wants to say whatever it is he thinks people want to hear and avoid giving straight answers... Of the two (and I believe, as history has shown... there is either going to be a Democrat or a Republican in office, so voting otherwise, unfortunately, no matter HOW much more you agree with another party, is really just giving your vote to someone you really DON'T want in office...) I feel that I am pretty much forced to go with the lesser of two evils, or the one that shares more of my beliefs, morals and standards.

I know that the anti-life league is getting desperate and they are out in droves to squash out the voices for the smallest and the weakest. Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness can not happen for ANYONE without the most basic gift of life... young or old... So we must do what we can now to protect THAT most basic gift as well as we can, given the circumstances... It's not going to be an easy election, that's for sure... God have MERCY on us all...

Sam I Am...

Here he is... my beautiful Sam! I had a final/follow-up visit with the Specialist, so he could get a better look at what he wasn't able to see three weeks ago. Okay, so, regardless of how much I keep telling people that Sam is going to be my "perfect" child : ) he's already proving to be quite uncooperative in utero! lol! But the nurse technician did the ultra-sound today while the specialist made his observations! She was much more comfortable, I gathered, in instructing me in what she needed me to do, or how she needed me to move so that they could get a better look at the baby. So! With my rolling from one side to the other, in order to keep up with the active little guy, they were able to get some really good angles and the measurements that they were after. I think the most fascinating part was looking at his strong little heart. Actually being able to see all four chambers as it pumped along rhythmically was just awesome to behold... God is truly awesome but most especially in his design for man... My little Sam was absolutely beautiful! And the specialist said, by all observations and measurements, Sam looked to be like a perfectly healthy little boy... : )

So, I had an appointment with my regular OB yesterday, and all things were good. Well, except that I will have to go BACK to the lab sometime in the next 3 weeks to do the 3 hour glucose testing... BLECH!! I absolutely HATE the lab!! And I can't remember if I did it with all my previous pregnancies but I know I have at least with 2 others, had to do the 3 hour glucose test.

I did my second one-hour test for this pregnancy on Tuesday. Normally, easy enough... but for WHATEVER reason... let's say, the Devil knew I was hot (temps and humidity have been icky...), and grumpy, AND especially hormonal that day... I had a technician that INSISTED that I give her a urine sample BEFORE she would give me that nasty sugar drink... I drink water all the time, and normally pee AT LEAST once an hour. But wouldn't you know it? I went to the bathroom before I left home, and so when I got there I didn't need to go. "Oh, we need 'ureene sample"... in her thick accent...

"Yes, mam, I realize you need a urine sample, but I don't have to go right now... can't I drink the sugar drink right now, so that we can start the hour timer and give me the cup so that when I have to go, I will go..."

"No. We need a ureene sample first..."

"But I can't have the glucose drink right now?"

"No. We need a ureene sample..."

grrrr.... "So, I can't have the sugar drink and start the hour time until the blood draw BEFORE I pee in the cup?"

"Yes, mam, you pee in the cup..." with a big smile on her face like she had NO clue...

Now at this point I was the ONLY one in the lab, so I took the cup and went in to the bathroom, and waited, and waited.... and waited.....

"are you okay?..."

And in my 'not so nice' tone I responded, "yeah, but I really don't have time to wait to take a pee right now! I have kids at home and I have a VERY limited time to be here and do this!" (My husband was home with the kids on his lunch hour.)

"oh, okay. We can do it later.. It's okay, we can wait..."

(inside my head) *scream!!!* - when I came out of the bathroom, I saw that I was no longer the ONLY one in the lab... sorry, lady...

So when I came out with the little bit I was able to go, apparently she was able to make do... She gave me the sugar drink, I downed it in about 45 seconds (much to her surprise - I told her I was in a hurry...) and she told me to be back in an hour...

An hour later I was back, ANOTHER tech drew my blood (the first had apparently gone to lunch) and I was on my way... sheesh... I have to laugh, now, at how I had called my husband, during that hour wait, crying I was so annoyed, and he was trying to calm me down telling me it was over now, and to calm down and not cry... lol... hormones make you crazy...

So, when my doctor told me yesterday that the results were inconclusive and I would have to do the three hour test he sensed my displeasure in the HUGE sigh I let out... lol... so I had to tell him my story. Such a nice doctor... : ) He listened patiently and said, "Gosh, she just had no flexibility, did she?.." I smiled and let it go... Now I just have to figure out what I'm going to do with the kids for three hours while I have this other test done... Then it's back to the doctor in another 3 weeks.

Outside of the inconclusive glucose test, my blood pressure is AMAZING!! In past pregnancies (with the exception of my first where my BP was fine all the way up until my last check up 2 weeks prior to my due date...) by this point with the preceding 3, it started to go up by month 7, give or take... But, for whatever reason, it was a terrific 122/76! My only explanation and what I have done differently is taking the fish oil caplets everyday that my Doctor recommended when I first started seeing him. They really seem to work! With my last pregnancy, the walking everyday made a definite difference, but even still I was running 130's and 140's over high 80's all the way up until about the last 3-4 weeks before I was due and then there didn't seem to be anything I could do to make a difference. The doctor had me taking BP meds, but they didn't seem to help, other than to make me sleepier than I already was...

But with THIS pregnancy, my BP was worse, 3 months ago! lol!! Before the fish oil caplets, it was already running 130's over high 80's... Anyway, I couldn't be more pleased with these results.... Call me crazy, but I'm even starting to wonder if a VBAC would be possible... my first child (after it was determined that I had developed pre-clampsia) was born after I was induced and delivered almost 18 hours later, with my falling in and out of consciousness and my BP bottoming out a number of times. As a result, my later 3 children were all delivered c-section once my BP started rising and withing 2-3 weeks of my due dates. So, it's just kind of playing in the back of my mind if a VBAC would actually be possible at this point, as long as everything stays as it is... Time will tell, I guess... Thank you so much everyone that has been praying me through!

First Profession - Update!!

As promised, Pictures!! The Sr.'s of Mary Mother of the Eucharist, in Ann Arbor Michigan, last Wednesday, August 6, had 14 brand-new "baby nun-lettes" make their first profession and exchange the white veils they have worn for the past 2 years, for the signature Dominican black ones... My sister, her husband and daughter made a whirl-wind over night trip last week to be there for the ceremony. Unable to take pictures during the service, she did get these after wards at their reception gathering. You can almost FEEL the glow from those beautiful Sisters faces!

My sister told me that the Mass was beautiful, the Bishop was wonderful, and her favorite part of the service was when the sisters re-emerged in to the Church in their newly donned black veils... Sr. Catherine Marie will be home to visit in just another week!

Celebrating "Gay Day" in California Public Schools??!!

Oh, for the love of Pete! Now for the sake of remaining "fair", I don't need a special "day" to celebrate ANY ONE'S sexual "lifestyle", hetero, homo, trans, or otherwise! Why on God's green earth would I want a "day" for my CHILDREN to celebrate something that has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with their education, IN SCHOOL??!! Forget about the fact that this PARTICULAR "celebrating" completely contradicts the religious and moral values of my home and family. Do you think that the California Legislature would be so eager to pass a Bill that celebrates "conservative/traditional" (can't use the word Christian, let alone Catholic!) family values?.. Just one day to have "suitable commemorative exercises" and talk about families that have one man and one woman married, together with children... But I guess that would be too boring, and no doubt there would be those that would jump up and protest, saying that a day like that would be prejudicial and detrimental to children that don't live in that "type" of environment... I would really like to see "common sense" make a come back... California Legislatures would do well to concentrate on making sure that our schools are teaching actual educational classes in reading, writing and arithmetic. They don't want my religious views and opinions to interfere or be forced upon them, then they shouldn't be trying to FORCE their views on me, and especially MY children... Believe it or not, people still ask WHY I choose to home school...

Preparing for Back to School...

So, I'm one of those people that gets focused on the task at hand and doesn't like to stop until it's d-o-n-e, done. Instead of starting my lesson planning at the beginning of the week, like was my plan, I spent it "preparing" to do my lesson planning. I've been going through my school cabinet, sorting through, cleaning out and organizing. Cleaning off the school desks, etc... FINALLY, this morning, I was able to start the actual planning. I have managed to write out the first 16 weeks of my son's Catechism, Reading, Writing and English lessons! I'm SO proud of myself!! Those subjects are the hardest for me to organize and get straight, and it usually takes me a bit to get the "rhythm" of the books and lessons that are handed to me from our resource teacher, so I feel pretty accomplished, now. I'd like to just continue, but I think tomorrow i will work on his lessons for Math, History and Science for those same first 16 weeks... I wanted to do my oldest son's lessons first, because this is his first year of "junior high" and so, a little more difficult, and I don't want him getting behind, especially during my "down time"...

The best part is, when I was skimming through the new math book I got for him (which I was really kinda worried about... pre-algerbra... yuck!!) It came with a tutoring CD with interactive learning guides, activities and other cool things to help him (and maybe me!) get the concepts better! Cool!! so, I'm a little less worried, now... : )

After I get a good head start on #1's lessons, then I will start on the other two, for 1st and 4th grades. I still feel pretty competent in those grade levels, so I'm not too worried, yet! lol!! And those lessons should be a little more easy to plan out.

As I watch my stomach continue to pop forward, I find myself "nesting" in preparation more and more. After the lesson planning, I still need to get a start on the girls room, so that I can get #4 out of my room and sleeping in a room with her sissy, in order to make room for #5. But I still have PLENTY of time, right? lol! Sure!! : )

My VERY 'Cherubic' Grand daughter...

With big families and busy work schedules we don't always have the opportunity to see and visit with my son and his family as often as I would like... but I wanted to share a GREAT picture I took yesterday of my daughter holding her baby niece... I just love her red hair and she gets very excited, wanting to jump and kick her legs when you talk and coo to her... At 5 months she is already trying her best to get up on those knees and crawl. And no doubt, the moment she does there will be NO stopping her and all her cute little cherubic rolls will melt away...

My Grandkids...

Yeah, that's right.... My husband has two children from a previous marriage. I have a step-daughter, 27, married with three sons of her own, and my step-son, 26 and married, also has two boys and a new baby girl... We haven't had contact with my step-daughter for several years, but think of and pray for her and her family often. My step-son I am in contact with, at least by phone, every week or two. Last Wednesday was his oldest son's birthday. The BIG #5... and I just can't help but grin when i look at him and see how much he looks like his dad... His dad was only 3 the first time we met and I think we hit it off shortly after...

I was very fortunate in that I never had a cross word with the kids mom. Not to say that it was always easy. There were ugly times of court hearings and arguments and kids caught in the middle that I wouldn't wish on anyone. But the kids mom and I never crossed words. I tried, I like to think , as best I could to stay out of the conflicts between she and my husband and to be there for the kids, however they needed me to be. With the two kids both grown and married with kids of their own, now, it all seems like a lifetime ago... but, yeah, I'm the mom with kids ages 12,9,6, almost 2 years old and one on the way with grand kids ages 8,7, 5, almost 3, almost 2, and 5 months. So my two, soon to be three younger kids have nieces and nephews older than them! confused yet? lol!

I refer to my step-son as my oldest son. I have always thought the world of him and I think that bond grew even closer when he chose to move in to our home when he was 10, and before I had had any of my own kids, until he moved out after high school and joined the CC's. Despite his rough and tough exterior, and his problems with a bad temperment in school, deep inside, I knew he was just a sensitive kid. His eyes would melt me every time... When my husband and I did have our first child together, that sensitive side of my step-son really did shine, as he had no problem jumping in helping me to take care of the baby. I have always teased him about having "the touch" when it comes to calming baby's and putting them to sleep. His wife has informed me that he still has this "gift" with his own... : ) I always knew he was a good kid... : )

I am recalling all this as I think about my visit yesterday to see his wife and kids and give his oldest son his birthday present yesterday. Already 5, and now ready to start kindergarten in just over a week... Looking just like his dad at that age and ready to go conquer the world, I'm so proud of how my step-son has turned out and I'm proud of his family... He's a hard worker that supports his beautiful wife as she stays home with the kids. Not too many families have that "luxury" these days... and she seems to be the perfect balance to him as they work hard together to raise their family in this less than perfect world. Despite his own topsy-turvey and not always so smooth childhood, he seems to be doing his best to make the lives of his wife and children better than his own was.... Such a great kid...

First Vows...

Tomorrow's the BIG day... I can't believe that it's already been three years since my niece chose to leave UCLA her junior year to answer God's call to be His bride... wow...

My six year old daughter reminds me of her in so many ways... mostly her outgoing personality... She easily captures the attention of any room she enters... But tomorrow, Alicia, MY "Weesh", now known as Sr. Catherine Marie, will join 13 of her fellow Sisters to make their First Vows before God and families and receive the black veil. August 6, the Feast of the Transfiguration (how COOL is THAT?!) the biggest group to make First Vows since the Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist first started in Ann Arbor eleven years ago, with only 4 Sisters. The group, counting all Postulants, Novices, Temporary and Final Professed, now number 75, and growing, expecting another large number of women to join them in the next few weeks. The average age of the Sisters is 28...

Wishing so much I could be there to see this momentous and beautiful event, I will be there in spirit. And I know that Sr. Catherine Marie and her sisters will continue to lift us all in prayer. In the mean time, I'll be waiting anxiously to see pictures from her mom, who left today with her other daughter and husband to go to the ceremony, and then Sr. CM will be coming home for a visit (the first in two years!) in a couple of weeks. Be sure I'll be filling you all in!

Somethin's Up...

It's one of those mornings... I get up and the kids are NOT fighting, they are cooperating with EACH OTHER AS THEY DO THEIR CHORES, and using foreign words with each other, like "please" and "thank you"... I wonder what they are up to?....

What'dya Think?

At the suggestion from a fellow blogging mom, Almost Catholic Momma, I got a wild hair and decided to check out the Cutest Blog on the Block and try out a new look... So, what'dya think? I'm still not sure I did it right, because the middle section didn't change, just the sides, but then I'm still pretty amateur at this stuff... But it's fun to try something new and different!

It's the MOST Wonderful Time of the Year....!

I think of one of my favorite-funny commercials whenever this time of year is upon us...



Yes, it's that time of year again... Even though we homeschool, my children are just about as excited as the kids in the commercial... lol!! Summer break is just NEVER long enough for them! As for mom, well, sometimes it's a little too long... But with my husband working for a local school district HE tells me that summer break for the public schools was actually cut a week short this year. So my kids shouldn't really feel too bad...

Anyway, we saw our resource teacher last Friday, collected up our books and I will hopefully spend the next few days putting my lesson plans in order. My hope is to get as much done ahead of time as possible, before little Sam's pending arrival. As the clock ticks down to the end of October, given my past history with pregnancy, I need to be prepared for major changes in my health and possible hospitalizations, etc... God willing, NONE of that will happen. I mean, so far, my health has been surprisingly good. My blood pressure, the biggest surprise, has been in the 120's/70's, and I can only credit the prayers of support and perhaps the fish oil caplets that my doctor recommended awhile back. But BP has been the biggest culprit for making me sick during the last few weeks of my pregnancies, so, that's what I'm going to keep my eye on.

In the mean time, my kids will circle around these next few days moaning and groaning about not wanting to start school again, and summer was too short and the ever famous "It's not FAIR!!"... Oh well! Life, my children, is not fair... That's why we have FAITH! : ) Got to fit those catechism lessons in there too! : )The school year "officially" starts August 18th for us, but I hope to get a head start on that too, just in case I'm out of commission when the baby comes and I'll have a few days to play with. Suddenly I feel like time is just FLYING by!!

She Said "Banana"!!

Okay, well, it was more like "blamalamma", but it was SOMETHING!! : )

This baby will be 2 in September and the extent of her vocabulary has been stuck at "mama" , "dada", "ha" (with a wave of her hand, for hello, or when she answers the phone...) and the rest of her communication skills consists of hand gestures, whines, grunts, tantrums, and moans.... not necessarily crabby moaning. She'll carry on an entire conversation moaning her tones up and down and waving her arms... but to try and get her to put her lips together to make a /p/, /b/, /g/ or /n/ or any other consonant sound has been unsuccessful. I figured out awhile back that she really hasn't needed to talk. She has 3 older siblings that will jump to/for her at just about every little need she has. ANYTHING to get her to be quiet! lol!! The sad result is, is that she doesn't talk... I have friends with babies younger than mine that have entire conversations!! They know abc's and numbers and colors... and i seem to recall my other 3 spoke at about the same age/rate... Heck! my 6 year old started talking early and is in constant competition for the the most words spoken in a single day!! But not this stubborn one of mine... even simple things like holding up her drink cup and asking her "drink?" or "juice?" or "milk?" will bring on the most dramatic meltdown moment you will ever witness... Heaven forbid I EXPECT her to mimic "juice" back to me before I hand it to her....

So! I was both shocked AND elated when she brought me the banana's and I opened and cut one up for her, handing her the dish back saying my usual "banana", mostly just for my own amusement, and to let her know what they are called in case she ever wanted to ask for one by name, and she took the dish and said back "blamlala..." as she walked away... : ) made my day...

Help! The Ants Are Taking Over!!

In the 20 years we have lived in our home we have had the occasional roach, a mosquito or two, skeeter hawks, daddy long legs, and a few wood spiders, and of course one house fly is too many... But never, NEVER have we had an ant problem... Well, guess what?... This summer, the tiny, little, random, black ants have made their presence WELL known... Argh!

I don't get it... We have NEVER had ants, ever... and these little buggers are frustrating the heck out of me, to the point where I have resorted to chemical war fare, which I really don't like to do with the baby around... I have a friend in South Carolina that swears that Dawn dish soap and warm water directly on their ant hill will take care of the problem, but I have had no such luck... part of the problem is that I can't ever find a trail or where the heck they are coming from! They just appear, randomly, anywhere!! The really curious area was in the MIDDLE of my living room! The kids and I would spend hours on the floor trying to find WHERE they were coming from and going to, and it was almost like they were emerging from right there in the middle of the room...

Now, My sister lives in a newer home, built on what was formerly just a big dirt field. Cement foundation, and ants were pretty much expected every summer. We live in an older home, probably built in the 60's, with wood floors and about a 2-3 foot crawl space underneath, but I'm not sure if these ants could actually, or why they would actually start coming through the middle of the floor. The good news is after pretty much DAILY vacuuming they seemed to have disappeared from the living room, but have reappeared in the dining room, kitchen AND bathroom. Yuck! So far, the bedrooms have been clear...

So, I am open to any and all suggestions... Any ideas?...