Ash Wednesday and Lent

This past Wed. was Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season for Catholics. Many of us spend time up to Ash Wednesday debating over what type of thing/things we will give up for the 40 days of Lent. Instead of giving up something completely, we are going to make changes and make sure we are following all the rules of lent..such as no meat on Fridays, and we are even going to try to have dinner at the church on Fridays if Bill is home in time. We are going to only eat on big meal a day and snack on uncooked fruits or veggies the rest of the day. We are only going to drink water during the day, but at dinner we can have what we want (though no sugar or soda). We are going to go for a family walk when Bill gets home unless the weather is bad. We have turned off the TV and Internet time is limited to checking weather, news, and updating the family blog. We are also going to read a passage from the bible for each night of Lent, discuss them together. There is a list of great ones to read for Lent at www.AmericanCatholic.org under the Feb. 2007 Catholic Update.

Even at all we are going to do, I have to say that the following passage by Mark E Thibodeaux, S.J. is inspirational and everyone should do their best to observe this kind of "fast". What better way to glorify God and the sacrifice of his only Son by performing the acts of kindness he would want us to always give?

'Lent is a time of prayer, penance, and of course, fasting. But what type of fasting should I do? One of my favorite Lenten Scriptures passages is Isaiah 58: " This rather, is the fasting that I wish: releasing those bound, setting free the oppressed and homeless, sharing your bread with the hungry, clothing the naked and not turning your back on your own" As difficult as it is for me to give up candy bars and to pray for ever-longer periods of time, I find Isaiah's type of fasting an even greater challenge. To concretely reach out to those in need-to actually reach out to real homeless people, prisoners and even to those of "my own" whom I've imprisoned in my heart through rejection, negligence or being judgmental-this would make for a far more difficult Lent. Every Lent we are invited to meditate on Scripture. But this Lent, I also invite you to set about tasks which lead to greater reconciliation with God and others, and especially with those who are on the "outs" whether in society or people closer to home.'

February 2007

Catholic Update

St. Anthony Messenger press

Family

Well, this past Saturday was Fab's birthday and it was really great to see him and his awesome wife, Leigh Anne. Bill and I love the two of them dearly and are so glad they are in our lives. The pictures are all from the party at their home; can I say I want that train rocker? It is SO COOL!!!! Leigh Anne found them on sale somewhere...AWESOME buy!!! Little guy had so much fun playing on them with her! Happy birthday, Fab!!

Valentine Fun

Hi, all! It has been quite a busy February! On Tuesday I had band practice for a concert this Sunday and I have been practicing furiously since because there is one part with an A flat above the scale and I can't hit it yet....sigh. The struggles of a musician...lol! Anyways, then Wed. my CCD class had a party so Little Guy and I brought stuff for that and then had the kids all go over acts of kindness they are going to work on during lent. We had to cover a lot because we don't have class next week for Ash Wednesday...I think we did OK though. Little Dude was very well behaved as well! Bill went out with guys from work and got to do some "guy" stuff, which was very fun for him!

Today, Little Guy and I went to a Valentine's Day party with all the MOMS Club girls and kids...MUCH fun!! I made mac and cheese and everyone loved it....it was only noodles and melted Velveeta and mozzarella.....but I didn't let them know how easy it was to make....it was kinda fun having everyone gush to me about how great it was...haha! The party was so fun; we made valentine boxes and passed out valentines...the older children were having so much fun! I loved watching them all play and interact! Like a dope, I forgot to charge the batteries for my camera, sooooo I have no pictures :( I am sad. However; one of the other moms got a picture of Little Guy and his two other baby friends, Taylor and Devin....she said she would email it to me...if she remembers, as soon as I get it I will post it. At any rate, on the 27th we are having playgroup at my house, so I will get some pics of Little Guy and his friends then!

Also, this week, Little Guy and I went to the Science Museum here...it was VERY interesting. It also had great interactive stuff for older kids; I think I like it better(for kids) than the one back home. There were all kinds of cool games for children to play and there was even a cool mirror room that Little Guy loved (it had mirrors of all different shapes and sizes, showing how they distorted your image, etc). Friday we are going to the library for reading time and a puppet show, going shopping for a birthday present, then packing to head home for the awesome B-Day party! Happy Birthday Fab!!! See all our home town friends this weekend!!

Super Bowl

Well, the super bowl was pretty fun! My little sister, Lisa, came up and spent the night so she could watch the game with us! Her visit was really fun! Bill and I got all excited we were going to

have a visitor here at our new place, so we went crazy making treats and finger foods! Yummy! We also found a GREAT recipe for cheese dip on Food Network! I love Food Network; all the cooks are like my extended family now..hahah! Anyways, we made bunches of finger foods and drank some beer and had a great time. Lisa and I cheered for "DA BEARS" simply because it reminded me of the Saturday Night Live skit with Chris Farley that Julie Z has...if you have not seen it, tell Julie you have to because it is AWESOME! Sadly, "DA BEARS" lost, but honestly I did not care, nor did I pay any real close attention to the game...Lisa and I were having much more fun talking and playing with little guy! heehee!

In other news, our little guy is now eating green peas. Yes, green peas, I know, he is such a big boy! They are the baby food jar green peas, but he LOVES them!!! I can not feed him the peas fast enough LOL!!! Since I love peas too, it makes since...must be my kid! haha! Anyways, he is enjoying having some taste to his baby food and in a few days we are going to try carrots. I think we will go through the veggies, then meats, the fruits. I am not sure if that is a good order, it was just one I came up with, so anyone with suggestions feel free to leave them. Also, right now, our little guy has a cold. It has not been to bad, except last night he really started coughing a lot in his sleep...so needless to say I did not get much sleep because I was up worrying about him! Gosh, who knew how much you could be concerned over a cold? Parenthood changes everything so wonderfully! Anywho, I am not sure if I should take him to a doctor (he has no temp) or if I should just get a grip and realize that at some point he was going to catch a cold, so getting one in the winter is normal. I guess I am lucky he has not gotten one before now! I am surprised he hasn't had an ear infection yet....all the kids at the daycare had them ALL the time...but our little guy has been all good with his ears...I'm going to say it is the breastfeeding, but honestly I do not know if that helps or makes a difference, but it makes me feel good. So, anyone with advice/stories on how to handle the "first cold" please feel free to share!

Today, 2-6-07, little dude and I went to the Oak Ridge Children's Museum with the MOMS Club girls and we had a blast! There are play areas that mimic a kid sized house, rain forest, desert, and the secret city of Oak Ridge! We weren't supposed to take pics, but I snuck a few in. We hung out, watched the older children play, played with the kids close to our age and best of all I got to talk to other moms for 3 hours...very fun and informative! I got great advice on dealing with two kids and spacing them and such. I really like all the women/girls in MOMS and I have a lot of fun with them, but I must say they are a little hippie for me....like all of them (that I have hung out with so far, 11 women total, there are more members, but not in my little guys playgroup age) use cloth diapers (except me, I am polluting the earth with BJ brand size 2) and they all make their own baby food from organic sources or buy organic baby food(except me, I am polluting the earth with tiny, baby sized glass jars and polluting my child with ungodly toxins from the mutated peas placed in the tiny, baby sized glass jars). Other than those two issues, I really like all the girls. You would've enjoyed being there when they heard my thoughts on organic baby cereal(seriously, the stuff is able to last for 5 years..how? preservatives, my friends, preservatives. And when something is packed that full of preservatives, does it matter anymore if it is organic or not?).....their looks were great. Thank goodness they all seem to like me anyway, so I guess they aren't to hippie.....


Also in more news I had my first secret shopper job today! Cool, eh? I just take little guy with me and evaluate stores! Then I just wait for money to come in.. as Borat would say"Very Nice".
Well, little guy is up from his nap, so we are going to get ready for the gym! Bye!

Random info

Here are new pics our our pride and joy! The giraffe little dude is playing with in one of the pics is the giraffe we got for him while we were in Las Vegas last February! We had just announced to everyone we were pregnant and since I was unable to drink all the free drinks while gambling (that was a bummer) Bill said he would buy me some baby stuff (that made missing out on the free drinks much better) and one of the many items he got me was the giraffe! Amazing how much can change in a year, eh? Not only is our little guy here, but he is rolling around, hugging and playing with the giraffe! COOL!!!

Well, there is not any huge news to share, so I thought I would just talk about general stuff we have been doing. Tonight the East Tenn. Concert Band meets and I will be there while Bill and little guy go to the gym! Yay! I must say that playing with a group again is very fun! Also, Bill and I have been doing great going to the gym and so far it has been super fun! Yesterday we played with the medicine ball, did some rowing, raced each other around the track and then did some weights....cool huh? Yes, I am proud of us keeping up the work out so well! In other great news, the girls at the gym daycare LOVE our little guy and one girl that wasn't working, but was there working out, saw up picking him up to go home so she ran in to say hi to him! That makes any parent happy when the daycare people love their kid, even if they do only see him 1 or so every day!

Tomorrow I have CCD (catholic religious ed for kids getting ready for confirmation, for those of you who are not Catholic)and the kids were begging me to play "hang man" with them, SO we are going to play it, except with all religious terms. I'm thinking I will give them the definition, and then give each kid a turn at guessing a letter; the winner can be the next to draw the "hang man". I hope they get something out of it! It should be fun though!

We just found out a little while ago that our friends, "Sarge" and Carma, are due in July with their first baby! YAYAYAY!! They live in Seattle, WA and we went to their wedding last summer while I was pregnant...it was so beautiful and fun! Now we can't wait to get back out there after their little bundle comes so the kids can meet and play! Most of our readers know "Sarge", but for those who don't, he is Mike, also an ex-army ranger(he got out last year) and now he is a WA State Trooper...also all throughout school (he and Bill went grew up in the same neighborhood as kids) Mike was all about Army stuff, so I guess the nickname "Sarge" started then, and only became more cemented with his careers. Anyways, for the longest time I had no idea what "Sarge's" real name was! Also, just for cool trivia info, I met Sarge at the party Bill threw to celebrate getting an apt with his brother, John, and friend, Justin, which is also the same party where I first met Bill! Awesome! Who knew going to a party could lead to meeting such WONDERFUL friends and a future husband?

The MOMS Club here is having a play date at the mall tomorrow morning too. Little guy and I are going to try to go, so long as nap time doesn't interfere. Next week we will be having a play date with other kids around his age (up to a year) and I think it is going to be at my house..I haven't heard yet if my place was chosen yet, but no one else had offered and its WAY TO COLD to meet at a park. I offered it as a place for one, it will guarantee I won't get lost trying to find someone else's house and for two, our house is laid out perfectly for blocking the kids off in one area to play, while the moms and I can snack and talk and watch the kids with no problems. I made a great little play area for little dude, with mirrors, and real pictures and his toys, that I think will be fun for the other kids too. Anyways, I will let you guys know how that goes.

More more news, it has be FREEZING here...really. Yesterday it was 18 degrees Fahrenheit at lunch time....18 degrees!!!!! ARRRGGHH!! Today it has not gotten over 20 degrees. Can I just say I HATE cold? Fall is awesome, beautiful and crisp; once it starts getting to freezing temps though, I am done. DONE. Now I am ready for summer.

Friends/moms club

Hey guys! Here are a few pics from the weekend home! The party was lots of fun and catching up with everyone was great! It has been way to long since we have been back! Our new home is great, but I am looking forward to being back around our friends and family soon! (maybe next year? keep your fingers crossed for us guys!) Notice the lack of Wolfpack memorabilia on our walls...yes, I know, we repainted the basement and redid the floors last summer...and yes, we have been that busy, and gone that much that we have YET to have gotten all the Wolfpack items put on the walls...I know, a travesty! I promise to get on it the next time we are home!! Go Pack!! Yay, for Coach O'Brian! Check out http://www.gopack.com/ for cool updates of our team!

In other news, little guy and I went to a Moms Club event (http://www.momsclub.org/) and it was VERY fun! Our little guy is getting big enough that he is now enjoying our play dates and outings!

We have an AWESOME baby bookworm time at our local library and there is a great Mother Goose time nearby as well...baby bookworm reads for all the kids, Mother Goose does a lot of nursery rhymes and singing and dancing...it is GREAT! Today we got to play with maracas and little Dude LOVED it! It is so much fun watching all the children at these events; they just love playing together and hanging out! I esp. love the wide-eyed look our little guy gives everyone....I think he is amazed there are other small people...lol! It's great!

For any new stay at home moms, or even just moms that need extra ideas for entertaining their kids of all ages, Moms Club is a great resource! I have also found some great resources at Mothers of Preschoolers too! Check it out: http://www.mops.org/. MOPS is super good because it supports both at home AND working moms and has weekend family activities....Moms Club is geared more for stay at home moms and helping them find activities to fill the day hours while Dads are at work, though they do have some weekend events depending on what members of the local groups want/need.

I am excited to be at the "motherhood" point of my life...it is GREAT! I also cant wait for some of our friends to start having children too...there are a few I know of trying right now and I just can't wait for all of us to get together and watch the children play...guys, how fun will that be? AWESOME!!!!

And I can't wait for all the kids to be preschoolers, then I can pull out all of the notebooks with games and ideas from my days as a preschool teacher! YAY!!! Just wait til I show you how to make "magic" bottles! (it is corn syrup in a normal soda bottle-wash out very well-and add in color dye-if you want-and colorful items of different weight and size, then turn the bottle over and over. The items will "float" around like a lava lamp! You can also do it with oil and water...dye them each different colors, then shake...it will mix to make a "new" color, then slowly separate again..."MAGIC!!" Preschoolers love it! Anyways, I am all ready for little guy to be 3 or 4! Heehee! My kids will think I'm so cool until they get to middle school.....

Visit Home

Well, we had a great visit back home this past weekend! We were able to get a lot of our friends over on Sat. and catch up while enjoying some mighty fine drinks and food! Thanks to everyone that came over! I will work on getting pictures from the weekend posted...right now they are still on my camera....I know, I am a slacker!

In other news, I was watching Oprah today while little guy napped, and her topic was right on base for me..."Motherhood...to stay home or work?" It is a tough choice for many women, work or stay home? But from my experience so far, I would highly recommend staying home.
True, women must put their careers on hold, or maybe even give them up completely, but honestly, is there anything more important than family? Is anything more important than the special moments of childhood? I do sometimes feel badly that I'm not "contributing" money wise to help Bill, and sometimes I do wish I had the daily interaction that work bring and sometimes I wish I could buy things for Bill or other family members that I know he/they would like. BUT at the same time, what greater contribution can I make than to teach our son our values? To hold him when he is sick? And read to him? Feed him? Take him outside to play?What is better than telling Bill that little guy sick, but that I was able to hold him all day and comfort him, that little guy never had to cry 10 min for food or attention? We cant have everything we want right away; we have to pinch pennies and save; we have to make plans for future projects around the house and yard, but it is worth it.

I am blessed to have the option; I know many moms that wish they did have a choice and I am quite happy and blessed to be at home, sharing special moments with my little dude and being super wife for my husband....after doing it, I cant imagine anything better. Here are some more pics of our happy little guy!






Well, Bill will be home soon, so we will be going to the gym! I have to get ready and pack up little guy! Talk to you all later!