Exhaling at Home (Opus Gloriae)

Really. Love. Coffee.

This is really yum. Even the decaf.

Just thought I'd share with the coffee-lovers among us...

Happy Father's Day

Father's Day is kind of a big deal around here.

We have a LOT of cards to make: Dad, Grandpa, godfathers, new fathers, priest-fathers...

The kids were really into 3D craft cards this year. I'll spare you a look at the craft mess and only share with you a look at the results.

We handed most of them out today, and it was nice to see the encouragement the recipients gave to the kids in return.

Such a simple way to reach out to others.

Treasuring my tedium

Because life is beautiful.

And less is more.

And simple is good.

And the routine chores of the day give me the opportunity to remember that....

Be still and watch TV

Like everyone reading this, I've got a lot to do and very little time to do it.

Life keeps getting busier, it seems; and God's not adding any minutes to the day to allow us to catch up. I've gotten better at "letting go" of a lot of things that used to seem very important - sorting through the junk drawer, keeping a mental inventory of all the art supplies in the closet, working hard so that my house could be photographed at any moment without reflecting poorly on the housekeeper (not that I actually thought anyone would take a photograph, but my mental pictures are more self-torturous than any others anyway), having to say "yes" to every request and be everywhere for everyone or suffer the angst of letting someone down, etc. You know what I mean.

I have always needed quiet space, but as my family has grown, my quiet has decreased proportionately, and I have learned to offer the quiet I long for to God. There is much that needs to be done to keep things running smoothly here, and taking care of these people is the "living sacrifice" God asks of mothers. We don't get a lot of "down time."

But as much as I long for "down time," there is something that I still find difficult: sitting down to watch television. I can sit silently for several hours before the Blessed Sacrament, or in a quiet natural place and just "be". I can even sit with someone quietly and just "be with" them. I don't need frenetic activity. But I find it very hard to sit still and be entertained by the television.

That's ok, of course, because television is hardly a redemptive activity, or one in which I should engage.

Unless.

Unless my children really want me to sit with them to watch something.

This has remained a struggle with me, so sometimes I find myself doing something else (sewing buttons or sorting papers or the like) while I'm there. Or I watch the first part and then the dryer starts calling me and I excuse myself to fold laundry and then I continue working instead of returning to the show, thinking no one will miss me.

But the kids have noticed. They've started ordering movies that they think I will like so that I will stay there and watch the whole thing (like "Martian Child," "The Pianist," various documentaries, "The Scarlet and the Black," etc.). That's when I knew I could no longer get away with my stealthy escape schemes. I really needed to sit with them on Friday evening and watch. The. Entire. Movie.

I confessed this to a friend of mine and she confessed to the same problem and then said, "I'm going to coin a new phrase: 'Sacrificial Sitting.'" Yes. Sacrificial Sitting. Remaining where you are when you want to run. Keeping my body right there for the people who want it there, as a living sacrifice.

Is this too much to ask?

Who knows? I might even enjoy the show.

 

 

I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  ~Romans 12:1

Our Memorial Day Weekend...

...began with my sister's wedding.

Here - for the curious among us - is a picture of my mother and her eight children. Bonus points for those of you who recognize me, even though I am wearing something out-of-character. Hint: I'm the oldest.

(On that "oldest" note, I mentioned to our pastor when he mentioned my recent birthday that I had discovered two gray hairs on my head. He laughed and said, "Do you think one is from being on the Pastoral Council and the other from heading up the Carmelites?" I said, "Maybe. But I'm thinking one is Clare and one is Rob!")

 

Music was generously provided by the Mulderink and Lorang children, nieces and nephews to the bride. They really did a beautiful job, arranging, playing, and cantoring.

 

 

Some shenanigans from this gregarious family. The redhead next to Clare is her boyfriend, Cameron, and only looks like one of our natural children. I’m not sure WHAT the boys are doing here…

 

 

 

 

On Sunday, we participated in our parish’s Corpus Christi Procession downtown. The most moving moment was when the driver of a small pickup truck pulled over to the side of the road, got out of his car and knelt down in the grass as Jesus passed by. Wow. THAT was a better witness than the rest of us gave, I think. I wish I’d had the camera to share that with you.

 

 

Finally, we added a lower level deck in the backyard.

My husband calls it “Deck in a Day.” We should trademark that. He and I woke early on Monday and ran to Panera to visit Clare (who had started at 5 a.m.) and have some breakfast and coffee. Then we headed over to load up lumber and back home to feed everyone lunch and get to work.

 

 

They really do some great work, don’t they? And have some fun and frivolity.

"...the lesser light to rule the night..."

We're studying space.

Really studying.

This has captured the imagination of the boys in a great way, and they are all writing reports on some planet or asteroids or... the moon.

The moon was hit with rocks from space which formed large craters all over its surface (they were not exactly dropped by children standing on kitchen chairs).

A big meteorite formed something like the Sea of Tranquility. Well, this was actually several impacts, but we wondered how much flour would be ejected OUT of the pie plate if we dropped on LARGE stone into the middle. Rest assured, the flour cloud was completely satisifying to everyone under 16 involved with the experiment.

Many years after the formation of all these craters, people arrived and looked up and saw all kinds of funny things, like faces and cheese and seas on the surface.

And then man walked on the moon! We veered from historical accuracy so that everyone present could have his/her Lego guy walk in the flour... er, leave their footprints on the lunar surface. We even left lunar rover tire marks before Mom decided that this experiment must be concluded and the table must be set so that dinner could be eaten.

Now to get this into print and wrap a report cover around it before the enthusiasm fades...

Who are we, anyway?

I love to see other families at life, and love to hear their names and see their faces. So, when someone recently asked about posting pictures of my own family, I wondered why I hadn't done that before! So, here we are (forgive the goofy pictures; they're all I've got available at the moment). I've made this a permanent page as well.

I hope this is as much fun for you as it is for me:

Mom and Dad

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Clare Marie, 18 (with Mom)

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Robert Charles Raphael, 13 (with his godmother...he's serious about whipped cream)

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Benedict Joseph, 12 (hard to find a serious picture of this middle child - he keeps us laughing!)

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Emma Annunziata, 10 ("Twin A")

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Rachel Rosemary, 10 ("Twin B")

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Luke Francis, 9

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Samuel John, 7 (with Grammy)

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Some shots of our clan in action, and our usual happy chaos:

Why bother? Some ramblings...

As is so often the case, I'm seconding Elizabeth here.

And it happens so often that she says what I'm thinking (and undoubtedly says it better than I could, even if I found the time to try), she's got me wondering, "Why bother?" about a different (but related) topic.

Why bother posting here?

I am giving this some time before I close up shop and put up my "gone fishin'" sign, and I appreciate your prayers and thoughts in the meantime. These questions may be arising from the fatigue of a long and draining winter; but I can't help but feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information and ideas and words out there, and my fear has always been - whether I am publishing another book or writing an article or posting on one of the blogs or writing in my own journal - that I am simply adding to the noise, contributing nothing worthwhile but only adding more syllables to the cacophany. We certainly do not need more of that.

My days are full and there are a lot of little people to whom I am grateful to give myself during the day, and there are evenings filled with events or guests or meetings for whatever we are involved in. The Ministry of the Open Door often fills in hours I thought I would have to do something else, to which I respond, "Fiat voluntas Tua." The writing is done in odd snatches of time, or very early or very late in the day. And although I am driven to write (and that, really, defines a writer, doesn't it? One who is so driven to wrap things in words that they can't stop, even if they try?), I am not 100% certain that it is my calling to share all those words with others.

If there were a need, a vacuum, a shortfall of good ideas out there, I would feel a greater urgency about helping to fill it. But let's face it: we have the opposite problem. There is TOO MUCH in the way of excellent and inspiring ideas out there. There is TOO MUCH stimulating conversation. There are a LOT of great moms doing great things and generously sharing their ideas and projects with us (we can't have "too many" great moms!). There are wonderful voices singing wonderful hymns of loveliness and nurture and Catholic family culture. When I need a craft, a prayer, a seasonal recipe, a liturgical tidbit, a little motivation, I have almost too much from which to choose. I come away from my "research" with just what I was looking for and more, but with the little thought that maybe we need less, not more. Not more.

So, why am I still here? Why bother?

I haven't discerned the answers yet. I'm trusting your prayers and feedback might help me with that...

When boys do laundry

Mom: Really, boys? Do you really think this makes sense?

Tween boy: Makes sense? I dunno. But it's cool.

Incidentally, HE took the pictures. For himself.

I'm still me

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

h/t Elizbeth

This would not surprise my kids in the least... My kids think I'm a hippie because I used to dress like one, but you shouldn't judge the person by their past. But can you judge the mom by the Montessori quiz?