Mama-luia

I had wanted to post pictures of my Big Exciting Draw, where Patrick with a somewhat confused expression draws two names from a basket after I had lovingly written them out. But I am so very tired today. The idea of retrieving my camera, uploading my pictures and so on, is exhausting me. I wish I had a 'normal' excuse -- baby not sleeping through the night, pregnancy-induced insomnia, or any insomnia for that matter -- but I am tired out by just trying to make it through the day. As absolutely dweeby as it sounds, I am very much looking forward to Lent, which begins tomorrow, hurray! I am going to do my utmost to quiet my heart by stepping away from the online (non) world and be more present to the real people who mean the world to me -- my family. Of course I love being connected with friends and family, but I will be frank, I have a love/hate relationship with Facebook and even blogging -- in that I love with whom I am able to connect with, but hate the means with which...

Linking up with the inspiring women at Like Mother, Like Daughter   for an instalment of  {pretty, happy, funny, real} {pretty} Or should I say "cute"? My sweet little boy filling out Valentines to give out to his friends at his little library program. (It was their last class so they were asked to bring them in a week early.) The Valentines themselves? Also very pretty. Have a look ! {happy} Well I took so many 'happy' photos this week, you're just going to have to get prepared to scroll a little. My oldest playing dress-up -- a cassock from the All Saints' costume box, a dinosaur hat made by his beloved (and very crafty) aunt and a knight costume, all in one. He was a firefighter. Of course. While I set about cleaning the master bedroom, the boys sat on my bed and busily wrote. Isaiah (20 months) drew squiggles and Noah (3 1/2) wrote a fairy tale. Well, he got me to tell him how to spell "A Fairy Tale" and tha...

Mom-guilt. This expression has become a cliche for mothers nowadays. We say it all the time, we hear it all the time, and most of all, we think  it all the time. It creeps us on us when we start comparing ourselves to other women, and what we think  we should be doing. "I'm having such mom-guilt for putting the tv on so I can doze for half an hour in the afternoons!" "I have mom-guilt for making Kraft Dinner when their father's out of town." and so on and so forth. Sometimes we use this expression jokingly in our modern parlance. I sarcastically said to my sister on the phone how "oh yeah I have reeeeal 'mom-guilt for not doing a craft every day with Noah." I was using a joking tone of voice, but I think I was revealing an insecurity. I was seeking affirmation from her that it's okay that I don't devout every waking minute to my kids' enrichment. November 2011. Making pizza dough  Oh how I miss those baby face...

On Monday I needed to do some errands -- the weekly groceries, a trip to the bank, and I was in need of a gift for my mother-in-law who's birthday was coming up. She is an avid bibliophile, and I thought she might like One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp, something I haven't read (yet!) but based on my exposure to Ann Voskamp's writing, it really seemed up my mother-in-law's alley. Rather than wasting the gas by going into the city another day during the week, I decided to bundle the kids up and do all the errands in one packed morning. We had a grand ol' time. We always do, really, when we head out (especially when we are lucky enough to have  this song  play on the radio while we cruise around). When we arrived at Chapters, I quickly found the Voskamp book, found a nice day-planner for myself at 75% off (yipee!) and then told the boys we could play around in the kids' section for a while. They have a Thomas train table set up there, as well as other vario...

It's February, generally the hardest month of the year for me. This year I planned ahead for it somewhat: I took January off , I am taking my physical health to heart and implementing a few small but necessary changes to keep myself well, and I got rid of some major clutter in January so I wouldn't be feeling so cagey in my own home. And so far, this has been my best February yet. But there is one thing lacking. As much as these various ways of looking after myself were, are, crucial, I want to do something for someone else (well, besides the three fellows I look after). I want to brighten someone else's day. So. . . I am hosting a little giveaway. Don't look so shocked, Lucy, I said so in the title of this post! I figure most people like getting things in the mail, and most people like books, so go on and check out my book recommendations and pick the one that interests you. Tell me which one you want in the comments and I'll enter you into a draw....

All of us have read books in our lives that stayed in our hearts for many years after reading them. Sometimes the words are so powerful that you can still picture where you were and how you felt when you read a particular passage. The following books have been like that to me. They have challenged me greatly and shaped my thinking in a new, and hopefully better, direction. I want to introduce you to some of my close friends. Happy are You Poor by Fr. Thomas Dubay This beautiful book elucidates the teaching that all Christians, not just vowed religious, are called to the Evangelical counsel of poverty. Fr. Dubay writes with wisdom and clarity, but also sensitivity, because he knows how radical what he is saying actually is. Patrick asked me to read this book when we were dating, as when he read it for school, he felt the ground shake from underneath him. I had a similar reaction. How could we possibly aspire to a marriage that embraced Gospel poverty, especially when you also e...