Mama-luia

"Matrimony is a Gospel in itself, a Good News for the world today, especially the dechristianized world." Pope Benedict XVI, Homily for the Mass for the Opening of the Synod of Bishops, 2012. (Photo cred) I tend to live my marriage as routine -- get up and feed children, make coffee for Patrick (or, just as often, drink the coffee he made me; thanks, dear), throw a load in the washer, throw a load in the dishwasher and play with kids. School pick-ups, dinner, readalouds and prayer time, and then in the final and peripheral moments of the day, speak with Patrick about what is on each of our minds (usually stuff related to the kids, funny or interesting things spotted online and super -fun budgeting conversations.). Lather, rinse, repeat. Rarely do I step back and look at the full picture of what we are living, because I'm up to my eyeballs in the daily maintenance of it. It's hard to think or feel anything is especially "holy" when it looks li...

When New Year's rolled around this year, I, like more than half of the world, made the decision to lose weight. Maybe I have been saying this every year since, I dunno, the fifth grade, so clearly my issues with my weight are nothing new. But this year, as opposed to my previous years of mothering, I feel really and truly well-rested. By January, my "baby" was already 19 months old and had been sleeping through the night for more than a half a year. That meant I was finally catching up with my sleep deficit. It turns out, a lot of my challenges related to my physical and mental health are directly tied to how well I'm sleeping. That perhaps seems self-evident, but the difference I felt confirmed that in a whole new way . So I unceremoniously signed up for Myfitnesspal and began tracking calories, knowing that Weight Watchers had worked for me in the past. I also knew that cutting out "problem" foods (like sugar) has landed me face-first in a box of Doubl...

Outside my window... there is still much snow on the ground, but I also see the icicles dripping from my roof; the temperatures are rising, and Spring will finally arrive (supposedly?). I can't wait. Well said. I am thinking... that as much as I buck limitations and restrictions -- nobody puts baby in a corner! -- I feel my best when I operate within them. Specifically, calorie-counting and budgeting. I took the week off from counting my calories during the Octave of Easter because... Easter... and I hadn't brought my food scale to Halifax, and it's vaguely annoying tracking my food. Surprise, surprise, I gained weight (not a lot, mind you, but still). Now I am back on the bandwagon and I feel so much more in control! Likewise, I've reverted to paying cash for groceries. Yes, I feel a little silly walking around the grocery store, doing a prolonged addition problem as I add each item to my cart (and yes, I am literally writing prices and adding on paper, ...

In September, I was making dinner one evening, enjoying a rare moment of quiet since Patrick had taken the three older kids to the 4:30 College Mass in our town. I was left listening to a podcast, chatting with Elijah and browning some ground beef when the phone rang. It was my Dad calling to tell me he had signed up that day for RCIA. My dad took us to Mass every Sunday when we were children. He has been there for every one of his children's sacraments, as well as his grandkids, too -- flying across the country at great expense to be present for this milestone in their lives.  He has supported us in every way I can think of to have a Catholic upbringing.  This is all despite the fact that he was not Catholic himself. So when he called me that September evening, I wasn't exactly surprised. He had, in fact, mentioned over the years that he was interested in doing so. Yet even with some advance suspicions, it didn't stop me from literally falling onto...