Mama-luia

7 Quick Takes:  Bringing  the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd  into the home At the end of November, a friend of mine and I launched the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program in our parish. For those unfamiliar with the program, I believe this brief video captures it beautifully. We've had several sessions now, learning about the liturgical year and its colours, modelling how to slowly and reverently make the sign of the Cross, how to walk purposefully and quietly in the atrium -- in general, how to comport ourselves to be better equipped to participate in the Mass. We've also directed them with Montessori 'practical life' activities, such as pouring, scooping, threading beads, using tongs to pick things up to sort, and so on. They have eagerly learned about the globe and the land of Israel and have enjoyed being able to identify where Christ was born, lived and died and rose again. The delight with which these children receive these lessons is so gra...

I desperately want to post a photo-dump, from the first day of school, all the way to Anna's fifth birthday (YES, I KNOW, she is five now. What in the world?!). BUT I have to do some serious organizing of photos to make that happen. So for the moment, I hope to whet your appetite for my thoughts by yet another Daybook. Outside my window... It's overcast and a bit dark looking, but neither raining nor excessively cold. A comfort to me in the increasingly shorter days of November. I am thinking... about the beautiful life of Chiara Corbella Petrillo. This article deeply touched me. I am thankful... for a cosy day home with my toddler who is currently in his housecoat eating a snack. There mustn't be anything cuter in the world than a small child in either a) footie pyjamas, b) a hooded towel or c) a housecoat. They just look extra tiny and snuggly. Learning all the time... Right now, a great deal about the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd! Our atrium is set to take sail...

Hello there, readers. Long time, no blog. There's plenty to say about back-to-school happenings, life in general, but I thought I'd start instead with a pop quiz: What do  James van der Beek... (aka "Dawson") Chip Gaines... and my husband have in common? If you guessed, "occasionally unruly grooming styles,"  you would in fact be correct,  but the answer we were looking for is... They all have five children. Yes, you read that correctly.  Coming the end of March 2019, another little bouncing baby will join our clan. (Not actually Isaiah's reaction when we told him. Ha! Actually, he and his siblings danced on the front porch with joy  while eating a fudgesicle after we shared our news with them.  {I'm never one to let an important announcement or milestone pass without dessert of some sort...}) We are very happy and excited, but also deeply humbled by being given the ...

Outside my window... My "lawn" has become a jungle of weeds and the sky is rather overcast. The cool overcast morning makes me think of two of my favourite things -- autumn, and the East Coast. I always tell my Ontario friends and neighbours with a grin, "Oh I LOVE this weather! It's just like home!" when it's grey and drizzly. They think I'm nuts. But my hair has changed it's texture, moving away from the Atlantic Ocean and the resulting moisture in the air. I miss my East Coast hair. I am thinking... about this delicious blueberry muffin I am eating, which I made, thankyouverymuch, from blueberries I picked with my children. I felt like Little Sal's mom that day from my beloved Robert McCloskey book, and unlike Little Sal's mom, I didn't manage to lose any of them to bears! That blueberry-picking day will go down in history as "the day mommy actually planned and executed something something fun!" Indeed, Noah excitedly s...

Another guest post for your enjoyment today, written by the one and only Isaiah. I am Isaiah and I like salt but I don't like salt on stuff.

Today I am excited to have a new guest post from my sweet daughter, Anna.  Lucy is a doll that lives in a town named Barry's Bay. I got her at a yard sale at the Brotton's house across the street. She has tanned skin and black hair. She doesn't eat because she's a doll but she likes to go to the store and the beach. She likes to buy tomatoes and she likes popcorn. When I go to school, Lucy will stay home, because I can't find her. Anna with her baby and Lucy

A few people have asked me to share about our kitchen renos and I have neglected blogging about it for a while. While I was and am extremely excited about the transformation, there was a part of me that was embarrassed by the process. You see, in the land of slick mommy blogging, DIY and Pinterest-hacks, it's so much more chic to say "look at this awesome work we did all by ourselves!" Also, "my three side hustles on Etsy paid for this whole thing!" ... Except neither of those statements are true. The beautiful work on our kitchen was a pure gift from my in-laws. I am still so deeply humbled by that. They know I had been dreaming about painting the walls for as long as we've lived here (five years now!) and the floor desperately, DESPERATELY needed to be replaced because the tiles were broken or had burn and smoke marks where our old wood stove had been. Such work, however, always eluded us. Certainly in terms of money - sigh - but also even in ter...