One of the things I really love about homeschooling is the ample opportunity my kids have of to think and act creatively. So,
today, two things happened. First, Lucy decided to illustrate the mysteries of the Rosary (unschooling at its best - see the Assumption of Mary and the Crucifixion in crayon below). Next, she and Victor decided it would be really cool to 'scare Daddy' when he got home from work. This began as the decoration of an old box with drawings of monsters. A little while later, I heard giggling in the bathroom and decided to investigate. Pictured above is what I found. I did intervene in time to prevent green hands and feet. We attempted to remove the marker before music class this evening. After 10 minutes of scrubbing, she just looked sea sick.
2 comments:
Oh my goodness... that's MARKER????!!!!!!!!!!
Hmmm. She did a pretty good job, actually. Way to stay in the lines;0!
Sorry I never answered your question about daily Mass on my blog... I totally forgot you had mentioned it in your comment until tonight. Oops.
Anyway, I haven't been to daily Mass since I had 2 children and was pregnant with Lucy. After that it was just too much. Mary Therese is an EXTREME handful. Still. And it is hard to handle more than 1 handful at a time.... and a baby counts as a handful. So don't feel badly! I don't think we are all called to go to daily Mass. I do know that the large families I have seen at daily Mass have plenty (read: 4-6) big kids to pass the little ones back and forth between. I do want to go back to going to daily Mass when Nathan and Mary T. are older and better able to help with the younger ones.
One thing that made me stop going was that I would get so angry with the children. Nearly every time. But in reality, they were being the 2 year old and 3 year olds that they were... and I was holding onto the narrow and selfish ideas of what I wanted my spiritual life to be like. I began to really worry that the children would associate Jesus and Mass with mommy always being mad at them. Now Nathan is old enough that he is a dream during Mass, every time. I still have trouble with Mary Therese (but not just in Mass... sigh... she is so like me). And Lucy is 2. Need I say more?
Anyway,all this to say that I don't think you should beat yourself up about not going to daily Mass. Boys have a tough time sitting still and being quiet at that age. Let me assure you, though, if you wait until he is old enough he will wow you with his great behavior at Mass. Really. I feel silly for giving myself such a hard time all those years for Nathan's behavior in Mass. And one final rambling.... you are just one person.... and you are trying to take care of and manage 3 little people. That's a big job and it is really hard!
Sometimes I look back at my time before marriage and children enviously... because the pursuit of the spiritual life was just so darn EASY. I went to daily Mass, prayed the Rosary, went to daily adoration, and was never around anyone that made me boil over in anger. Since having children I find myself constantly questioning whether I am doing the right thing, whether I am doing enough, whether I am not holy enough, or holy at all, or even worthy to call myself a Catholic. I have spent years trying to go about my spiritual life like I did before, in the same manner, and just experienced frustration, not with myself, but with my children.... because they pretty much wouldn't let me. And yet this is the life that God has called us to and this is our path to salvation. It is great and all that sisters and brothers and priests get to have so much prayer time and Mass time and silence, but they do not get woken up in the middle of the night and asked to care for one of God's most precious ones. They are not constantly given the opportunity to put someone else's needs above their own. They choose to practice detachment. We learn to do the same because it is forced on us (both detachment to material goods and detachment to our own ideas as to what is spiritually good for us).
And of course, as they always say at LLL.... This too shall pass! I look forward to the time when I can go to daily Mass and adoration... but I know that time is not now. I can't find the book right now but I heartily recommend the book Holiness for Housewives. In it the author says something to the degree of "if you leave your dishes and children and household duties to go off to a chapel to meet our Lord all you will find is yourself." I need to find that book... because I think I just butchered that quote. Anyway... it is way late and I really need to stop hijacking your blog.
Hope that helps!!!!! LOL!
thank you, emily!! i needed that. i remember when nathan was really challenging for you at mass - it gives hope for victor that he's so good now.
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