Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

It's 9:15 on New Year's Eve, and it's just baby and me sitting at the computer. Our plans for the evening fell through when my sister's family all came down with a nasty GI virus. No fun. Lucy got invited to a friend's house, Eustace is working, and Victor's a little under the weather himself and did not resist a relatively early bedtime.

So here we sit, bambino and I, me typing and she pulling whatever she can reach out of the desk drawers. Seems like a perfect time to reflect on the highlights of 2008 - a year soon to be history.

Here are my top 10 of the year (in no particular order):

1. Job change. We agonized over this for, literally, years. It's been good on so many levels. Thanks be to God.

2. Felicity learns to crawl, walk, run... It's so much fun to witness a baby's 'firsts.' It never gets old.

3. Lucy makes her first confession. I used to take her with me into the confessional before she was old enough to understand everything. I can hardly believe she's old enough to experience God's healing grace in this special way all by herself. This milestone is all sweet, no bitter.

4. Victor conquers swimming lessons. When I signed him up for his weekly class, which lasts an hour, I was apprehensive. This involves strange people, water over his head, following rules and directions. He's done it, by golly, without any trouble. Oh me of little faith.

5. New 4-seasons room and patio. This home-improvement has been great for us. It's as if we can be in our backyard, but still indoors, all year long.

6. My brother's wedding reception. This was all about fun and happiness. Their wedding was in 2007, so technically, I can't talk about that.

7. Roasting marshmallows over the fire. We invested in one of those free-standing firepits. Many an evening was spent hanging around the fire with friends, neighbors, family, or just us.

8. Book-it Nights in Spring and Fall. This is a regular event for our homeschooling group, and I'm pretty sure Eustace and I enjoy it just as much, if not more than, our kids. Book-it Night rocks.

9. The Nutcracker. Participating in a professional production is a lot for a 7-year-old, even one with as much energy as ours. During performance week, she volunteered for her first nap in 5 years. Nevertheless, what a wonderful experience it was!

10. Cheering my husband on in his first running race in 10 years. He is a faithful runner, but often in the basement on the treadmill, which is not nearly as exhilarating as a race outdoors. He works so hard that he hardly ever has a chance to do something fun like this for himself. He did great. We didn't stick around for results, but I was counting, and he was one of the first 10 to finish. Good job, honey.

Well, goodbye 2008. You have certainly provided us with both blessings and challenges, hope and frustration. Tonight, I feel like focusing on the good, and I'm finding plenty of it. I could write about so many other things - new babies, fun with friends and family, vacations, successful potty training, on and on. God is good, and we'll keep praying through whatever happens in 2009.

Happy New Year.

Snow Bunny

No Problem

Victor's Christmas list:
A remote-control racing Garbage truck that can go the speed of sound.

Lucy's Christmas list:
A sewing machine, but anything anybody gets me will be great.

Really Spoiled Rotten

The Lazy Mom's Solution to Holiday Cheer:

1. Hire your favorite mommy's helper (in our case, Maggie).
2. Go to the basement to 'wrap presents'.
3. Listen to your happy children upstairs baking cookies with fore-mentioned mommy's helper.
4. Goof around on the computer.
5. Wrap presents without interruption.

Pay particular attention to step #1. Finding a helper who is willing to bake with 3 children underfoot is key. I am truly spoiled rotten.

Spoiled Rotten

I'm referring to myself.

I sat in my warm house, shopping at my computer, watching my kids play outside this morning and thought, "gee, this is pretty nice."

We have no pressing engagements today, and everybody is healthy at the moment. We can afford to buy gifts and keep our heat at a comfortable level, and technology allows me to get send presents to my friends and family without having to drive across town in freezing weather with the kids in tow.

Therefore, I'm feeling pampered today. I'll sit for a second and relish the peace and contentment of just staying at home.

Who can resist...

...a request such as this:
"Mommy, can I please be excused from the table for just one quite long minute?"

Welcome Baby Anne!!!

We have a brand new Goddaughter! Born yesterday, she was just a bit early (4 weeks), but is doing fine! I don't have any of the details we female-types crave (weight, length, nursing stats, etc.), but her daddy (Our dear friend Steve) called right after her C-section delivery to let us know of her arrival!!

Shannon, her mom, and I have been best friends since college. And, since they were married, she and her husband said if they ever had a girl, they would name her Anne. So, good St. Anne and I have been waiting eagerly for this day for 8 1/2 years. Shannon and Steve had one, two, three boys (great kids, by the way, and 2 are our Godsons) - the third born on MY birthday 3 years ago.

Just when we were sure the Y chromosome would forever dominate their family, along came this sweet little surprise yesterday. And, on Eustace's birthday this time. Pretty amazing.

So, I am praying today for this new little bundle of sweetness, her mommy, daddy and brothers. May their home be filled with little-girl tenderness and lots of pink this Christmas.

Happy Birthday!

To the handsome Daddy on the right, hope you have a
great day. Thanking God for 35 years of you.

St. Lucy Feast

Today's the feast of St. Lucy!!

Our baking plans have been postponed a couple of days, but I'll let you know what we make when we actually make it.

St. Lucy, pray for us!

Morning Sound Byte

V:"First one there is a rotten Camero! Last one there is a rotten tank."

I think I'm becoming an unschooler

This is a month of craziness for us. I won't bore you with details, but my vision of homeschool days filled with nature study, artwork, baking and plenty of read-alouds has fallen a bit by the wayside. We're not entirely off track, but I feel I've said the words, 'hurry up and finish' at least 10 times too many... This is not exactly the relaxed learning environment I had hoped for this year...

I know life will calm down, hopefully in the next month or so. But, sometimes, when I don't have as much time to direct things, I realize that life happens anyway. And the kids keep learning. Too much rushing around is definitely a detriment to their creativity. When we're just at home, though, and they are left to their own devices, I"m often amazed at what they come up with:

-a pretend debate pre-election, complete with pre-written questions by the 7-year-old moderator on several issues, including what to do about a child who doesn't want to go to bed and how to handle a boss who doesn't pay his workers enough.

-plays, poetry, and lots of book writing.

-'toddler school' where lucy seriously teaches victor stuff. and he likes it. the other day, they were poring over world atlases.

-when the weather permits, gardening outdoors. in the spring I turned them loose with a packet of seeds, and we had a sweet corner of one bed full of zenias.

-plenty of reading. lucy loves to just curl up with a book. And she's great about reading to the little ones, too.

-art work. I never realized there could be so many uses for a box or so many ways to draw a flying boat.

We stopped by a used book store today, and guess what I found! John Holt's How Children Learn (he's basically the father of unschooling) . I always vowed I would never completely be an unschooler, but I may have to eat my words. There's math, though, that I"m not sure my eldest would ever meander toward on her own. I might have to give it a month or two and see what happens.

Eustace, if you're reading, don't panic.

By unschooling I don't mean I'll never teach my kids anything. I just think there's something to the idea that kids learn better when they follow their interests.

Victor already knows more about cars than I do. Case in point.

And he can spell c-a-n-d-y. (He also says things like, "mommy, what does i-o-n-d-9-2 spell?" So, don't go on thinking he's a prodigy.)

While I think this over, we'll keep plugging away at our math and spelling workbooks and see where life takes us. Hmmm... sounds like an unschooler talking.

'Tis the Season...

...for rehearsals, make-up, and first Nutcracker performances.
... for sincerely-appreciated visits from many supportive family members.
...for first-confessions for soon-to-be first communicants!
...for visits from St. Nicholas (a day past his feast, but who's the wiser?).

I'm feeling eternally grateful...

...to the genius who invented these handy-dandy items. They are especially convenient for occasions when little boys can't be bothered to visit the bathroom because they're too busy building flying cars out of legos.

what makes a good book?

A popular discussion topic in my book group (we're called 'sew into reading', because we sew, or eat, while we discuss books) is this: what is the criteria we should use for determining appropriate reading for our kids? This theme brings up lively, friendly debate, and I'm not sure we've come to any certain conclusion as of yet. I love this book group, by the way... We're a bunch of Catholic, homeschooling moms, and we read juicy stuff with Catholic themes. Most recently, we finished In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. I'm pulling for the name Rumer if we ever have another girl baby...

Anyway, yesterday, my husband came home from work with the best-selling book Twilight. A co-worker had loaned it to him. I know it's been controversial, and I haven't read it yet. The movie is either out in theatres or will be soon, and so it's good, I think, to have formed an opinion about the subject matter. Fortunately, I don't have any kids old enough to see this film yet. I'm sure there will be other controversial books, films, and the like, to think about when the time comes. For now, I read an interesting review here today. So, hubby, if you're reading, check this out.

Sometimes it's fun to read a book just for the story. However, with all the great literary choices, why bother with borderline garbage. I'm not implying that's the case with the Twilight series - like I said, I haven't actually read it. Just wondering aloud if I ever will. Harry Potter consumed my every thought, so I stopped reading after book 3. Lucy was an infant at the time, and I had to focus on other things, like whether it was time for the next diaper change!

My suggestion, if you want a page-turner, is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It is terrifying, apocalyptic, and hopeful. I would not recommend it for pregnant women or the faint of heart.

OK - Back to the kids... Enough goofing around on the computer.

my soul mate

I copied this meme from my friend Jenn! Couldn't resist the opportunity to write about Eustace...

1. He’s sitting in front of the TV, what is on the screen? Fox News, Sports Center or The Office
2. You’re out to eat; what kind of dressing does he get on his salad? Ranch or raspberry vinaigrette
3. What’s one food he doesn’t like? Broccoli (he eats it anyway)
4. You go out to the bar. What does he order? Sam Adams, Guinness, or whatever import they have on tap
5. Where did he go to high school? St. Francis de Sales
6. What size shoe does he wear? 8 1/2
7. If he was to collect anything, what would it be? Lord of the Rings stuff
8. What is his favorite type of sandwich? Penn Station subs
9. What would he eat every day if he could? Pizza
10. What is his favorite cereal? Boo Berry (he gets it once a year if he's lucky!)
11. What would he never wear? A tank top, aka a 'muscle shirt'
12. What is his favorite sports team? ohio state buckeyes football
13. Who did he vote for? john McCain
14. Who is his best friend? Me
15. What is something you do that he wishes you wouldn’t do? blog :), squeeze the toothpaste from the middle
16. How many states has he lived in? 3 (the same 3 as me)
17. What is his heritage? Indian
18. You bake him a cake for his birthday; what would it be? German Chocolate
19. Did he play sports in high school? Not organized, just pick-up games. He was on the debate team.
20. What could he spend hours doing? watching movies, preferably in the theater. If he could sneak out for a double-feature, he definitely would.
21. What’s something cool about him?

• He's a good runner
• He's a great cook
• He's almost always game for a party
• He can talk to anybody about anything