It's hard to say how much I love Target. For two years, we didn't own a car. Target was the only store within walking distance from my city apartment. Every single thing we needed (except for our grocery delivery) came from this store--walked in on my own two feet. Finding Target at our new town makes us feel at home here!

 

Mimi dancing at our new Target (our real home away from home!)

Moving Day

 

Blogger Round-Up

Have you all met my wonderful group of blogger friends?

You already know my famous friends, Conversion Diary Jen, and Betty Beguiles. But have you meet my new Catholic writer buddies?

Kaitlin from More Like Mary, More Like Me often takes my breath away. Like this post about a First Father's Day and carrying a devotion to Mary during a struggle with infertility. Or the post my husband still refers to as "the funniest post on the internet." Kaitlin INVENTED this series called "Why I Love My Husband" to combat all the negative whining wives sometimes do in person and online. (Me= guilty!)

Now, have you stopped by Danya's front porch yet. Mother of seven, three adopted, and the youngest a CRAZY pregnancy miracle from a long time suffer of secondary infertility. Danya is FUNNY! A regular St. Thomas Moore wit going on. And she's profound. The "maybe your not called to be a crazy lady in a white van like me, but God is calling you to be something!" is a post permenately etched in my mind. Visit her often. You'll always leave with a smile.

(Baby Tess is up, hope to introduce you to new gems later)

Prayer Request

One of my favorite people in the world, Miss Tharen, has a prayer request for her daughter. You all remember praying for Baby Skylar to come home to her Mom for Christmas day. "Survivor" Micro-premie has another wrinkle. Her petite ear size is making her wait longer to get a cochlear implant. (Sky is deaf as a result of complications from her premature birth). So please pray that Sky's ears grow lickety split!

Meanwhile, one of Tharen's friends in real life --who has become a dear friend of mine online-- is in the hospital! Poor thing! Something about gall bladder functioning and pregnancy not mixing together so well. Angie has had a tough year. Her newborn daughter, Addison, had two hospitalization. Now Mama herself needs surgery.

Archangel Raphel, pray for Skylar and Angie.

I'm in a different world

I flaked out on moving day. I totally forgot that the original plan was to be in the new house for the internet guy to visit instead of buying massive amounts of cheap furniture at IKEA with my family of six. When I finally arrived to my new address four hours later I saw a message from the internet guy. "Oh well," I thought. "Hopefully, I can get him scheduled again sometime within the next two weeks."

Then today the internet guy came back.

I thought Jon called him to reschedule our missed appointment. Jon thought I called him.

Turns out the guy decided that since family moving into a new house wasn't home on the initial date schedule--he would just stop by the next day--ON HIS OWN INITIATIVE.

This does not happen in the City, much less on a Fourth of July weekend.

As a flaky Carmelite and mother of six, I'm really enjoying living in a rural State with kind, helpful people who cut you major slack!

All Moved In

now for unpacking

and assembling our furniture from IKEA

Slow Blogging Ahead

Happy Fourth of July Weekend everyone!

(I'll be off-line for a while during the move.)

Hurrah!

It's official, we own a house!!!

Thank you St. Joseph!

West Wing - Why are we changing maps?

My brother works on Capital Hill and has the complete collection of "The West Wing". I popped one in the DVD player yesterday and was taken aback by how much my three years in Carmel have completely transformed my outlook on my former fav TV show.

a) These guys are interrupted ALL of the time. (I mean, I'm a Mama of 4--I thought my life was constant interruptions) It's all "you've got to get that that meeting now", or "we need you to start working on those briefing points STAT". No character has time for time to reflect or even usually complete a full thought on a detailed policy question on the show.

b) EVERYONE is presumed to be super smart. The policy wonks, the secretaries, even the guy whose job it is to "hold the Presidents" jacket. Intelligence trumps all other human character values. Its so exhausting to watch most of the characters spending a huge amount of time engaged in random "witty banter" that proves how smart they are.

c) Everyone seems completely surprised and annoyed that events do not go smoothly as planned.

d) Every tries to get out of "demeaning" jobs. Instead of this idea that as a public servant it is an honor to preform any of the tasks the President needs completed, not matter how small, the characters spend their time shuffling off "demeaning", boring jobs that are supposedly beneath their IQ to complete.

A slice of our noisy, chaotic post-modern world at its finest.

Today Is....

The Feast of St. Peter and St. Paul!

The 60th Anniversary of the Priestly Ordination of Pope Benedict!

The day I close on my new house!

Hurrah for all three celebrations. Hoping to get my 4 kids to Adoration to give thanks today.

Who You Calling Sick?

 

Proof that we attended Joey T.'s birthday party last week!

(Baby Tess and Baby Joey were patients at Children's National Hospital at the same time last Fall).

Finally!

 

The American History Major took her 3 daughters to the American Girl's store which just opened in Washington D.C.

Notice the Lego store strategically located nearby (to help little brothers who are in culture shock from all that pink!)

 

Standing up to Bullies

Oooo! I'm in a weakened state from being at 90 days into our surprise move. House closing is happening this week! Yes! Meanwhile, the devil is on the prowl. I fell into depression after a scathing attack on my mothering skills. But like all things that happened this month, it was really good for me.

I finally, finally started to put myself in the place of these bullies--guess what. Not everyone has my and my children's best interest at heart. Which means (surprise, surprise for the incredibly vain Abigail Benjamin)I do not have to drink in everyone's "helpful" suggestions for my Holy Vocation of Motherhood.

Discernment of Spirits--I'm trying to better separate the wheat from the shaft.

The next day, God immediately gave me three totally different encounters to test my working theory. (He's all about experiential learning, that Father of ours!)

Example One:

A Safeway employee becomes (in my mind) overly concerned about my four year old's safety while she stands in a shopping cart and demands to be taken out. I'm on a critical mission to find Benedryll for my six year old son who is suffering from "clown's ear" (red, swollen to 4 times its natural size) after a spider bite. I tell 4 year old to "wait a moment" and tell the Safeway employee "she's fine right now". I return to my search for the hidden Benedryll. The employee gently takes my four year old out of the cart and puts her on the floor. I'm annoyed inside, but I make a genuine effort to smile at the employee. She smiles back and we mutually coo over my 4 babies.

Take way lesson: When people have my kid's best interest at heart it shows.

Example Two:

I put all three of my kids on folding chairs by the grocery store doors and immediately start feeding my son Benedryll after checkout. A Father shows up and we have a heartfelt exchange about the beauty of children. It's so beautiful that even my 8 year old remarks "Mom, no one ever talks to us like that!" We exchanged "God Bless you" at the end. It was a beautiful moment.

Take away lesson: Some people love me and my kids! What a gift!

Example Three:

I make a judgement call to leave Tess strapped into the cart with her 8 year old sister while I carried in some bulky, awkward to carry items to our car. (This unfamiliar grocery store didn't allow you to take the grocery carts into the parking lot) As I came back, I heard a woman loudly say "Who would do that? Who leaves their baby alone in a cart like that?"

"Hello!" I called out in a firm and friendly way. In that one word I said "I heard exactly what you said. I'm here and I've got the situation under control."

The lady who spoke left without turning around. Her companion stopped to give me a long, evil look. I could see that she was very poor and very stressed. I nodded my head to her. Finally, she started to move away. I notice after they leave that neither lady had demonstrated any concern for my children, the only purpose of that comment was to pour contempt onto me.

Take away lesson three: Stand up to bullies.

When we got everyone loaded into the car, I noticed something REALLY cool. I wasn't stressed. I wasn't yelling at my kids.

I really think that probably 70% of my problem "losing my temper" with my kids is a direct result of my own vanity. I want them to behave 100% of the time so that "I don't get into trouble" with distant family members and random strangers.

I told Jesus at Mass yesterday that I'm not sure if I can always be as holy in my interaction with bullies. But I am willing to risk a greater "lack of charity" with total strangers (and be seen publicly as the not-so-good Christian Mom) if it meant that I could be more charitable, more kind and more patient with my own dear kids.

Inspiring Home Education Piece

I'm moving into a new school district and need to prepare a "letter of intent" to the School Superintendent. I'm researching a lot about "inquiry based" learning which is a fancy educational term for my husband's and my basic approach called "teaching college in first grade". (I let my kids pick what history & science subjects they are interested in just like they are picking a class out of a college catalog and then design our studies around their interests for the year.) This article on using the Socratic Method to teach math in third grade was super cool.

Bl Elizabeth of the Trinity

"Darling little sister, you must cross out the word "discouragement" from your dictionary of love; the more you feel your weakness, your difficulty in recollecting yourself, and the more hidden your Master seems, the more you must rejoice, for then you are giving to Him, and, when one loves, isn't it better to give than to receive?"
(The Complete Works, Vol 2., pg 305).

Attending a Very Special 1st Birthday Party

In the middle of June 2010, Joey's godmother attending my baby shower for Tess. Joey was currently hooked up to some serious heart/lung machines at Children's National Hospital. I'd been praying for little Joey for over a week. I remember patting her knee and saying "He's got a good name. Any son who is named after Saint Joseph has a powerful protector and is going to be fine."

Three months later, Tess landed in Children's National Hospital at six days old. Our buddy Joey was downstairs for a repeat tour on the Cardiac wing.

I remember Joey's Mama, Kate, so tenderly insisting that we meet up, giving us the grand tour of the hospital and introducing us to her family of five in Joey's hospital room. That brief time with the Trammas at such a needy, scary time was so special. I remember Pat urging me to eat a meatball sandwich and pretty Bella showing off her twirls. It was like proof that you can still have a sweet family life inside a sterile hospital room.

But the big rock star of the room was Mr Joey T himself.

He was three months old and happy, with these awesome pudgy cheeks.

I had no idea that sick heart babies could grow pudgy cheeks.
My own little Tess was silent and listless in a NICU room upstairs and she wasn't allowed to eat. Her digestive system was completely broken. Seeing Joey smiles gave me great HOPE.

Prayer Request for My Little Sis

My sister just started a swank job with the State Department in Senegal, Africa this June. Guess which country engaged in semi-serious Constitutional protests on Thursday.

Read a news report here: Senegal's president chips away at country's democratic record

Jesus, I trust in you!