I Am Grateful

...for my husband, who stuck right by my side and worried about me and wouldn't let me do a lick of work for 24 hours while I endured The Worst Cramps Ever (I think labor pains were less painful)

...for my husband (again) who pretty much flew solo when we had a dozen friends over for an after-church brunch

...for those dozen friends, whose children and grandchildren pitched in by moving furniture, carrying bags of ice and helping with the dishes

...for my own Big Kids who helped my husband clean up the nightmare of a kitchen last night and left the place neater than I usually find it in the morning after I've cleaned it up (I let the dishes drip dry on the rack all night. THEY dried the dishes and put them away!)

...for Little Brother's extra (and extra-gentle) hugs

...for our friends who invited us over after brunch so we could enjoy dinner and a swim in their backyard

...for the large bottle of ibuprofen in my medicine cabinet

...for all these blessings that I experienced yesterday. God is good--and generous!


This is what was left on the dining-room table after the Big Kids and TheDad washed and put away all the breakfast stuff. I told them that if they didn't know where to store something, to leave it on the table.
But what's with the fishing pole?

Logic, when you're 5

As I walked through the family room carrying a laundry basket, I saw Little Brother lying facedown on the floor, silently kicking his feet.

No, he was not having a temper tantrum (this time).

Adventure Boy was setting up a train track next to Little Brother. He looked up at me and declared, "Little Brother is a fish."

"Little Brother's a fish? Then why are you building a train track?"

The logical answer, of course: "Because it's his birthday!"

It's not Little Brother's birthday, of course. But nothing else about this conversation made sense either.

New Catholic Radio Resource

I've recently been enjoying some of the offerings from a new Catholic "internet radio" resource: Catholic Radio International.
Here's a little bit of background from their site:

We created Catholic Radio International to bring you honest and truthful information about our world. We promise never to pull punches when giving you the news, critiquing our culture or discussing the faith.

Our goal is to provide you with straightforward information and insights about the world around us – insights which we believe are essential for the well-being of our culture, nation and ourselves.

Above all, conscious of our responsibility as Christians to our fellow men, we will strive to deliver to you more than mere news but also to communicate to you an understanding of “He who is”, as Pope Benedict XVI wrote, “the ultimate foundation and meaning of human, personal and social existence.”

Right now, there are three different programs you can choose from, along with the days of the week that they are updated:

Monday, Wednesday, Friday: Thread of Grace with Sally Robb: Connecting our faith and our daily life.

Tuesday, Thursday: The Heart of the Matter: Current events from a Catholic perspective. Topics have included war, environmentalism, euthanasia, the Mass in Latin, China, freedom of speech, and more.

Biweekly: UltraSound: Prolife programming.

I thought I was too busy to listen to this kind of radio program, but then I discovered that they're only about 5 minutes long. I can listen while I tidy up my desk or dust the living room. The programs are well-produced, faithful to the magisterium, and provide food for thought that lasts long after the 5-minute show ends.

How did I find out about Catholic Radio International? My "cousin-in-law" Tom Szyszkiewicz is one of the cofounders. You may recognize his name from his freelance work in the National Catholic Register. I wish him every success in this new venture.

Check it out!

Feast of the Portiuncula: Peace and All Good!

Today is the Feast of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula.

It's a biggie for all Franciscans because the Church of Our Lady of the Angels of the Portiuncula is the little abandoned chapel that Francis rebuilt stone by stone. Later he founded the Franciscan order there and all Franciscan work began there, and this is where he asked to be placed when he was dying. A large church was built around the little chapel.

In the Mirror of Perfection, Francis wrote:

“Holy of Holies is this Place of Places,
Meetly held worthy of surpassing honor!
Happy thereof of the surname, of the Angels.
Happier yet the name, Blessed Mary.
Now a true omen the third name conferreth,
The Little Portion on the Little Brethren:
Here where by night a presence oft of Angels
Singing sweet hymns illumineth the watches.
Here was the old world’s broad highway made narrow,
Here the way made broader for the Chosen People;
Here grew the rule, here Poverty, here Our Lady,
Smiting back pride, called back the Cross amongst us.”
(Mirror of Perfection #84)

Prayer to Our Lady of the Angels

O Virgin of the Angels, who has for centuries established your throne of mercy at the
Porziuncula,
hear the prayer of your children,
who trust in you.
From this truly holy place and the habitation of the Lord,
so dear to the heart of saint Francis,
you have always invited all men to love.
Your tender eyes assure us of a never failing motherly help
and a promise of divine help to all those who humbly have recourse to your throne,
or who from afar, turn to you to ask for help.
You are, indeed, our sweet Queen and our only hope.
O Lady of the Angels, obtain for us,
through the intercession of blessed Francis,
pardon for our sins, help us to keep away from sin and indifference,
so that we shall be worthy of calling you our Mother for evermore.
Bless our homes, our toil and our rest,
by giving us that same serenity we experience within the walls of the Porziuncula, where hate, guilt and tears turn into a song of joy
like that once was sung by the Angels and the seraphic Francis.
Help those who are in need and hungry,
those who are in danger of body and soul,
those who are sad and downhearted,
those who are sick and dying.
Bless us, your most beloved children, and, we pray you,
bless also with the same motherly gesture,
all those who are innocent, together with those are guilty;
those who are faithful, together with those who have gone astray;
those who believe, together with those who are in doubt.
Bless all humanity, so that all men acknowledging that they are God's children,
would find through love, real Peace and real Good.
Amen.

Just Say No

to the kind of attitude that produces bumper stickers like the one I saw today:

Just say no to sex
with prolifers

Just say no to the idea that intimacy should not be used for selfish reasons. After all, selfishness is what it's all about. Everything's OK, as long as you feel good about it, and since you can easily take care of any "consequences" later.

(And what surprised me most about the bumper sticker is that it was on a minivan being driven by a male senior citizen! Yes, I did a double take right there on the highway.)

Lord, have mercy.

Spiritual 911

As my friend the Kitchen Madonna says!

Today's Spiritual 911 has a theme: employment

TheDad told me this morning that he will have a "stressful day" at work, as part of it will be spent defending why his programming group should keep a 5-year contract rather than have it jobbed out to a small consulting company.

I will be praying that St. Joseph, patron of workers, will intercede on his behalf.

I also ask the generosity of your prayers for the Kitchen Madonna and for Bill, husband of Jean at Catholic Fire, regarding their own employment concerns.

PRAYER FOR EMPLOYMENT:
God, our Father, I turn to you seeking your divine help and guidance as I look for suitable employment.
I need your wisdom to guide my footsteps along the right path, and to lead me to find the proper things to say and do in this quest. I wish to use the gifts and talents you have given me, but I need the opportunity to do so with gainful employment.
Do not abandon me, dear Father, in this search, but rather grant me this favor I seek so that I may return to you with praise and thanksgiving for your gracious assistance.
Grant this through Christ, our Lord.
Amen

Irreverent

Why is it that Father Daren's quote from the life of St. Francis makes me think of Weekend at Bernie's?

Take a corpse and put it where you will! You will see that it does not resist being moved, nor murmur about its position nor protest when it is cast aside. If it is placed on a throne, it will not raise its eyes up, but cast them down. If it is clothed in purple, it will look twice as pale. This is a truly obedient man. He does not judge why he is moved; he does not care where he is placed; he does not insist on being transferred. If he is raised to an office, he retains his customary humility. The more he is honored, the more unworthy he considers himself.

Obviously I need to take greater care not to let the secular invade the spiritual....

A Disappointment

Little Brother just came sleepily down the stairs and got in my lap.

"Did you hear a funny noise just before, Mom?"

"What kind of noise?"

"A weird kind of noise."

"You mean when Daddy dropped a bunch of stuff in the bathroom?"

"No, not THAT noise. A noise that sounded like this: ssshhhhhhhh."

I thought about it for a minute, then remembered:

"OH! That was the street-sweeper machine going by! That must have been what you heard!"

I thought he'd be happy to know I figured it out. But he just looked at me seriously and said, "I thought it was an alien ship."

Oh well. Maybe next time!

With Age Comes Wisdom

I didn't just turn 42 for nothing.

Tonight when Little Brother wanted a piece of my Deep Chocolate, Chocolate Iced, Caramel Drizzled, Walnut Sprinkled birthday cake (made by Middle Sister, and can she bake cake!), I found a plastic fork, a Zoopals plate, and sent him outside to enjoy his dessert "al fresco."

Things that make you go, "HUH?"

A few minutes ago, Backyard Neighbor Girl knocked at our front door. She asked Big Brother to have Middle Sister call her on the phone in five minutes.

We were all wondering what was up with that, so in five minutes Middle Sister called her. I could hear the one-sided conversation:

"Hi, this is Middle Sister. Can I speak to Backyard Neighbor Girl? She asked me to call her....yeah, she knocked on our front door five minutes ago and asked me to call her....hi, what did you want? Did your balloon break?...oh...ok...bye."

Heading down the stairs and out the back door, she hollered, "I'm going over there to be a priest at a balloon funeral."

There's a first time for everything, I guess!

Busy Signal

I have a new toy!

TheDad picked out this cool new Smart Phone for me for my birthday. It replaces my functional but Extremely Not Cool According to My Children basic cell phone as well as my well-used PDA that will no longer sync with my computer software.
This means that all my addresses and phone numbers and calendars will be in one place. And as soon as I figure out how to switch over the files I've created over the past 6 years, I will have an extremely powerful database tool at my fingertips.
It's definitely Geek Day at the SFO Mom house. Good thing I've got an easy dinner planned. It will be difficult to squeeze in a complicated meal, with all the digital organizing I've got to do!

Jersey Girl Bloggers

Esther started compiling a list of the bloggers she knows who are in New Jersey.

I have a few to add:

1. Amy from R.C. Mommy, who grew up in Philly but now lives in North Jersey.

2. Ellen From Across the Net, who grew up in Pennsylvania but married a North Jersey guy and settled in South Jersey.

3. Christine M. of The Simple and the Ordinary who lives near my husband's "old stomping ground." Hey Christine, have you ever eaten at the Reo Diner? I miss that place.

4. One of my very first blog readers, Jill of Jill's Write Stuff, who's up in North Jersey.

Those with New Jersey roots who've moved on to other states:

5. Chris of Ramblings of a Catholic Soccer Mom and Domestic Vocation.

6. Esther, the Hawaii Catholic Mom, who got this whole ball rolling!

7. Michelle from Rosetta Stone, who will always be a Jersey Girl considering she learned to drive here!

I had to illustrate this with the picture of my favorite waterfall. Every time I see this, it makes me remember home. Yes, I'm still in the state but I'm 100 miles from Paterson now, and I rarely get to see the falls that we'd pass on our way to and from my grandmother's. Thanks, Esther, for the photo!

The only time I ever lived out of state was when I was in college (Scranton, PA) and grad school (South Bend, IN). And the only thing I ever missed was closeness to family. For that matter, I miss it now. But I love it here in South Jersey, where things are a little slower paced, a little less congested. I don't think I could survive it if I had to drive Turnpike Exit 12 to 10, then 287 north to Piscataway, each and every morning-rush hour, anymore. I'm amazed I'm still alive to tell the tale.

New Jersey is the Rodney Dangerfield of states. It gets no respect and deserves plenty.

And in the great New Jersey tradition, out of the 3 of these bloggers I've met, two were at diners!

Instructions du jour

Or more stuff I never thought I'd have to say:

"Little Brother, don't walk on chairs that have place mats on them!"

Weird News

A woman who lives in my grandmother's old neighborhood woke up yesterday to find that her backyard pool had been stolen.

H/T to Esther, who finds out about news in my home state even though I am in it and she is in Hawaii!

What's Your Superpower?

I must have read Ellen's mind while taking this quiz.

Your Superpower Should Be Mind Reading

You are brilliant, insightful, and intuitive. You understand people better than they would like to be understood. Highly sensitive, you are good at putting together seemingly irrelevant details. You figure out what's going on before anyone knows that anything is going on! Why you would be a good superhero: You don't care what people think, and you'd do whatever needed to be done Your biggest problem as a superhero: Feeling even more isolated than you do now

What Should Your Superpower Be?

Rejection

I don't know what else to call it!

Middle Sister has been playing in a summer basketball league since early June. The team is made up mainly of girls from her school, going into 5th and 6th grades. When we signed her up, we were told that the league is a "just for fun" thing with no practices, just an opportunity to keep the girls playing in the summer. Out of 10 games scheduled, she missed 2 at the most. She always arrived early, ready to play, with a good attitude.

She's not the best basketball player on the court, mainly because she's not the most focused. But she's got height, stamina, speed and good rebounding and passing ability.

Toward the end of the "season" she started getting discouraged because she didn't get much playing time. In a 40-minute game, she'd play less than 10. She was starting to resent that the games took her away from playing with friends, and then she didn't even get much of a chance to be in the game.

Last week's game was, to our understanding, the end of the "season." There was never a mention of Playoffs in any of the communications from the coach or the league. But the dad who was subbing for the coach last week told all the parents that Playoffs would begin on the 23rd and we'd get a notice about our game time.

On Tuesday I saw an item in the sports section of the local paper. It said that Middle Sister's team had won its first playoff game. One of the girls at Middle Sister's sleepover last weekend had been the leading scorer.

We had never heard about the game.

I asked everyone if there had been a phone call from the coach. I checked my email. Nothing.

So I emailed the coach:

Hi—
I’m sorry Middle Sister missed last night’s basketball game. I saw in the paper that the team won the game. We never got a call or email about the game—we had no idea! Are there more games scheduled or was that the end?

No answer.

This morning I saw another item in the sports section. Middle Sister's team had played again last night. This time they lost the game. Once again, we never got any notice about the game.

We're not sure what to think. The first time, we figured a message had been lost. But at this point, "These lights are off on purpose." We are wondering if the coach only called the best players to come to these games.

I'm not telling Middle Sister about this one, I don't think. Her feelings were hurt enough after Monday's game.

This kind of thing could turn her off on sports altogether.

Shameless Self-Promotion

Because I can.
I am smarter than 97.25% of the rest of the world.
Find out how smart you are.

I knew something was up when Big Brother started asking me about kilograms, glasnost and Washington State. "Hey! You're taking a trivia quiz, aren't you?"

He admitted to that, and agreed to IM me the link to the quiz as soon as he was done.

He got a measly 77%. Neener, Big Brother. Bow to your mother, the Trivia Queen.

Cruel to be Kind

Why is it that when you try to teach your child how to be kind, you wind up making him cry?

A few minutes ago, Adventure Boy came to the door. Little Brother said he didn't feel like playing, so I told Adventure Boy, "Little Brother doesn't want company right now." Well, Adventure Boy is not one to take no for an answer, and Little Brother is the curious sort, so (as usual) we wound up with two little boys, one on either side of the screen door, chatting. Adventure Boy told Little Brother to come outside and Little Brother did.

At that point, I figured that Little Brother had decided to play with Adventure Boy, and went back to cleaning up the dishes from lunch. Out the kitchen window, I saw the two of them running around in the backyard.

Then Backyard Neighbor Girl came outside. I saw her talking to the two boys, then coming into my yard, talking with them some more, and then starting to return to her yard. I couldn't hear the conversation but I got the sense that she was trying to tell them not to come over to her house. So I called the boys inside.

Little Brother told me that Neighbor Girl only wanted him to come over, not Adventure Boy. I said, "That's a problem, because he's here playing with you. So she can play with both of you or none of you."

Little Brother wanted to send Adventure Boy home but I said that was not OK, because he was playing with Adventure Boy first, and that he cannot dump one friend to play with another. There will be no "something suddenly came up" moments on my watch. Not if I can help it.

Cue the Little Brother Meltdown. I told him that if Adventure Boy went home, he still couldn't play with Neighbor Girl. He said he didn't want company, so I sent Adventure Boy home. And now I've got Little Brother crying and carrying on because he wants to play with Neighbor Girl.

Not gonna happen.

FAB-LEE-OUS

Or, it just doesn't get any better than this.

Today for our lunch I made French toast using "Texas Toast" bread. We added "special sugar" (confectioners sugar) on top for that Jersey Diner touch. Oh, it was yummy. The kids were happy, and Little Brother told me that I make "fab-lee-ous" French toast. The other kids agreed.

Just now I read an article that Julie D. highlighted in her recipe blog. The title: Is Cooking for Your Family Retrograde June Cleaver Nonsense?


Just because I wear my fab-lee-ous apron when I cook for my family doesn't make me June Cleaver. For one thing, the pearls and heels are JUST not me. My taste runs more toward capri pants and Keds.

I cook for my family because:
I enjoy cooking.
My family enjoys eating.
It's good for my family to eat wholesome, home-cooked food rather than nutritionally-deficient fast food.
It's good for my family's budget to eat at home.
Eating meals together is good for the family.

Sometimes it seems that people who don't respect some women's choice to nurture their families in their homes believe that the kind of work we do in order to nurture our families in our homes has no value.

I disagree. There's no work with a higher value. And frankly, some parts of the work I do are things you could never pay me for. Good thing I have Little Brother to help me clean the toilets. Ick. This work is what we do for love, and there's no price to be put on it.

And now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to get a few things together to start our dinner for tonight.

There can never be too many prayers

Please be generous--why not even be extravagant--with your prayers for a young man who was critically injured in a hiking accident. Bryant, as well as his mom and the medical team responsible for his care, are surely in need of our prayers at this time. This young man is a friend of Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle's children. Just think of how you would feel if he were your son, or a friend of your son. And then pray, pray, pray. That's the thing about prayer--you can help someone anytime, anywhere.