Bring it On 2011!

pic credit: smashingapps.com

Doesn't it seem like just yesterday we were celebrating the New Year 2010?  And now?  2011 is on it's way, and it just doesn't seem real.  What is real, I'll tell you, is the amazing bargains we found today while out shopping with my two youngest girls. 

We really only went to Target, but boy the deals were everywhere.  Brand new shoes for $4.00.  Christmas anything was reduced 75% off.  Many winter clothes on clearance racks for 30% or 50% off.  I was shocked.

We went from aisle to aisle, finding new little treasures at the fraction of the cost, and I truly felt, that I spent according to what I felt it was worth.  What a joyous feeling!  I actually left the store feeling like we found great deals, instead of miserable, having bought more than I wanted at twice the price I wanted it at.

But I digress, back to New Years.

As usual, HH and I have planned our annual feast of a New Years Eve dinner, this year, seafood is back, lobster, salmon and shrimp. Yippie!  We say good bye to 2010, and look for a fresh start.  Resolutions are silent this year.  Why bother.  I have accomplished a great deal this past year, and I never resolved to do any of them.  I simply saw something that needed to be done, and did it. 

But in retrospect, I evaluate the year:
Lessons were learned on all counts.
Trust in God has improved with us all.
A stronger marriage, a closer family.
Health, strength and healing continues to grow.
Weight loss, lifestyle changes and shrinking waists.
Purge the house, garage sale and exceeded donation tax thresholds.
Sewing, cooking and gardening, feels like farm life amidst the city.

And that's not all.  Who could sum up a whole year's worth in such a small space? Spending the lazy time with the children, making time to cuddle with HH, watching a comedy and laughing so hard it hurts.  How about times of inside jokes around the kitchen table...."What's that?  Ha, my baby book!"  How about the painful moments of disagreements, and the times of forgiveness and resolve for the better.  The bumped heads, skinned knees, the swimming goggles, the penny game, the sprinkler, the flowers, the butterflies, the raspberries, the tomatoes, the salsa and the list goes on and on.

I can't sum it up.  I see that.  What I can do, is sit back, today, and appreciate our life.  It's a glorious life.  It's a beautiful life.  It's one that I wouldn't trade for anything.  We say good-bye to one year and usher in the next....and I can't wait.  Each new year brings new and exciting adventures I never planned for....and I love that.  I love that about our life together.  It's an adventure, this thing called life, and I never want to be missing it.  We are only limited by ourselves.  And I love that too.

I guess that's probably the biggest lesson from this last year.  So much has been accomplished this last year, in the household and personally.  And if nothing else, I see that it is possible to make change...to do something difficult....to conquer a seemingly impossible task.  I have seen that willpower and God's grace are no match for any obstacle.  And I love that too.  2010 has showed me things that seem impossible really aren't, just difficult, just uncomfortable, just a  little painful, just slightly embarrassing, just a little work. 

I look forward to a brand new year of 2011....and it's this exact reason that I do.  I know things are not impossible if I try my hardest, if I ask for help...from God or otherwise, if I put my mind to something, it can happen.  That opens a lot of doors, let me tell you.  The possibilities are endless.  2011 brings excitement simply because now, there is a belief of 'It's Possible'. 

It's not over, yet, and I plan to make use of every minute you've given me, Lord, to live this life to the fullest.  Help me do your will, Lord.

Seizing Your Moments



pic credit: lssacademy.com



I’m a planner.  I like to be prepared, having thought out all the possible rebuttals, or distractions.   This is especially true when teaching my children a very important formative lesson.  I like to think it out, double check my theology, checking my online sources for help and then come up with some great way to present, explain and sum up the whole formative teaching.





Unfortunately, as mothers, we know, life is not like this.  We run out of time.  One child or another will always need us when we planned to do our research, a baby will be crying when dinner is underway, or a number of things stand as an obstruction.  Let’s be real, many times, the clock is simply not our friend. 

Our family attended the Christmas Eve Mass at our parish.  Four of our five kids were singing in various choirs, and this Mass was the designated Mass for them to attend.  It’s a beautiful Mass, as is all Masses at our parish.  On our very short drive to church, I happen to overhear a brief conversation between my two eldest in the van.

They were discussing the fact that the choir director had informed the two oldest that they would be not be sitting with the parents, rather, they would be sitting in the choir chairs.  They also mentioned that during Consecration, they were instructed to remain sitting.

I piped up, “Wait a minute.  She told you both to remain in your seats and not kneel during Consecration?  That doesn’t seem right.”

Oh, no, we are almost to church, I have only about five minutes to convince them to obey me and not her, I thought.  For heaven’s sake, it’s Christmas and they have been told to set aside their reverence to Christ in the Eucharist?!

Then, my Thinker, informed me that the choir director would have placed their instruments underneath their choir chairs and kneeling would probably result in loud noises at the exact wrong moment. 

“Oh,”  I answered, “I see.”  What to do.  Do I push them to kneel?  Amidst the other children in the choir, do I force them to kneel, be a spectacle, clang their instruments and disobey the exact director I had entrusted them to? 

Common sense and right prudence won here.  With only a few minutes left to instill some kind of teaching on this subject, I glanced at the blizzard outside my window, hoping the snow covered roads would give me just a few extra moments to teach something very, very important.

I decided to seize this impromptu opportunity.  “Kids listen up.  During Consecration we all kneel, right?  Do you know why we do that?”

Silence. 

I better move fast, we’re almost there.

“Something happens at Consecration.  Something miraculous happens at that time.  We show we believe in that miracle when we kneel.  We show God we love Him, we respect Him, we believe in Him, that we recognize Him in the Eucharist.  That bread isn’t bread anymore.  It’s Jesus.  We kneel to show God we know that.  If you do not kneel, how will you show God your love and belief?  We don’t do it for anyone else, but for God.   How will He know?”

Again, silence. 

“Kids, I understand the choir director.   She’s right.  You should stay sitting.  If you kicked the instruments, it would make it worse.  However, what else can you do to show your reverence?  You should do something.”

Silence.

“Anyone have some ideas?  If you can’t kneel, what else could you do?  Let’s come up with something before we get to church.”

It was decided the prudent movement would be a bowing of their heads at the Consecration, and a small silent prayer during that brief moment. 

HH was unusually quiet during the ride, and as he parked, I asked him loudly, if he agreed with the decision or if he had another idea.  He turned around so all could hear, “Yep, I agree. It’s the right decision.”

We all popped out of the van, and before we knew it, Mass had begun.  As we sung our joyous hymns for Christmas Mass, I wondered if that small chat in the car had made any impact.  Would they remember to do something to make that moment special?  Would they bow their heads in reverence?

Then, just as that questioning moment arrived, it was gone.  The beauty of the Mass was enough for my thoughts and prayers, for a while anyway.  As Consecration was upon us, I listened for the ringing of the bells, and scanned the dozen or so faces of the choir children to find my kids.  At the precise moment of the ringing of the bells, I found my two.  Just as if in slow motion, I saw both their necks begin to bend, their heads fall forward, and for a good moment, they held their heads in that bow.

Again, for the Blood of Christ, my eyes darted back to the choir seats, and once again, the bells filled the church, and those two heads were lowered. 

I couldn’t contain my smile.  My heart leapt with a knowing joy.  Those brief moments in the van were enough.  They KNEW, and made their small acknowledgement.  I couldn’t have been a prouder mother at that moment.  They found a way to obey both their mother and their choir director.   Not only that, they found a way to recognize their God…..and I said my own prayer of thanksgiving:

Thank you, Holy Spirit.  You gave me a moment in time to teach them something.  It might have been in a blizzard, in a rush to get to Mass on time, in a full van, with a million other things on my mind….but you gave me the chance to teach them.  You gave me this light.  I took it, Lord.  Thank you for the strength to seize the opportunity you gave me.  And I’m grateful to have had it, to have seen it, to have moved with you.  It was a privilege and an honor this Christmas to have allowed you to work through me.

You know, we’d like to have advance notice that the Holy Spirit will be calling on us to act.  We'd like to know that He’ll be giving us only about three minutes to move fast, to have prudence, to know justice, to be ready.  It doesn’t always work like that, actually I’ve never seen the Holy Spirit work like that.  He truly is like that moving wind, that will breeze right past you if you let it.  Jump on board!  Be sensitive to His workings, and seize those moments, for as quickly as they are here, they are gone.  He depends on us to be ready, alert, waiting.  Don’t be afraid to work with Him, He loves our efforts, however small, however difficult, He loves us moving with Him.  And this Christmas, I have been humbled in this joyous task.

The Nativity: Digital Style

Just too cute not to post.  Enjoy!

4th Week of Advent Love

So we lit the last candle of the wreath, and this week we are consumed with Love: that realization that God loves us more than we can even imagine.  It's tough to contemplate the wideness and greatness of His love.

This week I saw elements of sincere Love and it helped me to better see, that I have just barely glimpsed His Love.

My Carefree Knight had a situation at school, minor, yet I felt important to resolve.  I was informed that he had misbehaved in class, and had to be told repeatedly to stop his actions....which he finally did stop, begrudgingly.

Once I had heard what had happened we started a conversation about what respect means....what does it mean to respect your teachers.  Why are they there?  They are there to teach you, and if you don't allow them to do that, or disobey them, you are disrespecting them.  He agreed that he should watch his behavior a little closer, and to make sure his teacher knew that he would be making this change, I encouraged Knight to write an apology note to this teacher.

Knight didn't like this idea, but I pressed him.  "You need to do this.  It's important to say I'm sorry sometimes, Buddy.  This way, she'll know you'll work harder on behavior in her class."

He wrote the note.  He included his apology and the next day he was off to school.

After school, I asked Knight, "So, what did your teacher say about your note?"
Knight answered, "Hum....I didn't give it to her."

I asked him, "Why not?"

Knight shook his shoulders, and gave a non-committal answer, "I don't know."

"You don't know?  Did you lose the note?"
Knight said, "No.  It's still in my backpack."
"Ok, did you forget to give it to her?"

Knight answered, "Hum....no.  I was embarrassed to do it."

"Oh, I see," I said, "It is hard to say that you're sorry.  It's hard for all of us to say it when we have done something wrong.  But we still have to do it."

Knight feeling the pressure said, "Ok."

"Tomorrow, understand?  Give it tomorrow."

So the next day came and went, and when he returned home, I asked him again, "So, did you give your note to your teacher?"

Smiling at me, Knight said, "Yes, I did."

"And?"
Knight said, "Well, she read it, and then said I was the only one to apologize to her about that day's behavior", as apparently there were more children involved in the situation.

I asked him, "Oh, really?  And how did that make you feel, that you were the only one?"
He sheepishly smiled at me, and said, "It felt good."

"Why?"

Knight came over to me then, and said, "It felt good to do the right thing."

Literally, I felt my heart heat with pride and appreciation for my son.  He did do the right thing, late, but he did finally follow through with it, and I was estatic.

Later, when we were alone, I asked Knight if he remembered the Gospel story of the healing of the ten lepers and how only one came back to say "thank you".  We discussed how happy it makes God to see even just the one come back to do the right thing.  "Imagine, Buddy, you were the one to come back.  You did it.  It was hard, embarrassing and even late.  But you did it.  You did the right thing, and I'm proud of you!"

He hugged me then, smiling big, and it was like our whole kitchen was glowing from the love that was in that room.

These are the moments I treasure, and I feel like I have a million of them, each one so tender, so precious, so filled with a smidgen of God's Love, that I walk on clouds for a few days. 

It is hard to come back.  It is hard to say the "I'm sorry", the "Thank you", those words of appreciation, regret, or gratitude.  Sometimes, our pride tells us we don't need to do it, that those who should hear it, already know it.  But, in the silence of our hearts we know, what we should do, and once we have done the hard task, ....it really does feel good.  And that's a snipped of God's Love.....just a small taste.

There's only a few days left before Christmas.....tell someone what you know you need to, and feel a glimpse of His Love.  Then, on Christmas, in all the joy of that glorious morning, you'll feel more of His Love, as He so LOVED the world to have given His only Son to live among us.

Prepare your heart, the time is fleeting fast.

And The Winner Is......

So the Giveaway is complete!  Over the weekend you had an opportunity to win a children's book, "Little Star", just by leaving a comment.  Well, four people commented, three here on the blog and one on my Facebook site for Sahmatwork.

Just so everyone knows how fair we really are in our house, I photo-documented the process this afternoon.  Here you are......

Announcing the winner:

Congratulations Lynne! 

Please contact me with your mailing address so you receive this children's book by Christmas!  

Book Review and Giveaway!

I've never done a giveaway, but in an attempt to get into the Christmas spirit, I've got one for you!

At the request of the author, Anthony DeStefano, this is a review of "Little Star", and for this review, he sent me a copy of this delightful children's book.

As mothers we work to incorporate the true meaning of Christmas into all our holiday planning, so our children once again, live the birth of our Lord, not just wait for Santa and Frosty.

This children's book can assist in that exact preparation for Christmas!  Written by DeStefano and illustrated by Mark Elliott, they capture an innocence and real truth about the Lord's birth.   Our hero, Little Star, is the smallest of the stars in the heavens and as he hears of the coming birth of a king he also hears of a reward that shall be given to the star that shines the brightest.

Little Star, being the smallest, is often overlooked, ignored and avoided.  And then, on the coldest night of the year, he watches from above Our Lady and Joseph make their way to give to birth.  Understanding their plight, being pushed away, Little Star realizes, that size doesn't matter, this king was also very small!

Little Star bursts with light and joy sending his rays down in an attempt to warm the baby King.  Little Star couldn't stop his love from shining, and ultimately gave all he had to the Christ Child.

As I began to read this book to my little Babe on my lap, slowly but surely by book's end, all five children had gathered around me to listen to "Little Star" and his sacrifice of Love......not to mention the begs for it's repeat.  If that isn't a commercial in the making I don't know what is.

I thoroughly enjoyed this children's book.  My children loved to hear how one's size doesn't constrain love and I got to once again, remind us all, that giving of one's self is the greatest gift under the tree. 


So here's the details of the giveaway.  Leave a comment below, now and over the weekend and you'll be entered!  One of my kiddos will pick a name from the hat on Monday - and I'll announce the winner on Monday's posting.  It will be mailed as soon as I get the winner's mailing address, and you'll have it by Christmas!


For those of you who simply want to order the book, here's the link for Amazon!

Let the GIVEAWAY begin!

3rd Week of Advent - JOY

Ah, the pink candle is finally lit.  In our Advent journey, it seems it will never end, or at times, that it is going by too quickly.  This week is dedicated to JOY.  What joy there is, in the waiting! 

Our Serious had her birthday yesterday, and as requested, unicorns had a serious presence.  There was a moment during dinner that was just too priceless to not mention.  She had requested nuts as a side for her birthday dinner, and having some pecans, walnuts and almonds on hand, I simply put out a bowl of these mixed nuts. 

During dinner, I noticed Serious not eating the nuts on her plate.  I asked her, "Why aren't you eating the nuts?  You did ask for nuts with dinner, right?"

She leaned in to whisper, "Mom, I don't really like these kind."

I leaned in too now, and asked her, "What kind do you like?"
She said, "Cashews."
"Oh, no, honey, I'm sorry, I thought you just wanted any nuts, I didn't know you wanted cashews, I would have gotten some for you."

She put her hand on top of my hand, and with a real maturity, said, "Mom, it's okay.  It really is.  I didn't want you to think I wasn't grateful for what I got.  So I didn't tell you what kind."

"Honey, for your birthday, Mom will get what you want for dinner, okay?  You just have to tell me, it's ok for your birthday, that you get what you asked for."

She nodded, and asked, "So do I HAVE to eat these?"

I took a quick swipe at her plate, and ate her pile of pecans for her.  With a full mouth, I said, "Eat what?"


These are the precise moments that I treasure.  In all the excitement of her birthday, she worried about being grateful.  I simply adore that.  She is a deeply thoughtful girl, even taking a good solid moment to contemplate her wish before blowing our her candles, and after each gift being unwrapped, she came to bowl me over with hugs and kisses on my cheek.

How I have waited for these types of moments!   How I wish they'd never pass! 

The waiting, the hoping, the wishing, the anticipation of these moments, that bring that inner JOY, is just a sampling of what is yet to come.

Happy 3rd Week of Advent!

Could It Be?

Could it be that I am overly zealous when it comes to cake decorating?

Could it be that I'm a gluten for punishment?

I prefer, I'm a sucker for a six year old's innocent wish for a Ballerina Birthday cake. 

Entertainer:  WE LOVE YOU!  Happy 6th Birthday!

Small Successes Thursday

Time for those Small Successes, they do add up to one big triumph.! 

1.)  Nursed sick 5 year old back to health.  She says, "Sorry, Mom, please wash my school shoes and socks, I threw up on them."

2.)  Nursed myself back to health, and still made yummy lasagna with summer's canned tomatoes.

3.)  Potty training in full gear:  three full days without diapers!  Smarties and M&M's are working.

In Progress:

4.)  A Homemade Christmas....gifts in progress.  Sewing machine needs a break.

Have some to share?  Go here!

Random Mass Moment

Just after the Words of Consecration, Entertainer, suddenly grabs my arm, and with a confused look on her face shouts in her whispered voice: 

Entertainer:  I don't get it! 

Mom:  What, honey?

Entertainer:  How could He speak?  I don't get it!

Mom:  Huh?

Entertainer:  Jesus, I mean.  He gave his body to His friends, right?

Mom:  Yes....and?

Entertainer:  Well, (she motions at her neck), if Jesus took a big piece of his body for His friends, how could He speak to them, and tell them to eat it?  Wouldn't He be dead?

Mom:  Oh, no.  Jesus used the bread on the table and turned it into His body for His friends.

Shocked, wide eyed Entertainer:  He can DO that?

Mom:  Honey, Jesus is God.  God can do anything He wants, anything, right?

Entertainer:  Oh, right.  I guess He COULD do that.

2nd Week of Advent - Peace

How hard is it to find Peace in this busy Advent Season?

Over the weekend, I went out to brave the cold, the snow and yes, the other busy holiday shoppers.  See we have two birthdays in December, St. Nick's as well as Christmas.  It's a busy month, and an expensive one.  For the most part, store clerks were happy and helpful, the customers were polite and easy going.  And I know why.  It's only Dec 6th.

As Christmas gets closer, I know things will change.  They always do.  I'd like to hope that there won't be angry shoppers, impatient drivers, or cranky sales people, but I am usually a Christmas Procrastinator.  I leave things to the end, and cram it all in the week before.   And that's exactly when I have seen all the Christmas crankiness.  There's pressure, I get it, for everyone to get a million things done, parties attended, presents wrapped and so on. 

For me, this year, I said 'good-bye' to that exact pressure.  Determined to keep a bit of inner peace, I organized a bit better this year.  Made out my lists, picked up my items, and I really only have two people left, who are very difficult to figure out. 

I've kept my Peace.  So far, anyway. But let's go a bit further....how does Christ's coming help keep that precious, fragile peace within?

I personally have a way to let His peace find me, especially in difficult moments.  Over the weekend, I was in a parking lot traffic jam.  Five lanes of cars were trying to merge into one lane to then exit the parking lot.  Cars coming into the lot were stuck since no one in any of these five lanes were giving in, or at least they couldn't as they each had four or five cars behind them. 

Then I looked directly into a tall SUV coming my way hoping to cut in front and enter the lot.  I met eye to eye with a middle aged woman, dark hair with a bright scarf.  I motioned with my arms, to get a reaction of which way she wanted to go.  She then motioned that she wanted to cut across me.  I looked behind me, there was no one.  No cars had made a lane behind me, and so I did what I could to ease the flow of traffic.  I put the stick into reverse, and moved.  That's it.  No magic here, just moved back about three feet.  And she was able to cut over, and her wave of thanks made the effort worth it. 

I waved back, moved forward those three feet, and quickly was out of the parking lot and on my way. 

It's moments like this that give me peace.  No matter what all those other cars were feeling: aggrevated with the feeling of being trapped, I was able to do something about it.  I looked behind me, I had a solution, and I did something with it.  It wasn't much, but it got one lady in a super tall SUV to where she wanted to go.  I helped one person.  That's all, sometimes, we need to do.  Just start with one.

You'll be amazed at the sense of peace and fullment you'll feel and find there....and that's His peace, that's Christ's peace:  one who graciously moves aside to help one other person is in His peace, there's a calm there, a trusting, a willingness to suffer for a stranger. 

Let us, in this Advent week dedicated to Peace, be that Peace for others.  Let us bring His calm, His grace, His understanding and compassion.  Let us set ourselves aside, and simply do something small.  Even three feet small will do the trick.  I promise you.

Decorating Gone Wrong

Recently, HH and I attended a dinner/dance fundraising event, and while most items were of little interest to us, one in particular caught my eye.  It was a two hour interior decorator consultation.  We made a modest bid simply wanting to donate to such a worthy cause, and because, well, frankly, I have no skill at interior design.

I admit that.  I don't have that gift.  And it is a gift to be able to situate furniture, decorate with taste and class with some semblance of practicality and functionality that our home must have for a family of seven.  Lo and behold our modest bit was the top bid and we were informed we had won our prize.  How exciting.  And I was excited, thrilled to say the least that someone who does this type of thing for a living, would come to my home, and help me in my lack-luster decorating.

I connected with our decorator, and set the date....for today.  It has taken me all day to digest what had happened in my home for those two brief hours, and to make peace with the whole situation.

Let me set it up for you.

So a woman is the heart of the home?  Well, it goes both ways.  I've learned today, that the home is a big part of a woman's heart, especially if you are a stay at home mother to children of young ages.  Somehow we manage to keep the toys at bay, the scraps of tiny papers thrown out, crumbs swept up, blankets folded, books managed on the bookshelf and all the rest.  We may not have had the time and/or money to dedicate to a complete home make-over, but in small ways, we make our house, part of us, part of our heart.

I looked around my home this morning before she arrived, and told myself to be open.  I wanted to be sure that I heard her out, that I took her suggestions to heart, that she was the expert, not me.  I made that conscious effort to see things from her perspective.  If only we both had done that.

Then my decorator arrived.   For the most part it began well, going from room to room, giving her things that I wanted to change, but didn't know how, and hoping for her guidance on those issues.  I'll be honest, she did give honest feedback.  Very Honest.  Brutally Honest.  Which is tough to hear sometimes.  She did, though, give some helpful ideas.  

The problem came in when with every good idea, there were also subtle undertones of Feminism, that I simply didn't care for.  

Let me explain.  We came to our Master bedroom, and she asked me how I liked our bedspread.  I commented that I'd love to replace it, that I wasn't crazy about the color.  She responded with a resounding, "Yep, I hate that bedspread.  It's gotta go."

I offered her explanation, "Well my husband didn't want something with flowers, or too feminine, as he sleeps here too."

Her response, "Oh, geez.  Tell him, 'Men need a little femininity in their lives', it won't kill him."

Hum.  You are right.  It won't, but my lack of considering his needs and wants will certainly make an impact on my marriage.  We work together.

We moved downstairs to our family room which contains HH's aquarium, something he has loved for years and years, finding new and different types of fish and teaching our children all kinds of interesting facts on sea life.

Decorator hates fish.  Opps.  Wrong again.

She asked me, "Are we married to the fish tank?"

"Hum, no, but I am married to the man who loves the tank."

She states, "Ugh.  Men and fish tanks.  My husband has wanted a tank for, like three years, and I simply refuse.  I hate fish.  They're pointless.  So, if we are stuck with this, then I guess you're stuck."

Yikes.  What would have happened if Decorator wanted something for three years and her husband wouldn't get it for her after all that time?  I hate to imagine.  If I dreamt of something for that long, let me assure you, HH would have satisfied me long ago.  Perhaps because I don't make him sleep on tulips and lilies.

Next, we went to our living room, and as we discussed possibilities in there, one more zinger came at my husband's expense, and I guess I'd heard enough.  She asked me, "Is your husband handy around the house?"

I answered, "Yes, extremely.  He can handle almost any project."

She said, "Good, that's good, that will help you."

As she proceeded to pull at my curtains, their rods and the blinds behind, screws came loose from the rods, and practically pulled the screws completely from the wall.  She lamented, "Scratch that.  Not that handy."  As she tried to fix her error only to make matters worse, she once again complained, "Nope.  Not.  Handy.  At. All."

I had heard enough.  Thankfully, our two hours were up, and I had a feeling she sensed my frustration and exited quickly. 

I closed the door behind her, and wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.  What has happened?  Have I truly spent so much time in my own home, that I don't even recognize what the real world is like any more?  What happened to allowing the man play equal part?    What happened to common courtesy, as I suffered through this woman pointing to this or that stating, "That's garbage, throw that out.  This piece of furniture doesn't match the others."  And on she went.

Ouch.  Really?  Where this woman saw trash or mix match pieces, I saw history, someone's generosity, families working together to support each other, and our own gratitude for others' kindness.  It was shocking to see that family history and generosity had such little value in her secular eyes.

I took some time today to digest the whole event.  There was good and bad, like anything else.  I see that.

Then, we, as a family had dinner.  I looked around the room, and as I recounted a brief summary of the day to HH, I decided to make an announcement to the whole family.

"Children listen up.  I want to tell you all something.  I learned something very important today.  I learned that I may not have fancy couches or lamps or rugs or curtains, I may not, but what I do have is one amazing family.  If I had to choose between a fancy new lamp or a new coat for one of you kids, I'd pick your coat.  That's how happy I am with our family.  We work together.  We love each other.  We help each other.  And let me tell you:  No couch or rug or lamp is more important than that."

The children had no idea of our Decorator visitor today, as they were at school.  They had no idea of what I was even referring to, but in my mind, it was clear.   I knew that while our material possessions might not be Decorator worthy, it was enough.....for us.

To end this adventure, it just so happened that tonight, I had to make a run to Target for a few little necessities.  I walked through all those aisles of home decorating, looked at lamps, rugs and bedspreads.  'Ugh', I thought, 'no wonder I haven't updated in a while.  This stuff is expensive.'

Instead, I proved my dinner time point, by going down the children's aisles to purchase some basic needs they have been having for a while.....socks.....tights.....a few St. Nick gifts for Dec. 6th, and some fun fruit snacks for lunches tomorrow. 

When I am confronted with choices of where to spend my money, I guess I'd rather make sure that my kids don't have holes in their socks.  If that means that HH spends another night on a flowerless bedspread, well, I guess he'll live.

Random Bedtime Moment

Serious:  Mom, which kid, you know, is your favorite one?

Mom:  My favorite one? Oh, geez, each one of you kids is special to me.  You are all my favorites.

Serious:  But you have a favorite color, right?

Mom:  Yes, I do.

Serious:  You have a favorite animal, right?

Mom:  Yes, I do.

Serious:  Which kid is your favorite?  (She leans in to whisper)  I won't tell the others, I pinkie promise.

Mom laughing:  Honey, I love you all in very special and different ways.  Moms don't have favorites, they love them all!

Serious:  Humph.  Ok, well, which one of us was the cutest when we were born?

Mom:  All new babies are super cute.

Serious:  Humph......Hum...Well.....Who had the longest hair when we were born?

Mom:  You all had the same length of hair. 

Serious:  Well, you are my favorite Mom.

Mom:  Oh, I see.  Today, you are my favorite six year old.