Never a Dull Moment

So So Great

One of the blogs I read is having a contest to see who has the best response to the comment bellow. One of the readers (a mother of 4) entered this list. I had to share them or remember them for myself really. She writes: "The first is my favorite, although I've never had the guts to actually say it."

"Wow, you sure have your hands full!"

1. "Yes, I do. But making children is so much fun!"

2. "Better than empty!"

3. "Not at all, you see, a handful is 5. Times that by 2 hands and that's 10. I only have 4. Then of course, my husband is a big help and he has two hands as well..."

4. "I have lots of help from my 3 children. Many hands make light work!"

5. "My children are not a burden, in fact the Bible calls them blessings."

6. "Praise be to God that He has filled them!"

7. "We only have 4! How many more do you think I could have before menopause?"

8. "Oh, this is just our 'starter kit'"

9. "Well, when you have kids a beautiful as mine, how can you resists?"

10. "Did you know there is a woman in Arkansas with 19 children?"

And here's the clincher that I would never use, but sometimes I really really want to.

11. "I'm working hard to make up for all of the kids that abortion has killed."

My favorite is #2 or "I'm thankful that God has filled them!" would be a nice response. I have actually used #9!

Honestly I'm not too bothered by this comment, it's a true statement in many ways . But there are several others that Phil and I get that I am bothered by and would like a better response to, for example the "You know how this keeps happening don't you?" variety of comments. Grrr.

And while I'm on the subject of unnecessary comments the one that infuriates Phil and confuses me is the one we get over and over during each of my pregnancies, when inquiring about the sex of the child we hear "Oh it doesn't matter right as long as they're healthy!". I just don't think people think about what they're saying when they say this. Would we not want our child if he or she wasn't healthy? Healthy or not healthy, God would still have blessed us with a child. So PLEASE don't ever say this to anyone!

Our Own Learning Basket

October in Polka Dot Wellies by Sarah Jane

Inspired by one of my blog crushes and eager to begin schooling Lily I'm going to attempt a themed lesson plan throughout this year. Each week the girls and I will learn about something new through, books, pictures, crafts, games, songs or videos from our "Learning Basket". Lily is so bright and I think would do very well in a school type setting but unfortunately at her age this is not an option. She needs more structure, challenges and outlets so I think this plan will help us both in providing that.

Next week I will begin with Leaves.

Discuss their different colors, shapes, where to find them

Books- Go to library on Tuesday

Activities-
take a walk collect fall items

Crafts -
Handprint Leaf (finger paint and trace)
Glue leaves on tree
Color or paint leaf pictures
Large leaf cutout and fill in
collect leaves for wreath

Pictures -
Find in magazines, online, create slideshow

Songs -
Found here and here

Video-
Autumn & Vivaldi
The Leaves Are Falling

Mercy

Many days feel like a downward spiral into sin, sin and more sin. My failings as a wife and mother are always in my face and if I stop to take a closer look at things I'm easily overwhelmed with the immensity of how awful I am. I thought for a while that if I could just read my bible more, pray more, be alone for a while or have the chance to go to a bible study around other Christians that I would somehow do better. Better at controlling my temper, have more patience with my babies, not complain and pout as much, be less negative. Of course I knew that as poor miserable sinners we can't "do better" and will always struggle with sin, but at least maybe we could do a little less sinning right? Well, no. I'm not sure that it works that way. I realized over the last couple of weeks that all I can do is repent daily. Repent to the Lord, repent to my husband and even repent to my children. That's all I got. Daily repentance and contrition as our Catechism instructs. I think I'm finally getting it.

I've felt very overwhelmed with the responsibilities I've been given. I have many anxieties about how I will "successfully" care for my three children, keep the house relatively clean and straight, keep meals on the table at the right times and be the loving supportive wife I want to be. With all this weight on my shoulders I feel helpless at times. Some days I'm good. I have a better outlook, I know to take care of priorities and let other things go. I also have huge help right now with my mom being here. I have yet to see what life will be like once she's not here, washing, changing, feeding, cooking, cleaning for me. But I'm also beginning to learn that I MUST take one day at a time. Christ says "Let tomorrow worry about itself. Today has enough trouble of it's own." Get what you can get done today, tomorrow will be another day to get another thing done. And the days that I feel so totally overwhelmed I have to be reminded that none of this is permanent. My babies will NOT be babies forever. They will at some point sleep most or all of the night, they will be able to clean up after themselves, they will get out of diapers , they will be able to feed themselves and play in the back yard alone. And one day I will have a quiet and empty house. I will have "time for myself". And I will I'm sure miss some of this current "chaos".

I was happy to find this post a mother of 6 wrote on one of the verses that often comes to my mind and I'm beginning to understand, "She shall be saved in childbearing." 1 timothy 2:15. In other words, she shall have to fiercely hang to Christ's promises of salvation when she feels salvation is far from her, she shall daily have to die to her own desires, she shall daily have to live for others. The flesh that is this frustrated and the soul that is this desperate for Christ's forgiveness can only be saved. Finding no help in myself, no strength, I have to turn to Christ. And He is always there to give me this help and strength. Honestly there are days I don't feel that He's given me enough but then there are times of clarity that I look back and can see that yes, He did. I made it through. My husband gave a sermon this Sunday that gave me comfort. Reminding me that faith is in things not seen. If we could see the things hoped for we would not need faith. I have faith that Christ will take me to His heaven, that my children will be cared for by His loving hand one way or another, and that I will get along day after day with His provision even when I can't see how.

Though I don't want to "just make it through". Some days are just gonna be that way I know but one of the reasons I began to blog was to write down the moments that I love about being a wife and mother. To remember the days that are wonderful, the priceless gifts I receive through my babies. I want to remember these moments more often. I want to be patient more often. I want to pray more often. It is God's will that I do so He will help me. I just can't expect that I will want to and certainly that I will be able to do it on my own. I was encouraged to read this from evlogia:

A mother must be creative in prayer. Taking utter chaos and through it, by God's grace, affecting the order of her heart. Nights of nursing become opportunities to keep vigil. Mealtime interruptions, serving a hungry child, become moments to fast. Overflowing baskets of laundry become concrete reminders to pray for each family member, as each article of clothing is folded and put away. Little ways to capture the grace of the smallest, most ordinary moments. The art of motherhood.

Instead of beating myself up for not making time to pray I could find times to pray throughout the day.

Again from evlogia: The search for quiet has long been abandoned and I now listen amid the noise, creatively searching for any opportunity to catch a brief moment of grace. Within the clamor, the quiet of God's voice resonates clearly in the heart, but only when the noise of my complaining ceases.

I must remember that my salvation and standing with God doesn't depend on what I do or how close I feel to Him. He is always faithful to me and His promises of forgiveness, life and salvation will be kept. I'm doing what He has called me to do. I must trust that while I've got my hands deep in Teddy Grahams and my head in dirty diaper pails He will do what He has promised and preserve me in the one true faith. The days get long and I get very hateful in my heart at times but I know He's always ready to forgive and each Sunday I hear His words of forgiveness even while a wiggly whiny baby makes it hard. We mamas can only hope and trust that His words are true and do what He says they do even when we feel like Polly Pagan. That's what we are apart from Him anyway, lost, condemned, utterly helpless, there's no use fooling ourselves into thinking otherwise. So we cry, "Lord have mercy".

Assaulting Thoughts

From evlogia

Logismoi

Why is it that women in general, and mothers in particular, seem especially prone to battling negative thoughts?

Logismoi. It is a spiritual battle, you know?

The types of thoughts are legion, but it seems to me that mothers battle these thoughts more than others.

Read more here

Empty Cradles

European Christians must have more children or face the prospect of the Continent becoming Islamised, a senior Vatican official has said.

Fr Piero Gheddo, an Italian, said that the low birth rate among indigenous Europeans combined with an unprecedented wave of Muslim immigrants with large families could see Europe becoming dominated by Islam in the space of a few generations. "The challenge must be taken seriously," said Fr Gheddo, of the Vatican's Pontifical Institute for Foreign Missions.

He said that when "religious practice diminishes in Christian Europe and indifference spreads, Christianity and the Church are attacked".

"If we consider ourselves a Christian country, we should return to the practice of Christian life, which would also solve the problem of empty cradles," he added.

Read more: http://www.vancouversun.com/Have+children+Islamised+Europe+told/3490638/story.html#ixzz0zInvxDqA

She shall be saved in childbearing...

The Treasure Hunt

post from Evlogia

As a mother of many children, attending the divine services is a matter of constant movement. Arms rarely empty, I cannot recollect ending a service in the same spot as which I began. Long ago I abandoned the naively willful notion that equates the distractions of caring for my young with lost opportunities of grace. Quite the contrary. A will pruned by repeated cuttings bears far more fruit than one at rest in external peace and quiet. She shall be saved in childbearing.

She shall receive the opportunity to live for another.

Read more HERE