A friend recommended the book THE LIFE CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP by Marie Kondo. It only took a few clicks of the mouse for me to locate and purchase a used copy off Amazon. So here I am, as always, looking at the disaster that is my home, wanting it to be much neater and easier to keep nice, and as usual, I have NO idea how to begin. Or perhaps it is more the whole idea is terrifying to me. I have no clue why it is terrifying, but it is. My first exercise, according to the book … Continue reading
Tag Archives: vocation
I like the title up there, but truth is, I have never found a satisfactory way to handle the stress of loneliness while staying home with small children. I enjoyed taking graduate classes and found that I could study genetics while sitting on the floor as the kids played around me. Getting out to class was really good for me and it helped me to feel very good when I was home with the little ones. I currently have a special interest group I joined and that is fun too. But the truth is that finding ways to support your … Continue reading
The Mom Job is great but even the most perfect vocation has its difficult aspects. For the mom who is at home all day with her beloved children, the biggest down side is loneliness resulting from isolation from other adults. It may be hard to believe that a woman who cannot even use the restroom without a train of toddlers joining her in the room could ever be lonely, but indeed, it does happen. Some of us turn on our favorite television to have the sound of adult voices. I particularly enjoyed EWTN and a smattering of cooking programs. I … Continue reading
Hi, I am the mother of two difficult, energetic children, whom I bring to Mass so they can learn to be good Christians; we sit on a bench, not in a pew, that faces a tall glass window between us and the sanctuary where the privileged Christians get to sit. Today, my view through the window was of the back sides of several college aged young persons, in shorts– plaid shorts in one case, boat shoes, flip-flops and sneakers, hairy legs and their asses at my face level FOR THE ENTIRE MASS. Now, it is a LARGE church, with a … Continue reading
Pope Francis is making it clear that he is a different person from his predecessors and this is causing discomfort and fear among the laity. There are some ugly accusations being bandied about with nary a shred of concrete evidence. Fr. Z, over at WDTPRS, wrote Liberals will soon turn on Pope Francis. This caused me to do some thinking. Pope Francis spoke about wanting a “poor church” and some persons seem to think he means to sell off the art of the Churches but I don’t. I think Pope Francis is talking about us, the Laity, and how those … Continue reading
‘There is a Saint for that!’ I find the Saints one of the fun aspects of being Catholic. There are so many of them, and their stories are of regular people who lived heroically Catholic lives and so the Saints at the very least make excellent examples for us all. I find I relate to the faults in St. Jerome’s temperament (I too tend to be irascible!) but I want to respond more like St. Teresa of Avila, St. Josemaria Escriva, Blessed John Paul II, or Trudy Krise. Their examples are an inspiration to my efforts to live my vocation … Continue reading
People create collections. Some collections fit in a notebook or a single drawer. Others, such as cars, require copious amounts of room. Collections can be kept small, a few objects on a single shelf, or they may fill a home with display cabinets. They may relate to the collector’s vocation or simply be a beloved hobby. I had a professor of Literature whose home was filled with row on row of loaded bookshelves. Another professor kept fewer books, but had a harp in her living room so she could recite Beowulf to music. People collect a variety of things. Some … Continue reading
Bodhran: a shallow drum traditionally used in Celtic music and similar to the flat drums used in some Native American music. I purchased my very first drum at the Winter Festival of Acoustic Music. Why a bodhran? It makes this marvelous sound, is light weight, easily stored and easily carried. The bodhran is an amazingly flexible little drum. Also, I just like it. It isn’t something I went to the festival expecting to purchase but as always the stimulus of music spurs my creativity and need to explore. That, and the drum was discounted as was the bag to carry … Continue reading
Well, this week my weight did not change much. I am down only a single pound from a week ago for a total one month weight loss of 18 pounds! I am very happy over this. This week had its challenges. I had to fast for blood work and ate a burger afterwards, and several times I have taken a bite of fruit that was not on my approved list. Too many carbs= little or no weight loss. On the up side, I can see that the small amount of cheating put me very much at a maintenance level of … Continue reading
Good morning! beginning another week of sticking to our diet plans and working to be healthier. Our lives are enhanced by greater health and so are the lives of our families. One member of the family stepping out and changing actions can make a very big difference in the lives of all members of the family. Especially if that person is doing the cooking! This week my goals are the same as in the past week. Eat on the schedule, on the foods list, and follow doctor’s orders about letting my body heal. Greater health enhances our performance in our … Continue reading