Outside my window…
it is beautiful! I’m determined to relax and enjoy the rest of summer, and this glorious warm weather!
I am thinking…
about prioritizing. My body just hasn’t been able to keep up with my mind lately! 😉 It didn’t help that I couldn’t move on Thursday, then spent Saturday night and all day Sunday in bed with the worst headache of my life. (I finally caught that cold/cough that my kids were passing around…) One of the first things that has to go, when I get behind, is answering emails and comments. So, if you haven’t heard back from me, now you know why… Hopefully I will catch up soon.
I am thankful…
for vitamins and supplements that I can take (unlike pain meds) and that I am feeling (mostly) well today! Thank you God!! I’ve tried my best to not complain (too much) and offer it all up, but it seems like it has just been one thing after the next lately! I’m so thankful for my husband, who has been awesome, making sure that I am getting enough time to rest and get better.
Learning all the time…
Math lessons every. single. day. this week! My kids need to get busy if they are going to finish last year’s textbooks before the new year begins. A couple of them still have 20-30 lessons to complete. Are we the only ones out there still working on finishing last year’s school work? So many families seem to be starting their new school year already! We won’t be starting again until September.
Celebrating the liturgical year…
tomorrow is the feast of St. Ignatius. It is also Captain’s baptismal day! I think we will celebrate with St. Ignacio’s Nachos for Dinner and maybe some Ice Cream Cones with “Shell” topping for dessert! 😉
From the kitchen…
organic fruits and vegetables from our local Growers Market! I have been meaning to go all summer and finally made it to the market on Saturday morning. I’m hoping to make it a weekly trip for the rest of the summer/fall.
I am creating…
lesson plans and check lists for next year. Last year I made weekly check lists for my kids, at least for the first half of the year, before the baby arrived! This year I’m leaning towards Sarah’s Color Coded Progress Lists. Love them!!
I am working on…
simplifying and organizing our home. It’s a never ending job, especially with a family this size, but always rewarding!
I am going…
to try and post our family’s curriculum picks for this coming year by the end of the week.
I am hoping…
{still} that Bud’s 2nd tooth breaks through soon. It is so close! The poor little guy has been miserable lately! {It’s been a very long week!}
I am reading…
The Maid of Fairbourne Hall. This is the first book by Julie Klassen that I have read. I picked it up from the library and I am really enjoying the story. It very much reminds me of Downton Abbey!
I am praying…
St. Ignatius’ Prayer for Generosity. “Lord, teach me to be generous. Teach me to serve you as you deserve; to give and not to count the cost, to fight and not to heed the wounds, to toil and not to seek rest, to labor and not to ask for reward, save that of knowing that I do your will.”
Pondering these words…
I included a few quotes from My Nameday – Come for Dessert in my last post on Celebrating St. Anne’s Day. An anonymous commenter asked the following:
This from your post jumped out at me: “How do you find the time?” mothers ask. “Something less important must go undone,” is the answer. How do you decide what to leave undone? There is much to celebrate every week, especially with a large family and the beauty of the Catholic Church. I would be interested in any tips you have in how you accomplish such beautiful celebrations.
That question has been on my mind since reading it, trying to think how best to respond… After so many years of celebrating the liturgical year, it has become very easy for me to do so. Let me put some more thought into it, and perhaps I can come up with some helpful tips for you. In the meantime (because knowing me it might be quite some time before I get around to it…) here is a quote from one of my favorite books on the topic: The Year & Our Children by Mary Reed Newland. I highly recommend this book!
“There is also the question of time. Where do you find the time? Like these other questions, the answer is, we can find it if we plan for it. We can find it quite easily by looking to see where we waste it. Not wasting it is not easy, because the habits of time-wasting, although they are harmless, are hard to break – as I know from expierence. Mothers have this struggle all to themselves. It involves such things as the radio habit, coffee breaks, cigarette breaks, long telephone conversations, chatting with neighbors, a heavy involvement in outside activities. Somewhere most American women can “find time” to devote to the enriching of their families’ spiritual life. The joyous discovery is that once we have struggled and found the time, tasted and seen how sweet are these pursuits together, we begin to gauge all our doings so that there will be time – because we are convinced there must be.”
I am listening…
to all the cute things that my kids have been saying. Like Snuggles at swimming lessons this afternoon, when he said: “I’m done playing this swimming lesson game!” lol
Around the house…
gifts from a blog friend from France! My husband thought it was very interesting that he and the kids opened the package while I was at the hospital for my ultrasound, just before they prayed the final day of prayers of a novena to St. Jean Vianney. I didn’t know that he and the kids were praying a novena for me, and he didn’t know that this package was on it’s way to our family!
One of my favorite things…
Roasted Vegetables. One of our new favorites is Roasted Broccolette with Garlic and Olive Oil. Yum!!!
A few plans for this week…
- Swimming Lessons Monday-Thursday
- Host a Curriculum Sale Blog Hop here at Shower of Roses
- Final Little Flowers Meeting for Wreath IV
- Friday Morning Mass
- Wedding Rehearsal on Friday
- Wedding on Saturday
- Mass on Sunday
A little peek at my day…
Oh wow…I just stumbled onto that same prayer from St. Ignatius last night, & wrote it down to ponder this week! What a blessing to read it again, over here, lol! So encouraging!
My children are still working on math, too! And grammar… and science….
We did take a break from lessons during July, but are starting up the math/grammar again this week. 🙂 I figure we'll just move to the next level as soon as it is completed.
Wishing you a beautiful and joy-filled week!
You're already very generous. You give to all of us veryday through your posts. Truly, I'll never be able to thank you enough!
Thinking and praying for you as promised, Kara
Hope you have complete healing. Our prayers are with you. I have a question, I noticed in your post that you received a gift from a blogger in France. I offered to send a postcard from St. Andrews Scotland. The intent was that St. Andrew the patron saint is very much celebrated in Scotland and I thought your children would enjoy the card. You wished us well. Perhaps you only accept gifts from those that you know well.
That is so funny! A friend of mine recently posted the prayer on Facebook, and I loved it! 🙂
Hi Bonnie, When you have a chance, could you please email me your email address? (jessica.showerofroses(at)gmail(dot)com) Thank you! 🙂 I really appreciate all the prayers!
Bud is so incredibly cute, just like all of your kids! Where did you get the blanket that he has? Is it a car play mat? I've been looking for one for my little guy.
Um, yeah, I'm with you, finishing our work from last year too. We had a baby, that's my excuse, but frankly we are usually in this boat, lol…
We celebrate the liturgical year stuff pretty easily now, largely thanks to you! 🙂 But now that we are used to doing it, it doesn't take so much time. I have to plan meals and cook for my family anyway, it doesn't take much more time to do it with the church calendar in hand. I have bookmarked ideas over the years and just kind of scan for ideas I want to use before planning our meals each season. Hope that helps someone, and hope you are feeling well soon!
Good morning my friend, j 'espère that you go better, yes it is needed of time to have a rest, the body and l 'esprit needs it, happily everybody looks after you! J 'espère that the tooth of the infant is going to come and to stop hurting, a neuvaine, j 'en make a lot! happy that the packet arrives well you are so far! in any case I bless when j 'ai known your blog, because I take example that filled you and your family d 'amour, you are a force for me! It is a pity that the book is not translated into Frenchman I am sad, go look after you all! j 'espère that translation is correct with the translator! That God protects you all best regards of FRANCE Marylin
Jessica, I have learned, the hard way, that when I have tons of plans and I keep getting knocked down, it is God telling me I need to slow down a bit. It's not easy as a mom, but I believe that moms really need down time, and since we are so unwilling to do it the easy way, God makes us do it the hard way.;) Pray that you are doing better.
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We are still finishing up are math from this past year, along with some spelling and grammar. It’s good to learn all the time even through the summer. This keeps the mind always working and that’s a very good thing.
I hope you feel well soon! I agree with Jennifer Hansen God is do good he always knows what we need:)
Thank you! The play mat was actually made by my Aunt/Godmother back in 1981! I really should take a couple pictures of it to share sometime. I would think that Etsy might be a good place to look, maybe?
Yes, those are my thoughts exactly – I have to plan meals and cook anyways. That is why most of our celebrations involve food! 🙂
And, I'm using the same baby excuse here! We usually "catch up" just in time for the next baby to arrive around here. It all works out in the end, even if not quite on "schedule!"
The question of time is my summer theme. I didn't plan it to be, but in God's all knowing way He set up the stage for me to fully reflect on WHERE I put my time.
It has been such a blessing. Thus my computer and blog time is considerably less.
You aren't the only ones finishing up lessons. Two of the kids are still on their math. When they notice the plans for the fall they grumble a bit, by just a bit ;0)
We are right with you doing the math lessons from the past year. (You are not alone) Thank you for all the joy you bring to so many homeschooling mothers.
I am so glad that you mentioned the book you have been reading. I was going to watch the last episode of Downton Abbey tonight and was a little sad to see it end:) I will have to give the book a try. I am so glad you are feeling better. I am praying for you daily!