How can two, sweet little girls…
This is how I found my daughters room last night…
IT IS SO FRUSTRATING!!! I want to be able to make my home a haven and work on ways to make our life simply lovely. But honestly, what do you do when the little ones can make SUCH messes?? And, usually, fairly quickly at that!
My boys are pretty neat, for the most part, and when told, they will pick up after themselves. Twinkle Toes on the other hand has a meltdown (“But I don’t wannnnttt toooo piccckkkk up my rooooommm…”) when told to pick up her room. I think it is just that she has too much stuff… Maybe??
Anyhow, I decided to try and conquer their room last night. So, I headed in with the following list:
With the help of the girls, we went through EVERYTHING. Many, MANY toys were boxed up to give to the poor. We also filled a bag with trash. The remaining toys were sorted and boxed. We used some underbed storage boxes, plastic zipper bags and a few shoe box size rubbermaid containers. At this point EVERYTHING has a place.HOW TO ORGANIZE YOUR KIDS’ CHAOS
1. Edit their stuff. A child with too many toys can get overwhelmed. Give unwanted toys to a younger child or a charity.
2. Hold everything. Make sure the room has lots of low shelves, boxes and baskets (Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, the Container Store and CompanyKids all make great ones) to put things in.
3. Up, up and away. If you don’t want a ton of things piled on the bed or floor, consider installing shelves or a “pet net” to hold huge collections of dolls or stuffed animals.
4. Divide and conquer. Separate toys into different containers (plastic boxes, shoeboxes, even large zipper bags will do the trick), according to type.
5. Bag it! Make sure your child has a laundry bag or hamper in his room and get him into the habit of putting dirty clothes in it as soon as he’s worn them.
6. Set house rules … And review them. No food in the bedroom, no crayons in the living room, no clothes on the bathroom floor.
7. Make it fun. Have siblings “race” to clean up; the first one with a spotless space gets a reward.
8. Set a good example. You are the best role model. Show your child the benefits of living an organized, clutter-free life.
Well, other than a little sign that I haven’t quite decided where to hang, so its sitting on the back of the toy box/bench:
I want to order a couple pictures from my Aunt/Godmother as well, to hang on the walls… I just can’t decide which ones. I love the Little Princess collection, or maybe Animal Kingdom… And the Lady Bugs collection is so cute too! And the Scroll collection is so pretty. She is so talented! Which do you think would look the best?
Well, here are a couple pictures of their CLEAN room this morning:
An afternoon reflection…
…on the 35th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade.
Please join me, on this sad day, to watch and reflect on Father Liam Cary’s homily from this past Sunday titled:
The Unknown Souls
This video was created by a good friend of ours and is “dedicated to the fathers and mothers, sons and daughters, sisters and brothers we will never know.”
Prayer for the Helpless Unborn
Heavenly Father, in Your love for us, protect against the wickedness of the devil, those helpless little ones to whom You have given the gift of life.
Touch with pity the hearts of those women pregnant in our world today who are not thinking of motherhood.
Help them to see that the child they carry is made in Your image – as well as theirs – made for eternal life.
Dispel their fear and selfishness and give them true womanly hearts to love their babies and give them birth and all the needed care that a mother can give.
We ask this through Jesus Christ, Your Son, Our Lord, Who lives and reigns with You and Holy Spirit, One God, forever and ever. Amen.
(Source: EWTN)
“It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish.” – Mother Teresa on abortion
Spiritually Adopt a Child
This past Sunday our family participated in our local March for Life. During the Rally afterwards, one of the speakers led a prayer in which he said: “I am ready to do my part in ending abortion. Today I commit myself Never to be silent, Never to be passive, Never to be forgetful of the unborn.”
One of the ways in which we can remember the unborn daily is through prayer. Please visit The Daily Grotto today and read Kathy’s post about how to Spiritually Adopt a Child.
Prayer to End Abortion
Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,
And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.
I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,
Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death
by the Resurrection of Your Son.
I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.
Today I commit myself
Never to be silent,
Never to be passive,
Never to be forgetful of the unborn.
I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,
And never to stop defending life
Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,
And our nation once again becomes
A nation with liberty and justice
Not just for some, but for all.
Through Christ our Lord. Amen!
Book Meme
I was catching up on the latest posts over at Amy’s blog, Knit Together in Love, when I noticed her post titled book meme. “Interesting,” I thought… And since she said at the bottom of her post, ” I tag…. YOU.” I considered myself tagged! Thanks Amy 😉
Lets see… The rules are as follows:
1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.
Right now, on my desk, I have my copy of Dressing with Dignity… I didn’t think it would have 123 pages, but sure enough, it actually has 138! (I love this book, and highly recommend reading it!)
So here are the 3 sentences following the 5th complete sentence on page 123:
OOOhhhh!!! They are quotes, no less, from the wonderful Pope Pius XII!
“Mainly through sins of impurity do the forces of darkness subjugate souls.”
–Pope Pius XII“As long as modesty will not be put into practice, the society will continue to degrade. Society reveals what it is by the clothes it wears.”
–Pope Pius XII“To say that ‘modesty is a matter of custom’ is just as wrong as to say that ‘honesty is a matter of custom.'”
–Pope Pius XII
Now, the 5 people I am going to tag are:
Let me know if you do it!
Our Lady of Altagracia
With the Christmas season over, we have put away our Christmas Mosaic
In fact, before Catholic Mosaic, I had never heard of Our Lady of Altagracia, whose feast is today, January 21st.
Our Lady of Altagracia is also known as Our Lady of High Grace. She is Protector and Queen of the hearts of the Dominicans, as well as the patron saint of the Dominican Republic. They have such a devotion to her there, that January 21st is a national holiday in her honor!
Since I had never heard of Our Lady of Altagracia, I did a bit of online searching, and found the following over at Catholic-Forum:
(In regards to the picture, there is:) A portrait of the Virgin Mary in a Nativity scene. It is 13 inches (33 centimeters) wide by 18 inches (45 centimeters) high, and is painted on cloth. It is a primitive work of the Spanish school, painted c.1500. The Spanish brothers Alfonso and Antonio Trejo, two of the first European settlers on Santo Domingo, brought the portrait to the island some time prior to 1502, and eventually donated it to the parish church at Higuey. It’s first shrine was finished in 1572, and in 1971 it was moved to its present Basilica. The image was crowned on 15 August 1922 during the pontificate of Pius XI. Due to its age, centuries of handling by the faithful, and exposure to candle smoke, it was in sad shape, and was restored in 1978. On 25 January 1979 by Pope John Paul II who crowned the image with a gold and silver tiara, his gift to the Virgin. It’s frame is made of gold, enamel and precious stones, and was constructed by an unknown 18th century artisan.The Dominicans see the image as exemplifying Our Lady watching over the island and the growth of Christianity there. The feast day is marked by services, all-night vigils, singing, dancing, and festivals in many of the towns.
Legend says that the pious daughter of a rich merchant asked him to bring her a portrait of Our Lady of Altagracia from Santo Domingo, but no one had heard of that title. The merchant, staying overnight at a friend’s house in Higuey, described his problem as they sat outdoors after dinner. An old man with a long beard, who just happened to be passing by, pulled a rolled up painting from his bindle, gave it to the merchant, and said, “This is what you are looking for.” It was the Virgin of Altagracia. They gave the old man a place to stay for the night, but by dawn he was gone, not to be seen again. The merchant placed the image on their mantle, but it repeatedly disappeared only to be found outside. They finally returned it to the church.
Regina and I decided to start getting together each Monday for a couple classes. She is teaching Spanish, and I am going to help the kids make a liturgical notebook using Catholic Mosaic as our spine.
Today we read “A Gift of Gracias” which is based on the legend of Our Lady of Altagracia. After we read and discussed it, the kids colored a beautiful picture found in Fenestrae Fidei: A Coloring Companion to Catholic Mosaic to add to their notebooks.
We also did a few of Cay’s suggested activities… The kids found Dominican Republic on the globe, and then marked it on a page to add to the notebooks. I made their notebooking pages to use for copywork using the drawing found here as the graphic, followed by some lines… (If you wanted, you could enlarge this picture to color as well, but the Fenestrae Fidei picture is just so nice we used it.) They did a bit of copywork from the book we read, and then made a list of all the things that they are thankful for. We have so much TO be thankful for, it was fun to see what the kids were coming up with!
Alice posted some wonderful ideas to use for a tea in honor of Our Lady of Altagracia. I printed her post out and filed it away to possibly use next year! Alice always has such beautiful suggestions and ideas over at her blog Cottage Blessings!
(Updated to add the link to this recipe as well: Orange Rolls for Our Lady of Altagracia)
And before I go, I thought I would add the novena in honor of Our Lady of Altagracia. It is such a beautiful prayer!
Novena in Honor of Our Lady of Altagracia
Preparatory Prayer
O Dear Mother, Most Sweet Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness! Look at us here, prostrated in your presence wishing to offer you this novena in testimony of our love, and in thanksgiving for the innumerable favors we have received from your hands. You are our Advocate and, like beggars, we come to present our needs to you. You are our Teacher, and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all the love of our hearts. Receive Dearest Mother, our praise and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.
Supplications
1.- O Sweetest Mother of Altagracia, pure and immaculate since your conception! We beg you to bless our children, preserving their innocence and increasing their love for purity.
(Hail Mary…)
2.- O Sweetest Mother of Altagracia, Admirable Mother, who in your little house of Nazareth, served as a model for Christian mothers and wives. We ask you to bless our homes so that the sanctity and holiness of marriage will flourish in them.
(Hail Mary…)
3. O Sweetest Mother of Altagracia, you who had the joy of receiving in your arms the body of your Most Holy Son who died on the cross for us, we beg you to come to our aid at the our of our death, so that by dying with the name of Jesus on our lips and hearts, we can fly to the glory of your maternal arms.
Final Prayer
Most Holy Virgin of Altagracia, from the bottom of our hearts, we thank you for the continuous blessings you pour down on us. From your hands and from your maternal heart we receive, each day, the sustenance given to us by our Heavenly Father. You are our defender when we are in danger, our aid when we are in need and our hope in the sacrifices proper of our Christian life. Through your Immaculate Heart we want to sing a song of thanksgiving to God for all the blessings he has given us. We promise you, O Mother, gratitude and fidelity. You will reign forever in our homes and our town where we will venerate you as our Lady and Mother by growing in all your virtues. Make us worthy of being called your daughters so that serving God and you on this world, we will obtain the highest grace you bring to us: a holy death that will open to us the gates of heaven. Amen.
Our Lady of Altagracia, pray for us!
Compare and Contrast
I just received these pictures in an email from a friend, and thought I would share:
This is the FSSP in a gathering in 2006:
This is the 2008 General Congregation of Jesuits in Rome:
It just amazes me the differences between the various religious orders!
Another Meme
I saw this meme first over at Regina’s blog, then at Meredith’s, Ruth’s and Dawn’s… I hadn’t planned on doing it myself, till I was asked personally by Ruth in an email this morning. So, here you go!
I was going to be named Elizabeth, but right before I was born, my mom heard the name Jessica and liked it… My middle name is Jo, after my Grandmother Jo Ann. Although my mom’s name is Josephine, so it is sort of after her as well. I guess my parents decided they liked they middle name Jo, since my next 2 sisters middle names are Jo as well! Jen was born on the feast of St. Joseph, so her Jo is for him, and by the time they had Jamie, they had a trend going with the girls names, all starting with J and middle name of Jo, so she got it as well!
On Wednesday, when I turned 30.
It’s ok.
Turkey… Although, I would pass the lunch meat all together for one of these.
Yes, 5 here with me, and 1 little Saint in heaven.
Of COURSE 😉
NOOOOO! I’m NOT sarcastic AT ALL! (giggle, giggle)
Yes.
No WAY! It would SCARE me to death!
Hot Scottish Oats topped with banana, raisins, brown sugar and milk.
No. I use to till I had kids, now I’m usually carrying one of them, and can’t!
No, at least not physically.
German-chokolatekake from Cold Stone. It is SO GOOD! It has all my favorite ingredients: Chocolate Ice Cream, Pecans, Toasted Coconut, Brownie, and Caramel. Before I discovered that, it was always Jamocha Almond Fudge and Praline’s & Cream from Baskin Robbins, mainly because they reminded me of my grandmother.
Their hair and then their smile.
Pink! I have LOVED it since I had my first daughter, and had previously been surrounded by boys.
Can I name 2? My wonderful “Irish” temper and my weight (it stinks having twigs for a mom and sisters).
Oh…There are 2 answers here as well. My little guy in heaven, and my paternal grandmother, Jo Ann. I miss them both SO much!
Denim skirt, brown boots. (they are the tall boots, up to knees, but from the foot up is fabric, kinda like leg warmers~sound funny, but I LOVE them, since I’m in skirts all the time, and they are awesome for skirts in the winter since they keep your legs warm)
A bite of leftover chocolate birthday cake that my boys “built me.”
My kids talking to each other as they are getting ready to leave for Mass.
21. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
I don’t know, as Meredith said, this is a weird question. My guess would be forest green, brown or pink… But I’m not sure.
Coffee Brewing.
Hubby.
Hockey and Bull Riding, from the grandstands. I’m not a big fan of watching sports on TV.
Auburn/Brown depending on the time of year. Right now it has some blond highlights I just added for fun, you can hardly tell though.
Green.
No.
Pizza & Ice Cream from Cold Stone. And THAT is why I hate my weight! 🙂
Happy endings. I hate scary movies… I can never sleep after watching them, and when I do, I have nightmares.
3:10 to Yuma, hubby picked it, too tense for me.
Light Blue, with Brown Coat/Sweater.
Summer, I get too sick in the winter, otherwise it would be my favorite. If Fall was a choice, that would have been my pick.
Hugs.
Cappuccino Mousse Trifle ~ It is SOOOO yummy!
Humilty of Heart by Fr. Cajetan da Bergama… It was a Christmas Gift from one of my brother-in-laws. (among others… I always have at least a few books that I’m working on.)
I don’t use a mouse pad.
We don’t have/watch TV, just movies. Didn’t watch anything last night.
A newborn babies first cry.
Neither.
Like Ruth said, Talking ; )
In a military hospital in Alameda, CA. Dad was stationed there when he was in the Coast Guard.
OK! I HAVE to go… 5 minutes to be out the door! Have a great day!
And the winner is…
Congratulations Trina! You have good luck with online drawings, don’t you? Since I happen to have your address, no need to email it to me… I will be popping your new key hook into the mail this week!
Thank you everyone for all the sweet comments, they are always such fun!
You know your old…
…when your mom buys you cellulite cream for your birthday! Thank you mom! I do need it, now that I am officially closer to 40 than I am to 20. 😉
Actually, I guess I asked for it back before Christmas, and she remembered. (I hear it works great on stretch marks!) I just couldn’t help giving her a hard time!
I really do have the BEST family and the GREATEST friends. I love you all so much! Thank you everyone for making my 30th birthday such a memorable day!
In spite of the early morning power problems, my hubby helped the children make me the sweetest cards. And then, even after he came home early (with one of my favorite coffee drinks, a sweet card and some beautiful flowers), very sick (he caught what I am finally getting over), he and my boys “built me” a cake. I was so excited, and it made me very happy! It has been a few years since I have had a cake on my birthday… And it was perfect!
Unfortunately, since hubby was so sick, our dinner/date plans had to be postponed. We had planned to go on a double date with my friend Trina and her hubby.
(I have been blessed with TWO very dear friends named Trina! One that lives here locally, and one that has moved away, and I miss dearly! I love them both.)
So, after the kids had dinner and and we all had cake, hubby told me that I should still go out with Trina… After talking to Trina on the phone, we decided to meet at 8:30. That way, I could help get the kids to bed before I left, and hubby could get to bed early. I headed into town to meet her at Applebee’s. She told me she was going to invite a few others .. But I was not expecting there to be THIRTEEN of US! It was such a surprise! Especially considering we met last minute at 8:30 on a Wednesday night! I had SUCH a great time.
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