For Today…April 16, 2012

Outside my window…it’s dark and dreary.  A very clear reflection of my mood.

I am wearing…my workout clothes.  Five of the best miles this morning.  I guess that means I should shower and change.

I am listening to…Baby Hulk read poems about the universe.  We really enjoy the poet and illustrator, Douglas Florian.  My personal favorite from this book is:

Pluto was a planet.
But now it doesn’t pass.
Pluto was a planet.
They say it’s lacking mass.
Pluto was a planet.
Pluto was admired.
Pluto was a planet.
Till one day it got fired. 

I am praying for…a change of heart, patience and some very special intentions.

Moments of grace…time alone with my husband.

From the kitchen…the menu is planned.  Refrigerator stocked.  I even have ingredients for a lemon pound cake, something I’ve been dying to have since Easter.  Maybe it will happen this week.

Around the house…drainage pipes are installed.  It’s raining today.  Ready to see if it was worth the money.  Old nasty pipes that were left in my yard by construction workers and plumber are gone.  It would appear I am the only person bothered by just how trashy our back yard looked.  (Or just how bad electrical cords around my house look.)  Getting some type of backyard landscaping done.  Very, very simple.  If I’m stuck here all summer long, I want it to at least look appealing to me.

I am reading…Raising Lifelong Learners by Lucy Calkins.

I am hoping…we get our garden planted soon.  Terese gave Mason his bulbs yesterday.  Please don’t let us screw it up!

Learning all the time…Did I mention we had ants in our kitchen?  I couldn’t figure out where they were coming from and finally had to call pest control.  (Did I blog about this already?  Too lazy to check.)  Anyway, the guy was so interesting and the kids learned about how to kill the entire colony.  Turns our the worker ants bring food back to the soldiers and puke it up for them.   We were able to watch the ants choose their favorite potion, too bad they didn’t know it would kill them.  Then we figured out where they were coming from because all of a sudden a ton of ants came out to feast.  Worth an entry in the nature journal.

To live the liturgy…we are living Easter.  We started our Garden of the Good Shepherd sticker calendar and the boys like it.  I’d like to add some kind of party to each week, but not sure I will get there before the 50 days are up.

Finding the joy…in watching my kids learn.

Reflecting…on the fact that the traditional rite celebrates confirmation at an early age.  Confirmation doesn’t signify a graduation like a lot of people think.  It bestows the gifts of the spirit.  And quite frankly, kids need those gifts before high school even starts.

One of my favorite things…Mad Men.  I’m two weeks behind.  That isn’t a reflection of my love for the show but rather how busy I’ve been lately.

A few plans for the week…Audubon Sanctuary, field trip to Museum of Natural Science with Goose’s class, library story time, baseball…I’m already tired.  No play dates planned yet.

A picture to share…