For today:: March 9, 2015

Outside my window:: it’s raining.  It’s been raining all day long.

I am wearing:: jeans, rain boots, black UT t-shirt with my L necklace!

I am praying for:: patience (and I’m hearing a response!), my friend who has been having some heart issues~ best friend, my age, WTF.  And my granny.  She’s been having some pain.  We also have extra prayers for Lent which I love.

Each night our family prays:: For everyone to appreciate that Jesus gave up his life for us, for all priests and especially the Holy Father, for all people to be healthy, for everyone to make good and moral choices even if hard, for end end to the death penalty, for all souls in purgatory to get into Heaven, and for everyone to love each other and stop racism and religious persecution.   We pray a specific prayer for each day of the week and we all came up with these prayers.  Mine is for an end to the death penalty.  I love them and plan to continue with these after Lent.

I am grateful for:: the grace that seems to be coming my way these days.  Things aren’t perfect, and honestly, quite hard a lot of the time, but grace, I feel it.  And then, BAM…reality comes spiraling in and hits you with something.  Seeking grace big time.

I am reading:: The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared.  It’s a memoir written by a young girl about a 9 year reading streak.  Every. Single. Night. For 9 years.  Can you imagine?  I read to the kids nightly.  But we miss a night once every ten days or so.  It’s a goal though.  But I have so many goals that I can’t start a streak now.  The book itself isn’t great.  She doesn’t have tons of insight into what this meant for her.  She doesn’t say what books touched her and so on.  But the idea and the fact that they went 9 years…Well, I’m inspired and in.  Her father read to her until she left for college.  I’m the reader in the family and the one thing this book did was make me wonder if my sons will read to their kids.  How I pray for this.  Reading aloud provides such a bond.  Trust me.  The kids have their favorites and so do I.  We have picture books, seasonal books, liturgical books  and chapter books.  Truly, it’s a gift.  My kids miss bedtime almost daily so we can read aloud.

We are reading:: well, I have three baskets going…we have our Lent basket out, and the kids have their favorites.  A couple of weeks ago we had a friend staying with us for the week.  He loved our reading time and our Lent books.  It was sweet to have another kid cuddle with me while I read.  He was a perfect kid while I read, shushing the others when they got loud.  We’re also finishing up our winter basket.  I love our winter books, and I hate to put them away, but soon, very soon, we’ll be changing seasons.  And because of that, I’m reading those books every night.  Alec and I are reading the newest Newbery Winner, Crossover.  And soon we’ll start his next and LAST AR project.

Interesting to note that as I’ve listed my triggers for losing my cool with my kids…reading aloud is a huge trigger.  It frustrates me so much that something that I believe in so much and that in general, brings so much pleasure brings me such stress.  But alas, it does.  Why?  The kids fight over who gets to sit next to me.  Seriously, that’s it.  They fight and one stomps off and there it goes.  We’re trying something new and hopefully that helps with this time that I feel is so very important.

Around the house::  seriously, there are so many things I want done around this house.  I need the foundation fixed, and then bathroom tile and painting done.  I wish our dog would stop digging in my yard so that I could have a nice backyard.  So many things that require lots of money.  And it will happen. It may stop a big family vacation this summer.  But this stuff needs to be done.

BUT…I heard this quote and while I still want the above finished…I truly love it.

A clean house is not the sign of good homemaker.  A good homemaker provides a loving, safe and nurturing environment for her children.  A place where her children can be creative and feel safe. 

Seriously??  I love this quote.  I mean, I still need a clean house.  I personally can’t function in a messy house.  I can’t deal with clutter, but that means it’s okay if I leave something until tomorrow or the weekend or next week so that my kid can live and be nurtured and grow.

Towards fitness and health:: still running and spinning.  I really enjoy running and have plans to run the Austin half to check out the full, Chicago full and …I just don’t know.  A gym friend just moved to Cincinnati and wants me to run their marathon.  I’d love to go, but how do you do that with five kids?  Just not sure.  But overall, I love running and my goal is to improve my time.  A lot.

On the menu:: Quinoa chili- a favorite of Mason’s, chicken thighs, pulled pork, spaghetti and some meatless meal on Friday.  I think everyone will be happy this week.

I never want to forget:: the week Marianna learned to whistle.  Last week, I hear whistling and its during the day.  As far as I know, Mari, Snax and I are the only ones who can’t whistle in this house.  Turns out it was her.  And now?  She just whistles.  All.  The.  Time.  And then she looks at me and says, “it’s me, mom.”  She is so darn cute.  She sure likes giving Snax a hard time because he can’t whistle.

I also can’t forget the day Alec grabbed my hand on the way the school.  That kid.  He knows how to make me melt.  He is insanely jealous of his siblings, and that makes me sad.  But that gesture, I can understand him.  I hope he never stops wanting to hold my hand.

One of my favorite things:: the chance to do better.  We all have it.  Each day is a new day.  I’m so not a pollyanna, but I am feeling refreshed.

A few plans for the week:: workout, Audubon with Mari, story time with Mari and get ready for Spring Break.