For Today…April 4, 2010

Outside my window…another beautiful day. How I wished the weather stayed like this in Houston for more than one month. I’m a realist, I know that by the end of the month, I’ll be miserable, but for now, we’ll enjoy this weather as much as we can.

I am wearing…my pj’s.

I am listening to…my husband chat with me.

I am praying…in thanksgiving for Easter and it’s meaning. When I think of how undeserving I am, I get scared, but I know how much God loves me. This last week shows me time and time again. I’m also praying for continued peace, my husband, my children, and friends in need.

I am thankful for…God’s love and mercy.

From the kitchen…one word: healthy! I have no menu, but will fix that tomorrow. The candy leaves Tuesday morning with the garbage. My diet can’t take holiday sweets.

On keeping home…So I didn’t really follow my plans for last week, but did manage to clean the house Saturday while waiting for the Vigil Mass. I decorated for Easter, and love how the house looks right now.

To live the liturgy…It’s Easter! There are 50 days to celebrate this wonderful holiday. We made a paschal candle for our family that we’ll continue to light throughout the season. The middle boys received some Easter books in their baskets so we have lots of reading to help us through the season. (I made a huge Amazon purchase in February that will see us through the season.)

Kobra…has a new nickname: Boss Hog. He is just a little shit. I know nobody will ever take him because he is so mean. People smile at him, and he gives them a crappy look.

To be fit and happy…do I have time to double my workouts?

I am hoping…that I can force myself to relax soon.

One of my favorite things…Holy Week Masses. Yes, they are long, but they are beautiful. I love everything about these masses.

A few plans for the rest of the week…

• lunch with Marivi for her birthday
• two field trips with Goose, one at the zoo where the other boys can join us
• dr’s appt
• swim lessons
• Old 97’s!!
• Party on the Lot at church
• Birthday party for the boys

A picture thought I am sharing…

I wrote last week about my experience with Confession. I was happy I received the grace from the Sacrament, but less than satisfied with the counsel I received during Confession.

Confession can be a tricky thing. When you’re going into the confessional to unload all your sins and you realize that you continue to do the same things over and over again, you want some counsel. You want the priest to provide you with a “how-to” to fix your life. It doesn’t work that way. Often times, the priest says nothing except to give your penance and absolve you from your sins. That can be a bit frustrating when you feel you’ve just said something huge. It’s taken me a long time to realize that I still receive the grace from the Sacrament simply by making a good Confession. (And that if I need spiritual direction, I shouldn’t rely on the confessional for that.)

I forgot that last week when I got so upset at the priest who told me to get over it. After blabbing about it to everyone, I knew I had to go back and confess my bad mouthing. As I started my confession today, the poor priest was probably thinking what could you have done in one week to come back. Once I told him what happened, he laughed. I think he needed that after hearing confessions for most of the day. I went on with the rest of my confession and did indeed receive counsel on some things. Sadly, he just didn’t have it in him today to counsel me on what I needed the most. He was just too worn out. And he knew it and offered apologies to me. He did remind me that I still received grace and that would get me through to next week!

I am so thankful to this priest who heard confessions for over five hours today. (Most Catholic churches in the city stopped hearing confessions before the Triduum started.) I know how tired he must have been. Priests have been getting a bad rap these days, some deserved, but for all the bad priests out there, there are a lot more really good and generous men who have devoted their life to God. I am thankful for these men, especially on today when I could receive the Sacrament of Confession.

“Thump, Thump, Thump.”

This is the sound I heard coming from Goose’s room. I went to investigate because he was supposed to be in his room cooling down. He was upset because he broke a toy that he got at his school party. He was so upset that he started throwing the pieces and crying. He refused to be comforted so off to his room he went. Just to show me how mad he was, he decided to throw his baseball against the wall. Again and again. Last time he got frustrated, he broke the window. Seems this one has a temper. I see a lot of punched in walls over football games in his future.

Does getting boxed clothes out of the attic count towards my Lenten cleaning? The only job I hate more than this is mopping the floors. I will do anything, make up any excuse not to mop the floors. I’ve tried everything and the only way to clean all the spots my family leaves behind is on my hands and knees. And while we don’t have a huge house, it feels like a mansion when I am cleaning the floors.

It’s nice having all boys because I can save tons of money by passing down clothes. Of course, some outfits get used so much, I get tired of them and give them to another family to enjoy, but mostly, I keep all the boys’ clothing. Note to LZ: your wife is super thrifty and deserves a reward for all the money she saves you. I have a list in my planner, it ranges from $20 to $200.

So…I hate the change of seasons. Apparently, I hate it so much that I decided not to venture into the attic this fall for BH and he missed out on some really cool shirts. Since I haven’t bought pants for Easter Sunday, I had to make the trek to the attic tonight. While up there, I got all the Easter decorations and two boxes for Kobra. The bad part is that I have to return the boxes with clean, packed clothes tomorrow afternoon. Sometimes being cheap is a pain in the ass.

Since I posted such a negative review about Pappasitos on Hillcroft, I thought I owed it to them to post a good review as well. I know I said I’d never go back, but corporate sent me a gift card after the last fiasco, and while I wanted to use it for a steak at Pappas Bros, Lance refused. He said they would know we didn’t use it at Pappasitos. Who cares, I thought, what are they going to do? Hunt me down, force me to eat and deal with bad service? Lance finally convinced me that we needed to use the gift card at Pappasitos, and we went yesterday. We even took the kids, who had already had lunch. This was a huge gamble considering how Kobra can act at the dinner table. Except for Lance having to ask for water, the service and food were great. I don’t think they knew who we were until we paid with the color coded gift card that must alert management of the problem customer. I am happy that we had such a good experience yesterday. I don’t know that I’ll go back again, but I am open to it. I do know that I’ll be using the rest of said gift card at Pappas Bros.

Do you think I need to worry that somebody said Quick Weight Loss Center has a new client in Kobra? I blame the culture we live in today on his eating habits. I do admit, he’s sort of a pig.

I just remembered that I have the perfect Easter outfit (as in shirt) for Squirt. The only problem is that it doesn’t match (color wise) what the rest of the boys will be wearing. I told him this and asked if he wanted to match his younger brothers. He said no! I assured him that was fine, but reminded him that I won’t be making the same concessions for him at Christmas. He rolled his eyes at me! How I long for the days when he wanted to match his brothers. I guess I would be more worried if he wanted to match at age 15.

During Super Saints yesterday, I heard this really loud sound. At first, we thought it was the baby crying, then we heard Lola barking. Lance went outside to check it out and found out it was just our neighbor screaming at our dog. Not yelling at her to be quiet, but crazy, psycho screaming at her. Honestly, I think her screaming is what made Lola start barking.

A dog barking gets on my nerves as much as the next person, but this women is over the top. This is now the second time I’ve heard her screaming at Lola. The first time, Lola started barking at her because the lady was on the other side of the fence. Dogs bark, especially if they are trying to protect the house. I am sure that is what Lola was trying to do. If she wanted Lola to stop barking all she had to do was get away from the fence. Now maybe she was working on the yard near the fence. Fine, I would have put Lola away, until she screamed.

The thing is I can’t stand Lola. The only reason she stays is because I don’t give away pets, and I don’t want kids who are scared of dogs. (Seriously, I hate when kids act all wimpy around dogs.) This crazy neighbor has made me start to like Lola. I guess that is a good thing.