Still Christmas

This is truly the first week of Christmas break for us. Last week was filled with so much that I am feeling a bit hung over this Monday. It would have been nice if last week the kids took a break from needing to be parented. If they woke up and said, "Hey Mom, you seem like you might need to get a few things done, I'm good today...you go about your business I'll be good." Talk about a Christmas miracle!

I loved every busy minute. I love to be busy. I love knowing that the many moments we are in are making up the memories my kids will cherish forever. It is not perfect. It is tiring and sometimes stressful but we do the best we can and ask for forgiveness for the rest.

One of the best parts of being Catholic is the liturgical calendar. Up until Christmas day we were in Advent. Advent is a time for preparing for the coming of Christ. Then Christmas day begins the season of Christmas...12 whole days!! We get to continue the celebration of Christ' birth for 12 more days. It makes so much sense to me. The baby Jesus is born and when babies are born there is a period of time that kind of stands still. The church is telling us to stand still and REJOICE in Christ. I am all about rejoicing...the standing still part always gets me.

These little people make it hard to stand still. And as you can imagine NOTHING was still here Christmas morning.
There was a level of chaos that rose beyond rational excitement. We survived and feel thankful that we get 360 more days
until the next round of Christmas memories are made.

My Christmas List

This time last year I was VERY pregnant with this sweet smiling baby. I was so glad to be having the last few months of my pregnancy in the "winter". Being fat and happy is hard to do when you are roasting too!!
This year we have 5 living breathing present opening
folks . Another new thing we have this year is a Christmas with no gifts for me. Usually I am at the top of my list for people to buy for. And I have to admit when I shop for others it usually goes something like this, "One for her, two for ME". I can not help myself, I LOVE Stuff. However, we have had so much "buying" to do since the fire that I am kinda needing a "I need " break.
Pete is a little scared. I have said things in the past like, "Don't worry hon, I don't want anything this year". He foolishly believed me back then...poor guy. But this year is different. I don't know why. I just feel different about the whole thing. Maybe it is because I already feel like I have everything I need..for the moment. Trust me, this post easily could have been about all the sparkley fun things I have to restrain myself from buying myself.  Maybe, just maybe, I am figuring out the difference between a need and a want.  Or maybe I am finally sticking with my promises over the last few months when I have wanted something a little pricey that we could let that count for Christmas, like my camera, my purse and wallet, my trip to DC, my new piece of furniture from White House Antiques, my coat and boots for my DC trip, my turkey platter.  Wow, I better go get to the business of thanking Pete for such a generous Christmas!

...So Be Good For Goodness Sake!!

I know the definition of discipline means to teach. I know that it never stops when you are a parent. I also know that I am just beginning the hard road of "teaching". Not just the ABC's and multiplication, but how to be a good person. How to be a leader and not a follower. How to listen to the little voice from within.

I have to teach all of them that each situation we find ourselves in we have a choice to make.

And each choice has a distinct consequence. And administering that consequence usually breaks a mamma's heart.

I guess I need to go over the whole "He's making a list and checking it twice" business because one of my little shadows did not get the memo that I am on Christmas break and this mama needs it!

It Is Almost Christmas Eve's Eve

I remember as a kid having the same feeling my kids are feeling right now (wait, I still feel it myself). There is energy in the air, excitement everywhere so everyday must be an eve of something great. I totally agree! There is a lot of greatness that goes on this time of year. Sometimes I am like, "Can't we spread the joy out over the year a bit better? Do we really have to cram this much fun into 4 weeks?"

Tonight we had a kids Christmas gift exchange, cookie decorating, general mayhem party with my friend Tammy, mom of eight!!! Every time our families get together it feels like a party but tonight we actually called it one. There are a couple of reasons it always feels like a party...

The number one reason is anywhere you take Lucy feels like a party, instant chaos (just add Lucy). Another reason is there are 13 children between the 2 of us and there are usually only 2 adults. As you can imagine with 13 people there is usually food and drink involved. Turn on some music to drown out the crying and you have a party.

So here we are, home from our party and entering the home stretch. This is the 4Th Sunday of Advent. This is the week my kids have been waiting for all year. We get to take a break from school and Pete gets some time off from work. We make it to more Masses this week and then we have the ultimate Feast of Christ's birth. This night does feel like the eve of lots of joy to come!!Rejoice!

....The Winner Is...

a girl who has been a big part of my life since moving to Mobile. She lives in this house and they were made for each other. Elizabeth is the picture of Southern Hospitality. When we moved here she took me right in and made me feel at home in so many ways, always inviting me places and making sure I was included in things she was doing. After a while I loved her family so much I had them move in....(after we moved out of course)


It was at her house that I had my "It's a Wonderful Life" night to remember. When I walked in and saw her beautiful HUGE tree I knew it needed this ornament on it.

I loved reading the comments about the First Ladies. My own favorite is Abigail Adams. I fell in love with her after watching the John Adams series from Showtime. Pete and I loved watching that series and I learned so much. I am so amazed at what the women in our country had to endure during the American Revolution. It helps me to have perspective sometimes when I am feeling over worked and over tired...at least I have shampoo, conditioner, a blow dryer and flat iron. You know, the basics!

Thanks Elizabeth for commenting and I think I have your address around here somewhere...

Fire, Jimmy Stewart, Great Friends!!!

About six months ago Pete and I lost everything in a storage fire. Kind of a random hardship. We were all just fine, never in a moments danger. We just lost all our material possessions, with the exception of summer clothes and homeschooling books. The whole situation has been a blur. We just picked up and went on with the business, and craziness, of raising these future saints. When people ask how we are doing with the loss from the fire we always remark on the difficulty with loosing pictures and ALL of our Christmas things. Up until recently I had never really felt the pain of starting from scratch.

Then about 3 weeks ago on the first Sunday of Advent the pain settled in and made a home in my heart. We had our first Advent dinner with no Advent wreath. I had not replaced ANY Christmas items and now all of us were feeling the emptiness the fire had left. Then one afternoon, after quietly feeling sorry for myself, my friend comes by and drops off a beautiful Advent wreath that her son had made in his CCD class. I was truly amazed. This gesture touched my heart and made me so grateful that God cared if I had an Advent wreath. He wanted me to have one as much as I wanted one. I know I could have just gone out and replaced the Advent wreath myself, but my old one was given to me by my great friend Kathy in Alaska and I knew I could never replace THAT one. Knowing that, God sent me another one through a new great friend and her family!

And then last night I had my own "It's A Wonderful Life" moment.

Pete and I attended what has become an annual ornament swap for us. When we moved to Mobile 2 years ago we met an amazing group of Catholic families and they invited us to share in this yearly tradition with them. After a lively game of ornament swapping the room grew quiet. The host looked at Pete and I and said, " We know you guys lost all your ornaments in the fire. We all wanted to help replace some of them for you. We all brought an extra ornament for you guys to take home and put on your tree."

....my eyes swell and my heart is in my throat. How do you show people just how deeply they have touched your heart? I was so filled with appreciation and humbleness.

I feel so blessed to have such good people in my life. I want to be a better person just so I can become worthy of the thoughtfulness of these great families.

And just because I have to say this..my friends have really GREAT taste in ornaments!!

And speaking of ornaments I am going to announce the winner of the Give-a-Way tomorrow.  I am sorry about the "not keeping the deadline".  I have been busy licking my wounds!!

My Waitress Days Are Over

Finishing things is hard for me. I am realizing that follow through may not be my strong point. I should have realized this back when Pete and I were dating. He would come home from the Academy for Christmas break and I would quit whatever waitress job I had at the time. I was constantly walking out after a shift if Pete was in town and wanted to go somewhere. He, of course, was horrified. For a guy who was surrounded by structure, commitment and obligation seeing me throw obligation out the window was mystifying. Somehow he saw past all of that and had faith that I could stick with something...hopefully him.

For years my inability to see things through has been my own battle. I am someone who has the , energy, heart and desire to volunteer to run things, but finishing them is a different story. So I learned to help others, never being in charge myself. I am a great cheerleader, I just struggle with being the team captain.

The reality now is I am the team captain and I have to push myself through this "not finishing" business. This situation effects more than me now. There are five people, sometimes six, who watch every move I make and they are recording and reviewing ALL of it. If I don't finish, or even worse don't make them finish, what type of virtue am I building in them, and in me?

What virtue was I working on all those years ago when I walked out of countless waitress jobs because I wanted to have fun with my boyfriend?

That is why Homeschooling is so good for me. It makes me finish. I am SO accountable for finishing. I can't walk out. I know how I want this story to end. I want my kids to grow up close. I don't want to dread the teenage years. I want them to get a good Catholic education. I want them to be pure virtous kids who love our Catholic Faith and love Jesus. I want Jack to be a priest, Molly a Sister and do whatever God calls the rest to do. Do I ultimately have control over any of that? No!! But I know that quitting will not get me any closer to this goal.

In no way do I think Homeschooling is the magic potion for all my goals. I just know that this is the path God has put me on to best acheive these goals for these kids.

So, I am sorry Lone Star, Applebee's, Los Rancharos, Barney's, Pit Boss, Tally's Diner, Congo Craigs, Breakfast Club and countless other places that I walked out on because I did not know how to finish. And thank you Pete for believing I could finish something!