Kids Say the Darndest Things

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Oops! I goofed slightly last week. I should have included The Prophet for the Hail Mary comment, too. I forgot that he also said "Play with us sinners." Maybe it was something in the way we were teaching the boys...

Here's another from The Prophet:

When he was five years old, he was sitting at the table w/ a baked potato. He took his fork & put it into one end of the potato, held it up, & said, "Look, it's a punch lifter." After a few seconds, I realized that he meant it was a punch "ladle."

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Small Successes

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

1) I ironed all of my clothes that were hanging in the basement (some that have been down there for a LONG time!), then took them upstairs to my closet.

2) I taught The Saint how to go down the stairs. He sits & slides down each step on his bottom.

3) For The Archangel's birthday, I made the Shark Attack cupcakes from the Hello Cupcake cookbook. Whatcha Think?

Your turn. Share your successes & check out more at Faith and Family Live.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

Before I post my thanks, I'd like to ask prayers for Casinodad's best friend from childhood (& best man from our wedding). He is in the hospital w/ pancreatitis (sp?), a severely damaged esophagus, & kidney failure. He's on a ventilator & will be for the next 2 weeks to a month. They are keeping him sedated for now, also. Needless to say, Casinodad is very worried about him.

On to my thanks...
1) I am thankful that Judy is back online. I've really missed her daily post from her blogs. Welcome back, Judy!

2) I am thankful The Prophet is finally feeling better. We thought he just had allergies, but it turned out to be a sinus infection also. After just two days on antibiotics, he's almost back to his old self & definitely sleeping better!

3) I am thankful for the dear, sweet residents at the nursing/rehabilitation center where I work on Saturdays. Last Saturday, one of the residents (who is blind & mostly deaf) was having a bad day. She came to visit me up front & said I always help cheer her up. I'm thankful I was able to be there for her.

4) I am thankful that we've had two fairly productive days of school this week. I sat down over the weekend to make up our plan for the last five weeks of school so that we know how many lessons we need to complete each week. So far, the boys have been fairly cooperative!

5) Above all, I am most thankful for all that God has given me...my life, my family, my friends, a roof over my head, & plenty of food.

Wordless Wednesday - Easter 2010

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Join Us for Kids say the Darndest things

WOW! This has been a busy week. I've not posted anything since last Friday. Hopefully I'll be back on track next week.

Here's my post for Mystical Rose Design's weekly Blog Hop. Click the above link if you'd like to see more.

We started saying prayers w/ the munchkins from the very beginning. Even when they were just infants, I would rock them at night & say prayers out loud for them. The Saint knows exactly what to do & as soon as we sit in the rocker, he puts his hands together & says, "A-NAN," (his version of "AMEN.") We're working on the Sign of the Cross w/ him, but for some reason he can't past his forehead. He just keeps hitting it w/ the palm of his hand.

Once The Archangel started saying them w/ us, it was always cute to hear his words for the prayers. For example, when we got to the Hail Mary, instead of saying "pray for us sinners" he would say "play with us sinners."

Kids Say the Darndest Things

Join Us for Kids say the Darndest things

The Archangel has had a little trouble understanding figures of speech lately & taking them quite literally.

For example - We were having an issue w/ him not treating his siblings very well. We talked to him about being nice in return, even if they were not being nice to him. We used the phrase, "Killing them with kindness." His response: "Does that mean you put love in your hand & punch them?"

Also - When we went to the zoo last week, I told the munchkins that Lawgirl was going to "tag along" with us. He said, "That means she would run towards us & tag us to come along w/ us."

Perhaps I should add some figures of speech to his school lessons...

Check out Lucy at Mystical Rose Design for more of Kids Say the Darndest Things.

Book Review - Sharing Christ's Priesthood

As a reviewer for The Catholic Company, I periodically receive materials to read, listen to, etc. & then share w/ my blog readers. My latest is a review of the book Sharing Christ's Priesthood by Mike Aquilina. (You may recognize his name from my September review of his book Fire of God's Love: 120 Reflections on the Eucharist.)

"A priest is someone who stands as a mediator between God and humanity."

(from the Introduction pg. 9, "What is a Priest?")

There are six sessions to this Bible study, each exploring a different aspect of the belief that we are all priests, whether we are lay people or ordained clergy. They are writen for individual or group use. Each session starts with a chapter or two to read from the Bible & questions to guide your reflection on that passage. The rest of the session alternates between reflections, smaller Bible passages, & questions. "In Practice..." is the final section w/ questions to help relate your life to the Bible readings.

I had a little trouble getting into this Bible study, although I DO NOT blame the author or the book itself. I think with all my family responsibilities this time of year, I just wasn't able to focus on it as well as I would have liked. I do plan to revisit this book in the summer, once school is out & I can devote a bit more time to it.

So, what did I like about it? I liked the layout & reflection questions throughout the sessions. Many times, I find reflection questions too deep for my tired mind! These questions, while very thought provoking, were pretty easy for me. The section beneath the questions explores the answers in a bit more depth. With the exception of the "In Practice..." section, there is space to record your answers.

By seeing how the priesthood has developed in Scripture through the years, we can gain a better knowledge of how the call to the priesthood effects all of us. With this being the Year of the Priest, what better way to celebrate than to see the priesthood in our own lives.

Kids Say the Darndest Things Fridays!

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A couple weeks ago, Lucy at Mystical Rose Design invited me to join this new meme of hers. I don't think you need any explanation as to what this meme will be about, do you? What a great idea &, w/ four munchkins, I have plenty of quips & quotes from them! So here goes my first installation of...

"KIDS SAY THE DARNDEST THINGS FRIDAYS!"

A couple Sundays ago, The Princess was keeping me company while I was getting dressed for church. As I pulled on my panty hose, she noticed the big hole at the top & asked me about it. I told her that I snagged them the first time I wore them, but, because it was at the top, it would be covered by my clothes. Innocently, batting her beautiful brown eyes, she responded, "I know what happened, Mommy. Your bottom is too big!"

Laundry Detergent Recipe

As a follow-up to my Small Successes for this week, I thought I'd post my laundry detergent recipe, in case anyone is interested.

1/2 bar Fels Naptha soap (grated)

8 c. water

Bring to a light boil for 5 minutes.

Add:

24 c. cold water

1/2 c. Borax

1/2 c. washing soda

Use 1/2 - 3/4 c. for full load of laundry. It becomes a thick gel as it sits, so I shake the bottle before each use. Store in air-tight container(s). It only takes about 20 minutes to make up a batch. The longest is grating the Fels Naptha.

Notes:
1) Most of the ingredients can be found in the laundry section of a grocery store, although ours has the Fels Naptha in the body soap aisle (not sure why!)

2) Arm & Hammer Washing Soda is different than baking soda.

3) I store mine in old (washed out) laundry detergent bottles & make 1/2 the recipe at a time. It fills about 3-50 oz. bottles & last about 2 months for our family of 6. Family usage will vary depending on the size of the family, amount of clothes that get dirtied, & any other factors.

4) The Fel Naptha has a very pleasant scent, but you can add any favorite essentials oils if desired.

5) I've been making detergent for about a year & have yet to buy more boxes of the washing soda & Borax. I still have over 1/2 left in each box. One box was $2.99 & the other was $3.99. (I can't remember which was which.) The Fels Naptha is about $1.50 & I've only had to buy three bars so far.

I don't have exact figures, but I have saved our family quite a lot in the last year. The cheapest I bought detergent was $2.99 for a 50 oz. bottle at Aldi & think they are now around $3.50.

Small Successes

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

1) Yesterday I made up a new batch of laundry detergent.

2) After making the detergent, I did four full loads of the munchkins' clothes. Yes, I was a "little" behind. (Don't tell me that's never happened to you!!) Oh, I also washed a handful of Lego mini-figures that The Archangel had left in his pocket. Don't worry, they survived!

3) I got our new computer up & running, w/ the exception of our printer. I think we need a new one.

So, how are things in your neck of the woods? Share your successes & check out more at Faith and Family Live.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

Judy over at A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, hosts this meme every Wednesday. Simply list five things (or a prayer or any thoughts) for which you are truly thankful this week. Voicing my thanks helps put my life in perspective & realize that, no matter how bad things might be, there is still MUCH good surrounding me.

1) I'm thankful for a very cuddly toddler. I love having The Saint wrap his arms tightly around my neck & smother my face w/ his sweet (& wet!) kisses...as I do the same to him.

2) I'm thankful for a great trip to the zoo yesterday w/ the family. Casinodad took a vacation day, so we took the munchkins. The weather was great...slightly warm w/ a very nice breeze. Thanks also for our zoo membership (& a tax refund that helped us purchase it), otherwise we'd never be able to afford frequent trips this year w/ the munchkins.

3) I'm thankful that my dear friend, Lawgirl, was able to meet us at the zoo & spend some time w/ us. The munchkins really enjoy spending time w/ her (as do Casinodad & me!)

4) I'm thankful for a wonderful Mass on Easter Sunday...a great homily by one of our deacons, uplifting music, my parents were able to join us at our church, & The Saint actually was able to stay in the church for most of the time!

5) I'm thankful for a beautiful Easter Sunday overall. The weather was great & we spent an enjoyable afternoon at my parents' house w/ my sister & her family there too.

I wish all of you a blessed Easter season.

God is Wonderful. Christ is Risen! Alleluia!

Small Successes

"It’s important for moms to recognize that all the small successes in our days can add up to one big triumph. So on Thursday of each week, we do exactly that."

1) Casinodad & I went on a date Sunday afternoon. Our nephew played Laurie, the lead male in his school's production of Little Women the Musical. He did such a great job! We are very proud of him.

2) We are getting a new computer this week, so I've spent the past few days cleaning up photos & other files on our old one, deciding what to keep & what to trash. Wow! There was so much stuff on there that hasn't been touched in years! (Our old computer is seven years old!)

3) Went shoe shopping yesterday. I bought two pairs of tennis shoes, one pair of dress shoes, one pair of casual shoes...and none of them were for me!

Your turn...Share your successes & see others at Faith and Family Live.