Extreme "Name" Makeover - The Big Reveal

When The Prophet was born almost 12 years ago, I gradually started calling him Munchkin. Over time, I shortened it to Munch & thought it was a cute nickname. So, when it came time to decide on my email & blog names, I thought Munch's Mom was perfect. The email & blogger programs wouldn't allow the apostrophe, so I became Munchesmom. This worked out great as we added more blessings to our family...Munches was plural already, so I didn't need to change anything.

Now, the Munchkins are getting older & all of them are in the upper end of the chart for height. The Prophet will be 12 in November & is already almost as tall as me. (I can even wear his shoes!) We've had to move up to men's shirts for him. It's hard to think of them as Munchkins anymore (even though they will ALWAYS be my babies!)

For some time now, I have been using my real name when commenting on blog posts of others. I've not been feeling very creative lately, so I'm having trouble coming up w/ another codename for myself. While I am still going to keep the other names on my blog coded, I will now refer to them as Blessings instead of Munchkins. I have also decided to let you know who hubby & I really are here on my blog.

So, without further ado, we will now be known as...

(create your own drum roll here, please)

M a r i a & M a t t

Small Successes - The Weeding Edition!

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done! To link up your Small Successes each Thursday, go to CatholicMom.com. Here's the link.

1) I cleaned up The Saint's toy/book corner, weeding out A LOT of things to get rid of.

2) I cleaned off a book shelf in our school room, weeding out a bunch of books to get rid of.

3) I went through The Princess' closet, weeding out a lot of out grown clothes.

4) I weeded out the flower beds on the east side of our home (w/ the munchkins' help).

So, a lot of weeding out went on at our house this past week!

The Catholic Company Book Review - Saint Who? by Brian O'Neel

I recently finished Saint Who? 39 Holy Unknowns, written by Brian O'Neel...my newest review book for The Catholic Company.

There are thousands of saints recognized within the Catholic Church. Mr. O'Neel has researched 39 saints & blesseds who are not as well-known, but are no less important, than perhaps St. Francis of Assisi, St. Therese of Liseaux, or St. Augustine.

Here, in this book, we learn about St. Pietro Parenzo...a politician in Heaven, The Martyrs of Otranto...known as the Bravehearts of Italy, & St. Mary Helen MacKillop...canonized in 2010 & had been excommunicated at one point during her life, just to name a few.

Each section includes the saint or blesseds name, date of birth & death (if known), canonization date, & a description of what lead to their holiness as a saint or blessed. There is a conversational tone to Mr. O'Neel's writing, which makes for an easy & interesting read. I almost felt like I was sitting in the same room w/ him as he told stories of these great men & women.

I really enjoy reading about the lives of our Catholic saints & this book was no exception. One thing that struck me right away was the Dedication at the front of the book. Usually there is just a short dedication that barely takes up a few lines w/ just a name or two on a page in most books. Mr. O'Neel's was two pages long & after listing his wife & children, he honored his high school AP English teacher. His description of this man makes me wish that all students could have a teacher like him! Reading this Dedication lead me to know for certain that I was going to like the book in its entirety.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Saint Who?. The Catholic Company is also a great online store for all your Catholic gift needs, such as baby baptism and christening gifts. You can also find a wide selection of Catholic Bible Studies for both parish groups and individuals, as well as a variety of other Catholic Bible study resources.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, 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 that our van tire popped on our street, as we were arriving home Mon. evening, instead of further from home.

2) I'm thankful for great homeschool affirmations (articles, inspiration, etc.), esp. those that come when I'm feeling the worst about my/our efforts.

3) I'm thankful for a great photo shoot on Friday evening for our whole extended family...15 of us, including my parents, my sister & her family, & our whole family. My mom wanted to have these photos taken before my nephew leaves in November for his two year mission. The photos turned out AWESOME!

4) I'm thankful for great conversations w/ the munchkins in the van, esp. w/ The Prophet. He usually sits up front w/ me & we have some of the best talks then!

5) I'm thankful for blessings in disguise & the foresight to see the positive side of things that at first seem bleak & not-so-great! I've had several of these w/in the past week.

Lovin' My Husband - In Pictures!

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things!

This week, I'm Lovin' Casinodad in pictures!

1) Lovin' Casinodad for grillin' these delicious shrimp kabobs on Sunday.



2) Lovin' Casinodad for being a wonderful husband to me & an incredible father to these four beautiful children.



3) Lovin' Casinodad for his creative silliness at times!

Small Successes

Recognizing the small things we accomplish each week helps us realize that even when it doesn't seem like it, we are getting things done! To link up your Small Successes each Thursday, go to CatholicMom.com. Here's the link.

1) We started our school year on Monday, easing into our workload w/ just the basics.

2) I did not lose my temper when The Archangel spilled his WHOLE foot soak tub of soapy water last night. I looked at the positives...it was the kitchen floor instead of the carpet & the floor needed to be cleaned anyway!

3) Between 9am & 2pm yesterday, we ran a bunch of errands...at least 10 different stops! The success...other than a few complaints from the munchkins, no one got too upset & we still got to do school work when we got home.

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, 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 we have not had to turn the air conditioner on for the past five or six days. I just love having the house opened up (not to mention the $$$ we are saving by not running the air!)

2) I'm thankful for a decent start to our homeschool year. It's not been perfect & we are not to full schedule yet, just easing ourselves in...but it's gone well so far.

3) I'm thankful for laughter & fun times shared w/ family for HelpfulGrammy's birthday party on Sunday. She's a big "I Love Lucy" fan, so I made her a cake decorated w/ an image of Lucy & one of her quotes. We also went in w/ my sister & her family to get Mom a pair of tennis shoes that had scenes from "I Love Lucy" on them.

4) I'm thankful for a nice conversation I had w/ a resident's family member at work on Saturday. He seemed a bit lonely & sad, needing a kind ear to listen. Come to find out, they had been parishioners at our former parish & he remembered HandyGramps as the deacon there.

5) I'm thankful for this meme each week. It's way too easy to get down & focus only on the bad things happening in life. This meme encourages me to look at the good things that are happening, also. THANK YOU, JUDY for hosting it!

Lovin' My Husband

Join us each week at Judy's blog, A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings, to share how wonderful your husband is.

In this day & age, where so many women belittle, complain about, & just plain take their husbands for granted, Judy has created this wonderful meme. Each Tuesday, we celebrate our husbands by choosing three things we love about them. The hardest part of this meme? Narrowing it down to only three things!

1) Lovin' Casinodad for teaching The Archangel how to mow the lawn. It's nice to have two able-bodied boys in the house who can mow, leaving other household tasks for Casinodad & me. (The Prophet also mows are neighbor's yard & it was funny to hear the boys arguing about who was going to use the mower first the other day!)

2) Lovin' Casinodad for his good-natured teasing & joking. It's fun to laugh w/ him.

3) Lovin' Casinodad for not being upset w/ me at times when the house is not in the best shape when he arrives home. I'm not always the best housekeeper, but I do try to make sure it is presentable & comfortable when he gets home. There are times, however, when I just don't make it so & thankfully, he's okay w/ that (& many times will even step in & help out!)

A Thankful Woman's Book of Blessings

My dear blogging friend, 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 to finally be feeling better. Boy, that flu really wiped me out this past weekend!

2) I'm thankful Casinodad was such a BIG help to me when I was sick.

3) I'm thankful for the care & concern of the munchkins over the weekend. On Sat., The Saint came inside & brought me a little flower from the yard so that I would feel better.

4) I'm thankful for the much needed rain we've had the last couple days. It's not enough, but it definitely helps!

5) And, on today's Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, I'm thankful that Mary said "Yes!" to being the Mother of our dear Lord, for her loving example of Motherhood, & for Her prayerful intercessions on our behalf.

Voting by Catholic Conscience - The Five Non-Negotiables

2012 is a Presidential Election Year! (I just thought I’d mention that in case anyone wasn’t aware…perhaps living under a rock, in outer space, or something!) If you’re like me, you get tired of being inundated w/ the NUMEROUS political ads on TV & mailers, as well as the constant barrage of automated phone calls from both sides.

Each year, choosing the best candidate gets tougher & tougher. They spend more time telling us what their opponent is doing wrong instead of sharing their own ideas & vision w/ us.

As a Catholic, voting can be a little bit easier by following a set of guidelines…The Five Non-Negotiables for Catholics. These five items are morally offensive & go against our Catholic teachings. Therefore, if we purposely vote for a candidate who supports any of these five issues, we are putting our own souls at risk.

1) Abortion – Life begins at conception, therefore, aborting at ANY time during a pregnancy is murder of a child. Any candidate who supports abortion, even if they claim to be pro-life for themselves, is NOT a pro-life candidate.

2) Euthanasia – God has ordained a specific time for each of us to be on earth & only HE can decide when it’s time for someone to die. Putting someone “out of their misery” is not the compassionate act many believe it to be…it is homicide.

3) Fetal Stem Cell Research – Scientists have shown that adult stem cells can be just as useful, but without harm to adults.

4) Human Cloning – Besides being contrary to moral & natural law, human cloning can also lead to a form of homicide in the destruction of unsuccessful clones.

5) Homosexual Marriage – A true marital union is between one man & one woman…that’s it!

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Information for this blog post came from the following guide by the Catholic Answers team. Click on the link below for the complete guide, which includes more voting tips.

Voters' Guide for Serious Catholics by Catholic Answers