Ostrich Moments

Have you ever had an "ostrich moment"? You know...those times when you just want to bury your head in the sand until all the bad stuff reigning down on your life passes?**

I've been feeling like that lately, esp. after this past week. 

I went to bed Tuesday evening w/ a feeling of dread...knowing deep down that we would still have the same president for the next four years, one who has absolutely no respect for the sanctity of life from conception to natural death! So, Wednesday I spent in a depressive state of mind & in much prayer for our country.

Thursday, as we were leaving for The Prophet's band practice, the van sounded like we were dragging something. I stopped & checked underneath, but found nothing. We continued on our journey, but as I got closer to our destination, a loud grinding sound began & only got worse the more I braked. Of course, I just happened to get stuck at EVERY. SINGLE. RED. LIGHT. & then behind several cars that needed to turn. So, I took the van to our mechanic after band practice. While it was being repaired, we spent the day at HelpfulGrammy's, not getting anything done at home or w/ school work. (Although, I really enjoyed spending some quality time w/ my parents!) Almost $200 later, we now have new brake pads & rotors on the front of the van! CHA-CHING!

Friday morning, the four Blessings were not in very blessed moods! They were constantly arguing w/ each other & disobeying me left & right. Thankfully, I had a "Mom Therapy" session w/ my dear friend & the blessings got to play w/ their friends. I felt so much better after our afternoon together...the highlight of my week!

Friday evening, HandyGramps called to say they were heading to the hospital. They believed that HelpfulGrammy's only brother had a brain aneurysm. After some tests, it's been determined that he had a leaking vein. They are keeping him in a sedated state right now, de-sedating him occasionally to check for any responses. While they still have him on the ventilator, he is breathing on his own. He's still not out of the woods yet, so prayers would be appreciated for all the family!

In between all of these stresses & trying times, my ostrich moments increase when I read more & more news articles & links online... 

Obamacare will not be repealed

Texas is trying to get a petition to withdraw from the US 

a Nevada woman may be forced by courts to abort her baby  

...just to name a few.

They increase when I open up our checkbook & realize that we spent that last paycheck before it even came in, yet we still have bills that need taken care of. They increase when I try to make healthy meals (limiting GMOs & other harmful ingredients) yet the Blessings refuse to even try them. They increase when I can't get through to our Blessings that their fighting & disobedience is unacceptable. They increase when I go into work & see the poor souls who have no family or friends to visit them. 

I KNOW in my heart that God is in control. I KNOW I just need to put all my trust in Him. I KNOW that He has a plan for each of us, His children. I KNOW all will work out well in the end. I KNOW what I need to do...I need to stop trying to bury my head in the sand & lift my eyes toward my Heavenly Father. I need to look for His guidance & support. I need to read my Bible more, burying myself in His Word instead of those news links or the sand. 

It's time to walk away from that sand pit, which can quickly become the pit of despair. One of the things that helps, esp. at times like these, is my "Journal of Joy," a spiral notebook where I write down all the joys found amid the chaos & stresses of everyday life. They really are there, despite how I may be feeling. As my dear friend Judy & her husband say, the joy is there, you just need to find it!

 Despair Prayer to St. Jude

St. Jude, glorious Apostle, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor has caused you to be forgotten by many, but the true Church invokes you universally as the Patron of things despaired of; pray for me, who am so miserable; pray for me, that finally I may receive the consolations and the succour of Heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly

all of the above sufferings & stresses I've mentioned

and that I may bless God with the Elect throughout Eternity. Amen.

St. Jude, Apostle, martyr and relative of our Lord Jesus Christ, of Mary and of Joseph, intercede for us.

 **NOTE: Yes, I do know that ostriches really do not bury their heads. The myth is based on their ability to place their heads lower to the ground when they sense danger.

One Week Down...35 to Go!

aka...The Countdown has Begun!

Well, we started school five days ago & here I am on Friday wondering if we're going to make it through the school year! This was NOT a good week at all.

I'm using Catholic Heritage Curricula's lesson plans for The Prophet & The Princess, while The Archangel is using an online program through Ohio Connections Academy. He really wanted to do an online school again (we did K12 - Ohio Virtual Academy two years ago) & after researching, I found OCA to be the highest rated online school in Ohio. Also, they have a variety of clubs/activities that students can take part in once they prove they can handle the courses they're assigned. I thought it might be good for him w/ his ADHD

Our first day was full of tears, anger, emotional meltdowns, yelling, etc. Definitely NOT a good way to start out the year. They were very excited to begin on Monday & our first half hour went well. We opened w/ a prayer, talked about our schedule, started to learn a church hymn (We Have Been Told), & read about the Queenship of Mary (as Her feast day was Monday). Then we went into lessons.

The Prophet complained that his math was too hard & that I promised him it would be easier when we started this year. We are finishing his 4th grade math from last year before moving into 5th grade. He seems to have such a negative attitude towards math that he makes it harder than it actually is. He absolutely hates the math fact sheets that give him practice on addition, subtraction, multiplication, & division...things he really needs to have a grasp on. They are supposed to be timed sheets, but most times I've just had him do part of the page to avoid a meltdown or tearing up of the page. (Yes, he has done that often.)

The rest of his subjects went well...a lot of reading & self-guided lessons.

The Princess was ready & willing to start. She loved everything that I had her do. I felt bad several times when I had to make her wait because I was helping one of the boys w/ their lessons.

And for The Archangel...this is where most of the tears & meltdowns came in. At first he was so excited to start OCA & couldn't wait to get started. Their program is laid out differently than K12, so it's going to take us a couple weeks to get it under our belts & get into a rhythm. I told him from the start that he would have a lot more work, including a lot of writing, than in the past because the school has to follow state standards. I don't think it sunk in until he actually had to do the writing.

I will say that for a 3rd grade boy w/ ADHD, he has excellent handwriting. They use the Zaner Bloser method & The Archangel has done very well so far. The writing he stresses about is when he has to write a character description, answer lesson questions in complete sentences, etc.

The subject that really set him off was math. He's in the gifted & talented level for 3rd grade. (They had pre-testing a couple months ago & he did quite well.) He has a good head for mathematics, but it wasn't until Wed. evening when it dawned on me what part of the problem was. With his ADHD, the math text is too busy for him to focus. It's colorful w/ lots of pictures, charts, etc. I know that works great for some students, but I think he has trouble filtering down to the actual math problems. The concepts are not hard for him...in fact, most are review, but it just gets overwhelming for his eyes.

We are testing two possible solutions to this. 1) I will copy the problems from the text for him into a spiral notebook & he can solve them from there. 2) We will use the optional workbook that has more problems for students who might need additional problems to work on. I'm thinking #2 will be the way to go for us.

The other thing he is having trouble w/ is reading comprehension for all subjects. He reads very well & has always read several levels above his current grade. As soon as he's read (or has been read to), I've asked him some questions & 95% of the time he can't answer from the material he's just gone over. It's very frustrating for both of us. Again, I think the ADHD plays a big part in this. Unfortunately, we haven't found a medicine that works for him yet.

I've been so worn out by the end of each day this week & crashed as soon as my head hit the pillow. It's tempting to just chuck it all & send them to school, but then again that brings along a whole new set of issues. The public school they would go to is back on our city's failing schools list, charter schools' classes are most likely filled already, & we can't afford Catholic or Christian schools (which are also probably filled). I'm also worried about the boys individual issues (The Archangel's ADHD/aggression & The Prophet's anger) & how they would even adapt to a brick & mortar school. They picked up so much just from the neighborhood kids, what would school be like? Not to mention all the "politically correct" stuff (not really the word I want to use!) they'd be exposed to.

I've been praying SO MUCH lately, but I just don't feel like I'm getting an answer or solution to this problem. I know it's only been a week, but I really can't handle another week like the one we've just had. I try to remain positive & cheerful during the day, as well as preparing the night before, but each day the fuse is a lot shorter. I don't feel at peace right now & it's showing in all aspects of my life...short temper, emotion jags, my blood pressure is up slightly, the house is a mess, I'm achy all over & not eating properly, etc.

If you've stuck through this rant to the end, I thank you! I know it's quite a bit of rambling, but I just needed to get my feelings & thoughts down.

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.

I'm going to take a different approach to this week's list. I'm having trouble finding things to be thankful for, so I'm going to list those things troubling me & find something in each to be thankful for.

1) Even w/ the newest medicine we're trying for The Archangel, he is still having at least one of his emotional meltdowns each day. (I think I'm going to do a whole post on what we've been facing w/ his ADHD & aggression.) We probably should have waited to start it after the holidays. I'm hoping that once we get back on a somewhat regular schedule next week that things will get better.

I'm am thankful that he is a healthy, active boy. He loves to learn & will often check out science & math related books at the library.

2) I am frustrated by my back pain. There is so much that I want to do (exercise, clean/re-organize the house, etc.) but the pain limits how much I can do at one time. I go to the neuro surgeon later this month & hopefully I'll be able to find some relief.

I'm thankful that it's not a serious issue & that I can still do most of my normal tasks...they just take a lot longer & I need to take more breaks. I'm also thankful that Casinodad has been so supportive & helpful.

3) The munchkins have been fighting so much the past few months & I can't seem to find a way for them to get along. Most of it is between The Archangel & The Princess...he can be so mean to her at times. I know a lot of it is due to his ADHD, but that does not excuse his behavior.

I am thankful that they are all healthy children & that when they do get along, they play very well together.

4) At two years old, The Saint still needs us to stay w/ him until he falls asleep. I know that of lot of this issue is our fault. All we have to do is leave the room & after a few days, he'll get himself to sleep, but it so hard to hear him cry.

I'm thankful that he finally sleeps through most nights (as long as he's not sick). And when he does end up waking often throughout the night, I'm thankful that he likes to cuddle!

5) I wish I had more time to deepen my faith life. I use The Word Among Us for the daily readings most days & I pray my rosary at least four times a week. I struggle trying to get up earlier though, especially after those nights I haven't slept well. In the evenings, once the munchkins are in bed, I'm so tired I can't seem to focus. And finding quiet during the day? See #3 above! I really need to start up our quiet time in the afternoons again, if only for 1/2 an hour-45 minutes.

I'm thankful that God knows my heart! He knows the struggles I'm facing & will not leave me. All I have to do is reach out to Him, if only just to say a quick "Thank You!" or "Help Me!"

Macy's Parade Took a Major Detour

I'll admit that I've not always been a big fan of watching parades, especially after marching in so many throughout high school. Now that I have the munchkins though, I think it should be part of their childhood. So, yesterday morning, I turned on the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, telling The Saint that there would be lots of character balloons to see. He was so excited as he sat on my lap watching & waiting, waiting & watching. Boy, did those balloons fall flat!

I had the parade on for about 40 minutes. Do you know how much of the parade itself we saw? Maybe three minutes, at the most, when they went to commercials...and even then the middle of the screen was covered w/ ads. What did we see in between the commercials? We saw Meredith & Matt talking...discussing how close the parade route was to their location or sharing new TV shows. We saw a performance from some group of accapella singers...basically an ad for their show starting soon. We saw Al Roker being extremely obnoxious trying to talk to a high school's percussion members AS THEY WERE PERFORMING. (I was in marching band...I know how annoying, distracting, & rude that is!) We also saw Al Roker sitting in the stands talking to TV actors for NBC shows. Can you say, "Publicity stunt!"

Where was the actual parade? Such a disappointment! I felt so bad for The Saint...he kept asking for the balloons.

Okay...my rant is over now! Other than that, we had a GREAT Thanksgiving. I'll try to get a post up in the next few days, including pictures. I took a bunch!

What conversation could be so important that you have to talk on your cell phone...

...while using a public restroom? I was at the library this afternoon & the munchkins had to use the restroom. Two of the three stalls were occupied when we went in & one of the ladies was talking. I assumed she was talking to the other lady, until I realized the other lady was not saying anything during the pauses in conversation. When she came out of the stall, she had her phone anchored between her shoulder & chin, chatting away the whole time!

This is not the first time I've experienced this. I can't count the number of times I went into the restroom when I worked at Target & heard cell phone conversations in the stall next to me. These conversations are just regular chit-chat & didn't sound like anything that needed immediate attention. I know this because they talk loud enough for everyone to hear what they're saying - and you know how public restrooms echo!

If you really have to go that bad, can't you just tell the person on the other end of the line that you'll call them back? Just wondering...

Update on Something that Irks Me

It is gone! We drove past the intersection the other day where that very offensive radio station advertised on a billboard & it has been replaced by a local grocery store ad. Unfortunately, I never did get around to sending my letter of complaint but hopefully someone else had & that is the reason it is gone. Next time, I will be a lot quicker on voicing my opinion!

Peace, munchesmom

Something That Really Irks Me

One of our local radio stations (hard rock) has purchased advertising space on a billboard near an intersection I frequently go through. It is a close-up picture of a woman's ample chest & she is wearing an extremely tight white tank top. Their slogan is "Listen to ***FM & Pray for Rain!" Why, I ask, WHY is this allowed to be in a prominent location? I understand that people have a right to advertise, but this is something that I can't shield my children's eyes from when we go by it. We have a choice to listen to the radio stations we want & to avoid the ones that we don't, but I don't have a choice in avoiding this billboard. I am going to write to the radio station & complain, but can one little voice have any effect against the media? Probably not, but it's definitely worth trying.