Enjoy a light chuckle on me...

Or possibly a whooping big laugh. Me - I chuckled and snickered my way through and finally gave a hoot as I got to the end of the post. Seriously - if you are in need of a snicker or two click here and chuckle away....

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How to avoid hearing no for an answer

When wanting to know if you are allowed to do something when you are four and you don't the answer to be no you ask"

"So... is it a yes or a yes?"

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Say what?

We finally have the school room unpacked AND organized & no one is available to go to Wendy's to celebrate with our TWENTY-ONE coupons for free frosties???
No one??

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Look Who's turning one this month!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY LYDIA MARIE

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Sometimes life is really tough...

...esp when you are a young soldier in training with a wife at home expecting your first child. And you are only allowed to call home once a week and only have five minutes and your mother - not recognizing the phone number calling her cell phone ignores the call. Not once but twice in the same five minutes. The only precious five minutes you had that week to call. Yes, life can be really tough as a young soldier. (And somewhat guilt ridden for his not so bright mother!)

It is hard for his sweet wife too, especially when she learns that the only picture he had of her was ripped up in front of her young soldier's face - to teach him to pay attention and move faster. Hard for their mother to know of their pain and yet understands it is necessary as this soldier's life one day might very well depend on that lesson he just learned.

As mothers we think it is hard to watch our children learn to walk, falling and tumbling, bumping their heads but in truth it is often much more painful to watch them as adults as they stumble, fall and sometimes break their hearts. So I humbly ask for everyone's prayers. For Miguel as he learns what he needs to be a good soldier who can be depended on under fire and for Ashely as she learns at the same time how to be a first time mother and how to be a soldier's wife. And for me as I learn how to be soldier's mother and a support for Ashely.

Thank you!

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Politicians - are you listening??

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For those wishing an update on Hurricane Bill

CLICK HERE

And see Hurricane Bill as he comes ashore off of Oak Island.

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wishing I had time to write

a decent personal post about how life is like as a mum of 13 who is still unpacking from the move in July and trying to get the school room set up in time to start school by Labour Day.
But to give you an idea of why this has not really been possible - I will share with you a brief break down of how some of my days go. Now not all days are as crazy like this - but some weeks seem to have more than their share of crazies!

6 am got up

got Noah up and asked him to walk dog.

got little girls up

got Teddy and Nathaniel up...

Woke Gabriela (Anna was away babysitting our grand daughter Lydia)

Back to little girls' room and pulled dresses out of closet and despite that the high which will be in the high twenties possibly low 30s (or about 100 F) we need sweaters or long sleeves for the 7 am Mass.

got everyone dressed and hair brushed and up

Gathered laundry to put on at the old rectory as there is no hook up here (that we have yet to discover anyway....)

Deposited * put on laundry as we walked to Mass

7 am
Attended Mass

Talked to Barbara about joining the Y and a guest pass for today

7:40
Stopped at Rectory to switch wash to dryer.

Ate Breakfast

10 to 8
Hugo left for work

worked on insurance paper work until 9 am and got it ready to take to the office in the afternoon while girls are at piano lessons in L...

Then worked until 11 am coming up with a menu and recipes and shopping list

Kids had snack

11:30
out to buy groceries and pick up prescription

Met a parishioner while there and as she walked away she called back to thank me for some shirts I gave her - I stared at her blankly and she thanked me again, but as she was still yet further from me I really could not hear her. Wondered when I gave HER a shirt and just how bad is my memory getting???
(Turns out I gave them to her sister who gave them to her...)

2:00 pm Much to the horror of the little ones only now do I get back from buying groceries - we are supposed to already be at the Y - for at least an hour now!

realized Hugo had left w/o lunch and had a small breakfast so I made him lunch to drop off at school but this would require back tracking on the way to the Y - kids started to get worried we would not make it there today

Chopped up ingredients for Crock Pot Pea soup & put it on to simmer while we are out... BOY - were we looking forward to homemade pea soup tonight

drove out to school on way to Y to drop off Hugo's lunch, stopping for 15 dollars gas on the way and was still on empty after... Gas is just too pricy!

Called Piano teacher to say we will miss one of the three lessons as we are really behind schedule AND only two of the three girls in lessons are home anyway...

dropped off Hugo's lunch and FINALLY got to Y ONLY to discover that Miss Cecilia has huge poopy diaper which she followed up with a huge melt down while we struggled to change her diapers... In the process we discovered that our HUGE OVERSTUFFED diaper bag had not ONE wipe in it... what's with that?

Older kids heave collective sigh of relief when I release them give them permission to go to the pool...

Emma and I talked about gratitude and appreciating the splash pad even though she clearly wants to go back to the pool where she played the day before with another family... and she was not taking no for an answer - so I had to spell it out very clearly what this meant. Splash pad with a smile or EVERYONE leaves Y to go home... Emma quickly saw how unpopular this would make her and plastered a smile on her little pixie face that soon became genuine once she was actually on the splash pad.

An adult guest showed up on Splash Pad and pulled some kiddy toys out the beach bag and

suggested kids throw balls on splash pad... I told them in Spanish to not do so... they understand (YIPPEE) and stop trying to throw balls in the splash buckets!

The guest asked (sounding miffed) if I don't want them to play with the toys s/he brought... I say "not here as there are other kids who could get hit." S/he seems fine with that. Chats with me for a while and goes back to pool...

HUGE SIGH OF RELIEF

35 minutes later I realized we were going to be extra late for piano lesson after already telling teacher we will be miss first lesson of the three scheduled

started to gather up kids from around the splash pad and then strapped baby into stroller - she protested

hauled kids through pool area searching for 1 blond and several brunet heads in the pool

3:20 get text from Hugo

"Are you picking me up???"

Huh - I thought he was driving back with the nuns....

I text back "in 10 minutes???"

20 minutes later I finally was able to pick him up

3:40 realized we are only going to get one class in out of three and there is no way I am getting the paper work I completed this AM dropped off... so I did the most sensible thing possible. Pulled out a stamp and put the envelope in a mail box. But I am getting ahead of myself...

Got home, dropped off kids

picked up piano books

take off for L...

Drop girls off at the teacher's house

drove to the dollar store to buy ice cream for Noah and this is when I really mailed the paper work!

drove back for the girls

Then we visited with Ash for about 10 minutes and headed home

Walked in & drew in deep delicious smells of the simmering crock pot soup.

Asked Hugo how his presentation went

Checked on soup only to discover I forgot to put the lid on - note dear readers that crock pots DON'T COOK WELL w/o their lid so soup was was not even close to being ready and it was 6:30....

Changed menu around so that tomorrows lunch of canned soup became todays supper - and the home made soup for lunch tomorrow

Got kids to do chores

Eat supper

Joked around with Ashely, our DIL who is living with us.

Hugo and I had a talk with one of the children about a problem they were having.

I watched end of Little Mermaid with the little girls

The I bribed them that if they got ready for bed they could watch Cinderella...

8:3o pm
Noah, Gabriela, Bethany and I gathered books for library and headed off with baby in tow in her nephew's stroller (Which she loves. I am not sure Alexander will get to use it much - I might have to buy him a new one :)

Got Bethany a library card

We all picked out some books and a few movies

Everyone got books signed out ASAP cause library was closing in ten minutes

Walked home in the dark - kinda cool (Only about 3 - 4 blocks away from our house)

9:30pm Told Hugo and Kids I was heading to bed ASAP as I had missed a few days of my Thyroid meds (thats what I picked up this am) and needed to rest to make sure I don't lose my milk for Cecilia.
BUT then I checked my email - saw email from oldest daughter Aimee and suddenly I was about 26 minutes late for bed as I just HAD to write back immediately!

Whew - I bet you all thought it was going to be some sort of super mom post, didn't you? But now that you have read about what a crazy day for me is like - you have seen just how normal life with a family of nine at home really is. Still - when you add in all of the unpacking I am typically adding into my day, and a sick baby the past week you can understand why posting just hasn't been happening as regularly!

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An excellent book...

about Mary... but don't take my word for it. Instead hear what MinnesotaMom has to say about it. Myself - I intend to buy me a copy as soon as hubbie gets his first pay cheque! Unless, of course, someone would like to buy me a copy sooner. If you would like to meet author Meredith HENNING click here.

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Walking the walk and not just talking the talk!

In the past year we have seen some well known Catholic Colleges take actions that flew in the face of their Catholic Heritage - so it is wonderful when we have the opportunity to see a Catholic School uphold the teachings of the church and incorporate them in their policies.

Recently Belmont Abbey College was advised by the EEOC that they have been found to be discriminating against female employees as the University's current health plan will not cover abortion, prescription birth control or sterilization.

According to President Thierfelder "As a Roman Catholic institution, Belmont Abbey College is not able to and will not offer nor subsidize medical services that contradict the clear teaching of the Catholic Church,... There was no other course of action possible if we were to operate in fidelity to our mission and to our identity as a Catholic college."

To read Belmont Abbey's full response to this accusation - click here.
To respectfully express your concern or support for Belmont Abbey's religious freedom to choose the health plan that reflects our Catholic values, you can write to:

Reuben Daniels, Jr.,
EEOC Charlotte District Office Director
129 West Trade Street
Suite 400
Charlotte, North Carolina 28202
fax: 704-344-6734
or call 1 800 669 8000

You can also write to:

Stuart Ishimaru,
Chairman, U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
131 M Street, NE
Washington, DC 20507

An email address is also available info@eeoc.gov
phone numbers available for this location are:
1 202 669 4900
& TTY 1 202 669 4494

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March of Dimes

We have all heard of March of Dimes - but have we all heard how pro abortion they are despite their claims of being neutral in the controversy? Read this article from Rockforlife and have your eyes opened before you make a future donation to an organization that is clearly pro-death if you are less than perfect in the womb.

Please note that comments, while open, are moderated. There are two simple rules for your comments to be approved for this post.

1) You can not post ANONYMOUSLY - if you leave an anonymous comment - it will not be posted. If you do not have a google account - you must at least leave a first name and an initial for your last name.
2) Whether you are leaving a positive or negative reaction to this post - you must be polite.

Rudeness will not be tolerated so if you can not be polite and have not the courage of your convictions to sign your name to your comment - you will not be heard - not on this blog. Thank you for your co-operation.

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Prayer of a Parent for a Departing Soldier

Prayer of a Parent for a Departing Soldier

Father all-powerful and ever-loving God,
from before we were born,
your love has nurtured and sustained us.
Hear my prayer for N., my son/daughter.
Keep him/her safe in time of battle
and faithful to you, day in and day out.
Bring him/her safely home to those who love him/her.
We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Prayers courtesy of:
Committee on the Liturgy
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 4th Street, N.E., Washington, DC 20017-1194

One of my favorite pictures of Miguel Alexander from his sister's wedding - 3 summers ago.
Today Miguel leaves for Military Prep School in Columbus SC, then it's off to train as a Calvary Scout in Kentucky, then Air Borne Training in Georgia. His wife, Ashley, moved in with us this weekend. She is expecting their first child, Alexander Ryan, this coming fall. Last week she went into premature labour - leading us all to decide she needed to live with us for the next few months - until Miguel finishes his training. Please keep us all in your prayers as we adjust to this HUGE change in our lives. Especially keep Ashely and her unborn child in her prayers as she continues to need oral meds to keep her from labouring.

THANK YOU, as always for your prayers.

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Have a chuckle...

compliments of Here we are . Click here to read his incisive post as to why men don't live as long as women.


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Sunday Snippits

I joined this Catholic Group some time ago. But have been so busy I have not had time to create a Sunday Snippit most Sundays since then. But here is my Sunday Snippit for this Sunday. Read more!

Oh my...

Oh My is actually the title of the post I am linking to. And this is exactly what I found myself saying in my head as I read... Oooh My! Especially the part about answering the same question again and agan. I recently told my children that I thought that maybe they should form a "question committee" so as to avoid being the inevitable child who receives a growled answer to the 10th rendition of the same question. At least one child was insulted by this slightly tongue in cheek suggestion while others laughed. You guessed it - the one insulted was the child recovering from a growled response. But ooooh my! Go read what Sister Faustina would say about my 'question committee" & equanimity! Perhaps I need to locate a copy of this book.

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Is it 1984

or 2009? Perhaps George Orwell was only off in the choice of his title of Nineteen Eighty-four. Perhaps it should have been Two Thousand and Nine.


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A great idea

...should always be shared. Something we will be taking into consideration in our home - click here to see what I am thinking about.


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Price of admission - 25 cents

I am used to the little ones coming up to me and asking if I might have a spare nickel, dime quarter or even just a penny. Typically my pockets are empty and so I apologize and keep moving. So it was today that I did not really take notice when the little girls asked me if I had a quarter on me until later when I over heard them complaining bitterly that NO ONE had a quarter and so they could not buy a ticket to get into their brothers room.

"What!?" I exclaimed. "You have to pay to get into the boys room?"

"Yes." They sighed heavily, "and no one had a quarter that we can use to buy a ticket." I was sorely tempted to call the boys bluff by finding each of the girls a quarter - yet I could not bring myself to reward the boys' behaviour with money.

I just know there was a brilliant solution to this scenario but I was not feeling particularly brilliant today given I finally succumbed to taking pain medication for my back that left me almost pain free but ... brainless. Read more!

Prayer Request

Today I see the Dermatologist and have the biopsies completed. Keep me in your prayers please! Cindy D is driving me and Peggy is watching the majority of the children. Anna is in Belmont watching her niece and Gabriela will come with me and help with the baby. It will be a full day.

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Life imitiating ...life

There has been a friendship blossoming between two children: a young lady who is not yet 7 and a young man who is also in the single digits. But of late my darling daughter has begun to complain that her newly found friend was avoiding her and she was bitterly disappointed as she has not yet made many friends her own age.

Then today she came to me all excited.
"Mummy - now I know why 'X' doesn't want to play with me these days. "
Before I could ask why she burst forth with the explanation.
"Its because I talk so much, he said. He just wants to play but I just talk, talk, talk!", her hands flew in added demonstration of how she just talks, talks, talks!
Before I could commiserate she rushed to tell me: "So now I know what to do - talk less!" With that she flew away to practicing playing... with less talking.

Hmmm - this might be a challenge for this little one of mone - there is a reason her father has nick named her motor mouth...
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