Par t Two...

Our 24 hours were up and we made it to the lab and had the necessary torture of a blood draw performed by pricking the tiny heel of our now very yellow son. Still ignoring the knot in my stomach, we returned home and I continued to try and entice my son to nurse. His big sisters were disturbed by my waking the little fellow and making him cry with cold face clothes and sprinkles of water on his face. I too hated it, but did it repeatedly in hopes he might actually nurse for more than a minute or too before drifting back to sleep.

Friday, shortly after noon, the phone rang. It was our pediatrician’s nurse who informed us that our test results were in and we were needed in the doctor’s office immediately. With the knot that had been ever present tightening even more in the pit of my stomach, we quickly loaded the children into their car seats and, without delay, headed downtown to the office.

Dr. Simo met us with a very serious face and ushered us into his office. The grave expression on his face froze the knot in my stomach. He quietly explained that in the 24 hours plus since Jonathan’s release his bilirubin levels had increased to dangerous levels.
“I made a big mistake in listening to a mother’s heart, and not my head, by letting you take Jonathan home before his levels went down. My mistake might have cost you your son. The neonatal staff is waiting for you at CHEO. You must go directly there and Jonathan will be admitted and a double blood exchange will be done in hopes of saving him from permanent brain damage. We can only pray that we are not too late.”
Hugo’s eyes caught mine. The guilt I felt was immense and the doctor’s following words cut even deeper. “You must not nurse him any more. It appears you have ABO incompatibility and as a result have built up antibodies during your pregnancy and these are attacking your son’s blood still.”
“What?” I gasped. “Do you mean I can never nurse him again?” My husband stared at me incredulously; unable to believe I was questioning this when our son was so ill. Dr Simo replied, “It is too early to know, but for now the Doctors at CHEO have recommended that you not nurse him any more. In 24, 48 hours this decision will be revisited.”
Stunned I gathered my son up and stared at him – was my own milk actually harming him? My husband asked if we might use the phone to call a co-worker so as to arrange to leave our daughters with him and his wife.
“Actually you do not have time to do that. They are waiting as we speak for Jonathan. Every minute is essential. You must go directly to CHEO with the baby. I’m so sorry. I feel I have failed you.”

Wordlessly we directed the girls back out to the car. Sensing the stress, sadness and tension, the girls were remarkably quiet. Even 18 month old Jenny was silent in her hated car seat. I strapped tiny Jonathan into his car seat, barely able to keep the tears back. My mind was whirling. Not only had I begged to have him home as soon as his billi was stable, perhaps my persistent efforts to nurse him had actually been harming him. When I shared my fears and guilt with Hugo, he was too worried to be able to discuss it. Ultimately we just continued the half hour drive, in what was now rush hour, to CHEO in silence, each lost with our personal worries and feelings of guilt and both anxious to make it to the hospital.

When we finally made it there we were whisked up to the NeoNatal Unit where the double doors loomed ominously before this tiny family of three that suddenly felt so fragile. I held Jonathan while Hugo clasped each our daughters little hands in his. We were all quiet.

The nurses on duty were huddled together watching for our arrival. One of htem came forward and greeted us and took Jonathan from my arms. My eyes filled with tears as Aimee suddenly cried out "Hey - why are they taking my baby!??" Not 'our baby' but my baby. She so clearly felt very protective of her baby brother. Another nurse stepped forward and knelt down to her three year old height. "It's okay honey." She reassured her. Your baby is sick and we are going to make him all better. She took Aimee's hand and brought her to the window of the room they had taken Jonathan to and lifted her up to see. A nurse was undressing him and doing the perfunctary examination, heart rate, pulse while another was preping him for an IV. He was too weak to protest.

She put Aimee back down and we then followed her to the room one usually passes by extra quietly when the door was closed. The family consultation room. This is where you usually saw the extended family of someone critically ill, consulting with a doctor and one instintively walked by more quickly while lowering your voice out of repsect for thier sorrow. This time we would be the consultees.

We waited anxiously for the doctor who would be handling our son's neonatal stay and, we prayed, his recovery. I do not even remember his name or his face. I only remember his voice, somber, as he broke the news to us.

"At this point your son's billi levels are so high that is almost inevitable that he has brain damage. The question is how much. The only option is to do a double blood exchange using a universal donor blood type. Then it will be wait and see as we must then hope that your son does not reject the new blood and or develope a blood infection. I'm sorry - I really can't tell you more than that."

To be continued...

Read more!

Where have I been the past week?

Things have been pretty quiet the past week on my blog because Saturday morning my husband and I took the family to South Carolina to explore for a new home. We cannot afford to continue to live in the area we are currently located in.

After exploring South Carolina we returned to the Charlotte area and stayed in a hotel there so we could check out the Mass at a very nice church in the area.

We visited with our second oldest daughter, Jenny, and then returned home, deposited a number of children with their older brothers and left within two hours for a business trip with three children.

So since last Saturday I have been to Spartenburg, SC (absolutely beautiful) back to our part of NC, traveled though SC again, then Georgia, Florida, Alabama, hit Georgia again and then SC where we explored Greenville - another really beautiful city, and then finally made it home again at about midnight. By the end of the trip Elsa was a nervous wreck and would not let go of me - she grasped my arm even in her sleep. Too many people had not been able to resist touching her golden red curls and she is a rather shy baby!

The end result of the past few days - beside collecting merchandise from Fort Eglin in Florida, we have decided to try and conference with our parish priest and look for guidance as to where to try and settle. Our first, very first, priority is a good parish where the Mass is reverent and large families are welcome. It needs be in an area where we can afford housing for a large family within 30 minutes of our new parish. If we can not find a home with sufficent land and some out buildings where we can run our business from, then we must try to locate in an area where warehousing is also cheap. It is a tall order. Thank Heavens there is a God! We will need HIM! We will also need everyone's prayers.

I have a lot of funny stories to share over the next few days! I just hope I can find the time to write them!

Blessings to you all! Read more!

In danger...

We are in danger at this moment. I can feel the temptation to get on with the day. And pass on the Rosary. The laundry is piled up way past Mt. Everest. And my two oldests sons need laundry for the wedding they are attending out of town tomorrow. The two dogs still need to be walked.

The shipping board for the business has reached ten packages and we are are trying to keep it to no more than five waiting to ship. More items have bids which means this number is about to surge even higher.

Children want cuddles and attention. Groceries need to be bought. Items must get lsited for auction and I must put together a meal plan.

The temptation to put prayers to the side and just get on with the day is great. Yes, we are in danger indeed! We are in danger of idolatry. My family is in danger of putting our work before GOD. So now I must stop, take a deep breath and put away the list of things to do that is compiling in my mind and just take 20 minutes to pray with the family. It is only in doing this that I can be assured of getting possibly half of the to do list completed. Most importantly, I will have Jesus and Mary at my side because I will have taken the time to invite them to join me in this sure to be crazy, hectic and completly normal day. Read more!

Looking for direction from big sister.

A few days ago, twelve month old Elsa and three year old Emma were playing together in my bedroom, and the air was filled with Elsa's chortles and Emma's giggles as they wrestled and rolled about on my bedroom floor. At one point they made their way onto my freshly made bed and while I was sorting clothes into Nathaniel's dresser I heard a sudden clunk which was followed by complete silence.

Out of the corner of my eye I caught the reason for this sudden freeze in their play. Emma's cheek had made contact with Elsa's chin. Elsa's eyes were locked on Emma's face waiting for her cue. Was this a crying moment or not? Emma's hand felt her cheek and her eyes began to fill and a wail quickly filled the pregnant silence.

Hup - there was Elsa's cue! She immeadiatly turned to me with her arms outstretched and a quiver on her lower lip. Her sobs joined Emma's and I hid my grin in her shoulders while she sought comfort for her war wounds. Emma also wrapped her arms around my neck as she sobbed into my ear. Interestingly enough though it was Elsa, who had had to search for a clue as whether this injury warrented tears or not, who was still in my arms being comforted long after Emma had recovered and moved on to her next activity.

And to be honest, I didn't mind those few extra minutes of holding her warm, chubby little body with her soft red curls next to my cheek. In fact, I quite enjoyed them. Read more!

A cool math site

Whether you homeschool or your children (or grandchildren) are schooling elsewhere - here is a great site where a child can practice math online or you can create worksheets for extra practice.
Thank you Michaela for directing me to it!

Math Fact Cafe

Read more!

Mid week poll update

So far "ambivalence" is in the lead...

What will you do when the Da Vinci Code opens on the 19th?

Answers Votes Percent 1. I am planning on boycotting it. 4 9% 2. I plan on "othercotting" it by seeing something else that day. 5 11% 3. I'm actually going to see it. 3 7% 4. I am going to protest it with friends outside our theater. 2 5% 5. I am ambivilant about it and will probably do nothing. 28 64% 6. While I feel strongly against it - I am unsure what I will do. 2 5%

Read more!

Finally..

The stats for the longest running poll in the history of this blog! Feeding the hungry won by a landslide. Check out the newest poll.

Answers			Votes	Percent
1.		Feed the hungry.	30	56%
2.		Give drink to the thirsty.	3	6%
3.		Clothe the naked.	2	4%
4.		Shelter the homeless.	0	0%
5.		Visit the sick.	5	9%
6.		Visit those in prison.	1	2%
7.		Bury the dead	2	4%
8.		A combination of the above.	11	20%

Read more!

What not to buy your wife for Mother's Day...

Here are the five worst gifts you could buy your wife for Mother's Day and possibly end up on the couch for the night!

1) The Hot Mom's Handbook by Denay. Do not purchase (or even suggest to your wife that she should purchase) this book. However mums - feel free to share this little gem with each other. But men, trust me, while possibly every mum will love this book - don't BUY IT for her. It will only lead to one question and one question only.... "Excuse me - are you trying to tell me that I am NOT hot?"

2) Hot Moma: How to have a babe and be a babe by Salmansohn. If your wife is pregnant - again this is NOT a book for Mother's Day or any day. Leave this book for her girl friend to suggest. Unless, that is, you happen to have a special ardor for the living room couch...

3) Don't even think about excercise equipment or signing her up at the local gym - I don't care how great a special they are having. If you value your marriage (and maybe your life) you will do well to stay away from the whole excercise idea.

4) Firming cream or otherwise known as Facial Cream. If you are not convinced just ask Dan Bean. He will caution you not even to mention such a thing, never mind buy it.

5) Nothing.... Do not let Mother's day go by without buying her something "because she's not your mum!". If nothing else, buy her card and slip an IOU inside. That IOU could be redeemed for say... washing the dishes for her one evening a week for the next month. Try it and see just how appreciative the mother of your children is for such a nice treat. (Okay, for those with dishwashers - perhaps it would be for tidying the kitchen...) Read more!

illness abounds...

I feel like a modern day Job. Our son has returned from school and put off starting a job with Fed Ex for a few weeks so he can help us jump start the new web site. And so, of course, we are all sick. Even me. I have temperature, and considering how high it is, I feel amazingly well. I can only attribute that to God!

However, regardless of how ill various members of the family are, we will have to plug on as we only have this extra pair of hands for two weeks. Posting might be sporatic over the next two weeks, but I will be as faithful as possible and keep you posted as to our progress as well as any comical happenings that might amuse folks.

This weekend is our daughters graduation from college - please keep us in your prayers that we will be recovered in time and all of us be able to enjoy this very special time in our daughter's life.

God Bless You All! Read more!

By two pm Emma and I were seated together in a cold tub...

Sometime during the night, the number of lumps under blankets in my bed rose from three, the standard number to four. Emma had crawled in with us and the temperature of hte balnkets around her increased somewhat, making me wonder if she was brewing a temperature. Sure enough when morning dawned and I rolled my sleepy body out of bed Emma was in deed not looking her normal chipper self. Her eyes had that 'sunken, I'm not well' look to them and when I touched her forehead, it was hot. I dug about in my children's medicine drawer, the one dedicated to fever relief. (We have many medicine drawers, an adult pain relief drawer, another for asthma meds and so on.) I found some orange gooey stuff and convinced Emma that it would make her feel better.

By the time we were ready to leave for church she was almost as good as new. I most relieved as it was going to be a busy, busy day. Today was First Communion for two children we knew, Aiden and Theresa. We wanted to be there to help them and their families celebrate such a special day. After that we were going to pick up the rental we needed for our drive to Ohio, as well as a U-haul, buy groceries for the children staying home, return to church for the Parish picnic and then leave for Ohio.

It was about one pm when we pulled into the drive from getting the gorceries and the childrne hoped out eager to load the van with the baking that had been done the previous two days before. Three Alexanders cakes, 190 pretzel rolls and two roasts. Despite the boding clouds and drizzle, we were all hoping that the rain would hold off until the picnic was over. As I gathered Emma up to bringher in, I noticed that we had that not good feeling back in her eyes. I was going to give her some more Motrin but got distracted by some other activity and Hugo called me. Emma was curled up beside him and was shivering. I took her temp and it was over 105.

By two pm Emma and I were seated together in a cold tub, I in my bathing suit and she with a dripping wet cold face cloth over her head. My husband was drizzeling tempid water over her that made her scream, "No, not told water Daddy, I needs hot water, I better now, I better! Her teeth chattered, and she began to shake even more. I checked her temp again - it was 107. Fighting panic, I turned the cold water on even further. Emma continued to scream as we tried to calm her down. Gradually we managed to get her temp back down to a manageable 103.

So my list of excuses as to why I might not be about for a few days has changed to just one - Emma is sick. Our priest has prayed over and annointed her with oil and friends are praying for her as her little body fights this virus. So I ask all of you (again) to join your hearts with ours as we pray for her to recouperate quickly; and that my husband, who now needs to drive to Ohio without my help, will be safe. Read more!

Julie D., author of Happy Catholic , has left a comment regarding the idea of seeing Over the Hedge as an alternative to the Da Vinci Code, asking if I had seen the reviews or trailors for this movie. I had to admit that I had not, but I have now read one review and will check out some trailors as well.

I have to say the one review I just read, reminded me of the year we first moved to the country and discovered we had mice. Cute, cuddly looking, brown vermin. Being rather short on dinero, I opted for the no nonsence simple tan coloured, wooden, quick kill mousetraps. I left one under the kitchen sink before retiring for the night. With our bedroom being above the kitchen, in this tiny duplex we were residing in, I was awakened sometime in the night by a sharp snaps that rang through the floor under my bed. I rolled over and went back to sleep with a sense a satisfaction. Amazing how parenthood changes our values. At eight, I would have been crying myself to sleep.

In the morning, I checked under the counter and sure enough the trap was sprung having claimed not just one, but two mice. One was slightly larger than the other, giving you the impression that they were a couple who had been out in the night foraging for their little family who were now obviously orphans. As we quickly scooped them into the garbage can before little eyes came down the stairs I commented to Hugo:
"You know, if this were a Disney movie, you and I would be the villians. "

The review of Over the Hedge emphasizes that it has a strong environmental message which leads me to wonder just how much we will all feel the villian, if this review is accurate in its description. I still think I will try to take myself and the kids to a movie somewhere that day - whether it is Over the Hedge, or another movie. If I have the time to see some trailors, I will post some links AND the kids' reaction to them. Read more!

Vote at the Box Office...

This is not such a novel idea as some might think. I believe we rocked the socks of Hollywood when the Christians of this country pushed The Passion into a box office success and boom after all of Hollywood doom and gloom about how it would fail because it was too gory, too raw, too... true.

It is being suggested that once more we vote with our dollars - regarding the Da Vincy Code. And not, as you might think, by staying home.

Read here and here. Please take the time to read these links. If you blog, share these links on your blog. If you don't blog, email them to everyone you can think of. We MUST take action and this is a very good one that is suggested here. Let's take those box offices by storm!

I will be leaving this post at the top of my blog and will add new posts below for the next week or so. I don't even know when the Davinci Code opens, but obviously I need to remedy this. I will post this fact when I find out unless someone cares to edify us by leaving a comment.

(Credit for the original post of these links belong to Danielle Daily, which I suspect many of you also read.)

LET'S CAST OUR VOTES ON MAY 19TH - THE OPENING DATE FOR THE DA VINCI CODE.
Let's make ourselves HEARD in a way Hollywood understands! Read more!

A link and...

...a list of excuses as to why I won't be around for oh - about five days.

First the link; Robert Munsch , exAmerican, now Canadian famous auther that my kids loved when they were little and that I about to re-introduce to my second bunch of little kids, only he has more books now.

Now for my excuses:
1) My husband hurt his back and so I am now also listing items for sale - only we are selling on my eBay acount 'cause we can't afford to pay out ebay fees this week...
2) My husband hurt his back so I am now helping my son pack - the items we sold on my husband's account last week.
3) My husband hurt his back and my son wants him to make his "to die for incredible" roast for the May Picnic this weekend.
4) My husband hurt his back and we had to return his lap top so we could pay for some bills so that we can start picking up items we bought from all over the country that we will now have to list on my ebay account because my husband's is frozen... AND because my husband no longer has his lap top - I have to share my computer with him...
5) My husband hurt his back and Sunday night we will leave for Ohio- after spending about 5 hours at the church since that is the day we are having the picnic. We won't be back from Ohio until late Tuesday.
6)Did I mention my husband hurt his back?

See you Tuesday or Wednesday when I will try to squeeze someting on my blog before I pack up to go to Charlotte for Jenny's graduation. Which reminds me - I have three dresses I need to take to the dry cleaners! Read more!

Is God as Reliable as my Rocking chair?

We were in the midst of our morning Rosary and Emma was wandering about the living room, distracting us as usual. Finally someone asked her to sit down. She danced her way across the living room rug and stopped in front of a child size rocking chair, Elsa’s actually. Without looking behind her to make sure that the chair was ready to catch her – she just plopped her little bottom down and landed comfortable in the soft chair. I could only see her head over the top of the it and her delicate ankles beneath it as she pushed with her tiny toes to rock the chair.

Would she still have this confidence if someone habitually pulled the chair out from under her as she sat, or if the chair tended to collapse as she sat on it? Obviously not.

Her complete confidence in the chair got my mind working and I thought about how we all have that same confidence in chairs. Without a thought we simply plunk ourselves into a chair completely confident that its arms will enfold us and the frame will catch us. We never suspect that someone is going to possibly pull the chair out from under us, or that the legs will simply crack and collapse from our weight.

This confidence has built up over time, from our continued use of chairs and the reliability they have shown us, day after day, hour after hour, and year after year. Yet, I wondered, why have I not had this complete faith in God? Is it because when I do lean on Him, He collapses from my weight? Or pulls away in jest the way someone will occaisionally tease us with a chair? Or is it because, unlike my daily use of chairs, I have not used God’s invitation to rely on Him daily? And so, I have not built up confidence in Him as I have with chairs?

This really left me with a lot to think about.

(image found at: www.tvacres.com/chairs_edithann2.jpg) Read more!

Touching Base with Our Heritage

Part of the heritage that belongs to our children has roots in Latvia. My husbands great grandmother, great aunt and his grandmother were among the few of his family to survive the Bolshevik Revolution and upon escaping Latvia, were refugees in Europe for many years before settling in Argentina. (We are currently researching what happened in Latvia at that time. It is possible the revolution was not the actual Bolshevik revolution but the family has always referred to it as such. regardless all of the male members of the family were murdered and only the females escaped.)

My 19 year old son decided to begin exploring those roots. He has explored the arts, the culinary delights, as well as the history of this wonderful country. As a result of his research we were treated to some delightful baking that both hen and his sister Anna, engaged in one soggy wet day last week.

Discover some of what we enjoyed in the posts below. I will add recipes later. Read more!

Team work...

Working together on the Pretzels. Miguel is about to hand off the mixer to Anna. It was such great fun watching these two work together trying recipes that had never been made by anyone in our immeadiate family before. However, we do have a great grand father who was a pastry chef. Seems he passed on his skills through the gene pool.

One of two layers that needed to be baked for the Alexander's Cake.

These are delicous Pretzel Rolls, which had to be boiled and then baked. Despite it being a large recipe, these dissapeared pretty fast.

The finished product; Alexander's Cake, oh it was so delicous. I was unable to photograph the whole cake, it was devoured too quickly.

Read more!

Hiatus

I will be taking a short hiatus from my blog. Hopefully only for a few days. We are at a cross roads with our business and at the same time exhausted from a four year struggle just to surive. This past week has been especially hard. Yesterday - simply exhausting. We managed to get the money together needed to pay for the auctions but were unable to get a single person to confirm that the company received our funds. We will not know until Monday. Again, we are trying to leave it in God's hands and trust.

So for a few days while our family works hard to make some very crucial decisions, I will take a short break from the blog. I will back soon, and hopefully refreshed with lots to write about. Your prayers for us during the next few days will be very appreciated. Read more!

Thank you Infant Jesus!

Some of my readers, no doubt, remember the disaster that happened a few months back when some local gentlemen accidently mistakened a 2000 dollar item for scrap metal and removed it, selling it before we could recover it from them.

We were greatly discouraged by this and we were wondering how we would recover from this. I started going through our inventory and I saw two items that were of high value, but had not even had a nibble of interest shown in them since putting them ip for auction. I saw a light at the end of the tunnel. Excited, I printed off our auction descriptions for these two items. I then folded them very carefully and tied a pretty bow around them. I then placed them beside our Statue of the Infant of Prague and we started a novena in which we asked the Baby Jesus to sell these two items and that they would be paid for in time to for us to buy more merchandise to sell.

These exact two items sold, and were paid for, just in the nick of time! God is good, so very good. I had intended to post this miracle when we experienced the even greater blessing of our son surviving that incredible accident just before Easter weekend.

Now we are waiting on the wonderful Infant of Prague once more. We did two novenas back to back for assistance while my husband researched and bid on merchandise for our new website, which is almost ready to launch. (I can't wait to show it to all of you. A very generous couple have been assisting us in its conception and birth!) We prayed we would win betweem 20 - 30 auctions and that we would receive enough of the money owed to us from sold merchandise to be able to pay for these 20 - 30 auctions.

We won exactly 30 auctions. We have about half of them paid for. We have enough in receivables to pay for the rest of them... but payments are painfully trickling in!

Faith.
Courage.

This is what I am praying for now. God seems to often tease my husband and I. Not a little unlike the testing of Job's faith. What I don't understand is how, over and over again my faith trembles as the deadlines draw near. How is it that despite so many blessings, I still sometimes falter and fear that perhaps God will ignore our pleas for assistance? Greater still must God wonder.

So I ask one and all to pray for my husband and I to have courage. To have faith. And to receive the graces we need to be patient as we wait... and wait... and watch the deadline creep closer and closer, while the Pay Pal account remains empty.

Thank you Jesus for prayers answered. Thank you for all the blessings you have heaped on us this year. Thank you! Read more!

Which fly is it?

Miguel: "Bethany, your fly is down."

Bethany: (very much puzzeled) "What fly?"

Mummy: "The zipper in your pants is also called a fly."

Bethany: "Oh!"

Sometimes even very simple words get missed in the vocabulary lessons of life!

Read more!

Ahem!

If you would like to know what my angelic children were up to while I was in Florida and Georgia the past 24 hours... click here. Read more!

Please note...

...when tempted to buy a new toy for the baby's first birthday check it out throughly. Aquaint yourself with ALL the sounds that it makes BEFORE you shell out the 6.99 for it. Or you will soon find yourself desiring to hide this toy from her 5 yr old brother who is enthralled with all its bells and whistles. The rest of the family will begin to beg you to hide it adding to your, already high, stress levels.

You will start to wonder where your sanity was when you purchased said bargain. You will also question why your husband did not think either to test out this toy's noise making abilities. After all, you showed it to him too.

All I can say is, he better not add any complaints to those that are already being heaped on my head for having bought this monstrous annoyance, which the baby has already fogotten about. Read more!

My apologies...

I tried to post on Monday - but bloggerspot would not co-operate with me and so my post sat in the draft file until this evening. I also wanted to let you know that we were headed on the road to Florida and Georgia for business. We have already done so and are back in less than 24 hours.

Needless to say - we are poofed. Tomorrow is another run but this time just within NC. There are more trips coming up - to Louisana, Georgia, Virginia, Alabama and Ohio. Many will be 24 hour runs where we drive throught he might spelling each other off. It is Hugo who does the bulk of the driving, I'm there as back up for the rough spots. Like from 3 am to 4 am and for short spells throughout the day. Prayers for safety are very welcome. I will post ahead of trips (hopefully, assuming blogerspot co-operates!) Now I must run, the children who stayed home are still cooking their dinner! The van is almost completly unpacked and a few children are trying out the skipping rope I bought for myself. In other words - chaos reigns.

Blessings
mum2twelve Read more!

Another tid bit from Sister Janet...

There was a time when I visited a Hindu diplomat, the first time I
had ever met him or entered the Embassy. The courtesy and
hospitality towards a complete stranger was incredible, so much so
that I commented on it. The answer? "God has many forms. I do not
know if you are God coming to me in the guise of a stranger. If I
turn you away, then I might have turned God away from my door."

Something I would do well to remember, whether speaking to one of my children, my husband or
a stranger.

Read more!

Energy...

Today I was pondering the age old question that has become a visitor to me much more often than it did in my twenties. The question of energy and why is so much of it i granted to small children whilst the parents, who were not smart enough to value it when they were children, have so little?

How unfair it is, I murmered to myself that Emma hops about, filled not only with joy for life but also so much exuberant energy. She races from one piece of mischief to another, sometimes with a a partner in tow and sometimes not. And of course, any partner in crime she has also has energy to spare!

But is any of it shared with me? No. Why oh Lord do you waste - yes, waste this energy on such little ones and leave us, who must run after, provide for and protect these little ones, with so little energy in our old, err, middle age?

And I heard an answer. Yes, I did. Once more our Lord chuckled in my ear as He whispered the answer.

'I have blessed you with sufficent energy to begin each day, and for the rest you must remember to turn to me, daily, hourly, even moment by moment. In this way I keep your eyes focussed on Me, for I am a jealous God.

When you were a child you believed in me implicity. Your faith was simple and your mind was not troubled by worries and cares that leave you buried in the world. You were easily delighted by a butterfly as it fluttered past you and the grass as it tickled your toes. Without even knowing it, you acknowledged and worshiped me through your pleasure in the world that I created for you. But as an adult the worries and cares of the world press in on you, taking you away from Me.

When you are tired, you MUST turn to me and acknowledge your need for Me. Then I will bless you with all the energy you need, and more. Just turn to Me and ask... Ask and you shall receive. ' Read more!

Popular Joint...

One night, several weeks ago, we awoke to the door quietly creeking open. A small body crept in and a little voice asked; "Tan I 'leep wit you pease?" One of us lifted the blanket and she joined an already crowded bed. Elsa was curled up into my back, one of her favorite sleeping spots. Nathaniel had already joined us on Hugo's side of the bed. I'm not sure when, but I could see his curly top sharing Hugo's pillow.

Hugo raised his head and looked over all the little heads spread between us and gave a little chuckle.

"This bed seems to be a pretty popular joint these nights, eh?"

This brought a smile to me face and I laughed into my pillow. Yes! Our bed sure is a popular joint! I guess our popularity is partly why I am so tired most days. Read more!

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr...

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. This is a sound I have been surrounded by since Easter Sunday when all of the children found electric toothbrushes beside their chocolate bunnies. Even my 20 year old son got one to take back to college and Miguel, who had already bought one for himself, got some fancy smancy orange toothpaste.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. I smiled with pride as I stopped by the bathroom door and listened to this lovely sound - the sound of teeth being brushed, whitened and cared for. I peeked into my bathroom to see who was cleaning their teeth with their lovely new electric brush.

Imagine my surprise when I saw 5 year old Nathaniel lying on the floor, his head resting on one arm, as he pushed his electric toothbrush across the floor watching it's fire engine lights blink and the bristles spin to the lovely whirring sound.

Rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr... Read more!

Ditto!

As I recently shared we came very close to losing our oldest son and third child, who is 20 years old, when the truck he was driving suddenly cracked it's back axle. It spun across three lanes of rush hour traffic at 65 miles an hour, slamming into the cement median twice, before coming to a stop facing traffic the wrong way.

Well - today Danielle has announced the birth of a fellow blogger's newest addition and this lead me to another blog and so to this post. It is this post that lead me to say ditto. There is nothing like almost losing a loved one that makes you appreciate the common everyday things in life.

Thank you Jesus for all of the mundane things in my life; dishes, diapers, dirty toilet bowls, the detested task of shipping merchandise. I am so grateful that I have ALL of my beautiful children and wonderful husband to share my common, normal, run of the mill life with. I am so grateful that, as Alice titled her post, my life is Status Quo! Read more!

Stomach Flu..

I am ill with a bug of some sort, so I am being lazy and borrowing from Sister Janet again. What she writes is always profound and this one is no exception! For those of you who also receive Sister Pat's Peace Letter I apologize for the repeat.

On a personal note...

Jesus and Mary

When Jesus was taken down from the cross, he was put in the arms of
Mary, his mother. It occurred to me that when that happened, Mary's
clothes must have become stained with the blood of her son. We talk
about having been redeemed by the blood of Jesus, but Mary was the
first one to be stained with the blood of the Cross. She was the
first person to be redeemed by the death of Jesus.

For hundreds of years it has been thought that a cloth that was
found in Turin in Italy was actually the burial cloth of Jesus. The
Holy Shroud, as it is called, is marked with the figure of a man
who had been crucified. It seems as though there is a strong chance
that the cloth might be genuine.

I've been reading the book written by a man who conducted several
scientific tests on tiny fragments of the Shroud in an attempt to
see if the cloth is genuine. It made me think that, although we
might have Jesus' burial cloth, I've never heard of anybody having
fragments of whatever clothes Mary might have been wearing when she
held Jesus once he had been taken down from the Cross.

I thought about that and tried to put myself in the position of
Mary.

It seems to me that, if any mother is to hold her dead child, she
does not want to be reminded of the way in which her child died,
especially if the child died in a brutal manner, as did Jesus. I
imagine that, rather than keeping her clothes as a precious relic
for future generations, the first thing Mary did when she returned
home would be to wash them. Perhaps they were so heavily
bloodstained that she simply burned them. She wouldn't want to have
them lying around the house, even if it were Jesus' blood on them.
As mother, she wouldn't want to be reminded of the agony suffered
by her Son. She wouldn't want to be reminded of her own feelings of
pain and helplessness as she watched Jesus die.

Perhaps that is why we don't have any relics of Mary's.

There is a very old tradition that suggests that before Jesus
appeared to Mary Magdalen, he went first to see his mother. I hope
he did. That tradition fits in with my understanding of Jesus as a
loving son. If anybody had suffered with Jesus, Mary had. I can't
think that Jesus would appear to his friends and not to his mother.
However there is nothing in Scripture that tells us whether or not
Jesus visited Mary. Is this one more thing that Mary would keep
secret for the rest of her life? Is it one more thing that would
remain inside her heart for the rest of her life?

I wonder what Jesus and Mary would have said to each other. Both
had been through the biggest experience of their lives. His Father
had also brought Jesus back to life. It seems to me that whatever
Jesus and Mary talked about, it wouldn't have been something as
trivial as the weather. Exactly what they said is something we'll
probably never know. What they would have experienced was complete
love for each other.

Lord, you and your mother shared so many precious moments. You must
have given her so much joy after the resurrection, but perhaps she
scolded you for having made her suffer also. Lord, there are times
when we can, deliberately or accidentally, cause suffering to
people we love. Help us to understand when we have been hurt. Help
us to forgive. When we have caused pain, help us to say sorry. Help
us to love and to accept love.

Amen

God bless, Sr. Janet

Web outreach and development

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Amit's Shoes...

“Jonatan”, Emma called happily. “Look, Mummy bought me somes new shoes! Hee!”

“Oh,” Jonathan murmured appreciatively. “They’re nice.”

“Yet!”, Emma readily agreed. “Dey are, Dey are my NEW shoes. Dey are my Amit Shoes!”

Amit is the Indian gentleman that owns and runs the gas station next door. Typically when Emma walks there with me she picks a flower or two for Amit, who graciously receives these mutilated blooms. He has three daughters of his own and realizes the importance of these offerings. Sometimes Amit returns the favour by offering Emma a free candy of her choice from a colourful selection of Laffy Taffy.

Jonathan studied her shoes closely and then seriously stated. “Oh, really – but I don’t see Amit on your shoes.”

Not content with this response Emma pointed enthusiastically to the pink strap across the front of the new sandle that adorned her left foot.

“Hee – it tays Amit shoes right here!”

“Oh, really?”, queried Jonathan. “Well – I don't see where they say Amit’s on them, but I think they are very pretty shoes.

Emma stared at him for a moment looking very disatisfied, before she tried again.

“Yet dey do! Wite here. Hee!” Again she pointed to the same pink strap. “Dey say; Very pwetty Amit shoes!”

And, of course, this was followed by the inevitable question. “Tan you take me to Amit’s in my Amit shoes?”

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Happy Easter to All of you!

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An explanation...

I don't beleive I explained the tradition of our Easter tree very well. Typically on Good Friday at three o'clock we plant our dead tree, usually in the front yard. And there it sits all weekend until the Easter Vigil, a symbol that reminds us all of Christ's death.

This tradition started shortly after Teddy's birth when I found myself with eight children and pregnant with the ninth and too tired to deal with five children, 8 and under, at the 3 o'clock stations of the Cross. Yet I wanted the day to be special for the children and not just be a holiday. It was Amanda, as I mentioned in the previous post, who told me about the tree. She found it in a book of Easter traditions, if I remember correctly. There were some prayers originally that we said as we prepared the tree. I need to see if I can find them again as I have a new crew that would appreciate them. So for many years while the older children went to the Stations of the Cross the younger ones and I planted our Easter Tree.

And yes - the tree above IS the resurrection of the tree below. And BTW, you can click on any of the photos on the blog and they will open up into a bigger picture.

(PS - if I have missed any glaring type os - please forgive me - I am running on about 3 hours of sleep!) Read more!

Better Late Than Never!

Each year, we plant a dead tree which comes to live Easter Sunday. This was a lovely tradition that my oldest daughter, Amanda, is responsible for. I greatly missed her the first year she was not here to see the tree come to life. Check for pictures of our Easter Tree on Easter Monday. I might have the pics up Easter Sunday, but that is doubtful! Read more!

I feel OLD!

Oh so very old! Recently the children found a couple of rotary dial phones in a box of phones. A box of normal punch button, beep as you "dial", phones. I was filling in paper work, quietly minding my own business when I was suddenly surrounded by my children who plunked down not just any ordinary rotary dial phone, but the kind that one would find on a military ship. Heavy, metal and with an extra hook to keep the receiver from falling off.

Now I could have feigned ignorance. This military version truely handed me an out from having to admit to my antiquity. The children looked at me expectantly.

Finally one of them broke the silence and asked; "Umm - so how the heck did you call anyone on this?"

Apparently they felt almost as embarrased of their ignorance as I did of my knowledge. "Well," I said superioraly, shamelessly taking advantage of their embarrasment. "You stick your finger in the hole beside the number like this." And I inserted my finger in the hole beside the zero.
Then I dialed zero, or for those of you younger than 20, pulled the dial with my finger all the way around. The dial whispered a swooshing, burrring sound as it rolled back to zero when I released it.

"Cool!" one of them exclaimed and they pushed in closer.

"Show us how to dial, ummm, hey show us how to dial 911!", another one asked excitedly!

I happily acquiesced with a demonstration.
9 SWOOOOOOOOOOOSH
1 Swish
1 Swish

"Wow! Cool, Hey let's go practice calling people! Let's pretend to call Jenny first. " They snatched the phone off the counter and were gone chattering happily over their great find. "I think there's another one out there."
" Awesome - let's go get it!"

Now - just because I happen to know how to dial a rotary phone, no one had better ask me if we had T.V. when I was a kid - because we did, thank you very much. Read more!

Divine Mercy Novena

Today is the first day of the Divine Mercy Novena, click here to participate in it.

Click here for Stations of the Cross or for another version click here for children.

Blessings to you all! Read more!

Thanksgivings

Today as Hugo and I pulled out of the drive to head into the city to run errands I said my customary prayer for safety on the road and because Jonathan was suppose to drive home today in his Dad’s truck, I added him to my prayers. Suddenly I had a lurch in my stomach and I had a bad feeling, so I said an extra Our Father.

We were out longer than expected and when we hit heavy traffic heading home I said another prayer for safety, something I rarely feel the need to do more than once in a day. And again, I had that lurch in my stomach so once more I said an Our Father complete with the sign of the cross. Yet, I felt strongly I was not praying enough so I added some Hail Maries – just for Jonathan to get home safe and sound.

I called home to remind everyone to put some soup on so that they would be ready to leave for Mass and Confession at St Joe’s by the time we got home. I planned on staying home with the youngest ones so that others could relax as well as focus better on the Mass. Thirty minutes after getting home the little ones and I saw them off and settled down to enjoy the little cakes I had bought for treats to help make up for the disappointment of not getting to go out with the big kids. Once finished I sat there wondering what to do next with them, there was still a full two hours before bedtime and a two hour bath might leave them shriveled beyond return, even if I could keep them in there for that long.

I decided with the warm weather it would be a good idea to start learning some soccer skills and so we gathered a blanket for Elsa, dressed her in a fresh diaper and jammies and grabbed two balls and headed for the side field. It was not too long before Elsa was covered in grass, dried leaves and dandelion fur. Tired of digging flowers, sticks and leaves out of her mouth I suggested that we clean up and head over to the gas station to get some juice for Emma’s bedtime baba.

While I was waiting for eveyone to wash their faces and hands the phone rang and Teddy answered it. After a brief second he rushed to get me. “It’s Jonathan Mummy, and he says he has to talk to you quickly!”

That familiar lurch from earlier of the day attacked me again. I grabbed the phone and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

Quickly assuring me he was okay he proceed to, in my opinion, very calmly explain that he was probably not going to make it home as he was currently sitting on the side of the 85 squashed up against the median – facing the wrong way.

“I’m not sure what happened Madre, but all of a sudden only a mile or two out of Belmont the truck started to make a funny noise and then suddenly the steering wheel lurched out of my hand and the truck went into a spin. I spun around four, five maybe six times as I crossed the three lanes with cars desperately trying to avoid me. I sat there watching and wondering which one would hit me and was I going to die today?”

He continued, “I hit the median so I think the truck is a bit damaged there but Thank God for the median, or I would have continued into the traffic on the other side and have been killed for sure.“

Yes – I agree, he probably would have been. In fact it is nothing short of a miracle that in rush hour traffic going 65 miles an hour and spinning across three lanes that he was not hit and killed, before he struck the median.

He is spending the night with his sister and a few friends at the college and tomorrow we will figure out how to get him home, although every fiber of me wants to get into the car and drive up to the college so I can see with my own eyes that he is okay.

Praise be to God. Thank you Jesus, Thank you Mary! Thank you Jonathan’s Guardian Angels! Thank you!!!! I am still mum2twelve and so exceedingly grateful for that! This will be a Tridium to remember for us. We have been very blessed.

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AWESOME!!

Thank you Antonia! I found this link, Jesus Mosiacs, on her blog.

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Even animals know and achknowledge Christ's Presence in the Tabernacle

In 1995, during a visit to the US, Pope John Paul II, wanting some quiet time to pray, made an unannounced visit to a University Chapel in Baltimore.

As security protocol called for, sniff dogs were taken into the chapel ahead of John Paul II and they were lead up and down all the pews in the building. Finding all of them free of humans, the dogs were then led to the front of the chapel where they all stopped and pointed to the Tabernacle, indicating that they sensed a Human within. They would not leave the Tabernacle until called off by their handlers. At least ten security guards were witness to this.

When I read this post on our church’s bulletin board, a chill went up my spine. I will make sure that I pay more attention when I pass in front of our Tabernacle, which is just to the side of our church’s altar. I have, of late, gotten a bit careless and inattentive, taking Jesus’ Presence for granted. I am somewhat ashamed that it has taken a group of dogs to remind me of the reality of God's constant Presence in my church!

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Prayer Request

My eldest daughter, Amanda, had a minor bicycle accident that ultimatly - was not quite as minor as she thought. A trip to the doctor and several x-rays revealed a cracked sternum and a fractured rib.

Please join us in prayer for a quick recovery without complications for Amanda. We will update as we know more. Read more!

Palm Sunday...

To read a lovely post on Palm Sunday - click here. Read more!

The Seven Corporal Works of Mercy...

We DID it! With Gabriela's help, I was able to come up with another Mini Poll! Again, it is based on one of the subjects that was studied recently in their theology class.

I thought I would include this wonderful passage from Mathew as it is, I'm sure, part of the basis for the Coporal Works of Mercy. ( I was not around for class that day...)

Mt 25:34 "Then the King will say to those at his right hand, ’Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, ’Lord, when did we see thee hungry and feed thee, or thirsty and give thee drink?’ And the King will answer them, ’Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of my brethren, you did it to me."

Parents, I'm sure can easily answer in the positive as doing this almost daily for the first six. What mother is not giving a drink to hot thirsty fellow who has been playing ball hard out in the sun. Or providing dinner for her hungry brood? How many times a day does a mother change a diaper or help a toddler get dressed? What about the father who leaves the house, day after day, to drive to work through the miserable rush hour so as to provide a roof over the head of his family. Siblings too, should be able to answer in the positive. Do they not rescue a younger sibling from their crib after nap, or release them from the play pen in which they are imprisoned. Do they not also rush to draw a 'get well card' for Mama when she has a headache or to get a band aid for a fallen comrade?

As it is so often said, charity begins at home and by practicing the Corporal Works of Mercy within our family we are preparing our children to know how to sacrifice for others long after they have left home.

I hope you enjoy our new biweekly mini poll and that maybe it provides for some interesting dinner conversation as we challenge each other to think of what Corporal Works of Mercy we have done today.
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Sacramental Mini Poll Results

Answers			Votes	Percent
1.		Rosary, including beads and the prayer.	27	23%
2.		Holy Water	8	7%
3.		Statues	3	3%
4.		Scapular	1	1%
5.		Holy Candles	6	5%
6.		Icons	6	5%
7.		Images of a Holy Person	1	1%
8.		Crucifix	61	51%
9.		Blessed Palms	0	0%
10.		Medals	6	5%

I think that we had a very interesting mini poll the past two weeks. A large portion of readers voted and it was fun to watch the initial neck and neck race between the Rosary and the Crucifix. I have a hard time choosing one of the various sacramentals available as a favorite. I have many attachments for as many reasons. I do have a beautiful gold crucifix that I have worn for many years. It was the gift of my two oldest daughters gave me for Christmas one year. It has been with me through many births and teethed on by many babies. However, Elsa proved to be the last straw forcing me to retire this cruifix until I can replace the chain. In the meantime - my old metals on a sturdy silver chain has replaced it. Elsa is as delighted iwth them as hse was with the Crucifix and I have to admit, while I liked being able to reach up and touch my Crucifix just below my throat, I am enjoying my old friends again. On my chain hangs the medal of St Theresa the little flower with Mary of Mt. Carmel adorned with baby Jesus on her knee. Then there is St Benidict, and St Michael.

They are all good reminders for me to keep my eyes on Jesus and I like the idea that they are praying for me.

I am, again, brain dead and will remove this poll but possibly I will not have a replacement for it until next Saturday. I apologize but I am terribly worn down from health problems and sometimes - my brian just won't engage past third gear! If anyone has any ideas for the mini poll please feel free to post them in a comment section or email them to mum2twelve at gmail.com Read more!

Here we go again!

We are under a severe storm watch, it is the remenants of what hit Tennesse last night. We are a little more prepared than the last time and already have our scanner on. All outdoor machinery is under anchor outside and the bathtubs filled with water in the event of loss of power.

The sky is rapidly growing dark and the wind is picking up. Thunder is rumbling ominously and a few strikes of lightening have already been seen. Prayers more than welcome. I will be powering down the computer for a few hours!

Blessings to everyone... stats on the mini poll will be posted after the storm passes through, all though this might be an all day event. Read more!

The joys of being a large family...

Every Friday this winter a very good freind has been traveling out from the city to teach a theology class to five of our children. As if that was not enough, she always brought lunch so as to give me a little break. Yesterday, she brought a plateful of sandwhiches and much to MY delight, brownies.

Wanting to leave the sandwhiches for his younger siblings my 19 year old son put some fries in the oven for himself. As he was waiting for them to cook he grinned at me.

"I put some fries on for Elsita and me." His grin widened. "I can't wait to watch her tiny fingers pinch together to pick up her fries, one at a time."

His joy at anticipating the feeding of his baby sister and his delight at the thought of watching her culinary habits filled me with immeasurable joy as well. Moments like this remind me, why having been open to life and raising such a large family was exactly the right thing for my husband and I to do. Read more!