January Exercise Update

My goal for this year is to get 9,002 minutes of exercise. Well, I really got off to a strong start with 1,327 minutes for the month of January!

Now that exercise is a well-established habit for me, I really need to start addressing some issues with my diet. So, for February, I'm going to focus on eliminating refined sugar while keeping up the exercise. For the longest time I didn't even buy white sugar- I used only honey or real maple syrup. But that sack somehow snuck back into my pantry, I'm not even sure how. And, well, since it was there I figured a teaspoon (or two) in my coffee or cocoa wouldn't hurt...

So, that's my health resolution update. What about you?

Heat Wave!

http://st-anthonys-weather.blogspot.com/

Tomorrow's Forecast

Much warmer... highs around 30.

The funny thing? I'm excited!

Wow!

The California octuplets have six older siblings.


Suleman said her daughter had embryos implanted last year, and after finding out she was pregnant with multiple babies was given the option by doctors of selectively reducing the number of embryos. The woman declined.
"What do you suggest she should have done? She refused to have them killed," Suleman told the Times. "That is a very painful thing."

I can only imagine that she was under tremendous pressure to "selectively reduce" (despite her mothers comment that she was merely given the option). I can almost hear her doctors' arguments... You already have six other children. This pregnancy is extremely dangerous. Seven is too many (the eighth baby was a complete surprise at delivery). You could loose them all. You could die.

They called it "reduction" of "embryos". But she refused to KILL her BABIES.

God bless them all!

Matthew 6: 24

No one can serve two masters;

for a slave will either hate the one and love the other,

or be devoted to the one and despise the other.

You cannot serve both God and wealth.

Gee, thanks, Uncle Sam

Do you remember that stimulus check we all got last year? Well, Chuck and I just filed our taxes for 2008 through taxslayer.com (who we highly recommend, btw!) I will now pause briefly for you to enviously admire the awesomeness of our organization and responsibility in getting this dreaded annual chore completed way before April 15.

...

Now, are we supposed to imagine it is just coincidence that entering in that stimulus check as "income" reduces our refund by almost exactly the same amount?

I'd be interested to hear if anybody else finds these same results... Feel free to leave a comment.

Baby it's cold outside.

Do you see the porch swing in this picture? Not really? That's because it is practically buried in snow. Mind you, this three feet is in a relatively sheltered area. There is actually quite a bit more snow than that where the snow has drifted. Maybe it is because I'm not used to winters up here yet (this is only our third winter since moving) but I am amazed at the volume of snow. I never could have imagined it if I weren't actually here living in it. Amazing.

Yes, I'm going to join in the complaining and whine "It's coooold". It took until almost noon to warm up to zero today. We are supposed to get to 20 below tonight, not counting the wind chill.

But the good news is that the sun is staying up noticeably later in the evenings, so at least I can tell myself that at this point we are more than halfway through. Seems like February has a reputation for being dreary, but it is the shortest month of the year, so how bad can it be? Now when it is April and I'm still shoveling snow while the rest of the country is picking tulips and planting tomatoes... then I'll be really complaining.

Okay, enought of that. For now.

Chuck had a great week home last week, and now he is in Alabama for some testing. He hates taking tests, so please send up a prayer for his nerves! After that he might be going to California for a few weeks, but we really have to just wait and see. Meanwhile, we are all doing fine here at home; staying healthy, staying warm, and keeping busy with lessons and chores.

God bless!

Overheard

5-year-old boy: "When I grow up I want to marry Mommy."

12-year-old girl: "You can't marry Mommy. She's too old."

A Prayer

On this eve of the anniversary of Roe vs. Wade and the March for Life in Washington, D.C. I offer this prayer for the end of abortion.

Lord God, I thank you today for the gift of my life,

And for the lives of all my brothers and sisters.

I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion,

Yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the Resurrection of Your Son.

I am ready to do my part in ending abortion.

Today I commit myself

Never to be silent,

Never to be passive,

Never to be forgetful of the unborn.

I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement,

And never to stop defending life

Until all my brothers and sisters are protected,

And our nation once again becomes

A nation with liberty and justice

Not just for some, but for all,

Through Christ our Lord.

Amen!

(from Priests for Life)

Chuck Day

Happy, happy birthday to my dear hubby!

I love you so much!

For the Beauty of the Earth

LORD of all to Thee we raise this our hymn of thankful praise!

Click here to see more amazing satellite images of God's magnificent creation!

Done!

We did almost everything on our list, and then some. The only thing we did not get to was the sauna; Robert did tend a fire in there for a while, but it wasn't going to get hot fast enough so we decided to wait until tomorrow.

We had some friends over for a few hours today. They are "puppy-sitting" a one-year-old Chihuahua named Taco. Unlike every other Chihuahua I've ever personally known, Taco is a very sweet dog. It is hilarious to see this little thing running around the house in her sweater and jacket! Mary fell in love with Taco when she visited last week, and I think she was very happy to see her wee doggie friend again this week.

Chuck will be flying home tomorrow; his plane should land sometime around 7:30 so I'm hoping he'll make it home safely and without incident. Please pray for good traveling weather! There is a chance of snow tomorrow (such a surprise, I know) but it looks like nothing too serious.

God bless you all, have a beautiful (if cold) weekend!

To-Do!

I am always amazed at the "power" of having a To-Do List. Some days I feel organized, productive, and in control. Other days I feel like I'm spinning my wheels- working frantically and getting nowhere. Most often the difference is in whether or not I have a clear plan for the day, and keeping that plan written in the form of a check-off list really helps me. When there is nothing on my to-do list, that is exactly what I accomplish.

This week I've printed off our To-Do List and kept it on a clipboard on my desk so that all the kids can follow it with me. Keeping the list on the computer makes it easier to update daily; since so many things are the same day after day I do not have to write out a completely new list every day. Not everything I do is on the list, but the major things are all there. Here's a peek at our list for today:

• Morning Prayer
• Morning Routine (dress, make bed, etc.)
• Animal chores, snow shoveling, fill wood box, outside chores
• Breakfast and Kitchen Chores
• Start sauna fire
• Lessons
• Mid-Day Prayer
• Exercise
• Animal chores
• Dinner and Kitchen Chores
• Free Time and sauna
• Evening Prayers
• Animal chores
• Clean living room and zones
• Supper and Kitchen chores
• Story Time
• Bedtime prayers
• Brush teeth, call Daddy, and go to bed!

Lately we've been getting started with our day around 9:00 in the morning, and the kids have been going to bed by about 10:00. I stay up until at least midnight lately, but staying up later and sleeping later seems to work best for all of us anyway.

Now we will have to see how this works when Chuck is home again. If all goes well (and please pray that it does!) he will be home tomorrow. Yes, things always change with his work schedule at the last minute, but it is a pleasant surprise this time! It can be quite a challenge to switch back and forth from "Daddy's gone" mode to "Daddy's home"... it is a challenge I really don't mind, though!

God bless!

Just Pitiful...

Our forecast for Friday: "Warmer... highs 4 to 9 above."

Sigh...

I miss him already.

I tried going back to sleep after Chuck left this morning, but I just couldn't. Now it is after 7:00 and I'm at the computer wondering: Why do the kids sleep later when I get up earlier? And when does it get light here???

Please pray for safe travel for Chuck today; he should make it to Texas sometime in the mid-afternoon.

God bless!

Our holiday is over...

Chuck is on the first flight in the morning, which means he needs to leave here at about 5 in the morning. I've made up this week's lesson plans, and I'm hoping that everyone will be excited about getting back on routine with school work after such a long break.

Yesterday we were treated to the most beautiful moonrise I ever remember seeing. We first saw the full moon rising over the trees while we were driving home from Mass. By the time we got home the sky was a pale purple behind a full, glowing moon that looked close enough to touch. It was just amazing.

I hope you are all having a blessed Sunday evening!

Exercise Resolution

This year rather than making it a goal to loose a certain amount of weight, I'm going to log minutes of exercise. I will define "exercise" as any aerobic, strength training, or stretching activity in addition to whatever normal chores I might have to do. So, in that context, snow shoveling or gardening or hauling fire wood will not count as "exercise".

My goal is to get 9,002 minutes (that's 2009 backwards) by the end of this year. If I get an average of 30 minutes six times a week, I will accomplish this goal by mid-December.

I've been exercising pretty regularly since Mary was about a month old, and I am really proud of that! I'm going to keep track of my weight, but I'm not focusing on the scale this year. Still, weight is a useful indicator, and I've got a few pounds to loose. Before my pregnancy with Mary I weighed 210 pounds and wore size 18 pants. I weighed 216 when I started working out at 5 weeks post-partum. I'm starting this year at 197, in a size 14.

If any of you have exercise or health related goals, I'd love for you to leave a comment and share them. I plan to update about once a month with my total of minutes logged (or jogged- ha, ha). I've read that a support network is a determining factor as to whether or not a person sticks with health-related goals. Let's be sure to share our goals and progress, and support one another in prayer!

Here's to a healthier year!

Birthdays and Epiphany

I have a few pictures from the last two days to share. Raechel had brownies and ice cream for her birthday dessert.

Do you think Mary looks like me (except for the dirty face)?

We had banana splits for Joseph's birthday dessert, but I didn't get pictures of that. We had such a fun day, though!

Proud big brother and loving baby sister...

Joseph's birthday is also the traditional day to celebrate the Epiphany. Since the day after Christmas we have been putting figures in a special 12th Night calendar and singing the hymn "We Three Kings" along with our evening prayers. Here, Thomas gets a little help from Daniel with placing the last figure just right.

Here is our completed calendar which we will leave hanging until Lent. The calendar is published by Dumb Ox, and they also have a lovely Advent calendar that is filled in the same way. They are inexpensive so I don't mind buying new ones each year. The kids really enjoy having the figures to color and cut out every year.

After our calendar was completed last night, Chuck led us in a house blessing. Traditionally, the initials for the wise men, enclosed within the year and connected with crosses, is written over the doorways of the home with blessed chalk. This year is written:

+20+G+M+B+09+

The wise men were blessed with the wisdom and courage to seek the Infant Christ and worship Him. In blessing our home on the day in honor of the Epiphany, we ask for the same grace to seek and serve Jesus Christ in the coming year.

I'll close with another picture of all the children, although it didn't turn out great. For one thing, they don't fit so well on this couch any more. Mary is grumpy, the little boys are sleepy, and Daniel looks like he's just about bored to death. One of these days I'm going to get them all dressed up and get some good pictures when we have time to pose and everybody is well rested. In the meantime this will have to do.

God bless!

Happy Birthday, Joseph!!

Today is our dear Jo-Jo's 7th Birthday.

Happy Birthday, darling boy. We love you so much!

Raechel's Birthday Today!

Happy 12th Birthday, Raechel. We all love you very much!

(more pictures to follow...)

First Weekend of '09

We have had such a good weekend. Chuck is still home, we are still enjoying Christmas celebrations, and the weather has been pretty nice even though cold. He took the older kids sledding today, so I had the house to myself for about an hour. I cleaned up the living room (the kids would say I did it "Mama style") while Mary took apart the games and math blocks in the kitchen. Then I tidied up the kitchen and started dinner after putting Mary down for a nap. I'm making pot roast, mashed potatoes, and steamed broccoli all on our woodburning stove. It smells so yummy!

We have a busy week coming up. Raechel's birthday is tomorrow, and Joseph's is on Tuesday. We have some chores to do in the garage, Chuck needs to replace the battery in his truck, and I plan to get the kids "back to school" on Wednesday through Friday. That will make the week go by quickly! No word yet on when Chuck will have to head out for work, but he put in to stay home through the 11th.

I need to go finish up dinner before the smell drives me nuts...

God bless!

About our New Year's Eve

I didn't get as many pictures as I thought, but here are some to share. Here is Mary Mae fulfilling her role as "Mama's Helper". She is very diligent with her job of overseeing the biscuit-making process. Like any good manager, she is very "hands on".


"I give these biscuits full and official approval!"


We spent the afternoon tidying house, at least that's all I remember doing. We had our favorite meal, chicken and rice with gravy, and then cleaned up and got ready to go to Mass. January 1st is still a Holy Day of Obligation for Catholics, the feast day in honor of Mary, Mother of God. Traditionally, it is also remembered in honor of the Circumcision and Naming of Jesus. I really enjoy going to Mass on New Year's Eve. It seems like the best possible way to finish the year and begin the next.

After we got home from Mass we all took a nice, hot sauna. If you have never had a traditional steam sauna, you really don't know what you are missing. There is nothing that feels better on a crisp winter's evening! You have to do it the right way, though. After you've been in there a while and you are so hot you don't think you can stand another minute, you go running out naked in the snow and jump in the nearest snow pile. Then you have to run, squealing and laughing, back to the sauna to warm back up! Chuck has tried this, the kids have done this, I will not do this. They assure me that it is not that cold and actually feels really good. I assure them that I am happy taking a sauna the "wrong" way.

So, after the sauna we had your typical snack foods and Chuck beat Robert at Battleship. Then I beat Chuck at Battleship only because I know his strategy too well.

We lost the youngest two by around 10:30. Thomas fell asleep on the couch shortly after locating his pajamas.

Mary was soon to join him. (Remember, she was up early slaving over the biscuits!)

At almost midnight we went outside, admired the beautiful sky for a few minutes, fired a couple of shots into the woods, yelled "HAPPY NEW YEAR", and then went back inside to thaw out. At this time it was -3 degrees, afterall. We prayed our bedtime prayers, brushed teeth, and all the children were in bed by 12:30 (except for Mary who had woken back up).

I pray that God will bless all of you and your families in the year to come!