Month: May 2010

I forgot

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

I forgot.  I forgot how sad it is to lose a pet.  I forgot about the tears, the suffering, the heartache.  Now I remember.  Marley had to be put down today.  I know he was getting old.  I know he wasn’t going to live forever.  I know that he is no longer suffering from all the ailments of an old dog.  But none of that knowledge makes it any easier.  Some things in life can be reasoned away with the intellect.  But the loss of someone we love can only be felt in the heart.  And my heart is hurting. 

Marley came into our lives 14 years ago.  I’ve known Marley longer than I’ve known Daxson…longer than I’ve lived in Corpus Christi.  Marley was my nap buddy; my warm, furry friend that always snuggled up with me when I was sad; my reminder that love is sweet, forgiving, and unconditional.  I’m going to miss him.  I’m going to miss his childlike excitement, his loving kisses, his complete adoration of each of us.  But I’m going to remember, too.  I’m going to remember all the sweet memories, the happy memories, the funny memories.  And I’m going to remember that in Marley, we each found a source of true loyalty and unconditional love.  He left his mark in each of our hearts and while we may be mourning now, our hearts are rejoicing with joy to have had such a friend in life.  

A Ripple Effect

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

They say imitation is the highest form of flattery.  If that’s true, then Mom you should be flattered.  I find myself imitating you in so many ways.  Your mothering is reflected in my mothering.  I see you in so many of the choices I make…from singing my babies to sleep to teaching them nursery rhymes; from praying for their souls to feeding their bellies; from comforting them to teaching them to nurturing them.  You’re there in every decision I make. 

Amazing to think that your choices as a mother have had such a ripple effect, isn’t it?

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom.  I love you.

Unconditional Love

/ Stacie / 2 Comments

I need to ask you something…Have you ever lost your patience with your child?  Been quick to anger?  Disciplined out of frustration?  I have.  I have been on the verge of tears, frustrated with a toddler who wants to do it himself but is taking so long that the baby is now crying for his demands to be met, listening to the dryer buzz in the background and smelling dinner burning in the oven.  In the heat of the moment, I lose it.  I yank the crayon out of Joseph’s hand and write the letter “s” myself, I plop William down on the floor (even though he’s screaming to br held) while I try to save dinner and pull out the clothes before they’re too wrinkled, all the while muttering to myself about the unfairness of it all.  When Joseph asks for help again, I tell him, none too politely, “Not now.  Mommy’s trying to fix dinner.  Find something else to do.”  And when William comes toddling in yanking at my pant leg mumbling “meh me meh” I shoo him away. Not much selfless love being exhibited here…or is there?

Last week Fr. James gave a moving homily about the call of Christians to love with unconditional love.  He said that “anyone who wants to live true Christianity is called to live selflessly.”  Selfless love?  That’s hard to find today.  Me, me, me.  More, more, more.   That seems to be the echoing chant of Americans today.  So when Fr. James reminded us of Jesus’ words “I give you a new commandment: love one another.  As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.  This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13: 34-35), I began to reflect on my daily life as a mother and wife.  Do I live by Jesus’ words?  Do I portray a selfless love?  Perhaps at times.  But I realized something even more profound.  As a mother, I am given the unique opportunity to witness first hand the best example here on Earth of selfless love.  I am given a glimpse of unconditional love on a daily basis.  I see Jesus’ words reflected through the love of a child for his parents. 

So back to my chaotic kitchen…where was the selfless love in all of that, you might be wondering.  It sure wasn’t with me.  But go check on Joseph.  See if he has already forgiven me because he has.  Ask him who he loves to snuggle, who he loves to read with, who he loves to be with and I guarantee he’ll say his mommy even though he was just on the receiving end of frustration and anger.  Go ahead.  Now pick up William and see who he desperately reaches for.  Me.  He, too, has already forgiven me.  He, too, is displaying an unconditional love.  

If I would just stop long enough to watch my children, and I mean really watch them, I could learn so much.  Sure I set an example everyday for them to follow but it appears that I, too, have an example set before me that could lead me to holiness.

Fr. James says, “The tendencies of fallen human nature pull us into ourselves. This is why we need a daily encounter with the God of unconditional love hidden in the tabernacle of every Catholic Church.”  Absolutely.  That daily encounter is our saving grace.  But for those of us mommies in the trenches, sometimes daily mass or adoration are not a possibility. We need a daily reminder of what unconditional love looks like.  And, as with all of our true needs, God has provided…just so long as we pay attention.

Daybook

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

Outside my window…it’s sunny and beautiful.  It may be extremely hot here in Texas but it’s almost always sunny and beautiful.

I am thinking…Daxson and I have almost been married 7 years (come this Sunday) but that’s nothing compared to the 38 years my parents have been married.  Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad…here’s to many more!

I am thankful for…the sacrament of marriage.  Feeling disillusioned about marriage?   Read Holly Pierlot’s article on Happily Ever After.  (In fact, if you haven’t already, read Holly Pierlot’s book A Mother’s Rule of Life…perhaps, like me, you’ll find it a welcome compass in a chaotic world.)

From the learning rooms…just finished Blueberries for Sal…amazing how many things we can think of to drop into a bucket so we can hear Kurplank! Kurplink! Kurplunk!

From the kitchen…this afternoon, when Joseph wakes up from his nap, we’re planning to make homemade applesauce…some things in life just aren’t the same when you buy them.

I am wearing…jean shorts and a coral colored t-shirt.

I am creating…a list of books to look for next time I go to Half Price Books. 

I am praying…for Cathy and the healing she needs. 

I am remembering…how last night when I crawled into bed with Joseph and William, I heard Joseph mumbling in his sleep.  I looked over at him and he was signing in his sleep.  Isn’t that extraordinary? 

I am hoping…that I am setting a good example for my children.  Actions truly do speak louder than words and I know I have so much room to grow. 

I am hearing…the beef sizzle on the stovetop.  Mom’s making The Barefoot Contessa’s homemade beef stew and it smells delicious!

One of my favorite things…staying up late with Mom to watch shows like Clean House or What Not to Wear.

A few plans for the rest of the week:  I think we’re going to try to visit the Wildflower Gardens tomorrow…wildflowers in Texas this time of year?  Remarkable. 

Here is picture I thought worth sharing…

38 years of love!

Don’t forget to visit Peggy’s blog for more daybooks!

Circle Time

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

Joseph, William, and I have a special routine for the beginning of our “school” days.  No matter how much or how little we school each day, we always, always start out the same way.  When I first decided to blog about this time, I wasn’t sure what to title my blog.  Then the term “circle time” popped into my head.  Lingo from my days as a school teacher. 

At first, I thought to myself, I don’t think I can really call the beginning of our day circle time…after all, there’s just me, Joseph, and William.  We hardly form a circle unless we’re sitting knee to knee and that would require William to actually sit still for more than 15 seconds and even then, that would be a tiny circle.  But in essence that’s what the beginning of our day is…circle time…the time of our day when we all gather round to enjoy various activities together such as calendar, reading, praying, sharing, singing, laughing, dancing…or, as it is formally defined by wikipedia, a “time that a group of people are sitting together for an activity involving everyone”. 

So here’s a little peek into our morning circle time…

  • Calendar:  We use the Carson Dellosa calendar/weather pocket chart.  I chose this one because it is bilingual…the reverse side of every card has the word in Spanish, which makes for easy review and practice.  So each day, we identify what today is, what tomorrow will be, what yesterday was.  We mark the weather, identify the season, clap the days of the week and months of the year and practice spelling them, practice counting patterns, etc.  We practice common questions and answers that preschoolers need to know (but are sometimes so obvious to us as parents that we forget to teach them!)…his name, his parents’ names, his address and phone number, his birthday.  We practice some of the basics of his catechesis…what is he, who created him,  who is Jesus, why did Jesus die, etc.
  • Prayer:  After we’ve finished with the calendar, we easily transition into prayer time because we use the prayers from Give Me Grace by Cynthia Rylant…I typed them up and added my own illustration to each one, laminated them and hung them on a hook (if you don’t have a copy of this book, get one!  It has a prayer for each day of the week…so simple, yet so heartfelt for children).  Joseph pulls off the prayer for whatever day it is and we pray that first.  Then we pray the Angel of God prayer and a Hail Mary.  Finally we add other prayers and words of thanksgiving depending on what’s in our hearts each day. 
  • Songs:  Next we sing our Month song.  I used the month songs from Chicken Soup with Rice (can you believe it…that is how I learned the months of the year…when I was in Kindergarten, my teacher used a huge chart reproduction of the book and each morning during “circle time” we sang the entire song/book), blew up each page, laminated them and hung them on a hook under our days of the week prayers.  Joseph leads us in the Pledge of Allegience and the Star Spangled Banner.  We sing whatever else is on our minds including a variation of The More We Get Together that I got from the Little Saints Preschool program.
  • Fingerplays/Felt:  Depending on what we’re studying in “school” that week, I usually try to do a few fingerplays or some felt board fun during circle time.  I love the book The Complete Book of Rhymes, Songs, Poems, Fingerplays and Chants by Jackie Silberg and of course, we adore Wee Sing Fingerplays.  I also use Little Saints as a reference because it’s organized by theme so it’s easy to find a fingerplay to go along with whatever we’re learning.  As for felt, we have lots of different felt sets that we use ranging from the basics like colors and shapes to more elaborte storytelling sets. 
  • Poetry:  I typically find a poem that goes along with what we’re learning about that week, usually using Little Saints as a guide, but you could just as easily pick up The Harp and Laurel Wreath by Laura Berquist or Favorite Poems Old and New edited by Helen Ferris and choose a poem.  Read it every day that week and your child will have it memorized in no time! 
  • Posters:  We have a pile of posters that we choose from each day…the kind of posters you buy at the education store (and of course, get laminated for extra long use!).  Our posters range in topic from instruments to cloud types to short vowel sounds and everything in between!  Little kids are like sponges, so it’s great to offer them all kinds of information that they just soak up. 
  • Bible or Saint Story

Tracy at Pinewood Castle has some beautiful, detailed circle time plans if you’re looking for something a little more in depth (and very impressively organized!)

A Birthday Month

/ Stacie / 1 Comment

We’re taking our time celebrating William’s 1st birthday.  April has become his month. 

First, we celebrated his birthday together as a family on the 10th…just the four of us with birthday muffins for breakfast (baked by Joseph!) and a few small gifts.  Grandma Nury came by to play for a little while and then we spent the day doing all the things that William loves…we played outside, we played inside, he chose the Signing Time movie to watch during lunch.  He nursed, he napped, he snuggled.  I think if he were able to talk, he’d say it was a perfect day. 

Then mid-month, Grandma Cindy and Grandpa Gary came, bearing gifts, to celebrate his birthday.  So we celebrated again.  This time Grandpa Gary put together his new toys, the boys played and played and played, William chased the dogs, and again, he nursed, he napped, he snuggled.  Perfect day #2. 

Exploring his new beach quilt made just for him by Grandma Cindy

Ew!

Then toward the end of the month, Auntie Leslie, Uncle Dustin, and Alex came for a visit.  This time they played and played and played.  We visited the aquarium, ate cupcakes, chased balls, shared toys, and even did a little nursing and napping (not much time for snuggling).  Perfect day #3.

Reading with Aunt Leslie

A cupcake for me?

This is very interesting.

It's even in my ear!

At the aquarium

So all that worry I allowed myself to feel over not throwing an official party for William’s 1st birthday?  Pointless.  He could care less about a party.  But to be in the spotlight for a month?  That was pure joy.  You just saw the pictures that prove it.