Recently in Domestic Category

Through my most recent study I've been asking God how to acquire a Sabbath-Simplicity throughout the week. I'm a Homeschool mom who's always in the car and we were adding more commitments. I have special needs kids whom I shuttle back and forth to therapy and doctor appointments. We were looking forward to our first year of scouting and the local homeschooling co-operative. I was maintaining my membership at Curves; both my dh and I are in Weight Watchers. I'm a Lector at church.

We've been in tight financial straits for some time....It's hard in this country to stretch one income. The brake shoes went in our car at the same time the refrigerator died. My parents graciously helped us out. We don't qualify for the state run insurance premium rebate program (which we were counting on) and we found out today we no longer qualify for food stamp assistance.

So everything extraneous went. Co-op, Curves, Scouts, the dance class we were considering for our second daughter; all gone. I still have Mom's Group (that check cleared a couple months ago), Lector, and Bill declared we need to get healthy so Weight Watchers is staying for the time being. And there's still doctors and therapy. But it's greatly pared down. Simplified, you might say.

Now I have to get a job. Wonder what God has to say about that?

If you've got it, check out the blinkie at the side. My very organized e-friend Amy is helping us get rid of clutter and chaos before another clean heart/clean home challenge. I am currently beginning an abbreviated whole house clean up in preparation for a house full of overnight guests on the 20th. Here's hoping I can keep a steely resolve.

I began Amy Verlinnech's "Clean Heart, Clean Home Challenge" this week. What a blast! I managed to clean the car, finish a cross-stitch project, school the children early, put healthy meals on the table and keep my kitchen clean! And I begin each day with God, asit should be. This is good stuff for the organizationally challenged. I can hardly wait to see what He makes happen today!!!

One of the children spilled some water in the dining room and I went to get the mop to clean up the mess. My son John came in, screaming "Nnnooo! You can't use that. That's Daddy's mop!"

I'm perfectly willing to say that's Daddy's mop. There were some advantages to being on bedrest for so long ;) I can't use the mop. What a shame.

Today is the day - Bill and I have been married 10 years! We still feel like newlyweds; in our hearts. I heard someone say since they concieved on their honeymoon they "never got a chance to be newlyweds; just went straight to being Mom & Dad".

We concieved our first within a month of our marriage. But we never considered ourselves as "just" parents. Our relationship comes first, even before our children. The only thing more important is our relationship(s) with our Lord.

That's the secret to feeling like it's your first anniversary rather than your tenth... or whatever number with which you're blessed.

A toast to all newlyweds - May all those wrinkles be smile lines, and that chest pain be a heart full of joy!

At 5:45 this morning i was in the shower shaving my legs when suddenly the ludicrousness of it hit me. It was the coldest morning of the year. I certainly wasn't going to wear a dress to church. Why in the world was i shaving my legs? well, half of them - that's all i though the new razor could handle. So I mulled over this for a little while. was it just that I couldn't stand it anymore? And then realized no, I'm a lector this morning at the 7:30 mass and i just wanted to seem my best in order to read the word of God, even though no one else would know, I would know. So then I began to pray so that I could read the word correctly, and I prayed for the people who would listen to the word; I prayed for Father as he made his morning preparations and continued to pray as I finished up my own ablutions. I feel too sorry for my husband having to live these hairy legs. At least he has a wife who can turn the most mundane task into a prayer. Besides, he doesn't feel them through my flannel pajamas.