Tuesday, May 29, 2012

My Birth Blog...

I may have mentioned it before...but I'm revamping my birth blog, so if you haven't checked it out, go see and I've also signed on to be a Pink Kit affiliate, so check that out...for any future preggo moms, current preggo moms, doulas, midwives, OBs, grandmothers, sisters, aunts, dads, ..... I really believe in it...more on that soon.

Monday, May 28, 2012

h3 :)

My friend Micaela posted a new blog post right up my alley the other day :)  Well, I mean...she said some things I totally identify with....about serious "grown-up" blogging, i.e. "blown-up" LOL  (see my blog envy post)  AND she turned me on to some amazing other blogs :)  You can read all about it here .  So in fellow blog camaraderie I am taking her all new "h3" challenge on :)  (except not sure if I'll figure out how to do a button... how, what, where? we'll see...) 



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Here's How to Play h³:
1) Choose 3 adjectives beginning with "heart".  Or not.
      (Here's a partial list to get you started: heartbreaking, heartburning, heartening, heartfelt, heartless, heartpounding, heartrending, heartwarming, heartsick, heartstopping.  I strongly encourage made up words, too.)
2) Tell a little about how each one is "on your heart" this week. Or don't.
3) Link it back to my blog.  Or don't.  Whatever.
       (You: Wait, what's a link up?  Me: Jinx, you owe me a Coke!)
4) Create me a beautiful "button" which I can then place on my blog.  You will receive heartfelt gratitude and a cyber high five.  (Seriously, though, this one is optional.  For all I know "creating buttons" consists of quantum physics.)
5) Enjoy all the love.  Or not.

Here's my first attempt:
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Girl's Heart Out


Okay, it's a stretch but...it's a big "heart" on my mind after this weekend.  See I'd promised to take Jillian to see the new Avengers movie since she couldn't go w/ the "boys" a few weeks earlier.  And she built up in her head that it was going to be a WHOLE day of just us two in a Girls' Day Out :)  I hadn't planned on it, but felt I had to.  Not much money to spend...but we surely had to go to the mall and be and do girlish things :)  So...we did, just me and my mini-me. LOL  And we talked, and shared a milkshake and laughed and bought a few small things, and watched the movie, which was really good.  I love spending time with Jillian and seeing her smile. She has been getting more emotional lately, and dealing w/ some frustration toward Mariam's 4 year old angst, so she really needed it.  I can't believe how fast she is growing up...she'll be 10 the end of August.  Oh...my heart.....and here, my "Miss America" :)


Heartwork




That is...my work, from the heart.  Not unlike art-work sometimes, but mostly just work from the heart.  It's my other "job" I now have besides my mommy/teacher type work at home.  I am the kitchen coordinator at my parish, and have been now for just over a year.  I really enjoy it.  I'm not the most organized and thrifty, but I love serving others and giving things that special touch.  In most cases that means arranging some special flower bouquets for the tables at a special dinner or reception and upkeep of the linens, or buying and preparing a meal or reception snacks.   Sometimes I forget to ask for help and it can get a little stressful down-to-the-wire, but overall it's very rewarding.  On top of that, I also help my DRE hubby with a lot of his stuff, like youth meals and events and religious education.  Love, love, love it.  We both have not been as happy as we are now, back in ministry, in a long time.  At peace, because we are where God wants us.  For now.  Very exciting.  Now...sometimes the kids get dragged along in our "work" and I hope and pray that they never resent it.  I think most of the time they enjoy helping...though maybe not the times they are just waiting it out in the church library, or nursery.  And I really need to have more balance in the middle of it all:  housework, homeschooling, exercise and diet, finances/budget, and the work.  But ...for the most part, it's heart-full-filling :)


Heartschooling


I've heard so many different terms for any given family's form of homeschooling, and I've branded many different ones myself and still do:  generic homeschoolers, unschoolers, relaxed homeschoolers, classically educated homeschoolers, radical home or unschoolers, Catholic, Christian, pagan, secular, etc etc and my favorite new one, Pam's self-defined  relaxed US-SCHOOLERS :)  though I'm much (too much) more relaxed than she is.  :P  But...the thought did occur to me, that...I hope I can say we are HEARTschoolers. :)  My main goal and objective at the end of 18 years (times 3) will be to have won the hearts of my children, for Christ and the Faith.  I hope and pray.  I mean....really I know this is a given for most of us.  But it really has occurred to me more than ever lately that that really is my MAIN goal and focus.  Always has been, but more and more each day.  I hope to impart enough knowledge and wisdom, through the help of the Holy Spirit, to solidify their faith and seal their hearts to HIS CHURCH forever.  I even pray that they may each have some kind of higher calling to ministry in their vocations.  That is, that whether they are called to a vocation in the Church (priesthood, brotherhood, sisterhood...) or to marriage and motherhood, that they would each always find ways to serve the Church. I feel like I DON'T pray about this enough....and haven't done ENOUGH yet in our daily practices and habits.  But it is always my goal...and a full rosary one day, or daily Mass a string of days in a row,........here and there....it hopefully will continue to come together. (with a better balance of the "three R's" as well :P)  "Heartschooling"....yes.  I like it.  :)  Here's a few pics of some of our latest adventures outside of home and church....from my heart to yours :)


Strawberry picking.  Not the best pose, but the only one I had of them all in it together :) LOL It was a beautiful sunny Spring day.  And the (organic) strawberries were so sweet and delish this year. :)


This was a special art session the girls participated in, at a new "paint and sew" store.  They talked about the  days of creation and Earth Day, and planted seeds and did their own hand "tree" pics.  The girls really enjoyed it and we hope to go back and do more activities there soon.  This one was too "kiddy" for Micah, so he spent some guy time with Doug.  


So.....what are your three "hearts"?  :)  Do share!