Bases Loaded with One on Deck

What are You Giving Up This Year?

Like most Catholic families, on Fat Tuesday we started out our day with pancakes, and ended it by eating way to much of whatever we are not going to be able to consume over the next 40 days.  

We discussed what our sacrifices would be over breakfast.  I would like to say this was a serious, heartfelt conversation, and all decisions were thoughtfully discerned, but I happen to live in a house with 4 boys ages 13 and under, and one baby girl who sat in the backpack a pulled on my hair as I flipped pancakes, so I'll take what I can get. 

Matthew began the discussion by proclaiming he would be giving up clothes.

Michael was quick to remind him that he would not be allowed to play baseball or get into church, and he certainly couldn't receive the Eucharist if he was naked.

Matthew then change his mind and decided to give up Catherine, for Lent.  All the boys laughingly agreed that they would do the same thing.

John stated the he was going to give up doing the right thing, and do everything wrong, and there was also discussion of forgoing showers. 

James (clearly confused) tried to get in on the action and said he would give up the Nintendo Game-cube (the system, not the actual games), since he can play all his Game-cube games on the Wii (which we now happen to own). 

This went on for sometime, but eventually the boys decided it was time to get serious and name their sacrifice (after all, I was only going to make cookies if someone was giving up dessert).  And this is what we ended up with:

Michael is giving up chips and his daily bowl of cereal.

Matthew, the competitive one, is giving up the most with chips, soda and dessert (as long as he can have gum of the sugarless variety).

John is giving up chips as well.

James who will be happily consuming chips in front of his brothers over the next 40 days, has also decided to give up dessert, along with Matthew, just as long as he too can have gum (of the sugarless variety).

So there you have it, I won't bore you with mine (although I'd be lying if I said laundry and doing school didn't cross my mind). Ash Wednesday is upon us and Lent has officially begun.  I wish you a holy and fruitful Lenten season.  Come by for dinner anytime.  No meat on Friday's, and I won't be serving chips or dessert, but I can certainly promise you that Matthew will be dressed.

 

 

The Story of a Name

Today is the feast day of Saint Catherine of Siena.  Catherine Siena happens to be the name our daughter will be given when she is born.  This is not the name we had picked out in the past, in case any of the boys would have been a girl.  This name was selected over two years ago by her brother Matthew, who when finding out that his Aunt Bryan, after having 8 boys was finally going to have her first girl, decided that God was going to give us a girl too and we were going to name her after the church we go to; Saint Catherine's of Siena.  Now he had already been praying on a regular basis for a sister, and since he picked out such a beautiful name for her we told him to start asking for St. Catherine's intercession as well, which he did, every single day. 

A few months after he had chosen the name, Matthew made his first communion.  The church he made it at was of course St. Catherine's of Siena, and the date; April 29th, same day as today, her actual feast day.

As each month, then each year went by, we all remained hopeful that God would add to our family, but it did not seem to be happening a quickly as we would have liked and most of us started to think that God had only four children in mind for us.  Matthew was the only one who never, ever doubted.  When we would go through the basement each year, there were certain toys we had to hang onto, even though nobody played with them anymore, because Catherine would certainly want to play with them.  We couldn't get rid of furniture, because where would Catherine sleep.  The only thing that could be given away were the boys clothes, because Catherine wouldn't need those.

When we found out I was pregnant, Matthew was sure it was a girl, but he humored us and decided to play along with the decision to pick out a boy's name as well.  He took out his saints book and decided upon Dominic.  It just so happens Saint Catherine had her first vision while walking past the church of the Dominican Friars in Siena, and later on entered a Dominican convent and took the black and white habit of the Sisters of Penance of St. Dominic. 

So....... it's a very good thing Kent and I happen to love the name just as much as Matthew, and her other brothers do, because after all the prayer Matthew has put in on her behalf, there really is no other name she should have.

Pretzels for Lent

From Catholic Culture:

The pretzel has a deep spiritual meaning for Lent. In fact, it was the ancient Christian Lenten bread as far back as the fourth century. In the old Roman Empire, the faithful kept a very strict fast all through Lent: no milk, no butter, no cheese, no eggs, no cream and no meat. They made small breads of water, flour and salt, to remind themselves that Lent was a time of prayer. They shaped these breads in the form of crossed arms for in those days they crossed their arms over the breast while praying. Therefore they called the breads "little arms" (bracellae). From this Latin word, the Germanic people later coined the term "pretzel."

Every Friday during Lent I make the boys pretzels for lunch.  It was a very simple tradition to add and one they eagerly look forward to.  We've done this for two years now, thanks to a suggestion from Michael that I find a recipe for those big soft pretzels you can get at the mall.  I managed to find the perfect one, conveniently titled "Mall Pretzels". 

Enjoy!

The Feast of St. Matthew

Saint Matthew the Apostle

Johann Sebastian Bach - "St. Matthew Passion"

"Left to Tell"

On Tuesday, September 11th, I was blessed with the opportunity to go and hear Immaculee Ilibagiza speak.  I had read her book this past winter, and I can honestly say it was one of the most powerful stories of faith and forgiveness that I have ever read.  Although I do know of one person who had a hard time with how graphically she described the events that took place in Rwanda, everyone else I have talked to is like me, and just can not put in to words how much her story has touched them.  I can't think of any other place I would have rather been, than listening to her as we remembered the horrible events of 9-11.  God spared her for a reason, her message is important, and if you have not yet read "Left to Tell", you should. 

Blessed Teresa of Calcutta

                                                            

A Tribute to Mother Teresa

On this, the 10th Anniversary of her passing.

Candle Making Anyone?

I have already done our religious planning for this month with all the saints we are going to cover, but I guess Kent wasn't satisfied by what I chose because last night right before bedtime he excitedly asks, "Ooh, can we make some candles tomorrow?" 

Kent discovered that today was the feast day of St. Bernard, patron saint of candle makers, along with many other wax type professions, so he thought it would be a lot of fun to do.  I whole heartily agreed, but still had to play "party pooper", because even though we were given a wonderful link to Martha Stewart's Candles 101, there was still the issue of having to get all the supplies with less than 24 hours notice.   Not many craft stores stay open late on Sunday and today was a school day; I had my plans ready to go.  You don't want to mess with the Monday plans, especially when you had 3 days off the week before.

I wish we would have discovered this sooner! I REALLY want to do this, and I will, next year, assuming I can wait that long!  So mark your calendars: August 20, 2008.  Candle making party at my house.  We'll have plenty of time to get our supplies!

Need A Little Sisterly Advice?

Then be sure to check out my new favorite blog to read on a regular basis:

Ask Sister Mary Martha

3 Days Off

I never had to go to school on my birthday when I was growing up, but many of  my friends had to ring in a new year of life sitting at their desks, toiling over their work, and listening to those awe inspiring lectures teachers so often seemed to give.  I even remember one year when the first day of school was on a friends birthday.  Poor guy!

It always seemed so unfair that they couldn't just have a day off, and I swore to myself that when I was a parent I would never make my kids go to school on their birthdays, and I don't!  I've also decided that my kids don't need to do school on my birthday, Kent's birthday or any Holy Days of Obligation either.  (I just love that I can do that!) I happen to be another year older today, the Feast of the Assumption is tomorrow and Matthew's birthday is Saturday, so I'm giving him Friday off. 

Technically we never take a day off from religion around here, and seeing as it is Maximilian Kolbe's feast day today, we will have to watch "Ocean of Mercy" tonight. 

It was after watching the above mentioned show on EWTN six years ago, while nursing John, that I decided if we had another boy, he would be named after this saint.   Two years, 3 months and 12 days later, James Maximilian was born.

Please Pray for This Homeschooling Family!

Who lost their son, Joshua Dorchak, last Friday.