Dad's suggestions for living well

My Dad sent these thoughts, and I wanted to save them somewhere where I could see them regularly, so maybe this will offer encouragement to someone else too! :) He spent 11 years in formation to become a Jesuit before being called to the vocation of marriage, and so I try to listen when he shares his insights. :)



1. Be at peace with yourself. Accept your challenges modestly, humbly, patiently, not expecting too much of yourself.

2. God works with whatever you can give him. He is the ONE who makes your day, not the people of this world.

3. Each minute of the day provides the light and energy you need to go forward. That’s how God works the deal.

4. At the first sign of anxiety or worry, drop the thought. Change your frame of mind. Go and do some little task.

5. Learn to chill many times each morning and evening. Learn to make your mind go dark and empty. God will fill the space silently.

6. Live in hope and trust. They are the links to God’s protection. You can’t always “see” what God hath wrought in your life.

7. Don’t compete foolishly with others. You are only called to be as good as you can be, not to be what others are. Competition is an illusion.

8. Name your 3 follies (weaknesses) and your 3 strengths. Don’t be ruled by your follies.

9. Before you sleep, spend 30 minutes in a peaceful state of mind. Don’t read. Don’t do email. Don’t even watch TV. Experts say you will sleep better.

10. Everybody has “troubling” things and thoughts that lurk in the mind and heart. We learn how to dodge them, conquer them, ignore them, not feed them. They go away the minute you ignore them. When you have troubling thoughts or feelings, remember: those come from another place, not from God. God is the master of the soul. When He is in touch with us, the soul is ALWAYS calm and receptive. Aim for that state and you will find it.

Weekend highlights

The cake Dominic won at Aquinasfest today!











Our little jockey trotting along












fearless Dominic













chugging along on the cuteness express













loving the sandbox our neighbors gave us


















Posing with something very large that I forgot to read about at the Natural History Museum.














Feeling rather literary tonight, I tried to turn my weekend highlights into a haiku, but then realized that only afforded me 17 syllables to work with, which as you all know, I can't say ANYTHING in only 17 syllables. So, in a modified effort to be poetic, here are my weekend highlights ;)

Chocolate chip pancakes, a trip to the natural history museum, take out food, endless blue skies, a rented movie, board games with Dominic, wine with my husband, more chocolate chip pancakes, family tennis in the early morning, lazy naps, a church festival, grilled cheese sandwich and soup, and celebrating Mass, saving the best for last. (Emily Dickinson, eat your heart out!)

Legislative Updates from NETWORK - September 2008

I subscribe to these legislative updates from this lobbying organization called NETWORK, whose ministry is working for social justice. I thought I would share the legislative updates on my blog here for anyone who might want to get involved.

http://www.networklobby.org/development/join/index.html


1. Economic Problems Continue and Expand

As our members of Congress turn their attention to financial institutions that have enormous economic power, we need to remind them about our brothers and sisters who have been suffering the most during these times of economic inequality.

Increasing numbers of families are losing health insurance as they lose jobs, and are unable to afford transportation, food, medicines and other necessities. The need for emergency help for low-income families becomes more urgent each week.

Congress must not leave Washington to pursue campaigning without providing economic relief to those in our midst who need it the most.

Congress could provide assistance in economic recovery legislation, or in the continuing resolution for appropriations that must pass before October 1 to keep government operations running.

This is a critical need for millions of people. Contact your Senators and your Representative now. You can go to http://capwiz.com/networklobby/issues/alert/?alertid=11958356&type=CO to customize and e-mail NETWORK's sample message to your members of Congress.

You can also call their Washington offices via the Capitol switchboard 202-224-3121 and/or call and their home offices. You can find contact information and other information about your members of Congress via http://networklobby.capwiz.com/networklobby/directory/congdir.tt


2. Get Ready to Vote

Are you registered to vote? Are you sure you are registered at your current address? Now is the time to make sure you are registered. The election is November 4. Most states have early October deadlines for voter registration.

You can go to http://networklobby.capwiz.com/election/register_vote/ to complete and print a voter registration application to mail to your state/county registrar.

Make sure that your friends, relatives, neighbors, co-workers, parishioners and others in your community register to vote. Our democracy depends on everyone's participation.

You can find information about national and local candidates and elections at http://networklobby.capwiz.com/election/home/

** Action using the Legislative Action Center since the last Legislative Update**

1172 messages on speaking out about poverty

1234 total messages sent via NETWORK's Legislative Action Center last week

**Reflection of the Week**

"Within your own living room, you will see global poverty on your television; you'll hear about it on the radio; you'll read about it in the newspaper. You'll certainly know if there's a big disaster somewhere.
Remember that you are part of the same family. What is happening in some part of the world as a result of injustice or as a result of the maintenance of your lifestyle is your responsibility. You have the power to bring about and influence change within your government to address global poverty. We all have that responsibility."

- Lesley-Anne Knight, Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis (quoted in U.S. Catholic August 2008)

I love my job

I'm pretty sure I found what I was looking for in life.... :)

Fun packed weekend

We're back from a fun weekend in Houston. I went to a baby shower for my sweet friend Jamie in the Woodlands while Bronius and Dominic went to the Children's Museum there and then we spent the night at my parents house, visiting with my siblings and their friends and some of our friends and even Grandma too! Dominic and Milo loved having so much family around, we miss everyone already!!!

How school is going.......

(souvenirs from the school yard, Dominic shows me what he enjoys most these days)

























The transition to school has been a little iffy this Fall. Dominic went to Montessori school over the summer for a month long camp a few mornings a week, and he really loved it. However, the Fall and Spring semesters are much more structured, and I think he was a little overwhelmed by Montessori in full force. Every morning the kids literally get to work, in a very systematic way, almost like a busy office! Now that Dominic has a handle on the routine, he really enjoys the morning because he always knows what's coming up next, and we all know how important that can be to kids! :)

Because Montessori stresses each child clean up their "work" Dominic has been picking things up and restoring projects to order all by himself around the house, with no reminding on my part! He is stacking, sorting and counting everything he can get his hands on - tea bags, blocks, acorns, puzzle pieces, bowls, etc. He sits down to do his "work" at home and concentrates very well! I am astounded by the changes I am observing already! He remembers his manners very well, and always double checks with me to ask "was that very polite Mommy?" And I love the conversations we are having lately - especially when they are rhetorical in nature. I always ask him about his jobs on the way home, and it's usually "finding treasures," "hanging clothes" or "pouring pink or green water." When he recounts conversations he had, he always impersonates teachers and friends with accuracy which just cracks me up. I love that he is interfacing with children from other countries and backgrounds and learning from them, that is very important to us.

We're still meeting friends and parents and getting used to being a family that takes a little one to school...it's still surreal. I do miss my little "boss" when he is gone. I realize how he has been the cornerstone of my day, but it's nice to focus on Milo also. 2.5 hours fly too, especially when there's no shortage of work to be done around the house.

I am just so proud of how well Dominic is adjusting into childhood, but I never resist the opportunity to pick him up and carry him to give him big kisses and tell him how proud I am of him. As far as I'm concerned, he'll never be too old for that ;)

My sister's review of Houston after Ike

(a man stands at the seawall at Galveston and watches one of Ike's 15 foot waves crash before him)








Since I haven't had a chance to see (or speak directly) to my family since the storm, I really got a little glimpse of what life is like after Ike from my sister Lesley's email below. Lesley and my brother Steve live downtown, and my parents and Grandmother are in NW Houston. My parents are professors and have not been able to go to work because power is out in the schools, not to mention a curfew which prevents them from teaching their scheduled night classes. My sister is a youth minister and has the same situation. My brother is the IT guy at Beazer Homes and so he's been doing nothing but making sure everything is powered up and connected, for work and our family ;) My grandmother's assisted living center is holding steady, so that is a relief. It's ironic to me that we lived through hurricanes in South Florida for almost 20 years and this one has literally hit the closest to home and had the most dramatic effect on our lives to date. And this of course is nothing compared to those who have lost everything. My parents neighbor and all of her pets died of smoke inhalation due to a fire that broke out in her home during the storm. The waves of shock continue to overwhelm me in the stories that I hear. I hope to find out more ways to be of help to Houston and Galveston in their time of need.

Just wanted to drop a line and update all of you on our recent adventures in Houston. Thanks for your calls and concern, this storm was definitely a little more powerful than I was anticipating.

I drove up to Tomball for the storm, as it was further inland than my apartment. Sadly, my complex was heavily damaged, however...my apartment was spared. The wind started to get pretty insane around nightfall, but Dad and I being the adventurous ones, ventured out to see the preshow. Our power knocked out around 2 AM, and I failed to sleep from then onwards because of the wind. The whole night, I could hear things falling over, hitting windows, etc. I had brought a pillow and crashed on the floor downstairs, and at one point I was "gently" awakened by Dad's foot kicking me to see if I was "alive." Thanks Dad! Luckily, our house wasn't damaged. It's horrible to see the damage in Galveston, I can't imagine the sadness that is in the hearts of those who lost their houses. Please continue to pray for them as they look for a place to stay.

The aftermath has been the hardest part. We're still without power, but we've plugged into our neighbors generator so we have limited power. Mom & Dad are being champs, and they are endless in their giving. Steve also set up some strange technical system that allows us to have internet. (I clearly don't understand it.) Steve was fortunate enough to still have power, so he has been housing half of Houston. It's "party central" over there, as Dad calls it, but I am delighted to witness his generosity. He's a gem.

The most interesting part: Houston is controlled chaos right now. All our radio stations are doing nothing but broadcasting places that are selling gas, ice, water, etc. There's a 1-hour line at every open grocer, and a 2-hour line at every functional gas station. And driving around at night is so eerie, there are no lights anywhere. All of Houston has a strict curfew of 9 PM. I am amazed that a storm that lasted no longer than 10 hours could knock a city as big as Houston out for as LONG as it has. I'm so inspired to see people working together, though. Everyone seems to be looking out for each other, while simultaneous staying completely calm. It's nice to see such a divine side of people. (Oh. I've also recently discovered that my mother is McGyver. She's busy making portable ovens out of a hanger and some crayons...)

This is a memory that won't soon fade, and I'm happy to be with Mom and Dad right now. I wouldn't have peace of mind if I wasn't able to help out here and there, and be near them. Again, thank you for the concern, thank you for the prayers, and thank God for being so good to us. We feel so undeserving of His generosity, but we are so very grateful!

Feel free to write back, thanks to Steve!! :)

Goodbye, binky

Dominic doing some paper shredding for Daddy on a Saturday while donning his pacifier.
















Dominic has adored his pacifier since he was born, basically. As a VERY energetic child, it has quite a tranquilizing effect on him, even to this day, which is why it's difficult for us to part with the paci as parents. By no means have we encouraged his pacifier use, we've done every loving and gentle thing to help him depend on it less and less. When we're out of the house, the pacifier is the last thing on his mind, but the minute he gets home he asks for it, or better yet, goes looking for it. Since I have several battles to fight with my spirited child each day at home, this one usually ends up being the least important, and I began to just enforce a restricted use of the paci (naptime and bedtime, car rides) instead of the cold turkey approach.

We've been talking about giving Dominic a "paci party" for several months now, and he seems to comprehend the purpose of the party. He tells us "I'll wave to my pacis and tell them 'I don't need you anymore!!!!'" He loves balloons, so we decided we'd tie pacis to balloons and just release them into the atmosphere. It's not the most environmentally-friendly concept we came up with, but it's the one that we thought he'd enjoy the most. We're planning to do this at someone else's house, so that by the time we come home, we'll have a clean slate to work with. This is all in theory, of course, I'm sure we'll have some choppy waters. I'm just as anxious about this as I was about the new baby coming, or moving Dominic to the big boy bed, or even him starting school! So, wish us luck :) I suppose I'm posting this to garnish some moral support - we gotta go through with this, and soon! Those with success stories, please share! :)

Weathering the storm at Dominic's house

What happens when Mommy answers the door...

Big brother plays ring toss with the baby! So it begins.....

Reaching out to Haiti

If you are looking for a way to reach out to the people who are suffering from the aftermath of the hurricanes, this is a good place to start: http://www.foodforthepoor.org/site/c.dnJGKNNsFmG/b.4447051/ Food for the Poor was started by acquaintances of my parents who attended our parish in South Florida. It is difficult to look at these images as I stay safe and dry in my home with my children nestled safely asleep. Let us think about these people and pray for them, and encourage people to open their hearts to help where they can. Additionally, a friend reminded me to include another fantastic relief organization: Catholic Relief Services www.crs.org, Just for clarification, they do not help only Catholic Christians or Christians - they help EVERYONE regardless of race, creed, gender, faith background etc. Just want that to be clear, I think the title of the group might be confusing sometimes!

Date night with tag alongs

We brought the kids out to Luigi's tonight for some jazz music and ice cream. Someone bought Dominic a shirley temple at the bar! Bedtime tonight will be interesting ;)

Nature loving Saturday

We enjoyed a nature walk this morning through Wolf Pen Creek park today, where we learned about beauty berries, hackberries, resurrection ferns and post oaks! We saw squirrels, birds, stink bugs and dragonflies. And we just loved the blue skies above, and the cool breeze, and the shady trees. After our big walk we went to the ice skating rink to watch some lessons taking place. And then we had burgers and milk shakes. A great start to the weekend, I'd say! :)

Learning about beavers (which are apparently native to the area)
















Trying to determine this tree's age (it's OLD!)






















Look who we found cooing away in the back of the stroller!


















A nice bench for a photo























Enjoying his orange balloon (which later got released into the wild blue yonder)

Giggles

Back to school Dominic

Milo is four months old!

Milo is four months old today! He reminds me of a koala bear this month, gripping on to our clothes, our fingers, his toys. and when we carry him around, he just hangs on for the ride, looking around with such excitement. He rolled over yesterday twice during tummy time! I think it may have been accidental, but I'll record it anyway.:) He has an adorable baby chuckle. He gurgles, and blows bubbles, and drool is abounding this month, which must mean that teeth are on the way. One of my favorite things that he does is how he pulls out his pacifier and looks at it, and puts it back in his mouth. Bronius' favorite thing that he does this month is the way he stretches and raises his arms up and looks at his hands with fascination.

Milo eats about every 3 hours in the day, and pretty much whenever he wants at night so that I can get the most sleep possible. :) Sleep is still pretty elusive around here. He takes 36 minute naps (seriously, 36 minute intervals, every time). I've become smart recently, and I don't always rush to him when I hear him stirring to nurse, shush or rock him, since that used to be the best way to get him to extend his naps, but now it only wakes him up more. So when I hang back and wait for a bit, he'll usually settle himself back down for more sleep. Night sleep is about what I'd expect it to be like at his age....he wakes somewhere around 11pm, 3 am and 6 am. I think all of us will get more restful sleep once we move him to the crib, which we'll probably do next week.

Milo loves his bouncie chair, he kicks and flails his arms in that chair several times a day, bouncing away. And every morning he enjoys his playmat and his bumbo chair. I think he will be really happy when he can sit up unassisted, he has always loved being upright. Milo still adores his big brother, and every time Dominic enters the room Milo looks at him as if he is the most magnificent creation in the entire universe. Sometimes I'll even be lucky enough to get that same look from him, and it's the most sublime, divine feelings of motherhood that I've ever experienced. It is so thoroughly flattering to be loved so unconditionally by these little people!!! We can't wait to see how Milo and Dominic interact more in the coming months, and watch as their brotherly love continues to develop. :)

It's always something

Well I guess we'll go sailing on our yacht some other weekend. ;) We spent the whole weekend sick and indoors! Two weeks ago, Dominic had croup, and a crazy cough /fever that lasted through the week. It went away for 2 days. Then 2 Sunday nights ago, he woke up with a presumably NEW fever, 103, crying out "I'm so hot!!!" That fever lasted 5 nights and made me all kinds of nervous. I realize fevers are generally good things, but they're scary to me nonetheless. So that was 2 weeks straight of all of us being indoors and Dominic watching an outrageous amount of educational t.v. (don't worry, there was also plenty of time with play doh, paint, blocks and books too) and my favorite part of all - nobody getting ANY sleep at night. Milo and Bronius seem to be free of it all, but I got it this past Friday, so we're rolling into week 3 of sickness. I keep thinking with each illness we must be building some mad immunity, but then we all get sick again.

I'm not a good sick person, either, especially with a fever for 3 days/nights straight so far which leave me fairly helpless, even with meds which I'm trying to take sparingly because of breastfeeding. I really want to get back to life again! I am very impatient about that. I felt the same way after having Milo in the hospital, I was trying to sprint out of the hospital! God has tempered me with better patience this weekend, and taught me the redemptive value of laying down and slowing down. I've had much more time to pray, and rebuild my soul spiritually, and that has been a completely unexpected blessing. More importantly, several friends of ours have been MUCH MORE sick and MUCH MORE in need of prayers and help, and this humbles me. And of course in light of Hurricane Gustav and the damage it may cause, my little troubles are almost completely insignificant.

Dominic starts Montessori school tomorrow which is exciting! Bronius has been Mr. Mom all weekend and he will probably take Dominic to his first day, we're all so excited for him (but mostly him, really!!!) Please pray for our little family this week that we can all be healthy again and move on with this wonderful life that is to be had.