7QT Tea, puddle jumping, alien cuddles, banner, frosting, a reflection and an homage to Mother's day

Linking up with 7QT at Jen Fulweiler's site this week. Thank you for hosting, Jen!


 ~ 1 ~  

The Montessori preschool where we send our boys holds a lovely Mother's day tea each year. I look forward to it with all my heart. The children set a sweet table, pour tea, and we sip the afternoon away together. The boys decided we needed to extend tea into the afternoon, and I gladly agreed. I treasure these memories!

                            

                             

~2~   

Today became quite stormy suddenly. Darkened sky, gorgeous lightning, scary thunder, hail and all.  Middle boy wanted to puddle jump, naturally, and pulled me out of kitchen duty to join him. I'm so glad he did.  In Florida, you could set your watch by the afternoon thunderstorms. My children fear thunder while I am comforted by it. I wish I could change that!

~3~ 

 This mischevious green alien has been spotted in lots of places in the house. I don't think we'll call Dr. Who just yet though, because he can be rather cuddly. 

~4~ 

I forgot to post a picture of D with his First Holy Communion banner.  Here it is for posterity. It was 100% his creation and I thought he did a great job!

~5~ 

This weekend I ate my weight in celebratory frosting (and let's not even talk about the cake). I am trying to get back on track with My Fitness Pal program since I've lost 6 pounds (woot!) and I endeavour to lose at least another 5. 

~6~

And now you must brace yourself for the "woe is me" part of my post.  

I've always been petite and fairly fit, and I never "needed" to exercise specifically to lose weight. But naturally 3 children later, without working too hard in between pregnancies, I found myself with a little extra and with plantar fasciitis (constant foot muscle inflammation and tightness) on top of it. I had a bit of a traumatic delivery with our youngest child 2 years ago, and it has taken me about 2 years to recover physically and mentally. I'm still on the road to the new normal. I've learned a great deal and changed a great deal over the last 2 years, and for that I am truly thankful. The anguish and struggle of was not all for naught, and it has brought me to deeply appreciate my three healthy children and my body which brought them here, as well as understand more the value of redemptive suffering. An amazing yoga/pilates gym class has been the only thing that has helped me most long term (and I've been to chiropractors, podiatrists and everything in between). It's a Phoenix rising out of the Ashes kind of a year for me, I think. Finally.  I'm ready to be me again, for my hubby and my kids. 

This reflection is a beautiful summary I think, for appreciating our bodies as the vessels of new life and love which they are. Please give it a read!

Where everything began, my parents circa 1977 in Milwaukee with my eldest sister and Grandmother.

 Hard to believe they had a life before I came, let alone my other siblings!

~7~

This is something I wrote a few years ago for Mother's day. I like to revisit it to remind me to keep on keepin' on! I hope it may bring a blessing to you, too. 

Happy Mother's Day!

Breakfast in Bed, by Mary Cassatt

Happy First Holy Communion, Dominic!

A photo with Fr. Edwin on rehearsal day. 

This is the day that the Lord has made! Our (first) first communicant receiving the Eucharist. From his family tears were streaming, memories were stirring and hearts were rejoicing.

                      Dominic with his oldest friend in the world, Eleanor Buchan. Aren't they precious?

                           
                        Dominic with his grandparents, who make all things wonderful, possible.

Dominic with his doting family. 

Dominic with his aunt and uncle, and proxy godparents.

Exquisite cupcakes by Terri Duhon at the Pie Belle to commemorate the day!

God bless you, Dominic on this most special occasion. May Christ remain in your heart always

and guide you every day of your life! 

Happy 5th Birthday, Milo!

                                  
   We started the day with birthday french toast. Milo opened a few cards and presents from family.

And then mysteriously overnight, our home was transformed into THE BATCAVE.

In Gotham city (aka our backyard), we played some games, like the Joker's smoke bomb toss and the Riddler's estimation station, and the Penguin's parachute trap.  Catwoman had a coloring table and the trampoline was transformed into Batman's "gliding school."

Some bad guys tried to steal the pinata, but our superheroes tracked them down!

Milo had an allergy attack in the middle of his party (just really dry, scratchy eyes) and was doing pretty well to make it to the cake part of the party.  His buddy Jay here is trying to make him feel a bit better.

I think the birthday batboy was feeling better by the end of the party. Cake definitely helped, and presents weren't too shabby either. :) 

Check out this cool no sew idea for capes! It's a no-sew Mom's dream come true! :)  

Party credits: A SUPER big thanks to Stephanie Arnold at Aggieland Mommy Bakes for making the cake, to Marcy and Bruce for playing the part of bad guys, and my wonderful husband for staying up late helping to make masks, capes and cool comic book decorations from scratch. 

A glimpse into my bizarre and beautiful life

                       
             An after dinner dub step dance party. I love these guys, even when they're being robots.

                           

This is how Jonas watches his brothers at tennis practice, on a blue rocking horse while wearing an army helmet.  I'm usually reading a book behind him. :)
                             


Dominic at his first tennis tournament, here he is being handed his ribbon by one of his coaches, I think you can see his shoes? :)  He is still learning how the game rules, but my only hope for him is that he has fun with it so we can get out on the court and play! Milo was not old enough for the tournament, but I have been so proud of his progress!

     Rehearsal for Dominic's First Holy Communion this weekend! Again, I think you can make out his shoes.... I think I would benefit from a class that just taught the science of good TIMING in photography. In other news, if you ever need your shoes photographed, call me up.

I find this gorilla wandering around from time to time. He is very cute, but he only listens to a hand puppet police man tells him to do, so it gets strange around here a lot.  If you've been around us in the last few weeks, you know EXACTLY what I mean.

         And then we have our Knight Optimus Jedi, who has developed a triple defense system for any foe who dares cross him.

                                The softer side of Milo is shown here, giving his puppy a bath.

We have a wonderful weekend coming up, Milo's 5th birthday and Dominic's First Holy Communion celebration. Family and friends, laughter, tears, prayers, cake, more cake and love all around.  Thank you Lord Jesus for this full life!

Five Faves - friendship, chess tourney, cupcake wine, Skippy, 2 year olds when they're not impish, and confessions of a neurotic mom

~1~ Uzma and her family are neighbors of ours that have been friends for 5 years. We've been through a lot together. Summer in Texas, summer in Texas, and summer in Texas. That's enough to bond people for life.  But also school carpooling, birthday parties, bike rides, park trips, playdates and tea time. This family is moving away in a few months (not sure how I'll face this summer without her!) and will be sorely missed :(  

~2~ Our Mister D had his first chess tournament. He did well for his age group, considering he hadn't been playing for several months (monopoly has become the new obsession). We were so glad he had a good time!

~3~ Skippy Jon Jones. Have you read this book? Reading with a Spanish accent is muy importante. Doesn't matter how bad you think it sounds, you HAVE to get into it. It's about what an imaginative Siamese Cat does when he goes to his room for time out. Heartwarming, wholesome and silly, and there is a whole series! (age range - 4-9) 

~4~ This wine has become my favorite this week. That is all. 

~5~ I've had an adorable yet very impish two year old on my hands for the last couple of weeks. It's a trying stage, involving melt downs over getting in the car seat, not wanting to hold hands while crossing the street, not eating anything which isn't covered in chocolate and clapping and laughing any time he does something naughty, like pouring drinks out on to the floor.  It's definitely more adorable the third time around, but still not my favorite. Moments like this however, are. :) 

This doesn't count towards a favorite, because it would be weird to "favorite" something I wrote.  But here are my Confessions of a Neurotic Mom: Little Did I Know, for ACNM this week. It was personal to me, and I struggled a bit to put it "out there," but I did so with the hopes that it would bless someone who may be seeking encouragement in dealing with doubts in the beginning of parenthood. God is good, all the time!

Five Faves - Funky alcove, carpet railways, Girls Getaway, a beetle, Chicken Francese, and love always wins.

~1~ Favorite thing, cool faux patina tree alcove for sheltering cherubs, at Round Top, Tx.

                                             
                                       


~2~ Favorite moment, civil engineers of the future unite!

We were all sick this week. When one person improved, the next would get a fever. I cancelled nearly everything on our schedule for the whole week. Not gonna lie, it. felt. awesome.  We just played trains, raced cars, read books, watched movies and played monopoly. I think we're on the upswing, and I am so grateful for good health. It is good to be reminded how thankful we should be every day!!!


~3~ Favorite place, Our Lady of the Ascension in Moravia, Tx.

I had the chance to spend time with some incredible ladies this past weekend in a sweet, old farmhouse in a small Czech-Texas town.  We went for a walk in the woods, prayed the rosary together, enjoyed wine and the peace and quiet under the stars in a pitch black night, told stories, slept in and went to Mass in a church over 100 years old. (and that's old for the South!) :)  Here we are pictured with Lorraine Deem, who was baptized in this church when it was brand new. She began the first "blog" in the area, a column which ran for nearly 30 years about Czech history, culture, recipes and happenings. We had to have a picture with her. :) 

~4~  Favorite bug? Introducing the chocolate chip beetle. Oh, all right. That's not its real name.

                                   
                                 

~5~ Favorite meal, Chicken Francese ala Skinny Taste. 

This was easy, and yummy! I was supposed to serve it with angel hair pasta but all we had was macaroni and cheese. I'm sure that was a major culinary faux pas but it won't be the first time!

Love Always Wins

All pleasantries aside, this was actually quite a terrible week. Tragedy hit our nation, our state and even our town. I think we have all felt a little helpless, hearing the stories and seeing the images of the suffering happening all around us. I know my prayers are the best I can offer as a mother of young children, but I crave to help with my hands, too.  This neat lady I know thought of an idea. A group of wonderful ladies are going to be working together tomorrow to bake pies to bring to relief workers working in West, Tx as we speak. I can't promise a perfect crust, but I can promise a pie baked with love. And I hope our little bit, from our little corner, will help people to remember that love always wins.

Thank you Jesus, for the gift of life. 

Five Favorites: Bossa nova, ceviche, an unusual rosary, cradle to grave siblings, baby birds and my post for ACNM

~ 1 ~  Bossa Nova.

                                                             Bebel Gilberto, think I could pass for her? 

This genre of music speaks to a part of me deep inside that I can not explain, as if it is summoning ancestors from beyond who awaken deep nostalgia in my blood. While I can not claim Brazilian blood,  I do have Portuguese ancestry on my Indian side of the family, my maiden name is actually Portuguese in origin.  I grew up in South Florida which is beautifully blended with New Yorkers, Latin Americans, Europeans and everyone in between. I loved growing up in a city which taught me about other countries and cultures. And I love this song, by Bebel Gilberto, daughter of Joao Gilberto, called Samba da Bencao.  Their musical relationship reminds me of Ravi Shankar and his daughter Norah Jones, another father/daughter favorite pair of mine. Here are the words in English.  Listen here.   It feels like the world is full of possibilities and dreams when I hear this song. Do you love it??? You must!  I don't think I'm cut out for the samba, but maybe I could pull off Flamenco, I certainly have the temper for it. But my love of Spain is a post for another day.....


It's better to be happy than sad 
Happiness is the best thing there is 
It is like a light in the heart 
But to make a samba with beauty 
It's needed a bit of sadness 
If not the samba can't be made 

To make a samba is not like telling a joke 
And who makes samba like this is worth nothing 
The good samba is a kind of prayer 
Because samba is the sadness that sways 
And sadness is always hopeful 
Of one day not being sad any more 

Put a little love in the cadence 
And you'll see that in this world nobody wins 
The beauty that a samba have 
Because samba was born in Bahia (Brazil) 
And if today it is white in it's poetry 
It is very black in it's heart 

~2~  Ceviche

Flowing with my spanish theme, my friend Josie Gutierrez  who now lives in Austin with her beautiful family, introduced me to Ceviche. Have you ever had it before? It is usually prepared with crab meat, but we made it with shrimp. It's is a perfect light summer food, and goes very nicely with Bossa Nova I might add. Serve it with cheese quesadilla wedges and your husband won't say "this is all we're having for dinner?" (oh yes he did!)  Recipes from SkinnyTaste like ceviche and buffalo chicken lettuce wraps have been helping me lose weight slowly (after 2 painstaking years of looking like I ate my former self)  Myfitnesspals tracks it all for me, and many skinnytaste recipes are compatible with Weight Watchers point values and already listed in the database! 

~3~  Lego Rosary

We are making strides in preparing for First Holy Communion weekend.  Banner has been made, suit has been bought (but still need a jacket and shoes).  We are going to pick up some food and a cake on the way home from Mass and have a sweet little family celebration. Dominic's Godparents live in Oregon now and can not make it out, but we have some proxy godparents willing to stand in. :)  We bought this lego rosary for him that came recommended by Catholic Icing, because I couldn't resist.  It's not the forever keepsake rosary, but I think the godparents will help on that one. :)  We are very excited for our first child to receive the gift of Jesus in the Eucharist. We have been talking about it for so long, I can hardly believe the day is almost here!

~4~  Happy Siblings Day

Okay so this is 8 years ago. I think this is how I will always remember my siblings though, looking this way.  I can't live without these people, even when they drive me crazy. I read once in one of my sociology classes that of every relationship, only a sibling relationship lasts over the course of one's entire life. We only know our parents half of our lives, we only know our children for half our lives. But our siblings go through it all with us, cradle to grave. May God watch over us and always keep us close, no matter what happens! 

                                      

Speaking of siblings, check these ones out.  We found these baby birds in a watering can. We're afraid to move the can, even though it's precariously tilted sideways hanging out of our backyard bin of outdoor toys.  St. Francis, please watch over these baby birds! 



~5~  What I wrote for ACNM  this week. 

                                                            The Old Guitarist, Pablo Picasso

What to say (and not say) to someone who is depressed.  I know I've mentioned the book "Never Give Up: My Life and God's Mercy" before.  At least a few (hundred) times? :)  This book is revolutionary and turns our cultural values on their heads, in that it gives dignity to people who suffer with mental illness and feelings of worthlessness. Not celebrating mental illness, or glorifying it, but acknowledging the pain of an "invisible disability" as part of God's saving plan for those who suffer.  I wrote this article as an introduction for friends, family members and co-workers who want to understand more compassionately, and hopefully be able to reach out with more confidence.  The article got nearly 700 views and over 200 facebook likes, and the author personally commented on it with thanks! I was floored!!! I pray it can make a difference in someone else's life as I know it has made in mine! 

Doris and I in Austin when she was completing her Ph.D dissertation at UT this Fall. We're hanging out on the Zilker Zephyr, cuz that's how we roll!

And one of my forever favorites, Happy Birthday, dear Doris! Doris is a kindred spirit, sister of my heart, forever friend from my hometown in Florida, and proof that you can truly can find your forever favorite peeps in public school. Doris and I used to be mixed up often in grade school, and I could make her burst into laughter (and sometimes tears) with a single look.  Fellow band geek, fan of literature, art history, world cultures, classic films and all things 80's, we were always sure we were separated at birth somehow. Currently she is in Chile, where she can be found when she is not living in South Florida or Austin, with her chef extraordinaire husband Patrick.  I hope I will get to see her again soon! Love you, Dor. 

                                 

        A few of my favorite Florida peeps, birthday girl is to the right of me. But a very important one is missing, Khania, a post for another day! 

Come and share your five favorites from your life at MoxieWife too!