preaching to the choir

What it's all about. (see video)

small reassurances

I have a sinking feeling that the state of the world is about to disintegrate swiftly at least for awhile, and in order to stay calm and not get caught up in the panic, I have decided to make a list of small ways in which I am reassured that "all shall be well and all shall be well and all manner of things shall be well". (The Eucharist, the Mass, etc. are givens. Constants. And go way beyond a list of things)
This is a list I am going to try to add to each day. Feel free to join me in sidestepping chaos and clinging to the little things that keep us going throughout each and every moment. Also, help me to remember that this is a list of non-material things which go mostly unnoticed so that I don't get too lofty.

• clean sheets
• the way the sunlight dances in a child's hair
• giggles
• laundry dried outside
• seeing leaves fall from trees in Autumn
• the sound of wind chimes from the distance
• a genuine smile
• birds playing in a puddle of water
• having the kids and hubby home all at the same time

Oops, baby's awake..... more to follow as time permits.

on being fahrty-one

Yay! Happy birthday to me.

Here are the highlights from my special day:

• handmade kid cards
• sweet card from King, who worked from home all day today (reassuring having him here even though he is downstairs in his office)
• two e-cards from special people
• lunch with King and a great friend (the one who likes to fall downstairs and whom shall remain nameless)
• hearing my mother and my favorite sister sing happy birthday on my answering machine
• Bonefish Grille gift cards from a friend with a really keen sense of gift giving
• got to go to Curves this morning....
• AND "le grande gym" this evening where I jogged 1/2 mile on the treadmill

today totally mostly sucked

fannie mae
freddie mac
world's gone crazy
hold me back

what am i doin'?
spinnin' wheels!
no one knows
the stress i feel

kids are crazy
runnin wild
"you must obey,
my dear child"

weight loss stalled
what was the plot?
hard to focus
hurts a lot

world is crumbling
all around
must try to see
what blessings abound

shhh... not so loud

At the end of Mass, number 4 (the one who both keeps me young AND makes me old all at the same time) says, loud enough for everyone to hear, "YAY! It's oooooover!"
Ugh.

smells like road trip to me

If only my plants would grow as fast as #2. That boy has "taken a growth spurt" like none I've ever seen before.
King noticed that clothes were spilling out of his chest of drawers a couple of weeks back and I've been trying to get the time to go through it all, weeding out what doesn't fit and refolding what does fit.
This afternoon, he finished his homework early and I handed him an empty laundry basket and told him to clean out his drawers (muah ha ha ha). He brought it back overflowing with stuff. He tried on every single thing and we filled a big garbage bag full of stuff.
At present he has NO jeans, NO dress pants, a ton of shorts, and another ton of long sleeve t shirts.
I smell a road trip to da Gootwheel!

a moment

Tonight, before she ascended the stairs to get ready for bed, I told my oldest (aka #1) how proud I was of her for being conscientious, smart, beautiful, sweet, kind to others, etc.
She smiled a humble smile, said "thank you", then hugged me.

And then, in her truly blonde fashion, she looked at me, and smiled a vacuous smile and said, "You smell good."