Seven Quick Takes Friday (3)

Thanks to Jen at ConversionDiary.com for hosting Seven Quick Takes.  I like doing this every week because it forces me to sit down and write something.  I try to add topics as I think of them, even if it's well before time for a post...

-1-

Had a really nice 4th of July weekend.  When we went to see the fireworks on the 4th, Alicia covered her ears the whole time because it was too loud, but she had a good time.  When we left to head home she said thank you and then again first thing in the morning, she woke up at 6:30AM!!!, she thanked me again.  How sweet is she?  She still is talking about them and saying that she had a good time watching the fireworks.  I'm hoping that in a few years, she will enjoy the booms although I know with me it took quite a while to actually enjoy them.  Hannah didn't seem to mind although initially we thought she was going to really NOT like it.  But she didn't let out a peep and was definitely was paying attention (mostly to the noise) because any time there was a boom she'd whip her head around to see what happened.  Below are two pictures of my ladies 4th of July weekend!

-2-

In previous quick take posts I wrote about what's going on in some nearby public schools, ie. the graphic sex survey and condoms being handed out, both in middle school.  Well, just the other day I saw this quote:  “The preservation of innocence is not due to prudery, to fear, to love of isolation, but to a passionate desire to preserve a secret until God gives the one to whom it can be whispered.”  - Archbishop Fulton Sheen.  LOVE IT!

-3-

My daughter's birthday was yesterday.  Went to go do pictures in the morning and Alicia was horribly shy!!  She has never been so disagreeable.  She wasn't throwing tantrums, just climbing in my lap, refusing to take pictures.  Eventually I chased her around which got her laughing and I'd run and grab her and bring her back.  The best pictures were caught when they brought in the Lego table for her.  Good grief.  She's never been like that.  Luckily we managed to get a few really great shots.   The rest of the day was nice - we went to visit her nana and then at night we had a small gathering at night to celebrate the actual day of her birthday.  She was very excited to have cake and then she played Candy Land for the first time.  (Hubby and I played after she went to bed.  A nice enjoyable game where you don't have to do much thinking.  AHHH!!!  It was GREAT fun - I think I was giggling almost the whole time!  We had wine as well, so I suppose that helps too!)

-4-

My daughter's birthday party is tomorrow.  Below is a picture of her cake.  She LOVES Word World.  Preparing for her party was pretty time consuming this year.  I decided to create homemade word world coloring books for favors for the kiddos along with homemade sugar cookies, both using letter cookie cutters AND regular round sugar cookies with edible icing pressed onto frosting (DO NOT frost cookies or cakes when it is 90 degrees in your house - things melt and don't look all that great!), alphabet pasta salad (because of the word world theme) and bake a two layer cake myself.  Not sure I'll do a theme next time around, although maybe I've already set the bar a little too high.  Next year maybe I'll keep it more simple.  Keep those expectations a little lower.  Will she remember this party next time around? 

-5-

My intention has been to keep Alicia from taking afternoon naps since last Thursday.  Every night she would stay up asking to go potty several times until almost 11:30.  I was getting nothing accomplished.  It's been going really well, except for wetting the bed.  She sleeps through the night, although we also made her crib into a big girl bed on the 4th of July and she's started waking up earlier.  I actually teared up a little when  I saw her lying down on her big girl bed for the first time.  It seems like she's growing up so fast and she's only three!  But now she does get to play in her bedroom in the morning for a little bit which I think she likes.  We got her those silly safety rails on her birthday because she keeps falling out of bed - every night since we put it up.  Oddly enough, she doesn't always wake up when she hits the pillows we put on the floor in front of the bed.  The bed rail actually covers the whole bed, so I think we're going to just do without.  What's the point, really?  We could just keep her in her crib.  Here's a picture of her on her big girl bed.  I think convertible cribs are the way to go.

-6-

I asked my hubby to get me a book for Mother's Day that I had heard about and really wanted to check out.  Since we set pretty low spending limits on our gifts, I figured this would be a helpful hint that should keep him within out budget guidelines.  So just this week, I finally finished the Book:  The 10 Habits of Happy Moms by Dr. Meg Meeker (check out her web site here).  I really will have to reread it and jot down a few notes to remind myself in quick snippets what I've learned there.  The best one yet is Say "No to Competition".  Best advice EVER, at least I think.  Comparing ourselves to other moms doesn't help anyone.  GREAT advice.  So, I also got my hubby "Strong Fathers, Strong Daughters" for Father's Day by the same author.  Just some of the parts he has read out loud to me are shocking.  I probably will have to read that one too, just to be sure we're on the same page.  I'm already doing some things wrong, but will have to start correcting myself.  The advice given is so good.  And this book, by the way, is scaring the crap out of my husband (he's posted about what he thinks so far here).  I think he's freaked out that he has to be our daughters' hero.  But I know he'll be great.  That's part of why I got him the book.  I bet on most levels, he already knows in his heart what to do to be a good daddy to little girls.

-7-

Been really enjoying a few other Catholic bloggers.  Little Catholic Bubble and Bad Catholic are my faves these days.  Also Endless Strength.  It is nice to see opinions that are similar to mine on topics that are such hot topics and so divisive.  Most people that know me, and lots that don't know me for that matter, do not share the same views as me these days, so it is nice to know there are others who have the same strong opinion as me.  My first controversial blog post titled When Disagreement Equals Phobia which I just posted this week produced very little in the way of comments.  I really thought people would be very negative and tried to brace myself for it, but I was even more shocked that there weren't many comments at all.  Maybe people didn't know what to say, maybe people were taken aback by my feelings on same sex marriage, or maybe they thought here we go again with those Catholics.  I try not to be preachy in my blogging, but give an honest perspective of why and how I came to the views I have.  Anyway, these bloggers above (I've also linked to them on my bloggers page) that I read help to inspire me and sometimes even give me some fuel for thought.  Thanks for writing and sharing your thoughts and lives on your blogs.  It is great inspiration and comfort.