Seven Quick Takes Friday (9)

Thanks to Jen at Conversiondiary.com for hosting.  Sorry guys, most of this stuff is not so fun or positive this week.  Although #7 is my favorite this week which ends things on a positive note.  Maybe next week will be better...

-1-

Last week, my daughter told me she doesn't like going to church.  When I asked her why she said because it is hard for her to wait.  I'm wondering what I can do to make it a little better for her.  I asked about bringing her Veggie Tale stuffed animals, which sounded like it would go over well and may help for now.  We typically only let her bring in certain religious books, but maybe it is time to try some other things.  I don't want her thinking that it's play time and she can just come in and color, but I do want her to enjoy going to church.  Any ideas???  Do you let your young children bring in toys and if so what kind of toys???  Just things that will keep them quiet, or do you go with religious themed toys?  Or how do you engage them in what is going on?  Maybe it is time to sit closer to the front during mass.  Maybe it is time for her to start "Little Church" that they have for preschoolers, but I'm not sure what age they start that.  I guess I will have to call the office to find out.

-2-

Shiloh, the dog at my parent's house (my sister's dog), has taken to peeing and pooping all over my parent's house since we've moved in.  She must be having a hard time adjusting to our arrival.  It's probably made a little worse that hubby and I are sleeping in the room she used to sleep in.  She has pooped in front of the door to our room and on the padded mats in the living room/play room where the girls play, peed on the floor in our room, the family room, the computer room...  You can never tell where she will go next.  Have to be sure to always keep an eye out.  UGH!

-3-

This past Sunday, my parents were trying to get the glass doors out of their bathroom to make bath time safe for the girls.  We were at a family event for hubby's side and didn't know this was in my parents' plans for the day, otherwise we probably would have tried to help.  Anyway, they managed to get one of the glass doors all the way into the cellar and leaned it up against one of the walls in the basement.  When they went to lift it to put a piece of cardboard underneath, it completely shattered into THOUSANDS of tiny pieces.  It was a REALLY good thing this didn't happen when anyone was in the shower.  Strange thing was that just that past week Hannah started banging on the shower doors and Alicia was happy to join in the fun. The day after this happened, my mother researched online and this is something that will happen randomly with glass shower doors.  I never knew this happened all by itself.  Just a warning for anyone who has glass shower doors to be aware that this can occur and with no real reason.

-4-

Some type of horrible stomach bug hit me on Monday night after mass.  I managed to put the girls to bed with help from my mom before all the fun started, but boy, what a horrible night with very little sleep.  I haven't been that sick in a while.  Although I seem to catch these bugs more often these days - must be our little germ factories named Alicia and Hannah.  Knock on wood, they didn't get it and still haven't yet! 

-5-

Took the girls for a walk in the jogging stroller on Wednesday night.  There is good news and bad news.  The good news is I may not be quite as out of shape as I thought.  It wasn't nearly as bad as I expected it would be, although I was going at my own pace, which was probably pretty slow.  The bad news - Alicia told me a few times she wasn't comfortable and Hannah is kicking at the canvas part of the stroller like she always does when she is excited and that part is only held together by some sticky tape velcro.  May have to find another side by side stroller/jogger.  But the walk I'm doing is in less than a month!  My mother did pose an interesting question though for the walk - what will I do when Alicia has to go potty as she will most likely have to do while I'm doing the walk?  Hadn't thought of that yet...

-6-

So there was an article in the NY Times over the weekend that really disturbed me about people deciding to reduce their twin pregnancies down to a singleton.  Read it here.  I know a few people who have twins or triplets and I don't know they would ever have considered this as an option, even AFTER having gone through it.  I'm guessing that even though unexpected, they love those kids like crazy and their lives are the better for it, even if very hectic or under a tighter budget than they would have been had they had only one.  I can't say all I'd like to here as this is a quick take, but will probably post about this when I have time to go through it and comment on the parts that bother me most.  Reducing twins to a singleton?  I'd love to hear you explain to your child how you killed their sibling because you didn't think you can handle it.  NICE!  This really makes me sick!  I know I don't know how I'd handle twins or triplets, but really?!?

-7-

This weekend we actually don't have much planned!  Although that being said, we are going to do something just the four of us as a family which is long overdue and visit with hubby's parents, also long overdue.  I'm really glad it should be a fairly relaxing weekend.  Such GREAT news to have no where we have to be (ok other than church), since starting the following weekend we will have something to do at least one day every weekend until late October.  Which will probably end up really meaning until early November.  WOW!!!  November, talk about scary!!!

Dragged by the Nose or Led by the Heart*

So this Sunday I was completely inattentive at Mass.  For some reason Alicia decided to sit near me and she drove me to distraction.  I can't even really recall what it was she was doing.  The few things I do remember is that from the opening song, where she was lying down in the pew, I wanted her to at least SIT.  It was a struggle to say the least.  Holding Hannah with Alicia sitting next to us didn't work well for my participation or mental presence during Mass. 

At one point Alicia wanted her crackers and then Hannah had to have some. Alicia started feeding Hannah some and then I did a few, at which point totally without thought, I ate the rest of one of the goldfish that Hannah had because, well, it was crumbling into small pieces.  The second I put it in my mouth I thought, oh no.  I can't go to communion now.  What the...  Having missed mass last week and messing up my chance for communion this week, I was torn because I really wanted to just go up and receive communion like it was no big deal.  But it IS a big deal - this is THE LORD!  So what did I do?  I went up with everyone during communion, when I got to Fr. G I just crossed my hands over my chest for a blessing and went back to my seat.  *sigh* 

So today I thought, what did Fr. G talk about during the homily anyway?!  I couldn't recall the readings at all and knew that I probably only heard one or two words he said during his homily.  Thankfully, our parish puts the homilies online for later listening.  I definitely needed to revisit what happened.  I was really glad I did.  (I should probably go back and check out the readings too!)

The gospel reading was the passage where Peter was walking on the water during a big storm and the second he took his eyes off of Jesus and focused on himself and his surroundings, he started sinking. 

So, our pastor talked a lot about change, stormy times.  Definitely appropriate with what's going on in our lives right now.  And definitely appropriate with what is taken place in his life as a pastor and our collective life as a community.  It amazes me how he always strikes a chord with me and can speak to what's happening in my life.  I will miss that about him. 

I know that right now, I'm purposefully not focusing on myself and my surroundings, my situation.  There is not much good that would come of it.  I am trusting that God has a plan for us.  So, right now we live with my parents.  Sometimes stuff happens that you don't intend.  I don't want to get "caught up in the drama" as Fr. G put it.  I refuse to be led by the nose.  Rather, I want to be led by the heart.  I know that I have love surrounding me.  I know that I need to keep my focus on the Lord.  He will show us a path; we need to trust in Him, not look at ourselves and our situation, panic and lose focus.  He will help us through the storms.  HE has a plan.

Fr. G also mentioned our old church back on Wason Road and likened it to a wooden dinghy with cracks and leaks and our new church to a beautiful luxury liner, although not without it's own problems and storms.  The part that struck me most from his homily:  "It's not the vessel, but it's the wind in the sails - the Holy Spirit.  Not a well charted plan it is trust in the One who leads us."*  This is what is important.  Not the house where we live, not a plan that we chart.  What is important is trusting in God.  This is what gives me hope.

*Fr. Gary Belliveau, 8/7/11