Seven Quick Takes Friday (6)

Thanks to Jen at Conversiondiary.com for hosting.  A huge word of thanks to anyone who has helped us by giving us boxes, watching our children during the past few weeks, or helping us prepare for our move in any way.  Even to those of you who offered, but we never took you up on it, we appreciate all your love and support!

 -1-

Moving day is this weekend, primarily on Sunday.  I haven't mentioned it here until now, but we are experiencing a slight housing problem at the moment and are moving in with my parents.  Nothing drastic and we are all ok - no job loss, we are all healthy, no divorce, everyone is fine.  But this will definitely be an adjustment.  My mother-in-law and father-in-law have generously offered to help with moving expenses so that my hubby (their son) doesn't have to do too much heavy lifting (he has a congenital heart defect - transposition of the great vessels- and we actually went to the ER this week for some relatively minor symptoms).  We will work on moving a few small items and a toddler bed on Saturday.  I have heard great things about the movers we are using: College Bound Movers.  We originally scheduled something with another company, but two days after booking, they called us to say they didn't have any availability for that day but they could do the weekend and by the way the price will be jacked up by about $4k.  Gee, let me think about that, sounds WONDERFUL.  No thank you! 

-2-

A huge thanks to my parents who are giving up so much for us to move in with them.  They will now get to experience the joys of parenthood all over again when they should just be experiencing the joys of grandparent hood.  The middle of the night toddler potty trips, the crying baby who doesn't want to go to sleep yet, no more private time when they get home from work, no more relaxing when we leave their house to head to our home.  They will have fun spending time with our girls, no doubt.  Lots of hugs, smiles and play time too.  But hopefully, our time there will be somewhat short lived so they will be able to have their space (and us ours).  Here's to hoping can recoup and move on in a relatively short time frame.  In the meantime, we will try to be one big happy family, with a few minor growing pains I'm sure. 

-3-

Alicia, our three year old, seemed fine when we shared the news of moving in with memere and pepere.  She said, "that will be fun!"  I'm hoping that once we are actually living there, she will not constantly be asking when we will be going to our home.  For months now she's been talking about "my house."  It's been rough hearing her say that, knowing that soon we would not be returning to her house.  But children are resilient, or so I'm told...

-4-

For anyone who has young children sharing a bedroom, do you have tips for me since the girls will be sharing a room? We are going to try to have bedtime be the same and they are both usually good sleepers.  I've checked with Alicia about sharing a room with her little sister and I think she likes the idea.  But between Alicia falling out of bed, Hannah's motion detector/monitor sounding off periodically, and shouts of "mama, I have to go potty," I'm not sure how this is gonna go down.  Advice please?!

-5-

Church will be closer, which will be great.  Since we are involved with teaching teens TOB and are involved in another ministry for returning Catholics at our church it will be nice to be such a short drive away.  This will also be great for possibly weekly adoration and maybe even getting in an extra mass each week.  Maybe head to First Friday adoration which I have yet to do as well.  So I'm thinking that this hopefully will open up other opportunities for me to grow in my faith and relationship with God and no my relationship isn't dependent on the church building itself.  ;P  I'm praying through all this God will show us the path he wants us to take next.  He has a plan, and I'm hoping for a few hints and/or gentle nudges.

-6-

What is also great is that friends and family with young children around my girls' ages will be closer too.  I always feel guilty when I don't bring Alicia to visit with her friends.  She has started to seem a bit on the shy side, so I must make a better habit of this.  Being closer should make it easier, I hope.  Friends and family, beware. ;)

-7-

My job is NOT closer for me, but IS closer for hubby.  Will cut down his commute, although on Monday and Tuesday he will have to drive up to meet me and THEN to his work.  So wait a minute, it's kinda lengthening his...  Well, not every day though.  We'll work it out somehow; maybe I will have to go meet him with the girls at his work instead.

Let's Get More Ashes!

Since our little girls have been sick, the past two weekends I have gone to Mass without them.  I have come to the discovery that when they are not there, I actually am able to focus and pay attention, but I missed them so much, that in itself was almost a distraction.

Being distracted during Mass is something that I constantly struggle with these days.  I suppose with two little children, this isn't all that surprising.  I used to worry more about the older daughter being a distraction to others, but she has been much better and she always sits with her memere, so I'm off the hook on that score.  (Ok, so maybe she isn't better and I just don't realize it since someone else is always watching her in church.  My mom will have to weigh in on that one. She does periodically come to my end of the pew and peer at her sister or lean up against me, but it isn't very often!)  Our six month old usually needs me to walk her around in the back of the church to keep her somewhat quiet.  I try to avoid the "cry room" as much as possible, mostly because it is very crowded during 10:30 Mass, but in part because the kids in there are doing whatever they want with very little supervision.  Maybe those parents are able to focus more on the Mass than I am and that is their main concern rather than whether or not their children are paying attention. 

For some reason, this has me thinking about the sacrament of Baptism along with weekly attendance at Mass.  Now, I know that there are some people who will bring their infants to Church for their baptism and then not be back until their first communion.  Quite frankly, I don't get the point.  Baptism is not just claiming the child for Christ or a merely to ensure that if, God forbid, something happens the child will go straight to heaven.  By having your child baptised you are initiating them into the Catholic Church, standing before God saying that you believe the Catholic faith and will be passing that faith on to your children.  If you are not going to Church regularly, do you really understand your faith?  And if you are not going to Church, why is it important to you to have them baptised into the faith?  I just don't get it.

I have friends who have said that a child doesn't get anything out of going to Mass, but I have to differ.  My two year old daughter seems to enjoy Mass every week, even if there are times where she seems to try to do everything possible to get out of the pew!  She pays attention when the procession goes up to the altar, she dances around to the songs, puts the envelope in the basket.  Just this Lent, my two year old on Ash Wednesday left Church telling me, "That was a good one, let's get more ashes! That was a very, very good one at church!  I talked to Gary!"  It occurred to me that she is getting something out of Mass, yes, even at the age of two.



our six month old on Ash Wed.



Catholic Revert

This account was created well over a year ago with the best of intentions, but I guess I created it without a real thought for what I would be writing about. I have determined that there is no time like the present, especially now that it is lent, and regardless of not being sure what topics will be the focus of this blog, I am going to get started. Mostly this blog will be about my faith, religion, and relationship with God, usually as it pertains to our small family. Sometimes it will just be funny stories, possible emotional ramblings or a topic that has gotten stuck in my head that I think needs to be flushed out.

Having been a revert to the Catholic faith just over 6 years ago, my beliefs and relationship with God have become much stronger than my early years when it was a "blind" faith. A revert, for those of you who don't recognize the term, is someone who has been away from their religious practice for a while and has decided to return to take a closer look at what they left behind. I truly believe, that if you leave your heart and mind open, God does some amazing things.

I came back to my hometown parish after being away for about 11 years or so. I had no major issues with the Catholic Church - I just happened to go to college and it was easy not to go to Mass. Oddly enough, I went to a Catholic College, but it was one that, at best, I now consider "Barely Catholic." Sure, there were opportunities to go to Mass every weekend - even on Sunday nights. The usual excuses were made... "but I had to eat supper, I hadn't finished the assignment for class," etc., etc. Then as a college student, I got into things that college kids do and, well, let's just say I felt like a hypocrite. A few times after graduating college I would try to return to Church. I went to Reconciliation a few times, hoping it would give me renewed strength. Unfortunately, my returning to Mass would never last for very long. I would end up back in the same patterns, doing the same things, feeling like a hypocrite all over again.

The Coming Home to Catholicism Program was what did it. Finally, some people who were humble enough to share their stories about why they left and why they came back. I attended the seven week session six years ago this winter with the man who I am lucky to call my husband. What a blessing it has been!

Recently our pastor has recommended a book called Rediscover Catholicism by Matthew Kelly.  I have yet to see the book, but for anyone out there thinking about returning to your Catholic "roots", this may be a good place to start.  All I can say is that my openness to all the richness that the Church teaches has showered me with so many blessings. I am proud to say that I am now on the Coming Home team at my parish and tonight is week three of the program. The people who come through the doors are so courageous. This Lent I am praying that they will keep their hearts and minds open to all that the Church has to offer them and that they find a way to reconnect to their Lord and Savior, who has been waiting for them to come home.