A little rain to soothe the parched earth after the past few days of 100+ temps.
I am thinking...
That I need to get my act in gear and get organized. Now that swim team is over and we don't have children in and out all morning, I need to get myself into a routine (that includes real prayer time) and working on getting the house organized.
I am thankful...
For another outing with women friends. We met at a coffee shop where we had reserved a whole room in the back to discuss the book Extreme Makeover by Teresa Tomeo. It wasn't a Starbucks, but I'm sure it's got a liberal agenda and the patrons who wandered past were probably shocked by what they heard about the evils of contraception and the necessity of adoration and confession! I still haven't finished the book, but I'm going to work at it much more now, and I'll let you know what I find. Or you can read it with me! We had a wonderful, fun time discussing the book and sharing some of our struggles with our children and the world.
Lately, I've been blessed with conversations with women that revive my spirit. Back when my children where very young, I used to go on playdates or talk on the phone often, but then there came a looong period where that dried up. Was it because we had too many children for playdates and we were just too busy to get out of the house? Even talking on the phone became a thing of the past. Was that because of the internet and email? Lately, though, perhaps because I'm seeking it out more, there is more community. Women are building communities through blogging, Twitter, and Facebook, but it seems that getting together in person is becoming more important again. Coincidentally (or not?) Jen Fulwiler writes about the need for communion here. Even Pat Gohn has a post about it today. So, is it my age? Is there a cycle that exists among mothers where they get together a lot when motherhood is new and then it tapers off to be picked up again as the kids leave home and the nest empties? Or, here's another thought, is it that we're spending so much time online that we're suddenly feeling the lack of face-to-face communion?
From the learning rooms...
Math, math, math, math....Ugh.
In the kitchen...
3 batches of brownies this morning to take to the swim team banquet.
I am wearing...
Cute summer skirt and white v-neck.
I am knitting...
I was going to make Rosary Army rosaries during my downtime this weekend, but that plan came to a screeching halt at trivia on Friday! The end of my twine was frayed and I went to melt it with a lighter and fuse it back together (which is what you're supposed to do!), but the wind must have caught it and a big stringy bit of burning nylon fell on my leg and got on my hand. After scandalizing my daughter (but no one else in the crowd!) with a litany of bad words (well, just one, said repeatedly) (she says it was 6 times; I say 3) (but then, I was in pain), I have a lovely spot on the inside of my knee where the nylon dripped and left rows of blisters, and a nice blister on my pinky. So, no knotted rosaries for a while since they would rub on that blister. So...
I am knitting again. I found that I couldn't stand having nothing in my hands all weekend. I am knitting a black, laceweight, merino wool veil for the occasional Latin Masses. Meg was a little shocked that I might become one of "those women" who veil at Mass, so we (I) had a very short conversation about how God calls us to do certain things, and sometimes they might make us feel a little weird or uncomfortable but we have to do them anyway. He hasn't call me there yet, but I wouldn't put it past Him!
I am going...
Everywhere this week.
I am reading...
Still...The Truth About St. Therese, and Extreme Makeover. My reading seems to be focussed on blogs and Twitter these days.
I am hoping...
for a productive week! I'm not sure if I'm off to a good start or not, but blogging is on my list of things to do!
I am looking forward to...
Vacation! We're making plans and I'm getting excited.
Around the house...
Decluttering children's bedrooms! They love that, you know. ;-)
One of my favorite things...
A checklist with lots of things checked off!
A few plans for the rest of the week...
---blogging
---Swim team banquet (and then we're really finished!)
---decluttering 3 bedrooms
---organizing knitting stash
---AHG organizing and board meeting
---Vet
---trip to the uniform store
---school pictures
---I'm getting tired and I know I'm forgetting things. :-)
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...
The scoutmaster tweeted this during the week of summer camp. It's make-up from the Theater merit badge class. Pip had a great time in that class!
Hosted by The Simple Woman's Daybook
Oh that gash looks real! I bet he loved that!
ReplyDeleteI have very little face time with friends. I think that when my children were smaller (and I was younger) I was more open to befriending women of different faiths and values. Now I find myself less tolerant (I hope not INtolerant but maybe). I find I would rather not have friends with whom I constantly have to defend my beliefs and way of life. A few years ago I met a friend, a college roommate who I had always enjoyed, and we got into a discussion about our children. The topic of my daughter, who at that time had decided she wanted to be a religious sister, came up and my friend was appalled that I would be pleased if that was Faith's true calling. She thought it sounded horrible and "why in the world would I want my daughter to pick such an awful vocation?" I decided then and there that I would have a much smaller circle of friends. I would rather not have companionship then have companionship outside that circle. That might be close-minded but oh well!
Most of my friends are Catholic, and a few of those have different opinions on church issues, but we agree to disagree. It's not my job to convert them by arguing, but by living my life. As long as they respect who I am and treat me and my kids with respect (conscious of how I want my kids raised) then we get along fine. Those friendships are very important to me, and i wouldn't want to lose them over a difference of opinion, but the key there is RESPECT.
ReplyDeleteMy the gash on your son's cheek looks so real! I'd freak out!
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a SAHM my best friend and I got together once a week, sometimes twice. But when we both had to go to work, getting together became very rare. I think as our kids get older and have to be chauffeured to so many activities, we get out of the habit of getting together with other moms.
I would say that now that we are empty nesters things are better, but now she has grandchildren to take up her time.
I do think a lot of it has to do with the time of life, Jerralea. We need our friends when we're young moms trying to figure everything out, but then we get busier with more/older children and it's kind of routine. Later, again, we need our friends as we figure out the empty nest.
DeleteI'm more of a snood kind of girl...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.etsy.com/shop/asnoodforallseasons?ref=si_shop
(Veils require too many bobby pins for me.)
Yep, I get that. The snoods are not my style, but I like the idea of a rectangular stole/scarf that can be looped around the neck to minimize slippage.
Delete