Word of the Day: Pride

Why I choose today's word of the day, PRIDE, is simple. I have been working really hard on balance, sanctifying, and holiness. I really want to sanctify my work also but today I failed miserably!!! I wish I could say today but really it is still morning and I have failed. I find that when you are thinking all these good thoughts trying to put them into work it is easy to get PRIDEful about your work!!! While trying to put them into work it is easy to loose it on your children. I need to pay attention to them while I do the rest of my work. I need to be sensitive to them and teach them to be calm and gentle with each other. The only way to do this is to be an example and let me tell you I totally failed today.

I went up to Adriana's room after helping her clean it yesterday and it was not so much a disaster but not really put together either. After spending all that time with her yesterday I expected to just have to vacuum today. No, I felt like I was cleaning it all over again. Instead of being patient with her I lost my temper for a few hours with both children. James was doing lots of naughty things like standing on a toy almost breaking it. I say the word of the day is PRIDE because just when you think have life totally under control God humbles me. We are a PRIDEful people. But really I can't do anything with out God's grace. I need to begin again and work on being patient with my children and my self as I work on Holiness. I can't say I'm being saintly while yelling at my children. Lord take this PRIDE from me and help me to be a better mom.

Homeschooling Prep

Today among my cleaning I also started to order books for Adriana. I can't believe she will be in the 1st Grade this year. This year should be interesting seeing that I am due to have a baby around the time the first day of school should starts. I also have to report to the school system this year and I still don't know how to go about that. While last year was a flop I have high hopes for this year. Like I said this is part of the reason I have to start to BALANCE my life. Next step get homeschool room clean!!!!

Books I ordered today:

This is a book I should have read already but I just ordered!! Looking forward to reading it. I hear it has some great information!

Religion

Art

Math

A few more books to order but this is a great start to start planning!!

One I really need to order that I haven't is the Mother of Divine Grace Syllabus for first grade. That is the next big purchase.

James's literally has a potty mouth

For the past few weeks James has been saying a very embarrassing phrase. Luckily he has only said it while we are with our family but I keep waiting for him to say it in public. His embarrassing phrase is "I pee on you." He really says "you" in a high pitch voice. I have to say as embarrassing as it is it is a little cute and I can't help but to smile a little every time he says it!! I guess it is not all bad atleast he is learning a little bit from our little potty training effort. All I can say is he is all BOY!!!! Adriana would have never come out with that one!! BOYS!

Word of the Day: Sanctify

The word of the day today is simply sanctify. It was hard to do but I spent the day off of Facebook and on the house hold jobs. I had to offer those moments for others and my family. My first struggle, besides not going on Facebook, was not getting really angry at my daughter for not just cleaning her room with out whining. Instead I went up and helped her clean. It often seems easier to yell and make her do with no help but really in the end it is more rewarding for me to just help her to do it. We not only get it done but it is done correctly. The hardest part of the day was getting the dinning room clean for my husband. Having the table set and ready or dinner by the time he got home. Doesn't that sound so simple but for me it is a struggle and doesn't always happen eve though it makes my husband happy. I was so tired by the time Adriana and I were finished with her room. It felt really good to finish clearing and setting the table for dinner and to use those tired moment to sanctify the job. I feel like I have purpose when I am able to focus on the task at hand and use them for other!!! Thank you Lord for the life you have blessed me with!!!

Word of the Day: Balance

To BALANCE I must put things in priority putting the most important tasks first!

BALANCE is the word of the day because I am really trying to put balance in my life. How do we reach BALANCE? I as told by a WISE friend that we start to BALANCE our lives by making a list and putting those biggest pieces in first! For me the pieces start with God then family and then the rest of life falls in place from there. This is a challenge in many ways but for me it is necessary. The other part I have been told and was reminded about at the Evening of Recollection is that I need to start my day doing the things I dislike first. I need to sanctify those tasks, well I need to sanctify all tasks, but especially the tasks I dislike or the ones that are most challenging! Finally today at confession the priest, Fr. Joe and awesome Opus Dei priest, said I should make a list of four tasks. I must do these tasks first every morning. These tasks must be done before anything else that day. I also need to remember priorities in my Plan of Life . I realized I must work on being BALANCEd with baby #3 on the way and getting ready to homeschool Adriana coming up very quickly!! I still have a household to run and Our Lord to give my attention. If I leave Him behind I will lose site of my long term goal of Holiness.

Let me know if you have any other thoughts on how to live a BALANCEDd life!

Word of the Day: Holiness

I choose today as the Word of the Day because I was reminded that my goal in life is to live HOLINESS daily. I need to strive as the Saints to be HOLY!!! I remember the first time I realized this call to HOLINESS was when I was going to a young adult group with my favorite brother the Brotherhood of Hope. This is when I learned that I am to strive daily to be saintly. I fall so short but it is my goal. I know strive for holiness using my Plan of Life. Working on my plan of life and this months letter from Opus Dei prelate Bishop Javier Echevarría reminded me about the holiness I learned about from my old friends. Holiness is a very important goal for me and my family's lives!! I must use many tools God has given me daily to live HOLINESS. It also remindes me of a song from Sonic Flood:

 Sonicflood - Holiness lyrics

Holiness, holiness is what I long for
Holiness is what I need
Holiness, holiness is what You want from me
Holiness, holiness is what I long for
Holiness is what I need
Holiness, holiness is what You want from me

So, take my heart and form it
Take my mind and transform it
Take my will and conform it To Yours, to Yours, oh, Lord Faithfulness, faithfulness is what I long for Faithfulness is what I need Faithfulness, faithfulness is what You want from me
[Chorus]
[Chorus]
Brokenness, brokenness is what I long for Brokenness is what I need Brokenness, brokenness is what You want from me.



Lyrics  Sonicflood lyrics - Holiness lyrics

Our Very Own Pippi Longstocking!!

Adriana has been doing her own hair for at least the past year. When we are going somewhere fancy I will do it for her otherwise I let Ms. Independent do her thing. Just two days ago she decided to put pig tails in her hair. I will put fancy pig tails in when we are going out so she decided to see what she could do. Here is her finished product:

Yes it is super cute but really compare her to Pippi Longstocking.

It is great we have our very own Pippi Longstocking, lol!!!

Word of the Day: Surrender

There a two reasons that I have chosen this word as the Word of the Day!

First as I prayed this morning I remembered how annoyed I would get Amanda, my step daughter, when was leaving with us. I would get annoyed that she didn't do the chores that were assigned to her. I would get so annoyed because I could not do everything and I felt like that she and everyone else in the house excepted this from me. Instead of SURRENDERing I gave up. Giving up and SURRENDERing are totally different. I think I have been in the "give up" mode for almost a year. When I think of SURRENDER I think of the "Serenity Pray:"

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.
--Reinhold Niebuhr

I never did SURRENDER when she was here I let her push those buttons and just plain gave up. I have been fighting to get that back ever since March. I really need to work harder on the SURRENDER and my Plan of Life.

The second reason I choose SURRENDER as the word of the day is because yesterday when my midwife was here we were talking about when this baby will come. Those of you who know me well know my last two babies came two weeks late!!! I am planning the same for this baby which means mid-September. But as we all know babies don't come when we plan so as Joyce and I talked we decided that surrender is the best think. Don't stress and be ready for mid-August. That is my plan to really start to SURRENDER!!! I better start praying that "Serenity Pray."

No More Face Painting

I have a general rule not to allow my children to get their face painted. I'm not generally a germ-a-phobe but face skin stuff I don't really like. On Friday I decided I would allow the children to get their face painted because we were having so much fun. BAD idea. Saturday morning Adriana woke up with a rash on her face, yuck! I guess I should go with intuition next time.

Vidoe of Garden Update

This is a video of our garden and how it is doing today!!