Higher Thoughts

So, lately I've been really wanting to deepen and learn more about my faith (having a couple friends convert recently has shown me just how much I don't know about the Catholic faith), but have been a little lost on how exactly to do that.

I talked to a friend of mine, and we agreed that many of the books we know are for people still learning the basics of the faith, or are for how to enact the faith into your life. Now, these are wonderful, but I feel like I've got the basics down, and honestly, every book with the word "woman" in it seem to offer 10 ways to integrate your faith while changing the baby or vacuuming.

Pray while vacuuming, offer up your vacuuming, unite yourself to the nun across the world and think about how your vocations compliment each other while vacuuming. Got it. Enough with the vacuuming. What I'm looking for is Catholicism 201 or maybe 301. I feel more that I need actual information about the deep mysteries of our faith so I can fill my thought with them while vacuuming. (Oh all right, I'm a mom, there is no real getting rid of the vacuuming.)

About the time I started really wanting this, my brother-in-law lent me two books by Chesterton: "Manalive" and "The Napolean of Notting Hill." I'd not read much by Chesterton, and when I had, I hadn't understood them. But, these two were short and written in English, so I gave them a try. At the beginning of each book, I began to wonder if they really were in English - WHAT is going on? Are they supposed to be this zany? Or am I missing something? By the end I loved both. (Yes, they are supposed to be that zany - and with both - the whole point is that at the beginning you're missing something.)

These were not what I was looking for though. I wanted hard core facts about Roman Catholicism. These books were lovely, but more about man himself. But, they did give me a ton to think about, a new thoughts about the nature of man. So now I'm wondering if God is trying to teach me that maybe once you get the basics of the Church, you need to understand more about the people who God created the Church for to understand the mysteries in the Church. How can I better understand how Jesus Christ is both Man and God if I haven't thought enough about who Man is?

Of course, this leads me to what I'm going to read next, and my real reason for writing this post... What books/talks have you found that have deepened your understanding of Man, the Church, or God Himself? Basically - what's a good book that you'd recommend? I know there's got to be TONS that I haven't come across or would be good to reread. Please share!

i have converted...

I asked my little monkey to show off his new cloth diaper, and this is the pose he chose:

After almost five straight years of diapering, I finally had the guts to research cloth diapers.  Yep, I had never even looked into it.  It seemed like unnecessary work; something that a busy mom of little ones does not need!

Nevertheless, I have a couple of close friends who love their cloth diapers, so I started asking them questions and was intrigued.  Once I really started researching, I found out that from birth until potty training, most people spend about 2.5K on disposable diapers.  A quick look at my budget definitely confirms this fact!

How much did I spend on my full-time set, wet bag, diaper sprayer and detergent?  $370 total (and this includes some beautiful, upgraded diapers-- you can do it for much less).  This means that with just a toddler, we would make up the cost in under 10 months, but since we are expecting a newborn in February (and will likely still have a toddler in diapers), we will make up our cost in roughly 6 or 7 months.  And then within three years I will have an extra two-thousand dollars (!) in my household budget.  Why did it take me so long to figure this out!

We have had our diapers for less than a week, so I am still very much a novice, but my husband and I have been very surprised with how simple and efficient the cleaning process is.  It isn't gross, even with a toddler, and it feels good to be making less trips out to the trash can.  All it really requires an extra load of laundry every other day.  Also, since our two-year-old is a very good communicator, it is reassuring to hear him tell us that he prefers his new diapers, because they are "soft and cozy".  

So here is to my new baby-rearing adventure... 

why every parent needs a slow-cooker

I am obsessed with my slow-cooker.  I use it almost everyday (seriously).  In some ways, it has saved my domestic life.

I entered marriage with very little cooking skills and when our first baby arrived a little over a year later, I struggled to find ways to feed my family!  Working part-time in the late afternoons and evenings made it even more challenging to put food on the table at a decent hour.  Enter in my slow-cooker.  And some reasons why I love it so much I wanted to blog about it tonight:

With a slow-cooker, you make dinner whenever you want.  Morning, afternoon, naptime or whenever the kids are occupied for a few moments.  I don't know about you, but no small people in my house are in a good mood around 5pm, and to try to steal a few moments away to prepare food can feel impossible.  I love being able to prepare dinner when it works best for me.

Most recipes call to simply toss ingredients into the crockpot, cover it and let it cook for a few hours.  Simple, fast and easy.  It can also be a timesaver during dishwashing time, since you have but one pot to clean during that witching hour...

You can eat your meal whenever you want.  This is wonderful when you have young children who eat very early, a husband who works late, or a just a schedule that does not allow a slow for everyone to sit down together for dinner.  Everyone eats when they can, and nobody gets stuck with a cold, mushy leftover dinner.  I always plan my slow-cooker dinners on evenings when I work and get home after my little ones are asleep!

Cooking with a slow-cooker is also very economical.  Since veggies become pretty soft in most crockpot recipes, I usually use frozen vegetables, and this lowers our grocery costs!  Frozen meats also defrost well in the slow-cooker, which is very helpful on days when you have to improvise dinner.  No time to defrost that pork loin or those chicken breasts?  No problem!  Also, we eat a lot of soups and shredded meat that make great lunches for the following days as well.

Lastly, it is yummy!  And here is a delicious and easy comfort recipe for you to try:

Rosemary Chicken Stew with Dumplings 

Ingredients
2-3 chicken breasts or thighs (I like to use both, and frozen chicken works!)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 tsp minced garlic
6-8 cups of chicken broth or chicken bouillon
1 tsp of dried parsley
1 tbsp of rosemary (fresh if possible!)
2 bay leaves
dash of pepper
1 bag of frozen peas and carrots (or any vegetables you want)
1 roll of refrigerated biscuits

Directions
Put everything (except biscuit dough) in crockpot.
Cook for 3-4 hrs on high, or 6-8 hrs on low.
During the last hour before serving, turn slow cooker on high.  Shred chicken.  Break apart small pieces of biscuit dough and add to the soup.  Give it a stir, put the top back on and cook for 1 hour before serving.  Enjoy!

Watch Out

So, about 2 weeks ago my husband and I decided to change parishes. It may not seem like a huge move to many, but I've always felt very strongly that our Faith is to be lived out in a community and your parish community is a big part of that. (I'd love to have a conversation about how everyone decided on what parish to go to...)

Anyway, so we're now at the parish that is closest to our house (our physically "correct" parish). And I must say, as a cradle Catholic, I've heard a lot of homilies in life, but these are the most immediately usable. Since we are new to the parish, I'm not sure about the two priests' backgrounds, but I have a feeling that they are both late vocations. One has mentioned a former life on Wall Street, and the other I believe had some big-time financial job (bodes well for the building plan). But in any case, they take this insight into the working man's life and basically take the gospel and punch you in the stomach with it. (All of which I think is great.)

So last week they had the gospel of Lazarus and the rich man. Nice gospel... but you know... heard it before.

Well, so the priest's things was that each of the readings had a word associated with it that started with "W." The first was... I don't remember, and the second I don't remember either, but the gospel's was "Watch Out." I remember this because the priest said it about 12 times.

Watch out.

The rich man ended up in hell not because he was rich, or because he was murderer or even really that particularly bad. I mean, we don't know his whole story, but Jesus doesn't tell us anything THAT horrible he did "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day." Honestly, I dined sumptuously tonight. Brother-in-law's birthday party. It was bbq. It was good. Anyway, what he was was selfish. Selfish and bossy. Selfish, not a gangster or a bank robber. Selfish. Watch out.

We are selfish everyday! And it is very, very easy to be selfish. It is hard to be giving. And the priest made it very clear we were not talking about being giving with money (only) but giving with yourself. It's the morning and you're tired and all you want is that nice, big cup of coffee, but your kids are screaming about a picture they drew 3 days ago and can't you look at it (again). Watch out! You want to cut someone off in traffic. Watch out! You want to tune out when your spouse is telling you a story. Watch out!

Watch Out! Selfishness is very, very easy. It leads to very hot places. Watch OUT!

These words of his obviously stayed with me. This week, my patience and desire to give have really been tested. But I kept hearing these words: Watch Out.

So I thought I'd share them.

Must say, I'm interested what will be said today. (If it's good, you'll probably hear about it.)

One "P" at a Time

When I started homeschooling 6 weeks ago I didn't think I needed a set schedule for our day.  I thought the schedule would just come naturally. Boy was I wrong! I am at times so scatter-brained.  I will walk around the house not even knowing where to start and then nothing gets done because I don't know what to do first.  It has been pretty bad.  Luckily though, I am trying to get my act together. 

Before school started a women approached me after Mass one morning and started chatting with me. After talking for a few minutes, she handed me a book A Mother's Rule of Life.  I wasn't really sure if the book was for me or when I would have time to read it, but I took it and thanked her.  Well, school started, the house became a disaster area, and I had NO free time to sit and read.  Finally one Sunday afternoon I did have a chance to read a little and I loved it!  The author, Holly Pierlot, is so funny and witty and this was only the introduction!  Anyway, the point of the book is to "bring order to your home and peace to your soul".  Mrs. Pierlot looks at the example of the Rule of Life religious live by that organizes everything that has to do with their vocation. It is basically looking at what you and each of your family members (husband and kids) need to get through the day.  The way she does it is to look at the 5 P's: Prayer, Person, Partner, Parent, Provider. 

I have only gotten through the first P, Prayer.  I looked at my day and set aside time to pray, whether it be formal prayer, scripture reading, reciting the rosary or chaplet, going to Mass.  This is an area I was seriously lacking in my everyday.  Now I have my little notebook and can refer back to it as needed.  I wrote down what prayers were important to me and when throughout the day I could prayer and have the kids be doing some other activity or praying with me.  I have been at it for a week now and have to say my prayer life has improved immensely.  It definitely takes discipline though, like when there is laundry to be folded and the kids are distracted it is tough not to just get the folding done and then pray.  Instead of doing this, I need to take the opportunity to pray then fold.
 
One of my favorite lines from the book is: "there is a time slot for everything" brilliant!  Don't worry about tidying up throughout the day, it will get done at 3:30.  This mindset has really helped me focus on the task at hand. Of course there is the exception when the kids need to be attended to. Holly says that her kids started to notice the house wasn't as messy when they picked up after themselves...imagine that! I am excited to see what the rest of the book does for me. I will for sure be keeping you updated.  I highly recommend you check out the book! Here is a link: http://www.amazon.com/Mothers-Rule-Life-ring-Order/dp/1928832415/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1380689976&sr=1-1&keywords=a+mother%27s+rule+of+life

the virtue in DIY

I greatly admire people with a Do-it-Yourself attitude (mainly because I struggle with this!).  My husband is terrific at looking up How-To videos on Youtube to teach him to accomplish house projects.  My mom is our family "handyman," who can also sew and craft together anything and everything!  I also have friends who garden, cook everything from scratch, landscape their own yards, homeschool their children, refinish used-furniture... What a great example these DIY-ers are to their families and children (and to myself)!

I cannot help but notice that many young people these days act "entitled".  My husband interviews college graduates trained to be CEO's, yet they rarely show the effort to attain it.  I teach ballet for children who expect to be showcased or to move up to a more advanced class without displaying enough discipline to work hard at their current level.  Why does it often seem as though the numbers of diligent individuals is dwindling?  How can I be sure that my children grow up with strong character, morals and zeal to work for what they want?

Years ago, life at home consisted very much of physical labor.  Children witnessed their parents working out in their farm fields, building furniture and home structures, baking bread, sewing their clothes, washing laundry by hand ect.  There were no microwave dinners, paper towels, and automatic tools!  If you ask a child today what their parents do, I guarantee that many have no idea.  It is challenging for a young person to understand why sitting at a computer is considered "work!"  Home has become a place for leisure and comfort in family life.  And though this is not the cause of entitlement (nor is it necessarily a bad thing), I believe that it is greatly affecting our newer generations.  Modern-day conveniences allow us to rest at home and spend more time together-- something I am very grateful for, however we cannot forgot to teach our children the value in working hard.

Lately, my husband and I are also brainstorming more ways to let them witness our work and to encourage them to participate when it is appropriate.  I have been trying to let my children help me with housework and cooking.  It takes longer, but I feel as though these life skills can truly help shape the people they will become.  Even handing a toddler her own shovel before doing some gardening can help instill in her the value and pride that comes with an accomplished task!  Lastly, I have also been reflecting about Apple Jacs' recent post about temperance, and about training ourselves to not always taking the easy-way-out, but to seek out ways to grow in virtue.  What a blessing that in working with discipline and diligence, we will also be setting a great example for our family!