Feast of Saint Anthony ~

St. Anthony of Padua - Pray for Us!

He is typically depicted with a book and the Infant Child Jesus, to whom He miraculously appeared, and is commonly referred to today as the "finder of lost articles." Upon exhumation, some 336 years after his death, his body was found to be corrupted, yet his tongue was totally incorrupt, so perfect were the teachings that had been formed upon it.

My grandpa died 4.5yrs ago. His name is Anthony. So this is also in remembrance of him. John Paul - our first living son - was the last of our brood whom my grandpa met before he died. I always thought there was something special in that..... my grandpa LOVED children, esp the babies!

He and his wife - whom he married after my grandma died - were big in the pro-life movement. I believe he was even jailed once for his love of life in the womb. It brought such joy to his last days to meet John Paul who was only around 5mo old at the time - my granda died around 2 mo later. Plus the fact that John Paul's birthday is on St. Anthony's feast day - is a special *bonus* :o)

So, Grandpa, please pray for us all - as I pray for you. May the souls of the faithfully departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Can You Relate?

Well, John Paul's birthday is in 5mins. - so I just went ahead and updated his age and Therese's [a little late on hers] on the blog. It just brought a tears to my eyes. They grow up so fast. We only have a few glimpses of years to form our children. And thank God, Thank God he has Blessed us with many souls. It is an honor. A complete honor.

God must have more confidence in me than I have in myself. Because it sure is hard. How do we really know if we're doing our best? Isn't there always room for improvement?

My prayer is that God give us the Matrimonial Graces to raise our children. So they will be prepared in this life to live and defend their greatest gift. Their Catholic Faith - the Blessed Sacrament.

A prayer in Mothers' Manual:

Mother most pure, from your very conception you were guarded from the least
stain of sin. Speak to your Divine Son with me now for the protection of my
children against dangers of soul. You know how greatly sin offends God and you
abhor it. You know, too, how horrible sin is because of all that your Divine Son
suffered on account of it. Ask Him now to defend my children from all dangers of
sin that threaten. Please ask Him to grant the protection of His grace, so that
grievous sin will not possess the soul of my children and prevent us from
sharing happiness together in Heaven!

Kayla's Art and My Ramblings

We got Kayla one of those drawing tablets for the computer this past Christmas. Here is a picture she's been working on for the last couple days. Strangely enough, she said, it turned out looking a lot like herself. I agree.

She's the artsie one in the family. She is so right-brained! Singer, actress, piano player, artist, writer -- she's an excellent writer. But more than her abilities in these areas, I love the way that people are drawn to her. They have always been drawn to her. Since she was just a little toddler. People have been captivated by her - personality and all.

I remember one time when we approached a visiting priest at the parish we were at - it was after Mass and he was giving families a blessing. When we went up - I want to say we *only* had 3 kids then - the priest blessed us and focused on Kayla. He said, "You're going to do something very special." He said something to the other kids as not to exclude them [probably to make Paul and I feel better :o)], but then went on about Kayla again...."but you...there's something very special about you. I can feel it." He said it with such certainty that it was a supernatural experience to me - it really touched me and I knew that God had a special plan for our oldest.

She's always been such a spiritual child. It's just something that she's always possessed. It's definitely nothing that I did. She's got such an amazing memory that I learn from her - especially when it comes to Church history, saints and such. But more than her knowledge is her love and patience. Even when she gets frustrated with her siblings, which is more times than not, her patience is amazing. I want to tap into her and syphon it out of her and into me. Just amazing patience.

I pray for my children all the time. But more prayers have been going out to my oldest dear recently, as she experiences life's firsts, and starts to spread her wings. Home is where the heart lies.

Alert: Water Babies

Health Advisory:
Read this article about giving babies too much water to drink.

A Catholic "Netflix" -

I just thought I'd throw this out there for those of you who may not know about this company, Faith and Family Flix. It works like Netflix or Blockbuster, but has wholesome family movies.

The Haunted Cathedral Trailer

The author is a homeschooling dad of 5 children and lives in my area. I just met him at our homeschool conference this past Saturday. I bought his first two books and have yet to delve into them. His third book is due to come out in July.

Twisted World

Let's take a looksie at CHANGE:

Thingamajiggy

When posting a new post what does the "quotation" mark thingamajiggy do?

How do you use the eraser and for what would you use it?

Milord, Milady -

Since John Paul and Therese's birthdays are only one week apart, we usually combine some festivities. Like last night...
We all went to Medieval Times. And we had a blast! They have castles in Buena Park, CA -Lyndhurst, NJ - Toronto, Canada - Kissimmee, FL - Myrtle Beach, SC - Schaumburg, IL, Baltimore, Dallas and here in ATL. It is extremely pricey. Luckily, for our family of 9, -- plus my sister, but minus Charlie -- they were running a special: one free child per paying adult. So that was helpful, to say the least!

Therese, since it was her birthday, was knighted - ahem ..... for a small price. She got her picture taken with the "king". She wasn't exactly thrilled with this experience. To put it mildly, she was scared to death. I walked up with her for support, but you can see from the photo that my presence didn't help much. At any rate, she got her photo along with a certificate giving her the title "Lady of the Realm".

You may be wondering if John Paul was knighted too. Well, if you remember this then you'll understand why he didn't! He's just not up for that sort of thing. :o)

You're crowned upon entering the castle - the crowns are different colors per party [more on that later] - and your party's picture is taken with the king and the princess. Once you enter the arena you're seated in the color coded seating which coincides with your crown - and this is the color knight you are cheering for. There are approximately 6 knights who compete in different competitions. And at the end there is jousting, sword fighting and finally, a winner!

Aunt Karen with the tired one!
Milady Sophia:

The kiddos got their picture with our Yellow Knight - who lost, by the way.

It's Official...

...Therese is 8!

I'm on my way to a homeschool conference this morning so i'll post more later. Just wanted to say to my beautiful [you see how beautiful below...] daughter - Therese!

Happy Birthday Gorgeous! We love you so much!

Birthday Girl!

Can you believe that around 2am this girl is turning 8!! She doesn't look any different!!

Ballet

Therese and Sophia had their ballet recital a couple weekends ago. Of course, we couldn't take pictures or videos - they *had* someone who taped it.... and for the small price of $35 it could be yours! Blah! - so the pictures are of the girls "behind the scenes".

This was a small homeschooling class of 5 girls. One of the moms had set this class up and was the first time my girls had taken ballet. They learned a lot - although Therese didn't enjoy it as much as Sophia, and she's the one who couldn't wait to *do* ballet!

When we got to the high school where the recital took place, Sophia would NOT let me leave her. At all. I had to go backstage with them and watch their dance from there. She came "this close" to not going out on stage. She was freaking out, crying - then their music began - and just like that she paved the way out on stage. I couldn't believe how she did a 180 in that nano-second! It was priceless! Afterwards, while giving her hugs, I saw her mascara down her face from her freak out! She must've looked awesome from the audience! LOL!

One of the little girls didn't go out. I tried coaxing her...but nothing worked. She wanted her mom and that was that.

I don't know if we'll do ballet again, but it sure was a neat experience.

Fancy Dance!

I'll have to capture some more of Charlie doing his "Fancy Dance", but this is what he does e.ver.y.day. We'll all say "Fancy dance" and on cue he'll do his little dance. He'll do it when he feels like it. He'll do it to music. He'll do it without. He just does it.

The song that the girls are singing is not the norm. For some reason they just started singing it today. It got him happy to show off!

Without further ado.... the "Fancy Dance":

and, yes, Dani - of course - is wearing her Coke shirt! I promise [!!] she has other clothes. That was the only thing that made me pause about shooting and posting this. But I figure one of ya have got to understand!

Cool, Huh?

Regina!!!! Look what I did!! I'm so excited! I know - ::blushing:: - you must be so proud!

I hope you're not like Paul.... "What did you do? Get a new picture?" [to his credit, he did finally notice]

Testing

Well, Kayla is taking her first SAT on Saturday - but this is not about that kind of testing. It's about my youngest. My Charlie. Testing.........me.

You know how cute and sweet those babies are? "He will always be the apple of my eye!" Well, being in position #7, he's got lots of *examples* around him!

Now don't get me wrong. This kid - who just happened to turn 18mo - is SO the apple of my eye ... he's just growing up and testing waters - as they all do.

He is starting to: hit, scratch, scream, throw little tantrums, climb the kitchen chairs which leads to him sitting on top of the table. I know it's bound to happen. It always does. But I still want to scream, "Nooooooooooooooooooo. Not *MY* Charlie!!"

When he "tests", I calmly flick/thump the back of his hand and tell him "no". It may take him a few "no's", but he'll eventually stop. He sure notices the pain on the back of his hand [he doesn't cry, rather "shrugs his shoulders" so-to-speak, and walks away].

When he does something to one of his siblings they yell/scream if he hurts them. Well, he thinks this is cool - he's getting a rise out of them. You know, just like at the dinner table....when he's "entertaining the troops" and we're all cracking up - he does it more. He sees everyone's reaction to something *he* did. "Look at this POWER I possess!" So true when the kids scream at him - he does it more! :::sigh:::

And so - it begins. I hope you'll join me in prayer - for BOTH of my kids' "testing"!

Kayla: You should be studying instead of reading your mother's blog! HeeHee!

Could You Run That by Me One More Time?

160 Seconds -

update: thank you to Miss Math-U-See for grading my work. The new title should now read: 600 Seconds!!!

If you could spend 10 minutes with anybody, who would the top 10 people be? I saw this from an Awesome Aussie and thought I would jot down some names - although 10mins wouldn't be enough :

10. Raymond Arroyo

9. Pope Benedict

8. Pope John Paul II

7. St. Padre Pio [it's hard to take away the "padre" from the "Pio", ya know!?]

6. Mother Angelica

5. St. Therese

4. Fr. Corapi

3. All my grandparents [I'm lumping all 4 together!]

2. Blog friends

1. Fulton Sheen

They are in no real order and it was really tough to pick and choose just 10. There are so many more!

They Grow 'em Younger!

Find out what the heck I'm talking about here.

Now there is a video of the new bishop and some of the ceremony. [it's not called an ordination is it? Hmmmm...]

The Two Ways of Seeing Babies

An article from the NCR - very thought-provoking.

BY MARJORIE DANNENFELSER

May 25-31, 2008 Issue Posted 5/20/08 at 1:57 PM

Contrast is surely the leaven of politics. And nothing highlights worldview differences better than candidates' and legislators' positions on sanctity of life issues.

There's almost no issue that candidates, political parties and legislators try to avoid more. They hope that it will go away, even though voters who care about life issues consistently provide a winning margin in tight races.

The fact is, the issue will continue to be hotly debated until the abortion-on-demand regime of Roe v. Wade begins to unravel and our nation's citizens are given the chance to enact each state-by-state consensus on what abortion laws should be.

I understand abortion rights advocates' panicked protest at that prospect. I used to share it.

Now is the time to look very closely at candidates. We are at a turning point in history when it comes to abortion and euthanasia. The voters who decide the next president and Senate will also decide the makeup of the Supreme Court and federal judiciary for generations.

An especially telling difference exists between Sens. Barack Obama, D-Ill., and John McCain, R-Ariz.

How each perceives and talks about unplanned children is extremely illuminating. McCain is living the joy of his real-life response to a "surprise child." Obama, missing the mystery and blessing, sees only a burden.

You may remember from a few weeks ago, Obama's answer to a question at a town hall meeting regarding HIV and STDs: He said, "Look, I got two daughters — 9 years old and 6 years old. I am going to teach them first about values and morals, but if they make a mistake, I don't want them punished with a baby"

He sees such a surprise baby as punishment for wrongdoing rather than the natural result of a bad decision to engage in sex.

In the Illinois Legislature in 2002, Obama voted against a bill to require life-sustaining measures for babies who survive late-term abortions and are born alive "accidentally." Then, in 2003, he killed this measure in the Illinois Senate Health committee he chaired.

His perspective on these "surprise" children: "What we are doing here is to create one more burden on a woman, and I can't support that," said Obama in 2003.

That's a living human being he would allow to die because he judges it to be an expendable annoyance. For him again, the unexpected born baby is a punishment and burden — an unnecessary affront to the woman's decision to abort.

I understand Obama's position because I once held it.

I considered myself "pro-choice" because I did not believe the surprise child had separate rights from my own. In that case, a surprise baby is an invading visitor, an unasked-for imposition.

But technology advanced and my opinion, along with that of so many others, changed. Sonography, fetology and compassionate friends all convinced me of the existence of two human beings with rights and needs.

Obama has resisted the pro-life trend in this nation that is documented in poll after poll. Perhaps thinking he will attract women voters, he clings to the proposition of baby as burden — that of the powerful over the weak. This will not help him.

That's not only because women themselves — especially younger ones — are moving away from the abortion position. It is also because the position of generosity and love is the stronger, more attractive position.

Who can resist Mother Teresa? She helped the world understand the stark contrast between the view of children as burdens or as gifts. She could see clearly the divisiveness inherent in the abortion position.

Quoted in The Wall Street Journal, she said, "America needs no words from me to see how your decision in Roe v. Wade has deformed a great nation. The so-called right to abortion has pitted mothers against their children and women against men. It has sown violence and discord at the heart of the most intimate human relationships. It has aggravated the derogation of the father's role in an increasingly fatherless society.

"It has portrayed the greatest of gifts — a child — as a competitor, an intrusion and an inconvenience. It has nominally accorded mothers unfettered dominion over the independent lives of their physically dependent sons and daughters.

"And, in granting this unconscionable power, it has exposed many women to unjust and selfish demands from their husbands or other sexual partners. Human rights are not a privilege conferred by government. They are every human being's entitlement by virtue of his humanity. The right to life does not depend, and must not be declared to be contingent, on the pleasure of anyone else, not even a parent or a sovereign.

"Contrast the perspective of baby-as-expendable-burden and punishment with the rarely repeated story of John and Cindy McCain's "surprise" child.

Sen. McCain told me this story of their family, and, on another occasion, Cindy McCain related it. Both times I heard the story — each from the father's and mother's perspective — I found it beautiful and revealing.

Cindy McCain, traveling in Bangladesh, had promised a Catholic friend she would visit Mother Teresa's orphanage there. After her tour, two nuns whom Cindy laughingly describes as "sweet and tenacious" brought two children to her. They explained that both babies would die (one suffered from malnutrition issues, the other from severe cleft palate) unless brought to the United States. Cindy said Yes to their pleas on behalf of the children. She then engaged in a battle with local officials to allow her to take the babies out of the orphanage.

As a woman operating in Bangladesh's culture, she was at a disadvantage, and so had to take on a tough role — one the town elders had not yet experienced. Cindy won. She brought the babies back home, presenting one to her husband: "John, here's your new baby."

In a way that defies his tough, military persona, he describes the "extreme privilege" of receiving his new daughter — surprise or not. They found a home for the other baby with their own close friends.

The McCains' immediate and generous Yes to taking responsibility for two children in an incredibly inconvenient circumstance is revealing —and inspiring. It is much like the response of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, who recently gave birth to her fifth child — a child born premature with Down syndrome.

Palin and her husband also embraced the surprise: "We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives."

Pope Benedict's words at the first Mass of his pontificate (which President Bush repeated during his visit at the White House) put the value of the "surprise" child in context: "Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary."

No matter who you are, how smart or slow you are, how beautiful or plain you look, how much or little money you have, how healthy and physically fit you are — you are necessary.

Your right to life is equal to that of all others. Even when it's not obvious. Even when your existence requires another's sacrifice.

The McCains agree. The Obamas disagree. That is why the choice between the two agendas is easy.

Worlds Apart

The Dog's Diary
8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

The Cat's Diary

Day 983 of My Captivity

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. Jerks!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...