Serving the Least With The Most Love

Today I have something a little different for you--a guest blogger! I am busy working on some big things over here---BIG THINGS!!! I promise to share more when I can. I am so excited, I can hardly wait.

Sheila M. Hupp is a lovely virtual assistant and mommy to some beautiful little ladies. I am so happy to have her here today! Thank you Sheila, this is a treat for me, too. Please show Sheila so me love and leave an encouraging comment! I'm linking up with Kelly who has an excellent series going on the apparitions of Mary for May! Have a blessed weekend!

 

I have three little girls at home with me every day. Life is never dull with these gals and one (or two or three) almost always needs something. I spend my days hopping like a monkey on fire from one need to the next. As soon as one nose is wiped, another has a booboo in dire need of kissing.

With the best of intentions I will start my day with a fresh attitude and a determination to be a patient and loving mama; but, end up so grumpy I could give Cruella de Vil a good fright. The service that I am called to now as a mama of little people is not easy but these gals are not going to raise themselves.

How I approach this calling can make all the difference in my experience as their mother and their experiences as my daughters. The diapers will be changed, the meals will be cooked, the laundry will be done; but, I have the choice on how I show up to serve my family. Each day I have the choice to show up with love or with contempt.

Mother Teresa once said, "It is not how much you give, but how much you love you put into giving."

Dang. She can throw down some truth that can snap my eyes back into focus. I've been blessed with the three little ladies and it should be a joy to spend my days with them. They need me to teach them, to guide them, feed them, and nurture them. This time I get with them is a blessing and although it doesn't always feel that way, I need the reminder that what I am doing is showing my girls a glimpse of the love Jesus gives to us.

In Matthew 25:31-46, Jesus tells a story that gives indisputable guidance on how and who we should serve. In this parable, he said that the King will divide people like sheep and goats, putting the sheep to his right and the goats to his left.

To the sheep on the right, he will praise them for how well they cared for him. He says that they now have an inheritance prepared by the kingdom long before the creation of the world. The King goes on to say how they satiated his hunger, quenched his thirst, welcomed him into their homes, clothed him, nursed him to health, and visited him in prison.

Confused, the sheep asked him when did they do those things because they had no recollection of being in the King's presence and serving him. The the King told them, "Truly, I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me." (Matt. 25:40).

 

Could it be that our job each day is to simply open our eyes to see the needs in front of us? Should our prayer be that God would give us the guidance to use our unique skills and gifts to serve others as if we were serving Him? Is it possible to make a difference serving where we are right now?

Yes! Yes! Yes!

One June evening a friend of mine showed up in the best display of love and service. She arrived at my house unannounced with a pot roast in he crockpot. When we were surprised she wanted to bring us dinner and hug our necks.

The day before I called her asking for prayers as my little girl and I were in a bad car accident. The events of the previous day threw my life into a whirlwind and my thoughts were all over the place. That day was spent mostly on the phone recounting the accident multiple times to insurance representatives and police officers, each time reliving the horrific details.

As my friend stood there with an amazing dinner in her hands, my heart burst. What an incredibly beautiful surprise. I had not thought once about how I was going to feed my family, but she did. To her, she was delivering a meal, but to us, she was nourishing our spirits. Completely drained from the chaos, a warm, delicious dinner allowed our family to sit together and be fed.

Our friend Mother Teresa hit the nail on the head when she said, "When Christ said, 'I was hungry and you fed me,' he didn't mean only hunger of bread and for food; he also meant hunger to be loved."

Sisters, we aren't called to the glamorous life but rather to the life that honors God by loving like He loves us.

My prayer is that we have eyes to see where we can be used and open hands willing to do the work. The people we serve may never be able to return the favor and what we do may seem insignificant to us, but to those being served and loved, it could be a front row seat to heaven on earth.

Sheila is a wife, mama, homeschooler, and believer. She and her husband love raising their three girls in the woods and taking each day as slowly as possible. You can follow her on Instagram @sheilahupp.

A Day in the Life: Homeschooling with a 13, 9, 4, and 1 year old

I have been following these posts and enjoying a glimpse into what it really means to homeschool. It's relieving that most don't look like the polished books and pamphlets but more life real life. When an opportunity came up to share my own, I decided to jump at the chance.

It may not be #7QT but I am linking up with Kelly anyway because I know she's cool with that!

Here is a day in our life, of course it is not according to plan but, it works anyway!

It's 4AM, Lovie Lu is up to nurse yet again. At 14 months old, her night time nursing has only decreased slightly since we was an infant. I enjoy the snuggles but I am tired and this new love for waking up to nurse at 4 AM is wearing me out. I know that by the time I get her settled again and start to drift back to sleep, my alarm will go off. Still I try to cherish the moments because she is growing so quickly and try not to think about the long day ahead.

As predicted, I am barely asleep and the 5:15 alarm goes off. I attempt to stretch a bit to wake my fuzzy head and sleepy body but this starts to disturb the little miss, so I continue on with my morning routine.

I say a decade of the rosary, almost silently, but know that God can hear. It's my little time to focus. I take a deep breath and reach over for my tablet that I stash next to my bed. I had been actually getting up at 5:15 and working in our classroom, but Lovie Lu soon caught onto me and has devised ways to keep me from getting up. If I don't start working by 6 AM, there is no hope it getting the rest of the day done, so my tablet with her cuddled in the crook of one arm is how I get the first part of my work done.

I am making progress despite only having one hand to type and copy links for my social media work, when she demands more of my attention. In a classic Lovie Lu move, she drapes herself fully across my chest and falls to sleep as I pat her back with one hand and scour the Feedly feed for more articles to share. Its about 6:20AM and the light is filtering through the windows as I hear the high school bus roll by.

I make a mental note that both World Book Day and Read Across America day are this week, have to plan something special for my preschoolers at co-op on Wednesday!

7:06 AM and I am still trapped but almost done with what I can do on my tablet. Little Man starts crying and Hubby gets up to see what the problem is. He gets him settled back down then gets himself up for the day. At 7:20, the nursing begins again. She has woken up crying, realizing that she is no long fully attached to me. I nurse her down and finally can slip out.

I quickly get dressed, fill out the kids work notebooks with today's assignments, get together a plan for breakfast and grab a handful of sunflower seeds. I pour a shot of apple cider vinegar into my water glass and top with some cayenne, ginger, and turmeric. It's my drink to get me going. Everyone is up now except for the baby. I entrust Cowgirl to making up the breakfast cookies and head downstairs to finish working.

On my way down, I start a load of cloth diapers in the washing machine. I get down to the classroom/playroom, which of course is a mess although the kids "cleaned" it last night. I sigh and move on, I can't do it all. I'll have a talk with them later.

Two minutes later, Little Man arrives to hang out. I love him but want to get my stuff done, thankfully he goes back up with Hubby who brings me some tea. I can finally work with two hands. Better getting moving before the next interruption--it's 8:15. Yikes, I still have a lot to do!

It's 8:49 and Little Man is back telling me endless stories. I don't want to miss them but have to get my work done, especially since I have 3 deadlines to meet today and I am still wrapping up social media. It's a constant balancing act.

At 8:53, I finally log out of social media and try out Little Man's "night vision goggles" (broken sunglasses). I head onto deadline number 1. There is a flurry of activity in the kitchen above me then I hear everyone walking to their various work stations for independent work--I hope.

Today is Hubby's day "off." Since we both work our own businesses that term is very relative. We had a meeting of the minds and calendars last night. He has been out of the house working his business for the past 5 days. He promised me the morning to let me catch up on my own work. I have until lunch at noon.

I keep working. Cowgirl shows up at 9:06 looking for one of her textbooks. She offers to bring me a breakfast cookie--I eagerly say yes and remember that I haven't really eaten yet. At least I know the kids are working.

It's 9:27, Buddy joins me downstairs. He tells me that Lovie Lu is up. My time is ticking--let the games begin! Little Man is not far behind. Buddy gets him set up on "school work." Buddy had taken up the challenge of being Little Man's tutor. He's doing a pretty good job. I need to make sure that Buddy doesn't get lost in teaching and forget about his own work though. I hear Lovie Lu singing in the kitchen.

By 9:52, Buddy has brought a crying Lovie Lu downstairs. She happily plays with her dollhouse and the boys keep up their school work. This may be a very good day!

I finish up my work for the morning, and then do a quick math lesson with Buddy. I leave him to do his homework and pick up the baby. Little Man is building a marble run as I leave to go upstairs to change Lovie Lu's diaper and get her dressed for the day.

I suddenly realize I have no wipes and a very poopy diaper. I can overhear Little Man having a very animated discussion with himself in the living room. I call to him to bring me a new pack of wipes, his response, "How do you know I am here?"

Cowgirl overhears my plea for help and gets me the wipes. I get the baby all dressed and then touch base with Cowgirl. Her one book is still missing (I do have systems for books and school supplies but they only work when the kids actually use them.) I head off on a frantic mission to find the lost book. I can't find it and realize that it is getting later.

Today I have the very rare treat of sneaking out for a little bit to get some work done. I've been juggling working/homeschooling/caring for the kids simultaneously for weeks. I have a deadline I have to meet and Hubby is available so I gather my laptop, notes, and jacket to head out the door.

On my way through the kitchen, I straighten up the counters and clear off the table. Hubby takes the little ones downstairs to get them interested in a few toys before he begins morning read alouds at 11. He first goes over Algebra with Cowgirl. It's 10:35, I have to be back by noon for lunch. If I don't leave soon, it just won't happen and the last time I had any time without kids was in October when I volunteered at the book sale.

I work amidst the hum of a local diner. I could have gone to the the library but the prospect of an egg over easy and gluten free toast is too appealing....until my laptop battery dies and there is no outlet to use. (Better be more prepared next time!)

I take out my trusty notebook and pen to write up my article for today's deadline.  It's almost noon, so soon, but the break has done me good and I got a lot done. When I arrive back home, the two youngest are playing in the living room while the older kids are busy working at their desks. I nurse the baby then take her for a diaper change.

We sit down for a quick lunch of leftover rice, collard greens, beans, and ham. I catch up with the kids and then get up to wash the dishes from the morning and the lunch dishes as they trickle in. At 1PM, we all get on our shoes and jackets to head up to adoration. Hubby sits down and starts his work.

Our parish has added extra hours for Lent and it is a tradition of ours to spend some time each week at adoration for Lent. I wish I could do it more often but I tell myself at least we get there a handful of times each year.

It's a 20 minute drive to church. The kids bring along a bit of their unfinished work, I also have them each narrate what they each read for the day. Little Man plays on the flash pad to keep from falling asleep and Lovie Lu takes her first nap of the day. We spend as much time as we can in church praying and the little ones are as quiet as an be expected. We get back to the car a little before 2PM.  On the way home, we drop Cowgirl for her weekly sewing lesson.

On the way back, the carschooling is over and the boys chatter in the back seat. As we wind through the wildlife refuge near our house to get home, they are entranced by the vernal ponds, waterfalls, and streams. It's a February thaw and I am trying hard not to get my heart set on spring being here because I know there is still plenty of winter to get through. We get home at 2:30.

The boys want to play basketball and I can't blame them after being cooped up so much the past few months. Buddy will go out in any weather, but my summer baby, Little Man, just can't handle the cold and it has been a cold winter. I tell them they can play for awhile but Buddy still has some work to complete. I sit down to check emails and address a few work related items. I consider calling them back in, but it really is just too nice out. I grab my bowl and scissors instead and head to the garden with Lovie Lu. I had set up low tunnels in the Fall and am dying to know what survived and if there are any fresh veggies I can use for dinner.

As Lovie Lu gets her first taste of "running' around the back yard, I discover that there is a nice stand of rainbow chard (one of my favorite vegetables). I cut a bowlful and snip off some lemon thyme, too. I'm pleased that despite the super cold winter, a few small head of lettuce survived, along with four Brussels sprout plants. My garlic is coming up...I again remind myself that it isn't spring yet!

After heading inside with my bounty, I check in with Hubby who is still working. I open the back door and keep an eye on the kids, Buddy is carrying Lovie Lu around to show her all the amazing "creature adventures" our big yard holds. I get a bit of typing done on the article I hand wrote. It's now almost 4PM, the boys show up with the mail and I tell them it is time to come in.

Little Man heads downstairs for his requisite daily dose of Wild Kratts and I put Lovie Lu in her seat for a snack. Buddy and I begin researching the Kratt brothers, ironically, for his 4H presentation. He has never done this big of a research project (a 5-7 minute presentation) and it is slow going teaching him how. We research and he writes up notes. About a half hour later, Little Man appears to practice his knife skills on a rice cake and have a snack. Lovie Lu wants down and toddles into the living room to continue playing with her Green Toys bouquet set. Buddy and I wrap up a note taking session around 5 PM.

I scour the pantry for dinner ideas, chiding myself that I didn't complete the weekly meal plan yet. I sit down to get a bit more work done and then head out the door at 5:30 to pick up Cowgirl from her sewing. She is working on a 19th century dress for her little sister for an upcoming living history day. I can't wait to see how it turns out. She finished her own dress last week and it is beautiful.

At 5:56, I pull up the drive to my friend's house who is a retired seamstress and now gives lessons. The dress is mostly done, I can't wait to see Lovie Lu in it. We chat a couple minutes then head back home. At 6:30, I walk through the door and start pulling dinner together. Cowgirl has swapped her regular chores for cooking dinner. Once I have her set on what we are making, I start to straighten up but Lovie Lu is losing it and wants to nurse for the sixth time today. I sit on the sofa and continue to talk Cowgirl through cooking. Buddy finishes his chores and gets his basketball uniform ready.

Little Man starts to melt down and Hubby picks him up. Lovie Lu is falling asleep. The quick nurse has turned into a deep nap after a day of hard playing and fresh air. Little Man collapses asleep on Hubby's shoulder. Buddy is practicing guitar in his room. We are now both sitting in the living room with sleeping little ones, it's the first time either of us has stopped all day. I tell Cowgirl she is going to have to make the chard as well, and start giving her directions.

At 7:26, dinner is finally ready. Hubby puts Little Man in his bed snoring. Cowgirl and Buddy set the table. We say Grace (with me praying from the living room) and they sit down to eat. It's only 9 minutes until the guys need to leave for basketball practice and Lovie Lu is nursing again.

She is finally done, as I get to the table, the guys leave. The girls and I continue with dinner. After dinner, the girls go to play in the living room, I put on congee in the slow cooker. I start washing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, but Lovie Lu is getting restless and I know my time is short. I decide to focus on putting away the food and leave the last couple of dishes for the morning, along with the soaking fry pan.

I get myself changed for bed, pick out clothes for tomorrow, change the baby into pajamas and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth, toddler on my hip. Hubby already had his wardrobe laid out in there and I add mine. It's nearly 9PM and Little Man wakes up and has a meltdown because he is all out of sorts. I am trying to figure out what his problem is but he is just whining and not really saying anything. Lovie Lu, who was settling down and nursing is now fully awake. As I cradle a writhing preschooler, she goes to play with her flowers, again.

I finally convince him to lie down in my bed until Hubby gets back--I will not miss these late night practices. Lovie Lu is not interested in bed now thanks to a very late nap and too much excitement. I remember the article I have to finish and wish I had charged my laptop so I didn't have to write it up twice. I decide to knock it out while everyone is distracted. That lasts about 2.5 seconds. Little Man realized that he didn't eat dinner and is looking for a snack. He asks for a carrot which I wash and give to him. He cuts it into bite sized pieces and starts snacking.

A few minutes later, Hubby comes home with Buddy from practice. We begin the task of getting everyone ready for bed and in their rooms. Soon, it is 9:45 and Hubby begins making the rounds to pray with each child and tuck them in. Lovie Lu is fighting between wanting to sleep and wanting to be by the other kids, she squirms and flips all over my bed.

Hubby shows up in our room about 10PM, we read through the daily readings and do our prayers together. Lovie Lu still isn't settled down and I am out of steam. We decide to watch a quick episode of a favorite show on my tablet. I set the alarm and fall asleep around 11 PM, before the show is over.

Thanks for stopping by and reading through this. It was so much fun to actually chronicle a typical, but unusual at the same time, day in our homeschool journey.

What is a day like at your homeschool?

Happy St Valentine's Day!!

I am jumping on here quickly to wish everyone a happy St Valentine's Day.  Little Lady is asleep in her swing and I have lots to do but, I wanted to give you a peak at our annual tea.

 

A simple one this year because of time and money constraints but everyone enjoyed it and it is always nice to have some family time apart from the normal hustle and bustle.

We signed up for the Ninevah90 yesterday--had I known we were going to, I would have planned this over the weekend instead.  I know we are supposed to be fasting but, St Valentine is a favorite saint of ours, so we are feasting in his honor. Tomorrow back to the fast!!

If you pop back tomorrow, I will have up my modified Ninevah90 that the kids and I designed for them to participate.  I did not want them to be overwhelmed by the requirements, nor me to have to keep on top of them to make sure they are following the plan.  If you have kids, this could be the perfect way for you to join in and still keep your sanity!

Until tomorrow, Little Lady wishes you a good day!

 

Little Lady's Baptism in #7QT

So, it's been awhile, huh?  I never planned on taking such a long break but such is life.  I really wanted to share these last week, but missed the link-up.  I'm linking up with Kelly, who has some fantastic news, for #7QT

1

 

This little lady was baptized on January 22nd.  It was, coincidentally, also the 23rd anniversary of my first date with Hubby.  Hard to believe it has been that long.  

2

 

We asked our dear friends from Teams of Our Lady to be Little Lady's godparents.  They were thrilled beyond belief.  It was such a blessing to have godparents so in love with getting to be godparents. Here is Godmommy getting Little Lady dressed. {Please don't tell anyone, but with every baby, we take over the hospitality room at church.  No one has ever said we can't but I don't think we have ever asked if we could.} 

3

 

Just like for Little Man and Cowgirl, I had a gown made for Little Lady. It was a special one because it highlighted little treasures that had been my grandmother's.  Her bonnet I made from the handkerchief my grandmother carried for my wedding.  The under skirt lace is from my grandmother's curtains.  The vertical lace detail on the skirt is made from two lengths of lace that I found in my grandmother's drawer when cleaning out her house. They were all rolled up neat and proper, the way my grandmother always did things.  I like this gown so much because every time I look at it, I like it even more!  It is beautiful and a wonderful heirloom.

4

I added some finishing touches to the gown.  Hubby's aunt visited us about two weeks before the baptism. She brought to me a miraculous medal that had been sent with her by her friend, who just so happens to be the founder of Carrabba's Italian Grill.  Mama Carrabba's pastor had traveled to Rome recently and she asked him to bring her back a box of medals to hand out.  He did even better, he bought the medals and then had them blessed by Pope Francis during a private audience. She sent one with Aunt Kathy for Little Lady and I am so immensely touched.  

I decided to attach it to her under skirt with a pin that my mother had sent me at college.  It had been attached to a card with a "Prayer for My Daughter" printed on it.  On the back of the pin, it says, "God bless you, always!"  This will now be Little Lady's treasure and I can't wait to get to tell her how special it is and how much her Grandma would have loved her.

I also made a little corsage for Little Lady, as I had made boutenierres for the boys' baptisms.  However, I realized half way through the baptism that I forgot to put it on her!  Oh, well!  I'm still going to keep it with her little keepsakes from the baptism.

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It was a beautiful baptism and oh so perfect.  We kept everything simple, partially because it was planned last minute.  We scheduled the baptism on Wednesday afternoon and had it on Sunday afternoon. Not many people could make it, but the most important ones were there--Little Lady, her godparents, and Our LORD.

I was a little disappointed, though, because I had been saving a veil that had been gifted to me just for this occasion.  It is a beautiful black veil made of the softest fabric.  However, I had not thought to bring a clip or any bobby pins with me.  After fighting all Mass to have the veil stay on my head--and losing--while I nursed and bounced and tended to Little Man, I had to admit defeat.  I didn't want to be a distraction to the baptism, so I had to remove my veil.  I still had on my everyday covering, but I had so wanted to wear that beautiful veil and it was odd not to have my head fully covered.

I have since ordered sew on clips and will be wearing it again this weekend. I am planning on having Hubby take photos so I can post a full and proper review of the veil. Please stop back, these veils are absolutely wonderful!

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I do wish, sometimes, that I could hire a photographer for events like this.  Pictures never turn out exactly how I would like and there are always one that we miss taking.  But that really is a frivolous luxury, so I am choosing to be content that we have the photos we do.

 

This is my friend, Marie, who made Little Lady's gown with lots of love and prayers.

7

Well, the best laid plans of Mice and Men....We had planned on just having take out from a diner down the street which has lots of gluten free options with the godparents and their children for supper.  We spent so long thinking and choosing what to order.  Then Hubby called to place the order and the restaurant was closed!!!  CLOSED!  What diner closes by 2 on a Sunday?????

We thankfully found another restaurant to get take out and finally had something to eat.  For dessert, I made an allergy friendly, blueberry pie, and bought some allergen free cookies.  No pictures...just know the pie was delicious!

Welcome to the Church, Little Lady!!

Teaching Vocations through Family Part 1

This is the first part of a new series on teaching vocations.  I hope that this will help you in your walk of faith and in helping your children find God's Call for their lives.  Thank you.

In the Beginning

The family is the very core of Creation.  In the beginning, the LORD, Our Father, spoke the words of creation, which were sent forth by the Spirit, the Holy Spouse, in order to bring forth life.  All creatures were brought forth into families--male and female together for the propagation and rearing of offspring.  God's crowning jewel of Creation was the first family, Adam and Eve who were instructed to go forth and multiply and fill the earth with their children.  Family is the heart of all that we believe, so it is no wonder that every vocation is rooted in the context of family.

When we speak of raising our children for vocation, most often that implies the holy vocations of the priesthood, and holy sisters and brothers.  However, every child is created and called for a specific vocation.  Every child is sent forth by the Father to construct a family in this world and to lead that family into the Heavenly realms of the next.

Marriage was the first vocation instituted by God.  Adam and Eve were given to each other in service and love for the purpose of producing offspring for the LORD.  There were no priests before the Fall, for the LORD God walked throughout the Garden of Eden.  Man for the first and last time since the dawn of time, could freely meet with God face to face.  Adam and Eve's purpose was not only to serve each other, but to lead each other in praise and obedience to God.  Their children were meant to be raised up for Heaven and to spread the perfect Love of the Father to the ends of the earth.  However, instead they were tempted, turned from God to self, and were forever banished from paradise.  Marriage is still a holy and worthy vocation, it is necessary for the Church here on earth to continue and for saints to be brought forth to guide us in this journey, and then stand with the LORD in Heaven.

Once man was cast out and stained with sin, the doors of Heaven were locked and the face of God concealed.  Thus, the vocation of the priesthood arose.  Priests in the Old Covenant were the people's one link to God, their only means of communicating with their Creator.  Priests now are ministers of the mercy and grace of Christ, who celebrate the ultimate sacrifice each day for the Church, the Body of Christ, the family of the Living God.  Priests are wed to the Holy Mother Church.  Their vocation is to bring forth spiritual children and raise them up for the Kingdom, teaching them to serve God and man.  Priests must sacrifice, just as any spouse does, their will for the good of the other.  They must be fruitful and multiply in spiritual terms, shepherding their flock.  This is why they are called "father."