Distractions

"So many people of good will complain about distractions during prayer. Many even give up on prayer because of them. They do not realize that those distractions come from God. They come from the Holy Spirit. They bring us back to everyday reality when we are trying to find holiness outside of daily life." Joseph G. Donders

It's so tempting to just scrap prayer altogether when we're busy (which is always). This quote is a great reminder that it is precisely in our everyday lives -- in the midst of our busyness and especially in times of illness or other trials -- that God wants to meet us. He wants to be part of it all. His grace is there, in the moments of frustration, boredom, relaxation, exhileration.... Our task is to be present to each moment and to God in that moment.

Once upon a time I was going to be a nun. I was going to have a disciplined life of prayer with lots of time in the chapel, daily Mass, and frequent retreats. Now I'm a wife and homeschooling mother. Ironically, I feel closer to God now than I did while I was in the convent. I don't have as much extended silent prayer time as I would like. But I pray a lot. And I notice and cherish God's presence in so many everyday tasks. I love sharing life with my family in our own little "monastery."

God continually points our eyes, mind, heart to where we are meant to be. Instead of stubbornly trying to block out what we assume are distractions, we need to lift up those very people/situations/tasks to God. I know that when I go into prayer with a rigid "agenda" God almost always leads me another direction.

And rather than adding prayer to the daily agenda of tasks, why not weave it into all the tasks of the day?

Just my thoughts on this quiet Wednesday afternoon. :) It's been a week of cancellations for us. Our book club was cancelled due to illnesses. Tonight we were planning on attending a holy hour for families at our parish, but it's been cancelled because of some flooding in our church. So God points our minds and hearts another direction... and we offer it all to Him.

Better Than Junk Mail!

 So this is a post that's been lost in the queue for a while.

Ray got some really fun mail!

The large envelope was hand addressed to him. And the return address was "1600 Pennsylvania Avenue!"

Several weeks ago Ray had sent President Obama a letter. It was actually a form letter he filled out as part of a Weekly Reader activity. He received a really nice packet in return, including a letter thanking him for his input, a signed picture of the President, an information booklet about the White House, and several activity booklets about the White House and Mrs. Obama's healthy eating campaign. We were all very impressed!

Especially in the wake of the campaign and election season, it's important for us to remember that no matter who is President, God is still God. Our political views don't usually match those of President Obama, but we strive to give our respect to the President and to instill patriotism in the hearts and minds of our children. We pray for our country and it's leaders... a lot.

God Bless America!

Jumping Into January!

We always begin January with the celebration of my Dad's birthday. He's a New Year's baby... and this was a big one. 65! We had a fun gathering on New Year's Day to celebrate.

 

Dad and Mary came in the week after Christmas and we had some fun time visiting with them... and exchanging presents of course. Christmas just kept going and going around here!

Mary made some awesome new buildings for Ray's train layout!

 

Don't you just love Adam's fire-red ear?! It's a funny phenomenon... all three of my guys get bright red ears when they're excited. In this shot Adam and Pappy are reading about Pokemon characters.

 

 

We started easing back into school on the second and it was a rough transition. All of the new toys and video games are so much more fun than school. And "mean old Mommy" just expects too much.

 

Luckily, we got to gather with some homeschool friends for a post-Christmas bowling party. That counts as Phys Ed, right? Here's Ray under the score screen that shows his awesome  score of 103!

 

 

Last week we had fun at our monthly zoo class. This month we learned about some animals that are native to Ohio. We had three animal visitors: an opossum, a turtle, and a salamander. We went to a "habitat house" exhibit and completed a fun scavenger hunt.

 

 

 

Today I got some time off while Jon took the boys to COSI for a fitness fun day! They enjoyed some "boy time" before Daddy starts working monster hours and missing out on these fun things.

 



 

 

So, we're back into the swing of things. Karate classes and Cub Scout activities have resumed. We're learning about the Civil War and counting money in school. Both boys have taken great strides in reading skills. Ray has officially begun preparation for First Communion and Reconciliation. We're enjoying a bit of a January thaw now, but the boys are eager for more snow. Sledding is their big passion right now!

 

Time sure does fly when we're busy and having fun!

 

A Spectacular Epiphany Celebration!

 I can't believe it's taken me this long to post about our awesome celebration of the Epiphany. I must say that this year was my favorite Epiphany ever! It was the kind of celebration of the liturgical year that I have dreamed of and totally want for our family. We can't celebrate EVERY feast this big and our good intentions and plans don't always work out. But this one did!

Let me begin by telling you about a little friend of ours. I'll call her "E."

 

 

E is a first grader. We met E and her family when I took Ray and Adam (as toddlers) to a Mommy and Me program at church. We've all been great friends ever since.

 

E is a very special, spiritual little lady. This school year she decided to start a "Prayer Squad." She and her dad make up a prayer calendar each month and distribute it to the Prayer Squad members. E chooses a prayer for all of us to pray each day. Sometimes she writes the prayers herself. She also collects special prayer intentions and puts them on the calendar. Isn't that cool?

 

Well, E and her family invited the Prayer Squad members and their families to an Epiphany Party.

 

We were asked to bring three gifts, representing the three gifts of the Wise Men. These gifts, however, were to be donations for the food pantry.

 

 The children decorated and donned crowns, of course.

 I love E's little sister -- my God-daughter -- in this pose. She's a very serious and dramatic member of the Modern Magi.

We played some very fun games, including a "Star Hunt" and  "Pin the Crown on the King."

 

 

 We sang "We Three Kings" and participated in a house blessing and procession.

 We enjoyed a yummy meal, including King Cake!

And we made these great door hangings to take home.

 

As we left we received a beautiful liturgical calendar too!

 

What an awesome way to celebrate this great feast! I just love sharing our faith with our friends. And gatherings like these make our faith so fun and real for the kids.... and for the adults as well.

 

Thank you God for our faith family, for the Holy Church... loving and serving you together. Amen.

PARTNER!!!!

It's official.... Jon is no longer an employee at his CPA firm. He is now a PARTNER!!!! 

He's been my partner for more than ten years and he's a very, very good one! I am so proud of him and happy for him.

Jon loves his work as a CPA. His boss (now PARTNER) often refers to him as the "brains of the operation." While Mike (Jon's PARTNER) is a great networker and people-person, Jon is so good at knowing all the laws, forms, rules, exemptions, ..... and making it all work. I think they will make great partners as their firm continues to grow.

Jon has wanted this for so long and I am so happy for him. (I'm trying not to get too scared when I think about what owning a firm may entail down the road.)

Congratulations Jon! May this tax season be a great one for your business and not too hard on you.

Friendly Reminder

From Seasons of A Mother's Heart by Sally Clarkson --

"The only way to make it in this homeschooling life is to reach for God instead of for happiness... Contentedness will not come from being more organized, sleeping longer, being a better wife, keeping a nicer home, using higher-quality materials, taking more time for yourself, or whatever it is you think might help. Contentedness is learned by accepting life each day as God gives it to you, and adjusting your expectations to life's limitations."

I'm pretty sure I've posted this quote before. It hangs above my desk and I try to re-read it often. Of course it can apply to all of us... not just homeschool moms. It's a lesson that takes many of us a lifetime to learn. I was reminded of it while chatting with a friend today.

It seems that this time of year -- when the Christmas decorations come down -- we all want to get things cleaned up, organized, re-arranged. I spent the afternoon putting away Christmas decorations and re-arranging kitchen cupboards. But I thoroughly enjoyed listening to some awesome inspirational music while doing it.

Also at this point in the year we're trying to hit the books hard and make lots of headway academically. I have to continually remind myself that happiness and true learning do not come from having everything in my plan book checked off and completed.

Contentedness. It's a good January word, don't you think?

Happy New Year!

Happy 2013 Everybody!

I have declared this year to be "THE YEAR OF SPARKLE" for me!

(Most of you already know how I just love the bling!)

 

 

My sisters surprised me on New Year's Day with a big box of sparkly gifts! (And some trashy magazines about the royals.... because I totally love them but I'm too cheap and embarrassed to buy the magazines myself.) Thanks girls! I love it. I just finished painting my nails a sparkly purple! They're fabulous!

So I am ready to sparkle!

What's this sparkle-mania really about?

a. I'm just really tacky.
b. I have a pathetic, boring life.
c. I want to be flashy and show off.
d. I am a total and complete nerd.
e. I just like it. It makes me feel happy.
f. It's all about letting God's light shine brightly... being a person of joy!

Well, you can make your own choice. But "d" is probably true, "e" is definitely true and "f" is what I am striving for!

This blog -- "Being Mirrors" --- is based on that goal of reflecting God's love in the world. God is the light. Our job is to reflect that light to the world. I'm planning a future post about this soon... based on a cool book I'm reading.

But in the meantime, here are some things I'm looking forward to this year:



13 Things I'm Looking Forward To in 2013

(Besides SPARKLING!)

1.  Ray will be receiving his First Communion in May! We have begun our formal preparations.



2.  Our family vacation (including my mom, sisters, etc.) to Disneyworld and on a Disney Cruise!




3.  The Holy Father has declared this to be a Year of Faith, an opportunity for us to deepen our knowledge about, devotion to, and practice of our Catholic Faith. I'm embracing that challenge and re-committing myself to spiritual reading and study as well as more prayer time. A friend of mine recently wrote a nice article with specific suggestions for faith formation during this Year of Faith. Check it out here and join me in digging in to some of the resources she suggests.




4.  I am excited to attend this year's Columbus Catholic Women's Conference in February! It promises to be a great day with awesome speakers. I'm looking forward to this time of refreshment, inspiration, and fellowship.




5. DOWNTON ABBEY! Seriously.The third season FINALLY starts THIS SUNDAY! Can't wait! Matthew and Mary had better get married!




6. More date nights with Jon. The boys are older. We can get away more. We want to and need to focus more on our marriage. We'll be setting aside time together, whether we go out on a fancy date or just watch a movie or play a game at home. It's crazy how easy it is for us to go many days with really connecting or just having some non-kid-related fun!




7. Finishing my kitchen project. Ha ha. I want it to happen... but the progress has been slower than a turtle. If only some magic elves would come and paint my cupboards, fix my floor, finish the trim.... in the night! (No Dad, I don't mean you!) Today my mom and I did go pick out some fabric for Roman shades in the kitchen windows. That's progress, right?

 

8. Camp Tee Tee! We had so much fun last year. I hope I'll get to have Carter and Ava for at least a week this summer. I'm thinking we might make a movie.




9. Taking better care of myself. Choosing some things I want to do just for relaxation and enjoyment. I could say "eat right" and "exercise." I am trying to do better at those things. But I'm not really looking forward to them. I'm praying for the motivation, will power, divine intervention.....





10. All of the ideas I find on Pinterest. I admit that I'm addicted. I am an idea person. I just love collecting all of the POSSIBILITIES! I learn so much and get totally energized by all of the great ideas for school, home, crafts, recipes.... Love it! It's a fun part of every day for me. (And yes, I do actually do lots of the things I pin!)



11. A few friends and I are starting a book club for our kids! This is an idea I've wanted to try for a long time. I'm hoping to do it on a bigger scale in our homeschool group next year. But for now we're going to get our kids together every few weeks this winter and share books, talk about books, do book projects, etc. I'm hoping this will increase my boys' appetite for reading as well as strengthen some language arts skills.




12. Homeschool Adventures! Every day is a new adventure in our homeschool. I'm looking forward to the units and field trips we have planned as well as to the everyday learning and progress that (although not always easy) is so exciting to watch.



13. Surprises! I look forward to the unplanned good things that will happen... big and small. Especially spontaneous moments of joy and fun. I trust in God, knowing He will be with me in all the good times and all the bad times and challenges.

May 2013 be a year filled with grace and blessings for us all!