Happy 1st Birthday Ladybug!

I'm amazed at how you've grown. I'm amazed you're already 1. Happy birthday girlie!

See, I can help!

Oh! Is this for me?

Let's see what this is all about.

That tastes pretty good, I'll try some more.

Wow! This stuff is messy!

Here Mom, want some?


Silly sisters.

On A Day

...when I should be scouring every inch of my house in preparation for our Thanksgiving feast with my small family, I'm doing every inch of nothing and feeling sorry for my sick self.

On a day when I should be preparing those things that can be prepared today for our Thanksgiving feast, I'm sitting at the computer with blurry eyes contemplating how far away my bed is.

On a day when I should be drinking ten cups of extra strong coffee to keep me going, I'm drinking decaf green tea with honey and counting the hours until bedtime.

On a day like today, I wonder at God's humor. Sick two days before Thanksgiving?

But, He knows my plans. He knows that if I kept to the schedule I've set for myself, I'll be exhausted by Thanksgiving, and less than thankful. He knows that on a day like today, I need to rest. On a day like today, I am thankful for His Fatherly Love. He knows what I need more than I do.

Say Thanks

From our homeschool group:

Greetings!

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL!

If you go to this web site you can pick out a Thank You card and Xerox will print it and send it to a soldier who is currently serving in Iraq.

You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!

It's FREE and it only takes seconds.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these?

Whether you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are behind them.

This is a wonderful way to say thank you.

Please take the time and then please take the time to pass it on for others to do.

We can never say enough Thank You's!!!

Small Successes

~1~

We started potty training last Monday, the day after Fritter's third birthday. Despite my expectations that we would be completely done by that Friday (don't ask me why I thought this), we weren't. He did very well with the whole peeing thing, and has had very few accidents, but everyday was another day of dirty pants. But yesterday? Yesterday we went to a play group and (nervous as I was) he did great. He even used their potty. And not one accident. That doesn't mean he pooped in the potty though. We just didn't have an accident. I chalk this up to "holding it". This morning, I saw him squat and hurried him in, and again he resisted, and again I despaired. But...wait for it....HE DID IT! And he is sucking on a big sucker right now to prove it.

~2~

After weeks of being off the wagon (or is it on?) I got back on (or off?). Um, with my cleaning schedule that is. ;-) I've detailed the main bathroom, and the playroom, and the kids' rooms are scheduled for tomorrow. Have I mentioned before how I love Zone cleaning?

~3~

Speaking of the home front, I never mentioned our big mess that I alluded to before. While my husband was away, I noticed the floor in our master bathroom always seemed to be wet. Then I noticed that it was getting worse and one of the tiles actually squished when stepped on. But right after my hubby got home, we had guests and Fritter's birthday, and it just wasn't the right time to tackle the project. However, the thought of a leak somewhere in our house drove us both crazy, and so my dear husband decided to find where it was coming from. Long story short, our master bathroom is now unusable, and a plumber had to come in to find the leak. Two holes in my dining room wall and a hole in my living room wall later, and the leak was fixed. But my house still had holes in it and the bathroom was still unusable. So my husband fixed the holes and they look fantastic. And now, we have moved painting up on our list. So the success? Ahhh...the anticipation. We picked out our paint colors and will start this weekend. Go us! ;-)

His Irish Wit and Wisdom

Three classic episodes of Bishop Fulton Sheen's series Life is Worth Living are included in the video, His Irish Wit and Wisdom. In the first episode, the psychology of the Irish is examined. He talks about their fighting spirit and their imaginations and lore. Even while he cracks a few jokes, his audience gains a greater appreciation for those that dream of leprechauns.

In The Divine Sense of Humor, Bishop Sheen explores the humor of God. He debunks the popular idea that puns are the lowest form of humor by stating that God himself spoke in puns. An example he gives is when Christ names Simon "The Rock" and then later tells him that he is the rock upon which he will build his Church. The audience learns not only about God's humor, but more about God's Word as well, in classic Sheen tradition.

Bishop Fulton Sheen examines why people laugh in the aptly named, Why Do People Laugh? He explains that people are the only ones in the animal kingdom that have the ability to laugh and then goes on to explain why that is. A viewer will gain a keener appreciation for humanity and the humor associated with it.

While these three episodes are not the best of Bishop Sheen's work, they are certainly worth watching. Anyone wishing to enjoy some of Bishop Sheen's humor will appreciate this compilation.

You can purchase this DVD here.

I wrote this review of Bishop Sheen's Irish Wit and Wisdom for the Tiber River Blogger Review program, created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods. For more information and to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

Tiber River is the first Catholic book review site, started in 2000 to help you make informed decisions about Catholic book purchases.

*I recieved a free copy of this video in exchange for an honest review.*

Tracking Virtue, Conquering Vice: A Guide for Spiritual Survival

This is a must have book for anyone new to the idea of virtue and vice. The seven deadly sins are broken down into bite-sized pieces and are coupled with the virtue to remedy them. There is practical advice on how to exercise each virtue, and an explanation of how each vice can manifest itself.

Besides the easy to read format, Fr. Classen includes several of his hunting and fishing stories. Even if you are not an avid hunter, the stories will still interest you. I can imagine that most of us can recognize ourselves in a few of the stories. For example, one of the stories he tells is when he and friend were deer hunting. His friend got the first deer, which meant that Fr. Classen had to help his friend before he could continue hunting himself. He shares in the book his unbidden thoughts that shocked him. He was experiencing greed, and only after exercising the virtue of charity, was he able to break free from the green-eyed monster.

Another great thing about this book, is that although it was written by a Catholic priest, it really can (and possibly should) be read by just about anyone. I would highly recommend this book.

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Tracking Virtue, Conquering Vice.

*I recieved a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

Seriously...

I'm tired of the spammers. I get excited when I see in my email inbox that someone has left a comment on my blog. The very same blog where I post pictures and stories about my family and my children. So when I open the email to read that that comment is not so innocent, (buy this performance enhancing product) well I get mad. So, for awhile at least, I am enabling comment moderation.