My Life With Boys

On Being "THAT" Family

2010-04-20T16:25:00.000-07:00

Alright. Since the birth of Baby Bosco we seem to attract more attention when we go out. Not sure why - after all 5 is only 1 more than 4. Maybe people see a baby and pay more attention. Who knows. However, I am having a difficult time adjusting to being a spectacle and it is only magnified when we become one of THOSE families - you know the ones... everyone is aware of their presence and are relieved when the family has left the premises.

My older boys attend a science class on Fridays mornings. It was a beautiful morning this past Friday so instead of running errands I stayed and let the younger 2 play on the little playground. All was well for the first few minutes. Then Sweet MO and TAZ started fighting over this plastic sword (mental note #1: do not bring only one plastic sword to the playground) TAZ being much smaller but much tougher yanks the sword out of Sweet Mo's hand, consequently spinning him around causing him to lose him balance and fall to the ground slamming his eye on the end of the sliding board on the way down. Poor guy - I know it hurt. It was a major wallop too! Bless his heart. So we go to the car and get him settled. Figuring going back on the playground would distract him from the injury we head back over. (Mental note #2: Recognize when you are off to a bad start and stay in the car - that's why you paid extra for the DVD player)

The boys play for a few minutes and then we get company. One of the teachers of the class comes outside with her precious daughter of almost 2 years old. TAZ decides he does not want sweet little girl to join him in the playhouse. So he slams the door shut in her face. I call his name and tell him to let her in and apologize. He stuck his tongue out at me!!! So I have to get up and go over and actually handle it with discipline. (which honestly when you are in public like that you kind of feel very limited in what you can do discipline wise) I am meanwhile carrying a 20 pound 4 month old in a sling. TAZ starts pitching a royal fit. I try to get him calmed down and he breaks away from me and turns around to say "HAHAHA I won". So then it gets really fun!

I hand the baby to the injured 5 year old, chase down the 3 year old, carry him kicking and screaming to the car, reach in to unlock the doors and somehow set off the car alarm (as if we were not enough of a spectacle already - we needed an alarm to broadcast it), carry said kicking and screaming child back to the playground to get the keys, have the inured 5 year old carrying the 4 month old baby back to the car, I get the alarm off, the 3 year old maniac strapped down in his car seat, take the baby, close the doors and hang my head in shame. TAZ is in the backseat just furious! He is banging his head in his car seat and screaming like a lunatic. He takes off his shoe and starts hitting the window. At this point it begins to be funny - seriously how can a 3 year old be that mad??? Finally I see the teacher waving at me (or so I thought) I wave back and smile. She waves again, I wave again, she waves again and I just look away. Turns out somewhere in the chaos I dropped my cell phone. She was trying to give it back to me. Thank Heavens there is only one class left. (Mental note #3: don't dress up and try to look cute in a skirt when going to science class - wear jeans that have back pockets for your cell phone)

So while I hate being THAT family - the one where you can hear people singing Hallelujah as they leave a place - it happens to the best of us. And if you ever see a mom out there who is just fit to be tied say a little prayer for her - chances are she REALLY needs one!!!

Road Trip!!!!!!

2010-04-11T17:03:00.000-07:00

You simply have not lived until you have taken a 2 day whirlwind road trip with 5 boys in a van that only seats 7 people. Let's start at the beginning... my brother attends a small Catholic College in Northern VA called Christendom College. The senior class put on a production called "Murder at the UN - A Murder Mystery Dinner Theater." My brother wrote the play and directed it and his fiancee had a starring role. We decided to drive the 5 1/2 hours up to the college to see the production. It was fabulous! And as an added bonus the students provided FREE babysitting during the performance! Hey... I'm all about free babysitting. So we drove up on Saturday and returned home on Sunday.

During the dinner theater the boys played in the gymnasium of the school. The play started at 6:30 and lasted until 10:30. So the boys were awake until 11:00 PM!! We wanted to get on the road at descent time (my husband wanted to watch the end of the Masters) so we intended to go to 7:00 am Mass and then hit the road. Well... we didn't wake up until 7:15 so we ended up at 8:30 Mass. After Mass we were off. All is well until we stop for lunch. TAZ was so exhausted from the night before that he literally laid his head on the table and cried this pitiful little whimper mumbling something about a milkshake. After lunch we offer Ruby Tuesdays a heartfelt apology for the crumbs that surround the floor of our table, we load back up in the van and TAZ fell asleep for a grand total of 30 minutes. Thankfully Baby Bosco slept most of the way home.

Things got really interesting about an hour from home. At this point Flipper starts coughing (he has terrible spring allergies!) and coughing and coughing. Then Sweet MO starts crying because evidently he was annoyed that Hubblekid was reading a book. (he wasn't reading MO's book so it's anyone's guess why he cared what Hubblekid read - my vote goes to that 11:00 bedtime the night before) Then Hubblekid gets frustrated with Sweet MO and starts sighing like a 14 year old valley girl and rolling his eyes. Meanwhile my husband starts making fun of Flipper's coughing, which causes Flipper to laugh. This cough laugh combo somehow resulted in him vomiting AND getting a nosebleed. Don't ask me how. But the kid is laughing, coughing, vomiting and dabbing a nosebleed all at the same time. How is that even possible??? To top it all off TAZ is sitting there singing about a penguin. So we have Sweet Mo crying, Hubblekid sighing, Flipper vomiting and bleeding, TAZ singing about a penguin and Baby Bosco sleeping soundly through the entire ordeal.

It was quite impressive that this all occurred at the same time. On occasion I have had people reference my children unloading from the van as clowns getting out of a car - because let's be honest...it is a circus. But in this instance it really was like a bunch of chaotic clowns stuck in a car. The most upsetting part of the whole thing was that I had not a single napkin or baby wipe to help Flipper with. I just forgot to pack them. But it's amazing what will work in a pinch. FYI... picnic blankets works well to catch vomit.

Sooooooo happy to be home!

Easter Fun

2010-04-06T09:38:00.000-07:00

On Good Friday we spent some time together in the kitchen. We dyed our Easter eggs and made these cute little mini-baskets. I got the recipe from bettycrocker.com. Basically you take cookie mix, prepare according to box directions and add in whatever sprinkles and such you want. Mold the dough around muffin tins and bake. Then while they are baking use food coloring and shredded coconut to make the "grass". We were supposed to use pipe cleaners for colorful handles but I did not have any so we used garbage bag ties. Then we added jelly beans for "eggs". My kids of course picked out sour gummy worms. So our Easter baskets had worms. Fitting. You can see Sweet MO eating a worm in the picture above. The treats were great fun and very yummy! To tie it in to the theme of Easter and remind the kids of Christ's Passion I asked them what each color of jelly bean could stand for. Red = Christ's blood shed for us; Green = new life after He rose from the dead; Yellow = the sun that rose on that 1st Easter morning when Mary Magdalen found the empty tomb; Black = the darkness of the world when Christ died on Good Friday. Orange = Christ's favorite color... ok so that is not exactly theologically accurate but since we couldn't think of anything for orange to represent the boys decided it Jesus's favorite color. Who knows - it could have been.

You did not say clothes...

2010-04-01T09:39:00.000-07:00

I was typing away at my computer one day last week when my 3 year old TAZ came up behind me to ask if he could go outside. I said yes but put your shoes on. His older brothers were already outside so he grabbed his shoes and off he went. A minute later Flipper comes in "MOM - TAZ is outside naked AGAIN!" (this is not the first time). So I get up and go outside to find him standing on the deck completely naked - but wearing shoes. I looked at him and he very innocently said "You told me to get my shoes on". I guess I should have specified clothes as well but I did not know he was naked. I never looked at him when he asked - and for some silly reason I assumed he clothes on.

So moral of the story: always instruct children is a VERY detailed way and check to see if they are clothed before sending them outside.

The Reason Mothers Exist

2010-03-17T09:24:00.000-07:00

I was going to post something about St Patrick today - and I still might - but I HAD to put this up first. I saw the single most absurd thing I have ever seen today. Hubblekid is not feeling well and so is taking a sick day and laying around in bed. This morning we watched a very interesting documentary on a nomadic community along the borders of Kazakhstan and Mongolia. It chronicled a family of eagle hunters. These people capture and train Golden Eagles for hunting purposes (like a coon dog). Well in order to capture and train the eagles they must take a baby one from a nest.

So the father of this family hikes off with his 5 sons to capture a baby bird from its nest. The problem here is that golden eagles make their nests on the side of cliffs. And since the 14 year old was the lightest he was charged with getting the baby out of the nest. This band of brothers (with father watching from below calling out instructions) tie a rope around this poor 14 year old's waist and lower him down over the side of the cliff. AND NO ONE SEES A PROBLEM WITH THIS!!! The boy dangles there by the nest, takes a baby bird (which they had already warned him may bite and try to attack him) stuffs it in a bag, THEN the brothers raise up the bird in the bag BEFORE their brother!! What if the mother bird returned?? The documentary had already covered how fierce these eagles can be. How do you think the mother bird would react if she flew home to discover a 14 year old human dangling by a rope in front of her nest stealing her baby??

Good Grief... this is exactly why God gave the male species a mother. No sane mother would ever have stood by and allowed this to go on. Keep in mind that this is a very primitive community. There was no repelling equipment or safety harnesses. Just a gang of teenagers dangling their little brother over a cliff with a rope tied around his waist. With dear old dad down below. Would love to know what Mama thought of this little adventure when the fellas returned... (thankfully with brother and baby bird safely in tow)

Step away from the cat

2010-03-09T15:47:00.000-08:00

Far too often I find myself saying things that no one should actually have to say. Several of those instances are featured here on this blog. Today I found myself uttering another one of these pearls of wisdom. What is worse was that my friend was here to witness this insanity. We were seeing some friends off in the driveway when I turn around to find my sons collectively trying to put the cat through the basketball hoop. I actually had to say the words "Do not put the cat in the basketball hoop".

The only saving grace to this little incident was that they were - thankfully - using the little kid hoop low to the ground. They were not trying to shoot the poor animal in the air like a jump shot. But I am sure if given the time it would have escalated. Our poor cat - no wonder it is on prescription sedatives. (And that is not a joke - he literally is on sedatives - but who can blame him)

The What's Next Syndrome

2010-03-09T10:09:00.000-08:00

I am going to issue a disclaimer that this subject is a source of irritation for me at the moment so it may be a little... ummm... straightforward. We live in a culture that is consumed with the next activity. We can barely enjoy what we are currently doing because the question of "what's next" inevitably creeps in. Be honest... how often do we sit in church and about half way through the homily our minds starts thinking "Hmmm... what sounds good for lunch?" In other words: What's Next? We go out for a nice walk as a family and at some point we think "ok - when I get home I need to fold some laundry" In other words: What's Next? I had JUST given birth to Baby Bosco, he had not even been weighed yet and someone says "Are you going to have any more?" In other words: What's Next? Can I not just enjoy holding this new one and revel in the fact that I am no longer pregnant?

I also feel like we are slaves to our calendars, PDAs, cell phones, etc. There is some kind of sick badge of Mommy Honor to be incredibly busy all the time. Going from one thing to the next to the next to the next. Heaven forbid our kids hear the word "no" cross our lips. Is it really a necessary part of human development to play soccer, flag football, karate AND take piano lessons all at the same time? It is very sad that we no longer live in a time when our kids can take off on their bikes and their only instruction be "be home before dark". So we feel a need to keep the kids entertained - and all the better if the activity is instructional or formative in the process. But when we allow so many activities to go on at the same time we instill in them the What's Next mentality. They get accustomed to going going going. And I will admit that I, as a parent, feel a lot or pressure to provide and transport to all of these activities. I don't want to feel like I am depriving my kids of opportunities but there are only so many days in a week and so many dollars in the bank account. And limiting your kids to just one activity per sports season can still make for a very busy life when you have 4 or 5 kids to shuttle around.

What sparked this whole tirade is how businesses have picked up on this What's Next problem we have. I went to Target in January to buy some winter hats and gloves because the forecast was predicting snow. There was not a hat or glove to be found but there was a whole section of bikinis. It was JANUARY. Correct me if I'm wrong - January is still winter in the northern hemisphere??? When do stores put out Christmas decorations? It used to be after Thanksgiving, then it moved to Halloween, now when is it? Labor Day?

Going back to the kids activities... we parents are being forced in to making decisions 4-6 months ahead of time. Summer camp's registrations are going on now - March. The camp itself does not take place until July. Spring sports registered in January. Again... January is not spring. I can disagree with the registration timing all day long but it does not change the fact that if I want my child to be able to participate I have to register (and pay for) something 2,3,4 months ahead of time. How am I supposed to know what will suit our family in July. This is insanity!

So while I am not actually as mad as this post perhaps sounds I do think it is absurd that we cannot just enjoy that which is in front of us. I am as much to blame as the next girl, I need to do a much better job of really being in the moment. I am NOT advocating being willy-nilly or unorganized. On the contrary. It is very important to know when you are supposed to do what. But in my opinion (which is worth nothing) we as a society are overscheduled and as a consequence we fall victim to this What's Next Syndrome for fear of missing something. I am going to try and take stock of areas of my life where I can practice being more fully present in the moment.

It's raining in my den!

2010-03-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

Let me set the stage... it was about noon and a mandatory quiet/rest time was in effect. Hubblekid had to finish a Literature test and essay on Old Yeller. Flipper asks if he could take a bath (why I have no idea but hey - don't argue when they want to get clean voluntarily!). I gave him permission and went to nurse the baby in my bedroom. Within 5 minutes Hubblekid comes upstairs and was met with a very curt "Why are you not doing your school work???" He replied "ummm.... because it's raining in the den." WHAT??!!?? I race downstairs and find that he was right - it was raining in the den. I grabbed the nearest bucket shaped item to catch the water with and run upstairs to see what is happened in the bathroom. Flipper is just lounging away in the tub, floating on his back and humming to himself - completely oblivious to the chaos happening just underneath him.

I know nothing about buildings or construction so in my mind I am afraid the tub will fall through the ceiling at any moment. So I tell him to get out, we drain the tub (which I must say was not overly full) and thankfully the rain stopped. So a plumber will come next week, that bathroom is being locked and we are praying that there will be no more indoor rain until then.

I did start thinking about how to rope off that bathroom. My neighbor is a police officer and I thought it would be very funny if he had some of that "police line - do not cross" tape for me to put up. OH - but if I had some I would simply HAVE to make a perimeter around my chair. Would that not be great?!

Occasion of sin

2010-03-01T17:19:00.000-08:00

This past Saturday Flipper made his 1st Confession. It is always so cute... 60 something kids all show up at the church, some in little suits, some fresh out of the morning's basketball game. But all of them with a look of apprehension on their faces. On the way there we were reveiwing the words to the Act of Contrition Prayer (which is said after each confession) He goes through it fairly well... until the end.

The actual last sentence is: I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to confess my sins, do penance and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen.

Flipper said: I firmly resolve, with the help of your grace, to accomplish the near occasion of sin Amen.

Hmmm... yeah Flip -we evidently need to work on that prayer a little more. But he came through Confession very well and really liked the priest who heard him. Overall a good day.

OH - awesome!! HAVE to include this!!! His godfather came that morning. His godmother was out of town attending to her ill mother but she had purchased a gift for Flipper and asked her husband to wrap it and bring it with him. I kid you not the man brought it in a ziploc bag!! Is that not just a man????? A ziploc bag!!??!! In all honesty I thought it was awesome. It reminded me of when I got birthday cards from the boys and they were not even signed. I could have returned to the store, they had no markings in them whatsoever. UGH! Males.

The Luge Racers

2010-02-22T15:14:00.000-08:00

So the Winter Olympics have been a big hit in our family. The boys all enjoy watching competition. They especially enjoy the Olympics because of the flags and national pride that is shown by the athletes. The pomp and circumstance inspires them. But then as they watch each event they have to go outside and pretend they are doing whichever event is in their head. We have had some snowboarding, downhill skiing, bobsledding, and now our latest was luge. As you can see in the pictures we do not have a lick of snow anywhere to be found - in fact it was a beautiful 65 degree day. But there they were luging away.

We have these big metal tonka trucks and they have naturally been used for various purposes. But on this day, in their minds, they were luge boards. They all took turns but then Hubblekid & Flipper decided to race each other. Their father got in on the action and gave them a big push (because don't all good fathers help their sons hurl themselves down a hill headed straight for a brick wall???) and what followed you can see in the pictures. They actually did tie. I was happy they congratulated each other on a race well run with a good old fashioned chest bump.

FYI... the only one who got hurt was poor little Sweet MO who ran right in to the brick house wall. A few band-aids later and he was back out there to give it another go!

Poor St Francis

2010-02-22T14:55:00.000-08:00

St Francis of Assisi is a very well known Catholic Saint. He espoused poverty and a gentleness that we do not encounter often these days. In fact one of his prayers was:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury,pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
and where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life. Amen

He is known for his love of animals and as such is commonly featured in small yard ornaments or statues in gardens. We have (ok HAD) one of these statues. I was not aware that poor St Francis had met with his sad demise at the hands of my dog and children. Flipper was telling us about their most recent battle plan and how they now had a machine gun to mount on the fort. Knowing we do not actually own a machine gun I asked what was being used. It was then that I saw poor St Francis... somewhere along the line his head had been broken off by the dog knocking it over and his bodily remains were being used as the boys' machine gun. Reference picture above. I then explained that while it had not been blessed it was still a reminder of a holy saint whom we should try to imitate - not turn in to weaponry!! The irony of the whole thing is what gets me - they used St Francis of all saints!! The peace loving gentle soul!!

St Francis has been removed from the backyard - and I really hope he meant what he said in his prayer "where there is injury, pardon".

Lent

2010-02-18T11:10:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, the Official Lent Kick Off Day. Even non-Catholics have heard of "giving up something" for Lent. I know many Christians of all denominations who practice this self sacrifice in order to gain strength and/or root out some bad habit. One of my favorite priests gave a homily once about sacrifice... He said that making sacrifices, no matter how small, builds up spiritual muscle. An athlete cannot simply walk in to a gym and lift 150 pounds. He has to work up to it. His point was that spiritual strength is built in the same way - little bits at a time. My boys have wondered why a loving God would want us to give things up? Wouldn't He rather us do whatever it takes to make ourselves happy? Well... I think that is kind of using 7 year old logic. My 7 year old thinks that if something makes him happy it is therefore good. Many of the things that make him happy are not good for him. Hey - an endless supply of french fries and Dr Pepper would make me supremely happy. Is that good for me? No. :-(

So we went to Ash Wednesday Mass and actually sat in the sanctuary the whole time! (well - ok one bathroom visit) But we did not have to sit in the cry room! YAY! Progress! I did think during Mass though about all of those hard and fast rules I had when Hubblekid was little about what was and was not allowed in Mass. Wow - how my standards have lowered! Yesterday we were accompanied by both Buzz Lightyear and Cookie Monster. Very secular - not at all Mass appropriate - but TAZ & Sweet MO were quiet and basically still. Like I said - progress. Maybe I can find a Jesus action figure for them to bring next time. At least then I won't feel guilty.

For Lent this year we have all committed to things that will both build our spiritual muscles and help us to be more aware of our actions. I have given up biting my nails and cracking my knuckles. This is HARD! It is a subconscious act. I have already caught myself cracking my knuckles several times. But my hope is to gain a greater mastery of those things I do without even thinking. I have also given up secular tv during the day. (So no Say Yes to the Dress, no House Hunters - this is killing me) However, I do not want to impose my sacrifice on my husband so I watch tv at night but he picks what we watch. Right now that is just all Olympics. (Which I find boring!!! So sacrifice is still happening) I have also decided to work on the virtue of gentleness. I read a reflection of St John Bosco on how gentle Mary was. God chose the perfect mother for His son. I would do well to imitate her in my mothering. I have a LONG way to go in the gentleness department - we'll see where I stand in 40 days :-)

Hubblekid decided to work on the virtues of self-control and kindness. He has already been presented with many opportunities to practice both of those virtues - having 4 little brothers will do that. He also decided to give up soda. Flipper has decided to work on the virtue of prayerfulness. Hey how can a mom complain about that??? He was also my most eager to sacrifice things he loves. He gave up miniclip.com (an online game site), tv during the day (so he can watch the Olympics with his dad in the evening) and soda. Sweet MO was a little reluctant because he cannot wrap his head around just what this all means. He gave up nickjr.com (again an online game site he enjoys) and he is going to work on the virtue of obedience. I am hoping this will be a productive Lent for him as he has struggled lately with obedience. Then TAZ gave up the Christmas Dora Movie. (Thank heavens!!! I have seen that cartoon WAY too many times!) And since he does not understand "working on a virtue" I am trying to help him realize the importance of being more quiet.

One other thing I have done in the hopes of eliminating some negative influences is that I am limiting all tv to sports with Dad or religious programming. There are so many great Christian videos out there - it is a shame my children spend so much time in front of secular shows that, while not bad, are not doing anything to form them as Christians. I believe it is unrealistic to just cut all tv out - because after all I do have a newborn baby and I am homeschooling the oldest 3. A video every now and then is just a necessity for ME.

We had a great opportunity today to fill some empty time that would have otherwise been taken up with tv and computer. Guess what we did... we read a book. I know, shocking - what a concept! The boys loved this book we started "Tom Playfair and Making a Start" The antics of this kid are ringing a little too true :-) But it's great family time!

I wish you all a blessed Lent and pray that we will grow closer to Christ during this season leading up to Easter.

Leave the gun... Take the cannolis

2010-02-12T04:00:00.000-08:00

Anyone familiar with males knows the importance of The Godfather Trilogy. It is to men what Steal Magnolias is to women. Most men I know can quote The Godfather at a moments notice and provide the appropriate Godfather response for any situation. Tom Hanks's character talks about this in the movie You've Got Mail. And Meg Ryan's character response is great "What is it with men and the Godfather???"

While my boys are a little young and have yet to be inducted into Godfather Viewing Club, my brothers and husband sure know the series backwards and forwards. They have spent entire weekends watching the the Trilogy. I know that deep down my husband is planning some sort of right of passage once Hubblekid is old enough to see it. I am predicting a father/son weekend in the mountains complete with a bottle of scotch for Dad and root beer for son where they wake up early Saturday, start with Disc 1 and just keep watching to the end. Then Sunday will be spent re-watching it but only this time it will be better since you understand the order in which events happened.

So... understanding the history behind my exposure to The Godfather imagine my surprise when I found myself quoting the movie recently. We had just arrived at a friend's house for some play time. TAZ was holding a little toy cap gun. I am not a big fan of toy guys. I know that boys will turn anything from a stick to a crayon in to whatever weapon is needed at the moment (usually a sword or gun but occasionally a grenade is called for and watch out - those crayola grenades can be problematic) But I am at the point now where when a toy gun makes its way in to the house - usually because I bought it to avoid hearing TAZ scream all through the store - I let them use it for a day or two and then it conveniently disappears while the children sleep. It's like the opposite of the tooth fairy - they go to sleep and instead of being brought a toy, their toys are taken away (man, my kids are going to need therapy!) ANYWAY - so we arrive at our friend's house, TAZ is holding the gun and I started saying "no no we can't take that in". Finally I just said "Leave the gun" and I couldn't resist - I HAD to follow it with "Take the cannolis". Of course the boys looked at me like "huh?". For a split second I was bewildered - "Leave the gun, take the cannolis" a necessary Godfather quote, how do you not know this?? But then I remembered their age and said "Oh it's from a movie you will see soon enough"

And of course since boys have food in the forefront of their mind at all times the next question was a very excited "We brought cannolis??" No son - sorry - it was just a movie quote.

Army Men

2010-02-09T11:21:00.001-08:00

I opened my refrigerator and found a little set up of Army Men. Why you might ask? I have absolutely no idea! Evidently one of my boys thought a war needed to be waged inside the refrigerator. Today is grocery day so the shelves are not as full as normal. Someone opened the fridge, saw the empty shelf and thought "OH hurry - get the army men!" I am anxious for rest time to be over so I can ask them who did it. I'd be willing to bet that it was a joint effort designed to make me stand there and say "what on earth". They LOVE seeing me exacerbated over their shenanigans. Sometimes I even play it up a little just so they'll think they got me. But this was pretty funny. Oh yeah - right in the middle of the battle was a plastic football player wearing a cape. Not sure how that fits in but it sure gave me a chuckle.

Fishers of Men

2010-02-07T13:35:00.001-08:00

Today's Gospel reading was taken from Luke 5: 1-11, "Jesus said to Peter 'Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men'." This is one of those Gospel stories that jumps out at me. I love any Gospel story that has Peter in it. He has such a great "I'm sorry... What??" factor. Christ seemed to save all of the extra confusing lessons for him. I can just imagine him standing there looking at Jesus and thinking "Fishing for men? What is He talking about?"

I relate this Gospel reflection on a blog about raising little boys because half of the time I feel I am like Peter in this story. Our Lord has called me to raise these boys. I must raise them in His ways, to be faithful members of His Church and to be men of character and good moral fiber. And I am standing here thinking "What? How am I supposed to do this?" Thankfully I am not alone in this task. I have a wonderful husband who sets a terrific example for them of what a good man, husband & father should be. He lives out his faith in every aspect of his life: with us as his family, in his work, in his support of his widowed mother, in his recreation, in his worship, the list goes on.

There is one thing I am sure of: boys need a strong male influence. I honestly do not know how single mothers do it. There are so many times when I just throw my hands in the air and think "OK - I'm done - they win." I think moms with sons - any number of sons - can get overwhelmed because remember... we are not boys! I have never been a little boy. I grew up with 5 brothers and I still do not understand what goes on in between their ears. It is a regular occurrence that my husband will listen to my account of the day's shenanigans and say "well honey... they're boys what do you expect?" It is so nice to have that male input which understands why they feel it necessary to wipe boogers on the wall instead of into a tissue. Or for that matter understand why the boogers are on their fingers to begin with. He also provides that strong "don't even think about it" authority in the house. He can communicate with a look what would take me 15 minutes and a color coded chart to get across. I think it is a tricky line to walk. How do you teach them that there is order of authority while not being overly harsh? And my husband does a great job of that! The boys adore him! Yet they still know that he is not interested in being their friend but rather their father who loves them and will teach them what they need to know even if they don't like it at the moment.

I like today's Gospel because together my husband & I have become Fishers of Men. We have to take these little boys and raise them up into men of God. As unqualified as we may be to do this we have Christ to help us in our task, just as Peter had Christ to help him. But I do think Peter had one advantage: his charges probably did not wipe boogers on the wall.

The Treadmill

2010-02-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I purchased a set of flashcards for Sweet Mo to use during school time. One card would have a capital letter and the other a lowercase. I laid out all of the Capital letters on the treadmill and had him match the lower case cards to the correct letter. Well Sweet Mo started messing with the cards and the lowercase "w" got stuck in the upper casing area of the treadmill. (Because doesn't everyone use their treadmill as a desk during school time???) I tried to reach in and get it and just couldn't reach it. Now - I must say this - we do not own a single complete set of flashcards. Every set has some missing. But this package had not been in our home for a full 24 hours yet and I was determined not to let "w" go missing. After all "w"hat "w"ould the "w"orld be "w"ithout "w" ? (HaHaHa! I know... I'm hilarious)

So... on with the story... I unscrew the lid to the casing that contains the treadmill motor and here is what I found: a ruler, a spoon, a straw, 2 flat weights from our adjustable dumbbells, 16 flash cards (so THAT'S where all the flash cards went!), 26 pencils, 36 crayons, 2 pens and a key. I have no idea what the key goes to. How on earth did the thing even work with all of that in it?? And how did all of those make their way in there? My working theory is that the boys were playing a game one day to see who could fit various objects in there. But who knows. The biggest surprise to me about the entire thing was that there was no food in there. I thoroughly expected to find a banana peel or something disgusting like that.

Well on the bright side - at least we may now have some more complete sets of flash cards. And we did find our "w"!

Wanted: a non-sick sick day

2010-02-03T10:05:00.000-08:00

OK so the best part about taking a sick day is that you get to lay in bed all day and watch tv. If you're lucky you may have a laptop to play on while you wait for the soap operas to go off and the NCIS re-runs to begin. The worst part about a sick day is that you actually feel really terrible thus diminishing the enjoyment of just laying around. Since moms NEVER EVER get to just lay around all day I propose all mothers should have one non-sick sick day a year. One day a year when Dad stays home and watches the kids all day and mom's only responsibility is to lay in bed and call downstairs when ready for food (which of course should be take out from her favorite restaurant). But this day should be preceded by a thorough house cleaning and the completion of any unfinished household projects, other wise she will just lay there thinking about all the stuff she has to do.

Just so you don't think I am completely self centered Dads should get the same kind of day once a year. They work very hard too and deserve a day to chill out and watch soccer, the military channel or whatever.

Now this will never actually happen... but hey... a girl can dream can't she? Well she could but in order to dream one must sleep and currently sleep is not in my day to day operations :-)

It's 1:18 pm and I need coffee...

The Feast of St John Bosco

2010-01-31T04:38:00.000-08:00

Today, January 31st, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St John Bosco. I have a great devotion to this most holy of men because we both raise wayward boys :-) St John Bosco cared for and educated boys in Turin, Italy in the mid-1800's. He was known for entertaining them with juggling, telling jokes and other games... he was joyful. And it was this joy that drew people to Christ. His mother (now elevated to Venerable) moved in to the Oratory and became a mother to the hundreds of boys who passed through their doors. They never turned a single soul away. I strive daily to imitate the love and patience he showed for the boys in his care.

God seemed to have a plan for my life from the very beginning. I was due to be born on January 10th - yet I stayed put until January 31st (yes a full 21 days past my due date - sorry mom - I know you were miserable!) and I was thus born on the feast of this great saint. I think it is so providential that as a mother to 5 sons I am born on the feast of the Patron of Boys. Just as in his life he never turned anyway someone in need, he has never failed to help me when I have turned to him for intercessory prayers. He is one of those historical figures I wish I could just spend an hour with - I'd love to pick his brain on the nature of boys. When I am stressed over my sons' crazy behaviors I am quite confident he would have 4 words for me: They are boys. RELAX.

There are some great books on his life which are very moving. Find them at Tan Books.
https://www.tanbooks.com/index.php/page/shop:flypage/product_id/568/keywords/john+bosco/

The following description of his life is taken from the American Catholic website.

"John was ordained in 1841. His service to young people started when he met a poor orphan and instructed him in preparation for receiving Holy Communion. He then gathered young apprentices and taught them catechism. After serving as chaplain in a hospice for working girls, John opened the Oratory of St. Francis de Sales for boys. Several wealthy and powerful patrons contributed money, enabling him to provide two workshops for the boys, shoemaking and tailoring. By 1856, the institution had grown to 150 boys and had added a printing press for publication of religious and catechetical pamphlets. His interest in vocational education and publishing justify him as patron of young apprentices and Catholic publishers. John’s preaching fame spread and by 1850 he had trained his own helpers because of difficulties in retaining young priests. In 1854 he and his followers informally banded together under Francis de Sales. With Pope Pius IX’s encouragement, John gathered 17 men and founded the Salesians in 1859. Their activity concentrated on education and mission work. Later, he organized a group of Salesian Sisters to assist girls.

John Bosco educated the whole person—body and soul united. He believed that Christ’s love and our faith in that love should pervade everything we do—work, study, play. For John Bosco, being a Christian was a full-time effort, not a once-a-week, Mass-on-Sunday experience. It is searching and finding God and Jesus in everything we do, letting their love lead us. Yet, John realized the importance of job-training and the self-worth and pride that comes with talent and ability so he trained his students in the trade crafts, too."

http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/Saints/saint.aspx?id=1277

St John Bosco... Pray for us!!

TA-DA!!!

2010-01-30T11:56:00.000-08:00

I was talking with TAZ yesterday and he started asking questions about when he was a baby. Because remember at 3 years old he is definitely NOT a baby!! He reminds us daily "I not baby - I big boy" In fact at his last doctor's appointment he told the doctor he was a big boy - what was hysterical was that he said this during the checking of his private areas... the doctor just turned and looked at me. What could I say? I just shook my head in embarrassment.

BUT not the point of my story. I was telling him about when he was a baby. He then stood up tall and announced "When I was born I stood up, spread my arms out and said TA-DA!!!!!" You know - he pretty much did. He came in with a bang and has been making himself heard ever since!!

This kid is going to be the end of me. He is absolutely precious - gorgeous - adorable. He comes up to me and says "You the best Mommy ever". But Monday I found him trying to put a key in an electric socket, climbing the shelves of the closet to get to the medicines because he likes the nebulizer AND he climbed on our kitchen island and fell off head first - thankfully I caught his foot. He is hanging upside down with me holding his foot and he starts laughing saying "swing me Mommy" In the meantime I am having a heart attack thinking about the head trauma (and earlier electrocution & poisoning) we barely missed. (Thank you guardian angels!) All of this in one day before nap time. My husband is right - he is going to end up one of those crazy X-Games competitors - you know the ones who ride motorcycles on the snow and try to do flips and such.

But look at those eyes! He seems to be on a mission to end everyday with a great big "TA-DA - look what I did today!" Maybe I should give that attitude a try.

Babies & Baseboards

2010-01-26T12:01:00.000-08:00

Whether it is because of a shift in hormones from having the baby, or the time of year, or lack of sleep from having sick kids, or my OCD personality I am completely stressing out over needing a good spring cleaning. I never knew I could get so upset over the condition of my baseboards. I have been making lists of all the things that need to be done, cleaned, repaired, etc. Then I have been making wish lists of all the things I would LIKE to do but can't. But there are only so many hours of the day. We are a homeschooling family so my mornings are usually dedicated to 2 activities: schooling the kids & gabbing on the phone with my sister-in-law. You might say "Well get off telephone and start dusting". I can dust and talk at the same time - the phone time saves my sanity most days!!

My mother stopped by today and after listening to me complain about my fatigue, the great mismatch of my to-do list and budget availability, the boys great ability to break anything they touch, and of course my dirty baseboards, she gave me a hug and reminded me of that poem that goes:

"I hope that my child, looking back on today
Will remember a mother who had time to play;
Because children grow up while you're not looking,
There are years ahead for cleaning and cooking.
So, quiet now cobwebs, dust go to sleep.
I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."

So while I spent my morning crying over my baseboards - I am spending my afternoon teary over my babies. I am hoping to strike a balance of getting done that which will make our home clean and well cared for while still being open to play and fun and time with the boys. Funny how my mom always knows what to say to put things back in to proper perspective!

By the way - I love this pictutre... why??? She's wearing heels!!!!!!

Can you put your toe in your ear?

2010-01-24T15:33:00.000-08:00

Flipper is on a gymnastics team and they had a meet this morning. I enjoy the meets - although they are LONG!!! If they had soft recliner chairs for all the spectators the length would be much more bearable. Instead we sit for 4 hours on metal bleachers. You wait for around 20 minutes to see your son do something for 30 seconds. Then you wait 20 more minutes and so on.

But I digress... meets are always kind of the same. It begins and the gym is very quiet. The parents are all getting their cameras ready and the gymnasts are very seriously paying attention to each event. As the hours pass the gym gradually gets louder and louder. The parents have now all made friends with the people they are smushed up against on the bleachers. The gymnasts start getting fidgety and by the last event you have 60+ little boys all rolling around, being silly and not paying a bit of attention to anything going on around them. This morning my son's last event was vault. My mother & I look over to where his team is stationed awaiting their turn and just had to laugh at what we saw... 5 boys between the ages of 6-9 years old all trying to see if they could put their toes in their ears. Thankfully they were not trying to stick their toes in each other's ears. But nonetheless there they were - trying to see who could stick their toe in their ear. Their Russian coach walks over and while I could not hear what he said his body language was saying "What on earth are you doing????" Flipper said he told them to stop and then mumbled something in Russian - I would LOVE to know what that was!!!

I wonder what little girls do between events at their gym meets...

Betty Crocker

2010-01-19T10:57:00.000-08:00

Despite the exterior stress meal preparation causes I do actually enjoy cooking. My biggest problem is coming up with recipes. I am not very good at balancing menu options in my head. Honestly... I would eat french fries every day of my life if I could! Meal time is always a challenge for me. I have an extremely picky eater. As much as I hate the notion of being a short order cook I just can't bring myself to send him to bed hungry. Now I am pretty sure that the baby is allergic to dairy. We have "been there done that" - we had a dairy allergy with our 2nd son. It creates such a challenge for meals. Last time the whole family went dairy free - but it was just 4 of us. Now... I think it will just be myself who goes dairy free. So I was searching for meal ideas that could meet certain criteria.

1. The meals had to be easy and quick. Crock pots are my friend!! With gymnastics until 6:30 3 times a week and Karate until 5:30 the other nights, anything that can be ready when I walk in the door is awesome! I LOVE the semi-homemade concept (have you seen the Sandra Lee show on Food Network?) Not completely packaged meals but those that incorporate pre-packaged items to make things easier.

2. The meals have to be at least a little bit healthy. (Notice the easy came before healthy... that is just where I am right now) I like the meat and 2 veggies concept. And since my kids think vegetables were invented by the anti-christ, any meal that hides them is even better!

3. I would prefer it to be easily altered to meet any current dietary needs. So for example can a meal have cheese sprinkled on top instead of mixed in... This allows me to add or omit as needed.

SO.... I found Bettycrocker.com. I am loving this site!! It is free. It has more meals than you can shake a stick at. You can set up a recipe box that stores the ones you like. You can search by ingredient, by course, by season - it is just awesome! If you are an organic person just sub organic ingredients. If you need to use ground turkey instead of beef most meals are easily "converted". AND it incorporates some pre-packed items. It meets the semi-homemade concept I love.

Check it out!

Do not walk down the stairs blindfolded!

2010-01-15T15:33:00.000-08:00

Seriously - who has to say that?? I just had to look up the stairs and tell Flipper to stop trying to walk down the stairs blindfolded. I HAD to post this because it is comments like this that inspired me to start a blog in the first place. I used to have a list of things I never thought would come out of my mouth.

Examples:

Take the stick out of your ear

You cannot use Daddy's tie to swing on the ceiling fan

Why is your brother's eye bleeding

And now this: Do not walk down the stairs blindfolded

What I want to know is how they think this stuff up...

Baby Bosco

2010-01-15T07:48:00.000-08:00

Baby Bosco is my 5th precious angel. We got the nickname Bosco from an Italian priest who lived in the late 1800s - St John Bosco. He took in wayward boys and cared for and educated them. I like to say I have a special devotion to him since we both raise wayward boys. :-)

Baby Bosco is only 8 weeks old so his personality and temperament still remain to be seen. But so far he is such an easy laid back baby. We sleep great at night. I just enjoy holding him all day! The more children I have and the older they get I am increasingly thankful for each day of this little person's life. What a miracle that he is healthy and perfect. With all that can "go wrong" how is it possible that I have 5 healthy children?? I do not know why God blessed us with this precious soul. But He did and I am more in love with Baby Bosco than words can express!

TAZ

2010-01-15T07:01:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen the Tazmanian Devil cartoon? Well... that is where my 4th son got his nickname TAZ!! He made his entrance and wanted the world to know he had arrived. He is by far the most intense child I've had. He knows what he wants and stops at nothing to get it! (Praying this serves him well later in life) He never slept. He was 2 years old and still waking up every 90 minutes. He would kick and thrash around - it was terrible! (Ultimately we had his tonsils taken out as they were causing apnea and waking him - it helped) As you can see in the pictures he is different from the other kids head to toe. My husband is convinced he is the UPS Driver's baby - which of course he is not. He has blond curly hair and brown eyes. Every other son has dark brown/black hair with blue eyes. He is absolutely adorable. Everywhere we go people comment on how beautiful he is. But TAZ can scream at decibels not intended for human ears. Now that he has learned to talk it is getting easier because he can tell us what he wants. Having the new baby has been a great experience for TAZ. He has really grown up a lot and started calming down. His main goal in life to be one of the big boys. If I dare say "Good Morning Baby" It is met with a growly "I not baby - I big boy". He desperately wants to be turned loose inside a gym. Because of Flipper's gymnastics he has grown up in the gym. I can't wait for him to be old enough to take classes and flip and swing to his hearts content. Give those Russian coaches 1 hour and they'll have him whipped in to shape! I prayed for an increase in patience and I was sent TAZ. :-) I do not mean to make him sound unbearable. He does have a sweet streak that he lets show just enough to melt your heart. He is also hilarious. He is definitely going to be the star of the show someday. When he falls asleep at night I look at him and think what a day he must have had. He gives me the opportunity to practice looking at the world from someone else's shoes. I have also had to be much more calculated in my parenting approach. I have to decide ahead of time how to handle certain things because he gets so amped up. It has forced me to practice being calm. One of my brothers was like TAZ as a child so I feel like I was prepared ahead of time. TAZ is a blessing that I cannot imagine my life without. Nothing brings more joy to my heart than to hear him say "I wuv you Mommy" because if he says it - he really means it!

Sweet MO

2010-01-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

My 3rd son is my Sweet MO. He has been a delight since the day he was born. His tender heart loves everyone and everything he comes in to contact with. I have to remember this as he is so easily hurt while being reprimanded. It is no surprise that he wants to be a veterinarian when he grows up. As I write this the news is reporting the terrible devastation in Haiti. Sweet MO asked if he could go there and help get the trapped children out. He said he didn't care if he got hurt but they needed his help. He is so affectionate and always has a hug or kiss available. His laugh is contagious! Once he starts up everyone in the room starts. He is also quite concerned with the state of people's souls. I finally taught him the Fatima Prayer because he is always concerned about "the fires of Hell". When he hears of a person doing something bad he says "we should pray that they do not go to the fires of Hell". On a much lighter note one really funny aspect to him is that he is always in his pjs. He will get dressed in clothes when we go out but once home it isn't 5 minutes and he is back in his pjs. Sweet MO has struggled with hearing problems. Through the intercession of St Francis de Sales (the patron of hearing problems) we were able to find & fix the problem. Recently we discovered a minor problem with retracted a eardrum. We have to watch it but it is not too bad. I think every mother should be blessed with a child like Sweet MO. He is a reminder to look for the good in people, to temper our words since we don't always realize how they can hurt, to let others know they are loved and to remember to always care for those more vulnerable than ourselves.

Flipper

2010-01-14T09:26:00.000-08:00

My 2nd son earned the nickname Flipper for a couple of reasons. First of all he is a gymnast. He spends half his life upside down. My husband & I joke that if he does not turn himself upside down at least once every 15 minutes his blood will not circulate properly. I recently caught him attempting to flip from the top of his dresser on to his bed. (while I felt it necessary to reprimand him so the others would not try it - he nailed it and it did look pretty cool) And the second reason we call him Flipper is because he LOVES the water. I can just see him someday living on a beach, never wearing a shirt, with 3 beautiful blondes around him. He is very smooth with the ladies. He never misses the opportunity to inform them that he is a gymnast - I suppose he considers that impressive. Yet at the same time he is very concerned with female modesty and is quick to comment on those he feels are a little too revealed. Quick side story: this past summer just before our first pool visit I had on my very modest maternity swim suit and because it did not have a skirted bottom he was horrified and asked me to change in to my non-maternity suit that did have a skirt. How can you argue with that?

Flipper had a rough start - he was allergic to anything that came from a cow. So no milk, beef, butter, cheese, yogurt - any milk derivative made him very ill. Thankfully he out grew it and while he is an extremely picky eater he is not allergic to anything. Nowadays he is interested in anything military related. He loves The Military Channel! He enjoys building giant domino designs -the stand up kind you then push over and watch fall. He has recently begun reading his first chapter book - that has been an exciting thing for him. He also is a real neat-nick and loves to organize things (like my pantry... but then I can't find anything!!) Through Flipper God has granted me the opportunity to see things from another perspective (an upside down one :-) Hubblekid is so similar to me in temperament but Flipper has challenged me to find creative ways to explain the world. Flipper captured my heart and gave me opportunities to step outside of myself in ways I never would have imagined.

Hubblekid

2010-01-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

My first baby is now 10 years old. I remember someone told me when he was a baby that "the days are long but the years are short". Boy were they right!! It seemed he was an only child forever (in reality it was only 2 1/2 years) But we were able to do so many Mommy & Me classes, playgroups, library story time, etc together. Then he went from 3 to 10 in the blink of an eye. He was the greatest thing I had ever experienced. Through the years we have come to realize what a gifted child he really is. He earned the nickname Hubblekid because of his desire to know all things space related. He will get on a kick - right now it is space - and he will learn as much humanly possible about that subject. In the past he has explored the Civil War, Presidential history, NFL Football, Dinosaurs, and my personal LEAST favorite: snakes! Honestly - who in their right mind wants to look up pictures of snakes before going to bed. We call his bed "The Library" - the child can hardly sleep there because of all the books. (Hey - I'm not complaining! I think it's great!) He is also a very talented artist - he draws all the time. What is amazing to me is how he processes information - he will read it, then draw it. He used to look up each weekend's NFL match ups and draw the helmet designs of each team pairing. Then all weekend he could tell you exactly who was playing whom and whether they had the early or late games. He loves kicking footballs - and we have 2 broken windows to prove it! We have been very fortunate to find a clinic here in our city that teaches place kicking and punting. So he can get the practice without being roughed up on the football field. He is a very good kid and God really blessed me by allowing me to raise him. Hubblekid felt it necessary yesterday to remind me that as a 4th grader he only has 1 more year of elementary school left. Evidently he considers 6th grade middle school. But it reminded me how fast these years have flown. What a great motivation to really make every day count!

Better Full Than Empty

2010-01-13T12:01:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! My name is Kelly and I am married to my wonderful husband for 11 years and am the proud mother of 5 sons. Yes - 5. And no - we are not just trying for a girl. We like having boys. I seem to get a lot sympathy out in public. (that, or stares of shock and horror) So I have decided to start a blog for several reasons...

One - I like to talk. My husband is tired of hearing me talk so maybe this blog will ease his evenings and help me reach what he refers to as "my quota". He has a theory: women must speak a certain number of words each day or else they'll die. Who knows - he may be right. Heaven bless him, he tries to listen. But eventually his eyes glaze over and I know I can no longer compete with the Manchester United soccer game on the tv.

Two - a lot people seem to feel it necessary that I "get my girl" (I'll come back to that phrase in a future post) I hope to show anyone out there who may be interested how wonderful a life surrounded by boys really is. I grew up with 5 brothers, I now have 5 sons. I would not have it any other way. Little boys are great! Mine are currently 10, 7, 5, 3 & 7 weeks.

Three - I am on a mission to improve my personal well-being. I need to start losing baby weight and perhaps this will give me an opportunity to write about my accomplishments and/or shortcomings. Also I need to improve my personal prayer life. I hope that by sharing things with you I will beef up my own knowledge of and dedication to our Lord.

Someone once asked me what the most common comment I get in public is. While I do get some interesting questions (that in my opinion are far too personal) most often people say "WOW - you've got your hands full". In many cases that is said while they are offering to hold a door for me or some other nice gesture. I wanted a response that would be kind but not "oh yeah - I sure do". Then I read somewhere "Better to have your hands full than empty". So there it is... yes I have my hands full BUT... Better full than empty!!