MISTY'S MORNINGS

As  Murphy's Law would have it, I had a cell phone crisis while reading Chapter One of The Hands Free Mama by Rachel Mary Stafford . I reached my cell data limit a full week prior to the turnover to a blank data page. A full week early.  This has never happened before. Not even close. At first I thought it was my kids.  Surely they had been streaming Netflix on my phone at basketball games all month. "Those little guys are racking up all my data!" I thought. "They really have a problem with screen time and it must be stopped. Time to tighten the reigns!" I checked the data usage. Nope. It was me. All me. Does it make it any better that I was live streaming lots of Joyce Meyer podcasts while driving alone  to and from millions of appointments and errands over the past few weeks? They're Christian and uplifting, right? Oh, and I must admit to watching a fair amount of The Blaze TV while preparing several freezer meals for my family. I must stay on...

Is Springtime flooding your soul yet?  Every year at this time I am amazed at the sense of renewal the simple fact of increased sunlight, budding trees and blooming flowers brings to my spirit.  It may be trite but I really do feel like anything is possible when the world is displaying it before my eyes.   Last night at a meeting, a friend was discussing something her therapist had told her during a bout of deep depression following a tragic event in her life.  He told her,  "Out of crisis comes renewal." Each of us took a moment to let that reality sink in. We began to agree that that is the message of any crisis.  We are so busy living our lives in the moment when we cannot make sense of things very well.  Understanding comes only in retrospect.   Not until we have moved out of the crisis experience can we begin to see the ways in which we have grown or the unforeseen blessings that may have come to us as a result. We spent Ea...

The sharp cough interrupted my late-night tidying of the family room pillows.  It came again while I was mounting the stairs and a wailing cry followed.  Croup.  I would know that sound anywhere.  Two of my sons are prone to that horrible seal-bark cough and on this night, I knew it was our youngest, KC, crying out for me.   Throat swollen, each breath is audible, a dragging in with great effort, an exhalation that often turns into a coughing fit so hard he gags with the force of it.  We have our routine down.  First the comforting hugs and kisses, wiping away tears and assuring that all will be well soon.  Then the sip of medicine to reduce the swelling and lower the flaming fever.  And finally, the rising from bed, draping ourselves in fuzzy blankets while padding to the front door to step into the fog-chilled night and seat ourselves on the stoop. It's kind of fun at that point.  We listen to the silence of our sleep-shrouded ...

trust    /trəst/ Noun Firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something. Verb Believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of. Synonyms noun .   confidence - faith - credit - reliance - belief verb .   believe - confide - rely - credit - hope - entrust I know it's cliché to include the dictionary definition of a word in one's essay but there it is.  Trust defined by Google: firm belief in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of someone or something .  And since the most common mantra in my head (and out of my mouth) of late has been Trust The Process , the word lifted itself to the top of the list of words I was debating for directing my soul in 2013. 2011's word was Enough.  I had had enough of the physical clutter and mental noise in my life and I set about to tackle it. It worked.  From my pantry shelves to my Pa...

Recently I began reading A Design So Vast , a writerly, reflective, unassuming blog by Lindsey Mead. I like it.  It's simultaneous simplicity and depth appeals to me.  She just  posted  her 20 questions and answers reflecting on the year now gone by, 2012.  I thought I would play along. 1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?   turning 40 2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened? turning 40   3. What was an unexpected joy this past year? Falling (unexpectedly and belatedly) in love with sports.  Watching my two older boys play soccer and basketball at a more competitive level was no longer a test of endurance each weekend. I look forward to games and have even begun following some televised sports with my all-male family. (It was either join them or get DVR on my bedroom TV!) 4. What was an unexpected obstacle? Feeling a loss of direction mid-way through the year.  I lost the ...

Driving home from Target today I saw that the sky was undecided. "Shall I rain or shall I shine?"  it seemed to be asking. Before long tiny  polka-dots of warm water decorated my windshield  only to be dried away by the return of the belligerent August sun. It was a simple but beautiful thing. ***

Please join me over at Catholic Mothers Online where I am sharing my solution to holiday stress.  I would love to hear your stress-busting ideas as well.

Sharing here: Wordless Wednesdays Outdoor Wednesdays  

      "While you are proclaiming peace with your lips, be careful to have it even more fully in your heart." St. Francis of Assisi Small Steps for Catholic Moms by Elizabeth Foss and Danielle Bean

~PRETTY~ It has been a while since I have seen a rainbow this clearly and I had to snap the photo on my camera even though I was holding up traffic for a moment .  Rainbows always make me think of God and Noah and promises and peace . ~HAPPY and FUNNY~ Lately, we have been doing a lot of snuggling on the sofa while watching Christmas movies.  Here we were watching the Ice Age Christmas special in our jammies ~ complete with little boy bedhead.  :)  If you also like to share cozy couch moments with good family shows, check out the 25 Days of Christmas programming guide here . ~REAL~ December is here and the leaves are off the trees.  The barren months lie ahead.  Time to turn toward home, creativity, reading, and quiet, contemplative pursuits. I love this time of year.  The darkest evenings, longest nights evoke such a refocusing of my priorities on my family and job as keeper of the home.  Time to read a little Laura Ingalls ...

Remember when I posted recently that I have been looking into  art journaling ?  Well, I found a little inspiration to get me going through the month of November.  Dawn DeVries Sokol is hosting a free month of journal prompts called NaNoJouMo which stands for National Non-stop Journaling Month.   Here is some background on the idea and here is where you can go to join in the creative fun.  I am not planning anything grand, just a month of making time to scribble, doodle and jot in a small hardbound notebook I'll keep beside my computer. Also, for the month of December she is hosting Doodle 12:31 .  This is a paid class but I took a leap and treated myself to it for Christmas.   Another reason I am glad to already have my Christmas tree up - more time for doodling ! So if you are feeling the need to squeeze in some quiet creativity during the busy holiday season, gather up some flair colored pens and a simple journal or even a stack of ...

It rained all weekend.  A beautiful, gentle rain that seemed to wash away the last remnant of summer heat.  We broke out the boys' long pants, my slippers, and lots of fall-scented candles to glimmer in the dim daylight. Along with the rain came the first round of back to school sniffles and sore throats.  The weather was great timing, cancelling soccer practice and allowing us to slow down and stay inside where rest could be found.   There is a windowed corner of my bedroom that looks out over the backyard and the tall craggy trees that separate us from our neighbors.  With everyone inside all day, I found myself in need of a quieter space where I could plan the week's meals, errands, and general schedule.  I thought of that empty corner and how I had often longed to sit there and enjoy its view. Inspired, I dug out the old card table, brought up a dining table chair that will not be missed, grabbed an old, unused desk lamp and created my persona...

September requires a new rhythm.  After the carefree days of summer, September brings about a need for more structured mornings, menus, and time management.  I have spent too much   quite some time evaluating what I need to do differently for the fall season to maintain the house while being more on the go.  These four steps may help you find your rhythm too. 1. W RITE OUT THE SCHEDULE Start by plotting out the obligations for each day of the week.  Being very visual, I like to plug these things into a chart.   My weekly obligations include: Weekend Mass School Mass Soccer practices Soccer games Exercise classes Groceries Errands Here are some printables I used to help me write all this out.   momAgenda Weekly Planner Organizher Weekly Planner 2.   W RITE OUT A LIST OF WEEKLY CHORES Write down everything you think needs cleaning each week.  Now go through and cut some chores out!  For example, I no longe...

When was the last time you slipped away from home sans diaper bag, no Cheerios in your purse, with nowhere in particular to go?  At this half-way point in summer vacation, might I suggest you arrange to do so?  Go to the farmer's market. Stop to admire the rainbow of summertime abundance. Marvel at the variety of colors, shapes and sizes.  Touch, sniff, taste. Praise Him.   Wander into a place of worship. Let the silence seep inside until you can hear the spirit speaking to you. Softly. Lovingly.  To you. Listen . To Him.  Take yourself out to lunch. Observe people. Eavesdrop. Read. Savor Him .  Don't forget dessert! Stop at a local bookstore. Jot down titles to find at the Library .  Peruse.  Skim.  Read.   Write in your journal. Make a list. Doodle.  Count your blessings.   Bless Him. Savor a cup of cappuccino. Realize you a...