Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Jack recites poetry

Dumb computer turned this video sideways. Sigh. I spent almost an hour yesterday trying to figure out how to fix it. It isn't sideways on my camera! Anyway. Tilt your head, ha!

Sunday, March 20, 2011

Merry, um...Christmas

On this weekend feast of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, I would like to celebrate with....

...our Christmas portrait.

Well, you know, I'd been having computer and camera issues, and still can't really get my photo editing software to work like it did...nothing is the same, NOTHING, WAAH! But, I did finally get my HUNDREDS of pictures off my camera and onto my computer. Better late than never. And in that frame of mind, I will ramble on and share a bunch of pictures from the last several months whilst I talk about liturgical year stuff.

(our back deck...one of our biggest snow falls EVER this year!)

(Henry with our Christmas tree...there are bikes under that blanket behind him.)


We've been doing a lot of liturgical year stuff this time around. It's been so much fun. It feels like a fine line though, between "having fun" and "OCD". Do you ever read other people's blogs about fixing "Fruits of the Holy Spirit" fruit salad or little snacks to go with every Jesse tree ornament and think "who ARE these people"

(
Yeah. Me too. Or, you know, I used to. I still do, to some extent. Here's my thoughts...

(Adam's apple. For our first Jesse Tree ornament)
First, this kind of thing is for people who love to cook and craft with their kids. If you love it, do it, and if you don't, please don't even waste a moment worrying about not doing it.










There are many things we don't do with our kids because it's just not our thing. We aren't musical. We've done very little sports. We're not terribly outdoors-y. I like to cook, I like to do crafts, and I find those things very do-able with our mixed age group. My kids like doing them too. So it's what we do.


Second, if you think you would like to do it but find it all overwhelming because there is *so much* out there, I hear you. We don't do it all, we really don't. Some years (pregnancy years) I do very, very little, trying to muster up the gumption to bring the basics for the big four together (Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter). Other years I am more motivated and looking for new ideas to add to our favorites.


Many of the things I make require very little effort on my part at all, no more than a glance through the church calendar when making my grocery plans for the week. For example, for the Solemnity, we will be having an Italian dinner, which is traditional for this day. But it's nothing fancy, a simple chicken parmesan and some boxed biscotti and ice cream. I have to make dinner anyway. This one required no more effort than any other.


Tess has already contributed her part. She pooed on the dining room chair, then smooshed my little St. Joseph statue in it. Yep. Potty training is going swimmingly...


He's been cleaned with toothpicks and an old toothbrush. A run through the dishwasher to sterilize and I think he'll be ok.