7 Quick Takes Friday

1.

Finally picked up those pumpkins!

2.

Exercise Endeavors

John (nearly 10) is training to run three miles by doing a couch-to-5K program. He's old enough to run alone the half-mile loop that passes in front of our house, and it's even better if I'm doing my walking on the same loop, so we keep passing each other. We shall see if he keeps up with it, but I have my hopes high.

Ready to run in cool weather

3.

Sleep Update

Napping at Mass: for real!

Thomas (who hadn't been able to nap yet) actually napped in his stroller during the 12:30 Mass, which was a small-m miracle, since he hasn't done that since he was an infant. He is beyond sleeping 'on the go,' which is really messing with this one-year-old's sleeping considering he is part of an active family with older siblings who have activities to attend.

In fact, Thomas was part of a second sleep 'miracle' in the same week: he went to sleep without tears for the babysitter on Thursday night!

4.

So Many Fun Diversions!

We had so many fun diversions coincide this week, I felt overwhelmed.

On Saturday, I was blessed to attend a beautifully hosted baby shower, during which time my husband took four of the children to World Feast, held at another parish in town. Initially we were interested in attending because of a Scottish dance demonstration that was being given, and then we discovered that it is a super annual festival overall.

Monday ushered in the first day of two new weekday traditional Latin Masses, thanks to long efforts by the Charlotte Latin Mass Community (think of the "persistent widow"!). Our parish will now have TLMs on Monday (8:30a), Wednesday (6p), Friday (7a), and Sunday (12:30)!

Sitting ahead of me in separate rows: Margaret, Mary, John

Our Tuesday plans changed from attending our first-ever Renaissance Fair (going on the elementary student day when the actors clean up their acts, so to speak) to staying home sick with two coughing boys, one of whom had a fever of 103 for about two days.

Waiting outside of piano lessons

Chris and John had spent Monday and Tuesday in Ashville helping a friend close out her parents' home. The family blessed us with some furniture gifts, so Chris and, this time, Mary returned with a moving van on Wednesday to pick up a few more pieces. John and Mary both treasured these adventures with Daddy this week.

Heading to Ashville, NC

Dinner out with Daddy

By this point in the week, I had lost my voice due to my catching the cold. Being unable to raise my voice really changes my mothering--always a humbling reminder from God.

On Thursday morning--after baking of cupcakes for a Friday event--we attended our second children's theater of the season, "Charlotte's Web" at the Matthew's Playhouse. As usual, this theater troop gave its consistently solid, straight performance of the story: it was wonderful!

That evening--after my taking the kids to lunch and dragging them through a department store to find me a blouse for that very night--Chris and I took our oldest two children with us to the annual MiraVia Banquet at the Charlotte Convention Center ballroom. How we have children this old and mature is beyond me!

5.

Family Books of the Week (in progress or completed)

Reading while eating breakfast cereal

• Read-alouds
• "Little Pictorial Lives of the Saints" (Loreto Publications, originally published 1894)
• "The Tale of Little Pig Robinson" by Beatrix Potter--Not one I'd heard of, but I picked it up at the library because my maiden name was Robinson.
• "Clare's Costly Cookie"--Finished reading to Margaret
• Mama
• "Divine Intimacy" (1963)--current daily holy reading
• "Joan of Arc" by Mark Twain--This is so good. It's so good that I wonder why anyone else tried to write anything about St. Joan of Arc since Twain's book was published.

"I like Joan of Arc best of all my books: and it is the best; I know it perfectly well. And besides, it furnished me seven times the pleasure afforded me by any of the others; twelve years of preparation, and two years of writing. The others needed no preparation and got none." --Mark Twain

• For Connecting with History:
• "Indian Captive: The Story of Mary Jemison" by Lois Lenski
• 
  
• John
• "Bl. James Alberione" (Pauine Press)
• "Johnny Tremaine" (1943) by Esther Hopkins Forbes
• Mary
• "Young Faces of Holiness"--Mary's new daily saint book
• "The Arrow Over the Door" by Joseph Bruchac
• "The Moffats" by Eleanor Estes--Finished
• "Shoeshine Girl" (2005) by Clyde Robert Bulla--Finished in one sitting
• "Johnny Tremaine" (1943) by Esther Hopkins Forbes
• "Otto of the Silver Hand" (18888) by Howard Pyle
• Margaret
• Curious George books

6.

Meals

• Saturday
• Crustless asparagus bacon mushroom quiche and green salad for adults; scrambled eggs and bacon with frozen waffles for kids
• Sunday
• Restaurant after Mass
• Monday
• calzones, Cauliflower Onion Mash, take-and-bake cookies
• Tuesday
• BBQ baked chicken thighs, pasta
• Wednesday
• Hot dogs, zucchini herb casserole
• Thursday
• Adults and two oldest kids: annual MiraVia banquet
• Three youngest tots at home: frozen pizza, green salad, sweet treats brought by the babysitter
• Friday
• Planned: Italian sausage meatballs in marinara with pasta

7.

Bonus Reading

• "A rant on modern motherhood" by Leila Lawler offers good commentary on and then a link to "How Getting Rid of My Stuff Saved My Motherhood" by Robin Long.
• "Silencing the voice of perfectionism" by Elizabeth Foss
• I recently updated my page on "Catholicism and Matters of Faith" to list three talks on the profound effects of music on our lives and morality. I continue to want to write a lengthy blog post summarizing these three talks and how they have informed our family's decisions, but I don't know when, if ever, I will have the time to do so. Therefore, I simply point you to the talks. 

For more 7 Quick Takes Friday, check out This Ain't the Lyceum.