Gloria in Excelsis Deo: {SQT} Exercising Some Gratitude

1. Wildlife

We encountered much wildlife this week.

First, another black paper wasp was found flying around in the upstairs bedrooms. It was two months ago (click here) that dozens flew into the baby's room through an as yet undiscovered crack in our 35-year-old windows. Every once in a while, we get a stray one and are thankful that they are an unaggressive wasp.

But then we encountered a very aggressive stinging insect in our kitchen: a bald-faced hornet! I outright interrupted Chris on a business call and asked him to come kill it immediately, which he did. It was some years ago that we discovered a basket ball-sized nest of them hanging above our driveway, so now I am searching the property for a new nest.

The following day we found (and eradicated) another bald-faced hornet in our garage.

A couple of days later, a third hornet was found flying around our kitchen window. The search continues for the nest, which surely must be near since I've read that these hornets "do not fly far from the nest" and are "really only a problem when the nest is located within ten feet of the home."

On Saturday, I came downstairs in the wee hours of the morning and, with my blurry waking-up eyes, saw a mouse scurrying about. Feeling certain he would dash into a hole at any second, I calmly went about brewing my coffee until I noticed that he was still running about crazily.

I thought to myself, "It's possible this mouse is just so stupid that I could catch him myself."

I grabbed a nearby plastic bin, walked over to the mouse, and simply set it down on top of him. Then I went to wake Chris because my part of this whole adventure was done and I was leaving it to him to figure out just what he was supposed to do to transport the mouse away.

The kids all came downstairs to watch what would unfold . . .

. . . as Daddy swapped out the big bin for a smaller Tupperware and then slid a pizza paddle beneath the mouse and its Tupperware.

Chris walked the mouse out into the woods to bid him adieu as the morning sun rose . . .

. . . and there was greeted smack in the face by a deer!

We also encountered a beautiful and huge grasshopper at Mass on Sunday, which fascinated Thomas. I stood guard and did not let any children gathering hurt the creature.

2. Soccer

On Saturday, John and Joseph had their first soccer games with the YMCA. This means, this was my first-ever game as a "soccer mom."

Some soccer mom! I forgot to bring any lawn chairs, any snacks for my own kids, and any toys (sports balls or something) for my kids on the sidelines to play with.

For a while, we played at the YMCA playground, but then we wanted to go watch the games to support our boys.

Look at all those parents with chairs and snacks!

While Chris watched Joseph, I watched John, which was fun, even though I can't follow the game.

Since my kids had no toys or electronic devices to entertain them, they drew in the dirt, which really was good, clean (dirty) fun.

Chris said he stopped counting when Joseph's opposing team scored 19 goals, and in the below picture Joseph is showing me where his team was (down low) and where the other team was (up high): "The other team practiced way too much!"

But the two goals scored by Joseph's team were by Joseph himself!

3. Sunday Breakfast

I am so grateful that my husband cooks breakfast on Sundays, and such beautiful ones at that.

4. Homeschooling

I am so grateful for homeschooling, even though it is hard to the point of producing anxiety and stress (still working on that part).

Fantastic 3-minute video encouraging homeschooling!

I get to teach my Kindergartener how to read! Even though this is my fourth time teaching a child how to read, I still have no idea how valiant teachers do that in a classroom setting.

I get to lay on a sofa and be climbed on by boys 5, 3, and 1 while I try to read good literature aloud to them.

I get to allow my 11-year-old to do his History reading while zooming around on an EZ-Roller on the driveway. (Boys never seem to stop moving.)

I get to allow each child to be at whatever level he or she needs to be at in each subject.

5. Green Space Nearby

I'm so grateful for my husband's career allowing us to afford a safe neighborhood and have green space nearby.

I grew up hearing from my stepfather, who grew up in the projects of Chicago, about how he had one "rich" friend who had grass. He lived in some tiny home that had a teeny, weeny lawn in front of it. I remember this detail so very often with gratitude for what we have.

Hopscotch during recess

I'm grateful that we have some private space that is safe for my children to play in outside. Many families do not have that, and I don't take this for granted. This week, I put a little chalk board, donated to us by a neighbor, on the side porch. Thomas draws out there, right outside my kitchen door, while I'm teaching homeschool. He's safe, he's home (not in daycare), I'm happy.

Our neighborhood has a recreation area, for which I'm so grateful! After dinner one evening this week, we walked over and Thomas enjoyed climbing everything, including the monkey bars, and Mary worked on her tennis skills, hoping to advance to the next class level.

6. The More Important Lessons

On Thursday morning, with my husband heading out of town for work, one of the kids became sick with a stomach bug.

Smack in the middle of our school morning, I was faced with a huge mess.

In prior years, I would have been so upset about our getting off routine and losing time (school subjects) I knew I couldn't make up . . . and, honestly, those hard thoughts still sometimes come. But this day, I watched as my children all flew into action to help and I realized with gratitude that they've been learning those lessons all these years, too.

I didn't even have to ask them for help. One child scooped up the baby and took him upstairs to play safely (or I would have had to strap him in his high chair for about an hour while I cleaned up, him wailing the whole time). Others raced about bringing me plastic kitchen trash bags, disposable latex gloves, a roll of paper towels, disinfectant. One sibling cleaned the sick child's messy face, brought water to sip, and then dashed to make a resting nest on the couch, even laying down black garbage bags on the carpet below to act as a tarp.

It was so beautiful to watch, friends.

All these years, day in and day out, illness after illness in a large family, the children are learning. They learn more than the three Rs, their ABCs, their math; they're learning care giving, charity, service. I encourage any of my readers, especially in the "early years" of having only wee children (naturally selfish creatures that they are) to keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep trying to model charity, and know that those children are learning so much.

7. Miscellaneous

With the new school year, my exercise goals are to walk for 45 minutes on Saturday and Sunday mornings when I have my husband's help, but to "squeeze it in" when I can on school days at variable times. I do have a 9:30 exercise recess in the schedule so one thing I've been trying is having the children play in the yard while I walk briskly up and down the street in front of our house, for the length of about four houses. I don't want my children following me and slowing me down, so I keep instructing the three-year-old to stay on the driveway. He sits cheerfully but with yearning right at the edge, watching me, calling out greetings . . . it's so precious!