Review: The Death of a Pope

Recently, while on my vacation, I read the novel The Death of a Pope by Piers Paul Read. Set in the time between the death of Pope John Paul II and the election of Pope Benedict XVI, it is a suspenseful thriller about a suspected terrorist and the innocent woman who comes to love him. While not what I would consider *great* literature, it is a fantastic book for those who enjoy the likes of James Patterson and who are looking for something better than (blah!) Dan Brown. I found the plot a tiny bit predicatable, but who cares! It's authentically Catholic and kept me up reading until midnight. Who could ask for more from a vacation book! I would have liked a bit more character development, but I'm fairly creative and have enjoyed developing the characters myself, haha! Plus I am still pondering some of the deeper issues raised regarding social justice and the Catholic Church.
So.....I would tell you, if you want something light that will challange some of your assumptions and keep you up in the wee hours of the night, head over to The Catholic Company and get this book!

Review of Magnificat Magazine - May Issue

I was recently privileged enough to be given the opportunity to review books for The Catholic Company. The first review I chose to write was on Magnificat Magazine. For the uninitiated, Magnificat is a monthly publication that contains the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Morning, Evening and Night Prayers of the Church, as well as the Mass readings for every day of the month. It also contains the order of the Mass so it functions as a wonderful missal to take everywhere. In this issue there was also a lovely meditation on the Holy Family based on a piece of artwork.

I absolutely loved the format of the book. It is incredibly easy to use with little need for flipping pages once you find the current day's prayers. It was edifying to see that some of the prayers were in Latin and that there was chant included as well. It is small enough to fit in a purse (or diaper bag) and while the cover is a big flimsy (my own was bent within a week) there are sturdier, permanent covers one can purchase advertised right in the book.

My hope was that as a busy mother of three I would be able to use this as a springboard for a better, more regular prayer life. My husband prays the traditional Divine Office and while I don't always find it convenient, I admire greatly his devotion and the quiet time he takes multiple times a day. Alas, it does not seem to be the prayer for me due to my own failings. I am a perfectionist and find it hard to settle into this kind of routine. If I miss a morning prayer, instead of starting later or just skipping to the next, I am likely to just scrap the whole day.

So while I would very happily purchase Magnificat for anyone interested in praying the Liturgy of the Hours, I am sad to say that I cannot overcome my own difficulty with this type of prayer.

I love it when this happens!

Time and time again I come to a point where I worry about Jack meeting his developmental milestones. He always meets them when I least expect it. I had thought we were past this until his well check for his fourth birthday. The doctor asked if he could draw a person (stick figure) and when I replied, "maybe...he never has but that doesn't mean he can't!" she suggested I have his fine motor skills evaluated.

*sigh*

I declined, but it kept nagging at the back of my mind. You see I was completely covinced that the only reason he hadn't done it was lack of interest. Sort of completely. Well, as time went on, I was less and less convinced. There was no point in asking him to do it. Jack is one of those kids who will eventually do something *unless* you ask him to...then he'll never do it. So we trudged on and I watched him scribble aimlessly for months.

Today we were coloring and he actually asked what he should make. I suggested he draw a picture of mommy. And he was off. Perfectly formed circle. Hair, chin, ears, mouth, legs and feet. Bingo. It wasn't a stick figure, but it was good enough. Then he made a bunch of random dots with a marker and drew a picture connecting all of them. I'd say that's great fine motor skills for his age.

*whew* So once again, I shouldn't have worried. I wonder what it will be next?

They're playing...together!

It's so amazing to me that even early on you can clearly see the relationships that develop among siblings. Helen and Rebecca are experiencing this incredible blossoming of friendship and sisterhood. They laugh, they fight, they compete...it's such a foreshadowing of years to come. Helen is still in her babyhood and yet she has become a (sometimes) willing playmate for Rebecca and Jack.
Rebecca is overwhelming for her (okay, Rebecca is overwhelming for ME) but when she manages to keep her enthusiasm down just a bit Helen is happy to play with her.

On a different note...Rebecca's language skills continue to astound me. She is not yet three years old and this is an exchange we just shared:
R: Where is Babi?
Me (not paying attention): Hmmm?
R: Excuse me Mommy, where is my pretend Babi that lives in my dollhouse? I'm looking for her.

okay! I KNOW that Jack was somewhat behind in language development, but there is NO WAY he could have articulated anything close to that when he was that age. Wow. Without having the vocabulary (and the social skills) I would place her verbal language skills at that of a five or even six year old. She rarely uses words incorrectly and with the exception of a few stragglers rarely mispronounces her words (she still calls spagetti, skabetty but I LOVE that and I hope she never loses it! of course I felt that way when Jack called helicopters, helicoplers and he eventually lost that. I still miss it.)

Great laundry tip!

Today I was in the pits of dispair. I purchased a lovely lime green tshirt for Rebecca yesterday to wear under many of her spagetti strap dresses* and of course she wanted to wear it today. That was fine. Except that I let her have grape juice with her lunch. Yeah, purple grape juice. Well, you know the rest of the story.

Devastaed (well...severely annoyed) I scoured the internet looking for a failure proof solution....

AND....I found it!

To take grape juice out of fabric, pour hydrogen peroxide over the stain (the fabric can be wet or dry) and let it sit for fifteen minutes. I tell you! Every last bit of grape juice is GONE!

WOO-HOO!

Just wanted to share my joy :-)

Denial...Moderation...Indulgence...Overindulgence

Well, Lent is over and we are finally celebrating Easter. We have moved from a state of denial strait into a state of indulgence which has caused me to think. Am I indulging or overindulging? What *is* moderation and what does it look like day to day? It occurs to me that most of society (myself included) generally maintains a state of indulgence to overindulgence so that what we call denial might really be closer to moderation. People spend an incredible amount of money on sugary snack foods, desserts and super sizing their fast food.

Let's assume that moderation is three square meals a day, maybe a couple of snacks with an occasional treat. Indulgence then is the same, perhaps a second helping at the dinner table and an extra treat or two. Overindulgence is eating way past full and partaking of foods with little to no nutritional value.
I definately have falled on the side of overindulgence in every day life, so after reflecting on all this, my goal is to stay closer to these desiganations within the Liturgical seasons (i.e. Feasts = Indulgence, Ordinary Time = Moderation, Pennitential = Denial). Right now we are in the season of feasting and that means I can indulge to my hearts delight. The trick will be not to go overboard. This also means that I can gradually work myself into this new way of thinking.

Adding Beauty continued

So many of you ('cause SO many people read my blog HAHAHAHAHAHA!) read my post a while back about adding music and candles to our dinners in an attempt to create a beautiful atmosphere. I have to say, while it hasn't solved all our problems, it has defintately lifted my spirits as we live our lives. Fortunately I found Pandora Radio and so have been able to introduce a wide variety of music into our lives throughout the day (nothing says lovely like listening to Etta James while making dinner!).

Here are my goals for adding beauty as we move into spring. Already I have begun to drink my afternoon tea from a teapot (as opposed to the electric kettle) and tea cup and saucer (as opposed to a big mug with a tea bag hanging out). I would like to say I will drink my tea sitting down, but with three kids that isn't likely to happen any time soon so let's call that a loooooong term goal. Also, as they become available I will be cutting flowers to bring inside to a few vases in the dining room and kitchen.
I will also be phasing out a lot of processed foods in favor of homemade and whole foods in an effort to help us all feel a lot better so that we can appreciate the other beautiful things in life.

Diet, Exercise and Society (and Lent)

Our society has become so backward and deranged that being "fit" and "healthy" actually involves starving oneself and stressing the body to the point of exhaustion. There are more diet programs and fitness gurus than I can count. We even have television programs devoted to the topic of watching people lose weight. I can honestly say that I do not know one woman who has not at least considered modifying her food intake or exercise regime to conform to one of these popular programs (be it weight watchers for the overweight or pilates for the fit crowd). Men tend to be a little more immune to the hysteria, but I do know plenty of men who have succumbed as well.

I do not want to ignore the obvious (believe me, I live it): we are a society of overweight, sedentary and for a great part lazy people. Honestly, America invented the couch potato. We are unhealthy. I believe the greater question is can we move forward to becoming a healthy people and still ditch Jenny Craig and the gym?

As with all things, it starts in the home. We need to teach our children to make good food choices and to have moderation in appetite. And this, like all things we teach our children, begins with example. How can a child respect a parent who says candy is not an everyday food, and yet keeps a secret stash of M&M's for their own pleasure? Isn't the hard part the fact that so few of us know how to eat and live correctly and therefore cannot be expected to be a positive example for our children? I mean, if we knew wouldn't we be living it already?

But maybe we do know. Maybe we know and are so caught up in our own gluttony and pleasure cycles that becoming the example our children need is almost unthinkable. What?? Give up my morning Coca-Cola*? Or my nightly cookies? Or my fried foods? Or my three scoops a day of ice cream?

I'm pretty sure I know how to live a healthy life: Eat a healthy diet of veggies, whole grains, lean meats, good fats and occasional treats. Lower quantity of food overall. Move more. I don't mean go to the gym more, but rather less sitting at the computer (blogging.....) and more doing chores upstairs and downstairs and playing actively with my kids.

I recognize that part of the problem (and therefore our perpetual need for the treadmill and eliptical) is that our society has become so mechanized and efficient that our physical workload is greatly diminished. We no longer have to grow our own food, tend our own animals, walk to...well...anywhere, exert ourselves to do laundry and a whole host of other things. So, yes, maybe we need to supplement something. I still don't think it should be a Richard Simmons video in your living room. I'll get back to you when I figure that one out.

So where does Lent fit in? Well it is the perfect time of year to reevalute how you live your life and impose some serious discipline while reaping spiritual benefits. As of Septuagesima I have already given up one vice and establised one habit: no more soda, diet or otherwise and a good breakfast of irish oatmeal. I feel better already. It has not been easy, let me tell you, but the benefits are there. And as Lent begins I will be giving up nighttime snacking (no food after dinner) and all fast food. I will start making healthy soups and simple meals for our dinners and eating a modest lunch. The laptop will moving to the kitchen where I will only be able to be online if I am standing. As soon as the tempeture is consistantly in the 50's we will be spending a good part of the day outside either playing or taking walks.
That's not the entirity of my Lenten discipline this year, but those are the things that relate to this post.

I'll let you know how it goes.

*I was going to say "coke" but then I started thinking that other people might interpret that as a worse habit than the one I have ;-)