To Advent

Here is a picture of our humble Advent wreath. We are all so excited today. Advent brings new beginnings, anticipation, and being on a constant watch and wait. The kids are excited for all of the crafts (pictures to come) and activities that are planned here at our Domestic Church and at Church of the Holy Apostles. As we speak, Ryan and the oldest 4 are doing a craft that Ryan initiated, bought, and planned. I am working on our Christmas cards, and the kids and I will be making an Immaculate Conception Novena Candle (thanks to the idea by Elizabeth Foss at In the Heart of My Home) and we will also be making handmade prayer books! Today we were honored to light our Church Advent wreath. Ryan and the 5 kids lit the Advent candle while Bennett and I read this prayer (pre-written): The holy season of Advent opens before us today. Christmas stands four weeks away, shining as a beacon, summoning us to walk through this sacred time of waiting with hearts awake to and alert for the coming of the Lord. Let us turn to you, God, as we begin this season with eager longing for the manifestation of the Lord Jesus in this holy place. Happy New (Liturgical) Year to All!

To the Aquarium...

Getting ready to walk in!













S with his Godmother F
Somebody was sleepy!

From Thanksgiving...

Thanksgiving was wonderful, as usual.


M and B

Kids table!

Being with family is our greatest blessing of all.

Have a Blessed Thanksgiving!

Being a Little Boy is Tough...

St Catherine of Alexandria

Legends coming from a number of sources say that St Catherine was very outspoken at the time of the persecutions of Christians. She even protested openly to the emperor Maxentius who had her arrested, tortured on the wheel and decapitated in 305. St Catherine’s courage is a great challenge to all African Christians in their struggle for justice and peace. The witness of her life and her readiness to die for the faith encourages us to be brave witnesses to the Lord and to speak out on behalf of all those who suffer.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY 11/25/08...


Outside my window...
Blue sky, Dead leaves, 44 degrees

I am thinking...
What we need to do today (meals, school), what we want to do today (make cookies! snuggle on the couch reading books)

I am thankful for...
my husband, because he is so thoughtful, and my children, because I can see the innocence and the excitement of the coming season in their eyes. I am also thankful for my parents and my husbands parents for taking care of us, each in their own way, because even though we are adults, we are still their children, and we are learning this for when our children are grown. I am thankful for my Aunt J, who helps us out so much in this season of our lives.

From the learning rooms...
J is wrapping up 3rd grade! R is still working hard, and we will be focusing on the 3 R's in the next couple of months. B is ready for K, so we will be starting that in the New Year. And we will be doing some fun activities for S as well! Stay tuned!

From the kitchen...
Today, J will be making a lot of cookies for gifts for Thanksgiving and to bring over to M&P's house. We have beans in the crockpot, but nobody is really sised about those. Looking forward to Thanksgiving! R will be making pumpkin pie tomorrow, and if we can swing it, B will be making applesauce!

I am wearing...
pajamas

I am creating...
an Advent schedule

I am going...
nowhere

I am reading...
Real Learning

I am hoping...
Thursday is not too hectic

I am hearing...
footsteps on the stairs, Evan drinking milk, pbs in the background

Around the house...
B is disputing whether or not it is summer.
Not much decor right now, except for our lone turkey decoration on our door. We have some ideas for Advent, though.

One of my favorite things...
the playpen. At the moment, E is a walking tornado.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
tonight: A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving!
Wednesday: Weekday Mass: Blessing of Thanksgiving Foods
R will be visiting Household of Angels (Residential Care Home) with his Church middle school group, Blaze.
Thursday: Thanksgiving at M&P's house!
Saturday: The Baltimore Aquarium with F&J!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Check out the Simple Woman's Daybook!

Oh, Bass Pro Shop, You Never Disappoint!

We saw fish! (Is that Geema?)

We did crafts!

We played with balloons! And...

WE SAW SANTA!!!

A Brag on my Big Guy

I just received this email from a Mom from our homeschool co-op:

This is for the families of kids in the 6th-8th grade class.

You may have heard about the ISI's annual test of college students' "civic literacy." They test college freshmen's and seniors' basic knowledge of US government and economics. This morning I gave the same test, minus the economics questions, to the elections class. The class average was 57%. This is far higher than the average of all takers of the test (44%). It's higher than the average of all college students in the study (freshmen 50%, seniors 54%). It's equal to the average of freshmen at the "selective" colleges in the study. And the kicker: it's higher than the average score of college *educators* (55%)! Give your kid(s) a pat on the back!

Here's an article about the study:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2007-09-17-history-test_N.htm
And here's the whole quiz:
http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx

The Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

In unity with Eastern Christianity, and commemorating the dedication in 543 of the New Basilica of Saint Mary, built next to the Temple at Jerusalem, this feast celebrates Mary’s “dedication” of herself to God from her infancy, inspired by the Holy Spirit, whose grace had filled her ever since her immaculate conception.
See also the article in Wikipedia.

Sean Raps, Too!

Sean Dances!

Please Pray

Please keep Nana (Dorothy S.) in your prayers! She is in the hospital with pneumonia. She is a tough old lady. We love you, Nana!

Dear Jesus, Divine Physician and Healer of the sick, we turn to you in this time of illness. O dearest comforter of the troubled, alleviate our worry and sorrow with your gentle love, and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden. Dear God, we place our worries in your hands. We place our sick under your care and humbly ask that you restore your servant to health again. Above all, grant us the grace to acknowledge your will and know that whatever you do, you do for the love of us. +Amen.+

Slow Dance

It's almost that time of year. "They" are pushing it in our faces wherever we go. I came across this poem, and I hope it blesses you. So, go turn off the tv. Put on some music! Take a deep breath, and smell your babies heads.

Slow Dance

Have you ever watched kids
On a merry-go-round?
Or listened to the rain
Slapping on the ground?
Ever followed a butterfly’s erratic flight?
Or gazed at the sun into the fading night?
You better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Do you run through each day
On the fly?
When you ask “How are you?”
Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done
Do you lie in your bed
With the next hundred chores
Running through your head?
You’d better slow down
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

Ever told your child,
We’ll do it tomorrow?
And in your haste,
Not see his sorrow?
Ever lost touch,
Let a good friendship die
Cause you never had time
To call and say “Hi”?
You’d better slow down.
Don’t dance so fast.
Time is short.
The music won’t last.

When you run so fast to get somewhere
You miss half the fun of getting there.
When you worry and hurry through your day,
It is like an unopened gift….
Thrown away.
Life is not a race.
Do take it slower
Hear the music
Before the song is over.

-written by David L. Weatherford

St Elizabeth of Hungary

She was a daughter of the King of Hungary. She was given in marriage to Ludwig, the Landgrave of Thuringia, by whom she had three children. She frequently meditated on heavenly things and when her husband died she embraced poverty and built a hospice in which she cared for the sick herself.
See the article in Wikipedia.

Aunty's and Cousins

Aunty and Cousin got some good snuggle time with Bennett today.



C also had time to play baseball outside with the kids, and Evan didn't even cry at her!!! Today was a good day...

Lock'em Up!

The break in the weather made us rush outside for some local geocaching. First to Greenbelt, then over to Upper Marlboro, where we got an FTF (First to Find) at Darnall's Chance:

Darnall’s Chance was built in 1742 by James Wardrop, a Scottish immigrant, who amassed a fortune as a merchant and entrepreneur in the bustling port-town of Upper Marlborough, Maryland. In 1745, he married Lettice Lee, daughter of Phillip Lee, the progenitor of the Maryland branch of the illustrious Lee family of Virginia.

The Wardrops managed a large residential complex that included a substantial brick house, outbuildings, orchards, livestock and an ornamental garden. Their household included 32 slaves - house servants, skilled craftsmen and field hands. Following Wardrop’s death in 1760, Lettice married Dr. Adam Thompson (creator of the “American Method” of smallpox inoculation) and later Col. Joseph Sim. She died on April 3, 1776 and is buried in the 18th century family burial vault on site

The house was remodeled in 1857 and produced such a drastic change that the original Georgian appearance of the Wardrops’ home was soon lost to common knowledge. In 1986, the house was saved from demolition and returned to its 1742 appearance.

The kids couldn't resist sticking their heads in the stock. Ryan creatively made this picture of all of them together. (He's so smart!)

Party of Eight November 2008 Spotlight

We were spotlighted this month on the Maryland Geocaching Society website. Go check it out!

St. Frances Xavier Cabrini

Our favorite priest told us a story (true? untrue?) of when he was looking for a parking spot in a crowded lot, he would say this prayer: "Mother Cabrini, Move a Machiney". Makes me smile everytime I think of it!

Putting on Happy

I'm pretty much a happy person. I usually look on the bright side. For the most part, I am optimistic. I like to think the "cup is half full". (By the way, when I decided to google image "happy" this was one of the pictures that came up. It was just too funny, and I couldn't exclude it, even though it has nothing to do with what I am writing here.)

I think it is important that babies and children see and experience happiness. Every parent wants their child to be happy. And children mimic their parents, the good and the bad. When my 8 year old daughter coos to the baby, I know she got that from me. On the other hand, when my almost 5 year old daughter is demanding and gives ultimatums, I know that is me, also! "Mom, one more minute and you HAVE to read me this book!"...HUH? Well, I guess I sound like that, sometimes. Or, when my 11 year old son holds the baby gently, just so tenderly, I know he gets that from watching his Dad do it over and over and over and over and over again.

I know I have to constantly watch my actions and think about the words I want to say. We are raising the future, you know. This is hard work! A constant work! But the end result is well worth it. Not just for us, the parents, but for the grandparents and family, and also the strangers who don't know us!

A while ago, my Mom gave me a gift set of 3 roll-on perfumes in my favorite scents. One of the perfumes is called "Happy".

So, as I get ready for my day, I put on my Happy. I may not be feeling that way, but I want to make sure the children have a joyful mom, and putting on my Happy is sometimes a mindset I have to get myself into. As I was thinking of all of this, and putting on my lipstick, I turned the tube over to see what the name of it was. The color? Tenderheart! He is certainly telling me something.

Saint Josaphat

He was born in the Ukraine of Orthodox parents. In 1595 the Union of Brest brought the Ruthenian Church into communion with Catholic Rome while still preserving its own liturgy. The result was a schism within the church itself, with one party wanting to remain Orthodox and in the orbit of Moscow and Constantinople, while the other accepted the Union. Matters were complicated by the presence of the Greek Uniates, a decayed remnant of a century-old attempt at church union.Josaphat joined the first monastery of the order of St Basil to be united to the Catholic Church: he was the first person to do so. He was ordained priest and, eventually and reluctantly, appointed bishop of Polotsk in 1617. Although Sigismund III Vasa, King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania, supported the union, the local aristocracy were against it because it threatened their control of ecclesiastical benefices. Plotting with the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem, who visited the Ukraine in 1621, they stirred up trouble and and as a result Josaphat was murdered by a mob in 1623 while on a pastoral visit to Vitebsk.See also the article in Wikipedia.

Riversdale House Museum

Riversdale, a National Historic Landmark, is a restored, five-part, stucco-covered brick plantation home built between 1801 and 1807. Construction of this elegant manor house was begun by Henri Stier, a Flemish aristocrat, and was completed by his daughter Rosalie and her husband George Calvert, grandson of the fifth Lord Baltimore. The Federal style mansion has particularly fine interior decorative detail. Numerous nationally significant figures later lived there. The site is also home to a museum shop.



We found a geocache here, after we visited Marmar and Poppy yesterday.


Found it!


Ryan jumped out to get this with the kids, while I waited in the car with Bennett. I don't think they found the actual mansion very interesting, although they did have fun. And they thought this sign was funny.


Here are a few more pictures from yesterday.

St Martin of Tours

He was born in the Roman province of Pannonia (approximating to the western half of modern Hungary) in about 316 and was educated at Pavia in Italy. He was baptized, left the army and after spending some time as a hermit on an island off the Ligurian coast, founded a monastery at Ligugé in western France, where he lived a monastic life guided by St Hilary. Later he was ordained priest and became bishop of Tours. In his actions he gave an example of what a good shepherd should be. He founded other monasteries, educated the clergy, and preached the Gospel to the poor. He died in 397.
The famous story about St Martin is that while a soldier in Amiens he gave half of his military cloak to a beggar and later had a dream in which the beggar revealed himself as Christ.
See the articles in Wikipedia and the Catholic Encyclopaedia.

Bennett Francis

Stereoscopic Glasses

Daddy was showing the kids how to use the stereoscopic glasses today...Some were interested...




Some were not...

Four Weeks Later...

Yeah!
Josie says "Which way to the monkey bars?"

Let Your Voice Be Heard

sign the Fight FOCA petition and commit to prayer

Pope St Leo the Great

He was born in Etruria and became Pope in 440. He was a true shepherd and father of souls. He constantly strove to keep the faith whole and strenuously defended the unity of the Church. He repelled the invasions of the barbarians or alleviated their effects, famously persuading Attila the Hun not to march on Rome in 452 and preventing the invading Vandals from massacring the population in 455. He left many doctrinal and spiritual writings behind and a number of them are included in the Office of Readings to this day. He died in 461.
See the articles in the Catholic Encyclopaedia and Wikipedia.

Prayer of a Lay Apostle

I came across this prayer a couple of weeks ago as I was searching for evening/night prayers. It comes from The Prayer Book, published in the 1950's. It is my favorite now. I'd like us to say night prayers as a family, but it usually doesn't work out that way. If anyone has suggestions, feel free to post them!

Prayer of a Lay Apostle

Thanks, my God, for the day that is ending, thanks for the coming night. Bring sleep to the weary, bring repose to those I love, and give me rest until tomorrow.
All was not fine, perfect and beautiful today. Give me strength to do better tomorrow.
In this day that is ending I have not been what I should have been. Make me better, my God, less harsh towards others, more gentle, more patient. Make me too, more determined, more demanding of myself, more truthful in speaking, more faithful in my promises, more active in my work, more obedient and more submissive; let me be cheerful, too, and may tomorrow be a finer, fuller day than this.
Thanks, my God, for the day that is ending, thanks for the coming night. Bring sleep to the weary, bring repose to those I love, and give me rest until tomorrow.

+Amen+

You Ever Had One of Those (Bad Hair) Days?

We're still trying to get a picture of the elusive smile. Be patient, everyone, it will come. (The picture that is!)


On another note, we couldn't resist being outside on this beautiful November day. This is a picture of the oldest 4 after finding an urban geocache in Annapolis today. (We went back to get a few we didn't get to yesterday).

Cachin' and...Tuggin'?

We'll get right into it here. Today we went to a geocaching version event of a WWFM (World Wide Flash Mob). Here is a description of what we did:

This flash mob event is part of a much larger effort by geocachers around the world. At 1 PM, EST, other World Wide Flash Mob (WWFM) events across the country and around the world will occur. Come and be a part of this epic event.

We'll be meeting at City Dock in Annapolis, MD. The event will last 15 minutes. When we're done, we can all go geocaching.

Here's the schedule of events*:

12:45 -12:59 PM - Participants: Wait patiently and/or stroll around the area. STAY AWAY from ground zero until the signal is given. As much as you can, act like a muggle, pretend not to know each other or give any indication that something is about to happen. At 12:59pm converge on ground zero. The Flash Mob Event has begun.

1:00 PM - A packet with a log sheet, your event meal, a pencil and an extra surprise will be handed out. Sign individual log sheets and drop them in the bucket. Another bucket will be available for coins and bugs. Mingle. Trade travel bugs and coins. Share stories. Brag. Take pictures. Make arrangements to meet elsewhere, or to find the various caches in the nearby area.

1:10 PM - Assemble for a group photo, and assemble FAST. Listen to the photographer for directions. Group photo is taken. At the same time we will be posing for the webcam. Couple 'o Cachers will be coordinating this event.

1:14 PM - One minute warning is called "It is now 1:14!" Prepare to leave. Prize Drawing!

1:15 PM EXACTLY - Wait for it ... then LEAVE the area (right at 1:15 PM)! Meet elsewhere if desired. The log sheet bucket will be packed up. If you log’s not in the bucket, you can't log the event.

Oh, by the way, we won the door prize at the event, a brand new geocoin. How did we win, do you ask? Brady happened to be the kid asked to pick a name out of the bucket of names participating. Guess which name she picked? Yes, it was Party of Eight.
Is that Geema?

After we left the area, we followed the dock to another event in the area: the MRE Tug-o-War. Ryan participated in that event, too, by happenstance. Watching the area, Ryan was asked to tug in the event, so he donned some gloves from a bucket, grabbed the rope, and won it for the Annapolis team. Well, him and 29 other dudes and dudettes.



While in the area, we stopped by our old watering hole, the Sly Fox Pub. We were lucky to run into the co-owner, a good old friend of Ryan's. We caught up, laughed a lot, and talked about the upcoming election?


Wow, all that in one day, you ask? Well, that's just a typical day in the life of Party of Eight. You never know where we'll be, or what we're up to! So...stay tuned!
(Thank you, Geema, for being with us today!)