It is interesting to see how two can play so nicely together one minute, then almost kill each other the next. Even our ...[MORE]]]>

Sibling relationships have always fascinated me. The fact that we can be conceived in the same womb, by the same two parents, grow in the same household, follow the same household rules, yet grow up to be completely different individuals is incredible. As a mother of five children, I often marvel at the unique personalities of each of them. I try to notice the various similarities and differences between them. I love to watch them interact and play with one another.

It is interesting to see how two can play so nicely together one minute, then almost kill each other the next. Even our almost 11 year-old son can get into it with our 3 year-old daughter. Our 6 year-old son is more of the peacemaker in the family than the rest of them. If his older brother is antagonizing him, he will sometimes retaliate, but mostly by tattling on him. I try to encourage them to work it out between them, but sometimes I must intervene and punish one or both of them. Somedays, being the referee is exhausting. I just want to throw in the towel and order them to their rooms for the rest of the day. Then, if I am at my breaking point, they tell me not to be mad at the other one and it was really their fault. Go figure!

Our 4 year-old son and 3 year-old daughter have a love/hate relationship, too. When the older boys aren’t around, they play nicely together. But guaranteed, as soon as one or both of the older ones arrive home, the 4 year-old will ditch our daughter and act like he doesn’t even like her. It makes me sad to see him treat her this way, because she adores him. She literally will do almost anything he asks (or better yet tells) her to do.

The one thing they all have in common is their love for the youngest. Each one will beg to hold him every day. Multiple times a day, they will kiss him and play with him. He never goes without attention from at least one of them. Our daughter is especially good to him. She thinks he is HER baby. I am thoroughly enjoying these moments of love they share for the baby.

I am trying very hard to encourage love between all of them. I discuss the importance of genuine love and care with each other. I explain that this is a big part of their father’s and my decision to home school them. We want so much for them to realize they have built in best friends right here, growing with them.

My insistence on the importance of their love for one another is partly due to my nonexistant relationship with my own sisters. I grew up in a loving, tight-knit family, as the youngest of three girls. I adored my sisters. My mom gave us all the love in the world, but somehow the emphasis on family first didn’t trickle down so well to my sisters. Almost 11 years ago they decided to cut my parents and me out of their lives. An argument that didn’t seem much different than many other family upsets in the past, turned into a complete disaster. They decided there would not be a reconciliation and no explanation was given. Their decision was made and it was not up for negotiations. It was and is so painful. My oldest sister had 3 children that my parents and I loved daily until the split. It was like she took a knife and cut our hearts right out of our chests when she forbid us contact with them again. My parents immediately tried to find out their grandparent rights, but there weren’t any. Others have tried in the past to create rights for good, honest, caring grandparents, but it got them nowhere. It’s truly a shame.

Years ago, my mother was told by a psychologist that one day their absence would feel like a death and the pain would subside. He told her she would think of them occasionally, but not as often as she had. Her daily sadness would be replaced with joy for her grandchildren in my family. He was right. She rarely mentions them anymore. Primarily, I’m the one that brings them up. I remind her of the birthdays of the grandchildren. We talk about how old they are and try to imagine what their interests would be. The oldest granddaughter was 6 when all this happened and now she will be graduating from high school. I still see a 6 year-old girl in my mind. It’s hard to imagine she is almost an adult. I still pray for them and I pray for healing. I don’t know if there will ever be a chance to reconcile this long separation, but I carry a faint hope that there will be one day. Nevertheless, I will continue to cherish my parents and the last years of their life by allowing my children to fill them with as much love as they can handle.

May God hear my prayers for my own children that they will grow to be lifelong friends and hopefully the best of friends.

The past three months have been ...[MORE]]]>

Three months ago, we welcomed our fifth child into the world.  Our 10 pound 4 ounce baby boy has brought us pure happiness.  God is so good to have blessed us once again with a healthy, joyful, bundle of love.  Even though it has only been 3 months, it feels like he has always been a part of our family.  It helps that he is such a good baby, too.  Although, he is quickly learning that it is far more fun to be held and entertained, than hanging out in the playpen and exercising with tummy time.

The past three months have been far from easy though.  It seems my life is always being thrown a curve ball.  I remember a scene from the movie “Parenthood” with Steve Martin, when the old wise grandmother told Steve Martin’s character and the character’s wife about the day her husband took her to a fair.  She shared her amazing experience with going on a scary, but exhilarating roller coaster ride.  She shared in detail about how fun that ride was to her and how much she preferred it to the boring merry-go-round.  I was just a child when that movie came out, but I often think about that scene as I have gotten older and my family has continued to grow in size.

I have recently started homeschooling full-time again.  It is not always a bed of roses or even close to it, but by the end of the week I have to reflect on the progress my older two boys are making and recognize how the experience is allowing me to grow as a mother and daughter of Christ.  I bought a beautiful picture of Our Lady holding her precious child, our Savior Jesus Christ, and hung it by my front door.  I often look at this picture during the day and ask for her prayers and guidance.  I also hung up a picture of Jesus and His Sacred Heart.  It is helpful to have these images to remind me of their mighty strength and eternal love for me.  I know they are always by my side.  I feel very fortunate not to be riding the roller coaster of life alone.

The pregnancy has been fairly uneventful, but I do find myself becoming increasingly agitated and grumpy. To be honest, people are just annoying me like crazy. My tolerance level is extremely low. Even the family dog has lost his ...[MORE]]]>

I reached a mile-marker today. I’m 30 weeks pregnant and moving right along. Just a little update, my sweet baby is going to be a BOY! This really surprised me, because my pregnancy has been very similar to when I was pregnant with my daughter. Oh well, so much for comparisons. We’re super excited that our lil guy will be here soon enough.

The pregnancy has been fairly uneventful, but I do find myself becoming increasingly agitated and grumpy. To be honest, people are just annoying me like crazy. My tolerance level is extremely low. Even the family dog has lost his place on my lap in the evening. I don’t even recall this aggravation happening with me with the other pregnancies, so at least I can say something is new…lol. At least I will have a better sympathy for my dear friends that do experience this with their pregnancies.

I may be able to contribute some of my annoyances with a couple students I had this semester. Usually I get the privilege of tutoring awesome students, but there were two disrespectful ones this time around. I ended up letting both of them go, because they were rude, unappreciative, & undeserving of my time. My time is just precious anymore and if I’m going to take time away from my family, it better be for a good cause & with good hard-working individuals. Lucky for me, the rest of my students are the complete opposite and I’m most grateful for them & their successes this year.

I’ve been recognizing the ever growing need to re-prioritize my time. Our family has more than doubled over the past five years and my prayers have been centered around what God really wants from me lately. I love our kids new part-time private school and I’m happy that I can afford for them to attend it with my tutor income. It was exciting for me this week when I got an email from the assistant headmistress inquiring if I would like to teach a couple classes in trade for one school tuition. I told her thank you so much, but it just wasn’t possible right now. The baby is coming soon and then my mom is having knee surgery in the fall. I will need to help her out, instead of relying on her for babysitting. Anyhow, I did mention that I would love the opportunity to apply for a teaching position eventually when our lil guy is a little older and she was very receptive. It would be an answer to prayers to be able to exchange private tuition for my services. It would also be fun to be right there with them everyday. It is a big change to homeschooling, but honestly, the last couple years were just not working for me in that area. Part-time is plenty for me. I will just need to continue to pray about all these areas of our family life and remember to let God guide us. I seem to want to jump in on moving things along and I need to remember to sit back sometimes and let Him be in control. Then, I must rely on Todd to do his part, as well. It’s this whole control thing that I have to continue to work on, too, but I’m a work in progress and I’m getting better. When keeping the design God designed for the hierarchy of family, things work out much better. I know that from experience.

Thank you, Jesus, for loving me enough to grant me another beautiful child on his way. I hope he will be as wonderful and loving as his three awesome big brothers and amazing father.

Jesus called us to be like leaven. Once our faith is planted in us, we begin to grow. We have to be truly open to the growth, constantly seeking a stronger relationship ...[MORE]]]>

The Holy Spirit works in mysterious ways. Recently, I was contacted via email by a special deacon from Arizona. Deacon Tom had found my conversion story online and was interested in talking with me further about doing an interview on his podcast. He has a marvelous website with his wife, Dee, where they discuss and examine a variety of catholic topics. He happened to have reached Vitamin L and his topic was “Leaven”.

Jesus called us to be like leaven. Once our faith is planted in us, we begin to grow. We have to be truly open to the growth, constantly seeking a stronger relationship with Him. I remember talking to one of my parish priests about feeling a bit overwhelmed when I was fresh in the faith. There was much to learn and I felt like a kindergartener. The numerous traditions, prayers, saints, angels, etc…were enough to intimidate any convert. He looked at me kindly and said to me that it begins with my personal relationship with Christ. That was the most important part of all and not to lose sight of that. As the years have passed, I feel as though there is still so much to learn. The one thing I can do is look back to where I was in the beginning and how far I have come. It is a fabulous journey that I am enjoying immensely.

I believe my respect for life began my draw to catholicism, but now there are many other aspects that light my fire. For starters, our precious gift of the Eucharist. The words “Lord, I am not worthy to receive you, but only say the word and I shall be healed,” touch my heart and soul. What a gift! Then, I get to confess my sins and put them behind me. I don’t dwell on wrongdoings like I did in the past. Not to mention, my relationship with our Blessed Mother. I was robbed of knowing her for most of my life, but now she is there to help guide me on my spiritual path.

Deacon Tom and I had our podcast interview a couple weeks ago. It went very well and I hope you will take some time to listen to Vitamin L and all the other Catholic Vitamins at www.catholicvitamins.com.

God Bless You on your own personal journeys and may the leaven work in you!

When Tim asked me to be a guest blogger on this topic, I had a couple of different feelings. Naturally, I felt honored that he thought well enough about me to request my input on it. I also felt intimidated with the company I would be writing on this topic with, because not only am I the only convert in the group, I respect both of them so much, that I don’t feel that I have reached their ...[MORE]]]>

I was asked to be a guest blogger on this topic for my friend’s blog Salvation is an Adventure. Here is my post…

When Tim asked me to be a guest blogger on this topic, I had a couple of different feelings. Naturally, I felt honored that he thought well enough about me to request my input on it. I also felt intimidated with the company I would be writing on this topic with, because not only am I the only convert in the group, I respect both of them so much, that I don’t feel that I have reached their spiritual maturity levels. Nonetheless, I trust Tim’s judgment; I have prayed about it and feel that God wants me to do it.

I realize this blog topic resulted from a previous blog of Tim’s regarding women being priests. I would like to voice my opinion on this issue first. It seems many people find it to be unfair that a woman cannot be a Catholic priest. Even when I was a Protestant child, I never felt right about women being pastors. I would grumble when my parents would discuss visiting a church with a female minister. It didn’t feel right at all. I believed and still believe God made the hierarchical family order for an important reason. Most women will end up having children and, in my opinion, there is no way a woman can successfully give herself completely to her congregation, when she is desperately needed at home. Now that I am catholic, I see even more that women cannot possibly be priests. At my parish, I watch both of our priests work all hours of the day and night to give themselves entirely to our church family.

In regards to having a female minister, one example comes to my mind. My next door neighbor was an adopted girl from El Salvador. Her mother decided when the girl was twelve that she was going to be a Lutheran Minister. She left her family for two years to go away to college for her studies. My friend ended up turning to drugs and promiscuity, which she believes happened because she didn’t have a mother to tend to her properly. Even after her mother returned, she was far too busy caring for her congregation to attend to her household duties. Their home was very broken.

So, where do women fit into the role of the church? Of course, there are various roles of religious orders, but I feel I would better answer this question in the perspective of wives and mothers, since I was personally called to the Sacrament of Marriage. I love being active in my church, but it is hard at this point in my life, as a homeschooling mother of four young children. My first responsibility is to raise my children in our Catholic Faith. We pray multiple times a day together and I teach Catechism to our two older sons. We read daily about a different Saint or Angel. We school with a Catholic Curriculum and this leads to many religious discussions during the day.

In church, I do what I can to participate in as much as can, without it becoming an overwhelming and, consequently, undesirable burden. I have always been an extreme believer in the right to life, so I joined our Respect Life group. I even find it difficult at times to make the once a month meeting. However, I still receive the emails and take time to pray for all aspects of life, from conception until death. I have a son in our parish’s Cub Scout Pack, so my husband and I volunteered to be the Webmasters for their website. My husband, Todd, does the content for the website and I update the calendar. We also help the pack out as much as we can fit into our schedule. Our oldest son is an Altar Server and I attend his meetings with him.

Through homeschooling, I have met other incredible Catholic mothers. Most of them do not attend my parish, which leads to yet another reason I love our faith. It doesn’t matter which parish we are members of when we are one in the Eucharist, because we are all a family. A few times a year, we attend a weekday Mass, pray the Rosary, visit retirement homes, pray for the unborn in front of an abortion clinic, make meals for new mothers or families in need, organize religious parties for our children, and offer each other support in different ways. I service the group by being one its communication administrators.

Above everything else, I have found the most important thing I can personally do for the Church is pray. I regularly pray for our priests and everyone that make up our church. I take some time before and during Mass to recognize and appreciate the Eucharistic Ministers, choir, Organist, altar servers and their Director, Deacons, Priests, Nuns, youth ministers, nursery caretakers, ushers, Sacristan, religious education teachers, and all the people that make up my wonderful parish. I appreciate all the roles that make up our church body. Without one of these special roles, we wouldn’t be whole. The physical body can’t work without every functioning organ and it is the same within our church body. I don’t know why God chose for me to be a wife and mother, but I graciously accept the role chosen for me. Our Blessed Mother is incredibly comforting and loving. I feel honored to have been picked to try and emulate her goodness. I pray more women will recognize and accept the role God has called for them.

My husband, Todd, and I are members of a “Teams of Our Lady” marriage group and we happened to be in need of a chaplain. We had been trying to find a priest, nun, or deacon for quite some time, but most of the ones we asked were already committed to another group.

One day, I had an idea to ask our incoming ...[MORE]]]>

Our parish associate pastor was recently ordained in May. We were excited when we found out that he would be serving his first assignment at our parish, since we had heard very nice things about him. He joined us this past July.

My husband, Todd, and I are members of a “Teams of Our Lady” marriage group and we happened to be in need of a chaplain. We had been trying to find a priest, nun, or deacon for quite some time, but most of the ones we asked were already committed to another group.

One day, I had an idea to ask our incoming associate pastor, since I figured he probably hadn’t been asked by another group yet. To our pleasant surprise, he said yes! This past Saturday was his first time meeting our whole group and we spent a nice evening getting to know him.

Todd and I were hosting that night, so I requested that he give our home a blessing (once our other guests had left) and he was kind enough to agree. The blessing was peaceful and comforting. I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit moving in our home and flowing out of this kind new priest. Afterwards, the time flew by, as we carried on a conversation that lasted about two hours. He made us laugh and feel like we had been friends for many years. It was a great time.

The next morning after Mass, my family (including my parents) decided we would invite him to share lunch with us. I wondered if he would want to go, since we had just occupied a few hours of his time the previous night. To our delight, he graciously accepted the offer and met us at a family restaurant. It was a fabulous time of laughter and friendship, shared by all of us. It impressed me that he included our children in some of our conversation. He told us sentimental and funny stories of his journey into the priesthood. He didn’t wince when our precocious five-year old boldly and loudly inquired about his age. He proudly announced his age of forty-six and commented that it took him a long time to listen to God’s call to the priesthood.

Our new priest friend told us about different and exciting changes that are coming to our parish. He listened to our desires for what we would like to have, too. He also kindly considered what our oldest son, an altar server, would like to carry to the altar for the next Mass.

I can’t think of a better time we have shared recently with a new friend. I have had friends share that they are intimidated by priests and don’t know how to “break the ice”. I would encourage others to take the time to get to know their priests, because a lifelong Christ-centered friendship may just be in store. Pope Benedict XVI recently declared, “Year For Priests“, June 19, 2009 until June 19, 2010. Let us enjoy the beauty of our priests and keep them in our daily prayers!

I had to quote one of the many ludicrous statements in the head-lining article of the hour…”Having babies isn’t addictive in the way that alcohol and narcotics can be. But bumpaholics feel compelled to ...[MORE]]]>

I just read the most disturbing article on MSN, that claims some women are addicted to being pregnant. The article says that women that have more than the modern American two-child family are trying to fill a void in their life and need to get a life of their own. The idea is to find time to get out and socialize with friends over cocktails, instead of thinking about having another child.

I had to quote one of the many ludicrous statements in the head-lining article of the hour…”Having babies isn’t addictive in the way that alcohol and narcotics can be. But bumpaholics feel compelled to procreate for many of the same reasons that substance abusers turn to booze or drugs.” Is the author, Martha Brockenbrough, really trying to compare the desire to carry a precious life with the addictions of substance abusers? Give me a break already!

I have a wonderful friend that is getting ready to have her fifth child tomorrow. She is hardly addicted to being pregnant, as she has been counting the days until her baby arrives for weeks now. Pregnancy isn’t a great time for her, yet she carries this tiny being inside her to get to the bigger and better part…God’s precious gift of life.

How unfortunate it would be for our world if my friends and I had stopped conceiving after the standard two-child family.  I’m confident, the fabulous further down-the-line babes, will lead our world to a better tomorrow. Thank goodness we ”bumpaholics” aren’t afraid to go against the norm.

It was during my sixth grade year, that my mom decided to try a very expensive Christian school near Biscayne Bay. My oldest sister had been dating a boy from our church, that went to school there. He was ...[MORE]]]>

Miami was not the easiest place to grow up. My mom always watched the local news about all the crime going on around us. She was determined to send my sisters and me to private school. We jumped around to a few different ones, until finding the right match for our family. Unfortunately, that took until I was in the seventh grade.

It was during my sixth grade year, that my mom decided to try a very expensive Christian school near Biscayne Bay. My oldest sister had been dating a boy from our church, that went to school there. He was very happy and comfortable there, so my mom decided to give it a try.

I was terrified to go to a new school that year. I loved the school that we were leaving and I was beginning my awkward preteen years. I had always been the tallest girl in the class (center back for all the class pictures), but now I was wearing braces, didn’t know anyone, was prepubescent, and finally starting to care about my looks. The hardest part was that I was going to be separated from both my sisters for the first time. The new private school was large enough to have 3 different sections for elementary, junior, and senior high. That would happen to be the only year where all three of us would be in a different location. However, my mom assured me that everything would be fine. She felt confident that I would make many friends, like I had in the past.

Well, my reservations were right on. For the first time, I got to experience what the term “popular crowd” was really about. It was the snobbiest group of kids I had ever encountered. They had more money than they knew what to do with. The most popular girl in our grade played Sonny Crockett’s daughter on Miami Vice! She wasn’t a regular on the show, but did make appearances when they needed her character. She was horrible to those of us that didn’t own leather mini skirts (my mom wouldn’t even consider it), have long gorgeous hair, and stand half my height. There were no back centers on their team! I was forced to hang with the outsiders, but I preferred that group anyhow. They were far nicer than the “in” crowd. However, I didn’t stay long enough to expand on those friendships. Lucky for me, my mom decided that school wasn’t right for her either, so that was the one and only year we spent there.

Although, my remaining school years were quite enjoyable, I still encountered times of frustration with people that thought and acted like they were better than everyone else. I figured this problem would resolve itself after graduation and certainly after college. It was immature behavior that only school-age children experienced.

I was wrong. I have never encountered more childish people, since becoming a mom. It is unfortunate, but true.

I challenge myself to not fall prey to this unhealthy and unkind behavior. I am thrilled to be a daughter of Christ and share my faith with other like-minded moms. I seek to be a better friend to the dear women in my life. I pray that the Holy Spirit will work through me to bring women closer together. There is nothing more powerful than being a mom. It is a gift from God and we need the strength of each other. I must remember to never forget that woman on the side of the room that has no one to talk to. They are Christ’s special daughter, chosen to have the most important job of all, Motherhood. What a gift she is and how lucky I am to know her!