Saturday, February 23, 2013

Wings Contest!

Our three oldest sons are all born in February.  For the last several years, as their gift we take them out to lunch or dinner and then go someplace fun/interesting for the afternoon without all of their younger siblings.(except a nursing baby)

With birthdays so close to Christmas, there usually isn't anything that they really need or want, so spending time doing something together has been a fun alternative.  One year we went to the Patriot's Hall of Fame and then dinner at the CBS Scene.  Another year we went out to lunch at the Cheesecake Factory and then played games at Dave and Buster's.

This year, we got some inspiration from the TV show "The Middle" to do something separate with each of them.  Getting alone time with each child when we are so outnumbered is something we need to make a conscious effort to plan.  They need it, and we need it, too.  It's amazing how the teenagers open up when you get them 1:1.

We will be taking Mike out for his day next week since he had to wait until basketball was done.  He wants the plan to remain a surprise...so mum's the word for now!

I had found something I knew Andrew would love...tickets to see Bill Cosby.  (Who Andrew loves to quote).  Jay and Andrew will be attending the show in a couple of weeks.  (It's at night and too late to bring Kate out...and too close to her bedtime when she really needs mommy to leave her behind.)

For Jon, I found an advertisement for a winter festival in Newport that included a "wings contest".  Jon loves chicken wings...especially buffalo wings!  So a wings contest is right up his alley!


So Jay and I headed out with Jon and Kate today.  The wings festival was busy!  They didn't allow carriages in the ballroom where it was being held, so it was quite challenging to hold Kate in one arm, a glass of water in the other, and get the wing samples.  But we managed!;)  Towards the end, I found a quieter corner with Kate and a couple of other toddlers and their parents.

....These were the trophies....
 ...Jay  and Jon right before we went in...
 ....Action photo!...
 ...Kate nibbling a chicken wing(Don't worry!  It was an empty wing that she snagged and I took it as a photo op moment!)
 ...Jon and Kate sharing a tech moment...
 ....Jon and mom:)

There were 11 different wing contestants.   Most contestants had 2 types of wings to try.  There were a lot of buffalo wings, a couple of gold fever wings, some bbq wings, a balsamic bacon wing (different!), oriental wings, peanut sauce wings, meditteranean wings, and probably a couple more I'm forgetting!

I was torn for a favorite between O'Brien's bbq wing and Rhody Joe's gold fever wings!  In the end, I voted for the bbq wing and Jay and Jon voted for the Rhody Joe's wing.  (They haven't posted the winners, yet!)

....Jay went back for "Just one more" of his favorite Rhody Joe's wing.(He came back with 2:)

After the contest, we walked around Newport for a while.  Jon got some of his favorite things....candy!
Then, he spotted a froyo store and wanted to try it!  Kate fell asleep right before we got there so she missed out!
 ....Jon enjoyed it:)...and he ate Kate's share, too!
Then we bought some chowder to bring home for tomorrow from the Black Pearl.  We had no room left after the wings and froyo!

It was a fun day.  We enjoyed spending the (almost) one on one time with Jon.  Since tomorrow is his actual birthday, it's like he has a whole weekend to celebrate!

....more on Jon tomorrow:)
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Friday, February 22, 2013

The End of a Season and an Era

Last night, most of family went to watch Mike's last basketball game at his community college.  It is the "end of an era" for Mike because I don't think he will pursue playing at whatever college he goes to next year...though I'm sure he will probably join a club team and play pick up ball forever!

His basketball schedule has definitely dominated much of his life for the last two years.  His team starts practicing in early September and doesn't end until the end of February.  He spends hours almost every day with his team watching film, lifting weights and practicing.  Because they have to share a gym with the high school next door, their practices generally don't start until 8ish every night and last until 11 or 11:30.  Getting home at midnight, starving and needing a shower and a while to wind down, the mornings he has 8am classes for are a challenge to get up for.

(But get up he did!  Mike has a 3.9 GPA...something I'm even prouder about than his commitment to basketball!)

Here was Mike's last game in pictures....

....the sign we made to embarrass encourage him with.
 ...the pregame moment where they announced each of the graduating players and presented them with a framed action photo from the season.

...announcing Mike in the starting line up!  First time starting for Mike, and his teammates all imploded on him for a lot of enthusiastic bumps and fist pumps!
 ....Mike's personal fan section!
 ...a (kind of) action shot....
 ...intently watching his teammates.
 ...me and Kate, who was super adorable the whole game:)
 ...another action shot.
.....Mike and one of the graduating captains having a moment at the very end of the game.  Endings can be bittersweet!
 ...Mike with 2 of his biggest fans.(and Jon photo bombing in the background!)
 ...our 6'4" basketball loving young adult who now has quite a bit of time on his hands...and about to embark on the next part of this adventure called life!
  Congratulations, Mike...Dad and I are very proud of you!
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Wednesday, February 20, 2013

February Vacation!

February Vacation week!  Oh, how I wish I was somewhere warm.  The couple of times that we have been blessed to go to Florida during February vacation were heavenly!  One of my favorite all time memories was sitting by the pool, eating dinner and watching the kids swim at 7pm on a February night!  It doesn't get much better than that!

Despite the lack of warm weather, it's been a good week so far.  The kids have done a lot of hanging out and relaxing.  They have spent, and will continue to spend, some time with friends.

I was the one feeling antsy today.  But with Peter having therapy in the am, Mike having an early morning college class and Jon needing to be at school for 3:30 to leave for his LAST BASKETBALL GAME of the season(!!Hooray...One season down and three to go!), it didn't leave me much time to do something.  I also didn't know what the "something" was that I wanted to do!

It's not easy to plan something(not too expensive) that a baby, a toddler, tweens and teens will all enjoy!

I was the only antsy one in the house anyway!  Jon, Sarah, and Ellie spent a long time playing Monopoly.  The boys spent some time playing video games.  After lunch, Andrew, Jon, Ellie and I spent time playing Just Dance 4.  (It's fun and exercise....I wish they had a Just Dance 80's Edition!)  Then Luke and I played Legos together.

It's been a nice, uneventful week so far!  Maybe there's not a lot of (extra) hoopla going on around here, but the kids are enjoying it!


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Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Our Own Personalized Lenten Journey

I'm doing something new today:)...I stumbled across this a couple of weeks ago......



"I’m participating in the Keeping LOVE in LENT Blog Link-Up 2013, hosted by
Raising (& Teaching) Little Saints, Truly Rich Mom and Arma Dei: Equipping Catholic Families. We'll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Lenten sacrifices, prayer and good deeds, and how to carry them out with LOVE instead of a GRUMBLE. Please scroll down to the end of the post to see the list of link-up entries.”

Keeping Love in Lent is an interesting topic.  It should be a no brainer, right?  Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was all about love....giving things up for Lent is inspired by wanting to show our love and appreciation for His sacrifice and our desire to grow closer to Him.

And yet.....

Lent goes beyond the sacrifices we've decided to make and the prayers we've decided to add....I think of those as our "voluntary penances".

How about all of those "involuntary penances"?  Have you found that this season of the year is filled with challenges and changes that were completely unexpected on a day to day basis.  It's like God is..ahem...blessing us with our own special opportunities that challenge us to stretch and grow beyond our comfort zone!

Our very own personalized Lenten journey!

 People that I know will be feeling frazzled because "X, y, and z happened and I don't know why?"...and I look at them and say, "It's Lent!"  

This Lent has certainly not been disappointing for me in regards to involuntary penances.  In fact, Ash Wednesday was one of the most emotional days I've had in a long time.  I found myself struggling with a lot of unexplained anxiety that day that, by dinner time, was making it challenging to function.  While I was making dinner, I received a text message that a couple close to me was separating.

I felt devastated....for both of them and for their families.  My heart just ached over it. 

To top off the day, there were two basketball games that night and a practice, and Andrew was working, so I was home with all the little kids with only Ellen as back-up.  Kate's molars were breaking through so she was clingy and miserable.  She was exhausted, but the only place she would sleep was in my arms.  Luke was being 3, and particularly whiny that night as well.  I couldn't get the dishes done and the house looked like it had thrown up on itself.  When the teenagers did come home  they were tired and a bit cranky from fasting all day.  And I was emotionally reeling.

Involuntary penances.

God graciously provided a couple more examples of involuntary penances last night as I was trying to finish this post in my head!

Yesterday, Mike had his last college basketball away game.  It took the team 2 and 1/2 hours to get there and both the men's and women's teams were playing so they had a school bus and driver for the day.  The girls played first followed by a very "chippy" guys game that had a lot of bumping and back and forth that ended with a win for Mike's team.

When the bus driver walked out of the building, he was jumped by students from the other school.  Thankfully, his injuries were not serious, but the EMT's told him he couldn't drive home.  Instead of being home by 7:30, they had to wait for another driver and the bus did not leave for home until close to 10!  They arrived at Mike's college a little after midnight.  Mike started driving home with a couple of his teammates but something wasn't right....flat tire!  The guys tried to change it but one of the bolts was stuck!

Thankfully, we have AAA.  Mike called me to tell me what had happened.  I can never really sleep soundly until my kids are all safe in the house at night.  Until I hear the sound of Mike's alarm beeping and hear him walk in the door and lock it behind him, I am only dozing.  I am grateful that Mike didn't have to wait long....only 20 minutes.  He called me again around 12:45am to tell me he was on the way home.

So Mike had opportunities to be patient, and wait, and then be patient and wait again.  I had the opportunity to be patient and wait and sacrifice sleep.  

Involuntary penances!

Just some of the "perks" in Lent!

Keeping love in Lent by having the right reactions to these "opportunities" can be really challenging!  I wish I could say that I rise to each challenge like a mountain climber until I reach the peak of holiness.

Umm...no!

Thankfully, God always gives us more chances to have the right response!  (And Confession!)

 "The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

    his mercies never come to an end;
23 
they are new every morning"
Lamentations 3;22-23

Has God given you a very personalized Lenten Journey this year?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Check out the Lent reflections participating in the Keep LOVE in LENT Blog Link-Up 2013! We'll be sharing different ways, tips, stories and real-life experiences that will help us focus on Lenten sacrifices, prayer and good deeds, and how to carry them out with LOVE instead of a GRUMBLE.
Discover new Catholic Blogs to follow!







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Saturday, February 16, 2013

Party Fun

Last night I threw small surprise party for Andrew.  Eight of his friends, including his girlfriend, were over for a night of Quelf(a very funny game the teens are hooked on), chatting, Just Dance 4, and a little Mario Cart.  Add in some cookies and caramel chocolate pretzel creations made by his girlfriend, some chips, soda, cheese pizza(since it was a Friday in Lent), and some chocolate cupcakes that I made using my mil's recipe, and it was a really good night.

The teenagers all got along well and had a lot of fun.  Andrew was surprised, which was great!  I thought he had overheard us talking about it and was just pretending not to know.

I kept it small since Andrew is not a big fan of being the center of attention!  I'm still having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that he's 18!

I'm glad I had the party.  It had it's bumpy moments....

Like when I overcooked the bottoms of one of the cupcake tins...the other tin came out fine!  Must be the oven!  But I just saved those for our family...no one complained!

And when Luke picked pieces off of the top of several of the cupcakes while they were cooling when we were all busy cleaning and not paying attention to him for 20 seconds!  That was not a stellar moment!

And when Peter was Soooo excited for the party(and the cupcakes) and kept hugging Courtney and her friend and making loud noises while we were waiting for Andrew.

Never a dull moment in our house!
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Friday, February 15, 2013

Happy Blogiversary!

Today is my "blogiversary"!

One year ago, I finally took a step toward's my years long desire to write by starting a blog.

I'm really glad I did.

I love that I have a place where memories have been captured that the kids will someday use to see a glimpse of their family life.

I love that I have a place to write my feelings and thoughts.  I hope that it will help my children to know me better and to see my joys and struggles with parenting and family life when they have families of their own someday.

I am grateful to have something for me that I have consistently stuck with for so long.

Sometimes I feel tempted to go all firstborn, type A personality in regards to blogging.  I start to get discouraged about growing my blog, or overwhelmed with the technology options that I don't really understand, or get frustrated about not knowing if blogging will need to a "next step" in this writing adventure and what I need to do to get there.

Instead of giving up, I have been able to take a breath and refocus and pray that God guides me in the direction I'm supposed to go.  Blogging has given me the opportunity to practice contentment and just choose to appreciate where I am on this writing journey.  Because of blogging, I have concentrated more on "Living in the Moment  Through the Eyes of Faith" with my children, my husband, my extended family and friends, and even in growing and expanding my blog.  (Slowly, slowly, slowly...but God certainly knows I need to practice patience!)

Not all of my children always appreciate that I blog.  Occasionally, the teenagers make the comment when they say or do something, "This better not end up on your blog, Mom!"

I think they enjoy reading the family stories from past and present moments, too.  :)

I like the connections I have made with other women bloggers.  I have gotten some great ideas, learned from other people's writing styles, and am privileged to have a glimpse into other people's lives.

Thank-you to all of my readers who take the time to have a glimpse into my "Normal Chaos"!
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Thursday, February 14, 2013

Valentine's Day Angst

I know there is a side of Valentine's Day that includes roses, candy, and special treats.  My day actually included all of those things!  (Thanks, Honey, the roses are beautiful!)

Valentine's Day can also include a lot of angst!  We've had a lot of that around here, too.

Watching a couple that is close to us go through a separation is very painful.  It is ironic that on a day that is meant to bring couples together, a marriage is taking a break.

There is angst for a son who has not had a girlfriend.  Valentine's Day is like a slap in the face since everywhere he turns is a reminder of what he doesn't have....yet!  I really believe that God is just protecting him in a special way...and I know that he will meet someone once he gets to college next year and actually has time to do something besides play basketball!  But, that's no consolation for him right now.

Another son has angst because, although he has a girlfriend, she had too many tests to study for tonight and couldn't get together.

I have to admit that my heart is hurting for the broken marriage.  I'm not feeling very celebratory when two people that we are so close to are hurting so much.

Another Valentine's Day bummer.....3 basketball games tonight!!! I mean, really!?!  At first we thought there was just one, so Jay and I were going to go to the game together.  Not a whole lot of romance watching a bunch of sweaty teenage boys running up and down the court, but at least we would be together.

Then we found out that both the girls had games.  The girls' games are at the same place but one was at 6:00 and the other at 7:30.  Jon's is at the high school at 6:30!  Ugh!

So, Jay raced home, ate dinner standing up, and raced out the door to get Ellie to her game.  After Ellie's game, they both went to Jon's game.  Jay's dad took Sarah to her 7:30 game.

When Jay gets home it will be around 9:30.  Our romantic moment will be falling asleep on the couch next to each other 10 minutes after we both sit down.....

Good thing love isn't just about a day!
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