Doodle Acres

OK, I admit it.  The last couple of months have been a wonderfully crazy blur, full of many blessed events (hence the reason that I have been blogging so infrequently and also the reason that I encouraged you to add me to your Blogreader —Bloglines is my personal favorite).  While wonderful, these last few months have left me feeling a bit out of sorts with our lack of a real daily schedule and our overstuffed house, which never seems to stay picked up for more than 5 minutes!!!  In fact I feel as if my head has been spinning and in danger of falling off altogether!!!

Needless to say, I really needed this vacation!!!  Vermont is always a place where I find inspiration and peace.  Being here in God’s beautiful nature show always makes me long for simplicity and order in my life and the life of my family.  Being among the trees and on the lake seem to give me clarity of vision that I can lose at home, if I’m not careful.

Having just recently finished Shopping for Time, I have been enjoying “sitting at Jesus’ feet” these last three or four mornings before my family has arisen from their blessed slumber.  This has meant getting up at 6 a.m. while on vacation (I know, I know, I can hear you groaning!!!).  I consider this preparation for when I get home and push up my wake up time to 5 a.m. (Now I hear you really moaning!!!).  This time away and my early mornings spent at Jesus’ feet have made my path clear to me.

Like it or not, 5 a.m. is a necessary evil.  It is the only way that I can have my quiet time, get my housework back on track, and still find time for exercise which is a must for getting off / reducing my blood pressure medication.  These are all things that I used to do thanks to Flylady but have lost sight of in the recent past.  I am grateful for the Control Journal that I put together a while back which makes it easier to get back on the straight and narrow. 

I have spent a couple of hours over the last few days working on a schedule to fulfill all my goals.  I know it will need some tweaking and I will need some patience as I put the plan into action.  Something that I have been learning over these last several months is that when I stumble, I need to just brush myself off and begin again.  Sometimes this means asking the Lord’s forgiveness and forgiving myself.  But when all is said and done, I need to get up and try again (preferably without beating myself up too severely).  So in this spirit I continue this blessed journey.  Now without further adieu, here it is:

Morning Routine 

5 am     Get up

            Make bed

            Go to bathroom

            Vitamins/Medication

            SITTING AT JESUS’ FEET

5:45     Brush teeth

            Apply moisturizer

            Dress

            Hair

            Make-up

6:00     Empty dishwasher, if necessary

            Breakfast, newspaper

            Diet Center food planning

            Daily planning, check calendar, update “to do” list, plan day/errands/goals

            Menu planning, grocery shopping planning

            Puzzles, clip for later

7:00     Defrost meat for dinner, dinner prep

            Breakfast prep for children (CHILDREN”S BREAKFAST at 7:30)

            Put out hotspots

            Wash breakfast dishes

            Shine sink

            27 Fling Boogie, time permitting

7:30     Walk, while children have Breakfast

8:00     Heather & children: Daily jobs

Monday: Change sheets, vacuum and dust bedrooms

Tuesday:  Dust downstairs, vacuum upstairs hallway, vacuum thoroughly downstairs

Wednesday:  Blue bathroom

Thursday:  Upstairs bathroom

Friday:  Kitchen

Daily: 27 Fling Boogie and Zone work, time permitting

8:30     Children’s Individual Chores while I check email, read, blog, correspondence

9:30     Rosary & Beginner’s Bible

10:00   Basic School plan with children

12 pm  Lunch prep

12:30   Lunch

I ask for your prayers as I put this into action next week. 

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One of my favorite parts of being on vacation in Vermont, as I am now, is that I get a chance to read, read, read!!!  Well this morning I just finished a wonderful book called Shopping for Time by Carolyn Mahaney, Nicole Whitacre, Kristin Chesemore, and Janelle Bradshaw.  It is an easy read and yet very thought provoking.  I have just come through a period of two months of running, running, running and this book is very timely for me as I seek to find balance in my life.  There are so many good things to do, so many good opportunities but what are the best choices for my family and me.  This book has helped me by reminding me that all my days need to be started by ”sitting at Jesus’ feet.”  It’s been a while since I’ve done that!!! And I know from personal experience what peace that can bring to my life.  Shopping for Time offers practical solutions and ideas for finding the time to sit at Jesus’ feet and to live a proactive lifestyle rather than a reactive one, and much more.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!!!

P.S. The authors (a mother and her daughters) have a blog called GirlTalk…

The most attentive mother may be unaware of some need of her child, she may forget or make a mistake in providing for it, or she may find it impossible to help the child at all.  But this can never happen with God, whose Providence knows, sees, and can do all things.  Not even the tiniest bird is forgotten, nor the humblest flower of the field neglected.                                                                                                                                                 -Divine Intimacy, Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, p. 716

On Father’s Day, Lenny received his confirmation in the Traditional Rite (Latin) at St. Agnes Cathedral in Rockville Centre.  The celebrante was none other than our own beloved Bishop of Rockville Centre, the Most Reverend Bishop William Murphy.  What a blessing this was to Lenny and to our entire family!!!

Lenny with his sponsor (his sister, Hope)

Lenny and Bishop Murphy

Lenny and Msgr. Pereda

Yes, I know that he will kill me when he’s older if he ever finds out I blogged this picture.  But isn’t it adorable??? 

We have been very busy over the last month or so.  My sweet 16 year old daughter, Hope, was the costume seamstress and left stage manager for the home-school production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night.  She is very talented and I am quite the proud mama.  You can check out pictures at Alice Gunther and MacBeth Derham’s blogs.

Over at Money Saving Mom, I found out about a great movie deal.  Not all the movies are to my liking but we will definitely be taking advantage of this opportunity at least a few times this summer!!!

I just read a wonderful post over at “Here in the Bonny Glenn” by Melissa Wiley about homeschooling and the concerns of well-intentioned nay-sayers.  It is incredibly accurate and funny!!! I encourage you to take a meander over there to enjoy Melissa’s insight and wit!!!

HT: Michele at The Family-Centered Life

Today was a truly superb day for our family - Lily made her First Holy Communion.  Lily looked radiant and truly seemed to understand the importance of this very special sacrament.  We prepared last night by going to confession (and by cooking, baking, and cleaning!!! LOL).  The weather, which was predicted as an 80% chance of showers, blossomed into a gorgeous afternoon.  It was indeed a relief to be able to have the 30+ children playing outside for most of the afternoon.  Seventy-five people would have been a tight squeeze in the house.  As one of our guests remarked, “The angels are smiling down on us today!!!”

May your heart always be the temple of the Holy Spirit.

May Jesus always be the helmsman of your little spiritual ship.

May Mary be the star which shines on your path and may she show you the safe way to reach the Heavenly Father.

Amen.

I don’t know about you but I think that is a great prayer of all of us, at any age.

HT: Alice