Cozy At Home Daybook

I am hearing... the clock ticking. It's very quiet and peaceful this time of day. The kids are asleep. 

Outside my window... it's very, very gray. Not raining anymore, but a good day for sleeping in!

Around the house...everything has been picked up. With so many people at home all the time, stuff is a constant problem. We work relentlessly to keep it just barely under control! I finally cleaned the glass on the entertainment center. It was getting nasty.

In the yard... a jungle has sprung up after all the rain. I have a wisteria and a honeysuckle in the garden just off our patio, and they get positively creepy, reaching their twisting arms out and grabbing on to anything. I bought a pair of pruning shears yesterday. Hee hee.

From the kitchen... Looks like meatloaf, baked potatoes and corn on the cob tonight. Meals here are very, very basic and I don't bake much. Maybe seeing this daybook category once a week will motivate me!

Cultivating beauty... I need to work on my bedroom today. It looks awesome when everything is fresh and tidy, but so easily gets sloppy. We'll do clean sheets, dust and vacuum this afternoon.

Living the liturgy... We learned about the Ascension this past week. Now we will focus on the Holy Spirit as Pentecost approaches. I'll be searching up some dove-type crafts and recipes! We continue to pray our daily Rosary decade during May - a habit we are easing into. The kids are doing very well with it - I really should have done this sooner.

Learning notes... We are deep into First Communion prep now. Brendan's will be part of a special family celebration in June, when my parents renew their wedding vows. Seeing the journey of several other parents of First Communicants (via blogs) has been inspirational for me. I am pulling together resources to make this final month of preparation more about reaching his heart than learning the drill. We'll be creating a book and doing several read-alouds.

The kids this week...have been kept inside by the rain quite a bit. They found their fishing rods and tackle box which they have been tearing apart examining. We really need to take them fishing this summer! Brendan and Benjamin have been keeping a very simple chore chart, and I am finding their small jobs surprisingly helpful. It's nice not to feel like I'm the only one "maintaining". Molly continues to be very independent and is improving at telling us what she thinks. Now if we suggest something she would rather not do, instead of saying "no," she says "Nah nah nah nah nah," like I do - in the tone of "I don't think so, buddy!" She dances and hops and skips everywhere, and loves acting goofy with the boys.

Some plans for the week... we are having dinner with good friends one night, which has had to be postponed numerous times in the last few weeks due to illness. We have been looking forward to this a while now. We're also hoping to go to our monthly homeschool playgroup on Wednesday. 

On my heart... the family of my college classmate Dan Ziglinski, who passed away from lung cancer this past weekend. As hard as this is to accept, its happening during the Easter season and during Ascension week puts all of life into perspective. So much food for thought. Rest in peace, Dan.

I am thankful for... my hard-working husband who goes out there every day, usually without complaining, to earn our daily bread. And boy, does he work for it!

I am praying... for my dear mom, who turns 66 today.

A picture to share...

   Happy birthday, Mom! We love you!