Family: we are part of the 21st Century (at last!)

Although I am pretty tech savvy (and dh is pretty good, also), we have avoided some of the latest (as in, the last ten years or so) technological advancements ... Game cube, Wii, iphones, cable tv, HDTV, TIVO, ipod ... well, I think you get the picture.  Some of the deprivations have been purposeful:  we don't want to teach the kids that life is all about entertainment ... that personal entertainment devices (ipods or xbox) are a better substitute for playing games with siblings ... Some of the deprivations have been "just can't afford" issues:  sure is a lot cheaper to have a free cell phone with our contract than to buy the iphone on top of the contract commitment! 

But, since we've settled in rural Virginia (God willing, permanently), we have been getting more and more into the 21st century -- yes, it's paradoxical, but that sort of sums us up!  We have digital cable and can wifi when people come visit!  These are conveniences which really help us ... especially dh as he's able to do his grading/classwork remotely so he's home instead of hanging at school and can bring the laptop into the bedroom and still connect to school.  Digital cable has also allowed us to watch college football as a family (even occasionally getting LSU coverage up here in ACC territory!), great shows on EWTN and even Sherlock Holmes on PBS!  Life is good in the 21st century.

I have even re-activated my Facebook account and am loving it!  Originally, I opened it to keep an eye on my college-bound ... but decided that was a bit creepy, even voyeuristic.  But now I'm finding that Facebook is a GREAT tool for me:

• reconnected with old friends from our various abodes (including far-flung folks from our years in Austria)
• connected to knitting and free-lance writing folks
• ability to talk to family wall-to-wall

How cool is that?  I'm also tapping into a larger world of homeschool folks, good opinion pieces and world-wide news. 

We are in the 21st century!  What else could we possibly need?

Well, it looks like Santa (shhhhhh, don't tell the kids, please!) will be bringing us a Wii (including the Wii Fit Plus with Balance Board).  This is both a social and a financial decision.  We have had so many different families tell us how fun the Wii is for the whole family: bowling, tennis, etc from the comfort of the living room.  This is NOT a personal entertainment device, but rather a family-night boon!  The three littles have been lobbying for this particular Santa-gift for the past year or so ... this year, they've talked dh and I into also signing the Santa letter to, and I quote, "make sure that he knows he only needs to bring us a Wii for the whole family".  Cool huh?  And financially, the Wii is $100 less than it was and we can get other games for Little Christmas and the kids, dh and I will be having a blast throughout Christmas break!

What more could we want?  Isn't the 21st century fun -- now that we're 10 years in?

Prayer: update on my 14yo-God daughter ...

Here's a note I received today from my dear friend and mother of my Goddaughter  with an update on Katherine's health ...

Greetings everyone,

Thank you for the overwhelming prayers, thoughts and sacrifices offered on behalf of Katherine and our family. You all have surrounded and blanketed us in prayer, which we felt all throughout the day yesterday, and are so grateful to have from our community of prayer warriors.

Katherine had her medical tests, and while preliminary results did not provide us with 'answers,' their result was positive in that the neurologist who administered the tests remarked, "this is good that she doesn't have any nerve and muscle damage." So, he will turn over his findings to Katherine's neurologist, and we wait to hear from him as to the next steps.

On a very positive note, Katherine went to rehabilitation physical therapy in the afternoon (and her Dad has been her great coach at home!) and she has made great progress in the last two weeks. When I think of 'great progress,' I envision huge strides being taken, but at our level, being able to bend her knee an additional fraction of inch, or turn the stationary bike one rotation (when she couldn't do that last week) are the great strides we celebrate. She also stood up, supported by her two therapists, for five minutes :)

Again, I/we cannot relay to you how powerful your prayers and actions have been to us. A common saying that we all hear at times like "God doesn't give you more than you can handle." Well, I've learned differently. A very young and wise priest once shared in his homily, "God doesn't give you more than you can handle? Oh yes, He does." And he went on to explain, more eliquolently than I ever could...because in doing so, He allows us to call upon one another and build a larger, stronger community in Him. In joining with us our time of trial, you have built up this Godly community, and have made the challenges for us more bearable. We trust that in God's time and plan, His will, will be done. We thank you for joining us along the path to witness, and to do His greater work here on earth.

Please continue to pray for this teenager and her family ... and for the docs and technicians that they figure out what is causing these problems ... and that they're able to help her regain her health and mobility.

Family: stage mom reflections

WARNING:  the following post is a bit sentimental and sappy and brags a bit on my child.  If you don't want to read it, don't.  If you're with me this far, listen on in!

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After months of rehearsals ... many that got in the way of family or personal activities or desires ... THE play opened last night. Dh and the littles were in the audience, along with our favorite priest/chaplain. Opening night was upon us.

A plague of butterflies filled my too-little dinner stomach ... while my heart beat it's own tattooed message:  "don't screw up, don't screw up".  I was restless, nervous, anxious, worried ... I was a stage mama.

You see, this was LegoManiac's first real performance.  True, he's always acted (and acted-up) in the living room or school room.  True, he was a superlative monkey in a version of Magician's Nephew last winter.  But ... this was real theater: admission, costumes, lighting, mics, make-up ... the whole nine yards. 

LegoManiac's role in the musical Mame is a big one -- he gives the first line ... he sings a few solos ... he buzzes the audience on his black heelys ... and he's in every scene but one in the first of the two acts.  Yep, the evening is fraught with opportunities for him to screw-up throughout the almost two hours that he is on stage.

And where's mama?

Watching helplessly from the wings ... opening and closing the curtain ... getting tennis elbow while the butterflies are overproducing in my stomach and my heart continues to pound.  I can't help him with costume changes ... or props ... or get his tail out on stage.  He has to take care of it himself.  He has to be a big boy and focus and emote and ennunciate and slow down and remember the words ... all by himself.  But he's still my little boy ... and I so want to protect him from making a mistake ... from forgetting a line ... from generally just screwing up.  But, I can't protect him forever ... and with this play he gets a chance to practice being "a big boy".

And that boy didn't make any obvious mistakes (actually making one forgotten line into a better, more emotionally-charged bit) ... the audience enjoyed every minute ... and, more importantly, LegoManiac felt good about himself and his fellow cast and crew at the end of the day. (I know this because he and I sat up from midnight till almost 1:30, discussing it all, sipping wine (me)/tea (him) and noshing). 

I love this little boy of 10 ... and when Mame sings "Where's that boy with the bugle" ... it makes me want to cry because it reminds me that he won't be little for too much longer and I'm so thrilled and honored that I can spend this much time with him, experiencing his successes, his failures, his big and little triumphs ... experiencing his life!

Thanks to Mame and all the veteran cast and crew who have helped this stage mama and her little boy learn so much about the great art of acting.  God bless you all.

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OK ... one down, seven more performances to go .... and I'm sure I'll be just as nervous and worried at each one.  But nothing will ever beat the thrill of seeing my little boy ... act like a big boy, doing his best with his God-given talents at opening night November 5, 2009!

Knitting: a felted backpack

Back on Columbus Day, I mentioned that I was designing a simple knitted backpack for a class I was teaching the next day. 

Here are pictures of the before felting

and after felting

here's the front:

here's the back:

The overall size decreases by about 25%, depending on how much you felt -- or shrink on purpose -- the bag.  BTW, at a certain point, the yarn will not felt anymore -- once that happens, you can wash and dry in the machine!

I love felted projects for beginners -- the irregular stitches are hidden and the knitting tends toward the rote.  Also, once the item is felted, the knitting can be cut (!) without fear of raveling and the resulting fabric can be made into whatever you'd like.

When I finished the design, I realized that this could also be used in an article I was writing for the January issue of mater-et-magistra, the ONLY Catholic homeschool periodical in publication.  The article covers some cool crafts for co-op participants ... different crafts (sewing, painting, knitting) that can be called into play to make useful items for co-op classes.  The article will have a link to a pdf I created for this file.  If you just can't wait for the January issue to make this fun project, email me (or comment below) and I'll be happy to email you the pdf ...

... but don't forget to subscribe to the wonderful mater-et-magistra ... for all the articles, columns and great information (and the advertisers are a treasure trove of wonderful Catholic products)!

Feast: All Souls Day

This is the screen-saver we'll have on the family computer all month ... so that we remember to pray to, and for, the souls in Purgatory.

[A cool side note:  we actually have seen this fresco in situ ... it was done by Luca Signorelli as part of his fresco cycle done in the Chapel of San Brizio in Orvieto (Italy) Cathedral (1499-1503).  This particular part is titled, "Resurrection of the Flesh".  We saw his gorgeously restored during a visit back in 2003 -- we were taking a lunch break on our bus trip from Gaming, Austria to Rome, Italy to see Pope John Paul the Great!  The kids especially remember the stop as we had a great lunch from one of the little groceries on the way back to the bus!]

String Bean (3), dh, Kotch (almost 12), BamBam (in the backpack at 4months!), me, LegoManiac (4), Brikhead (almost 14) in Orvieto!

Handmade: Christmas Cards for you to order ...

These gorgeous cards are handcrafted by a couple of young friends of mine. You just might want to order in time for the annual Christmas mailing ...

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These hand-crafted Inspirational Cards are beautiful reminders of the Christmas Season, handmade by two high school-aged homeschoolers, Kathleen and Camryn. Please send in your order and payment by November 15th, and you will receive your order by December 8th at the latest. Contact Camryn at cacacc6kids@comcast.net with your name, phone number, address, and order. Cash and checks are accepted.

Pricing -- please add $5 to your total order for shipping if you live outside the Prince William County area (email if you're unsure):

Merry Christmas: $14 for a pack of eight 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch cards, with envelopes.  Inside saying: (in brown)

May the miracle of Christmas find you safe in the peace of God, warm in the light of Christ.

Season’s Greetings: $12 for a pack of eight 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch cards, with envelopes.  Inside saying: (in silver):

Warmest greetings of the season and every good wish for the coming year.

Holy Family: $12 for a pack of eight 4 1/4 by 5 1/2 inch cards, with envelopes.  Inside saying: (in silver)
May the true joy of Christmas light your world and lead you into a new year that shines with God’s blessings.

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Please support this young cottage-craft ... the girls do beautiful work!  Remember, though, that you only have until November 15th to get your orders in!

Feast Day: All Saints Day

What cooler feast is there?  This is the one for that covers ALL the Saints and saints in Heaven:  to pray to them and thru them for help and to think about what they did to get washed in the blood in order to wear the white ....

God bless you all ...