Of An Evening

Winter break, and our New Orleans study is nearing it's end. We had a wonderful snow day today. A perfect day for wrapping up the loose ends of homeschooling (just some Latin left for tomorrow), and cleaning 3/4 of the 100 lbs of shrimp we bought yesterday.

This evening I had grace enough to take a few steps back clearly see how much fun, and how skilled Mary Catherine is. She put together a gourmet dinner for 13 people. Shrimp scampi, salad, and beignet's. Competent, intelligent, resourceful. It was one of those times when all the annoyances, big and small, melt away in the beauty of the young woman she is becoming.

What we Are. . .

reading.
Listening too.
Watching.
I still need to get some good resources for exploring the connection between our Maine Acadians and the Louisiana Cajuns.
Later this week I'll be cooking this, and this. Party on Friday afternoon. Art Cards with a New Orleans/Mardi Gras theme, and some yummy food!

New Cell number

I hve taken a step away from Oregon. I have traded in the 503 number for a local number. This way my kids can call me from the high school and theatre phones. Sigh! Goodbye Portland, 3 years later.

Call my home # to get my new cell #.

For My Local Parenting Friends

Tuesday, Feb. 15 Laura Gauld will present The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have, her national parenting workshop. Laura Gauld is the Head of School at the Hyde School in Connecticutt and is also Executive Director for part of the program at Hyde in Bath, Maine. She's well-respected presenter (solid teaching, but not preachy), teacher and parent. She has a particularly broad experience with teenagers.

What will she discuss?
• Allowing your child to struggle.
• How to balance achievement and attitude.
• How to help your child reach their highest potential.
• When truth is more important than harmony
• some practical suggestions for simple family activites that help build family bonds

Her presentation will be followed by a time for questions.

This workshop will be extremenly valuable as your son/daughter enters high school. The suggestions presented by Laura Gauld will give you and your child practical tools for decision making during the challenging four years ahead.

The Biggest Job will be 7 - 9 pm at St. Charles Church Hall, 132 McKeen St., Brunswick. Although the workshop has been planned especially with you in mind, it is open to the public and free of charge. Please feel free to invite other parents and educators.

I hope to see you all on Feb 15.

Nicholas' First Sleep Over

Latin Mass

Here is someone else's story of how she and her family came to the Latin Mass. Our story is different--but similar.

Foibles to Keep Me on My Toes

If you know me at all you know that I am always planning disaster in order to feel prepared/in control. I even try to plan when I won't be in control, so I can at least be in control of my loss of control. I think this started when I was 6 or 7 and I would stay up waiting for my Mom to come home from a night out. I would watch all the cars coming down the street and plan out the ways she could die. That way she wouldn't die, because what are the chances I would think of the way she would die on the very night it happened, right?


One of my new favorite songs has these lyrics: " I am a woman who worries about closet space, and someday I'll be dead. I have a strong imagination. I let it wander where it will."


So last week I was faced with a situation.


Thaddeus.





He had somehow managed to get his legs into the sleeves of his upside down, backwards, winter jacket. One leg was through his seat belt, and the seat belt went partway down the sleeve. He could neither straighten his legs, stand up, nor pull the sleeves off his legs. It was not a pretty sight.



Objectively this is not too big a deal.

My brain perceived the scene this way; EMERGENCY. TRAPPED. CAR.. DEATH SOON. GET HIM OUT.



In my raving panic I grabbed a ballpoint pen and started to hack my way through his coat. You have no idea the power of a scared mother. You have no idea the incredulous looks from sane children as their mother works on saving the life of someone in no danger at all.


HACK HACK TEAR RIP.


I couldn't do it. The zipper was too much. Also, a small voice in my head was starting to question the necessity of my extreme action. I left him there. I failed. If we had been falling into a lake I would not have saved him. Since we were only stopping at the construction site, it wasn't too bad. But in my reptilian brain I had definitely failed.


While we were inside, Thaddeus walked in. No jacket.


"Mom. You wrecked my coat."


uh. yeah. but I was trying to save you life. Forget it. I'm sorry. I'll fix the coat.


One of my morning prayers says to Jesus "I know you are with me in every emergency of my life, especially in the emergency of my death."


At this point I don't think I'll perceive my death as an emergency. Blessed rest and utter surrender. Until then I'll continue planning and preparing and saving the lives of hapless Eddyblouins everywhere!
And someday I'll be dead.