I Need Help Praying.

As I went to bed last night and contemplated the day's events, I began my nightly prayer routine. I have been in the practice of sleeping with a rosary tucked into my pillow. It does a good job of reminding me to pray the rosary nightly and I found that it helps to ease my stresses when I reach into my pillow case and feel the rosary in my hand.

Not too long ago, however, my pillow rosary got misplaced and I had yet to tuck another one into the pillow case. It's simply a thing I keep putting off and forgetting. But last night I noticed a pattern; since the "disappearance" of my rosary, I have had a hard time praying. My thoughts have become randomized and I have a hard time focusing on talking to God. Not only that, but my daily spiritual life seems to be in much more disarray. Even praying in the morning with the children is no help.

My days seem so much more difficult, even though the day to day routines haven't changed. Why am I so stressed? Why are all the little things getting to me? Why does my daily routine seem to be getting harder and harder as the day progresses, when in reality it's not? Why am I failing to see God in the little things?

But I've had an epiphany. I've made the realization of what it is that I'm failing to do that is making my life so much more difficult and miserable. I'm letting the days slip by me without allowing God to help me. I'm letting the mundane in my daily life control me. I'm failing to end the day with God, Mary, and all the saints. And I need them. I need all their help and I need all their prayers.

This morning, I replaced my pillow rosary. I began doing my daily reflection. I asked for help. I devoted 20 minutes of my time to our Holy Mother. If my suffering lies in doing 20 loads of laundry, then I will offer up my suffering to God. If my misery for the day is explaining a math problem over and over, then I will offer up my misery to God. If my attitude doesn't express love and patience, then I will pray for help in attaining love and patience.

Because I am not a holy person and because my life revolves around doing daily chores, I've decided that the best people to ask for help are St. Therese of Lisieux and St. Ignatius of Loyola.

All this because I lost my pillow rosary.

Welcome to God's Family!

This past Saturday, my little baby boy was baptised into the Catholic Church!! It was such a special day for all of us and we truly wish that we could have had our family attending. Our good friends accepted the role of godparents and we are happy that our Little Jimmy will have many examples of faith filled people to follow!

Our Family with Father Tri.

Little Jimmy's Godparents!

Back to Reading!

So busy, busy me....I finally have come back for another post and update!! Thankfully our house is on the mend and no one is officially sick anymore! With all the flu going around, it's times like this that I am thankful that my kids don't have to go to school (especially when there is a newborn in the house)!

As I had previously posted on books...I recently bought Rome Sweet Rome by Scott and Kimberly Hahn. I have a confession to make as well. Although I have owned some of Scott Hahn's books for some time now, this is the first time I have actually read one! I know...unbelievable! But I'm glad that I started with this book.



A tale of their conversion to Catholicism, I found this book to be such an easy read (I finished it in a day) and such a wonderful story! It's nice to read books that inspire you to delve deeper into your faith. Highly recommended!!

I always find that I have so much trouble suggesting Catholic books to friends. I don't know if it's because I don't want them to think I'm pushy (especially if they are non-Catholic) or because I feel like they might think that I'm too one dimensional. But one thing is true about this particular book...after reading it, I don't see how any non-Catholic can stay that way!

Pick it up and read it if you are Catholic! And if you are not, read it too!!! I dare you!

Let's Simplify.

We recently just got back from a trip to visit my family in Dallas. It was nice to get away from home for a week and spend it with family. Once we got back home, however, we made a huge realization. We are drowning! Drowning in too much!! Too much laundry, too much disorganization, too much stuff! My DH and I woke up and made the realization that something has to change.

This has been a tough year overall. Pregnancy was a bit rougher than usual, my mind seems to have gone on vacation, and there is so much MORE now that the baby is here (think baby swings, bouncy seats, more clothes, etc.). With all this MORE in our lives, there is one thing that we definitely have less of...time.

How can we do it all? DH works so much that I'm left alone to tackle the runnings of the house. I don't complain about it...it is, after all, my job. But while I understand that the most important thing is to raise our kids to be healthy and happy, I still have a million other things to accomplish along with that. Mainly: the kids education and a safe household.

So we have made a pact to simplify our lives. This will be a slow process, but we are determined to get back to the basics. With 5 children running around, we can't afford to let things slide. First we plan to get rid of everything we don't use. This includes household items, clothing, and toys.

Sticking to our chore list for the kids, our homeschool schedule, and menu planning have been difficult lately, and now we realize just how important they are. But sickness and traveling have made it harder than we thought.

Perhaps I'll post about our progress, but in the mean time...if you want to get started on your own life, here are some sites that you can visit for ideas.

Large Family Logistics
Life in a Shoe
Organized Home
Love @ Home
Household Organizing Tips for Large Families

Time to get to work!

Saw this recently.

I thought this was a great video!!

New Books.

Lately, I've been trying to build up my personal library. I'm full of children's books and really want to have some great books on hand for the adults in the house. Since I'm not going to go all out all at once, here are a few books that I got this past week.



OK...you might think that this book is only for children, but in reality it is a beautiful book with wonderful illustrations and a short biography of each saint. I think any adult would enjoy this book! More Saints Lives and Illuminations.




I've been looking for a comprehensive book of Catholic prayers and found this book. I love it because it has prayers for every occasion; from bedtime prayers to prayers when traveling. We have been using it daily at all hours of the day! Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers.





I just started reading this book, so I can't exactly give a full review. So far it seems like a great book, however! Raising Faith Filled Kids.

Feast Day of St. Therese.

Today is the feast day for St. Therese of Lisieux, or St. Therese of the Little Flower, or St. Therese of the Little Way. Whichever name you decide to call her, she is still one of our favorite saints! If you decide to spend a little time with her and your children, here are a list of places where you can find some great activities to do together!

Sacrifice Beads
St. Therese Coloring Pages
A Collection of Activities related to St. Therese (wonderful site!)