Can you blame the extra weight on the baby.....

when she's five years old? I think I need to lose that "baby weight!"

The Daily Puppy

Aww, scroll down to see the adorable puppy of the day! He's so cute!

Our Lady of Sorrows

The Seven Sorrows (or Dolors) are events in the life of the Blessed Virgin Mary which are a popular devotion and are frequently depicted in art.

1. The Prophecy of Simeon over the Infant Jesus.(Luke 2:34)
2. The Flight into Egypt of the Holy Family. (Matthew 2:13)
3. The Loss of the Child Jesus for Three Days. (Luke 2:43)
4. The Meeting of Jesus and Mary along the Way of the Cross. (Luke 23:26)
5. The Crucifixion where Mary stands at the foot of the cross. (John 19:25)
6. The Descent from the Cross where Mary receives the dead body of Jesus in her arms. (Matthew 27:57)
7. The Burial of Jesus. (John 19:40)

The Servite Chaplet is form of the rosary dedicated to the Seven Sorrows of Mary. It is also known as the Seven Dolors Rosary or the Seven Swords Rosary referring to the prophesy of Simeon, "Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be contradicted; and thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts, thoughts may be revealed." - (Lk.2:34-35)

It is much like a regular rosary but has seven sets of seven beads (weeks) Hail Marys instead of five sets of ten beads (decades). In praying the Dolours Rosary or Chaplet of the Seven Sorrows, one meditates on the seven sorrows in place of the Rosary meditations.

It is also common to pray seven Hail Mary's for each. The prayer "Sorrowful and Immaculate Heart of Mary pray for us" is used as well. Pope Benedict XIII, September 26th, 1724, and Pope Clement XII, December 12th, 1734, granted indulgences to those Christians who would be truly repentant, seek reconciliation within the Church, and pray this Chaplet on certain days. Devotion to Mary's Sorrows, was once said in an apparition of Christ, can be used as a last resort for salvation.

Each of the Seven Sorrows is announced followed by the Our Father and seven Hail Mary's. Three Hail Marys are added in remembrance of the tears Mary shed because of the suffering of her Divine Son.

V. Pray for us, O most sorrowful Virgin. R. The we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.

Concluding Prayer
Lord Jesus, we now implore, both for the present and for the hour of our death, the intercession of the most Blessed Virgin Mary, Thy Mother, whose holy soul was pierced at the time of Thy passion by a sword of grief. Grant us this favor, O Saviour of the world, Who liveth and reigneth with the Father and the Holy Ghost, forever and ever. Amen.


The Seven Sorrows Rosary on You Tube.

Mindless Monday Question

How do they fit 10 grams of fat into 15 Pringle's chips? And who is that guy with the mustache?

(The Pringle's website has lots of fun Flash animation and some games, go have a look! Play Snack attack, it's fun!)

The Holy Name of Mary

Go to Holy Wounds Apostolate and read this by St. Alphonsis de Ligouri.

Day of New Beginnings 9/11

On this day seven years ago, my oldest child started his first day of kindergarten. It was a milestone for him, and for me too. It started out as any other day, except I insisted taking lots of pictures of him in his uniform before we headed off to his school. It was a short day for the kindergartners, so when I picked him up a few hours later at 10:30, all of the parents were still blissfully unaware of the tragedy unfolding in our nation that day. I am sure that if someone had known, it wouldn't have been kept quiet. It was when I got home, turned the key in the lock and walked in the door when a neighbor shouted at me to turn on the TV. I couldn't have imagined in my wildest dreams what I saw next. How did we get from a happy, tranquil, first-day-of-kindergarten blue-sky day, to seeing horrifying images on television of burning buildings, with the moment of impact of the second plane replaying over and over while listening to the shocked news anchors trying to make sense of it for us. It was beyond surreal.

The very first thing I did was call my dad, which was my way of checking to see if all was right in my world. I needed to hear his voice and hear some reassurance that everything was going to be o.k. After we spoke, I fell to my knees and prayed a rosary for the people on the planes and in the buildings. I knew that the world as we knew it was never going to be the same. I remember later that day, going to the ACME supermarket and encountering other people looking as shell shocked as I felt. It was difficult to imagine life ever returning to normal. I remember going to my church and praying, it seemed so many people found comfort in churches across the country.

It was a day of new beginnings, but not in the way I would have liked to remember. I would like to remember 9/11/2001 only as the day my oldest son started kindergarten, a day that commemorated this big moment for him. My baby growing up. However, this special day of ours will always be intertwined with the day that will be known in history as the day of infamy for all Americans. I wish it wasn't so. Life seemed so simple and innocent, and all that changed in an instant. I wondered what kind of world my kids would be growing up in.

Since that day, so much has changed in our lives. My husband graduated from his post-secondary program and began a new career in anesthesia. We had a baby daughter. We have moved twice. My oldest son started seventh grade this year. This year, the seventh anniversary year of 9/11, my daughter started kindergarten. I couldn't help but think back to that day not that long ago, when my son was starting his first day and all that would transpire. I know for me, and for many, life eventually got back to a new normal. But it will never be the same.

I wish I had the foresight to photograph all the flags from those early days post 9/11. At the time, we lived in Philadelphia. There wasn't a residence or place of business anywhere in the city it seemed that didn't have a flag displayed. I could kick myself for not taking a picture, for not video taping all the displays of patriotism, but all I have are the snapshots in my memory. It was an incredible sight to see all those flags waving proudly, a nation standing together in a time of turmoil.

Today we again stand and recall those events, never to be forgotten by anyone who was there to witness it.

Remembering all those who lost their lives on 9/11/2001.

The 11th Commandment: Be Not Forgetful

I'm finding that since I turned 40 (not so long ago), that I have been forgetting things more frequently. People joke about early onset dementia but it's really not that funny when you have to call your cell phone at least five times a day to find it, and that's on a good day......

Lord help me if I ever change the ring tone to vibrate.

I have to beep my car to find it. I'm sure after the first statement that doesn't even surprise you. It's great when I bring the Tahoe because it has that handy feature. I push a button on the remote and I hear three little beeps. I just start walking in that direction until I find the car.

However its not so great when I drive the minivan which doesn't have that feature. Oh don't mind me, I'm just walking around the parking lot to get a little exercise. The mall can really be a dangerous black hole for my car. I've been convinced in the past that my car was stolen and then reparked. Those crazy car thieves. Sorry for wasting your time, Officer.

Then there's the keys. Always. losing. my. keys. You would think that I would devise a system or something like always hanging them on a hook or always putting them in the same pocket but no, that would be way too convenient. Instead, I usually drop them in my purse where they inevitably wind up at the bottom which results in me having to dump the entire contents out to find them. It's even more fun when I have to remember what I was wearing the last time I drove the car and then check the pockets of all the pants and coats.

If I head out to the store without a list, I can be sure to forget something I went specifically to get. So I will go down every aisle and look at everything to jog my memory. Usually I still get home without that one something.

Many times I will go to a certain store because I have a coupon. I love saving money, who doesn't? I wouldn't shop in this store normally except for this here coupon. Now where is it again? I'm sure I put it in my purse. It was right here a minute ago. Darn. By the time I find it, it has expired.

I walk into a room for something and then stand there, forgetting what it was I was after. I go back downstairs and then I remember. I meant to go back down the stairs, I'm just getting a little exercise.

I really love it when I put the video rentals in the car so that I will take them back to the store. Except I keep driving past the store and forget to stop and return them.

I forget people's names, even when I was just introduced five minutes ago. It is really embarrassing to try to introduce your old friend to a new friend especially if you forget BOTH their names.

If I could see inside my head, I'm afraid of what I might find. It might look a little like my desk, with papers everywhere and stuff sticking out of the drawers. I'm sure that if I could just rearrange a few things maybe I'd have more room for the important stuff.

But I can tell you the telephone number of the house I lived in when I was in kindergarten. I can remember the words to just about every 80's song. I can even tell you how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.

Just don't ask me what that string is on my finger for.

Once every Twelve and a Half Years

Today, for the very first time since my oldest was born, I sat down and watched AN ENTIRE MOVIE from beginning to end, with no interruptions! All the kids are in school, and I had a movie from last week on my TiVO still in the que and I thought to myself, you know what? The laundry isn't going anywhere (except maybe a sock or two) and I can't remember a time that I got to sit down in a quiet house to enjoy something that I like. Usually, if the tv is on, it will be on something like "Max and Ruby", "Wow Wow Wubbzy" or if the boys are watching, then it's probably "Spiderman". If I am trying to watch one of my programs when they are home, this is what happens: I sit down, turn on the tv, and try to start watching (I gave up trying to watch a whole movie, but sometimes I try to at least watch a half hour episode) Seriously, I must have paused a thirty minute show about 60 times. That's twice per minute. So you can see why I'm so excited that I got to see an entire movie with no interruption! It's a big deal around here. Oh, what was the movie you want to know? "Walk the Line". I know, I'm a little behind the times, but it was such a great movie! I loved every uninterrupted minute of it.

Mindless Monday Question

How come I put two socks in the washing machine, and only one comes back? Where does the other sock go?

Doctor Doctor Give me the News

This same time last Saturday, this is what we were doing. Looks like fun, doesn't it?

Originally we had considered purchasing a home steam cleaner, but we didn't want to have to spend the money and then have to store a rather large thing that we only use once in a while. We do have a Little Green and I love that for small cleaning jobs, and for the car. Anyone with kids should have one of those in their home!

To find out which steamer to rent, I got online and googled until I found reviews for the Rug Doctor. Just about everyone loved the Rug doctor so much, and I was convinced we would as well. At the Rug Doctor Rental website, I had all my questions answered and decided on which model I wanted to rent. I chose the smaller one and even though I had to fill it more often, I thought it was very easy to manuever and use by myself.

We went to our nearest rental store and spent about $50.00 on the rental and solutions. Not bad, considering that having someone come in to do it would run about twice that or three times that. I do believe we would still have to move the furniture ourselves.

It turns out that moving the furniture was more time consuming and back-breaking than the actual cleaning. The Rug Doctor works so well that you need only take one pass in most cases. It didn't take much time to do. The only thing I didn't like was having to walk backwards but I just kept reminding myself of how much money I was saving and how great the carpets were going to look when I was finished. And they did. We were so pleased with the result!

We thought that we would have to leave our furniture all stacked up in the hallway and kitchen overnight, but the rugs were dry in three hours. It was amazing!

I don't get any kickbacks from this company or anything, just a happy customer willing to share a great product.

Time flies when you're playing with Templates

What a stupid post title, but it is so true! I was playing around with the settings on my blog this morning and I looked at the clock just now and it's already lunchtime! What do you think of my blog header picture? Those are actually my roses! I think they look so pretty. I better go change out of my pajamas now.

Fun Children's Rooms

In the fall, I always feel like turning my attention to the inside of the house. We have been working on outside projects with landscaping and painting the exterior all summer, and I need a change of pace. I decided to start gathering ideas for the kid's rooms so we can finish them by this spring.

I went to the library last week and checked out some great books for ideas.

This is what I want to do in my older son's room-- doesn't this look cool? This is from the book, "Kids Rooms, Pottery Barn Kids":

Not only does it look great but it's educational as well!

For my Princess, I would love to incorporate some of these ideas:

I love doing fun things in my kids' rooms, since I didn't have a cool bedroom as a kid. I shared a very small room with my sister. We had a trundle bed to save on space. The walls had gold and avocado flower wallpaper which I hated so I tried to cover it with pictures of horses and posters of Leif Garrett, Shaun Cassidy, Robby Benson and Matt Dillon from Tiger Beat magazine (does that age me or what?)

Here is a great idea that I can't wait to try:

Here's furniture that you can actually write on! So cool! I have wanted to try the chalkboard paint for a long time.

If you need inspiration and great ideas, go to your public library and look for this and other home decorating books. I used to buy these but they do go out of style eventually. It's easier to just make a copy of what you like and keep it in an idea binder.

Men in Yellow Hats make Terrible Babysitters

I read three stories to my little Princess each night at bedtime, and she always enjoys the task of choosing which three make the cut for any given evening. I've noticed that she tends to favor certain books in cycles, sometimes she is in a Goodnight Moon mood and other times she wants to read the "Little Critter" series, or see what the Berenstain Bears are up to. Last night, she decided on some Curious George books, of which I am certain we possess the entire series.

It seems our little friend is at it again. Last night, we read of the exploits of George in the Ice Cream Shop run by Mr. Herb, who apparently doesn't refer to the OSHA handbook as far as the rules of having a monkey running around in an eating establishment.

Well, anyway. So George is left alone AGAIN by his friend, the Man with the Yellow Hat, as he is told to "Be a good little monkey. Goodbye."

After all this time, doesn't this man realize that this monkey is gonna get in trouble because that's what he always does! This man with the yellow hat who has no other name is either very trusting or very stupid. I mean, sometimes I think that someone should call the MPS (monkey protective services) to investigate and, at the very least, put this man in some monkey parenting classes. In this day and age, you can't just leave your monkey anywhere and expect that he won't get into trouble.

In any case, each time I read another Curious George book I always wonder when my little Princess is going to point this out, because she is very astute about these things. She is five and just started kindergarten where they are all about following rules. I know she notices that the Man always leaves George alone, at which point George gets into trouble.

Ok, I digress. That is the whole fun of the story because it is so predictable. And I do love George, mainly because my kids are the exact same way. But unlike the Yellow Hat Guy, I don't make a habit of testing their obedience by putting them in impossible situations.

But that Mr. Herb? He really shouldn't let monkeys in his ice cream shop.

Just sayin'.

ZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzz

Houston, we have a problem. I recently discovered that I might have made a brain association between reading and sleeping . You see, every night after the monkeys are in bed, I crawl in my comfy bed with all the pillows, get everything just so (that means kicking the dog out of my spot, fluffing up the pillows and pulling the covers from hubby), and I settle in with a book, any book off my conveniently located "library" stacked up on my nightstand. By this time of the day, I am usually pretty tired but I love to read so I get my trusty booklight out and start to read. After a few paragraphs, I start to fall asleep. Usually I wake up about an hour later, still in the reading position, with the book open and the light still on. Ok, well I guess it's wishful thinking that when I can finally have a few minutes to myself to read that I actually could stay awake and enjoy it.

Night time is one thing. During the day, however, this is what happens. Sunday afternoon, we have come back from church, had lunch and the kids all go off to do their thing. Here's my chance to have a few moments to spend with my book. So, I open it up and start to read. Guess what happens? I fall asleep! This has happened just about every time I try to read, regardless of the time of day or where I am. The most embarrassing time was when it happened in the car line! It's nice when all the other parents see you with drool coming out the side of your mouth and a magazine in your hands while you're sitting in your vehicle.

So, what to do? I don't really know. I'm sure if I told my doctor I would hear what I usually hear in which everything is attributed to getting older. I'm not sure I would be taken seriously, but I do think that this is a problem! I will resort to my research assistant, (ahem) Google, and let you know what I find.

Kids say the Darndest Things

(after her second day of school, in the car on the way home)

Princess: "Mom, I don't like my teachers, they are really mean!"

Me: "What do you mean, that your teachers are mean?"

Princess: "They won't let me do whatever I want."

Me: "Oh, I see."

Princess: "And, Mom? They won't let me pick my nose."

(oh, the NERVE of those teachers!)