Happy Monday, Feast of St Audrey and my father-in-loves birthday to ya!  Let’s dig into this Daybook shall we…

Thanking God for…
::a lovely Solemn High Mass for First Holy Communion
::procession inside the church because of some much needed rain
::Bernadette home from camp
::a soul sister who knows when to talk me down from a conflict or tell me she’s got my back
::cherry tomatoes from the garden
::Chris’ grilled burgers
::watching the chickens running around
::a boy who will kill the snakes around here…What is up with these things this year God?!

Praying for…
I am praying for clarity for a private intention. I am also praying for charity for a separate intention. Let me just say, charity is hard to come by for me when someone crosses, what I consider, a line with my children. I am praying for the virtues of diligence, fortitude and consistency as I plan our new school year.

Pondering…
Here’s the deal, my older children are mature and I think sometimes people assume they can speak a little more freely than they actually can or should. Now some might think I’m just over protective–so be it. I would rather err on the side of caution verse scandal any day.

Listening to…
The washing machine churning (thank you good and faithful friend) and the air conditioner blowing (again, thank you good and faithful friend) and my faithful Kari Jobe playlist. And Leo has become obsessed very fond of O Mary of Graces and God of Mercy and Compassion.

Reading…
Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace

Plan Your Year: Homeschool Planning for Purpose and Peace (Pam offered me a sneak peek…Yippee!)

Following a Sacred Path, Raising Godly Children

The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home

Growing Up Duggar: It’s All About Relationships

Trim Healthy Mama in the Kitchen…
I’ve gotten lax in finding new recipes. Which means I’m kind of bored, but not enough to cheat. So I’ve been looking at some new recipes to add to our menu. I seem to go through this every summer so it’s not a Trim Healthy Mama issue, just a moving into the heat of summer issue.

And…to go along with breakfast the other morning I made a delicious, super yummy frappe. I took the basic Fat Stripping Frappe recipe, (I never use the glucomannan) added some cream, which made it an {S}. I then added 3 ice cubes made of coffee and a touch of caramel extract…Oh My Gracious! And I don’t even like coffee!

Home Learning…
We are all almost finished, just some math to be completed. I’m reading and thinking and envisioning what our next year of home learning should and could look like and trying to balance it with what it will look like.

Captured…
If you follow me on Instagram, I posted “A Day in the Life” series of pictures the other day.

In His Heart

Hi there, I’m Jenny. I’ve been married to Chris for 21 years. I homeschool our seven children–teen to toddler and I’m also the author of The Catholic Child’s Teaching Bible©. My life is messy and beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

This post may contain affiliate links.

Happy Monday to ya.  Sorry for the scare I apparently gave a few of you last week by not posting a Daybook.  And sorry to throw a kink in the regular schedule…I get it, I really do.  Back to our regularly scheduled programming/posting.

Thanking God for…
I am thanking God for an amazing father for my children. He shows me what a dad is supposed to be and I am forever grateful to God the Father that my children are getting what I did not. I’m also thankful he’s hot…it makes parenting with him all the more fun!

Praying for…
I am praying for the repose of the soul of Father Kenneth Walker and for the recovery of Father Joseph Terra. My girls and I met Fr Walker a few years ago at Traditional Family Weekend when he was still a seminarian.

I’m also praying for myself. The Lord is continuing to show me the areas I need to work on and focus more of my time. I am grateful He is being so careful, thorough and gentle with me.

Pondering…
Most of my ponderings right now revolve around parenting and homeschooling. I have a few posts scheduled that go into further detail plus notes from the books I’ve either been reading or re-reading about my vocation. A contributing factor in these ruminations…my age. The other day I told someone it had been 30 years since…I am old enough to say something has been 30 years ago. That was a little shocking. Fourteen years ago, I was the mother of a two year old and a newborn. Fast forward fourteen years and I am still the mother of a two year old…but I am a different mother. Some of that comes with age and more children, but some of it has come with more distractions–namely the internet.

Listening to…
Right now the dryer is tumbling the last load of laundry for the night–not to be confused with the last load of laundry. Leo is singing and eating cheerios and the basketball game is on in the front room where I hear the occasional cheer or question.

Reading…
The Ascetic Lives of Mothers, a Prayer Book for Orthodox Moms

Following a Sacred Path, Raising Godly Children

Holy Is the Day: Living in the Gift of the Present

Designing Your Own Classical Curriculum: A Guide to Catholic Home Education

Teaching the Trivium: Christian Homeschooling in a Classical Style

The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home

Teaching in Your Tiara: A Homeschooling Book for the rest of Us

Trim Healthy Mama in the Kitchen…
Still keepin on. I still feel great and it gets easier and easier as time goes by to discern what and when to eat. I did eat off plan a bit at a wedding a couple of weeks ago and then at Bernadette’s birthday and then just for the heck of it. I have not lost any more weight as far as I can tell, but this is about long term health so that’s not too discouraging.

Around the House…
A couple of children have some school to finish up before they can start sleeping in late. Leo is my wake up buddy so he walks through the hall each morning with me–or without me like Sunday morning when I tried to sleep a few extra minutes–and says, “Mwornin, tie-getup!” I’m sure the sisters and brother appreciate it.

Home Learning…
I have the beginnings of a good plan for four of the children who will be in 1st, 3rd, 5th and 7th. I just need to start breaking things up into smaller chunks. Bernadette will be fully enrolled with Seton again, this year for 11th grade. We are discerning what Veronica’s 9th grade will look like. It will either be enrolled in Seton or Mother of Divine Grace.

Captured…

In His Heart

Hi there, I’m Jenny. I’ve been married to Chris for 21 years. I homeschool our seven children–teen to toddler and I’m also the author of The Catholic Child’s Teaching Bible©. My life is messy and beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

This post may contain affiliate links.
 

Welcome to our Monday Daybook here at The Littlest Way.  I hope you had a great weekend and are ready for the week ahead.

Thanking God for…
::the awesome gift of motherhood 16 years ago today
::friends celebrating Bernadette’s 16th birthday with us
::pulling off a surprise party for her
::friend and neighbor letting me borrow her movie projector and popcorn machine
::my Spiritual Father who lets a quick 2 minute phone call turn into over an hour
::our associate pastor’s delight in the Lord

Praying for…
The Lord is really encouraging me to pray for mothers right now, myself included. Well, and also our children…and husbands/fathers. So I guess the family is the center of my prayer right now. I am also asking the Lord to keep my heart from disappointment with extended family.

Pondering…
I’m pondering the word “nourish” right now. This is a word that keeps popping up in my not so very quiet time. The first time it sprung up in my heart was a couple of weeks ago when I was considering our homeschooling. It has appeared in my considerations of my home and my spiritual life. So obviously the Lord is wanting to talk to me about nourishment of myself, my children in their learning and our home life. “Speak Lord, your servant is trying to listen.”

Listening to…
Lucy the dog is barking at the coyotes howling and the dryer is taking it’s final turn for the night. Every so often as I write this post, I hear Leo causing some sort of disturbance back in the bedrooms.

Reading…
My Bible

Eyes of the Heart, The: Seeing God’s Hand in the Everyday Moments of Life

Teaching from Rest: A Homeschooler’s Guide to Unshakable Peace

The Wide Horizon We are getting ready to start this one for our nightly family read aloud. It’s the sequel to The Wind Blows Free: A Tale of the Texas Panhandle (Texas Panhandle Series Book 1)

Trim Healthy Mama in the Kitchen…
When we went to the wedding last weekend I ate a bit off plan in the form of Chex Mix. Same this weekend at the birthday party. But even with that little bit, I seem to be staying on course. It’s probably time to start looking for some new recipes again just to keep it interesting.

Around the House…
Hopefully most of the kids if not all will be finishing up school in the next couple of weeks. This is a good lesson to the lolly-gaggers that time spent goofing off during the year eventually catches up to you. I need to purge room by room, but what else is new. I think this just may be the standard course at the changing of seasons for large families.

Captured…

Link up and share your Daybook or share in the comments if you don’t blog.  And be sure to come back tomorrow for a giveaway!

In His Heart

Hi there, I’m Jenny. I’ve been married to Chris for 21 years. I homeschool our seven children–teen to toddler and I’m also the author of The Catholic Child’s Teaching Bible©. My life is messy and beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

This post may contain affiliate links.

Happy Memorial Day to you all. Are you spending time at home or at the home improvement store? Either way, I pray your day is great! Let’s jump into our Daybook.

Thanking God for…
::safe travel to and from a wedding
::the good and holy example of the bride and groom for my children
::watching my children dance all night long at the reception
::the wedding being close to my grandparents so we could spend some time with them
::getting to see my uncle as well
::my uncle and Chris kidding each other and talking like brothers
::my own home parish
::a van full of children
::a blossoming friendship with Wanda

Praying for…
I’m praying for the newlyweds, my home and children and myself as a parent. A friend recently told me “Grace flows down.” I want to be a source of grace and encouragement and love to my children and I want that to be palpable in our home.

Pondering…

I could spend alot of time wishing I would have done things differently years ago when Chris and I got married. Not marrying Chris, but I wish I would have had a fuller understanding of the sacrament of matrimony. But I didn’t. All I can do now is honor our marriage as a sacrament, set a good example for my children, prayerfully raise them to be good spouses and try to surround our family with good examples of the marriage covenant…like the nuptial mass we attended this weekend. And part of the good example is showing my children, a holy marriage does not have to look stuffy and boring. A holy marriage can include cowgirl boots and dancing and laughter and good food, friends, family and fun.

Reading…
My new Bible

The Little Oratory: A Beginner’s Guide to Praying in the Home

I have a bunch of books started here and there. I need to finish them one by one.

Trim Healthy Mama in the Kitchen…
I did eat some Chex Mix at the reception and a bag of white cheddar popcorn on the ride home. I could have been better prepared for our weekend away, but I still did well while traveling.

Captured…

Sisters

In His Heart

Hi there, I’m Jenny. I’ve been married to Chris for 21 years. I homeschool our seven children–teen to toddler and I’m also the author of The Catholic Child’s Teaching Bible©. My life is messy and beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

This post may contain affiliate links.
 

The winner of  the Single Decade St Therese Rosary is…Angela Pea according to Rafflecopter’s random generator.  Email me your information Angela and I will get it out to you.  Congratulations.

Happy Monday, which I hope is better than my Sunday.  Mastitis.  I know, he’s two, how did I get Mastitis?  I’ve had it before and knew well enough to get antibiotics STAT.  I spent the rest of the day in bed or the chair in my bedroom reading, drinking water and resting interspersed with the occasional hot bath.  Enough of that, let’s get to our Daybook.

Thanking God for…
::antibiotics
::hot baths
::a day to rest and recoup
::a new to me iron table for my front porch (Expect to see it in my instagram feed. I can see it as a beautiful morning spot for God and I to meet.)
::a new Bible…I know, I’ll explain more down in “Reading”
::Veronica making cookies for the family
::crickets singing
::Hawaiian Tropic Lip Balm SPF 45+

Praying for…
I am praying for our God-Family as their son prepares to marry this weekend. I cannot explain how excited my children are to be going to this wedding. We all love Matthew and Lori and cannot wait to witness the Sacrament of Matrimony for these two. Plus the girls cannot wait to see Lori’s cowgirl boots!

I am praying for all our marriages or future spouses for those not married, including my own little band of children.. Marriage is hard if you’re working it…and you should be. I don’t mean hard–bad…I just mean hard–it takes daily, consistent work.

Pondering…

We need saints without cassocks, without veils. We need saints with jeans and tennis shoes. We need saints that go to the movies, that listen to music, that hang out with friends.

We need saints who put God in first place, ahead of succeeding in any career. We need saints who look for time to pray every day and who know how to be in love with purity, chastity, and all good things. We need saints, Saints of the 21st century with a spirituality appropriate to our new time.

We need saints that have a commitment to helping the poor and to make the needed social change. We need saints to live in the world, to sanctify the world and to not be afraid of living in the world by their presence in it.

We need saints that drink Coca-Cola, that eat hot dogs, that surf the internet and that listen to their iPods. We need saints that love the Eucharist, that are not afraid or embarrassed to eat a pizza or drink a beer with their friends.

We need saints who love the movies, dance, sports, theater. We need saints that are open, sociable, normal, happy companions. We need saints who are in this world and who know how to enjoy the best in this world without being callous or mundane. We need saints.

Some have attributed it to Pope Francis, others to Pope St John Paul II. It doesn’t matter who said it, it’s right on. For a couple of years I was under the impression a saint looked one certain way. How many saints in the making did I miss during those years?

Reading…
You know I love reading the scriptures. You also know I love me a good Bible. Hellloooo Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: New Testament.

This Bible is good size without being too big and bulky. The paper is nice and thick which will be helpful with notes not bleeding through. The margins are nice size, again, for notes. The notes at the bottom of the page are excellent and very enlightening. I spent some time Sunday reading the Gospel of John and enjoyed this Bible very much.

Three Gifts of Therese of Lisieux: A Saint for Our Times

I just finished this and will have a review up shortly.

Something Other Than God

Reading this one. It’s very much like her blog in writing style which is a good thing. It’s disappointing to read a book by a blogger in a totally different tone than their blog.

Listening to…
I Choose Jesus

Trim Healthy Mama in the Kitchen…
Still at it girls. I’m almost down 25 pounds since January and still feeling great and eating good. My OB/Gyn came up to the farm for shearing and said I was smart to pay attention to my blood sugar now rather than later and same for my weight. I just figured my health won’t get easier or better as I age unless I’m proactive. I figured I would much rather lose 25 verse 125 pounds and work on stabilizing my blood sugar with good eating habits now rather than be forced to later if I developed Diabetes.

Home Learning…
I have been pondering this quote from Andrew Kern…

“Homeschooling is not about school. It’s about pursuing wisdom, it’s about becoming virtuous beings, it’s about soul transformation.”

I don’t write much about our homeschooling because we use alot of workbooks from Seton or Catholic Heritage Curricula. As a matter of fact, Bernadette is fully enrolled with Seton for high school and Veronica will be this coming year. That’s what works for us we have found after so many years of trying this and that and changing mid year for something new and promising. I would love, and I do mean love…I would love for my children and myself to approach our learning more Charlotte Mason/Classical. So I try to incorporate elements from those two into our family school. We have read alouds and memorization. We work on character and virtues. We read our Bibles or listen to an audio Bible. My children naturally narrate, so we go with what we can.

Goal Check in…
I’m doing terrible on the drinking and reading although I did lots of reading on Sunday while in bed. I have not cleaned one room, but instead sorted summer/winter clothes and donated five bags to Catholic Charities. I still have a few more buckets to sort and organize. I have taken responsibility for cleaning the bathrooms twice a week and my children continue with their other chores. So I guess I could kind of count that on my goal check in.

Around the House…
Trying to stay strong and make the final push to finish school by the end of May. This is the last week for piano lesson. Did you see my instagram pictures of Veronica and Anna at State? Veronica received a 1+ which is the highest award and Anna received a 1, which is the second highest. They did amazing.

Captured 

The boys and I on Mother’s Day.

In His Heart

Hi there, I’m Jenny. I’ve been married to Chris for 21 years. I homeschool our seven children–teen to toddler and I’m also the author of The Catholic Child’s Teaching Bible©. My life is messy and beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

This post may contain affiliate links.

Welcome our Monday Morning Daybook. How was your Mother’s Day? As I begin this Daybook, it’s Sunday evening with storms predicted, so I’ll let you know. We always, always have some form of severe weather right around Mother’s Day weekend.

Thanking God for…
::blue skies and green grass
::friendships
::the gift of blogging
::the Communion of Saints
(The communion of saints is the spiritual solidarity which binds together the faithful on earth, the souls in purgatory, and the saints in heaven in the organic unity of the same mystical body under Christ its head, and in a constant interchange of supernatural offices.)
::wind chimes
::brownies with whipped cream after breakfast
::handmade cards
::fresh picked roses
::Bernadette’s Mother’s Day gift to me bought with her own money
::Veronica’s confidence and power of the soccer field–it’s a gift

Praying for…
For all women and girls. I still pray for the men and boys too, but right now my heart is with the needs of girls and women. We are so intrinsically beautiful and complex and that makes us an open target for the confusion of the evil one. “The devil fishes in troubled waters,” and if he can’t find troubled waters, he makes them. Please stay in the state of grace. Please stay on your toes and yet on your knees. Confusion and misunderstanding are some of the easiest ways to divide and conquer the mutually beneficial female relationships.

Pondering…
I’m pondering screens. I have been informed I am way out of the water on my rules. I’m ok with that. I do not want to send my children out into the world not knowing the functions–beneficial and harmful–of the world wide web. But at the same time, I strongly feel children are exposed to too much, too soon, just for the sake of knowing their way around a computer for school. Exposed too early to the confusing themes portrayed in movies and music. Exposed to soon to the dependence on a device rather than their own brains or the direction of someone older and wiser.

Ultimately, I look around and wonder, how much “better” off are we than our ancestors? Sure, we can access more information, but has this increased our happiness, joy or contentment? Has this wealth of information and availability added to our character?

Listening to…
I’m listening to my work playlist right now. It’s an eclectic mix of Kari Jobe, John Denver, Fernando Ortega, JJ Heller, Casting Crowns, Alison Krauss, Cloverton, Neil Young, (Harvest Moon is my ringtone for Chris when he calls me), Dixie Chicks, Elllie Holcomb, Moriah Peters, Sarah Hart, Joey & Rory…

Reading…
Joey & Rory

Three Gifts of Therese of Lisieux: A Saint for Our Times

Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It

Writing…
At least for now, it feels good to write here about three times per week. I gave it a shot last week and it seemed to work really well here and in my life. May is always busy for our family with soccer, end of school, piano and spring. Those things alone stretch me pretty thin. Add in a blog move and I’m pretty sure I’ve been stretched past thin–like when your’re making pizza dough and you suddenly realize you’ve stretched a place too thin and the dough completely pulls apart to reveal a hole. So you massage and push and pull to cover that hole and try to make the dough even…I need some even right now and a posting schedule of about three times a week is my even.

The other consideration in this posting schedule…There are some blogs I read and the writers, God bless them, post daily. And I don’t mean just a recipe, or a short note, I mean a lengthy post full of some meat and potatoes and before I’ve even had time to chew on the last post–here comes another. To me, it is like hearing an amazing  Sunday sermon everyday. I need some time between profundity (that really is a word) to actually digest and assimilate. If the Lord is blessing me with an awesome, life changing message, it’s not just just for my ears, it’s for my heart.

Not that I’m full of profound messages, but sometimes even I need a day or so to ruminate on something I’ve been blessed to post here.

I want The Littlest Way to refresh and encourage, not burden or make any one of us feel like we need to scurry to keep up. So a three day a week posting schedule–give or take–what do you think?

That being said, keep a watch on Tuesdays for some upcoming, lovely giveaways.

Trim Healthy Mama in the Kitchen…
I’m almost at 25 pounds lost since January. More importantly, I feel good. I am not a slave to Target popcorn, the grocery store candy shelves as I wait in the check out line, chips and salsa on the table at a Mexican Restaurant, or a mindless putting anything into my mouth. My blood sugar is remaining stables and so am I–win/win.

Around the House…
I am feeling like there is too much stuff around here!! As school and life wind down–please Lord? I want to systematically start purging–BIG TIME!

Goal Check In…
Can I just tell you these seemingly small and easy goals are not so much? I’m struggling keeping up with these goals I set; that’s almost embarrassing to admit were it not for the fact I’m committed to keeping it all real deal here. I really need to dig in don’t I? Really, I want the Lord to bless me with more–whatever more He has in store for me–but first I need to get some basics down.

Wandering Around…
I need to tweak things around for a couple for a couple of kids in their home learning. First up, these plans from Jen at Wildflowers and Marbles look like something Luke would really enjoy for 5th grade. Actually I wish Jen would just come for an extended stay and teach me how to be so organized and more importantly–graceful not mean–while being so beautifully organized.

This post by Father Alfonse is a MUST READ.  Jesus Strong!

Captured…

Watering the Orchard with Daddy

In His Heart

Hi there, I’m Jenny. I’ve been married to Chris for 21 years. I homeschool our seven children–teen to toddler and I’m also the author of The Catholic Child’s Teaching Bible©. My life is messy and beautiful and blessed beyond measure.

This post may contain affiliate links.