Before Becoming a Mommy...

...I did not realize that necessary bathtime equipment included wetsuits and back braces.

Why I'm Freaking Out

So yesterday's Reality Check was actually more of a pitiful attempt at asking for help/advice...You see, this weekend, Tom and I are leaving our children for A WHOLE WEEK! We are going to (of all places) Disney World for my mother's 50th birthday celebration. Fortunately, my in-laws are flying out to take care of the girls. My worries aren't because my in-laws are bad people, they are just Not the Mama (I love this post by Michelle). And it's not that I'm terribly worried about what they are going to do with the girls, (but let's be honest, I am) I'm just worried in general. Isabel has been away from me for multiple days before, once with each set of grandparents, but Tom was always close by (she traveled with him to a couple of classes). This time we will both be far, far away. Alexis has never been away from me for more than maybe 5 hours in her short life.

The biggest issue, by far, is how well is Alexis going to eat. I had been trying to freeze enough milk to make it through our trip, but due to some traveling and growth spurts, I'm going to fall just short. We bought some formula to cover the shortage, and she has taken 3 bottles well to make sure she's not allergic or anything. So now we just hope she does well taking a bottle (milk or formula) for every feeding. I also feel bad because she's in a phase of getting up more often than I would like at night. It's one thing for the Mama to have to get up at all kinds of crazy hours, but I feel bad about Tom's parents having to get up with her. I'm not too terribly worried about Isabel, as long as they keep her somewhat on schedule for naps and bed. She's pretty easy. And I also worry about the grandparents trying to do this all as visitors. They've only been here a handful of times.

So I guess what I am so pitifully trying to do, is ask for your advice on

a) handling my worries
b) best preparing the grandparents to make it as easy for them as possible. Any tips?

I'm not dumb. I know that Tom and I getting away is a good thing.

I know that his parents have taken care of kids before.

I know that Alexis will eat when she gets hungry.

I know that not everything, if anything, will be done "my way."

I know that God will take care of everything.

But sometimes my heart and my brain don't communicate so well. I am human after all. And more importantly, I'm a mom. And I will ALWAYS worry about my kids.

Reality Check Monday

How did you handle (mentally, emotionally) the first time you left your kids with someone else (read in-laws) while you went out of town?

Rated PG-13

I got an email from my husband while he was at work the other day. The title said "NOT for Isabel's eyes" so I'm thinking it has something to do with Christmas presents...Silly me. Why would I think that? That would mean my husband was thinking about something more than 5 minutes ahead of time. No, this is what he was talking about...
This cartoon actually says a lot about my husband's sense of humor. Hopefully, there won't be a reenactment at my house on Thursday!

Not THAT Kind of Yankee...

I was over at Building the Ark and came across this quiz . I took it twice, because there were a couple of questions I could have answered different ways. The first time I got 50%, Barely a Yankee and the second time I got 48%, Barely a Yankee, so it seems the changes didn't really matter. Go ahead and find out if you are a Dixie or a Yankee. GO SOX! (just emphasizing again, not THAT kind of Yankee).

Reality Check Monday

How do you get a decent workout with a 2 year old and a 7 month old in the winter?

I Think my Husband Was Involved

My husband is a HUGE martial arts fan. And every time we are in Waco, TX, he points out the Texas Ranger Museum. So obviously, he's into Chuck Norris. And he's been hearing me talk about Mike Huckabee a lot lately. And then I come across this political ad...My husband has to be involved somehow.

Jean over at Catholic Fire pretty much took the words right out of my mouth.

Before becoming a mommy...

...I never appreciated what a shower can do for your insides.

Catholic Carnival 145

Check out this week's Catholic Carnival at Adam's Ale.

And it begins

Last night there were a couple of firsts in our house. Alexis had her first "real" food. Of course as soon as I sat down and lifted that first spoonful, it all came rushing back to me. The sticky, runny rice cereal, the jars of gross smelling baby food, the mess...And what else should follow this lovely first than Alexis' first bath in the big girl tub? It was also the girls' first bath together. They had a blast splashing each other, although Tom was not as excited about the splashing. I got a really cute video, but needless to say, I won't be posting it on the web. I did send it to the grandparents and godparents though, and it will probably show up again in about twenty years when the suitors come around. Did I say twenty? I meant forty. And then just a few minutes ago, my darling husband lowered the crib mattress because my baby can now pull herself up on the side. It's all going so fast. (Yes, I'm getting a little sentimental here.) What's a mom to do?

Luckily...

...you don't have to stand next to a building to pray for the people inside of it.

Update: I just read this over at The Lady in the Pew and thought I would add the link to this post.

Still time...

I just read this at Catholic Mom and I had to post it since technically there's still 45 minutes left of this Veteran's Day Weekend (although, shouldn't every day be Veteran's Day?). Please pray for our veterans, those who have served, are serving, and those that have given the ultimate sacrifice.

Amen

So I know there are a lot of links below. These have been accumulating since I went to Colorado and are stories/posts that struck a chord with me (even if I can't remember what all of them are right now without rereading them). I really should write a little blurb letting you know about each one and possibly categorize them, but I probably shouldn't take the time for that right now. I'll just do a better job next week. Maybe this will give you some insight into what my brain waves look like, CRAZY and all over the place! Enjoy!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Holiday
What Would Richard Simmons Do?
A Few Cobwebs
Breastfeeding Against Cancer
Mom's Pyramid
Abortion Suffering and Chinese Widow
Archbishop Chaput Talks About Certain
Women You are Beautiful and Precious
Everything That Is Good Comes From God
Huckabee on Whether Mormons are Christian
Keeping the Big Picture In Mind
Supermom is Dead or at Least Napping
Politics of Poppycock
I Caught You
In Honor of Saints
Definition of Happiness
Send Christmas Greeting to Wounded Soldier
Morning Sickness
Real Life Love

Reality Check Monday

I admit it. I watch those celebrity "news" shows like Access Hollywood more than I should (although I am getting better about turning the tv off). And more than once, when they mention some "hot" club, I've wondered what it would be like to get into one of those places. Well, wonder no more. My friend posted this on her blog the other day and I think it says it all. Any other similar stories out there?

On Veteran's Day...

Thank you Grampop, Dad, Tom, Brian, Jess, Welo, Chet, Elaine, Travis, James, Tracy, Kristen, Josh, Bessie, Joann, Col. H., Joe, Nathan, Erika, Aaron, Summer, Khris, Jeff, Chris, MJ, Chris, Cris, Kristina, Tim, Jack, Uncle Jack, Uncle Steve, Spaz, Micaela, Matt, Tait, Nate, Ty, Joe, Brian, Bart, Leo, John, Zen, Great Grandpa, Ryan, Dave, Brooke, Robyn, Matt, Jen, Kevin, Ryan, Jamie, Kevin, John, Jon, Jay, Jeff, Casey, Jim, Ryan, Nokie, Nicki, Jesse, Kelly, Cliff, Dara, Erin, T, Gio, Alex, Jaclyn, Patrick, Janet, Bethany, Mike, Sam, Greg, Chrissy, Laura, Tom, Jason, Beth, Bethany, Kate, Derek, Nathan, Aaron, Tom, Tony, Mike, Pete, Richie, Ben, John, Shayne, John, Vanessa, Derek, John, Col. E., Lindsay, Paula, Malia, Tess, Jon, Col. T., Edie, Beth, Jen, Troy, Brian, Nick, Sarah, Brian, Dana, Derek, Mary E., Samantha, Chris, Paul, Scott, Travis, Kelli, Lisa, Tracy... and the countless others who have and are sacrificing to serve our country and protect our way of life.

Toy commercials

All of you good moms out there, this doesn't apply to you.

For the rest of us, however, is it just me, or am I up to my eye balls in new toy commercials? I know that Christmas is coming faster than I could ever be ready for, but oh my goodness!!! I guess I didn't notice last year as I spent the majority of my time hanging over my toilet.

Thoughts?

Rom 14:7-12 (emphasis mine)

Brothers and sisters:

None of us lives for oneself, and no one dies for oneself.

For if we live, we live for the Lord,

and if we die, we die for the Lord;

so then, whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.

For this is why Christ died and came to life,

that he might be Lord of both the dead and the living.

Why then do you judge your brother or sister?

Or you, why do you look down on your brother or sister?

For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God;

for it is written:

As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bend before me,

and every tongue shall give praise to God.

So then each of us shall give an account of himself to God.

Today’s reading reminds me of an issue that has been coming up a lot in my life lately, separating the sinner from the sin. How do I effectively teach this concept to my daughters? How do we welcome people into our homes, but not their behavior, in order to not condone it or send mixed messages to our children? What of the friends who come to stay who live together out of wedlock? What of the family member who chooses to live a gay lifestyle? What of the loved one who greatly wrongs another family member? Where is the line between using our judgment to protect our family and not judging our fellow sinner?

Thoughts?

Going the Wrong Way

I know, I know…You are all thinking the new girl didn’t last long right? I apologize for my absence.

In case you missed it, 2 weeks ago there was a little game on tv. You know, Game 1 of the World Series. So as Coloradans (yes I looked that term up) were flocking to Boston, my family and I were traveling to Denver for my brother’s wedding. We proudly sported our Red Sox gear, but to our surprise and some disappointment, no one called us out on it when we arrived in Denver. Yes, we did get stared at a lot, but no one said anything to us except the guy at the rental car place who asked us cheerily who we were rooting for. We just smiled. Now I knew we wouldn’t get the same reaction as a Yankee fan would in Boston, but we were kind of hoping for something. Even as we payed every toll to the Rockies gear wearing toll collectors, we thought surely someone would say something. But no. So after expressing our disappointment at the lack of razzing to our friends and family throughout all the wedding festivities, the only thing we all could come up with was that Rockies fans were just so shocked and excited to be in the World Series, they just didn’t care. And then of course the Sox brought out their brooms and the Series was over.

I do have to say that this past Friday as I was entering a restaurant with my parents and daughters for dinner, a man held the door for me and then said, “I wouldn’t do this if you weren’t holding that baby.” I had my Red Sox hat on J So finally, someone had the guts to say something and he couldn’t believe that he was the first.

One more thing about the Red Sox, I’m sorry if you are sick of hearing about them. I have to give some credit to my daughters for their past couple of wins. You see, we moved to Boston in the summer of ’04, I was lucky enough to go to Game 5 of the ALCS against the Yankees, which is when I realized I was pregnant (another story to be told later), and then we went on to win that year after 86 years of the curse. Then my second daughter was born in the spring of 07 and now here we are, with another championship in the same year. So you see, although they may not have had everything to do with the wins, in my mind, they were the little extra something that made it all possible. GO SOX!!!

This picture was obviously taken earlier in the season, but gives a good idea of what I'm talking about.