Got my camera to download!

Thanks to Mighty Mom suggestions!

So, look out! I have pictures backlogged to the Epiphany to share!

But, first, here's a shot of a pile o'puppies:

(Please 'scuse the poor focus on that bottom one... We'll try for better ones later when it's not so windy and chilly outside)

We had fixed up a nice, warm, cozy place for Bella and the pups in the barn, all snuggled in with hay, out of the wind and weather, but for some reason, Bella wants her family under the picnic table in the backyard. Silly dog. We tried twice to take the pups into the barn, but she moved them right back out to the backyard. Maybe it's because it's right outside our bedroom window and she feel secure with us right there, or maybe it's because she knows coyotes won't venture that close to the house. Who knows? Anyway, we did the best we could to make her and the "kids" a tent with a tarp and some strategically placed scrap wood. It looks just awful, but it's at least protected. We hope with the next snow storm, she sees some sense and moves into the warmer quarters of the barn!

Feast of the Apparition of Our Lady of Lourdes

I regard today as one of my namedays, after a fashion. You see, my middle name is Bernadette, so I figure I get to claim all the feastdays that are related to her.

I love my patron, St. Bernadette, and have always especially loved Our Blessed Mother under the title of the Immaculate Conception. This dogma of our Faith is united to our belief and understanding of the Incarnation of her son, Jesus, God Made Man, and therefore, connected as well to the dogma of the Blessed Trinity. Images of the whole Heavenly Family fill those words spoken to St. Bernadette by the Mother of God: "I am the Immaculate Conception."

It's been 151 years now since Our Lady first appeared to little Bernadette at the lowly grotto outside of Masabielle, France to confirm for the world the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception ~ the truth that she was, by divine exception, free from all sin, including original sin, at the moment of her first presence in the womb of her mother. Imagine the stir in Heaven when God placed this perfect human soul, Mary the daughter of Anne and Joachim, on the earth! Don't you imagine that the birds must have sung sweeter that day, that the air must have felt softer? And can't you just imagine that on this day, 151 years ago, the earth must have vibrated with a special hum because the Mother of God once again stood upon its soil? How the angels must have knelt about her, how the devil must have trembled!

Back in 1964, my parents, who were stationed at a Naval base in Spain at the time, visited Lourdes a few months before I was born. They have told us many times how very special a place it was. The faith of the crowds was so thick, you breathed it in. The nightly candlelight processions were alive with the wingbeat of angels. My mom and dad were so touched by the experience that it was a matter of course that their new baby girl would be named after St. Bernadette. I was only named Lisa, in fact, because it went with Bernadette. And I'm so glad of it. Fiesty little Bernadette has long been my champion.

Someday I'll get to go to Lourdes again, outside of the womb ~ I'm determined to. I want to see the candlelight processions and dip my hands into the waters of the miraculous springs. I'd like to listen for the sound of angel wings fluttering and put my hands on the rocks of the Grotto and feel if there is still the hum of our Heavenly Mother's presence there.

But, since I'm exactly 5,020 miles from Lourdes today, I'll read my little book, Personal Notes of Bernadette Soubirous, and be content in the knowlege of Our Lord's true presence in the tabernacle and the fact that where Jesus is, Mary is. And where Mary is, so is Our Blessed Lord.

And the children and I will go on a little "virtual" tour of Lourdes, using some of the following sources:

St. Bernadette's entire story, which can be found here. And another lovely version here.

Here is a coloring page of Our Lady of Lourdes, courtesy of wonderful, talented Charlotte.

Movies to watch: The1943 classic, The Song of Bernadette, And a new version, the one that is shown at Lourdes, Bernadette, and its sequal, The Passion of Bernadette,

Books: A Holy Life: St. Bernadette of Lourdes,
Bernadette Speaks: A Life of Saint Bernadette Soubirous in Her Own Words,
St. Bernadette Soubirous

Websites to check out: the official Lourdes Sanctuary
official Saint Bernadette-Nevers site
Tons photos of St. Bernadette and just a few here:
St. Bernadette at the age of 19, before becoming a religious:


The only known picture of St. Bernadette at the Grotto (taken after the apparitions):

The miraculously incorrupt body of St. Bernadette, as it looks today:

From the Personal Notes of Bernadette Soubirous:
"For the greater glory of God, the important thing is not to achieve many things, but to do them well."
"O Mary, my dear Mother, here is your poor child, unable to carry on any longer; you know my needs and above all my spiritual distress; have pity on me. Grant that one day I may be with you in heaven."
"Jesus gives all to those who have left all."
"God is always present.
Nothing can happen to us without His permission, without His will. All that we do to our neighbor is done to Him,.
In Him is all kindness, and all good.
A living faith concerning these truths.
Drive away all sin.
Console all suffering.
Dispel all langour.
Make fruitful the life of grace in the soul.
God will finally say to us: Quoniam bene.
The way: Union with Jesus and Mary. "

Paul and the Library Girl

The Engagement Story

Chapter 1

Pauliwog, a Big Frog

There was once a little boy, the first of many boys and girls in a big Catholic family. Everyone called him Pauliwog when he was little, but then he grew up to be quite a big frog in the pond, so that most people (except maybe his Mom) wouldn't think of calling him that any more.

He grew up to be such a wonderful young man. He was a good example to his little brothers and sisters and everyone who knew him, as he served at the altar, as he continued to be a help to his family, as he worked his way through college. He played hard, he prayed hard, he worked hard and he studied hard. He was always busy. By the time he got to his sophomore year in college, his family hardly ever saw him. If he wasn't working or in class, he was at the library, studying.

Chapter 2

What Paul was Studying at the Library

One day, when Paul was at the library, he saw a beautiful girl with the most beautiful smile standing behind the counter at the library. He found out her name was Nicole (though Paul's friends and family all knew her as "The Library Girl"), and he learned that she was just as sweet and good as she was beautiful. So, of course, Paul went to the library more and more often. Sometimes it was to study. Mostly, it was to look at Nicole over the library books, and to find some excuse to talk to her. As time went on, they became friends, and then one February day, he asked her out on a date. They had a wonderful time, and decided they might need to go on more dates to see if they continued to have such a good time together. And, as it turned out, they did, indeed. As time went by, they realized they wanted to be more than just friends.

Chapter 3

More Than Just Friends

But, there was still so much to do. Paul and Nicole both wanted to finish their college educations, and it was very important to Paul to be able to provide well for Nicole and the family they knew they'd like to have together someday. So they both worked hard, and played hard, and studied hard to finish up their schooling. Only now, they kept each other company while they did it. Paul brought his girl home to meet his family and everyone fell in love with her just like Paul had. Nicole also saw how Paul prayed and wanted to know about that so she could share that with him, too, and it wasn't long before she went to Mass with him every Sunday and could see him serving at the altar. And she began to understand that the example Paul set had led her heart to a happy home of its own in the Church.

And then, in what seemed like no time at all, Paul and Nicole realized that the anniversary of their first date was coming up. It had been three years since they first met! (My, how time flies!) And Paul had a plan to celebrate it.

Chapter 4

The Plan Unfolds

He arrived at Nicole's apartment early on the Saturday morning of their dating-anniversary and when she came to the door, with sleep still in her eyes, he told her to go sit down ~ breakfast was on him! So he cooked her up a big breakfast of eggs and ham and toast. And he gave her a single rose. After she ate her breakfast, he brought her out to the car, handed her a blindfold and told her the next stop was a surprise. They were going to go try out something new and different; Paul had reserved an hour for each of them at the nicest spa in town to get a massage. (Nicole says if you've never done this ~ definitely, do it!)

After that, he blindfolded her again to make the long drive to their next surprise destination ~ the restaurant in Ouray that was the site of their first date. Unfortunately, though, Buen Tiempo didn't keep winter lunch hours, so they ended up going to O'Brien's Pub and they enjoyed their meal very much. Then they walked around the pretty little town of Ouray for a while before Paul led Nicole back to the car and they headed back to Montrose, the town where they first met. When they were just outside the town limits, Paul had Nicole put her blindfold back on so that their next destination could be another surprise.

Chapter 5

What Nicole Didn't Know and What She Found Out

Paul had been planning this day for a long time. He would graduate next winter and his commission as a 2nd Lieutenent in the United States Marine Corps was in the bag for next spring, so he had a job and a future waiting for a new bride. He had told his Mom and Dad about his plan and had had an important talk with Nicole's Dad. He had gone to a certain jewelry store and bought a certain ring in secret. He had told the sales girls about his plan so that when the store had a "Going Out of Business" sign over the door, and Nicole, in a panic, hurried Paul back to the store, all they would say was, "Oh, I'm sorry. I'm afraid it sold." Paul had also spoken to a certain library director who agreed to open the library after hours and who would be on hand on a certain evening with a video recorder. So the stage was set...

...for when he led her, blindfolded, into the library where they first met, knelt down on one knee, took off her blindfold, and asked her to be his wife. And she cried, and pulled him up off the floor, and hugged him and said yes. And he gave her the beautiful ring that she thought had been sold, and she cried again. And they went to visit Nicole's Mom and Dad. And there were still tears of joy left. And they called Paul's Mom and Dad and there was great rejoicing by his parents and all the little brothers and sisters at Paul's house. And his Mom laughed and wiped away a tear, because her little Pauliwog was all grown up and was going to be a husband. And because time passes so quickly. And because she knew that Paul and Nicole were so good for each other, and they loved each other so and =sigh= because, isn't it just so romantic?

And now our dear Nicole will be an official member of the family.

Chapter 6

Forever...

...begins for Paul and Nicole on October 10, 2009.

Congratulations, you two! We couldn't be happier!

PS ~ No, children, and anyone else who wonders, Nicole did not eat the rose; it was a decoration.

(That's the one comment my eight-year-old had after we read the above story together!)

A worthy forward to pass along

Going around the web ~ apparently from a pro-life activist named John Otto:

Dear Friends and Intercessors:

This afternoon I was praying about a number of things, and my mind began to wander. I was deeply distressed at the symbolic actions that President Obama took as he began his presidency. Namely, that he signed executive orders releasing funds to pay for abortions, permission to fund human stem cell research, and federal funding for contraception.

I have been involved in the pro-life movement for nearly 20 years, and it pained my heart to see a man and a political party committed to the shedding of innocent blood. This man, and this party lead our country, but they do not represent me or the 54% of Americans who believe that abortion is wrong and should no longer be legal..

As I was praying, I believe that God gave me an interesting idea. Out in the garage I have a box of red envelopes. Like the powerful image of the red LIFE tape, an empty red envelope will send a message to Barack Obama that there is moral outrage in this country over this issue. It will be quiet, but clear.

Here is what I would like you to do:Get a red envelope. You can buy them at Kinkos, or at party supply stores. On the front, address it to:

President Barack Obama
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave.Washington , D.C.
20500

On the back, write the following message:

This envelope represents one child who died in abortion. It is empty because that life was unable to offer anything to the world. Responsibility begins with conception.

Put it in the mail, and send it. Then forward this email to every one of your friends who you think would send one too.. I wish we could send 50 million red envelopes, one for every child who died before having a a chance to live. Maybe it will change the heart of the president.

Warmly,
John Otto

Fortunately, those of us who don't believe in contraception will soon outnumber those who do. -- G.K. Chesterton

A great idea, we think! I'm going to run out and get some red envelopes and send as many as I can!

H/T: Christy at Mum2Twelve

Guess What ELSE Happened This Weekend??

Paul and Nicole will become a Mr. and Mrs. on October 10th!

And we'll get to have Nicole for our new daughter!

I'll share the engagement story when I get all the details from Nicole ('cause you KNOW she'll give me a better description than Paul will!).

Some Excitement Here This Morning!

Bella had her puppies! Six chubby, white little yowlers early this morning. I'll try my durndest to get my camera downloaded and take some pictures. (Thanks for the pointers, MM; we're going to try your suggestions later this afternoon!)

*Update: We came home from Mass and found what Cathy called a "pile o' puppies" ~ She has eight now!

Remember Beaker's Ode To Joy?

It was a response to this video:



Which is really pretty strange... but somehow quite impressive.
(Can't wait to share this with my choir-member sons!)

Quick Takes

It was 65 degrees yesterday and around 60 today. The children have been playing outside in their shirtsleeves and I've been opening the windows to air out the house. It's wonderful! But, let's face it: it's February, for crying out loud! And, though I'm not a pessimist, I am a realist, and I know these good things don't come without a price. So, I told the girls to pick up the shovels they had scattered all over the property and put them back in the garage where they belong so we can find them when the blizzard hits. Soon, I'm guessing.


My camera still will not download onto my computer, and I'm sure it's a software problem. I expect I could download some more software from somewhere, but I keep wishing and hoping and dreaming of getting a new camera ~ one that is faster and doesn't have the weird focussing problem that mine's developed. But, I'm afraid that may be a long wait, as there are a few hundred things on the list ahead of a new camera. Alas! I guess I'd better hunt down some new software. I miss being able to post current pictures!

Bella, our yellow lab, who is a little over year old, has not been spayed, as we were waiting for that procedure to come to the top of said list. And, well, you guessed it. She found a beau (and now that procedure has risen right to the top ~ as soon as she weans her pups!). We think the papa is the Great Pyrennes that was hanging around here a few weeks ago. We should find out soon, though, if the pups resemble him. The children are totally excited, needless to say. (Anyone thinking about wanting a puppy this spring?)

Tonight is Dinner and a Movie Night for me and my husband. We take turns every other Friday or so surprising each other with new and unusual dinners and unexpected movies, which we share in our room with the door closed, while Michelle babysits the Littles with their own dinner and a movie out in the living room. Two weeks ago Dan brought home a container of lobster bisque from our super market deli, and served it with some artisan bread and balsamic vinegar and olive oil dip. And a bottle of Guiness. M-Good! Now I have to come up with something. It being Friday and us being on diets now is making it very hard. So, we'll go on a rosary drive in a minute here, pop in at the library for a movie, and then we'll just have to stroll around the grocery store and see what we come up with...

I mentioned in #4 that we're on a diet... To elaborate and not bore you with the details, let me just put it this way: It's the pits! Whether it's the cause or result of having toxemia three times in a row, we don't know, but I have ongoing issues with my kidneys and liver and have learned that it's necessary for me to do periodic cleansings, as well as eating as "clean" a diet as I can. But, on this regimen, I get two chalky milkshakes a day, one meal of greens and white meat, and for snack twice a day, I get to chow down on two almonds. Yes, that's what I said. Two. I've lived through this diet before, and I lost 17 pounds and came out the better, but, man-oh-man, it's hard.

Like most everyone, I do love to eat; being hungry is the pits. And I love my coffee, but have had to cut it way, way back (like to one or two cups a week), which is the pits. Preparing food for the children and doling out the snacks is a terrible temptation. Cooking pizza for them while I nibble rabbit food is especially the pits. And here's another thing: My hubby just wants to trim down, and you know how guys are ~ he's going to lose five pounds for every one pound I lose. (What's with that?) Watching him peel it off while I struggle will be the pits. Not that I won't be proud of his success, mind you, but, gee whiz... =sigh=

I guess there is one bright side, if you can call it that: After this, Lent will be a piece of cake!

We're getting the electrical worked on out here at the farm, so we can get our generator lined up to turn on at the flick of a switch ~ just in case we get that blizzard I mentioned. We'll also have our chicken house re-wired, so we can get some hens going pretty soon. We have the promise of some layers from some friends, and we'll probably get some chicks from the breeders, just because it's a fun thing to do. Our big boys enjoyed all the benefits of the farm the first time around, but having been away for two years and taking these two years to do some re-building, our little ones haven't had the same experiences. I'm looking forward to the excitement of them finding their first eggs in the henhouse!

I've been thinking about charity this year as part of my New Year's resolve and meditation. It's a petty easy concept to ponder on the global plain. St. Paul talks about it a lot in his Epistles; it's the cornerstone of all the other virtues and the partner of humility. But, it's been especially intriguing to bring the virtue of charity home to roost in my own life here, as mother and hometeacher, wife, friend, sibling, daughter, etc. The Holy Ghost and my patrons have been generous in their help, though, as they always are~ most especially with these things. Every time I turn around, they're (somebody up there!) placing the words in my hands and in my head, the concepts I'm supposed to learn and live. Over and over again, I get these two words! And here's what they are: I believe my portion of Charity to work on right now lies in Mercy and Patience. Go figure. Seems simple, but I bet there's more to it than meets the eye. As I work out what it all means in my station in life, I'll let you know.

Run over to Jennifer's place at Conversion Diary for a bunch of Quick Takes!

Friday Fun

Beaker is my favorite Muppet!

Here he is again, in a different kind of classic:

Who's your favorite Muppet?

A new little blog bobbing on the waves of the internet...

Our littler girls, under the supervision of ten-year-old Theresa, are working on a blog of their own called Notes from a little house on the prairie. To liven things up a bit, we've decided to incorporate daily posts into our writing practice time. The girls love to see their own work in print here on the computer and have the best time finding pictures to illustrate their posts on our computer library. They also hope to find like-minded children on the internet who might enjoy the interaction.

So, in that spirit, of course they'd love to have visitors! All their comments will be approved by Mom (moi), who's keeping a close eye to be sure an "invite only" blog wouldn't be better... But we're hopeful that this won't be necessary.

Today's post is about the feast of the day, St. Agatha, written by Theresa.

(Thanks to Sarah whose visit over there reminded us we had this little resource waiting in the wings! We started it in September and forgot all about it!)

Catholic Trivia

Almost all cultures have some ritually offered words for someone who sneezes -- the ancient Greeks, the American Indians, the rabbinical Jews, Asians, etc. Many of these groups (Talmudic Jews included) believed that sneezes could be mortal, that the soul could leave the body through the mouth during a sneeze.

It is Pope St. Gregory the Great, however, whom we have to thank for the practice of saying "God bless you" after someone sneezes. He was Pope during a time when Rome was ravaged by a certain pestilence, the symptoms of which were sneezing and yawning. In A.D. 600, he decreed that when someone sneezes, one should respond with "God bless you" to ask God's blessings for the person's health, and that when a person yawns, the Sign of the Cross should be made on his mouth.

Quoted from Fisheaters


I love the custom of blessing people when they sneeze. It's a courteous way of showing your concern for their health, and an easy way to sneak in a little prayer for them, to boot. I think everyone still does this, don't they? But, I totally see how Pope St. Gregory's other recommendation didn't catch on...

Imagine. How would it work exactly? Would all your friends and family members rush to see who can get to you first to sign you with the cross when you yawn? Maybe that would just be the job of the person standing closest to the yawner. Or does everyone stand in line and bless your mouth, one by one? Do you step over to the man on the bus and make the Sign of the Cross over his mouth? What do you do if you hear me yawning when I'm talking to you on the phone, bless the receiver? I can see accidents and mishaps and people getting smacked in the face... And I don't know about you, but my kids would just get sick of it, I yawn so much.

In fact, I'm yawning right now. Oh, no! Now I've started something, haven't I? Or is yawning contagious online?

Here. I'll bless the monitor, just in case.

Anyone with a cold out there?

Well, God Bless You!

And those of you who are neither yawning nor sneezing?

God Bless You, too!

How we're populating the earth...

We went to the Denver Museum of Natural History yesterday, seven of my children, one little friend, and my brother, Dave, and I. We have a museum membership as it takes only two or three visits a year to pay for itself. But, we made a miscalcuation and didn't check the website before we planned the trip. If we'd looked, we'd have seen that yesterday was a "free day" and everyone in the world had planned to be there. Gack. We like it much better when we can park right up front and the halls are so deserted that our chatter echos.

But, yesterday we were bumping elbows with the whole Denver metro population. Nice folks, for the most part. Generally, people who want to go to the museum are a good sort, and we all get along with one another very well. At one point, though, shuffling through the crowd, the Littles and I got separated from our group of bigger kids who were getting the scholarly tour of the dinosaur pavilion from my paleantologically inclined brother, so we parked the stroller in a little nook outside the "bone" rooms to wait. The six children and I chatted, I texted with my brother to check on their progress, and scores of people passed by enjoying the exhibits, involved in their own worlds. Except one pair of older ladies.

I couldn't help noticing them eyeing us as they passed. And I couldn't help hearing their passing comment, because I suspect it was meant to be heard. One said to the other, and I quote: "Yes, they look like they're all hers. Isn't that horrendous?"

Ha! I didn't even have all my kids with me! But, I didn't say anything.

Now, some years ago, these ladies' comment would have made me angry. I've been hearing this kind of thing for over fifteen years now, ever since our family broke the acceptability level of three children, but over the years its effect on me has changed. It doesn't make me angry any more. I don't feel the urge to make a biting, sarcastic retort. No, these days it makes me feel sad.

It makes me sad that these two older women (in their sixties) didn't know, first of all, that if you're going to gossip, you should at least have the courtesy not to gossip where the gossipee can hear you. (Sheesh!)

Second of all, it saddens me that, in the tradition of gossip, they jumped to so many conclusions, not just about our individual situation, but about big families, in general.

And the saddest thing is that this conception is practically universal. It's heart-breaking that so many people tolerate the sins of abortion, homosexuality, promiscuity, etc, then complain about the high incidence of violent crime, including rape, and whine about today's crop of lazy, irresponsible, addicted young people. They don't see the connection between the accepted modern mindset, which teaches all the reasons for limiting family-size, and all the evils that come from the same humanistic religion.

Isn't it odd that modern humanism in its singular backward way teaches that people are both the most and least important cog in the universe? Everything revolves around improving our life on this planet, and yet life in itself has no value. The selfish needs of the individual, globalized into materialism and earth-worship, have eclipsed any care for the soul (the real good) of the people of the world, generally or specifically.

So now, in a typically ironic way, our society considers having a large family a selfish act.

You see how they come to this, don't you? Modern society teaches that the earth is more important than children. You've heard the mantra: We can't further burden what they conceive to be an already overburdened planet. To be amazed at what they really think, check this article out. And then, see here and here for excellent explanations of why this myth is exactly that ~ myth.

Then, of course, the world teaches that things are more important than children. A great emphasis is placed on what many call a "quality" of life, which can only be enjoyed by a family of one or two children. Without expensive vacations, cutting edge gadgets, big screen tvs, and palacial McMansions to live in, children will grow up deprived, they say. So, in order to afford these things, they limit their children to no more than 2.5 hatchlings per household, and then both parents work conscientiously long hours -- and deprive their children of the one thing they most need and want: their parents' time.

We've all seen how the world teaches that convenience is more important than children. Raising more than two children is not only expensive, but it's challenging ~ and terribly inconvenient. (The remark we hear for that one is: What are you, crazy?) There really is no question about it. A person who wants the world to revolve around him or her will find great inconvenience in raising more than a matched set of children. Raising more requires purposeful efficiency, planning, patience, tolerance, and self sacrifice.

The irony is that these are all the attributes population-zero people would like us all to exhibit toward its most currently popular end of "saving the planet," but would never consider positive attributes put toward raising a half dozen like-minded future voters. That idea is not only inconvenient, but dangerous in the mind of today's eco-religious. Much of our "green" world is willing to forego the convenience of anything that produces waste products, including the water required for flushing toilets for the good of the planet but can't imagine living on less in order to nurture and support a generous-sized family. It seems that today any inconvenience can and should be tolerated to preserve our natural resources...

All natural resources, except our greatest resource ~ our children.

And the most rare, the most precious-resource children that I know are ones that are brought up understanding first hand, the Godly prudence of conservation, the reward of self-sacrifice, the necessity of patience, the value of charity, and the desire for proper justice to those who don't play by the rules. And, though these virtues can be found in children of any family size, they thrive in big families. Not only that, they grow deep roots and spread great canopies. Children from big, happy families blossom in ingenuity, creativity, generosity, and love. They are almost always givers. They enrich the world. They populate heaven.

I'm sure those two little old ladies would be able to cite examples of big, impoverished, welfare families that would make a mockery of this statement. And, it's a sad truth that they're out there. But, I could, in turn, point out a nation full of self-centered, spoiled, rudderless people from small families that has had hardly a chance to learn better. There are worse kinds of deprivation than not getting to go to Disney World as a child.

But, I wouldn't do that. Even though it looks like I just did that very thing, I wouldn't really point my finger. For one thing, I just don't have the heart to argue about it any more. And seriously, we big family folks don't point our fingers at little families in derision. Have you ever seen any of us do that? We love families ~ all families, big and small. But it makes me sad that parents of large families (and their children) have to hear this kind of abuse about something so integral to our belief systems. It'd sure be nice if a world that preaches tolerance to every evil could squeeze out a little tolerance for a family that exceeds the norm. But, it'd be nicer still if the world would understand that a value for life and a love for integrity, the standard under which many big families march, produces darn good people.

Lots of them.

(Do you see now why I can't make pithy biting retorts? It takes me 13 paragraphs to get it all out.)

Famous people with or from big families:

Benjamin Franklin was one of ten children

Mark Wahlberg is one of nine children

St. Catherine of Siena was the youngest of twenty-five children

Frank and Lillian Gilbreth were the parents of twelve children

Queen Victoria had nine royal children

Stephen Colbert is one of eleven children

Celine Dion is the youngest of fourteen siblings

Johann Sebastian Bach had twenty children altogether

Danielle Steele has nine children

Justice Antonin Scalia, himself an only child, is the father of nine children

Mel Gibson has seven children

Queen St. Margaret of Scotland was the mother of eight children, one a canonized saint.

For more information

and some big-family inspiration:

Check out this scientific study on children from large families vs. small families and their behavior in a school setting.

This rabbi's take on his large family is heartening.

Kim at Starry Sky Ranch stated it perfectly a while back. (Bless Kim's decision to get away from blogging right now, but I miss her wise and insightful posts!)

And Jennifer at Conversion Diary has some great links and thoughts on the subject, as well.

H/T: to Jackie at Catholic Mom of 10 who provided the Patrick Madrid link, a Catholic perspective on overpopulation. Jackie (who's on vacation right now) is also writing about this topic these days.

Did you catch this one?

A Superbowl Commercial Classic

Cracked us up!

Today

I'm on my way this morning to meet my two oldest sons, Paul and Kevin, and Paul's girl, Nicole up at Winter Park to spend the day. The boys will ski; we two girls will get to have some girl time. Woohoo! Thanks to my dear husband for staying home with the children so I can go! I'll take pictures, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to download them, as we're having a problem with our software, doggonit.

And Happy Feast Day of St. John Bosco! Another favorite saint! But, then, of course he is, because we're raising six boys. I wish I had time this morning to expound on why we love this incredible, saintly man and the Salesian method of teaching, but, alas, the mountains call!

My post from last year with some links (which I hope are still good), follows, though!

And here is a wonderful post I came across about St. John and his dreams.

We are huge fans of this saint!

Having started out with four boys, we learned early to rely on his heavenly assistance, and base our homeschooling and much of our parenting philosphy on his methods. Parents might be interested in this letter from St. John Bosco regarding the teaching of children. This great priest knew how to deal with children, but especially boys, let me tell you! We have had great success using him as a role model.Since tomorrow is his feastday, we've been reading aloud this version of the story of Don Bosco this week. The children especially love the ghost story with the Catholic explanation and love the stories of Grigio, his dog.

I'd like to send up our public thanks, again, to you, St. John Bosco, for all you help through the years, and our continuing petitions to remain by our side as a mentor in education, a counselor in our trials, and a guide to heaven! Dear St. John, pray for us!

I Refuse To:

* Feel apologetic toward the hot-rods who want to pass me on our winding country roads when I'm doing the speed limit

(For goodness sake!)

* Wear spiked high-heel or pointy-toe shoes

(Learned that lesson long ago; vanity is not worth the price!)

* Believe William is going to clean up all the playdough if I let him get it out

(Stopped expecting the brownies to come clean my kitchen a long time ago, too...)

* Get sucked into a "child-limiting" discussion on an internet forum

(Ever again!)

* Act like an old woman.

(My husband and I have a "No grunting or groaning" rule to help prevent that...)

*Forget that I'm not a spring chicken anymore

(Like, cartwheels at my age and condition are a really bad idea...)

* Be whined or bribed into doing anything by my children

(But flattery, hugs and kisses work pretty well...)

* Offer to make big bacon, egg, and pancake breakfasts

(This is how I've secured my husband's breakfast-making cooperation lo these many years. --smirksmirk--)

* Let our girls even think of dating until they graduate from high school

(And then they have to bring one of their big brothers along... Mwahahaha!)

* Let our sons re-shingle our incredibly steep roof

(No way!)

* Allow the flood of evil tidings in our world to sink my boat

(Just keeping my eye on the North Star, singing to the rythm of the oars, and keeping my powder dry)

( Tell me if you get tired of my lists, ok? And feel free to add to them, if you like!)

You're not going to believe this...

The Consumer Product Safety Commission is feeling its oats these days, it would appear. In the name of our children's safety, it's trying to destroy the thrift store industry by requiring all children's clothing and products to be tested before resale. Yeah, right. My family would have to start going nekkid without thrift stores, so we are very alarmed at this news. We have heard that, having had no choice but to hear the insistent, loud complaints of thrift store retailers and families like mine who would, indeed, go nekkid, the CPSC changed its mind and relaxed its stringent rules. But, just a bit.

We are hoping that before the enactment of the Product Safety Improvement Act on February 10th, a little more sanity might prevail. But, it won't without more pestering from those of us who care about this.

Here is where to write your Senator.

Here is where to write your Reps.

But, Hang onto Your Hat,

THERE'S MORE

As if the thrift store thing weren't enough, check out the following:

CPSC ruling requires children’s books to be removed for safety testing

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The American Library Association (ALA) released a letter to Congress yesterday, urging members to take action against a recent opinion ruling released from the General Counsel of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) that would require public, school, academic and museum libraries to either remove all their books or ban all children under 12 from visiting the facilities, beginning on February 10.

This a direct quote from the American Library Association website.

(H/T: Alice at A Number of Things)

Here are some links to where you can have your voice heard to end this insanity at the library.
And, make sure your Reps and Senators hear from you about this, too.

Can you see the constant erosion of our rights going on here? Do you see that it may become illegal to have a yardsale in our country? We will not be able to enjoy children's books with our children unless we buy them new. The liberal wakkos are running amok!

And it's only just begun, folks.

God help America.

Feast of St. Francis de Sales

Traditional feast day: January 29th, followed in two days by one of his great devotees and the founder of the Salesian Order, St. John Bosco.

St Francis de Sales is another one of my favorite saints. (How many does that make now?) I love his gentle, nature-filled lessons for us. It's hard to believe, but I've read that he started out life with a choleric disposition, impatient and inclined toward anger. You could never tell it by his writings! That he could reform so completely, by the grace of God and much perserverence, gives me hope!

Here is an online reprint of St. Francis' Treatise on the Love of God .

Here is today's quote from the Oblates of St. Francis Daily St. Francis DeSales :

"To ensure that the saints pray and intercede for us, we must invoke them and ask their help The best way to celebrate their feasts is to realize the power they have with God for obtaining the graces of which we stand in need. Our Lord is so pleased when we profit from the intercession of the saints that, wishing to bestow on us some favor, He often inspires us to seek their mediation and invites us to ask them to pray for us. With full confidence we should seek their help and turn to them, especially on their feast days, without doubting for a moment that they will listen to us and will obtain for us what we are asking." (Sermons 51, O. X, pp. 136-137)

And here is my prayer to our patron of the day:

Dear St. Francis de Sales, patron of communicators, pray for all of us who navigate the modern world through the internet. Help us to use it as a source of edification and a means of communicating to others only what is pleasing to God.

The Red Rubber Ball and Other Ephemera

Catherine had one of my husband's little blue raquetballs the other day, bouncing it, bouncing it, bouncing it. And, yeah, it got to be a little annoying... until it jarred a memory out of my head. (I'm having a lot of that lately. Does that mean I'm approaching my dotage, or what?)

When I was about eight years old, I had a red rubber ball. It was summer, we had a big driveway and miles of sidewalk surrounding us, and, for some reason, that summer I was all about that ball. (That and the Gilligin-style hat I incessently wore, but that's another story.)

Anyway, I was all about that ball. And all about bouncing it. Nonstop. Everywhere I went, except in the house, which my mother summarily forbade. But, I remember the addictiveness of the act of bouncing that red ball. There was something about the slight give of the hard rubber, the way it fit in my hand, the satisfying sound of its thud on the concrete, and the accomplishment of catching it hundreds of times in a row.... It just filled some gap in my soul, I guess. Or more likely, it was just something to do with my hands during an awkward season of my adolescence.

But the memory of that red rubber ball is a happy moment in my childhood.

Red Rubber Ball - The Cyrkle

There are a lot of silly little things that go into making memories of a happy childhood. We never went on a fancy vacation in our lives, our parents didn't go in for the latest gadgets or buy us expensive toys, but I remember my childhood through a happy, bazooka-bubble-gum-pink haze. Time passed slowly because we bounced and slinkied and silly-puttied through the years.

Do you remember growing up and going through game fads? We still did in the '70s and early '80s, anyway. There was the yoyo phase, which came on the tails of the Smothers Brothers show. Anybody remember that?


Then there was a marbles phase, and a jumping rope phase (American and Chinese), and throughout grade school, we obsessed at one time or another over jacks, cats cradle, magnifying glasses, and Madlibs. All our recesses and free time were taken up by one or another of these playground passtimes. Becoming proficient was a right of passage.

But, I can't help but wonder, and tell me honestly, do I sound like a hopeless old-timer waxing nostalgic here?

Do kids in general still enjoy these things? My children have, but I worry that it's because they're homeschoolers with a nostalgic mother who encourages it. It would be a sad thing if computers, i-pods, cell phones and wiis took the place of hopscotch, marbles, checkers, and jumprope. I hate to think of a world where a nine-year-old knows how to download a computer game but doesn't know what a cat-eye is, or where little girls text one another, but don't know how to skip in time to the "Cinderella dressed in yella" rhyme.

It's not just a few scattered families that keep these things alive, is it? Will the old playground games fade from the earth, like man's knowledge of the stars and the seasons? Will there be a day when these simple, untechnological pleasures are footnotes on Wikipedia? Tell me we aren't going there.

Because if we are, somebody better stop the merry-go-round; I want to get off.

(Please excuse the really weird formatting here. It would appear that I'm much better suited to playing with yoyos than to tinkering with the html on this silly computer. And now that I've messed it up, I can't seem to fix it. Go figure that! Can we just call it an "artsy" presentation of this post?)

Brrrrr...

The Polar Bear

The Polar Bear is unaware











Of cold that cuts me through:
For why? He has a coat of hair.

I wish I had one too!

~ Hillaire Belloc

* Snowy and cold here this morning. And to think, this time last week it was in the 70s and we were outside in our shirtsleeves!

What's the weather like at your house today?

Like Mother, Like Sons and Daughters

Laura asked me a question that I couldn't fit in the combox.

Which of my amazing and strange little people is most like me?

I've been pondering it all morning, and this is what I've come up with.

Paul (21) is most like me in temperament. He's a choleric-sanguine, strong-willed but sociable. And we both make copious lists, and lists of lists. Plus he has my curly hair. But, he has an amazing drive, tenacity, and intelligence I can only wish for.

Kevin (19) is most like me in taste (except I'd never wear a "Shaggy" beard). We are both avid readers and prefer the same kinds of books and music. We have a similar philosophical bent and are great people-watchers. But, Kevvy has a strength, presence and composure that I lack.

Jonathan (17) shares my aesthetic taste and love of art and all things beautiful. He has a special appreciation and love for the littlest children that I share. But, Jon has a God-given talent in art and music that I can only dream of, and his depths are way deeper than mine.

Dominic (15), like Paul, shares my basic temperament and we both have a special love for the mountains. But, I could never have the twinkle in my eye that is a Dominic trademark. He has a charm and a zest for life that is a special gift.

Michelle (13) loves words like I do, and is especially drawn to poetry. We like the same kinds of books and music and she also inherited the curly hair. But, Michelle's is a gentler spirit than mine. She has a special instinct for endearing herself to others. And I can't touch her in poker.

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Theresa (10) loves, loves, loves school just like I always did,

and is another voracious reader. But, she has a natural skill for abstract logic, and a deeply spiritual nature that I wish I had. And there is not a selfish bone in her body.

Cathy (8) is Miss Practicality, with a philosophical bent like Kevin and I have. She's extremely visual like I am, and promises to be a talented artist like Jon. But, Catherine is the most amazing athlete you've ever seen for a wee slip of a girl, a trait I never had. And she has a way better fashion sense than I do.

Anna (6) is strong-willed and imaginative, like I was as a little girl. We're both stubborn, but know "which side our bread is buttered on." We're still getting to know what Anna's all about, but I think she'll be way more dynamic than I am. We think she'll be president of the United States someday.

Gabe (4) loves homey things like I do, and loves his family with all his heart. But he's much sweeter than I could ever hope to be. His little heart is all about loving. Like his sister, Theresa, there's not a selfish bone in his body. Wish I could say that about myself.

William (3) is a ball-o-fire, which my Mom tells me I was at his age. We're still getting to know him, too, but I think William will be more fearless than I am. He is the picture of perfect self confidence at three years old. He may be running against Anna for president someday.

So, who's most like me?

All of them and none of them.

Nobody is my clone, thank goodness! But I can see a little of myself in every one of them. And, thank goodness, I can see a lot of their father. And a lot of individual talents and sparkle that God must have special-picked for each of them. I can't pick just one out that I'd say is most like me. And no two are alike! Out of the whole bunch, you'd think you'd have a couple of obvious subsets, but there are actually about ten to fifty possible groupings, each child crosses over into several, and no two are in the same ones. It's a fascinating thing to see how each of these amazing and strange little people turns into each his or her own perfectly wonderful and individual person.

For the record, if you're interested in genetics:

I have blue-green eyes and my husband has brown eyes, and we ended up with six brown-eyed children, three green-eyed children, and only one blue-eyed child.

I was a tow-head as a child, but my hair darkened to very dark brown by the time I started having children and my husband has always had dark brown hair, and we ended up with six children of dark brown hair, and four who are blonde to light brown.

My hair's curly, my husband's poker straight. Out of the gang we have two curly heads, two with wavy hair, and six with straight hair.

Out of all the children, Catherine looks most like pictures of me when I was her age.