I Miss Her

Sometimes, I find myself wishing that my mom was still here.  She was a truly amazing Mother.  I often think about her and wish that I could ask her how she disciplined my siblings and me.  I know that this might sound odd, but her form of discipline was completely different from anything I have witnessed…

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Photos of My Niece and Prayers

My youngest niece, Julie Valerie Marie, was born on August 8 and baptized on August 22, the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Photos were a little longer than expected in coming because my brother almost died on the Feast of the Assumption. On August 15, he went to the hospital because he was…

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Barbecued S’mores

I would really like to go camping with my family; however, my husband does not share this desire. Despite this, we do see eye to eye on roasting marshmallows. Therefore, this summer some of our barbecued meals have been followed by this:

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He is Good

Yesterday morning, it was his razor. This morning, it was his undershirts. He didn’t complain. He simply said, “Have you seen my razor?” and “Do I have any clean undershirts?” After I replied each morning, he left for work with a grizzly face and a t-shirt. Patrick found his razor under the dining room table.…

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Finnianisms

Finnian: “Mommy, can I eat this?” Me: “What is this?” Finnian: “It’s a nail I clipper.” Translation: It’s a nail that I bit off. Answer: What any adult would expect.

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I Have Another Niece

My brother and sister-in-law were blessed with their fifth child, Julie Valerie Marie, on Saturday, August 8. She weighed 8 lbs. 6 oz. Please keep my sister-in-law in your prayers. The delivery was very hard on her. She is still in the hospital.

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We’re Missing Him

and I think that he is missing us, too. Yesterday, when I spoke to Brendan, he asked, “What are you doing at home?” “Does Elizabeth have more teeth?” “Is she saying any new words?” I also learned that it was Brendan and my sister who suggested that my brother-in-law take Theresa (Brendan’s best friend) and…

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Butterfly Sandwiches

Recently, I purchased a butterfly-shaped sandwich cutter to creatively cut the crust off of my youngest son’s sandwiches. I was excited to use it for the first time today and happily told him that I was making him a butterfly sandwich. As I placed Finnian’s sandwich in front of him, he started to cry. I…

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June Piano Recital

Summer Day by Jean Baptiste Duvernoy Sonatina in C MajorOp. 792, No. 8 by Carl Czerny My daughters’ piano teacher is retiring. I know that the girls will miss having her as their teacher (so will I). She has a gift for working with children and knowing how to motivate them.

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Growing Up Too Quickly

This little girl enjoys playing under the dining room table. She started pulling herself to a stand before she started crawling. She crawled on her hands and knees, for the first time, in the vestibule of our church, on June 19, the Feast of the Sacred Heart and the beginning of the Year of the…

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How to Clean a Bedroom Patrick Style

Me (a week ago): “Boys, you need to clean your room. Patrick, you can start by putting the Imaginext in the basket.” A lightbulb must have gone off in his head. He filled the basket with clothes and toys, and emptied it in his sisters’ room. He filled it again and then came to me…

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