The Honeymoon is Over

Reality has set in. We are serious about having the children do their chores. Theresa posed the first challenge, asking a little incredulously, “I have to vacuum the living room?” I remembered that Charity begins in the living room (Splendor in the Ordinary) and I answered, “Yes. You did a beautiful job cleaning it. You…

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Spring Snow

On Wednesday, I took the comforter off my bed and replaced it with a cotton blanket. I was rewarded for my efforts by shouts from my children, “It’s snowing! It’s snowing!” While our snow is nothing compared to that found in other states, it is a rare occurrence in the Seattle/Tacoma area, especially in spring.…

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Patrick Painting

Yesterday, as Patrick sat painting, I said to him, “Patrick, you don’t need to dip your paintbrush in the water if you’re not changing colors. Dipping your paintbrush in the water too much can make the paint very wet.” Patrick immediately responded, “Fortunately, the paint dries.”

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Lunchtime

Patrick: “Mommy, where is Theresa’s dinner from last night?” Me: “I forgot to put it in the refrigerator.” Patrick (crestfallen): “Oh, I wanted to eat it.” Me: “We do have leftovers.” Patrick (laughing and patting his stomach): “Yeah, I have yummy for my plumpy tummy!” Mother’s note: Patrick liked ground turkey cooked in a pan…

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Doubting Thomas

Theresa: “Patrick, Mommy has a baby in her tummy.” Patrick: “No, she doesn’t. I can’t see one. The lady at ballet has a baby in her tummy. Her tummy is big.” My dear boy, my tummy will eventually be “big”, too.

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I THOUGHT HE HAD OUTGROWN IT

I thought that Brendan had outgrown his dislike of cooked vegetables. He seemed to be finishing everything on his plate, recently. However, yesterday, what I found in my washing machine told me a different story. It also made me realize that what I had found in my washing machine a few days earlier was not…

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First Communion

On December 30, 2007, the Feast of the Holy Family and the anniversary of the death of one of my favorite Jesuits, Brendan received his First Communion at my parents-in-law’s parish. We travelled to the ocean because, due to her stroke in September, my mother-in-law was unable to travel to our parish. According to our…

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