7in7: THE END!!

Whew! I did it!!! ;) Thanks to Jen for coming up with this brilliant idea to get so many of us bloggers off our blogging hindquarters!

So, we had a nice weekend celebrating our February Birthday Boys. The Dells was ridiculously crowded, but that's what happens when the Midwest has been in the icy grip of the Polar Vortex for so long. People need to move their bodies and feel some energy and warmth. 

Happy to be entering another liturgical season, even if it's a penitential one. Lent always means Spring is not far off and this year...well, see the previous paragraph.

On Tuesday, I have to go to the scariest courthouse in the world and ask to be excused from Grand Jury Service. Yep. Not regular jury duty; I was summoned via certified mail to serve on a Grand Jury. When I spoke to the jury service coordinator and asked her how I was chosen, she said, "just pure luck!". Yes, luck. That kind of luck has been dogging my heels all winter long. Hmmmm. She also told me that, if I speak to the "very understanding" state's attorney there, I will "certainly" be excused from serving, due to my excellent "excuse" of being the sole caretaker for 7 kids. I'm still very nervous and worried, so could y'all say a prayer for me on Tuesday? I'll say one for you, too!

Back in the fall, we discovered that Joe is allergic to gluten. So, we've been traveling the fun road of helping a picky 15 year old eat gluten free while still trying to feed the rest of us. With Lent upon us, I'm looking for some new meatless, gluten-free recipes that Joe will actually eat. Basically, Joe loves meat and dairy and despises fish and ALL veggies (except for corn and potatoes.). My meatless, GF repertoire includes:

- GF Mac n Cheese (from scratch)

- GF cheese lasagna

- GF pasta marinara

- crustless cheese pizza (we've not had

   good luck with the GF crusts)

- some meatless soups

- cheesy rice

So, help a mama out! 

Hope all of you have a really FAT Tuesday and a blessed Ash Wednesday!!

7in7: My Baby

Joining Jen for the homestretch...

Today, my baby boy is two. Well, if it were February 29 he would be two, but we are celebrating today.

Two years ago, the baby we thought we would never have, came into our lives and blessed us immediately.

Two years ago, I was more scared than I ever have been in my life. But, that 8 week premature baby showed me what fearlessness and strength looked like.

Two years ago, I learned how to be a mother in a much different way.

Two years ago, my baby showed the doctors and nurses what a miracle looks like.

Today, my baby teases his big sister.

Today, my baby can eat his weight in bacon and red meat.

Today, my husband and I marvel at how far this child has come.

Today, we thank God for all 7 of our blessings here on earth. 

Theme Thursday & 7in7: Fences

Linking up with Cari and Jen for.....

Fences at Sunset (be jealous of my photog skills)

WWRW and 7in7: The Feeling Good Handbook

Linking up with the Double J Ranch: Jessica and Jen!

Full disclosure: I read this book last summer, but I refer to it weekly and this week I have turned to it almost as often as I have turned to my Rosary.

The Feeling Good Handbook By David Burns came highly recommended to me by a mental health care professional last Spring. First, I checked out a copy from the library, but I soon found that it was one of those books. You know, the type of book you know you will want to refer back to many times. The type of book you can see becoming valuable in all sorts of new situations in the future. So, I bought my own copy and it has been so very worth it.

Overall, it's marketed as a self-help book for the average person and uses behavioral awareness and modification as the tools to help the reader improve. The author is a psychologist (he looks grooooooovy, right?) who has a very conversational writing style and uses many real examples as ways of illustrating personality types, flaws, and ways to improve. 

On it's own, it's a fascinating read.

When you apply it to your own life, it takes on a whole new meaning. Somehow, Burns gets the reader to really see himself/herself as others do, but in a very gentle, non-judgemental way. He then leads you through all different types of exercises to show where you can improve and change. His very helpful explanations show you exactly how to change without feeling overwhelmed. 

He devotes several sections of the book on how to deal with difficult personality types successfully. This was eye-opening, to say the least. Truly, I never realized that there are so many different ways of approaching a difficult person or situation and achieving a tolerable-to-good outcome. Not only do I wish I had this book as a young wife and mother, I wish I had it as a middle-schooler!

This book is laid out in such a way that jumping around from section to section isn't a problem, but I would definitely recommend reading it in it's entirety at some point. 

Whether you are female or male, married or single, childless or a parent, this book can help you in all areas of your life. It certainly has helped me!

7 in 7: Day 2

(Alternate title: How Dying To Self Actually Killed Me)

Today, a certain eldest child who shall remain anonymous hit another car. With my new van. That we bought three weeks ago. 

He is alright. No one was injured. My van and the parked car he hit were not so fortunate. 

It's a good lesson, right? I don't know. Maybe. Too soon to tell. 

My car breaks again the day after Christmas. Keeps dying, burning through oil and shutting off abruptly while driving down the road. No one knows why. Since we purchased it --nearly brand new-- almost 4 years ago, it has cost us more than $3000 in repairs. 

The list goes on and on. The stress, too, goes on and on. When my Suburban decided to shut down while Kyle was on his way to pick up Killian, Will and I at the airport (quick trip to FL to see about Killian transferring next year! See? It's not all bad!), we decided we needed to get a new car and fast.

We spent the following day discussing our options for a new family car. While we LOVED our first Suburban, it's replacement had been riddled with issues from Day 1 and we didn't want to go that route. Also, since Will was born 2 years ago, we didn't have enough seats for all 9 of us, so any time we all had to go somewhere together, we drove 2 cars. The very last thing we wanted to do was get "one of those awful church vans" and make all those stereotypes of big families a reality! Gasp!

You see where I'm going with this, right?

We ended up going to look at a 12-passenger van that was only a few months old and had very little miles. You never saw two grumpier people.

I had truly not ever thought of myself as defined by my possessions, but, holy cow.... I did not want to be the lady with all those kids driving the big white van. Kyle didn't want to be married to her, either. 

I started to feel dizzy and sad. I ran to the dealership bathroom and began texting friends for moral support. I had to do some real soul-searching, real fast.

Quick prayers. Quick conversation with Kyle. Deep breaths. 

We ran all the numbers, negotiated a killer deal on the Suburban's trade-in value (in fact, it was worth more than the newer van!) and found out we would be saving $200 a month on our car payment. That was too much for both of us. The promise of financial relief suddenly made that big old van look very nice.

And it is nice. 

Kyle had them install DVD players and a remote start. The kids enjoy all the extra room. The older kids, who are now adult-size, really like that they can sit in any seat and have comfortable leg room. And, we have promised them a fun road trip in the near future. 

All of this to say that I needed to take serious stock of who I was and where I was in my life. I never would have done it unless I was really forced into it. It was necessary. I also had to make a choice. One that I make every day, only not so consciously. I had to choose what was best for my family over what I wanted. Normally, that's not a problem. But, when it came in the form of the place I spend a lot of time in and in which "the world" sees me, I balked. Big time. 

I am really hoping that God sees what I've learned here and stops sending me these lessons wrapped in such dramatic packaging, though. (You hear that, Lord?)

Also, the new van needs a new door now; maybe you could make that happen as painlessly as possible, dear Jesus?