Evangelization

Rosalie: ...She's passionate about it, and that's good; she just needs to learn that sometimes there are better ways to reach people than with a 2x4.

Matt: Yeah, like a 2x6... those are much better. Or even a 4x4! You've seen those, right? They're great! You can reach really far with them...

What I Wore Sunday {23}

Linking up with Fine Linen and Purple for What I Wore Sunday!

Today's Gospel reading was one that you hear so often that, for me at least, it sort of slides into the platitude category; yeah, we know, treat everyone else the way we want to be treated, we've heard that a thousand times before. But in his homily today, our pastor drew out the fact that we sort of slide past the meat of this message because it does, and should, make us uncomfortable. Like the scribe to whom the parable was addressed, we don't have trouble recognizing that the Samaritan's actions are those of a "neighbor". What we do have trouble with is making excuses to justify our not helping those in need.

In Jesus' time, traveling alone between Jerusalem and Jericho was phenomenally stupid. The road winds through mountains filled with ravines, where many cutthroats and brigands hid and preyed on travelers. When Christ began his parable by describing the lone traveler's mugging, many of his listeners were probably thinking, "Well, of course he got robbed! What was he thinking, traveling that road alone?" But Christ didn't tell them to let the man suffer the consequences of his own poor choice; he commended the man who went out of his way to help the unfortunate.

That strikes closer to home. Our city has a huge chronic inebriate problem, and driving around, you frequently see intoxicated homeless people begging on street corners. My reaction has usually been, "Of course I'm not going to give him money; he made his choices and is dealing with the consequences, and I don't want to support his alcoholism." But that's not the response Christ is asking of me, is it?

I'm fortunate that the cry room has speakers, or I would have missed out on that homily which I clearly needed to hear. Little Bear has been a very unhappy child off and on for the past few days, and Matt and I traded off taking care of him in the cry room for most of Mass. I think he's teething again; his sixth tooth broke through last week, and there's a white nub where another is trying to come in. The only times he was quiet while out in the main church were while leaning over my shoulder to stare at the adorable one-month-old behind us who slept in his mother's arms all through Mass. Oh, I miss that stage! So small and sweet and quiet...

The outfit:

Blouse: Van Heusen, thrifted

Skirt: Faded Glory, thrifted

Shoes: Self Esteem, Fred Meyer 

Today's outfit was basically recycled from our date last night, the first time Matt and I'd had a solid hour and a half to ourselves in quite a while. It's funny how something so casual can feel so special -- we picked up burgers from A&W and sat on a park bench by the river talking, then stopped by a restaurant with a nice bar and each had a drink while sitting on their deck, watching boats go past on the river. As we were getting ready to go pick up Little Bear, a mama duck with seven ducklings came onto the deck and ran around, quacking and eating bits of bread thrown to them by other diners. It was so funny!

While grocery shopping the other week, I noticed that the shoe department was having a sale -- 50% off the lowest-marked clearance price. I told myself I was just going to look... but when I found these for less than $15, I was hooked! I've been seeing this style everywhere and wishing for a pair, so when these fit... They're a bit higher than I'm supposed to wear, but they are so much fun!

Have a lovely week!

Seven Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 39

Linking up with Jen & Co., because it's Friday.

I

I've been a lousy blogger this week, I apologize... Someone has been having trouble sleeping, which means Mama isn't sleeping either. So my brain is all fuzzy during the day and putting together a post sounds about as complicated as planning an Everest expedition, but less fun. Hopefully I'll get more sleep this weekend and we'll fix that. I'm grateful for regular linkups, because they give me that extra push to get words down on the page on weeks when blogging seems like too much work.

II

Our little man is a very adventurous eater--I'm so glad. I wouldn't know how to deal with a kid who only wanted to eat a few particular foods... picky eating was never an issue in our house growing up, so I don't have a good concept of how I'd combat it. Little Bear is good about trying anything we put in front of him, though: this week's new foods included grilled zucchini, buffalo steak, and cherry-rhubarb crumble. He was very helpful the other night when I made pizza; the crusts were too hard and pokey for me to eat, but he stole the crust off my plate and happily ate it all up!

III

We just signed the lease for a third year in our apartment. It's weird what kinds of clauses end up in leases; the first two years, the lease said that we could only have one child and that child had to be under 2. This year they changed the paperwork so we can stay until Little Bear is 5... if we don't have a second child before then. It was nice of them to let us know they aren't planning on kicking us out next June if we are still happy here, but signing a legally binding document effectively agreeing to be kicked out if we have another child still doesn't sit well with me. Why would they put in a clause like that? It's a two-bedroom apartment; there is far and away enough room for a second child.

IV

Is anyone familiar with any good, solidly Catholic RCIA/RCIC curriculums? A good friend just became a DRE, and is looking to replace the curriculum she found at the parish. I looked at it with her, and we were both shocked--well, disappointed--to see that the lesson on being pro-life never even mentioned contraception or the Church's position on abortion, instead describing the main pro-life issues as poverty, racism, and capital punishment. Which are all life issues, but you can't leave out the brutally-murdering-innocent-people "issue" in a presentation on the Church's teachings and the right to life.

V

Today is just gorgeous: there's not a cloud to be seen in the blue sky, so bright that I can hardly bear looking at it. Little Bear and I are planning to meet a friend and her kids at a nearby playground and go for a walk this evening. I'm looking forward to it! We had clouds and rain pretty much every day this week leading up to today, so we haven't been getting any walks in beyond the daily trip to the mailbox. Yes, they do sell umbrellas in Alaska, but in my defense I was told not to do any serious exercising for a couple of weeks after surgery... and yes, I know that I'm just making excuses. But we're getting out and getting exercise tonight!

VI

Ever since the last week of June, Matt and I have been trying to find an opportunity to go out just the two of us to celebrate his finishing a major, months-long certification process for some of the more advanced video conferencing equipment his department has started working with. He passed the test on the first try with one of the highest scores anyone in his office had earned, and I am so proud of all of the hard work he put into it! One thing after another had gotten in the way, but I think we are finally going to make it happen this weekend. Little Bear will go play with his aunts and uncles at my parents' house for a couple of hours, and we will be able to sit down and have an adult conversation for a whole meal! And I can dress up without having to plan for feeding the small human! What fun.

VII

Story time with Daddy -- one of Little Bear's favorite things.

Have a lovely weekend!

What I Wore Sunday {22}

Sunday again! Time to link up with Fine Linen and Purple's What I Wore Sunday.

This morning was surprisingly restful. After two difficult nights, Little Bear decided that he was sleeping in today, and we certainly weren't going to disagree! We had a quiet morning, reading and relaxing until he woke up at quarter to 10. By that point there were only a few options left for Masses, and we decided to visit the university parish -- it's the closest to us, not even ten minutes away, and has Mass at 10:30.

They don't have a church building of their own; they have a small chapel, but construction around the university campus has cut off road access for the summer. Fortunately I get their bulletins emailed to me, so we knew that they were meeting in the upper room of the cafeteria today. It was good to see their priest and the parishioners we know, since we hadn't been there in several months.

Have you read any of Pope Francis' encyclical, Lumen fides, yet? It is so good! I haven't finished yet, I'm only able to grab a few minutes at a time, but it has that wonderful quality of being accessible in small chunks of time like that. I don't like to say that it is written "simply," because I don't want to give the impression that it isn't profound and full of meaning and ideas and ways of seeing faith that I'd never thought of before, but somehow it is all of that and still clear and simple to understand even for a busy mom. Like Chesterton. It's like Chesterton, if that means anything to you.

Little Bear exhibited his classic "new place quietness" today: he sat perfectly still and silent, looking at the people around us, all the way up until halfway through the consecration, when he squirmed away to sit on the floor quietly patting the folding chair in front of us. Sitting in the back row directly in front of the choir helped a lot; as long as he could see them, he was happy! He did decide that he absolutely could not stay in Matt's arms as we prepared to receive Communion, arching his back and saying "mama mama mama" until I took him, but that was really all the noise out of him. Mass grade: A

I prefer to wear a skirt to Mass, but not knowing what the setup would be today, I decided to go with these capris. I think I was still dressy enough for Mass...?

Blouse: Van Heusen (thrifted)

Capris: Cabelas

Sandals: Payless Shoes

Have a beautiful Sunday afternoon!

Seven Quick Takes Friday, Vol. 38

Linking up with Jen on this beautiful Independence Day weekend!

I

Today is Little Bear's first birthday! It's crazy; there's no way he has been here for a whole year already. We are celebrating by going to the doctor and getting shots (aren't I a fun mom?), having his aunt over for dinner, and possibly being joined by the rest of my family for dessert and presents if they get back into town early enough. I have a cake in the oven, and am prepping peach-strawberry ice cream for the ice cream maker. Mmm...

II

Pope Francis' first encyclical was released today! Lumen fidei, The Light of Faith. You can download it in .pdf from the Vatican website, or I believe that Brandon Vogt has it in an ebook format. I haven't managed to read much yet, what with birthday preparations and general taking care of the house, but I'm looking forward to it!

III

I grew up with big Independence Day celebrations: 30+ people over, a big cookout, lots of pie and fireworks and games. Most of my family is down at the lake this year, though, so we had a quiet celebration with my one sister who is in town. She made pie and yogurt-filled strawberries, I made burgers, and Matt manned the grill while Little Bear crawled around having fun and getting under everyone's feet. We had planned to grill ears of corn, but when I husked them, big sections were mealy and rotting. That was a disappointment! 

IV

A disappointment for Mel and Matt, at least--I hadn't been planning on eating corn anyway. See, I've accidentally hit upon the most effective diet ever: having your wisdom teeth out. Because my oral surgeon's office closed for the entire week of the 4th, the nurse did an excellent job of scaring me into not eating anything that could possibly irritate or get stuck in my incisions. In the past week, I've really only eaten very small bites of soft foods... And since it takes so much longer to eat something when you are taking baby-sized bites, I just haven't been eating a lot quantity-wise; I think I've finally managed to stop losing weight as of this morning, but I dropped 10 pounds in less than a week and am lighter than I was when we got married!

V

And yes, I know that isn't healthy, especially while I'm still nursing Little Bear. It wasn't intentional, believe me. However, if I can maintain the weight I am now, eating well and exercising more,  I would be thrilled. I'm still having trouble eating normal adult-sized quantities of food, though; any suggestions for nutrient- and calorie-dense soft foods?

VI

I'm ashamed to admit it, but I rely on my rss reader too much. Feedly encountered some kind of problem when Google Reader was retired July 1, which only affected people who logged out and tried to log back in... But I finally got around to installing an update on July 2, and it logged me out of Feedly. The developers immediately fixed the problem when it was reported and submitted an update to the iOS App Store, but Apple still hasn't approved it because it's Independence Day weekend. When Matt came home from work the other day and asked if I'd heard about some current events, I petulantly replied that I didn't know anything because my rss reader was broken... and I definitely deserved it when he rolled his eyes and laughed.

VII

Where did the giant toddler sprawled across my lap come from? Has he really gone from this 

to this

in only a year?

Have a wonderful weekend!

A Year Ago

A year ago, I lay here grumbling about how I couldn't sleep. Too hot, too cold, too soft, too hard, too uncomfortable. Little contractions, not worth paying attention to, just enough to bother me. I finally took pity on my husband and went out to the living room to walk the contractions away. Walking made Braxton-Hicks stop, right? I walked in circles, grumbling, for an hour. Little contractions, just enough to be annoying and keep me from sleeping, and they wouldn't go away and let me sleep. After an hour, I dug around and found a stopwatch--I may as well be clocking how much exercise I'm getting, right? But the timer was broken, or I was counting wrong, or something. The contractions, little insignificant contractions that were only annoying, not painful, were a minute long and a minute apart. I was counting wrong; those numbers belong in transition, and transition hurts, so this wasn't transition. I walked for another half hour, counting. The numbers didn't change. I woke Matt up. Should I call the midwife? I think I'm counting wrong, but... I called the midwife. I'll meet you at the hospital, she said.

A year ago, we walked into the E.R., the only door of the hospital open in the middle of the night, and sat down amid the people who had been too enthusiastic in their celebration of Independence Day. A man nearby bragged about the bar fight he'd taken part in.  I still think I'm counting wrong, I whispered to Matt. The nurses are going to laugh at the first-time mom who panicked and came in with Braxton-Hicks. We should go home. He shook his head, no, as a nurse from the Women's Center came out and said my name. She smiled, walking quickly, leading us upstairs. See, she doesn't think I need to be here. She could walk a little slower, though.

A year ago, a nurse, many years' veteran of the Women's Center, stared at me. Honey, you should have been here hours ago. How was I almost done with transition? Those little contractions couldn't have done this. It didn't make sense. Nurses ran around, preparing for the birth, while I stood in the shower, letting the hot water hit my lower back and ease through the last centimeter of dilation. It was distinctly uncomfortable now, occasionally painful. But not terrible. Wasn't transition supposed to be terrible? Was something wrong with me? Was something wrong with the baby?

A year ago, the midwife smiled and handed me a slippery, screaming baby. Come in earlier next time, okay? Big blue eyes stared up at Matt and I, a little pink nose wrinkling above the perfect little mouth. And so much dark hair!

 

How in the world has it been a year? A whole year, and only a year? It cannot have been that long... and at the same time, a year couldn't be long enough to transform that perfect, tiny baby into the playful little boy who spent hours playing tag and building towers with his daddy today. What happened?

We love you so much, Little Bear, and are so incredibly blessed to be your parents! Happy first birthday, little one.

What I Wore Sunday {21}

Linking with Fine Linen and Purple for their weekly encouragement to wear our best for the Lord!

This morning sure didn't feel like I had a "best" to give... I had all four wisdom teeth out on Friday, and am still quite sore, swollen, and out of it! When my alarm went off at 7:30, I just couldn't face getting up and running out the door right then; my wonderful husband agreed that we could go to a different Mass at a parish closer to home, and I quickly fell back asleep. Unfortunately I didn't set a new alarm, so when I woke up at 9, we did have to scramble to make it to Mass at 9:30!

Faced with the choice of going without ibuprofen or breaking my fast, well, it wasn't really a choice. I know some people would tell me (they already have) that I shouldn't be taking pain medication at all and should just offer up the suffering, especially since I have to take the medication with food and thus couldn't receive Communion today, but honestly? I wouldn't have made it through Mass this morning without something dialing the pain down to a dull roar. And I can't open my mouth wide enough to receive Communion yet, anyway.

We would have been on time, despite the rush. We got to the church on time, and went to the door that opens directly to the stairs leading to the cry room, and it was locked. So we walked back around to the main doors of the church, saw how crowded it was, knew that Little Bear would be a huge distraction if we didn't sit in the cry room, and decided to cut through the social hall to get to the cry room stairs without bothering people. That door was locked, too. We had to go all the way back out and around, and walk quickly and shamefacedly up through a side aisle in the nave to get to the cry room, my face burning at what all of the older folks who know my parents had to be thinking about us for walking in late. Matt didn't mind; "They're the ones who locked all of the doors," he pointed out. But I doubt most of them knew that the doors were locked, and I couldn't help feeling flustered and judged.

Compared to his usual Mass behavior, Little Bear was amazing today. Wonderful. A+. He sat still and quiet for most of Mass, didn't complain about being quickly handed to Daddy whenever he began patting Mama's face, only made a few quiet happy sounds all the way through, and never tried to crawl anywhere. He was so well behaved, people at our regular parish would have thought we'd left him at home. Compared to the dearth of children in the parish we were visiting, though, you'd have thought we had brought in a full drum set from the looks we got for having a real kid, who made noise, in the cry room, obviously disrupting these people horrendously. I don't think we will be going there for Sunday Mass again for a while.

The hat is back this week, attempting to hide my swollen face... Looking at the photo, I guess it didn't really help as much as I'd hoped. I think the glasses just emphasized the roundness, too. And yes, I did try to smile... That's as wide as my mouth goes right now! Oh, to have had these teeth out in high school or college like everyone else...

Hat: Fred Meyers

Glasses: Flexon

Blouse: thrifted

Skirt: Walmart

Shoes: Payless Shoes

Have a lovely afternoon!