Our Family 10 Commandments:

10 Commandments:


1. I, the Lord, am your God. You shall not have other gods besides me.
(You shall love God above all else, more than sports, food, tv, ipod, computer, and friends.)

2. You shall not take the name of the Lord God in vain.
(Watch what you think, say, or do. Be a good example.)

3. Remember to keep holy the Lord's Day.
(Never miss Sunday mass, daily mass and monthly confession; they will help guide you all the days of your life.)

4. Honor your father and your mother
 (Speak and act respectfully to your parents and elders.)

5. You shall not kill.
(Or hate. Treat others how you want to be treated.)

6. You shall not commit adultery.
(Dress, speak, and act modestly. Be careful what you watch and listen to)

7. You shall not steal
 (Or cheat. Keep your reputation solid and trustworthy. When you have a job do your best and work hard.)

8. You shall not bear false witness
(Never lie or gossip about others.)

9. You shall not covet your neighbor's wife
(Be grateful for the gifts God has given you and use them to help others.)

10. You shall not covet your neighbor's goods
(Tithe 10% of your money and time to God to spread His kingdom.)

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Back to basics:

Thy Will Be Done!!! +JMJ+

First day of school starts on Tuesday. We are gonna start with some basics for my first grader and third grader:

My name is:

Today is:

My address is:

My phone number is:

 

Even Homeschool kids need to be reminded about compassion:

Hey, baby.
Tomorrow is a big day. Third Grade -- wow.
Chase -- When I was in third grade, there was a little boy in my class named Adam.
Adam looked a little different and he wore funny clothes and sometimes he even smelled a little bit. Adam didn't smile. He hung his head low and he never looked at anyone at all. Adam never did his homework. I don't think his parents reminded him like yours do. The other kids teased Adam a lot. Whenever they did, his head hung lower and lower and lower. I never teased him, but I never told the other kids to stop, either.
And I never talked to Adam, not once. I never invited him to sit next to me at lunch, or to play with me at recess. Instead, he sat and played by himself. He must have been very lonely.
I still think about Adam every day. I wonder if Adam remembers me? Probably not. I bet if I'd asked him to play, just once, he'd still remember me.
I think that God puts people in our lives as gifts to us. The children in your class this year, they are some of God's gifts to you.
So please treat each one like a gift from God. Every single one.
Baby, if you see a child being left out, or hurt, or teased, a part of your heart will hurt a little. Your daddy and I want you to trust that heartache. Your whole life, we want you to notice and trust your heartache. That heartache is called compassion, and it is God's signal to you to do something. It is God saying, Chase! Wake up! One of my babies is hurting! Do something to help! Whenever you feel compassion -- be thrilled! It means God is speaking to you, and that is magic. It means He trusts you and needs you.
Sometimes the magic of compassion will make you step into the middle of a bad situation right away.
Compassion might lead you to tell a teaser to stop it and then ask the teased kid to play. You might invite a left-out kid to sit next to you at lunch. You might choose a kid for your team first who usually gets chosen last. These things will be hard to do, but you can do hard things.
Sometimes you will feel compassion but you won't step in right away. That's okay, too. You might choose instead to tell your teacher and then tell us. We are on your team -- we are on your whole class's team. Asking for help for someone who is hurting is not tattling, it is doing the right thing. If someone in your class needs help, please tell me, baby. We will make a plan to help together.
When God speaks to you by making your heart hurt for another, by giving you compassion, just do something. Please do not ignore God whispering to you. I so wish I had not ignored God when He spoke to me about Adam. I remember Him trying, I remember feeling compassion, but I chose fear over compassion. I wish I hadn't. Adam could have used a friend and I could have, too.
Chase -- We do not care if you are the smartest or fastest or coolest or funniest. There will be lots of contests at school, and we don't care if you win a single one of them. We don't care if you get straight As. We don't care if the girls think you're cute or whether you're picked first or last for kickball at recess. We don't care if you are your teacher's favorite or not. We don't care if you have the best clothes or most Pokemon cards or coolest gadgets. We just don't care.
We don't send you to school to become the best at anything at all. We already love you as much as we possibly could. You do not have to earn our love or pride and you can't lose it. That's done.
We send you to school to practice being brave and kind.
Kind people are brave people. Brave is not a feeling that you should wait for. It is a decision. It is a decision that compassion is more important than fear, than fitting in, than following the crowd.
Trust me, baby, it is. It is more important.
Don't try to be the best this year, honey.
Just be grateful and kind and brave. That's all you ever need to be.
Take care of those classmates of yours, and your teacher, too. You Belong to Each Other. You are one lucky boy... with all of these new gifts to unwrap this year.
I love you so much that my heart might explode.
Enjoy and cherish your gifts.
And thank you for being my favorite gift of all time.
Love,
Mama
Letter originally published on Momastery on August 28, 2011

THY WILL BE DONE!!!+JMJ+

CANDY BIRTHDAY POSTER:

WE started with this card:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MICHAEL,

YOU ARE SUCH A SMARTY NOT AN AIRHEAD OR A NERD!

BE A JOLLY RANCHER AND CHUCKLE!

DON’T MAKE A PEEP!

YOU ARE GONNA HAVE MOUNDS OF JOY AND ROLL OVER SNICKERING!

IT WAS PAYDAY FOR UNCLE ROBBIE, SO GO TO NEW YORK WITH YOUR BROTHERS LIKE THE

3 MUSKETEERS!

BE A RACER LIKE A TITON AND GO ON A SHOPPING SPREE BUYING ZERO JUNK AS YOU ORBIT THE TOWN, HOPE YOU FIND A WHATCHAMACALLIT THAN YOU CAN TAKE 5 AND HAVE A DREAMY SLEEP!

LOVE AND KISSES YOUR DUM DUM COUSINS!

P.S. THIS IS NOT FROM THE HERSHERY’S

(kinda an inside joke cuz his cousins last name is Hershey) 

THAN WE GAVE HIM THIS:

FOUND COOL IDEAS HERE: 

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Little sunshine is 19!

It is really weird when your kids get older...especially when you feel like you are there age! 

I remember being 19 like it was yesterday...dreaming of being a mommy some day!

Actually at 19 I was considering the convent...but that is another story!

Lizzie, we love you! 

You were always our little sunshine and would try to help me clean the house...

little did you know I am a hopeless case!

You are just as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside!

Magna cum laude

sweet 16!

FATHER/DAUGHTER DANCE

LOVING RIVALS!

BUDDIES

OUR SWEETIE PIE!

 GREAT BIG SISTER...

and we like Paul too!

Stay close to Jesus all the days of your life! 

He will get you through the good times and the bad. 

Seek HIS will in all you do and keep your eye on the prize. 

Stay smart and sweet.

God Bless you on your birthday and always!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

How our family does college:

Our big kids...

(from left to right)

age: 17-AACC/22-UMD/23-UMBC/20-TU/19-UMD 

For those who have asked how we handle college: 

See my husband's post here!

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

My Tank!!! 11th kid...11lbs!!!

My sweet big boy is six !

He was born naturally at a whopping 11 lbs!!!

My midwife had me bent like a gumby toy to get him out...
but boy did we do it!

Dear Eric, 

We love you. We know God has great plans for you!

We hope you stay close to HIM and HIS holy will all the days of your life. 

It will be hard and you must be strong against the temptations of the world. 

Jesus will help and guide you!

Your job is to find out what God's Will is in your life...

and "JUST DO IT!"

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

Eat at home!

See my husbands great post! 

Go here for some good info and a laugh or two!

 DADDY AND HIS GIRLS

OUR HOMEMADE WEDDING APPETIZERS 

It is cheaper by the dozen...or should we say Baker's Dozen!
Did you read my post on how to plan an inexpensive wedding?

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+

One year later...still looking for the rainbow!

On July 31, 2012 after about two weeks of bed rest I found out that our baby had died. 

Early on Aug 1, 2013 I delivered my precious baby boy Steven Thomas.

 

I had experienced death before. My big sister died at age 39 of cancer. I miscarried our baby Francis Jude 21 years ago at 7 weeks. I was with my daddy and my mommy when they both died. I again miscarried Hope Grace two years ago at 9 weeks. When I found out I was pregnant with our Steven Thomas, I was very nervous. I had to go to a specialist due to being 44 years old and they had me come monthly to make sure the baby was fine. Well, after a couple of visits the specialist told me I didn't have to come monthly and he said I could even use a midwife in the hospital and deliver naturally.  All was going great, I was on top of my game...never was I happier! When you get older, you appreciate and not take for granite being pregnant. I was on cloud nine! Then out of no where...my water broke around 17 weeks! This was pretty crazy, especially since my water usually breaks during delivery and I am always late...one baby was even born 15 days late and another 19 days! When I was told that my baby had no chance of survival I was a mess. I felt like the rug was ripped out from under my feet and God had played a dirty trick on us! We prayed like never before and even had a person in each state  praying, as well as someone in all the continents! Everyone on Facebook was on watch with me and prayers were coming from everywhere. Wow...it was wonderful.

Well, the Good Lord decided it was time for Steven Thomas to be home with him and we mourned like we have never have before. It was so heart breaking for my husband and I. We were grateful for our 13 living and amazing children, but a part of us was gone and we couldn't seem to shake it off. For months I cried my self to sleep and to crack a smile was very rare. For those who know me I am usually an up beat, hyper, happy person. Or obnoxious, for those melancholy people like my husband who just want to smack my extroverted sanguine self! Well, I thought that after my due date on Dec 13, I would be better...than the New Year...than a healing mass...but here I am one year later and still my sad self. I am better...but not like I thought I would be. I guess I am mourning my fertility as well as my baby. That was pretty much my last chance, even tho I pray and hope each day for another. I know God is walking with me in a new phase of life. I have tried to embrace the suffering and offer it up for all my children and the unborn, vocations, my friends with cancer, etc...

So, I will continue to get up...keep praying, take care of my husband and children and love my family and friends! I continue to pray for people who have lost a loved one. I know so many people who have suffered way more than me. Please Lord bless them all and give them your love and strength.

THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+