Saturday, February 27, 2021

My Husband is Amazing

My husband Rob is pretty amazing! Besides putting up with me all these years he has accomplished many financial and physical goals! I heard from a radio show (pre podcast days) that it is important to write down your spouse's positive qualities, so when they drive you crazy you can read it; over and over, and over again!!!


1964: Rob born


1978 age 13: First 10 miler


1984 age 19: Met Me (yes I was 16)


1985 age 20: 10k (first and only race with ME-I was 17)


1989 age 24: Rob married Me-I was 21 


1990 age 25: Our first baby was born


2003 age 39: First Marathon (just after 9th baby was born)


2007 age 42: First Iron Man (just after 11th baby)


2008 age 43: First 50K


2011 age 47: First 50 Miler


2012 age 48: Paid off our home (after baby #13)


2017 age 52: Ran Boston Marathon (after baby #14)


2018 age 53: First 100 miler


2020 age 55: Wrote first book: A Catholic Guide to Spending Less and Living More


2022 age 57: Plans on retiring

















THY WILL BE DONE!!! +JMJ+



Thursday, January 28, 2021

One of those days...






 Some days I go to bed and look over my day and wonder if I really did all that...

4:45- wake up    

5:00- go to gym   

6:30- go to mass  

7:00- get son ready for school           

8:00-tea and devotional time   

9:30- parish staff meeting             

10:30- pick up granddaughter           

10:45- pick up free school lunches  

11:00- homeschool 

1:00- stop by the thrift store on the way to carpool pickup    

2:20- pick up carpool                   

3:15- get home and unload                    

4:00- pick up free couches              

5:30- check out new car purchase     

6:15- eat dinner    

7:00- (date night) parish unbound talk 

8:30- home and clean and rearrange furniture                

9:30- hot bath and popcorn😍         

10:00- bed and relax

Thy Will Be Done +JMJ+

Tuesday, September 8, 2020

Catholic Moms Summit

So grateful to be asked to join this team of fantastic women who are striving towards heaven!!! I am excited to share this interview with Danielle Bean

 


To get an All Access to this convention click here. I even get credit if you use my link. 

To join conference free click here


+JMJ+ 

THY WILL BE DONE!!!

Tuesday, May 19, 2020

Be Not Afraid

Father Dan Leary from St Andrews Church in Silver Spring MD had online mass that just spoke to my heart!!! He said to get our of our Grief Bubble. Mary is Full of Grace, Not full of Grief. 

I accidentally fell upon this after online mass today. I am not musical but wow, it touched my heart so much!!!


Thy Will Be Done!!! +JMJ+

Friday, May 15, 2020

Stress, anxiety, depression...oh my! Covid 19 Pandemic

Day 60 of quarantine

In my lifetime I have never encountered such a time as this. What is happening in our world is so strange and unpredictable. As a well balanced homeschooling momma of 14, I usually have my act together. Not great but at least I could handle the day to day ups and downs with a positive attitude.

This is a difficult time in my life with my normal schedule ruined. I am a strong woman when I am on my schedule, but this has thrown off my grove. I used to be super active, OK that is a nice way of saying super spazzy, if I was born in the 90's they would say ADD. My dad called it "monkey glands," I call it my super power.

Being off my schedule has caused me to fall apart in many ways like gaining around 15 lbs and being ultra lethargic. My house is getting messier and messier. I don't have the energy to do much. Everyday I have been surviving on watching daily mass, doing morning prayer with parishioners, doing a light workout, face timing family or friends to see a face other than my darling family at home, getting outside, taking a candlelit bath with praise and worship music, and watching family movies almost every night.


Today a priest I have been following for daily mass, said today that we need to fight against spiritual sloth and mental stupor. "We need to engage, the Goal is not to just endure the virus but to make the choice to sacrifice, than love, than friendship with Christ."


I am really appreciating the slowing down of my super crazy schedule, God is bringing lots of blessings to many families by having time with their daddy's, and working from home with their babies. I am not enjoying trying to do zoom school. This is not the homeschooling I have been used to for 30 years! As you can see from the classroom baseboard my kids aren't loving it much either.


This time of year I am busy planning and hosting parties,now its all cancelled. How else is my home gonna get cleaned if I don't have a party to host? Easter, First Communion, my birthday, Mother's Day, my daughters baby shower, seeing my grand babies, two graduation parties, the Father/daughter dance, end of the year banquet, not to mention all the sports...so many things cancelled. My old month looked like this...so God has given me a gift. This month everything is crossed off.



For an extrovert this is hard to deal with. I get out of the house each day but I am used to more of a schedule and without one, I literally lay on the couch and wonder what I have the energy to do. It's also hard on my marriage. My poor husband, I am trying to keep up with the housework when I am not trying to miss one of the ten zoom meetings we have. My husband is an extreme introvert and his schedule hasn't changed except that we are all home now, ALL. THE. TIME. So, he hasn't had his usual time by himself when we leave for the home school tutorial. This makes us more edgy than normal. My poor kids long to see their buddies again, thank God for letter writing, they have really embraced that fun skill lately.

So, lets keep praying for our world to get through this time with prayer and fasting and hope our churches open again. We need each other. Remember to keep reaching out to others and don't let anyone get left behind. Many are struggling and need our support.
Menopause support supplements 

My old schedule looked like this: 
Get up at 4:30 am and go to the gym
Go to 6:30 am mass
Quiet time before the kids woke up
Do school
Have lunch
Do jobs
Get ready for dinner
Eat
Try to pray as a family
Get ready for bed
Pass out between 9:30-10:00 pm


My new schedule looks like this:
Get up around 7:00 am
Take large amounts of Menopausal supplements
Brush teeth
Try to put on makeup
7:30 am light work out
8:00 am listen to online mass
8:30 am Do morning prayer 
9:00 am online school
11:30 am lunch
12:30 get dressed if not dressed yet
1:00 pm put baby down for nap
Take a candlelit bath with praise and worship music
Lay on the couch and do nothing
5:00 pm Dinner
6:00 pm try to pray
6:30 pm watch TV
8:30 pm put kids to bed
9:00 to 11:00 Lay around usually watching TV
Try to go to bed before 11:00 pm

Thy Will Be Done!!! +JMJ+


Saturday, May 2, 2020

Ezra Jack Keats stories


Peter's chair and a letter to Amy


Thy will be done!!!
+JMJ+

Thursday, April 30, 2020

The Gruffalo, by Julia Donaldson, read by Pop

Pop is way more fun than me when he reads, he is so silly. Here he is reading one of his favorite books. The Gruffalo
Thy Will be Done!!! +JMJ+