Mom Achievement Award --- TG

Recently, my husband received an award at work. I was so proud of him that I immediately emailed my very best friend, because I knew she would understand. And, I was pretty sure my husband wasn't going to tell anyone at all, since he is far from the bragging type.

In response, she wrote this:

Consider this email your "[Antonina] achievement award." Your friends know how fabulous you are because you stick by us and love us unconditionally. Your family knows how amazing you are for being so loving and committed. We just hope YOU know how great you are. God loves you and so do we!!!

Her words made me grin from ear to ear. We are mothers. We do not seek recognition for changing diapers, washing laundry, or mopping floors. Our achievements, such as getting dinner on the table and settling a dispute between irate siblings, are significant only to our immediate family. But, they are still significant.

Yes, God has called us to this vocation. It is impossible to have children without His hand, and He has sent us the perfect number, ages, genders, and personalities to bring out the best in ourselves. Of course, that means many, many character building days, as He chisels away our undesirable attributes and leads us to holiness. The only reward we truly seek is our eternal reward.

So, my dear friend, as publicly as I can, I want to recognize you (and hopefully others in the future) for your achievements as a mother. For even if no one else sees your hard work and dedication, God sees, and I know from being your friend, that He is pleased.

TG, I hereby declare that your admirable determination to bless your children with profound faith in God and noble spirit of service to others has been noticed. You consistently maintain the priorities of prayer and selflessness in your family, and that is to be applauded. And, of course, your unconditional love for your children, demonstrated by the continual personal sacrifices you make on their behalf, is officially recognized in this declaration. May our Lord bless your family and your vocation as a mother!

Who deserves a Mom Achievement Award from you today?

Blessings,

Talents

We all know the story of the talents in the Gospel. God blesses each of us with various talents, and we are called to multiply those talents to glorify Him. (Matthew 25: 14-30)

God has given me the people and responsibilities AND talents that will enable me to best glorify Him everyday. I am a wife, a mother, and a homeschooler. I have three remarkable children and a devoted husband. Each of these personalities and relationships are specially designed by the Lord to lead me to Him.

What is my greatest talent? What unique attribute has God chosen for me to give back to Him in service? What does He want to multiply in me to profound effect in my life and the lives of those around me?

I have often been the subject of jokes praise about my gift of organization. At my wedding, to begin the homily, our pastor shared with everyone that the morning of my wedding, when most brides are hurrying and scurrying about with last-minute preparations, I took the time to change my old hotmail email address from my maiden name to my married name. (I really didn’t have anything else to do!)

In college, I held numerous leadership positions where organizing a large number of people (i.e. 300+) and/or organizations (50+) was crucial. After college, I continued to take on leadership roles that required complex organizational skills with scheduling, personnel, and activity coordination. Even after having children, I continue to take on volunteer roles, intending to use this God-given talent of organization.

I enjoy organizing things, actually. It comes naturally, and I take pleasure in seeing beautifully mapped out schedules and orderly systems. Lists and charts are my friends, and I create them constantly.

This is my fifth official year of homeschooling, and I realized this summer that I have not utilized my talent of organization to its potential to allow the Lord to work as mightily as He could. I recognize that I was stopping short of giving my very best. I was doing a good job but wanted to challenge myself to do more.

Part of my fallen nature must block the part of my brain that says it makes sense to give my all to those closest to me. We do this all of the time, speaking more kindly to strangers than to our family, saying yes to those outside of our home while too many things inside are undone.

So, I have this talent, and if I use it as God intends in my family, it follows that we should be even more blessed than we already are! What gift is God asking you to use more effectively in your daily life?

Blessings,

May the Force Be With You

Just a quick fun post for a cold Monday! I was at a friend's house this morning watching her little ones while our big kids went on a field trip. Her four-year-old remembered from visiting my house once last year that we have pool noodle light sabers!

These have been one of the most fabulous toys ever! Our home is not opposed to toy weapons, per se, but we definitely want them to look like toys and not injure anyone. Enter my daughter's request for a Star Wars birthday party one year and a quick Google search finding these instructions! Pool noodles and black duct tape? Even this non-crafty mom can do that!

Yes, I have been corrected for making a yellow light saber. According to Wiki, they are only in certain video games. And, I was also chastised for not finding a purple or red noodle (the only ones that were close to red were pink). The party was in September, so I really was lucky to find any pool noodles left at WalMart!

If you have any pool noodles left from the summer and any Star Wars fans, this is a great way to burn off some energy indoors on these cold winter days. Even my 18 month old participates in light saber fights here and often will bring me a light saber, holding one himself, to request a battle!

Blessings,

My Quest for Quiet

How can a busy wife and homeschooling mom find quiet? It seems next to impossible. On Thanksgiving Day, after cooking all day and feeding my family, I put the baby in the stroller and took a short walk around the neighborhood. The quiet was so alluring that it was difficult to go back home.

In that quiet, I could really talk to God, honestly. I knew He was with me, near me, could truly feel his presence.

Late at night when I am up with my wakeful toddler, I try to pray. I can get through one or two decades of a Rosary with a sincere heart. Then, I either get too tired or too frustrated to pray meaningfully. My words are empty.

In the morning, if I remember to stay in my nursing chair for just a few extra minutes to pray an offering, I am already being pulled in several directions by the needs of my family. Breakfast, schoolwork, laundry, and more beg my attention. Two minutes is something but not enough.

We periodically have quiet time in the middle of the day, but when the toddler is ready for his nap, my older two children are still finishing schoolwork, often needing my assistance. Taking time away from them for prayer escapes me. Most often I just escape online, an easier way to “get away.”

Several times in my life as a mother I have made early morning quiet time work for me, before anyone else is up. That time has been like precious gold and fed me in miraculous ways. It has not worked, however, in quite a while. I am generally trying to keep the wakeful toddler quiet long enough for everyone else to sleep.

And, so this Advent, I am begging God to show me the quiet. I want to be with Him and talk with Him, to share my joys and struggles, to open myself to His love and His mercy, both of which I so desperately need. I know He is all around me; I pray for my eyes to see and my ears to hear.

I have all confidence that God will give me opportunities for quiet. He wants me to be with Him even more than I desire to be with Him (but I am the one who *needs* Him). My greater prayer is for the self-discipline to accept these gifts of quiet, to allow myself moments with my Lord.

I pray for you, my friend, that in ways and times that suit our seasons in life, we may both embrace the quiet we are given to be with the Lord in peaceful anticipation of the Birth of His Son.

Blessings,

Why I Love Homeschooling

Because yesterday morning we began reading this book, which we picked up from our local library system a few days ago...

at the recommendation of the Serendipity American History Trails.

And yesterday afternoon at the playground we met Baxter, a five-year-old, 116 pound, Newfoundland dog that looked like this...

Our family calls these circumstances God-incidences (instead of coincidences). It was so awesome to see up close and personal the kind of dog that accompanied Lewis on his adventures!

Why do you love homeschooling?

Blessings,