Happy Birthday Fr. T.
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Archive for » September, 2009 «
D minus 2 weeks
Two weeks to go!
I’m still waiting for my weeks to be uneventful. This week was good but tiring. Tuesday we had Fr. Oliver, one of our associate pastors at our parish, over for dinner. It was an invitation that was long over due on our part, and we had a pleasant evening.
Then Wednesday I hosted our second TEACH Austin (TExas Association of Catholic Homeschoolers) meeting here at the house. This is a new homeschooling group that I joined recently to get support as a homeschooling mom from solid Catholic families. I really needed something to get me out of my introvertedness and this seems like a good thing.
Last weekend my dear friend Lauren threw me a baby shower to restock on a few items that need replenishing in the Gretencord Baby department. It was such a blessing to get together with friends! Not everyone in all my circles knows everyone else. So when we did introductions it was just so amazing to me that I’ve known some of these ladies over 12 years! Time flies! These are new and old friends who I have shared the intimacy of my spiritual life and who have had a profound impact on my life. Some of these ladies knew me with red hair and have seen our family blossom through seeing us in daily mass starting before Adam and I met! Others have only know my dark brown hair, type-A, bake everything from scratch personality.
I invited Therese to go and she had a great time besides enjoying the blue jelly beans and nut mix. She even won one of the games–the guess how many toilet paper sheets wraps around my belly. Must have been all those hugs she gives me. It was fun to have three God children there and the grandmother of a fourth God child. And of course my sister-in-law, Misty (who is married to Adam’s brother) got to come as they came down to spend the long weekend with us.
Also last weekend, Marc, Misty and Grace came to spend the weekend with us. We had a nice relaxing weekend. I mostly went to bed early. It was very interesting seeing how Muffin interacted with Grace. Therese would bring toys to Grace and Muffin would take them away! It was almost amusing. Thankfully Grace is not at the age to care too much about it. We also moved back into our room after some heavy duty cleaning and putting up painters plastic us to seal the exposed walls in our bathroom until it gets fixed.
Finally I had another prenatal appointment on Tuesday. My blood pressure continues to rise. UGGGH! I’m borderline bad. I’m supposed to try to get more rest and eat more protein. It would help if I can sleep at night. But I only get a good night’s sleep once every 3 days or so. I’ve slowed down my morning exercise routine. Partly because of the rain and darker mornings, and partly because I’m just not feeling up for it and partly because Adam has had to leave the house by 7:30 a.m. most of this week. I’ve lighted up our homeschooling load this week so I can catch an afternoon nap.
Maybe next week will be a little lighter. 
Category: Family, Friends
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EIM Through This Parent’s Eyes
A couple of weeks ago Adam and I attended the Ethics and Integrity in Ministry (EIM) training that is required of all volunteers working with children and vulnerable adults. We were well beyond having to renew. We took the class some 6-7 years ago–the first classes that were ever offered in fact by the Diocese.
It is interesting how having children changes your perspective on the class. A lot of people, including ourselves, criticized the class as a “How to be a child predator” class. Thankfully in 7 years they have made improvements and added discussion between the videos which I appreciate as a parent.
Furthermore, it made me more aware of how adults interact with our kids and how our kids respond. It made us thankful for the people we choose to watch our children when we have a meeting or go out. I have come to appreciate their honesty with us when we ask, “how did it go?” They don’t hold anything back. 
They share who was naughty and who was nice, and any cute stories. They tell us when they cave and let the kids have dessert, or if the kids are trying to manipulate them for a second scoop of ice cream. I appreciate the other parents who watch our children and can empathize with our family rules and ask if the kids can do or eat x, y, or z while they are in their care.
One of the things I found intriguing in the training was that child predators will manipulate the child to do something they know is against the parents’ rules and then have the kids lie about it or keep it from their parents. Now, obviously not everyone who encourages your kids to lie is a child predator. How many times have my parents given the kids candy behind my back with a quiet, “shh”? But it did make me decide that I don’t quite care for that and I would prefer even family just to ask, “Can they have x?” Instead of giving them something and telling the kids, “Don’t tell your mom?” (right, because I’m the stickler). I can get over a bag of candy, but it’s a lot more work to get over someone teaching your kids it’s okay to lie or keep things from you (and breaking two commandents)–bigger lies in life always start off as little lies.
All this also made me choose words and consequences wisely when I asked for honestly from the kids in a couple of situations that arose recently. The big thing was, “You won’t get in trouble for telling me the truth.” I thanked them and God for their honesty with a big hug and we talked about what they should do next time instead. We always hope that our kids will make good choices. But when they don’t (and they always won’t) we certainly want to foster a relationship where they can be honest with us and know they are stilled loved and accepted. Just like our Heavenly Father, as parents we want our children to be obedient because they love us and don’t want to offend us, not because we are some tyrant.
Category: Faith, Family
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D minus 3 weeks
It’s 3 weeks until my due date and I’m totally not ready for this baby to come out! I mean I am because I want to meet our newest child that tosses and turns in my belly as much as I do at night. But we have so much going on that as I look at the calendar, I tell him/her that it would be really nice if he/she just came right on time…not too early, not too late.
We’re in the process of getting bids for the bathroom remodeling. I’ve dusted and washed as much as I can at this point. But putting out all the baby things (since Baby G usually stays with us for 9 months in our room) is really on hold until we at least get the backing board on the walls and the tub in.
My goal is to get our bags packed for the birthing center today or tomorrow…at least most of it, and to finalize the call list of people to watch the kiddos. Granted the midwife yesterday said, all I really NEED is the carseat.
My blood pressure was a little high yesterday too which is not too much of a concern since everything else looks good. But when I said, “oh, I’ll try to take it easy this week,” the midwife laughed at me while looking at the kids waiting patiently and said, “I don’t know how you’re going to manage that with three kids.” Therese has been a super big help that I don’t know what I would do without her.
Monday Adam and I had our Catechist training for the RE class our parish that we are teaching. Yes, “we.” Although, it will mostly be him after the baby is born. The training was certainly interesting. The text they are using is certainly not my fav. But the RE director gave us some license to incorporate things outside the textbook that follow the theme for that day. Not really knowing what the average child’s knowledge is in religion it will be interesting to see where the children in our class are at in their faith when they come to us. I pray that God gives us the grace to be good teachers of the faith to all these children and that they see in my beloved husband what made me fall in love with him 8 years ago–his love for Jesus and the Church. I also pray the Holy Spirit really guide us in wisdom and patience to make it a wonderful experience for the whole spectrum of children.
Last night we had our last NFP presentation until the end of October. Everytime we give a presentation, I just fall in love with my husband more and more. I really love doing ministry work with him because I think it’s so fruitful for our marriage, but it’ll be nice to have that off our plates for a little while. When we discerned becoming catechists, I decided that my involvement with the Austin FertilityCare Center would have to slow down. So, I am no longer doing the administrative duties that I had been for the last 4 years. My time’s up. I certainly enjoyed it and all the people that I could minister to over the phone. We’re committed to still doing our presentations until we discern that it’s too much for us.
In the meantime, I look forward to a restful labor day weekend and Adam’s brother and sister-in-law visiting with our God daughter. I’m also looking forward to a baby shower that our friend Lauren is generously throwing for me to welcome our newest little blessing. We don’t need a whole lot of anything but I do love celebrating life with friends.
Category: Family
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