Why the Robin's Breast is Red

The following tale was copied from Sunday Morning Storyland: Sunday Sermons for Children by Fr. Wilifrid J. Diamond, which has no copyright. The story of the robin reappears occasionally in our curriculum this time of year. 

There is a lovely little legend told about the Passion of Christ. It explains why the robin's breast is red. In those days, the robin was a proud little fellow and the envy of all the birds because God had created him with a silver vest. As the robin flew through the air and hopped around, his silver vest would gleam in the sun.

On Good Friday morning, a robin was hopping around on Mount Calvary. He watched the crowds force Our Lord up the hill under the cruel weight of the cross. He watched them throw Him down and nail Him to to it in a cruel manner. He watched Our Lord with pity in his eyes, wondering how men could be so cruel to the God Who had given the robin his silver vest. He wanted to do something to help. The nails were too big for him to draw out with his little beak. He thought, "Perhaps I can draw out one of those cruel thorns that are piercing Our Lord's brow." He flew over to the cross and tried to pull one of them out. While he was tugging away the thorn pierced his breast and the robin's beautiful silver vest was covered with blood.

This little poem tells the story:

"A little bird that warbled round that memorable day

Flitted around and strove to wrench a single thorn away;

The cruel spike impaled his breast and thus 'tis sweetly said:

The robin has a silver vest incarnadined with red."

~James Ryder Randall

This is only a legend, but we can learn a lesson from it. By our sins we nailed Christ to the cross. We were there on Calvary just as much as the Romans and the executioners. If we were there by our sins it is also true that we can be there by our good works and relieve Our Lord's pain. Spend some time with Our Lord today. Do something good. Perhaps you can reach back and remove a single thorn from Christ's brow. That is the spirit of Queen Elizabeth of Hungary who would not wear her crown on Good Friday saying, "I cannot wear jewels when my Lord wore thorns."

This will be my last post for the next few days. I will continue virtual silence to respect the Paschal Triduum, which includes postponing my regular Scale Saturday post. Have a blessed Holy Weekend!

Berry Angel Food Dessert

Spring is here. Berries will soon be in season, and lighter desserts feel more fitting. I've been planning a variety of different desserts that are easily served in clear plastic cups for Addie's first birthday party, and this one has made the list! It would make a great Easter treat as well. I want to thank my sweet mother-in-law for this delicious recipe.

Berry and Angel Food Dessert

Ingredients

• 2 cups (1 pint) Heavy Whipping Cream, very cold
• 1 angel food cake
• 1 cup cold milk (any kind, but I used whole milk)
• 1 package instant vanilla pudding
• 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk, refrigerated
• 2 lbs berries (you could use frozen too, but I used):
• 1 lb fresh strawberries, sliced
• 1 pint blueberries

Instructions

Beat cold whipping cream on the highest speed for about 3 minutes or until fluffy and stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Whisk one cup milk together with instant pudding until well blended, then whisk in one can refrigerated condensed milk until smooth. Gently fold in the whipped cream and refrigerate until ready to use.

Chop your angel food cake into 1" cubes and place ⅓ of them into the bottom of your trifle bowl.

Add ⅓ of your cream and spread around somewhat evenly (it doesn't have to be perfect!)

Add ¼ of your fresh fruit.

Repeat steps until you have 3 layers of cake.
Arrange your remaining fruit over the top of your cake.

What's In Our Easter Baskets

With Lent quickly drawing to a close, I've been working on "building Easter baskets" here. The biggest basket fillers for us are usually books, of course. I have lists and lists of books I want to give the boys each Easter, and every year I have to talk myself down to just a couple books per child. There are just too many intriguing book prospects...and the lists grow. I have come to the conclusion that we will be perpetually out of bookshelf space.

Aidan: (age 10-11)

• Usborne's Write and Draw Your Own Comics
• Usborne's The Story of Inventions
• Catholic By The Number Card Game 
• Large Tapestry Rosary Pouch with Traditional Catholic Art (Saint Michael)
• Ear buds 
• Chocolate bunny (Wal-Mart)
• Cadbury creme eggs (Wal-Mart)
• Bubble tape (Wal-Mart)
• Flying disc (Wal-Mart)
• Bubble stick (Wal-Mart)

Gavin: (age 9)

• Usborne's How Things Work
• Usborne's A Year In My Life Journal
• 24 Colored Gel Pens
• Catholic Saint Memory Card Game
• Sacred Heart with Immaculate Heart Tapestry Rosary Pouch
• Chocolate Bunny
• Cadbury creme eggs
• Bubble tape
• Bubble stick

Liam: (age 6)

• Usborne's Magic Jungle Painting Book
• Can You Find Saints?: Introducing Your Child to Holy Men and Women
• The King of the Golden City: Special Edition for Boys
• Bubble stick
• Flying disc
• Chocolate Bunny
• Bubble tape
• Cadbury creme eggs

Ian: (age 4)

• Usborne's Peek Inside Nighttime
• God Bless Our Easter
• Sequin pillow (Wal-Mart)
• Bubble stick
• Cadbury creme eggs
• Chocolate Bunny

Addie: (age 1)

• Usborne's B is for Bedtime

Obviously, not all our Easter baskets are equal for many different reasons...some already had flying discs, some cannot have bubble gum because they still eat it, some found Easter basket stuffers early so they won't be added to their basket. This is Addie's first Easter, so she will receive a whole new outfit. She also really doesn't care about the politics of Easter basket equality yet, a fact that I'm going to joyfully bask in this year. 

I'd love to hear what's in your Easter baskets! Do you have other Easter traditions you keep?

I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Scale Saturday 2018: Week 12

I took my own advice this week and pushed myself harder, both in watching what I ate and in intentionally exercising. I was mindful of the kind of calories I ate. I didn't have to add up any cookie calories this week (one little amazingly delicious 2" pistachio cookie came in at 72 calories...and you can't eat just one!) I was able to resist taking even one bite of the boys' cheese bread sticks for supper last night.

Last fall, before I embarked on this weight loss journey, I ordered some new clothes from Old Navy during a big sale they were having. I thought being better dressed would make me feel better about myself. I ordered them in my regular "big" size, reasoning that the brand is pretty generous in their sizing and often things run big for me. However, when the box came, only a couple of the dresses fit. There were two dresses that I had been really excited about that I just could not squeeze into. Yesterday I put one on, a black shirt dress...and it fits great! I haven't tried on the teal knee-length dress yet, but I'm hoping to wear it for Easter. I was going to include a picture of me in the dress today, but when we got home from Stations of the Cross last night, Addie wiped a face full of yogurt all over me. Mom life.

One thing that has really helped me not indulge this week: key lime Greek yogurt. The strange illusion known as Baader-Meinhoff phenomenon happens quite frequently with me...whether it's because of the way my mind works or because everyone's does, I'm not quite sure. You may have experienced it before...you buy a new vehicle that you never see around. Say, a gray Suburban. Suddenly there are gray Suburbans everywhere, including one that drives by your house multiple times a day.

So it happened with me around Christmas. I found a coconut-lime scented candle on clearance, and bought it for the bathroom. And then a sweet friend sent me a bottle of coconut-lime lotion, and every time I use it my mouth waters for key lime pie. The next time I was in the grocery section I wasn't thinking yogurt at all, but I looked over and the first thing that caught my eye was key lime yogurt. I now have half a fridge shelf dedicated to key lime yogurt! One of those yogurts a day makes me feel like I'm enjoying a piece of pie.

So often it is just a mind thing. When I think about it, I'm not really hungry very often. Many times I'm just restless, dissatisfied, and need to break the habit of trying to fix that with food.

In closing, I want to share one of my best weight-loss secrets: children. I never get to eat 100% of  anything I make myself. (It just so happens that yogurt is Addie's favorite food.) And whether it's toting them around on my hip, or doing planks with them sitting on my back, they are great exercise accompaniments! My weight-loss to date totals exactly one four year old Ian!

The Deer's Cry of St. Patrick

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, I wanted to share St. Patrick's Breastplate with you. This prayer is also known as The Deer's Cry, the Lorica of St. Patrick, and the Hymn of St. Patrick. It is a prayer traditionally said in the morning or before battle, symbolic of "putting on the armor of God".

The story behind the prayer cannot go untold here. As it goes, Patrick and his monks were on their way to Tara to evangelize the pagans. It was discovered that Loegaire (anglicized as "Leary"), High King of Ireland in the 5th century, had laid an ambush for Patrick and his men. As Patrick and the monks recited the following hymn, they appeared to Loegaire's men to be wild deer passing, accompanied by a fawn.  

An analogy could be drawn between the pagans lying in ambush and all the ways Satan lies in wait during the day to grab us while we're vulnerable. What better way to start the day than invoking God's shield from that!

(Note: there are multiple versions of this prayer, some short and others quite long.) 

I arise today
The strong virtue of the Invocation of the Trinity:
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.
I arise today
The virtue of the Incarnation of Christ with His Baptism,
The virtue of His crucifixion with His burial,
The virtue of His Resurrection with His Ascension,
The virtue of His coming on the Judgement Day.
I arise today
The virtue of the love of seraphim,
In the obedience of angels,
In the hope of resurrection unto reward,
In prayers of Patriarchs,
In predictions of Prophets,
In preaching of Apostles,
In faith of Confessors,
In purity of holy Virgins,
In deeds of righteous men.
I bind to myself today
The power of Heaven,
The light of the sun,
The brightness of the moon,
The splendour of fire,
The flashing of lightning,
The swiftness of wind,
The depth of sea,
The stability of earth,
The compactness of rocks.
I bind to myself today
God's Power to guide me,
God's Might to uphold me,
God's Wisdom to teach me,
God's Eye to watch over me,
God's Ear to hear me,
God's Word to give me speech,
God's Hand to guide me,
God's Way to lie before me,
God's Shield to shelter me,
God's Host to secure me,
Against the snares of demons,
Against the seductions of vices,
Against the lusts of nature,
Against everyone who meditates injury to me,
Whether far or near,
Whether few or with many.
I invoke today all these virtues
Against every hostile merciless power
Which may assail my body and my soul,
Against the incantations of false prophets,
Against the black laws of heathenism,
Against the false laws of heresy,
Against the deceits of idolatry,
Against the spells of women, and smiths, and druids,
Against every knowledge that binds the soul of man.
Christ, protect me today
Against every poison, against burning,
Against drowning, against death-wound,
That I may receive abundant reward.
Christ with me, Christ before me,
Christ behind me, Christ within me,
Christ beneath me, Christ above me,
Christ at my right, Christ at my left,
Christ in the fort,
Christ in the chariot seat,
Christ in the poop [deck],
Christ in the heart of everyone who thinks of me,
Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks to me,
Christ in every eye that sees me,
Christ in every ear that hears me.
I bind to myself today
The strong virtue of an invocation of the Trinity,
I believe the Trinity in the Unity
The Creator of the Universe.

Scale Saturday 2018: Week 11

This month fatigue has set in. I've fallen away from exercising regularly again, other than the usual house work. I've continued to allow too many splurges on the weekends. I'm convinced both of these factors have been the reason for the scale's reluctance to move. I spend too much time and energy relosing weight gained back over the weekend.

Going back through previous years' food journal entries, I've realized that I always seem to hit this same wall three months into a new diet. However, it has always landed in April before, creating the illusion that I am unable to lose more than 5 pounds in that particular month...for whatever reason. April still may be a hard month, I don't know, but for now I'm sticking with the third month theory.

I have a confession to make: last night as we visited with good friends, there were plenty of great foods I really wanted to fill up on...foods that would have moved the scale in the wrong direction. I made up my mind to use yesterday's weight for today in case that happened. Although I would have been up front about it, and the only splurge I did allow was one tiny glass of wine, I realized this morning that I've been giving myself a whole lot of free passes. I shouldn't really be surprised at my lackluster results. And using a different day's weight wasn't the deal I made for myself in the beginning.

Coincidentally, today's weight was the exact same, down to the ounce, as yesterday's.

I have no good advice or recipes or anything else inspiring or profound to share, but consider this a formal switching of the tracks in my mind. Despite tiny results, I've reached another milestone in this journey: I have officially lost half the weight I hoped to lose. 34 pounds down, 34 to go.

Scale Saturday 2018: Week 10

I morphed a little bit this last week into the proverbial hare of tortoise-and-hare-race fame. Not the racing part, but the napping part...if you could possibly eat while napping. (I'm laughing here a bit maniacally, sipping my coffee, making my children wonder.) If we learned anything from the moral of the story, we know the hare's ego was his real undoing, while the tortoise was rewarded for his perseverance. But who's to say the tortoise didn't stop to catch his breath once in a while? There's something to be said for resting when you need to.

While I pretty much ate in moderation the first half of my week off, I didn't journal what I ate. The second half of the week I skipped giddily through Indulgence Forest, having been intoxicated by my newfound freedom. The foods I normally don't allow during Lent I made an exception for as a "birthday treat"--which was extended to a "birth week treat". I woke up Wednesday morning feeling achy and overall sickly, which cleared my head enough to realize my week was up. On the bright side, I snapped out of the spree before it became "birth month treat". My foray into SugarCarbLand cost me five pounds.

I just want to say a quick word about calories: not all calories are created equal. I think this is in part why so many Weight Watchers followers find success over a longer period of time. The point system is designed to not penalize you for eating good food. While I often mention calorie counting here as how I stay accountable and on track, I don't mention often enough that a whole lot of moderation and balance goes into what calories are consumed. There is such a thing as good fat, and I find if I restrict too much of it in an attempt to drop a lot of weight quickly, I end up with really bad headaches and I actually quit losing weight. However, eating nothing but high fat foods (even healthy fats) can cause health problems, such as an increased risk of cancer. Moderation and balance are the most important keys to a successful, healthy diet.

I'll end this post with the fantastic news that all of the baby weight I gained with Addie is gone!!! I hope to lose another 35 pounds. Almost half way there!

An Apology

We live in an age when every little thing is microanalyzed in order to place the appropriate blame on who/why/what caused someone to behave badly. Very seldom do we see a person stand up to take responsibility for their own lack of control or ethics, their own faults or issues. Something I repeat over and over to the boys: You are the captains of your own souls. No one can ever make you do something that you shouldn't. 

Even as an adult it's so easy to fall prey to self pity and the spirit of entitlement. Why did someone say this to me? Why wasn't I given that? Don't I deserve better?

Life is hard for everyone. It is filled with mountains to climb and all manner of little annoyances. We can sit back all day and imagine this or that person has a more wonderful life, nicer home or car, is more organized, is kinder and much better liked than us. This is true especially in this age of filtered insta-life that we're fed on social media...including the blogosphere.

In the end, comparison is the thief of joy. We can never know how much someone else is hurting, or how hard they're trying. We all handle things differently, so what appears to us as something little may be monumental to another...and vice versa. This is why I try to share real-life with you all here. But is there such a thing as too real?

This Lent I've been getting real with myself. This has involved a lot of honest looks in the mirror and soul-searching, and I've been thinking about how I've painted all this for you, my readers. An embarrassing thought occurred to me recently: do more people come to my blog for inspiration? or as spectators at a train wreck? It's time for a healthy dose of accountability for myself.

I thought back to why I began this blog in the first place. I had been encouraged to write a book about the amusing aspects of motherhood and homeschooling: funny things boys do and say, the "scratch-your-head" moments, and thrifty living, with a sprinkling of our culinary adventures. I wanted to share with you the beauty of our Traditional Catholic faith as well, since there is so much confusion and misunderstanding about it. And sharing things I make here is a good way to market what I hope to some day sell to help my family. But mostly, I wanted to be inspiring. I wanted so much to build a happy place here, where you could come to smile, to laugh at the ridiculous, to shake your heads and commiserate with the every day ups and downs of motherhood. I wanted to make a safe, comfortable place here where you know that some days I get nothing done other than heating up leftovers to fill little bellies. This world needs more love, not griping. It needs people who are kind even if no kindness is repaid. It needs people who forgive and forget, no matter how great the offense.

I am here to apologize for failing in this regard. I apologize for unnecessary complaints I've made and for over sharing. I'm so sorry for any feelings I've hurt with harsh blanket statements. The honest truth is that, while writing is therapy that helps me work through issues, doing so privately is appropriate. Bombarding you as a way to vent, is not. Unfortunately, once the word is spoken it cannot be unsaid (and unread). I've gone back through posts and edited things, but the damage has already been done.

I apologize especially to my closest friends, if any find themselves here. Please forgive my thoughtless uncensored venting. I want you to know that I never meant to hurt any of you with my words, though in rereading some things I've written it's hard to see anything but. I am so grateful to you ladies who have stuck with me and lifted me up despite my downward spiral into self-destructive drama, and I hope to be a better friend in the future. I thank God for you.

Right Now

This is real life. I sit here in the deepening twilight watching the colors of the sunset stain the eastern sky. I can see a baseball in the garden...a plastic bed sheet dancing in the breeze. We should just put a billboard in the yard: "Yes, we have children. Yes, they have accidents. Yes, their mother is forgetful." Because I hung that sheet on the line no less than three days ago and promptly forgot about it. The wind picked up and blew it into my line of sight today.

In January when the walls began to shrink in on me, and things felt too cluttered, I moved the "reading couch" in the school room to a different wall so that I could see out the window. From this vantage point I can almost forget we live in town. As I sat here this afternoon I saw my first robin of the year! I'm so glad I moved this old couch. 

Even better than the view from the window: the baby girl that I honestly never thought I'd have.

Addie decided to take a late nap while cradled in the crook of my arm. I love these quiet Sundays when I can stop tidying up, stop grading, stop fixing, and stop cleaning for a few hours. It's in these moments that I realize how fast time is passing, how quickly things are changing. All too soon this all will end.

Yesterday I realized my first baby's feet have grown bigger than mine. Did I know this day was coming as I searched for tiny little shoes to fit his chubby toddler feet so many years ago? I seemed to take so much for granted then. My big boy is nearly as tall as me...and I cannot remember the last time he sat in my lap for a story.

As I read to Ian today (fittingly, "Love You Forever") I desperately wanted to freeze time so he could always sit on my lap to hear a story. That he would always be the violently affectionate little boy he is. That Liam would always hold my hand through the rosary and give me sudden, unexpected hugs throughout the day. That Gavin would always be here to try to lift people's spirits and add an air of excitement to every mundane thing we do. That I could listen to Addie always saying "Gong gong gong gong" and "Mamamama" in the soft little way she does. That I could always feel the incredible joy that swells in my heart when she plays with my hands as I feed her, or lays her head on my shoulder when she's tired, or when one of my boys plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek.

But things were never intended to stay as they are. During the hectic days of this season of my life I sometimes look forward to the last of certain things...all the noise, stuff never being in the right place, always mysterious sticky spots on tables and chairs. Paradoxically, the terrifying reality is that there will be a last time for everything, and I'm sure I will miss those little annoying things some day. There will be a last story read. A last bottle fed. A last bath given and a last meal enjoyed while we're all living here under the same roof. A last good night hug...a last plastic bed sheet and a last forgotten baseball in the garden. So for right now I'm going to soak up these blissful moments and read as many stories as we can fit in. We're going to play games and try to be patient with each other, and thank God for the time He's given us together. 

The Day of Birth

I'm recycling parts of this post from last year since I failed to launch it within that time. I was going to delete these photos and start fresh...but I couldn't bring myself to!

I mean...just look at that face!

These photos are from Ian's 3rd birthday! He requested these chocolate cupcakes two years in a row!

Last year at this time I was very pregnant with Addie, tired, and not sure how I was going to accomplish anything I needed to do. My in laws were kind enough to come over and watch the boys so Eli and I could go out to eat. I didn't expect much for my birthday last year, which often proves to make for a pretty amazing day.

9 lbs. 2 oz. of loveable, squeezable, simply adorable birthday baby

Four years ago on February 28th, I was blessed with the best birthday gift ever. Sharing a birthday with Ian has brought so many unexpected joys. It also gives me the ability to say "I gave my birthday away" when I'm feeling too old. All day long Ian would say "Happy Buffday Mama!" and I'd get to say it right back. 

This year Eli said we could do anything I wanted (apparently within reason) for my birthday. He had to work on the actual day so we went out on the 17th instead. I am so grateful to my in laws for coming over to sit with the kids again. I had no grand plans in mind. We hit some of my favorite stores: Hobby Lobby, a thrift store. I got Addie a bag of cute clothes, including her Easter dress.

All I really wanted to do was eat at the Texas Roadhouse (oh expectations, how you trip me up!) Visions of Cactus Blossoms danced in my head...but when we got there, we found we'd have to wait 65 minutes for a seat. We headed to Applebees instead, where there was only a 20 minute wait. It still took an incredibly long time to get our food, but I enjoyed a delicious margarita while passing the time discussing plans with this guy.

The 28th was more Ian's day. He started it by opening his gifts. Both sets of grandparents visited Tuesday and Wednesday. We baked cupcakes. Ian loves baking so he helped! 

He also loves eating our culinary creations....

We put together Ian's new train table. (I love having kids' birthdays when the stores are still full of Christmas clearance goodies! We saved $60 on the train set!) Ian also got his own set of play food, which was more exciting to him than the train table. We brought Addie's little wooden stove down from her bedroom for him to "cook" on.

The birthday boy here gets to pick his own special meal. Ian chose corndogs. I decided on spaghetti with meat sauce and cheesy garlic bread. Mmmmm.....

I can't believe my baby boy is four years old!