{JEI}: Sports and Exercise

Welcome to the weekly link-up recently turned Blog-Hop Just Enough Info: JEI for short. This lovely Blog-Hop is hosted by The Zelie Group and we would love for you to join us! This week we are discussing Sports and Exercise! These are my kind of topics that are close to my heart and dominate mine and my children's schedules. Let's get started with this week's questions:

1. What sports do your kids play?

A better question would be, what sports don't my kids play?! I have some EXTREMELY active children and I absolutely LOVE IT! We just finished football for Little Man (this was his 5th season!) and soccer for Goalie just two weeks ago and the boys are a little sad they don't get to hangout with their teammates as much but they are excited about the sports seasons to come! I believe there will be a basketball season starting up through the boys' school soon.

In addition to these two sports. Little Man has played basketball, t-ball, soccer and is actually running in two different running groups: The 100 Mile Club and Boys on the Run. Goalie has played many seasons of soccer and has been involved in karate and is also participating in the 100 Mile Club. They are both new members of the Boy Scouts too! To say I am proud would be an understatement! I am so glad that I am raising children that are active in sports to encourage team work, hard work and dedication. I believe these are important characteristics they will need to be successful and world-changing adults. I won't bombard you with tons of pictures of all the past and present activities because this post would take you forever to get through! 

2. What do you do for exercise? 

I was born with Spina Bifida, which is a neural tube defect that affects my spine. Essentially I have a hole in my spine. I have been blessed beyond measure that I was spared being in a wheelchair and that I deal with slight to moderate pain on a daily basis versus what happens to most born with this disease. I had surgery as a baby while living over seas and the doctors told my parents I would probably need braces or something to help support myself as I walked. Neither the doctors or my parents can explain how I learned to walk without assistance but I did and I have done everything possible to enjoy my life because I am reminded on a daily basis how blessed I am to have this opportunity. Any day I could wake up and need a wheelchair or be told I can't be active anymore so everyday is special to me.

Obviously being aware that I am lucky to be able to walk, health and fitness have always been important to me. I have always been a runner and a basketball player. I have to admit I haven't touched a basketball in many years but it will always have a particularly special place in my heart. As a mommy, I still run and I weight lift to exercise but since moving to Colorado I have also enjoyed going on many different hikes! I have participated in Mud Runs, Tough Mudders, Color Runs and several other races. I really need to find a good one to do now... I haven't raced since relocating. In addition to running I weight train. I like to lift with my husband but with my return to the work force that barely happens anymore.

3. In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?

Now if I were in the Mom Olympics and we were being judged upon mommy skills, I would probably be involved in one that entails multi-tasking. I have to admit that I am amazing at multi-tasking. As I finish typing this post, I am currently juggling preparing dinner, Goalie in the shower, Little Man reading out loud (reading homework) and starting the dishes and laundry. I know that might sound a little crazy but I have had no choice in learning this magnificent skill. My kids are never able to complete things at the same time and between therapies, school events, sports and church events I have been forced to learn how to juggle a million things at once. I am also a server, so I get lots of practice at work too!

Thank you for joining me for another week of Just Enough Info!

You have all week to answer this week's questions about Sports and Exercise:

1. What sports do your kids play?
2. What do you do for exercise?
3. In the Mom Olympics, what would your event be?

Next week we will be discussing the Year of Mercy because The Year of Mercy wraps up on November 20th:

1. What did (or can in these last few weeks!) yWhat are you thankful for?our family do to mark the year?

2. What Work of Mercy is easiest or most challenging for you?

3. Do you have a story of mercy in your own life to share?  Or do you have a favorite saint/quote/resource to pass along?

The Zelie Group has some fun questions coming up in the next few weeks so make sure to follow us on Facebook and we would love to hear what you are interested in! What are you looking to learn about? Do you have questions about the Faith? Questions about the Liturgical Year? We want to help and learn and grow with you and your families!

Also stop by the new Page I created on my blog for new information concerning The Zelie Group. It is a work in progress but it has a good start!

Menu Plan Monday: October 17- October 23

This Autumn season has been insanely busy for my family and I have to admit I haven't been able to stick to the stricter Clean eating diet we prefer. After this week things should calm down. We have several Liturgical Feasts, Goalie's Birthday, Little Man's last week of football and tons of Family Fun Activities. Although life has been busy, I wouldn't have it any other way! How is the Autumn season treating you? I am really excited to make some more soups, stews and other easy crockpot meals next week. For now, I guess I'll just enjoy my last week of eating too many carbs and not super healthy dinner options.  Here is my menu for this week's Menu Plan Monday:

Monday: Feast of Saint Ignatius of Antioch

Nacho Mac and Cheese

Tuesday: Feast of Saint Luke

Apple Pork Roast

Wednesday:

Chicken Thighs with Quinoa and Green Beans

Thursday: 

Goalie's 6TH Birthday and Feast of Saint Paul of the Cross

Baked Fish with Rice and Veggies

Friday:

Goalie's Birthday Dinner

Saturday: Saint John Paul II

Pizza or Leftovers

Sunday:

Football Banquet

{SQT}: Hello October

This is the first week of October and man it has been an immeasurable amount of amazing and that's why I am a day late sharing. Here are my Seven Quick Takes of the Week! 

{ONE}

Goalie was Superhero of the Week at school! I am so beyond proud. Goalie really struggles with his ability to stay focused and sit still during class. We even had to add some behavioral goals to his IEP to help him work on these areas so him receiving something like this made me cry happy tears! The principal hand picks the students based on their effort and willingness to do what's right. Goalie had such an amazing week being line leader, getting to share special things about himself to his class and having an extra special treat with his principal. 

{TWO}

Soccer season has finally ended! Monday was our last game. Goalie was really sad because he loves having a team and getting to run, run, and run some more. Cupcakes always make things better and as you can see by the huge smile on his face, the cupcake certainly cut the sting of sadness away. He is also excited that he is almost old enough to start Football though so we will see how things go there. 

{THREE}

October 4th was the Feast of Saint Francis and we did a Blessing of the Animals together. We have three cats and let me tell you: Holy water, kids and cats do not mix! The kids were so excited to "bless" the animals because they knew cats don't like water. Granted my husband only sprinkled the holy water but all three cats flew out of their spots into different rooms. I almost felt bad allowing the blessing to happen but the kitties also received a brand new scratching post, catnip and soft food for dinner. They will forgive us one day... hopefully. 

{FOUR}

October has officially begun and it is a month full of meaning. October is dedicated to the Holy Rosary, Respecting Life, Breast Cancer Awareness, ADHD Awareness, Spina Bifida Awareness and many other things. All of these causes have an impact on me and my life and we are attempting to find ways to acknowledge all this in our family. What do you celebrate this month? Anything that has a special place in your heart? How do you make it special to your family?

{FIVE}

I received my first Little Catholic Box this month!!! I am in love! My dad purchased the subscription for me as a gift and I was blown away by the awesomeness that was packed into this box! I am so excited to see what is to come and to share all the goodies with my family. How many of you have this great subscription? It is definitely worth giving a try!

{SIX}

We are really getting into the Autumn Spirit! To start things off we attended the Apple Day hosted in Penrose, Colorado. It was a great experience! We have two fall festivals this weekend and we have so much more planned before the end of this season. 

{SEVEN}

This is our family's first year joining the Boy Scouts of America and becoming a scouting family. Little Man and Goalie have both earned their first badge! The Bobcat Badge. I am in pursuit of some Scouting uniforms and in the process of creating a binder for the boys to keep their badges together so they have something to look back on if they decide to stick with the Boy Scouts. We just signed up for our first outdoor event for next weekend too! This October and Autumn season is turning out to be a very memorable one!

God Bless!

{SQT}: Welcome September

September is finally here! I had to grab my first Pumpkin Spice Latte today and I am enjoying the amazing cool breeze coming off the tops of the snow capped peaks of the mountains. Yep, you heard me right! We have snow capped mountain tops all ready! I am going to keep this post super optimistic because I have been on a low lately and doing my best to "shake it off." We do have some exciting things happening in the near future but for now, let's jump into my Seven Quick Takes of the week. 

{ONE}

Goalie had his first soccer game! So this will sound funny but we only had one practice before this game and only three players were able to attend that practice. Goalie did a very good job and I was so proud of him and the effort he put into the game. Goalie has a hard time not crying when it's not his time to play in the game. Last season he would cry until it was time to be put back into the game. This time he just pouted but shed no tears! Progress!!

{TWO}

Little Man also had his first football game this week and his game was intense! I have to admit I am that crazy mom that runs up and down the field as the game progresses screaming to motivate and support my baby boy's team. In Florida all the football moms are just like me. It's another story here in Colorado and I am sure I scared a few people! Little Man's team lost their first game as well but it was a great learning experience. Little Man made several amazing tackles and hustled his little booty across that field every play. 

{THREE}

I am apart of a group of mommy bloggers called The Zelie Group. We are blogger mommies that are trying our best to raise our children the best way we know how, through faith. We just started a new Thursday linkup called Just Enough Info (JEI). This has been really exciting for me. I love linkups! I participate in tons but this is the first one I have helped host. If you are interested in learning more or you would like to join JEI, Checkout my JEI posts:

Introducing The Zelie Group and JEI

Back-to-School Edition

{FOUR}

Do you celebrate Halloween? I have always struggled with this concept but I don't want to keep my boys from enjoying the satisfaction of dressing up during October. I have allowed the boys to participate in trick-or-treating and make sure to explain the REAL importance of All Saints and All Souls. I would be very interested to hear how other people tackle this holiday. This is a picture of the two costumes the boys are asking for this year. They have both turned into some really big Star Wars fans and really want us to do a family themed Halloween. I guess time will tell.

{FIVE}

I have been moving around the house this past week. We were planning on moving further north in Colorado but decided it would be best to stay where we are. Goalie needs routine and has too many different therapies to try to reschedule. Little Man is really enjoying the school and sports here. I am working part time and a move just wasn't lining up for us at this time. We are hoping to buy a house in the upcoming year so we will just keep reaching for that goal. 

{SIX}

I fell off the health wagon for a bit this past week. As I stated earlier, I have really been struggling with a lot and just threw everything to the side while I tried to regroup myself. I have been walking more lately and during my morning walk to drop my boys off at school we came across these beautiful sunflowers. Goalie requested to please take the sunflower's photo so this image is the result of that. I have to admit it came out really well and I think the flowers are beautiful. 

{SEVEN}

Today Goalie had behavioral therapy and we decided to try a group therapy session to help him deal with his hard to control emotions and his developmental delays. What is great about the therapy is that there will be other children that live with the same challenges learning and growing with him. I am praying so hard that this group therapy will help alleviate some stress and anxiety of being around peers that just don't quite understand Goalie or his special needs.  

Welcome September. I have been waiting for you. 

God Bless!

{SQT}: Fall Sports & Back-to-School Edition

It has been a crazy week as predicted and things will only get crazier as we move into the school year. Trust me when I say, I will have tons of picture and videos to share so follow me on Instagram and Facebook if you want more frequent updates or just a laugh or two from social media. For the SQT linkup at This Ain't the Lyceum here are my seven quick takes for this week:

{ONE}

Back-to-work for me! I had to take some time off from working a couple months ago due to some problems with my back but I am feeling better and taking it easy as I transition back into the work force. Until I am 100% sure my back is better I will only be working part-time but it is a start. It's also a relief to be getting more adult time. With the start of school next week, I won't have to be at home alone.

{TWO}

Fall Football 2016 is underway for Little Man and the family! I am sorry to admit that I am one of those crazy football mommies that loves to get loud during football season. I have always been a competitive person and I am vocal. I am glad that I have instilled the desire to work hard and reach for the stars into my children and they love sports so that is where it really shows. This equation of love, sports, hard work and desire is the equation for a crazy football mom. My husband quite enjoys watching me wear eye blackout and my homemade team shirt while I am jumping up and down as our team plays. I still have to make my shirt for this season. Don't worry, I'll make sure to post plenty of embarrassing pictures of myself and my family as the season progresses.

We also just completed our first 4 day week of practice and learned that Little Man will be the back-up quarterback and will be learning some new positions this season. I have to admit that I am so proud that Little Man is stepping up to the challenge and grasping this opportunity with both hands. He has been practicing so hard this week and when we are at home he has really been focused on increasing his protein intake, to gain mass and weight. He has a lot of experience but very tall and skinny. He weighs only 65 lbs right now (He's dropped 3 lbs since last season) and he is playing with boys that have upwards of 20 lbs more weight on them. He is continuously asking to practice outside by himself, with his brother and his friends. If you don't mind, please say a little prayer for Little Man to keep him healthy and uninjured throughout this season.

{THREE}

Soccer season is on hold for Goalie. I was contacted just yesterday that the Sports and Recreation Center is having a hard time finding coaches to fill the need in the soccer leagues. They were calling to ask parents individually to coach teams. I felt so bad that I was unable to assist them and volunteer. I'll be honest, I have NO EXPERIENCE with soccer except what I've learned watching the boys and those rules are modified each season depending on the league and age group. In addition to my lack of knowledge, having one child playing football and the other soccer at the same time makes it just a little too much for me to juggle. I will already be running back and forth between practices and it wouldn't be fair to the kids on the soccer team. I am saying an extra prayer that they find someone able to take on the responsibility of coaching this soccer team. 

{FOUR}

We had a blast celebrating lots of Liturgical Celebrations this week! Saint Dominic, Saint Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, Saint Lawrence and Saint Clare. I am still finishing up my post on Saint Lawrence and Saint Clare so I'll link back to those when I finish them up. Saint Dominic is Little Man's Nameday Saint and he always watches the calendar once August hits. 

{FIVE}

*This contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission if you click the link and purchase something. This does not increase the amount of the product*

I finished my book The Blessings by Elise Juska and I so enjoyed it! In the upcoming week(s) I am hoping to finish The Happiness Project and Just Breathe: Weston Sisters Book 1 (ONLY 99 cents or FREE with Kindle Unlimited). 

I will be sharing my review of The Blessings later this week and I'll link back to this post so stay tuned. 

{SIX}

I have shared my love of autumn many times lately. In the spirit of my excitement for fall I decided to make some Pumpkin Pie Latte Overnight Oats! They were delicious... too much all spice but still delicious. For my first time creating these, I was impressed and I will be making more very soon! Heres the recipe if you are feeling adventurous to try it:

Pumpkin Pie Latte Overnight Oats

1/2 Cup Old Fashioned Oats

1/4 Cup Coffee (Double strength and chilled)

1/4 Cup Almond Milk

1/4 Cup Pumpkin Puree

2 Tbsp Sweetner (I used honey but I might try out brown sugar next time)

1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Nutmeg

A pinch of All Spice (I added more than a pinch of Allspice the first time I prepared these overnight oats and it was a little too spiced for my taste so add at your discretion)

I think I might top this with some sliced almonds too!

Combine all the ingredients in a mason jar or container with a lid. Shake and place in the refrigerator at least overnight. Oats should be good for 3-4 days as long as you keep the lid or top on the container tight.

{SEVEN}

If you read my last {SQT}: The Anticipation of Autumn you read my little rant about the issue I am having getting Goalie registered for school. Since last week I have been able to get copies of Goalie's paperwork from the Preschool office (THANK YOU GOD!) and I submitted it to the School District office Tuesday. It only took 4 trips back and forth between the two offices in addition to the several previous trips discussed in the last post to get this done. I am waiting to get confirmation the forms have been accepted so I can register him at his school location this Monday. I am not happy that this process has been difficult but I am so grateful to know it's almost done.

That was my families crazy fun week. I hope everyone is enjoying their last few moments of summer or having a great time finishing back-to-school prep like us. If you are a special needs parent check out my post Back-to-School Essentials for the ADHD Student. The products discussed in the post are miracle workers and are great for children without special needs as well. Until next week.

God Bless!

#WorthRevisit: Football and Stargazing

Do any of you get excited during the change of seasons? I do! Especially during the fall. I love putting up decorations and changes the scents in the warmers throughout the house and grabbing the full experience of the season. I may even pull out the fall decorations today and prepare the house a little early this year! I also love the strict routine that comes with Back-to-School and the the structure that Football and Soccer season brings for the boys. This will be Little Man's 4th year of Football and Goalie's 2nd season of Fall Soccer. Goalie really wants to be a football player like his big brother but in Colorado, they do not allow you to play football until you are older. 

In honor of this, I decided to share some my thoughts from several Fall seasons ago and ideas to share the Liturgical Celebrations of Saint Dominic and Saint Lawrence.  Here is my #WorthRevisit post for the week, thanks to Theology is a Verb and Reconciled to You :

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Football and Stargazing

Wow! Where has this summer gone?! I have to admit that I love the summer heat and everything that goes along with it. It seems like the school year just ended and we started soccer and summer camp for Little Man.

Well...Soccer officially ended two weeks ago and this is the last week of summer camp. We did end soccer on a great note! Little Man received the award for being "The most Christ-like Player" during the last game because he helped a player from the opposing team up after they fell chasing down the soccer ball. His face lit up when he found out he was being bestowed with such a great honor. In recognition of his achievement, he received a red wrist band that says "Represent". Little Man wore that wristband everyday until it was lost in the abyss that has become his room. I am hoping we can find it because it meant so much to him. We will definitely be having a serious cleaning session very shortly to prepare for the upcoming school year. I am hoping to have clothes and toys to donate to our churches thrift shop.

Approaching the fall, we are entering into a whole new world of exciting life changing milestones. For Little Man, football tryouts just ended and we will be finding out more information about his team and the upcoming season tomorrow! Not only that, but he will be starting the 1st grade at a new school, and starting his Catechism for his first Reconciliation! I am so excited for him and to see how he is going to tackle these exciting new adventures in his life.

For Squishy, which may need a new nickname soon, will be moved up into the next class in daycare and we will aggressively start potty training. I can not believe my baby is becoming a big boy already. I received notice of his transition upward this past week and it nearly brought me to tears. I am so proud of both of my boys but I wish they could stay little forever. If you don't mind could you say a small prayer for squishy too.. he is having a hard time with his molars coming in and his congestion has been flaring up even with his nebulizer treatments.

 

Even with all these new and exciting developments for the boys, I am excited to say that I will be finishing my degree and starting classes this month as well! If you think we couldn't add anymore changes and attempting new things this month you were wrong... Eric has accepted a management position and will be starting management training right around the time the new school year starts.

 

God is showering us with so many blessings and our hearts are so full of happiness and appreciation! I have to admit I am a little nervous trying to figure out how we are going to manage all these new schedules changes and additions but God never gives you more than we can handle so I am stepping aside and allowing him to lead the way.

I touched on football a little but I am really excited about star gazing this week! The Feast of Saint Dominic, which is Little Man's Baptismal patron saint, and the Feast of Saint Lawrence are fast approaching! In honor of Saint Dominic I want to throw together a Star gazing party for the boys. Saint Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers. The story is that Saint Dominic's grandmother saw a radiant light that came from Saint Dominic's forehead during his baptism and he had a great love for learning. I think it would be fun to make star headbands for everyone to decorate and wear as we star gaze together in the backyard. Another fun fact about Saint Dominic is that he has an association with orange trees because it is said that he planted an orange tree at the Convent of Saint Sabina in Rome. I was thinking about having either star shaped sandwiches with chicken and stars soup or possible a star shaped pasta dish served with an orange sherbet punch in honor of this amazing saint. I would love some suggestions if anyone has some to give! At the Catholic Culture website they suggest making Cherries Jubilee in honor of the dream Saint Dominic's mother had of a dog holding a torch that lit the world on fire. I actually have my own dream that I had many years ago that has made me have such a strong devotion to this saint but you will have to wait until August 8th! Coincidentally, I was researching some ideas for the Feast of Saint Lawrence and I feel it really is only necessary to have a barbecue in his honor. We will either have cheeseburgers, hot dogs or some sort of kabob.... like I said I am still in the planning stages. In addition to a barbecue, I found that it is a tradition to wish pray upon a star and invoke Saint Lawrence to pray along with you. I think it is pretty awesome that the next two feasts we are celebrating both incorporate the stars. It will be a nice way to help bring our busy summer to s relaxing close.

So that sums it up! I would love some input on anything anyone has to offer as we start down the new path God has brought my family to travel. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!

Spring Football 2016

I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am that we found a Spring Football team for Little Man. He LOVES football! We just paid for his jersey and decals for his helmet this past week. Practices began this past week and we have been really jumbled with all the change and transition we have had going on this past month. Little Man is still finding his place on this new team but I have faith that this season will be a life-changing one for all of us.

New Coach. New Team. New Friends. New Challenges.

I want my children to be dreamers. I want God to open their hearts to be what he has called them to be and that they know they can do anything with him by their sides.  I have always been a prodigal daughter. I have fought my faith and God's direction several times in my life. I have been a wanderer more times than I would like to admit. I do not want that for my children because I want their faith to be a strong bond that keeps them grounded.

Sports have always been a way for God to work through me and my children. We have made amazing friends and made amazing friendships. My son has learned about dedication, handwork, discipline and how to work as a team. Saint Sebastian is the patron saint of athletes and I ask him to watch over Little Man in every practice, scrimmage and game. 

Dear Commander at the Roman Emperor’s Court, you chose to be also a soldier of Christ and dared to spread faith in the King of Kings – for which you were condemned to die. Your body, however, proved athletically strong and the executing arrows extremely weak. So another means to kill you was chosen and you gave your life to the Lord. May athletes be always as strong in their faith as their Paton Saint so clearly has been. Amen

This is my favorite picture of Little Man from his last season in Florida. His first touchdown!

Football and Stargazing

Wow! Where has this summer gone?! I have to admit that I love the summer heat and everything that goes along with it. It seems like the school year just ended and we started soccer and summer camp for Little Man.

Well...Soccer officially ended two weeks ago and this is the last week of summer camp. We did end soccer on a great note! Little Man received the award for being "The most Christ-like Player" during the last game because he helped a player from the opposing team up after they fell chasing down the soccer ball. His face lit up when he found out he was being bestowed with such a great honor. In recognition of his achievement, he received a red wrist band that says "Represent". Little Man wore that wristband everyday until it was lost in the abyss that has become his room. I am hoping we can find it because it meant so much to him. We will definitely be having a serious cleaning session very shortly to prepare for the upcoming school year. I am hoping to have clothes and toys to donate to our churches thrift shop.

Approaching the fall, we are entering into a whole new world of exciting life changing milestones. For Little Man, football tryouts just ended and we will be finding out more information about his team and the upcoming season tomorrow! Not only that, but he will be starting the 1st grade at a new school, and starting his Catechism for his first Reconciliation! I am so excited for him and to see how he is going to tackle these exciting new adventures in his life.

For Squishy, which may need a new nickname soon, will be moved up into the next class in daycare and we will aggressively start potty training. I can not believe my baby is becoming a big boy already. I received notice of his transition upward this past week and it nearly brought me to tears. I am so proud of both of my boys but I wish they could stay little forever. If you don't mind could you say a small prayer for squishy too.. he is having a hard time with his molars coming in and his congestion has been flaring up even with his nebulizer treatments.

 

Even with all these new and exciting developments for the boys, I am excited to say that I will be finishing my degree and starting classes this month as well! If you think we couldn't add anymore changes and attempting new things this month you were wrong... Eric has accepted a management position and will be starting management training right around the time the new school year starts.

 

God is showering us with so many blessings and our hearts are so full of happiness and appreciation! I have to admit I am a little nervous trying to figure out how we are going to manage all these new schedules changes and additions but God never gives you more than we can handle so I am stepping aside and allowing him to lead the way.

I touched on football a little but I am really excited about star gazing this week! The Feast of Saint Dominic, which is Little Man's Baptismal patron saint, and the Feast of Saint Lawrence are fast approaching! In honor of Saint Dominic I want to throw together a Star gazing party for the boys. Saint Dominic is the patron saint of astronomers. The story is that Saint Dominic's grandmother saw a radiant light that came from Saint Dominic's forehead during his baptism and he had a great love for learning. I think it would be fun to make star headbands for everyone to decorate and wear as we star gaze together in the backyard. Another fun fact about Saint Dominic is that he has an association with orange trees because it is said that he planted an orange tree at the Convent of Saint Sabina in Rome. I was thinking about having either star shaped sandwiches with chicken and stars soup or possible a star shaped pasta dish served with an orange sherbet punch in honor of this amazing saint. I would love some suggestions if anyone has some to give! At the Catholic Culture website they suggest making Cherries Jubilee in honor of the dream Saint Dominic's mother had of a dog holding a torch that lit the world on fire. I actually have my own dream that I had many years ago that has made me have such a strong devotion to this saint but you will have to wait until August 8th! Coincidentally, I was researching some ideas for the Feast of Saint Lawrence and I feel it really is only necessary to have a barbecue in his honor. We will either have cheeseburgers, hot dogs or some sort of kabob.... like I said I am still in the planning stages. In addition to a barbecue, I found that it is a tradition to wish pray upon a star and invoke Saint Lawrence to pray along with you. I think it is pretty awesome that the next two feasts we are celebrating both incorporate the stars. It will be a nice way to help bring our busy summer to s relaxing close.

So that sums it up! I would love some input on anything anyone has to offer as we start down the new path God has brought my family to travel. Thank you for your continued prayers and God Bless!

RE Graduation and Starting a New School Year!

Here is another better late than never post I started and forgot about. It's been so much easier updating my blog from a regular computer versus my phone... I know the new school and religious education years are about to start but oh well!  

 

Little Man and the rest of the family have been attending several different churches over the past year while we have been trying to figure out our new living situation. Well around February/March we finally moved into a beautiful new home and are becoming more active members (aka registered!) in the Catholic Church nearby. I was ecstatic to find that they offered Religious Education classes for Little Man's age group. He was only able to attend for a couple months but he absolutely loved his class and his teacher! He was lucky enough to have a beautiful Graduation ceremony to celebrate his achievement! I can not wait until next year's class... Little Man will be preparing for his First Reconciliation.

I am hoping that there may be a Blue Knights Group started here soon to open more educational opportunities about our faith. Squishy gets super excited when he sees his big brother getting awards and participating in events. I am truly blessed to have two sweet loving children. They are so affectionate to everyone but especially to each other. I love the "hurry up and take my picture mom" smiles I received! These boys have blessed my life in so many ways. I love being their mommy!

 

 

Now its time to get ready for the new chapter of religious education and Little Man starting 1st grade! Squishy still has some time before starting formal classes but I think he is learning a lot from me and his brother at home.

 

In addition to school we also registered Little Man for his first season of football... I am a little nervous but I hope he enjoys it. There are also some exciting new changes coming our way! Keep a look out for updates soon to come! God Bless!

 

 

Soccer Banquet

I absolutely love this picture. All the kids were suppose to make funny faces but some just look confused (Look at Little Man LOL). We had an amazing group of children this Spring Soccer.

Tonight ended Little Man's Spring Soccer Season with the Blue Dinos. I am so proud of the great sportsmanship he showed this season and his enthusiasm to learn the sport. Today was definitely his BEST game ever! He only score once but he didn't give up and continued to dribble the ball although the opposing team was stealing the ball and blocking his shots. I was totally having a *Proud Mama* experience. I am sad to say that this will be his last extra-curricular activity until we get settled in our new home in South Carolina. Although, Dominic had a blast eating pizza and playing at the park until bedtime! We even passed out invitations to his Birthday/ Going Away Party in June. Here is a collage of several games throughout their season and pictures from the banquet at the park.

Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the victory of the Mexican army over the French at the battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. About 4,000 Mexicans faced the French army, which was better armed and three times larger - and the Mexicans won. A year later, the losers from Puebla managed to take over Mexico City and start a French government. The French victory was short lived. The government soon collapsed and Mexicans took back their city.

Read more: Cinco de Mayo

We started the day with a soccer game for Little Man! He has been doing absolutley amazing on the soccer field. It was such a humid hot day and all the kids were definetly not as energetic as normal. Even with the heat, he had 3 goals and attempted to block 5 goals from the other team. I am truly impressed with the understanding he has about how the game works. In his age group they don't use goalies so there is no one to block the shots. Little Man knows the way to get points is by kicking the ball in your goal but he also realized that he needs to keep the opposing team from scoring without anyone explaining it. I am so proud of him! He is really excited because next week will be team photos! He has a wall where we place the pictures from each sport team he has played on so he can look back and remember how much fun it is to play on a team.

In addition to soccer, We had a sleepover last night so all the boys were pretty tired from the lack of sleep they had from Friday night so I decided to make a quick lunch of mexican rice and black beans to start our celebration of Cinco de Mayo.The kids ate real quick and took a long afternoon nap. :o)


For dinner I made Vegetable Fajitas (Sauteed red onion, squash, green and read peppers in chili powder and fresh lime topped with monterrey jack cheese and salsa) with left over Mexican rice and beans. For dessert I made a delicious Mexican chocolate cake with caramel icing ( Store bought chocolate cake mix with vanilla extract and ground cinnamon, you can add a dash of chili powder for extra kick but I did not include it this time). I wish I could have bought a pinata and printed off some coloring pages but I ran out of time. Although, I think the kids liked the simple day we had anyway :o) Does anyone know any good family movies for Cinco de Mayo to end the night? Sorry there are no pics I need to get new batteries so all I have are the soccer photos for now!

I hope everyone's celebrations were fun. Now time to start planning the upcoming week! I need to write out my menu for next week to get started. Then I need to plan for Little Man's last Field Trip of the year, our May Crowning and our Hawaiian Luau for the Feast of Saint Damien on May 10th. It is my dad's name day so we are going to make it a little more elaborate.