Preach On, Preachers

I was listening to Rush Limbaugh the other day and heard a caller say that his priest was preaching about the HHS mandate and a parishioner got up and started yelling him. The priest didn't miss a beat but just kept on preaching. The angry man stormed out of church. The rest of the parishioners did not know what to do. There was sort of an uncomfortable laughter the caller reported. I couldn't believe what I was hearing - someone would actually yell at a priest in the middle of mass.  What has this world come to?  Read the transcript of this phone call.

My dad, Deacon Ken - an ordained deacon, preached about the topic of the HHS mandate, abortion and contraception a few weeks ago. I was SO proud of him for doing it. You just don't hear it enough from the pulpit.  Listen here.

The pessimist in me says that this might be part of why we're in the mess that we're in today. The government thinks they can walk all over the beliefs of our faith because they notice that our own members don't believe strongly in the beliefs of our faith. The optimist in me says that maybe the HHS mandate and the outcry it has caused has finally opened our eyes, ears, and hearts to hear this message.

Then today I read an article that Jen from Conversion Diary wrote for National Catholic Register about the priest at her parish not only preaching about the mandate, but going a step farther and explaining why the Catholic Church does not allow contraception in a very loving way. She said you could hear a pin drop in the church during the homily...but not afterwards.

When he finished, the church was still. The topic had been hotly debated all over the country in recent days, even among Catholics, and there was an electric silence as we all internalized what he had said. I think many of us also wondered how our fellow parishioners would react. There had been so much media speculation about practicing Catholics’ opinions on this issue, how would the thousand-plus people in this church, located in a politically liberal metropolitan area within the Protestant South, receive this homily? The question was unexpectedly answered when, as Fr. Jonathan returned to his chair at the side of the altar, the pews erupted in spontaneous, thunderous applause.
Read more here.

Amazing. Two completely different responses. I think the priest in Illinois who got yelled at deserved some applause from his congregation as well. I'm so proud of Deacon Ken, Fr. Jonathan and the Illinois priest...and all the rest who are standing at the pulpit preaching the Catholic church's teachings openly and without fear. Be sure and let them know that you feel the same way.

  Listen to:

 Deacon Ken's Homily

 Fr. Jonathan's Homily

Little Boys

Campo handed me a bracelet I had left in the car and told me that when I wear it I will look very beautiful!

Awwww...sons - nothing like them!!!

They melt your heart - then they turn around and hit their sister and the magic disappears!!

Rick Santorum's Sweater Vest

I have been taking my Project 365 pictures!  I just haven't transferred them to the computer yet.  But I'm proud of myself for keeping up with it.  Okay, okay - it's only been 5 days but I'm NOT good with consistency so I'm proud for whatever I can do!

I've been having so much fun with politics this week.  For one thing, I'm just SO glad that it's finally 2012 and we can see a possibility for a light at the end of this LOOOONG tunnel that has been the Obama-nightmare.  Just the thought of the possibility of him being gone makes me feel so much more hopeful than I even felt two weeks ago.  For another thing, we've been watching debates and hearing news stories about candidates for soooooo long.  It was great to actually have some actual movement in the field with the Iowa Caucuses on Monday.  I haven't been very excited about any of the candidates besides Governor Perry but he seemed to simmer our pretty quickly.  About a week ago I started hearing more about Rick Santorum and reading about him...and liking him more and more.  By Monday I was really rooting for him!  What a neat guy - Catholic, pro-life, super conservative and not afraid to stand by his convictions.  Father of 7!! 

Are you following Rick Santorum's sweater vest on Twitter yet?  On a more serious note, my mom sent me this video.  It's pretty long but he tells a really neat story at the end - if you want to skip ahead maybe go to about 13 minutes.




It's going to be an interesting next few months!

Project 365 Day 3

I had to set the alarm today...it was SO hard getting up. I had to go to training. Great trainer - super interesting content. Just SO hard to get up!!! And I have felt tired and run down all day. I'm blaming the alarm clock. So the alarm clock is my picture of the day!

The girls go back to school tomorrow. They're excited and ready to get back and see their friends. Campo is excited to have not one, but 3 whole mommy days this week!!!

I'm anxiously watching Iowa caucus news and crossing my fingers for my newly emerging favorite - Rick Santorum. Not sure why it took me so long to get on board with him but there is so much to like about him!!!

I'm hoping the alarm clock will be nicer to me tomorrow!!!

Making a Family Binder for Organization & Project 365 Day 2

Today I am working hard to get organized.  Over the past couple of years I've found some great tools to help me.  One is the Motivated Mom's chore planning system.  It gives me chores to do each day that don't take very long, but that get my house completely clean every week.  It also has prompts me to do things such as clean out my purse every Tuesday and wash walls and clean the top of the refrigerator  - things I would never do until something forced me too - such as my purse being so full it's spilling over and breaking the kids' backs to pick up! Click here to visit Motivated Moms.

Another life saver that I swear by is a plan called Make 5 Dinners in ONE Hour.  This has completely transformed not only the way I cook, but the way I think and feel about dinner time.  She gives you 5 recipes and all of the ingredients to make those recipes.  She then walks you through preparing each of the 5 recipes and storing them away in the fridge or freezer.  This way, each night (or morning if you're doing crock pot), you have a meal already prepared and ready to be cooked.  No chopping, no prep work, nothing beyond the one hour you spend initially putting it all together.  I LOVE IT.  In fact, the past several weeks I have gotten away from doing it and dinner has been so hard.  We've ended up eating out a lot more or eating junky food.  I did the week's meals earlier this afternoon and wondered why I ever stopped following this plan!!


Anyhoo - today's main chore has been to make a family binder combinging all of the paperwork that goes into following these plans.  I will have a section for my weekly Motivated Mom's papers.  I laminated my recipe and ingredient lists so that I can use a dry erase marker to mark off ingredients I have and to help make my grocery list.

Side Note - I LOVE MY LAMINATOR - here's what I use Scotch Thermal Laminator 15.5 Inches x 6.75 Inches x 3.75 Inches, 2 Roller System (TL901) 

These will go in the binder too.  I'll put a section for calendars, kids important papers, invitations, etc.  I was really on a roll making my binder until...I realized I loaned my 3 hole punch to someone and am not sure who it was or where it is.  FRUSTRATION!!!


So, I took a picture of my organizing as my picture submission for today since that is the main thing that I have been up to!!