1) Can you imagine what kind of chaos would exist in our world if God didn't design us to have full control of our bladder and bowels by the age of 4? I'm grateful that I learned this essential skill, and that my life does not demand that a bathroom be close at hand. (This is my favorite story: according to my mother, I potty-trained ridiculously early because I hated to have wet clothes touching me.)
2) Kids are beasts when they are overtired. Especially with infants, it's such a pathetic (in the best sense of the word) thing to witness when a baby is so tired, she cries and can't get to sleep. Infrequent insomnia aside, I'm grateful that I don't just sit down and cry when I'm overly tired. College would have been a disaster.
3) Those poor little toddlers, spouting perfectly enunciated gibberish that only falls on foreign, grown-up ears. It's got to be so frustrating for little Andy when, to his ears, he calmly asks for more bunny crackers, and I look at him with big eyes, saying, "I'm sorry, honey, I just don't understand you." No wonder 2 year olds throw so many tantrums. It would be like me moving to Hungary with a Hungarian phrasebook only to have all the townspeople, with pity on their faces, reply, "I am sorry, I cannot understand you" in English. How maddening!
Being with children is the most useful and enlightening education I've ever had the pleasure of receiving.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
4 Reviews in 400 Words
Julie & Julia
I may have appreciated this more because I read Julie Powell’s account. She and her husband were, for the most part, accurately portrayed, and of course Meryl Streep and Stanley Tucci were a pleasure to watch. Nothing new said there. Also unoriginally, the movie made me hungry. But it was a movie about writing as well as cooking: Julia Child painstakingly rewriting Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and Julie Powell discovering fame through blog writing. Perhaps an autobiographical movie featuring Child would have been as heartwarming, but the juxtaposition of the two life stories was a refreshing storytelling format.
Pride and Pr
ejudice and Zombies by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
As I mentioned, I ended up not being impressed by this book. In fact, I dreaded returning to it every day. I should have known that my unabashed love for the original would keep me from enjoying an alteration. I also don’t like zombie movies, so that should have tipped me off. Grahame-Smith kept changing details which didn’t need to be changed and making obvious things that were better left unsaid. While I value the concept and applaud his ingenuity, I feel like a better version would be one in which Austen’s intent and themes remained unchanged, just with zombies.
Glee – Episode 2
This show so close to my heart DID improve after the pilot! I thought the characters more tempered, but still outlandish enough to make me laugh out loud (the cheerleading coach is hysterical). I can’t pretend to be ok with their message about sex – desires should not be suppressed, but contracepted. I’m intrigued by the main cheerleader (aka cheer-io), because she’s clearly Catholic and serious about faith. It’s usually the born-again characters who are serious. She also has the all-too-understandable motive of getting her boyfriend back. The music was awesome, especially a cover of Golddigger. I want more of that!
Marie Antoinette
This retelling of the Cake-Eater’s life directed by Sofia Coppolla totally succeeds! Everything is period (except the music), and therefore beautiful to watch. Kirsten Dunst is absolutely perfect as the naïve princess who prefers the simple life, but “parties like a rock star” when she can’t get Louis to do his duty as a husband. The film movies slowly, but Coppolla establishes monotony and repetition amidst the splendor of
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Litany of Humility
I must apologize for #6 in the last post. I kept ruminating on it long after I had shut my computer down for the night, thinking things like, "man, when I have kids, it's going to be even more impossible to get things done!"
And I stopped with my toothbrush hanging out of my mouth as the voice of the Holy Spirit (also known as the conscience) asked, in a wry tone: "What is wrong with you?"
"When you have children, is the most important thing really going to be keeping on track with projects?" He continued. "Or reading everything you would like to? And really, are things so different now?"
The Spirit made me turn around and look into the mirror to see my ugly selfishness. This has been a major struggle in the last few months. I became aware of my selfish streak just before graduating college. The last four years have been a veritable "me" frenzy; students are naturally disposed to focus on their studies, life decisions, etc. You have to be focused on yourself to a certain extent in order to do well in class. Otherwise you'd be running off to the slums of a major city to help the poor (as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati did). Maybe that's the better option. For those of us who stick it out, it's a great 4+ year experience that can teach you very bad habits.
God wanted this year to be about me giving of myself in order to understand love - real love. The self-sacrificial love that is necessary in the care of children and honestly deserved by all adults. Somehow I had forgotten about that in the summer months. Being desperately unemployed probably didn't help. Somehow I slipped back into my ugly habits. I wasn't interested in how other people were doing, but desired to be filled and loved by them. I wasn't volunteering my time to help people out, but doing it to boost my resume. I wasn't engaging with the children I cared for and taught, but studying how it made me feel, whether I was called to be a teacher or a mother or whatever. In this whole vocational not-quite-crisis, I had forgotten one of the biggest Vocational requirements of all.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
I was showing way more love to myself than my neighbors. Even my dearest friends were being robbed of the love they deserve from me. On that night, with the toothpaste still in my mouth, I sat down on the toilet seat and observed that I wouldn't much like being my friend right now. Because no matter what we do in life - sister, priest, mother, father - we are to put others first, as Christ showed us on the cross. There is no excuse. We must, if we are to call ourselves Christians. Not just put others first when it's convenient, but all the time. Especially when it's not convenient. My personal goals and aspirations are nothing in the end; when I stand before the Trinity and am laid bare at the end of time, I won't be worrying about not finishing a beanbag nativity set or not reading Augustine's Confessions. I'll be thinking back on all the times in my life when I failed to show love to another soul.
This prayer has done more for me than any other, particularly when I'm struggling with selfishness and pride. If you pray it on a regular basis, I promise you will be changed.
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
Amen.
And I stopped with my toothbrush hanging out of my mouth as the voice of the Holy Spirit (also known as the conscience) asked, in a wry tone: "What is wrong with you?"
"When you have children, is the most important thing really going to be keeping on track with projects?" He continued. "Or reading everything you would like to? And really, are things so different now?"
The Spirit made me turn around and look into the mirror to see my ugly selfishness. This has been a major struggle in the last few months. I became aware of my selfish streak just before graduating college. The last four years have been a veritable "me" frenzy; students are naturally disposed to focus on their studies, life decisions, etc. You have to be focused on yourself to a certain extent in order to do well in class. Otherwise you'd be running off to the slums of a major city to help the poor (as Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati did). Maybe that's the better option. For those of us who stick it out, it's a great 4+ year experience that can teach you very bad habits.
God wanted this year to be about me giving of myself in order to understand love - real love. The self-sacrificial love that is necessary in the care of children and honestly deserved by all adults. Somehow I had forgotten about that in the summer months. Being desperately unemployed probably didn't help. Somehow I slipped back into my ugly habits. I wasn't interested in how other people were doing, but desired to be filled and loved by them. I wasn't volunteering my time to help people out, but doing it to boost my resume. I wasn't engaging with the children I cared for and taught, but studying how it made me feel, whether I was called to be a teacher or a mother or whatever. In this whole vocational not-quite-crisis, I had forgotten one of the biggest Vocational requirements of all.
Love your neighbor as yourself.
I was showing way more love to myself than my neighbors. Even my dearest friends were being robbed of the love they deserve from me. On that night, with the toothpaste still in my mouth, I sat down on the toilet seat and observed that I wouldn't much like being my friend right now. Because no matter what we do in life - sister, priest, mother, father - we are to put others first, as Christ showed us on the cross. There is no excuse. We must, if we are to call ourselves Christians. Not just put others first when it's convenient, but all the time. Especially when it's not convenient. My personal goals and aspirations are nothing in the end; when I stand before the Trinity and am laid bare at the end of time, I won't be worrying about not finishing a beanbag nativity set or not reading Augustine's Confessions. I'll be thinking back on all the times in my life when I failed to show love to another soul.
This prayer has done more for me than any other, particularly when I'm struggling with selfishness and pride. If you pray it on a regular basis, I promise you will be changed.
O Jesus! meek and humble of heart, Hear me.
From the desire of being esteemed, Deliver me, Jesus.
From the desire of being loved...
From the desire of being extolled ...
From the desire of being honored ...
From the desire of being praised ...
From the desire of being preferred to others...
From the desire of being consulted ...
From the desire of being approved ...
From the fear of being humiliated ...
From the fear of being despised...
From the fear of suffering rebukes ...
From the fear of being calumniated ...
From the fear of being forgotten ...
From the fear of being ridiculed ...
From the fear of being wronged ...
From the fear of being suspected ...
That others may be esteemed more than I ...
That, in the opinion of the world, others may increase and I may decrease ...
That others may be chosen and I set aside ...
That others may be praised and I unnoticed ...
That others may be preferred to me in everything...
That others may become holier than I, provided that I may become as holy as I should…
Amen.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
7 Quick Takes Saturday
Jen at Conversion Diary has this format for Fridays, but I really like it. It's good when one has lots of different things to write about, but not a whole post worth of any one thing.
#1
This week marked the beginning of my year at St. Ambrose Academy. I'm in two classrooms, both middle school English. There are kids from grades 6-8 in both classes, because they are separated by their math ability (typical, putting math first). What a crazy experience to be back in grade school after all these years! I had a great time observing my two "CT"s and getting the feel for their different teaching styles. One is very regimented, and the other is more prone to let conversation go where it will. I'm not sure which one suits me better; I wrote before about how I have to have things planned out, but I'm usually one to follow my flights of fancy (to an obsessive degree...). A little bit of both, perhaps :-).
#2
I spent the last three days surrounded by lots of middle-aged and elderly ladies wearing capris and tennis shoes, and discussing the benefits of long arm over conventional sewing machines. That's right, I volunteered at Quilt Expo 2009. All in my plot to insert myself into the world of Wisconsin Public Television, which hosted the event. I would have been much more interested if other crafting things were given some attention, but alas, there were no cross-stitch booths to be found. Don't get me wrong, the quilts on exhibition were amazing, and it's a great hobby to have. I just can't sense any desire to do it. I like garment and craft sewing right now. I DID come home with the cutest little bunch of raw wool dyed purple that you ever did see. He's so cuuuuuute. I'll try to felt some wool "rocks" sometime soon.
#3
I got a 3 CD set from the library, Songs from the Street: 35 Years of Music from Sesame Street. And have been listening to it. A lot. In the car. With the windows down. With no children in the backseat. Why do I take such delight in things made for children??? Lots of memories flooding back, and I positively danced (!) when I heard these songs again:
Sing (A Song)
Ladybug's Picnic
Doin' the Pigeon
The Batty Bat
Somebody Come and Play
And especially this little gem:
Sing (A Song)
Ladybug's Picnic
Doin' the Pigeon
The Batty Bat
Somebody Come and Play
And especially this little gem:
#4
That's it! The gaining of weight must stop! I can't fit into any of my pants! (In truth, it's been a long time of cleverly avoiding certain articles of clothing, a few months now) Zumba starts this week, and I'm committed, man. I just ordered a bridesmaids dress that is a size smaller than my waist measurements (which is my normal size), and come hell or high water, I will fit into that dress by the end of December!!!
#5
Which brings me to something I can never get over: priorities. In order to lose weight, I must make exercise and eating right a priority. Both take time out of the day (in order to eat right, one must spend more time with one's food), so I have to weigh it - no pun intended - with all the other things to do in a day, nay, a week. I want to read in order to keep my mind stimulated and learn new things, especially about babies and kids; I want to keep chugging away on sewing projects, which have lain unnoticed for the last two months; I want to start writing more, here and on my own; I want to keep volunteering and helping people out; I want/have to keep earning money; and, oh yeah, it'd be nice to see another sentient being every once in a while. How do people do this without going crazy?!
It's posts like this that, after I write them, I say to myself, "Boo hoo, your life is so hard, you big baby. Pull up the big girl panties and deal."
It's posts like this that, after I write them, I say to myself, "Boo hoo, your life is so hard, you big baby. Pull up the big girl panties and deal."
#6
I just started reading The Long Loneliness by Dorothy Day. It's her autobiography, but she begins with a fantastic discussion of confession:
"Going to confession is hard - hard when you have sins to confess, hard when you haven't, and you rack your brain for even the beginnings of sins against charity, chastity, sins of detraction, sloth or gluttony. You do not want to make too much of your constant imperfections and venial sins, but you want to drag them out to the light of day as the first step in getting rid of them. The just man falls seven times daily."
LOVE IT.
"Going to confession is hard - hard when you have sins to confess, hard when you haven't, and you rack your brain for even the beginnings of sins against charity, chastity, sins of detraction, sloth or gluttony. You do not want to make too much of your constant imperfections and venial sins, but you want to drag them out to the light of day as the first step in getting rid of them. The just man falls seven times daily."
LOVE IT.
#7
Ok, I lied. This last one will actually become a full post soon, because I have more than enough to say when reviewing books and movies. I just finished Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (I wouldn't recommend it, actually), just saw Julie & Julia (go see it!), and just watched the second episode of Glee! (ambivalent). The next post will be a review of all three sips of entertainment. Drinking it all in! That's what a Thirsty Daughter does.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
New Look
Sorry to surprise you. I felt confined by the old one, and needed a more grown-up look. I'm serious about being better about this! Especially now that I don't have homework.
With love,
Katie B.
With love,
Katie B.
Adventures in Babysitting
I feel like I'm going blog-crazy here the last few days. I know it's somewhat out of character for me, but... I just have to rejoice, and have others share in my joy and praise the Lord for His goodness.
It's 11:15am, and both babies are asleep. After quite a horrid day on Monday where I entered a dark place in the realm of childcare, I dare say that I rocked it this morning.
PRAISE JESUS!
I had to come to the realization (and acceptance - huge) that all babies are, in fact, different. Little people, just as unique in their likes, dislikes, and habits as us big people. After watching the darling, independent Rose for a month, I was presented the challenge of Anthony. Same age... WAY different person. He's a cuddler. While Rose can entertain herself for hours, Anthony needs a gentle touch. Which I didn't have on Monday.
Gaining a bit more perspective on his personality helped a lot. I held him more, read some more books, but still spent some quality time with Rose (like putting her down for her nap, the little one curled up against me and the bottle and my heart nearly wept).
Also on my side? Some new movement techniques, thanks to my roommate's research for her own daycare classroom. I put them each on a fleece blanket in turns and pulled them around the hardwood floor. They weren't super excited about it, but they were intrigued. And then we rolled around on top of a ball for a while. The outcome of which was two satisfactorily tired babies who went down for their naps with absolutely no fuss. Amazing.
This is a learning period for me; not just to learn how to take care of babies, but for me to learn what kind of caretaker I am and what I need. I need to plan structured play. I don't do well with waving some toys around for half an hour. I get bored, and I'm scattered. I'm currently keeping track of their schedules (feedings, naps, poops), which is also something that I need. I need to be able to look back on the day with some kind of structure for my memory to work around. Otherwise it all mushes together like the babies' lunch. So God has blessed me with a fantastic morning. I hope I can keep it up until 5pm.
It's 11:15am, and both babies are asleep. After quite a horrid day on Monday where I entered a dark place in the realm of childcare, I dare say that I rocked it this morning.
PRAISE JESUS!
I had to come to the realization (and acceptance - huge) that all babies are, in fact, different. Little people, just as unique in their likes, dislikes, and habits as us big people. After watching the darling, independent Rose for a month, I was presented the challenge of Anthony. Same age... WAY different person. He's a cuddler. While Rose can entertain herself for hours, Anthony needs a gentle touch. Which I didn't have on Monday.
Gaining a bit more perspective on his personality helped a lot. I held him more, read some more books, but still spent some quality time with Rose (like putting her down for her nap, the little one curled up against me and the bottle and my heart nearly wept).
Also on my side? Some new movement techniques, thanks to my roommate's research for her own daycare classroom. I put them each on a fleece blanket in turns and pulled them around the hardwood floor. They weren't super excited about it, but they were intrigued. And then we rolled around on top of a ball for a while. The outcome of which was two satisfactorily tired babies who went down for their naps with absolutely no fuss. Amazing.
This is a learning period for me; not just to learn how to take care of babies, but for me to learn what kind of caretaker I am and what I need. I need to plan structured play. I don't do well with waving some toys around for half an hour. I get bored, and I'm scattered. I'm currently keeping track of their schedules (feedings, naps, poops), which is also something that I need. I need to be able to look back on the day with some kind of structure for my memory to work around. Otherwise it all mushes together like the babies' lunch. So God has blessed me with a fantastic morning. I hope I can keep it up until 5pm.
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Back to School Thrifting
Ok, so it shouldn't surprise anyone that I'm trying* to cut expenses because I'll be making next to nothing for pay. I haven't gone on a clothing shopping spree in months due to my tightened purse strings. Well now it's showing in my clothes. Camisoles are stretched out. Pit stains are abundant. Holes are showing up. I can only darn my clothes so many times!
I exaggerate. I have plenty of nice clothes. And it wasn't even with that intention that I drove to Goodwill on my way home. I was looking for some wool sweaters that I could felt (100% wool is hard to find!!!), but then there were so many good things that I got swept away with it all. Here's my haul:
Short sleeve hoodie from Maurice's
White linen-y shirt from New York & Company
Red and white flowered skirt from H&M
Dark blue half-sleeve shirt from Old Navy
Dark blue 100% Italian Merino wool sweater from Banana Republic (felting)
Pink and brown 100% Italian Merino wool sweater from GAP (felting)
Brown and purple 100% lambs' wool sweater from DKNY Jeans (felting)
A CD holder for 42+ CDs
A bright blue mesh basket (for my letters and cards)
The Muppet Movie DVD (for $5!)
Hardcovers of Dr. Seuss's: ABC, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham
And the total was under $50. I was pretty stoked. First off, I feel sort of bad for felting such high end sweaters. Nope, I'm over it, they were $4 each. Second, do you know how expensive hardcover children's books are??? VERY! These were a frickin steal! And you can't find The Muppet Movie for that cheap anywhere (except ebay, but I don't mess with that). I'm excited about the new clothing purchases as well. Some more forgiving styles for my *ahem* larger figure (gained by a whole summer of sitting on my keester).
I know where I'm doing my shopping from now on! Go out and thrift!
*and not succeeding
I exaggerate. I have plenty of nice clothes. And it wasn't even with that intention that I drove to Goodwill on my way home. I was looking for some wool sweaters that I could felt (100% wool is hard to find!!!), but then there were so many good things that I got swept away with it all. Here's my haul:
Short sleeve hoodie from Maurice's
White linen-y shirt from New York & Company
Red and white flowered skirt from H&M
Dark blue half-sleeve shirt from Old Navy
Dark blue 100% Italian Merino wool sweater from Banana Republic (felting)
Pink and brown 100% Italian Merino wool sweater from GAP (felting)
Brown and purple 100% lambs' wool sweater from DKNY Jeans (felting)
A CD holder for 42+ CDs
A bright blue mesh basket (for my letters and cards)
The Muppet Movie DVD (for $5!)
Hardcovers of Dr. Seuss's: ABC, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham
And the total was under $50. I was pretty stoked. First off, I feel sort of bad for felting such high end sweaters. Nope, I'm over it, they were $4 each. Second, do you know how expensive hardcover children's books are??? VERY! These were a frickin steal! And you can't find The Muppet Movie for that cheap anywhere (except ebay, but I don't mess with that). I'm excited about the new clothing purchases as well. Some more forgiving styles for my *ahem* larger figure (gained by a whole summer of sitting on my keester).
I know where I'm doing my shopping from now on! Go out and thrift!
*and not succeeding
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