G.K. of the Day!

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‎"FOR those who study the great art of lying in bed there is one emphatic caution to be added. Even for those who cannot do their work in bed (as, for example, the professional harpooners of whales), it is obvious that the indulgence must be very occasional. But that is not the caution I mean. The caution is this: if you do lie in bed, be sure you do it without any reason or justification at all. I do not speak, of course, of the seriously sick. But if a healthy man lies in bed, let him do it without a rag of excuse; then he will get up a healthy man. If he does it for some secondary hygienic reason, if he has some scientific explanation, he may get up a hypochondriac." 

~GKC: 'Tremendous Trifles.'

Seven Quick Takes vol. 13

Its been almost forever since I've done a decent Seven Quick Takes-so here goes nothing!

Make sure to go to Jen's for the real deal!

{one}

This week's weather has been dismal. I hate to be one to complain over weather, but this spring is starting to get to me. And by spring I mean lack thereof. I had to keep everyone inside yesterday because the wind was so fierce and its snowing as we speak. Or as I type. A huge dose of warmth, greenery, and sunshine would feel like a million bucks right about now.

{two}

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Its St. Gianna Beretta Molla's feast day tomorrow, April 28! I feel like I owe her big time because I prayed to her frantically through my last couple of pregnancies. I think she's a perfect saint for pregnant mothers to pray to; what better example of motherly sacrifice could you get? Just thinking about her life and especially the fact that she gave birth then died a mere week later brings tears to my eyes. Her courage staggers me, as I'm the biggest wimp during pregnancy and through childbirth. I really believe she interceded for me in a big way especially in my last birth which went unbelievably well! So tomorrow to celebrate her feast day I think we should all hug our babies a little tighter and toast to her a nice glass of Italian red.

{three}

I just finished this book yesterday. Rules of Civility was toted as an urbane, well-written novel about a woman navigating society in 1938 New York City and how chance encounters change the shape of our lives...or something similarly pretentious sounding. And although I thought the writing was beautiful at times, I found myself disappointed as it became just another contemporary novel that holds up its characters as charming when really they are meandering through life bouncing from one empty sexual encounter to the next trying to find meaning in it all. I wanted to like the main character as she toted Agatha Christie novels around, liked to hang out in empty churches, and do the odd crossword puzzle to pass the time, all things I'm partial to doing myself, but again the loss of any real insight into her actions left me cold. So I tried to read something current, only to be disappointed yet again...

{four}

Etsy find of the week:

photo: byMart

I really like this neon leather fold over clutch! Very trendy, nicely colour-blocked, handmade from a woman in Plovdiv, what's not to like?! Here is the cute little shop.

{five}

Here's my little Max bumbo cooking with me yesterday:

I partly put him in the bumbo on the counter because its cute, and partly because it keeps him safe from swarms of siblings!

{six}

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I'm contemplating making a terrarium. They're beautiful, they're planty, they're everywhere. I'm just trying to figure out if I have anywhere to put them where kids couldn't get a hold of them and discover a really convenient indoor sand box to destroy. Nicole from Making it Lovely had this beautiful tutorial.

{seven}

Ok, I'm outs to go dig out the kids snowsuits from the closet. And then maybe look into moving somewhere where spring doesn't include a weekly snowstorm! Fingers crossed for a warm May! 

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Toddler hangovers

Look at that hungover face...

Eat my remaining porridge without griping about it?? I don't think so.

And full scale hangover meltdown.

Oh, the toddler hangover.

You know what I'm talking about. The day after a fun-filled day with friends, or a day spent being spoilt by grandparents, or the morning after a day stuffed with too many sweets, where little people wake up with an attitude that reeks of belligerence, tantrum, and blatant grumpiness.

This morning was a toddler hangover morning. Yesterday we had plenty of little friends over, and I allowed everyone to go completely crazy and eat junk all day. It was a good time! This morning I had to send someone to their room because I wouldn't "fix" a toy to their liking and this resulted in a complete and utter breakdown complete with screaming and floor kicking and talk a girl off the edge because we didn't have the correct fruit for her porridge. And all before they had time to whine for cheerios!

As the grumpy moods gradually wore off, I felt it a minor personal victory and step towards sanctification in the fact that I didn't have to resort to heavily spiking my morning coffee.

In my house...

So everyone living in blissful southern climes where beautiful branches have been in bloom for weeks, well you can just try not to be too jealous, because in the last few weeks I've been able to bring in the only blooming branch we've got: pussywillows. They're kinda odd, kinda fuzzy, but at the same time they have a strange outdoor-ness that makes your home feel a little more alive. Which is desperately needed when my green, blooming spring is still a few weeks away. They're also very Canadian. I think they are one of the first branches that bloom through most of the country, barring the almost tropical West Coast. 

They may not be as colourful than other branches, but I love them because its what we've got! 

prayers please?

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I'm stumbling through this week and could really use some prayers if you could spare a couple!

And then go read this fabulous post, because everything Simcha Fisher says about NFP is gold(as well as everything else she writes about!)! I want to write like her when I grow up.

G.K. of the Day!

"It is always dangerous to have a little boy."

- G.K. Chesterton from Terror of a Toy

Reviewing: Style, Sex and Substance edited by Hallie Lord

I haven't had this much fun reading a "Catholic Woman's Book" in a long time! Actually I can't remember if I've read one so beautifully written about so many great topics that are usually ignored by "Catholic" writers.

This book brings to the fore 10 great topics that face Catholic women on a daily basis. From faith, our personal style, friendship, marriage, vocation, sex, motherhood, and functioning in our culture at large, each short chapter drives to the heart of such important matters. And most significantly this book treats these topics as just that; important.

Hallie Lord of the wonderful blog Betty Beguiles, has created an ingenious way of getting across these excellent Catholic values and insights. Having 10 different authors, most great bloggers in their own right such as Jennifer Fulwiler, Simcha Fisher, and Danielle Bean, bring their own experience and attitude to the different topics makes this read so relatable and a pleasure to read.

The quality and beauty that these writers bring to the subject matter is so refreshing. They present great wisdom in a straightforward, often humorous, and very easy to read manner that makes embracing the Catholic ideals of womanhood approachable. I found myself so happy reading that these women have discovered and lived their lives according to the faith. They all write about living a life of balance and beauty with our Catholic faith, and incorporating our faith into all areas of our lives; not avoiding, ignoring, or condemning. I know this idea of balance is something which can be hard to find in specifically "Catholic" books at times, but really, all Catholic women have the challenge of finding balance in our lives today. We're all trying to live not of the world but in the world, we're trying to be stylish yet modest, good wives and good friends, good mothers as well as happy people.

This book brings the ideals of Catholic womanhood which have been written about by theologians, saints and popes into an easy and uplifting read. I couldn't help thinking as I read this book that this is really a groundbreaking book for Catholic culture. As a cradle Catholic myself I was raised by parents who re-verted and converted to the Church later in life. I know when my mom began to take her faith more seriously and live out her faith, most other faithful Catholic women probably weren't talking about these subjects with each other. And if they were it was probably much more guarded, maybe coming from a belief that to be truly holy you weren't supposed to talk about the importance of dressing stylishly, or having a good sex life, or watching tv shows then discussing their spiritual significance. But its now clear that our generation of Catholics is proving that we can live out our faith and deal with real world issues in a thoughtful and positive way. Of course the great innovation of blogging has helped create a more powerful form of conversation among practicing Catholic women and I believe its impacting the Church little by little as seen with the publication of this book.

I honestly loved this book and believe that every Catholic woman should give it a read! You don't have to have a saintly opinion about yourself (not that any of us do!), or feel as if you aren't Catholic enough to give it a chance. This book is written for any woman who wants to live her Catholic faith but still enjoys shopping, talking to her girlfriend on the phone, loving her husband or living the single life, and reading magazines and watching tv, in other words any normal woman! It offers great insight into the most important issues of everyday life as a woman from a variety of voices with a vast wealth of real life experience. I think I'll be giving this book to my friends and sisters so that we can talk about what made us laugh, cry and relate to!