More things that get me in trouble with my Homeschool group

I love Halloween. There, I've said it. It's true. Its a big deal in my home. I love decorating, I love reading scary stories in the dark, I love baking the cookies, and let's not forget the best part, taking 50% of the good candy from my kids! I'm a pagan in some people's books because of this.

It does get me banned from some family's homes, and plenty of rude comments made, but, I'm half Irish, this is like the second biggest holiday we have. I do not attend the "alternative" All-Saints party, my kids like to play saints year round, St. George is always battling the dragon in our home. I've never thought it was evil to celebrate Halloween. I know where my heart was, and my kids are not confused. I respect my many friends who are protecting their children, that is their job as parents. I appreciate that they have concerns about the evil in the world. I just see it differently. I'm not the only one, either, Lint Hatcher has set up an appreciation of Halloween website for Christians, specifically Catholics. Take a look, I'm off to make my kids listen to me read Poe, again while we listen to Night on Bald Mountain.

Check out my 1st Post at Love2Learn Movies

It should look a bit familiar. I hope to post many more reviews in the near future.

Ebert reviews Bella

Good review, and funny, too. 3 Stars, to boot! Have you seen Bella? See it again if you have, some movies are worth a second watch.

People and their dogs

I'm just disturbed. Maybe its because I'm not a huge fan of dogs, maybe its because I think people should have children instead of treating their dogs like them, you can decide.

5 days until Bella

Just a reminder, Bella comes out Friday. It is playing in many cities, please make an effort to see it at the theatre the weekend it comes out. Opening weekend numbers are very important to the success of this film. It's PG-13, so leave the little ones at home, but bring the tissue, I needed a bunch when I saw it. If you've seen it, bring a friend who has not. Make it a date. Just see Bella, I promise it is not time wasted.

My Favorite Movie

Love2learn has started a movie Blog! This makes me very happy. In my very early days of homeschooling I discovered Love2learn, and it is my absolute favorite resource for all things Catholic, family and Homeschooling. The new addition of the movie site is very timely, we started doing Netflix a couple months ago and have been trying to find great films for the family, and sometimes just for the grown-ups.

I noticed that they have not yet reviewed my favorite film, though. This time of year, Hitchcock film air frequently on the movie channels, but one is almost always over looked, I Confess. This 1953 film is one of the most Catholic movies Hitchcock ever made. Hitchcock was a devote Catholic, and this movie makes it no secret. I was given I Confess as a gift a few years ago, and have made just about every person I know watch it. So far, every one has loved it. Why? Because it is classic Hitchcock, full of suspense, mystery and drama. It is also a quick favorite among my friends because of the role the sacrament of Confession plays and the implications the seal of it holds.

Shot in Montreal, I, Confess is stunningly beautiful. The acting is not the best in a Hitchcock film, but the roles are convincing enough. The plot is simple, a man commits murder, confesses and frames the priest he confessed to. Simple, but all of the situations that surround the murder, the murder and the priest are what make it so good. I often wonder if Hitchcock was reading Father Brown stories while making this film, there are a few subtle resemblances. This is a great movie for teens, there are a few mature situations, but due to it being 1953, they are alluded to rather than explicit. I love this movie on cold fall nights with a nice hot cup of cider. Cuddle up next to your husband or wife and enjoy the plot twists and turns, and the simple joy of a really good movie.

More on Catholic Drinking

Of I've read many different articles about wine and beer. Truth be told, I really enjoy both. For many years, I swore off both, out of a misconceived notion of piety, but that changed as I matured. I really enjoy finding budget friendly wines and beers that have unique tastes. I frequently give wine as a gift, usually paired with a fine chocolate, another food favorite. A friend sent me info on a Catholic wine company today, BOGO wines. They support Priests for life and Adult Stem cell research, and it looks like they are budget friendly. With Christmas not that far off, I will be giving more wine, and feel good about doing it, not only can we celebrate and relax, but support pro-life groups as well. I hope everyone will enjoy!

My daughter Asked me to post this....

So eldest child was looking over my shoulder while I was reading The Blue Boar today, and really thinks everyone needs to see this....PS she HATES praise music and especially if it has hand motions, nice quite chants for her.

Learning for the sake of Learning

I'll admit very quickly that I am one of those people who love to learn new things. I taught myself to knit, I've taught myself to cook (my mom never cooked from scratch), I've taken many books out on subjects I "just wanted to know more about". This month I started a new learning endeavor, Latin. Not just Latin but Ecclesiastical Latin. I've been trying to take a class for years, and finally am able to do it. I like to think I know stuff about things (my husband uses this phrase to describe me!), but I did not grow up with Latin in church. Most of the Latin I learned was in music lessons in public school, so I can tell you all about the many loves described in Catuli Carmina by Orff, well, this is a clean crowd, so I probably shouldn't. In Church growing up, we never sang, let alone prayed, a single word in Latin, we pretty much relied on those wacky guys, the St. Louis Jesuits.

Do I need Latin now? Maybe, I really have no great desire to start attending Latin Mass, but I do sing in Latin weekly, and often our priest does Benediction in Latin. My favorite prayer book is in both English and Latin, so it will be nice to have the ability to read the original Latin. My nephew is on his way to becoming a Latin Scholar, I can try to impress him, but 16 year old geniuses are not easily impressed my their "old" aunts(I'm the 5th oldest for the record). My desire to learn Latin is simply because I can. I love to learn, I am excited by homework, and the thought that I can abandon dishes one morning a week to do it. My kids (and husband) think I'm a bit silly, I've taken all the Latin CD's we've amassed as Homeschoolers and put them on my husband's I-pod (mine is being fixed).

I used to be embarrassed my this love of learning, until I met Opus Dei. I am constantly being encouraged to learn new things, not just of the faith, but for my vocation, as a homemaker. Last year After a talk about learning new recipes, I tried making tarts, and my family loved them, I am so glad I tried, anything can be put into a tart. "An hour of study, for a modern apostle, is an hour of prayer." -The Way, Point 335. I love this quote by St. Josemaria, I remind myself of it very often, as I am about to let a question go unanswered, or as I do not do something due to lack of knowledge on the subject. My Latin skills may not help my primary vocation, but I'm sure somewhere along the way it will be useful. Until then, I will tuck that knowledge in my brain and maybe get $.10 off my coffee for the trivia question of the day. Odds seems to be against a question regrading which case you use sine with, but you never know.

X-man Turns 3

That's my youngest child,Xavier, of course! Today the "baby" turned three, thus making him an old man according to the 6 year old of the house. He spent the day being spoiled by his family and best friend and future( the sisters arranged the marriage at birth) wife,Elizabeth. Life is good for him, he is a happy, fun, bright child, and a gift from God.

If you think of it, say a little prayer for him. He has so much in store for the world,and the world has so much in store for him. Here he is at the "bean" sculpture, trying to move it. Its that kind of determination that I hope he brings to his while life, the desire to attempt the impossible.

My I-Pod, its, its...

DEAD!!! *sob* I know it is not a big deal to most, and I could use this as a chance to learn detachment, but I NEED my little nano. It is not just for music, it is for lazy homeschooling. I keep our entire history book on my little i-pod. I keep the Rosary on it, so I can drive and not have to try to juggle beads while praying, I keep a book or two to entertain the wee little beasties while waiting for whomever we are picking up. I also keep two little playlists called "Loud Mama" and "Quiet Mama", to fit my mood, of which I only have room for two. And last but not least, I keep Mark Shea's Rock Solid Catholic Exchange podcast.

I've had it for two years, and It has worked like a charm, making me very happy and has been a useful tool for faith formation. I cannot run out and buy another, because we simply do not do that in this house, I mean, I got this one for free, actually my husband earned at as a bonus from his former employer. His current employer is not music related, so no new I-pods in my future. I'm sure life will go on, and maybe I'll run over to the Apple store and beg them to look at it, but just for a moment, mourn my little black nano, now I'm stuck listening to the radio.

40 Reasons to have a baby...

Karen Edmisten is awesome! This made me so happy to read. The baby question has been on the minds in our home very much lately. The only thing I can add to what Karen has said, it can add a lot of romance to a marriage, and not just the making the baby! There is nothing sweeter than a baby and its dad. Don't tell my husband I used his photo, but I love the big linebacker and his little one month old. I have picture of each of my kids asleep on daddy. Men need babies. I never took my husband to be the "papa bear" type, but do not, I repeat, DO NOT mess with his little babies. He is in best form when he has a little baby in his arms. I get so happy-weepy when I look at him, babies are what marriage is for.

Respect Life Sunday and my journey back to the faith

October 7th is Respect Life Sunday this year. Every year the clergy are supposed to address life issues from the pulpit. Do they always? No, matter of fact it was the issues NOT being addressed that marked my full return to the church of my baptism.

Long story short, I fell away from the Church at the end of High school, many do. I was going to other churches, I frequently was dragged to mass by my boyfriend, who went faithfully (that is why I married him!). In college, being the lazy gen-x college student I was going to the Newman Center at my college, because it was the closest church to my dorm. I got involved with the choir, after all, I was a music major. Respect Life Sunday rolled around, and the Pastor, gets up and informs us all he will not be speaking on respecting life issues, because he does not want to offend anyone, after all we are all different people with different values and opinions. EXCUSE ME? This was the one thing I thought I was certain I agreed with in the Catholic Church, and HE was not going to address it to the group that needed it the most.

My poor boyfriend had to hear me rant for hours, How bad that priest was, how terrible, how the Church is pretty clear on this issue, and on and on (he still married me). Then I got to thinking, If I knew that this priest's actions were wrong, maybe I wasn't as bad of a Catholic as I had thought. If the Church was right about this, maybe I was wrong about other things, not the church.Hmm, I do not like being wrong. It really made me think, for months, but as I said, lazy college student, I did not really do much more about it, besides argue about issues I disagreed with with my boyfriend.

There were a few BIG issues I had, and being an eighteen year old "educated" female, I could not reconcile. Praise be to God, The Catechism was published while I was in college, and my boyfriend bought it for me so I would stop arguing with him (he is still waiting!). I was overwhelmed by the pure logic of the Faith, it simply "made sense". All of my questions were answered, and clearly, I read that puppy from front to back and dog-eared the heck out of it.

In my work I have seen many Pro-life people come into the Catholic Church based on her strong stand on truth. That is why this is such an important Sunday to pray for conversion of hearts, not just of those who are anti-life, but of those who are pro-life, but not part of the Church established by Christ Himself.

Happy Feast of Saint Francis

I have had a life long love of Saint Francis, not because of my bad hippie upbringing, not because I was an animal loving vegetarian, but mostly because of the fact that I was raised at St. Francis church. My adult life has been surrounded by many Franciscans. My 2 of my children are named after Franciscan Saints, Clare and Maximilian. My best friend is a Franciscan Friar of the Renewal. The Art Institute of Chicago is filled with images of Saint Francis, which I am so blessed to marvel at.

I admire many of the ideals of the Franciscans, simplicity, poverty, and service of the poor, these are not the ideals of a weak or Godless man. Francis has been adopted by so many non-Catholics, and even non-Christians as the patron or peace and love, not to mention animals. On the surface, he may seem just that, but, to see only that, is to only see a slight glimpse of the true Francis. This is the man to stripped naked in front of a bishop as a sign of his denial of all the world, especially the cloth of his father. He slept in the elements, on the rocks, he begged for his daily bread. This is not a life led by a man without the deepest love and faith in God.Francis was so truly united with God and his will, he experienced ecstasy, he had visions, and was blessed with the Stigmata.

So much could be said, volumes and volumes have been written on Francis, including two of my favorites, The Flowers of Saint Francis and St. Francis of Assisi, by Chesterton. So today, on this wonderful feast day, read Chesterton's book(I really live the double volume with St. Thomas), or at least start it, with Nancy Brown's Study guide, remember the poor, and pray for the church to be rebuilt, as God told Francis, there is always room for a little repair.

Sad Day..

After two weeks of legal battles, the Aurora Planned Parenthood clinic opened. This is a defeat, but not the end of the battle. Now prayers are needed more than ever, for the babies who will not come out of the clinic, and the women who will not come out the same. May their angels be with them.

Just today I heard another story of a woman who is being forced to have an abortion by her family and doctor, Why? Because she has severe depression. Please pray for her, she wants the baby, but is not being given a choice by those who care for her. Proving even further that abortion being a choice is a myth in many many cases.

Week of the Heavy Hitters

One of the joys of being Catholic is that we celebrate so much! This week in particular has is full of some of the best feast days around. Saturday was the Feast of the Archangels, Sunday, in addition to being a feast itself was the Feast of St. Jerome, Yesterday was the Feast of St. Therese of the Child Jesus, Today, the Guardian Angels and the founding of Opus Dei, Thursday St. Francis of Assisi and Friday St. Helena Maria Faustina.

For the most part, these are VERY popular devotions. St. Therese and St. Francis are popular in the non-Catholic world. The perception of these saints is often that of happy, soft, peaceful people. Nothing could be further from the truth. I admit, I did not have much devotion to St. Therese until fairly recently. I saw her as too sheltered to relate to, too good to have anything in common with, and honestly, I thought a woman who died at 24 after living in a convent for nearly 10 years could not teach me much. Then I read The Story of a Soul and I realized how wrong I had been.

The Guardian Angels are not the cute little cherubs that we see in Classical Art, they are our protectors and guides. They will plead before God at our judgement. Devotion to them is not merely for our children, but for all, with the reminder that we are to be like children. The good elderly priest at mass today reminded us that to doubtand ignore the Angels is to doubt and ignore the Holy Spirit, of whom they lead us to.

I'll have more on the the feasts this week, as they arrive. Today Let us be little children and say that prayer learned at our mothers' knees.

Angel of God, my Guardian dear, to who God's love, commits me near, Ever this
day be at my Side, to light, to guard, to rule and guide, Amen.

Brothers on Bikes

I take full blame for this picture, this is my dear friend, Br, Maximilian, CFR. The Godfather to my middle child. He is riding the "vow of celibacy bike" as he calls it, one seater, no room for anyone but God to ride along. For the mothers in the crowd, he put his helmet on before he actually started riding away, he was just posing here.