{p,h,f,r} Homeschool Method Research and Other Stuff

{pretty}

No commentary needed :-)

{happy}

Tom recently wired up some extra speakers in our house.  Now we basically have surround-sound on the whole bottom floor!  There are wall-mounted speakers in the corners of the living room, dining room, and kitchen - and Tom fished the wires through the walls so everything's nice and tidy.  They all hook up to our stereo, so I can play listen to anything I like, and actually hear it as I travel through the house cleaning up during the kids' naptime.  It truly does "spark joy" for me, to use a term from the Kon Mari method (which I've been loosely following for the past year to tidy my house).

Recently, I've been listening to this podcast about the Charlotte Mason approach to homeschooling: A Delectable Education.

There are a lot of great ideas here, and now I plan to take a Charlotte Mason inspired approach to homeschooling next year.  Sly will be in "first grade," so it's starting to get real!

{funny}

We're big thrift shoppers, and one of our favorite things to do when we just need to get out of the house is to check out a thrift store.  The other day, before going to Goodwill, we allowed the kids to open their piggy banks to get out a few dollars - in case they wanted to buy something for themselves (but only if Tom and I approved it first!).

Linus found his item right away:

haha!  We ended up telling him he wasn't allowed to buy it, though.

But then when we were up at the register paying for things, Linus reached into the pocket of his little 2T shorts, and whipped out a crisp $100 bill!!  Everyone of us - including the cashier and the people in line - gasped.  It was so incongruous to see a toddler holding that much money, as if it were nothing.  Sly explained that he had helped Linus pick out his money, and thought he'd given him a $1 bill!

{real}

Some days, mom just doesn't feel like being a short-order cook for lunchtime.  So I put together what the kids excitedly call "making a platter."  Basically, a hodge-podge of whatever's in the fridge and pantry.  The kids love it, and actually....I'm starting to think I should just do this every day!  SO much easier on me.

And lastly, If you have any stained wood in your house, and don't already use stain markers, you have to get some!  I use these everywhere - on our trim, floors, and  furniture.  As long as you use a stain color that's pretty close, they work wonders at hiding scratches.

Check out this before-and-after I took the other day

Amazing!

Dragons

We were at a thrift store the other day, and while digging through the children's book section, I came across a book called The Complete Book of Dragons.  It looked like it had potential, and I was considering adding it to my pile.... 

...And then I found the awesome drawings added by some former reader to the end pages (the book used to belong to an elementary school library), and I knew I had to get it.

 Check these bad boys out:

And my personal favorite:

notice the little stick figure being burnt to a crisp

Some Quotes and Stories from My First-Born

Because this kid is a real hand-full sometimes...

-1-

We've explained to Sly before that superheros are "just cartoon characters."  A couple weeks ago, Tom and the kids went to cheer me on while I was running in a 10K race.  One of the other runners was dressed as Captain America.  Sly was pretty excited about it, and recounted it to me after the race.  He ended with, "Captain America looked pretty real to me."

-2-

Last week for St. Therese's feast day, we were digging around inside our altar to find a special St. Therese chaplet of ours.  The search unearthed our little stash of relics, which Sly had never seen before.  He was completely fascinated by them, and wanted to hear the story about each of them, and give each one a kiss [we own a number of third class relics, and one second class relic.  No first class ones...yet].  The next night, Tom asked if Sly had any intentions for our Rosary.  He quickly offered, "That we get more relics!"

-3-

Tom's been teaching Sly how to pray on his own - each night before bed he tells Sly to think of a prayer in his head and say it to God.  Afterwards, Tom asks Sly what he'd said.  The first night, Sly's prayer was, "Jesus, I really really love you.  Help me to be more like You." We were pretty impressed.  But then the following night, Sly came up with, "Jesus, help me to get more toys."  So....we have some more work to do.

-4-

Tom often says that watching tv "turns your brains to mush."  The other day while Sly was "at naptime", I was downstairs, folding huge piles of laundry with the tv on.  Sly must have heard it, so he came down and said, "Mommy, I think your brain turned into mush."

-5-

Speaking of "naptime", Sly hasn't actually slept during the day for at least a year, but I still insist he spend a couple hours in his room each day because I need that time.  But he's constantly coming up with new schemes and excuses for getting out of his room, however briefly.  Usually some "really important" thing he has to say to us. 

Last weekend, he began to employ a new strategy that really had us baffled for a while.  He would come downstairs with quite convincing tears streaming down his face, acting incredibly contrite, saying he needed to apologize for something - usually something dumb that there were no rules against anyways.    "<sniffle, sniffle> I'm sorry <sniffle> that I smacked the floooooooooor <cry, whine, sniffle>".  Tom or I would tell him it was alright, pat him on the back, and send him back up with instructions not to come down again.  But each time it got more ridiculous. A little later you'd hear him sniffling his way down again.  I'd sternlysay  his name, and ask why he was out of bed.  Then he'd appear around the corner, red-eyed, saying, "I'm <sniffle!> sorry I <sniffle> came dowwwwwwn!"  And finally it devolved into - my favorite - "I'm <sniffle> sorry for <sniffle> everything bad....in the <intake of breath> whooooooooole wooooooorld <bursting into tears>".  Ugh. 

I think we finally nipped it in the bud, but it was a weird couple days, and we couldn't really figure out how to handle him since he already seemed so genuinely upset.  Tom suggested that he could probably have earned an Oscar for his performance.

-6-

Sly: "Stella, you're bad!"
Me: "No, we don't say that. You need to apologize."
Sly: "Stella, I'm sorry that you're bad."

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 39)

-1-

August is a big birthday month for our family.  We have my birthday (today), then Stella's birthday tomorrow, and Sly's ten days later.  I wish we were all more spread out throughout the year, so we could celebrate each person better.  It's hard to make the time and effort to throw each of us our own shindig.  And we can't ask Tom's parents and sister to drive out to us two weeks in a row for the kids' parties.  So for as long as I can get away with it, Sly and Stella will continue having combined birthday parties.  So far, no complaints from them!

-2-

I admire the fun themed birthday parties some parents throw for their kids - which seem to get increasingly creative and elaborate each year (or maybe it's just the Pinterest effect).  They're fun, kids enjoy them (I think?), and some parents mothers really get a thrill out of planning them.

I find myself somewhere in the middle, though.  It can turn into more stress than its worth, at least if the kids aren't old enough to really appreciate it.  When Sly turned one he had a rubber ducky-themed party, and when he turned three and Stella turned one, they got a Beatrix Potter party (the in-between year was when Stella was just born, so Sly's birthday just got tacked onto Stella's baptism party).  So I decided that unless one of the kids is really itching for a particular party theme, I'm just going to make things easier on myself, and not do one.  I asked Sly what he wanted at his party.  He said, "cake, balloons, and party hats."  Just Good old-fashioned birthday stuff.  And you know what?  That's plenty to make a kid completely happy!

-3-

 So the kids' "theme" this year is going to be just that: "Good old-fashioned birthday"!

It will be easy on me, yet still festive.  Colored balloons, two cakes, ice cream, party hats, party blowers, plastic tablecloths, paper plates, maybe pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey (?!).  It will be so uncommon that it will seem like a novel idea, right? 

Anyways, the kids are only turning four and two years old, so it doesn't really matter.  They'll love it no matter what.

 -4-

Myself, on the other hand, will be turning the big 3-0.  Yikes.  I haven't given much thought to the fact of rolling over another decade.  But something tells me my thirties will fly by much more quickly than my twenties, which seemed to last an eternity.

-5-

So do you want to see what we're giving Stella for her birthday?  Because I'm so excited about it!  It's an Ergo doll carrier.  It's even the same fabric as my real Ergo that I use to carry Linus (and Stella herself, sometimes, when she really needs to settle down). 

I have visions of us going out in public with me wearing Linus, and Stella wearing her doll in her little matching carrier....and the crowds just fainting away from the adorable-ness....

-6-

I have finally found a foolproof way to make vegetables taste delicious (and not just palatable).  I grew up with a very limited veggie selection.  Pretty much just green beans, peas, and corn (which is really a grain anyways).  I've tried for years to expand my palate and get myself to like more vegetables.  But it's hard to develop the taste for some of them.  I'm fine with most things if they're cooked into a soup, stew, or casserole.  But most days, a big ol pile of soggy (i.e. boiled or steamed) veggies as a "side dish" is just not appetizing to me. 

But I've discovered roasting them.  I just cut up some veggies (whatever I have in the house - beans, broccoli, onions, brussels sprouts, peppers, mushrooms, etc.), mix them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and spices of my choosing.  Then I stick them in a 450° oven for 15-20 minutes.  Absolutely amazing every time!

The trays of vegetables are in the background.  The vat of olive oil and the pound and a half of bacon were for another portion of the deliciously fatty meal I was cooking ;-)

-7-

I found this down in the basement the other day.  Just in case I wasn't sure who it was that transferred most of the cat's food to the water dish, the culprit helpfully left some evidence at the scene of the crime...

Quick Takes is hosted at Conversion Diary

Big Messes at the Museum

Disclaimer: 

If you don't like hearing stories about dealing with bodily functions (i.e. being a parent), then this one isn't for you!

We have friends visiting from out-of-town, so yesterday, Tom took the day off work and we all went to the museum - five adults and seven kids under age four. 

Linus and I managed to sneak off on our own for a bit to look at a new exhibit I wanted to see in the art museum while the older two stayed with Tom and our friends in the natural history portion.  By the time I caught up with them, Stella was already done.  She was screaming her head off, and not willing to do anything.  Tom and I decided to split off from the group for a bit and take the kids to the children's area where there are fun things they're allowed to touch and hold, hoping she would calm down.

Soon after sitting down in there, Linus got to work making an enormous diaper, and soon began crying himself.  Because I hate carrying diaper bags around, I usually bring only the bare necessities: one diaper apiece and a small pack of wipes.  I could tell Linus was ready for his one allotted diaper, and maybe Stella was too, so I started looking around for a good place to change them.  Normally, I would just find a handy bench or corner and change the baby there, but the docents at the museum have eagle-eyes and do not let you pull stuff like that.  Plus, it was going to be a stinky one, and I knew I might need access to a sink.

I asked the docent in the children's room where the nearest bathroom was, and he told me to go down the hall and down the stairs....hmm, that wasn't going to work out well with the stroller.  Stella had started screaming again, and by this point, we had literally cleared out the room.  The only person left was the young male docent, awkwardly eying the family with the two screaming children, unsure what he could do to help.

I took Linus out of the Ergo carrier - which I left hanging off my waist - so I could bounce him around more effectively and try to calm him down.  Between his cries and my huge exaggerated bounces, I was attempting to explain to Tom - who couldn't understand me well because he was holding the screaming toddler - that we needed to go find a bathroom and get the kids' diapers changed.

And then: the explosion happened.  Linus finished up that diaper he'd been working on in one tremendous blowout.  Baby poop was all over the place.  It was covering my hands, my shirt, and absolutely dripping down the inside of the Ergo.  It probably got on the floor too.  I don't even know.  I just said, "We have to go NOW!" and took off, catching just a glimpse of the docent's shocked and fearful gape.

We all hurried to the elevator, but it wasn't arriving fast enough.  "I'll take the stairs with Linus!" I said.  "Meet me outside the bathroom!" I followed the signs for the bathroom as I ran down the stairs - they took me down several floors.  When I finally got inside, there wasn't even a baby-changing station.  But at least there was a little table I could work on.  Women and their daughters kept coming in and out, and it was making me more flustered.  As they squeezed around me standing there at the table, they all took a peek to see the disgusting mess I was working with.

Linus had to be totally stripped down.  His onesie and diaper went into a plastic bag I'd brought, and I cleaned him up with some the rest of the pack of wipes and put his one clean diaper on.  I didn't have a spare outfit for him.  Sorry, baby.  I was anxious to start scrubbing down my shirt and the Ergo, but I was afraid to leave Linus alone on the little table since there was nothing to strap him down with.  And now when I could have used them as baby-holders, there were no other women coming into the bathroom.  I couldn't put him on the floor since it was gross and wet and, you know, he was basically naked.

"Where the heck is Tom?" I wondered.  I was standing there covered in poo, holding Linus on the table, waiting to hear Tom's voice in the hall.  I pulled out my phone (carefully, since it was in the front pocket of the very soiled Ergo), and tried to call him.  No reception in the bathroom.  Sigh.  I unclipped the Ergo from my waist, threw it into a sink, picked up Linus, and went into the hallway, hoping no one would recognize what the yellow stuff all over my shirt was.

I tried calling Tom again.  He answered. Through the poor reception, echoing marble halls on my end, and shrieking toddler on his end, we attempted a conversation that went more or less like this, "WHERE ARE YOU?!"  "WHERE ARE YOU?!"  "I'M OUTSIDE THE BATHROOM, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!" "I'M OUTSIDE THE BATHROOM, I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR YOU!"

Tom had found a different bathroom somewhere - a "family restroom" which I really wish I had found in the first place, since his presence would have greatly simplified cleanup - and was waiting for me outside of it.  I explained where I was so he could come help.  He showed up a few minutes later with the older kids - Stella still screaming in his arms - and took Linus in his other, so I could go back in and unsuccessfully attempt to get the yellow stains off everything.

To make the day just a little more gross, a short while later, I noticed a suspicious-looking brown stain on the shoulder of Tom's shirt where Stella had been sitting - in a dress - a little earlier.   She got her own diaper change shortly after.

Crazy people that we are, we ended up staying at the museum another couple hours.  We put some food into Stella which calmed her down considerably (Tom claims she gets her "hanger" = hungry+angry from me).  Poor Linus was put back, naked except for a diaper, into a damp but dry-paper-towel-lined Ergo to be carried around for the rest of the afternoon.

Heh, it worked out.


***

In the same vein....last night while we were praying the Rosary, Stella went over and grabbed the seat off her potty (no, she's not anywhere near being potty trained!  Mommy was overly-optimistic about being able to reduce the number of diapers she changes each day) and placed it on Tom's head like a hat.  Everyone else stayed focused and prayerful, but mature person that I am, I snickered about it for a good while.

A Little Jane Austen Fan

I wrote once before about a cute little book Stella's godparents gave to her: 

Pride & Prejudice: A BabyLit Counting Primer

I don't think I've actually read the book to Stella yet, but recently, I keep finding it in her bed in the morning or after naptime, so I can tell she's become interested in it.

Last night, while I was putting her to bed, she noticed the opened book lying on the floor.  She pointed to it yelling "guy! guy!" until I handed it to her.  She then proceeded to kiss the page, and I'm *pretty* certain she was kissing Mr. Darcy.

What can I say?  She has good taste in literary men :-D


***

FYI: I'm not in labor yet.  I'm trying not to be too disappointed.

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 36)

 -1-

It just hit me this week that I'm going to have a baby in a MONTH.  It's not like there's much to get ready....I pretty much know what I'm doing by now, and we already have all the "baby stuff" - it's just a matter of dragging it all up from the basement (a job for my husband, and not me).  But I'm not sure that I've really mentally prepared for it.

-2-

Tom is scheduled to go on a business trip less than two weeks before my due date (!).  It's something he *could* get out of, but it's potentially useful for his career that he go.  We've been discussing the pros and cons.  My other two kids were born a little early - seven days and five days, respectively.  Still, the chances of this baby being farther ahead of schedule seem rather slim....

On the other hand, if I did go into labor while Tom was gone, it would be a pretty big deal.  To be honest, I don't think I'd mind too much about my husband missing the birth (at least I'll still have my doula with me!).  It's that I would have to deal with all the arrangements completely by myself - having contractions at home (hopefully at home, and not out somewhere!) while making frantic phone calls, trying to find someone willing to pick up and entertain my kids for the day (or night?) as well as a ride to the hospital for myself.  Usually, Tom handles all that stuff, because while I'm in labor, I'm just not in the right state of mind to deal with all that crap.

We still haven't made the final decision about what he's going to do....but I think we're leaning towards him going.  Yikes!

-3-

Earlier this week, I watched Milo and Otis for the first time since I was really young.  Oh. my. goodness.  First of all, I felt like the whole premise of the film was: "let's have Milo and Otis encounter any and every type of creature we can get ahold of - whether or not it makes sense for that species to appear in this particular landscape - and just see what they do with each other."  Did you know that lobsters and crabs live on farms?  Neither did I.  It really strained credibility to see the combinations of animals that supposedly lived together in this imaginary country.

But mostly, I was seriously disturbed the entire time by all the risky situations they put those poor animals into.  Was it really necessary to send the cat down a waterfall in a wooden box, or have the dog fight with a bear?  There is NO WAY some animals weren't killed or seriously injured during the filming.  I checked Wikipedia, and it seems that many others have had the same concerns...

-4-

It seems like all the cool bloggers are going to the Edel Gathering this summer.  It sounds like a really great event, but unfortunately, I won't be there.  Not only would it be difficult to swing financially, but....having to bring a four-month old baby would just make it a lot less enjoyable, I have to be honest!  I'll try not to feel jealous of the opportunity to meet so many interesting Catholic ladies.

-5-

I've been starting to think about Lent (which starts March 5th this year!), how I should observe it, and what to give up.  I'm afraid the whole season will get rather overshadowed by all the stressful (but exciting) things we have going on these next two months: signing on the house, fixing up some stuff in the house prior to move-in, giving birth, planning a baptism, moving day... (ideally in this order, but the "having a baby" part I don't really have any control over!).

-6-

I'm thinking I should definitely reduce my internet use during Lent, since it can get out-of-control at times.  And I don't even own a laptop, tablet, smartphone, or any of that stuff.  Very intentionally, we have only a desktop computer.  And that is temptation enough for me, believe me.  A practice I think would be good, yet challenging, is to not allow myself to use the internet except when the kids are in bed - for naps or the night.  So many times during the day, I pop into the room just to "check my e-mail", and it turns into twenty minutes of browsing Facebook or reading random articles people post about "23 things you'll only remember if you were born in the 80s" or something else stupid like that.  It's unnecessary, and it takes time away from my family.

Kendra has some great ideas for Lent that I will have to look over again.

-7-

Aaaaand, because I'm running out of ideas, I'll share a few recent quotes from my little man.

Listening to a song with the lyric, "there he knelt down on the floor."
Sly: "That song just said 'meltdown on the floor' - Stella does that!!"

Sly, to Tom, as soon as he walked in the door after work: "Mommy said I can't have a snack because I lied. What's up with that?!"

Sly and I were waiting forever for Stella to climb up the stairs.
Me: "What's taking her so long?"
Sly: "Probably gravity."

Quick Takes is hosted at Conversion Diary

In Praise of a Sense of Smell

Most of us have imagined at some time or another how much harder life would be if we lost the ability to see or to hear.  But I have to say that I've never really sat and wondered about how different things would be without a sense of smell.  Sure, I knew it was a nice sense to have, but I didn't realize how much I rely on it....until the past few days.  My sinuses are still so stuffed that I have had close to zero ability to smell for almost three days now.  Blowing my nose doesn't help most of the time, as the obstruction seems to be way up high.  And my pregnancy really limits the medications allowed to me, so I've just been waiting it out.

Here are a couple things I've discovered about the importance of a sense of smell:

1. If someone invented a pill that completely removed your ability to smell, it could be the ultimate diet pill. 
I can't taste anything.  Not a thing.  And food has basically zero appeal to me because of it.  I haven't found myself snacking or eating any junk food, because there's just no pleasure in it if I can't taste it.  I told Tom a bit over-dramatically the other night that "I didn't even care about dinner, since I wouldn't be able to taste it anyways," which prompted him to offer to make it instead.

Whoever taught us back in elementary school that you have all these taste buds on your tongue that can register "sweet, salty, bitter, and...whatever the other one was [sour??]" must have lied.  Or else you still need those flavors to pass through receptors in your nasal passages in order to actually "taste" them, in which case...does a separate sense of taste really even exist?  Yep - such are the deep philosophical questions in my head these days.

Last night, I found myself craving a hot fudge sundae so bad.  I thought at first it was the pregnancy talking, but then I realized - it was because my brain had actually come up with a food that I would be able to get some sort of sensory pleasure out of.  The contrast between the hot and cold temperatures would at least make for an enjoyable eating experience, even without the ability to taste any of it.

I felt fairly uncivilized doing it, but during dinner tonight, I gave my nose one good hard blow right before I took each bite, because it allowed me a fleeting half-second of being able to kind of taste my food.  I had a box of tissues sitting by my plate.  I've sunk pretty low.

2. Moms use their noses for their mom duties all the time.  
The other morning, Sly insisted that he had soaked the bed during the night.  But everything felt dry, and I didn't smell anything, so I left the sheets on his bed and just folded up his pajamas to be reused.  At the end of the day, I dressed Sly back in the same PJs, and sent him over to Daddy to read his bedtime story.  Sly jumped onto Tom's nap, and Tom immediately got a disgusted expression, and said, "ugh! What the heck?  Christine - are these pajamas clean?!" (Allow me to pause, because I'm laughing pretty hard remembering this).  Nope!  Apparently, Sly had been right.  And his whole bed needed to be stripped down and changed, too.

I usually use the sniff-test for random articles of clothing or towels I find strewn on the floor, to determine if they are clean, "clean enough", or dirty.  Without the ability to do this, things have been just ending up in whichever pile my current whim decides to throw them....so far, I haven't had any complaints.  But we'll see. 

The sniff-test is also my main way of knowing when a diaper needs to be changed.  Since I haven't smelled any diaper odors recently, I find that I haven't even been thinking about changing them, so have left several diapers on a bit too long.  Oops.  Tom's the one who keeps "discovering" the offensive diapers now.  I think part of him isn't fully convinced that I actually can't smell them :-)



So don't underestimate the power of your nose, people! I'm really looking forward to having a working one again, so I can get back to enjoying my meals and my coffee, and protecting my family from the various odors that really should be dealt with in a timely manner!

7 Quick Takes (Vol. 33)

-1-

A blog-friend recently shared a link to a great post over at a blog for my mom about "Mom Style."

I can totally get behind everything Rosie says in this post.  I've long believed that moms can be comfortable and practical while wearing clothes that are classier than sweatpants/yoga pants and a t-shirt.  I love that she includes a number of photos to show you what she's talking about. 

A few passages that really resonated with me:

"Take stock of how your bones have moved - if it's just fat stores that are preventing certain clothing items from fitting and you can't bear to part from them, stick them in the back of the closet and try them on again in a few months.  But if your ribcage has expanded as much as mine has, you're going to have to face it:

There are some dresses you have that will never zip again.  And you don't need to keep them."

So unfortunate, but so true!  Last year, I finally accepted that most of my zipper-back dresses would just never be able to fit again, and finally gave them away.  Now, I look for dresses made of stretchy fabrics without zippers that I know will fit me.

"Does it work for early pregnancy AND the post-partum stage?  Can you wear it all the way through a pregnancy?  Or will it only fit for those 6 weeks when I've lost all the pregnancy weight but haven't gotten pregnant again?"

This is another truth I've only recently learned.  I've been in transitional stages myself for almost the past four years (pregnant, post-partum before losing the baby belly, nursing, very brief window of "normal belly and not nursing").  It's just not practical to have three or four separate wardrobes to work for me during all these stages, and I still hope to have more babies down the road. 

Everything new I've purchased (well, "new to me" since I almost only buy used clothes these days) has been with these questions in mind: Will it still work for early pregnancy, before I need maternity clothes?  Will it fit post-partum when I still have a belly?  Is it loose and unfussy enough for discreet nursing?  There are a lot of tops that can meet all these criteria - mostly of the "flowy" or slightly looser variety [I hate layering, so look for a one-garment solution rather than having to combine and dirty several items in order to acheive practicality and modesty].  I tend to like the peasant top look, and these can work well for a lot of stages. 

 -2-

A friend recently had a sweet baby boy.  We went to visit them a few days ago, and he was just so tiny and new.  Suddenly, I'm so aware of how huge Stella has gotten.  She's barely a baby anymore!  I'm glad I have another on the way already, because I would be feeling major baby fever right now.

big girl!

I've been making a conscious effort to pay more attention to her recently (aww, my poor second child).  Sly tends to hog the spotlight with his bombastic personality and his ability to have real conversations.  I realized that at the same age, we were doing a lot more "stuff" with Sly that we just haven't really been doing with Stella...such as reading  *baby appropriate* books, or having conversations with her even though she'll just respond with smiles and noises.  I've noticed that she is much happier now and also learning things more quickly.  Oh man, I sound like a terrible mom!

-3-

Tom has a potential job opportunity that is going to require some major deliberation.
Immediate pros: He'd be working for a good Catholic employer at a "company" which promotes the Faith, and it pays significantly better than his current position. 
Immediate cons: Tom would have an hour+ commute each way (!), we'd need to own two cars, and the hours - at least initially - are not as family friendly (he'd be home in the mornings, but gone the rest of the day, including dinnertime and kids' bedtime.  Also, the schedule is not M-F, but changes).

Many things to consider and pray about!

-4-

The kids and I were making necklaces with wooden beads, and I pointed out a teal bead and said, "this is Mommy's favorite color."  When Sly finished his necklace, he said he wanted to make one for me, which I thought was sweet.  I had to run upstairs for something, and when I came back, I saw this:

He used all teal beads for my necklace!  This probably seems like no big deal, but it is the first time he's ever done something thoughtful like this totally unprompted.  And simultaneously, it's probably the most "artistic" creation he's ever made on his own (since it has symmetry).  That boy is so far not gifted in the art department.  haha.  But we'll keep doing crafts!

-5-

As an example of Sly's typical 3-year-old inability to consider other people's likes and desires over his own, consider this conversation from earlier.

Me: "Sly, what should we get Daddy for his birthday?"
Sly: "A toy dinosaur.  And a puzzle.  And a toy guitar."

haha....I wonder who would benefit from those gifts?

-6-

And because I'm running out of ideas for these Quick Takes, more Sly quotes from the past week!

Sly: "I'm still hungry. What are we gonna do about that?"


I heard Stella start to cry, and Sly say to her: "It's ok, Stella. I was just being a gnome."
Me: "Sly...did you hurt her?"
Sly [matter-of-factly]: "Yeah. With my gnome teeth!"


I told Sly that he got his big head from Daddy. He walked over to Tom and said, "Daddy, thank you for sharing your big head with me."

-7-

My mom had a pair of maternity tights sent to me in the mail (yay!), and it came with two free "$20 credit" codes for Shutterfly - I think they made a mistake by putting in two....heck yeah!  Christmas presents for the grandparents....here I come!

Quick Takes are hosted at Conversion Diary

Kids Talking

My little Stella isn't quite 11 months old, but she's definitely started to talk.  I'm not sure if she's actually starting a lot earlier than Sly did (which, I hear, is common for girls), or if my ear is just better trained to discern "baby talk" now. 

There are a few words now which I am certain she is saying, since repetition and circumstance 

have made it clear: 

mama
dada
kitty ("k! eeee!")
hi/hey
water (wa-ga) - said when she wants a drink of it, or when she sees something like a fountain
night-night (nigh-nigh) - said in an amazingly sweet voice, with a flourishing hand wave, at bedtime

There are a few others that I suspect might be words, but I'm waiting to hear them a couple more times in the appropriate context until I'm sure.


****

Meanwhile, her big brother, almost 3 years old, is saying all sorts of rascally things.

Every few days, Sly pretends to be a different creature.  If anyone calls him Sly, or "big brother" or "little man" or any of the various things he gets referred to as, he becomes irritated and corrects them: "I'm a snake!" or "I'm an allosaurus!", etc.

We were checking out at a store...
Cashier: "I like your dinosaur shirt."
Sly: "It Tyrannosaurus Rex!"
Cashier: "Oh, that's nice."
Sly [affronted]: "He not nice!  He fierce!"

I found him one morning, pressing Stella into the floor and making her cry. 
Mommy: "What are you doing?!"
Sly [as if it was perfectly obvious]: "I'm saving her for later, to eat."
(I guess he was a dinosaur again that day?)
 
Sly has started to tell us sometimes - thinking it's a great joke - that he doesn't love us, or doesn't like us.
Tucking him into bed last week, he told me, "I love you.  I usually don't love you."

I've started to crack down on it.  A few days ago when he told me with a smile that he didn't like me, he got time out, and then had to apologize.  We have taught Sly, when he apologizes, to both address the person by name, and to state exactly what it is he's sorry for (example: "Sorry I hit you, Stella").  So when he apologized to me, it came out, "Sorry, Mommy.  I don't like you."

Sly loves to strum Tom's guitar.  He says he's "playing his album."  Sometimes Sky makes up random lyrics to accompany the guitar, and sometimes he sings Baa Baa Blacksheep.  My heart melts a little everytime he says the line, "Baa baa blacksheep, henny wenny wool..."

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 30)

 -1-

Stella finally started crawling a couple weeks ago.  Crawling babies are the most adorable!  But I forgot how much trouble they get into.  She's already begun making messes and getting into things she shouldn't (cabinets, bookshelves, trash cans).  We had to put up the baby gates again to block off stairs and the (often open) front door. I hate having to constantly step over them.  It's doubly frustrating, though, because they trap Sly in various rooms as well, and I'm always having to go lift him over.  [update: Tom installed one with a swinging gate at the top of the main stairs, and it's made things much nicer!]

I also forgot how babies have the impressive ability to find the tiniest (and often grossest) little things imaginable on the floor.  I'm constantly pulling wads of shed cat fur out of Stella's mouth.  And the other day, I found her chewing on a piece of Christmas tinsel in the living room.  I haven't seen any trace of tinsel since January!  How does she manage to find these things?

-2-

Recently I was reading through some entries from an online journal I used to keep.  Complaining about my anthropology class during my freshman year of college, I said: "I honestly feel like the smartest person in the class.  And the sad part is that this isn't just me being conceited...it's true.  I have no respect for anyone who majors in this ridiculously easy subject." [I know, I was kinda a jerk]  The funny thing is, at the same time I wrote this, I was becoming friends with this guy Tom, an anthropology major, and my future husband.  Haha!  We had a pretty good laugh over that.

-3-

I've mentioned several times that I'd like our family to start observing the Liturgical year better - celebrating many of the feasts and fasts of the Church.  I have been completely falling down on the job.  But at an antique store recently, I picked up a little gem that I'm hoping will inspire me to at least start planning a few more meals around the Church calendar:

I looked it up on Amazon, and it's actually been reprinted.  That's great, because it means more people will be able to find a copy.  I've only read bits and pieces so far, but I would recommend it!

-4-

I do almost all my stovetop cooking in cast-iron now.  It truly cooks the best.  One problem I've run into is that our cast iron frying pans do not have lids. In the past, when I needed one, I would borrow a lid from a pot.  But this never provided a tight enough seal for foods such as rice, which depend on steam to cook.  The other day, I came up with what I like to think is a pretty clever solution.  I used our sil-pats (silicone baking mats) to cover the pan.  They are designed for use in the oven, so the heat was definitely not a problem.  And they're so flexible that they bend to cover the pan perfectly!

An item which would probably work even better - and which I have had my eye on for a while [hint, hint, Tom!!] - is one of these silicone bowl covers.

-5-

I *finally finished* the cross-stitch I have been working on for my best friend's wedding....which happened a year ago now.   I was working on that thing for two and a half years.  If I was ever skeptical about the effectiveness of having young girls of the past create needlework samplers as a way to learn patience, dedication, industry....I no longer have any doubt that it worked!  Now I just need to frame it, which I am definitely going to do under glass, because if stain, dust, or moth ever go near this thing, I will cry.

Obviously, edited for privacy.  The pattern for the border comes from this book, and the center part I charted out myself.

-6-

Thanks to everyone who suggested some books for my Catholic Moms reading group last time!  At the suggestion of several people, we will soon be reading My Sisters the Saints.

-7-

I read an article the other day that discusses the problem of contraception, and how the Church should work to combat it.  It does such an excellent job of explaining why NFP - while sometimes acceptable - is not the answer.  Instead, it is the promotion of "heroic parenthood."  I've touched on some of these issues here and here, but this author lays it out so much better than I could.  Read it here: Heroic Parenthood
[note: this article is a pdf, so you might be prompted to download it in order to read it].

Quick Takes is hosted at Conversion Diary

"And Other Fun Songs For the Family"...?

We saw this at Goodwill last night.

Bad Bad Potty Mouth Language!

Well, we're obviously awesome parents, because our two-and-half year-old's new favorite catch-phrase is (usually said very loudly, and emphatically) "Frikkin' crap!".

Anyone who knows my husband might not be surprised by this.  I have been working very hard with Tom since Sly was born to get him to stop swearing in the presence the kids (I'd appreciate if he stopped swearing almost entirely, but that's another issue).  He's been pretty good about remembering, but now he tends to substitute the bad words for only-slightly-less-bad ones.  I'd have no problem if he used words like "gosh" or "darn", and would not care if my kids repeated them.  But "frick" or "a-hole" are just way too close to the original.  Now, I can't put all the blame on Tom.  I definitely catch myself saying things like "crap!" or "that sucks" when the kids are in earshot way too much.

Anyways, Tom and I tend to point out and correct each other's little slips.  And of course, Sly is taking in every little thing we say and do, so he has caught on to the fact that certain words are no-nos.  So last week when Tom was gently reprimanded by his mom for something or other that had come out of his mouth while the kids were around, Sly gleefully busted out with two other words he knew were off-limits: "FRIKKIN' CRAP!!"

We were all stunned (and highly amused, but trying really really hard not to crack up).  Since then, he has busted out in a chorus of "frikkin' crap!" on several other occasions, always with a huge mischievous smile.  He knows it's bad.

What the heck do we do about this?  Tell him not to say that?  Punish him?  Totally ignore it so as not to make those words seem forbidden and alluring (he already knows they are, though)?

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 27)

I just remembered 7 Quick Takes Friday, and I don't think I'll have the time to think up and write about seven things (it's close to midnight, and I gave up internet on Fridays!).  But I'll see how far I get...

 -1-

A fellow mom from my Catholic Moms Group invited people over to bake pretzels the other day.  We used a recipe from another mom in the group.  They were SO delicious.  I ate two pretzels there, then went home and immediately printed out the recipe to make another batch to accompany our (very disappointing homemade) minestone soup at dinner.  I ate four at dinner, and another one later as a snack....and two more as a snack this morning.  But hey! Pretzels are a traditional Lenten food...so I was actually being devout somehow...not just gluttonous as you might be thinking.

-2-

But seriously, make them.  They're delicious.  Don't skimp on the salt.

 -3-

 On Wednesday, I was pretty glued to EWTN, waiting to see if we would have a new Pope.  The time between the first sighting of white smoke and the presentation of Pope Francis was about an hour (thankfully, BOTH kids were napping at the time, so I was able to hang around waiting impatiently).  I didn't want to leave the room even for a second, so I had to find a way to feel productive while I sat and waited.  I pulled out the iron and finally got through most of the ironing pile. 

We have a Pope now, which is good.  I'm hearing such mixed reports on the man, and I've decided I just can't - and probably shouldn't - make any judgements.  But he needs all our prayers, so that will be my focus for now.

 -4-

Some toddler stuff...

Sly held up a thermometer the other day and said "That's for hurting your bum".  haha

Sly watches Sid the Science Kid on PBS some mornings (sort of an annoying show, if you ask me, but it's on at the perfect time of day for me to get certain things done, so I use the rely on the electronic babysitter...).  Anyways, he's been learning all these science-y vocabulary words and concepts.  He comes up and talks to me about things like "water systems" and "habitats".  I doubt he understands much about them, but...as a former biology teacher, and hopeful future homeschooling mother...I don't know how I feel about the fact that he learned all this from tv first.  Maybe I should just be glad he's learning it.

 -5-

We visited Tom's parents last weekend, and on the way home, passed through Lancaster, PA so we could go to Mass on the way.  I've never been there before.  Parts of it were ridiculously touristy.  This sign pretty much sums up the extreme exploitation of the Amish we saw in parts:

"Not just stuff...Amish stuff" 

But we drove through the actual town, and it seemed very nice and more geared towards residents.  I'd love to explore the whole area sometime.  There were many big old houses, and lots of rolling countryside.

-6-

 Do you love General Tso's/Orange chicken, but don't have the money to order take-out?  I mentioned this before, but it's pretty easy to make at home.  Cut up chicken into chunks (white or dark meat, as preferred), dip in beaten egg, dip in coating of your choice (I used a store-bought chicken breading mix, but you can do flour and bread crumbs) - double-dipping each piece will make it crispier -, then fry in a pan using the fat of your choice (I used corn oil).  Toss with an entire bottle of store-bought sauce.  Not at all healthy, but it's certainly delicious!

 -7-

  Because I'm running out of time, and can think of nothing else very interesting...let me just share a little tidbit with those of you who might not be familiar with the phenomenon of an unenclosed basement toilet (or "Pittsburgh potty" as I've heard them called).  I'm not sure if this is common outside Pittsburgh or not, but I've certainly seen (and used) my share of them around here.  They tend to be in older houses, and I have suspicions that in some cases, these may have once been the *only* toilets in the house.  Nowadays they usually serve as a backup in case of emergencies (the regular toilet is broken, someone's hogging the bathroom and you really gotta go...).

Some people hang a curtain in front of them, or build a little wooden surround kind of like a stall in a public bathroom.  At our house, whoever originally put in the toilet decided that privacy was for sissies.  It's right at the bottom of the basement stairs so you can be in full view of anyone looking down.  

 

I reached seven - alright!

Quick Takes is hosted at Conversion Diary

My Silly Little Man

 Just a collection of some sweet and funny little quotes from my two-and-a-half (!) year old.

*****

Sly's very into dinosaurs right now.  Until about a week ago, though, he had a lot of trouble keeping their names straight.  Some of my favorites:  tri-dinosaur-tops, tyranodinosaur, and broccolisaurus [this is supposed to be brachiosaurus, and he gets very adamant when we try to correct him].

I was talking to Sly about dinosaurs, and told him that they lived a really long time ago and all that's left now is their skeletons. He got this sad and confused look on his face, then said, "but there still T. Rexes. Lots of T. Rexes."

Looking at his pterodacytl cup "Flying dinosaurs in Sly's water.  Sly say, "HEY!  Get out!" 

I recently served some baby spinach at dinner.  Sly made it clear that he did not want to eat a single bite.  But then I told him that it was leaves like a stegosaurus would eat.  He kept calling it "dinosaur food!!" and happily ate several helpings.  The next night, we had peas and carrots with dinner.  He got a huge smile, and gasped - as if he couldn't believe his luck - "we having dinosaur food again!"  haha...I wonder how long I can keep this up.

This one isn't actually a Sly quote, but it's topical, and amusing.  Last night I came to bed, and found that Tom had fallen asleep with a book open in his hands.  It was a book of extinct animals, and he had it open to the "long-necked browsing dinosaurs" section!  haha.  Like father, like son, I guess.

Me: Do you want to learn to read?

Sly: Yeah!  Sly can sing at church.  [awww]

About a month ago, Tom read Sly The Velveteen Rabbit (yes, the whole thing!  That's a much longer story than I expected either of them to have the patience for).  Tom had never read it before, so was taken by surprise at how sad it was.  He got a little choked up while he was reading, and Sly noticed it.  Tom told Sly to "keep it between [them]".  But several times since, Sly has pulled the book triumphantly off the shelf, and waved it around saying, "Daddy cried!  Daddy cried!"

Yesterday: "Sly has a guardian angel!  (me: "yeah, that's right") Stella has a guardian angel!  (me: "that's right") The diaper bin has a guardian angel! (me: "ummm...")"

Sly thinks it's a great joke to call Stella "Stello".  He'll go to her and say, "hi, Stello!" and then crack himself up.

One morning, I was making up a little song, singing, "it's coffee time for Mommy, coffee time for Mommy, Mommy wants some coffee..." and Sly joined in, singing, "and Sly want whoopee pie!"

Overheard through the bedroom door during naptime: "This little piggy went market...this little piggy stay home...this little piggy had rist bee....this little piggy had...[really long pause].....Sly tryin' member.  Yeah."

Teenage Melodrama

Oh. my. gosh.  I was just going through a big box of old high school papers that my dad dumped on me (he's in the final stages of emptying out my old bedroom at home), and found the most terrible, yet hilarious "rough draft" for a letter that I am REALLY thankful never actually got sent. 

This was written in the second semester of my senior year of high school.  So there was this boy....Our families had been friends for years, but the two of us were never much more than awkward acquaintances.  But we'd come to be in the same wide circle of friends, and by the end of high school, were chatting online (AOL instant messenger!) sometimes.  It was one of those classic cases of someone (me) having an enormous crush on another person (him), and yet totally not realizing it or admitting it to herself. 

I read the letter aloud to Tom this evening, and he kept exclaiming, "Is this STILL going?!" Anyways, here it is in all its glory.

****
[Boy's name],

I'm going to speak to you now very openly and honestly.  And let me just preface this by saying that this will probably be one of the most embarrassing things I ever write, and I'll probably regret having done it.  I've always regretted that we weren't closer than we are.  Our dads are friends, but when we see each other, there's always something of an awkwardness there... [No, I'm not skipping over any parts here. I just used to like to trail off my sentences with ellipses]
And I see you being unhappy often, and just feel bad...you're a nice guy and you don't deserve to be feeling this way.  I wish I could help you somehow.
I think it could help if you just talked to me - if you opened up.  Is it too much to ask that we become friends?  I hope you don't feel uncomfortable by this offer....
And I hope that in the future, we can see each other in person, and talk to each other as friends...
We're both kind of shy people.
Previously, I thought that when we talked, you disliked me or something because you always act...uncomfortable, but I realize now that it's just because we really don't know each other well, and neither of us ever really know what to say or how to act - and that's understandable.  But the truth is, I'd like to change this.
I wish we were friends.  You're probably wondering why the sudden interest in becoming friends...well, I'm really not sure exactly.  I think partly it's because of the nearing end of the school year - and I'm beginning to regret that there are so many people who I never really got to know.  Also, now that we talk online, it provides a more convenient and less uncomfortable mode of getting to know each other.  I hope you are open to this idea.
I hope I'm not...intimidating you somehow by this proposal - because I often come on too strongly with people.  And if you don't want to speak about personal things with me, that's okay.  And if you really aren't interesting in hearing any of MY problems either, well I guess I'll just have to accept that.
I understand, believe me, that the existence of this letter will probably only make the relationship we have even more awkward, and I'm very sorry for that - but I was just unable to keep these thoughts to myself any longer.
The situation has really been bothering me recently, though I can't figure out why.  And I understand that in order to become true "friends" involves much more than just talking to each other about what's on our minds - it would involve emotional connection, feelings of caring and respect, and all those things.  The benefit one receives from having a friend is so much greater than the cost.
And I see the potential for us to have a lot more in common than we realize - which is why I think it best for us to get to know each other.
I apologize a million times over for any embarrassment or discomfort which this letter may give you.  Please believe that mine is many times worse.  Because in writing this, I am exposing myself without knowing whether or not you plan to reciprocate.
Please let me know (through e-mail, I think best) your thoughts on this.
It's perfectly understandable if you think the idea to be a worthy one, but still something best not rushed into.  I can only hope that you don't completely refuse the idea of us becoming friends, because it would only make the whole situation even more distressing.  Because I always over-exaggerate things, I'm sure to take this for a sign of your "intense dislike" for me.
 Why did I single you out though?  I don't know...I'm sorry - I'm just following what my will is telling me to do.  Why did I have to write such a long drawn-out letter?  Why couldn't I just say "Hey, [boy's name], let's be friends!"  I don't know, I don't know.  Ahhhh!  My brain's so mixed up right now.
Again, I am so sorry that I had to write you a note like this - why couldn't I allow us to just become closer on our own?  I don't know, I don't know!  I'm sorry, and I said, I really haven't been able to stop thinking about this.  Once my mind focuses on a concept I CAN'T let go of it.  So please try not to feel...pressured by me.  Any decision you make regarding this, I will try to respect. Just please provide me with justification...
(Note that the tone of this last sentence expresses my fear that the forwardness of my approach will inevitably force you away - please please don't let me do this).
Really, this letter is just a simple extension of my friendship.  I think I have a lot to offer.  My only question is: will you accept it?



****
It was obvious that I secretly wanted more than just friendship from this fellow.  I find it hilarious to think of how a teenage boy would have reacted  to such emotional and verbal vomit!

Isn't that just the worst letter ever?  Well, maybe not, folks.  There was, a few pages later in the same notebook, a PART II!!  hahaha.  But I won't torture you any further.

7 Quick Takes Friday (Vol. 23)

-1-

Sly's little shoes after St. Nicholas paid a visit the other night.

A candy cane, a toy cow, and a holy card showing St. Nicholas (since Sly seemed really confused when we remembered to tell him about the Saint, hastily, only two minutes before bed the night before!).  Enough to make my little two-year-old's day.

-2-

A lot of Catholic families I know do the St. Nicholas thing for December 6th, and also the Santa Claus thing on the 25th.  It doesn't really make sense that he comes twice.  And in traditional cultures, he wouldn't have.  I think we just have this weird situation because the origins of the "American Christmas" are so diverse, and  many ethnic traditions were just kinda stuck together.  I guess I can just explain to my kids that St. Nick comes for his own feast day, and then again later in the month to celebrate Christ's birth (which is more important, and thus...St. Nick makes a bigger deal about it too?).  That would make sense to kids, right?

-3-

Now that Sly's finally old enough to have simple conversations with and he can better understand things, it's getting so fun to hang out with him, teach him new things, and introduce him to new experiences.  Especially with Christmas coming, and all the traditions associated with it.  Growing up, I always hoped to have kids.  So there have been so many little ideas I've been storing up over the years, longing to do someday with my own children.  And now finally, we're starting to do some of those things, and I can't even explain how exciting and fulfilling it is.

-4-

 I'm so re-obsessed with Downton Abbey right now.  I had watched season one when it first came to DVD, and got hooked.  At the time, season two still hadn't aired in the US.  I missed the first few episodes when they were on, and I had starting in the middle of a season,  so I decided to wait until it came out on DVD.  Somewhere along the way, I got confused - let's just blame it on "Mommy brain", since I'm sure that's what it was - and came to believe that I had already seen season one AND two, and was just waiting for season three.  I recently realized my mistake, so I re-watched season one over the past couple weeks (it would have been quicker, but I had to go at Netflix one-dvd-at-a-time speed!), and now I am finally starting season two for the first time.  I watched the first two episodes last night, and it's so gripping.  I always love a good period drama or unrequited love story...and this has both.  I cannot wait until naptime today ;-)

-5-

I went to a cookie exchange yesterday.  I was grumbling about having to bake a time-consuming six dozen cookies, but the work paid off in the end.  The recipe ended up yielding double what it claimed.  So I stuck the other six dozen in the freezer, and now I won't have to bake again for the other cookie exchange I have later in the month!  Add that to my list of reasons why having a chest freezer is the best thing ever - at least in terms of making a housewife's life easier.

- 6-

Tomorrow is the big "room exchange" at our house.  Tom's uncle is arriving with a set of dining room furniture (given to us by another of his uncles) from Michigan.  We'll put it in our current living room, and convert the upstairs library (and I might as well accept that I will never again have the luxury of being able to devote an entire room of the house to books!) into the new living room.  Basically, we're just adding lots more stuff.  So it's going to be a challenge these next few weeks, trying to find other places around the house to jam bookcases, extra seating, etc.

-7-

A few days ago...
Sly: "Mommy clean ALL day" and a little later,"Sly poop all day"

haha...some days, this doesn't seem too far off from the truth :-)

Quick Takes is hosted at Conversion Diary

Improper Toddler Talk, Date Night, and Thoughts on Modest Dress

Tom and I both have a lot of trouble remembering that Sly is listening to everything we say, and is wont to repeat it.  We're good about not swearing or saying anything on that level, but our speech is still peppered with somewhat less-offensive words I just don't want to hear my toddler using.

Me: "That sucks"
Sly: "Sucks! sucks! hahahaha"
-Tom and I exchange looks-
Tom: "Christine! Look what you did!"
Me: "Oh crap!"
Sly: "Crap! crap!"

And today over lunch, Sly repeated a charming little phrase that he had heard Tom use: "secret butt hair".  Lol.  Don't even ask how we got on that topic...

Another word that Sly has picked up recently is "hate", which can be frustrating.  Now that he has a word for the concept, he's decided that he hates various things.  About a week ago, he began inexplicably to hate one of his winter hats, and anytime we try to put it on him, will yell, "Sly hate it!" and throw it to the ground.

*****

Tom and I went to the symphony last night, having been given tickets by a friend who couldn't go.  Actually, there was some sort of mix-up with that.  When they scanned our tickets at the door, they almost turned us away.  Apparently, this friend gave us his tickets, but then called the hall to exchange them for a different performance - so our tickets were null.  The admissions people felt bad for us, though, and let us in anyways.  Tom needs to call that guy up and give him a hard time.

We realized that it's the first time we've been out together with no kids since Stella was born (over three months now)!  So I suppose it was a date.  But my dad, who was watching them for us, tells me that Stella screamed non-stop for the last hour, and refused to take the bottle of milk which I so lovingly and painstakingly pumped for her...so it might be the last date we have for a little while.

"My plan worked - now Mommy has to stay with me all the time!"

The concert was nice - they played Tchaikovsky's Fourth Symphony and some other stuff (haha - am I offending any classical music lovers by calling it "stuff"?).  I certainly appreciate the value of classical music, and when I listen to it, I am aware of the tremendous genius of some of the composers, and the talent of the performers.  Yet in practice, I feel like I often treat it as not much more than "pleasant background music."  But I have seen this Symphony performed before and own a recording of it, so I was familiar with the music, which always makes it more enjoyable.

It was exciting to get to wear a dress for once, since I wouldn't have to worry about nursing Stella for the evening.  But I regret the decision I made.  Tom always asks why I never wear anything like the standard "little black dress" when we go out.  So, since it was also his birthday, I decided it was time to finally honor that wish of his.  I wore a dress that my mom gave me a while ago because it was too tight on her.  I never really checked it in a full length mirror, since we were in a rush to get ready - I just threw it on and asked Tom quickly if I looked okay, to which he gave a strong affirmative (ha!).  Anyways...once we got to the concert hall, I caught a look at myself in a mirror, and suddenly became very self-conscious.  The dress was just...not appropriate.  I'm not a huge modesty nazi or anything, but I do have a line, and I think that dress crossed it.  At intermission, we saw not one, but two couples from our church.  And I was too embarrassed to go over and talk to them :-(.  So yeah...it's time to remove that dress from the closet.

When I pick clothes, "modesty" is not a quality I necessarily look for.  This is because I have such a hard time pinpointing or defining what that really means.  Not that it's a bad virtue to strive for, by any means.  It's just difficult for me to say definitively that this garment "is" or "is not" modest.  There are so many factors involved, and I don't think modesty can be your only consideration in dressing.  If I had to give names to they the qualities I chose in my clothes, I would say I look for items that are reasonably "classy" and "feminine",as well as having a color/shape/style which appeals to me personally.  And if clothes are truly classy and feminine, I think they're de facto fairly modest.  After years of dressing this way, it's helped me develop more of an instinct about what is or is not appropriate for me.  If I can say "I don't feel classy" or "I don't feel feminine" in a particular outfit, then I will not be comfortable, and it's probably also not very modest (or else it's a drab, shapeless, grungy outfit of some sort, which I should also be embarrassed to wear in public!)