Happy All Saints Day!

Liv wanted to be Immaculate Mary for All Saints Day. She was so cute. She told me that she needed to have a rosary in order to make the constume complete. Father had her lead a Hail Mary and she did great!

Ten Commandments of a Wife and Mother

The Ten Commandments of a Wife and Mother:

“When one finds a worthy wife, her value is far beyond pearls.
Her husband, entrusting his heart to her, has an unfailing prize.
She brings him good and not evil, all the days of her life.”
- Proverbs 31:10-12

Check it out here.

I luv Seinfelds Bride

First let me give credit where credit is due. Seinfelds wife has does wonders in my life. I now am almost a pro at putting various healthy veggies in almost anything I can. Don't get me wrong, we still eat regular veggies during dinner, sometimes as a snack... But now... now I am in control of veggie consumption and NO whining! I have purchased 'Deceptively Delicious' and have been using it for awhile. But this my friends, takes the veggie cake.

Spinach and eggs. 'Halloween Eggs'. Frankenstein eggs. And it worked. Oh how it worked!

Halloween? A msg from Fr. Corapi

This was sent by a friend of my to read. We trick-or-treat but always attend an All Saints Day Party to celebrate the true holiday. What do you do to bring to light the the beauty of All Saints Day?

The Battle Between Good and Evil: an Update from Fr. Corapi

As Halloween approaches, we are surrounded by themes of the occult, ghosts, demons, curses, and hauntings. Demonic and occult themes permeate the media at this time of year. Most of this material is pure fiction, yet the part that is not fiction is an acknowledgment that angels and demons exist. One cannot understand reality if one brackets out a large portion of reality -the pretenders order (angels and demons). If you try to arrive at valid conclusions concerning reality, but have left out a good part of that reality you are engaged in an exercise in futility. So many things today can only be understood in the light of this spiritual reality. Have you ever wondered why so many apparently educated and intelligent people just don't get it, especially with respect to such life and death matters as abortion?There is a battle that goes on in the spiritual order between the forces of God and the forces of Satan, "the adversary." This battle between cosmic good and evil, between angels and demons, has man caught in the cross hairs. Man is an active player in his own salvation. We need the help of our allies the angels. To fail to enlist their help is reckless. To fail to realize the reality of the enemy forces, the demonic legions, can be ultimately and eternally fatal. We are at war and our battle is not against flesh and blood, as St. Paul warns us in Ephesians 6. The battle between good and evil, truth and lies, life and death involves these angelic legions - good and evil. We are soldiers in God's army, like it or not, believe it or not.We must be aware of these fundamental teachings, learn them, and live in accordance with them.

Mother Teresa and Grace

I should- No, I could!

Tuesday Tid-bit:

I have eliminated the word 'should' from my vocabulary. I had this ridiculously long list of 'shoulds'. For example:

I should go workout.
I should do more laundry.
I should be more patient.
I should be more loving.
I should pray more.

This is only a minute portion of the 'should list' but watch what happens when I take the 'shoulds' and make them 'coulds':

I could go workout.
I could do more laundry.
I could be more patient.
I could be more loving.
I could pray more.

It feels like I have taken off 99% of the pressure by changing one little word. 'Coulds' allow me to rely on the Lord for the grace to be more loving or patient, to get that laundry done or make it to the gym. 'Shoulds' make me feel as though I have failed. When I use the word 'could' it becomes empowering. Through the grace of our Father I can get things done.

Try it.... change your 'shoulds' to 'coulds'!

Free pregnancy tests!

In light of the pro-life theme I thought I would post about a really amazing offer. Sacred Heart Mission, a non for profit organization, is offering readers 10 pregnancy tests, ovulation tests or a combination of both for free! Check it out here.

Thank you Thrifty andChic Mom!

The 13th Day- Story of Fatima DVD

I came across this information about Ignatius Press releasing the movie 'The 13th Day'. This is a movie about the story of Fatima.

At that time Jesus said in reply, 'I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.' – Gospel of Matthew 11:25

Based on the memoirs of Sister Maria Lucia de Jesus dos Santos, and thousands of independent eyewitness accounts, The 13th Day is a dramatic retelling of the experiences of three shepherd children between May and October 1917.

The 13th Day, the first major motion picture by directors Ian and Dominic Higgins, opens with Sister Maria Lucia de Jesus dos Santos recalling the events that transpired between May 13, 1917 and October 13, 1917 in the Cova da Iria (Cove of Irene) region of Fatima, Portugal. The date is 1937 and Sister Lucia, at the Convent of Ponteverde, has been asked by her superiors to write down the events that she said "changed her life forever." cont here

You can order the DVD here.

Did you know?

Did you know?

Ezekiel 4:9 contains a recipe for bread? And in that recipe is all the essential amino acids required for health as well as a major amount of protein. How amazing that God knew ahead of time to create a food so pure and healthy.....

Did you know:

In the Bible it is recommended for an infant child to be circumcised on the eighth day of his life. Later it was discovered that the eighth day of an infants life is when they have highest immunity.

God is so good!

Feast Day of St. Therese and Novena

October 15th marks the Feast Day of St. Thérèse of Lisieux (1873–1897) also known as the Little Flower. Here is a link to EWTN's novena. If you begin tomorrow (Wednesday) it will end on the 15th.

What is a novena?

Taken from www.catholicanswers.com

A novena is simply the pious practice of praying for a particular intention nine times. It is usually done with one prayer over a nine-day period but can be done by praying the same prayer nine times in a row. Any formal, informal, or spontaneous prayer done in a set of nine times constitutes a novena. You may use a formal novena that is approved for devotional use or you may put together your own set of prayers for your private use. The only requirement is that the prayers not be said with the intention to manipulate an answer from God. Whatever they are—if they are said faithfully and with trust in God that he will answer your prayer in the manner he wills to do so—they are fine.

Happy Feast of St. Francis

Happy Feast of St. Francis!
I did not have the opportunity to celebrate today so I think that I will pretend the feast day is tomorrow! The kiddos will never know!

This weekend has been very challenging as my three year old is sick. And it's not the 'down and out' sick, it's the 'constant whining sick'. And it is wearing this mom down.... My dh is back on nights which always ends up being fun.... He gets home around 5am and sleeps until noon. Gets up for about an hour and goes back to sleep until he goes back to work at 5pm. Too much complaining? Okay, no more complaining. :-)

The funny thing is, sickness can really cause a family to slow down. Typically on Monday's we have a very busy morning schedule. Swim lessons, play group, etc. But tomorrow we are going to stay home. And you know, I am kind of excited about that. There will be no where we will 'have' to be and nothing we have to do. We can do a little school, some art and maybe just go for a walk. Sometimes I feel like we are just moving at such a fast pace. It's nice every once and awhile to just get off the train and breathe.

So my prayer for tonight is that I have the patience to parent my three year old, the peace to enjoy a quiet day, and the motivation to get the normal household chores accomplished.

More prayers

I have a friend from back home who lost her baby today. Her due date was tomorrow and she was going into labor when she lost the baby. She is young and I am asking your prayers as she deals with the loss of her much desired child. Her name is Monica.

Also, there is a rosary request for tonight at 9p for my friend Bob who had the stroke. Please join in with a rosary or your own prayer at this time for his recovery and his family.
www.prayfortheb.com

Thank you all for your spiritual support!

Tiber River Catholic Reviews

I recently started providing book, CD, and DVD reviews for a website called Tiber River Catholic Reviews.

Tiber River is dedicated to providing authentically Catholic information and opinions about Catholicmedia (books, movies, cds). And the reviews are done by the lay people. It is a great site to check out that latest book you are thinking about reading and see if it really is something you want to read! Check out the orthodoxy of that latest kids DVD or CD. Bookmark this site for a quick way to access reviews on Catholic products.

Mission from website: Tiber River is dedicated to providing authentically Catholic information and opinions about different areas of Catholic culture and to promote liturgical education throughout the Catholic world. The support of family values through our work will help to rebuild a truly Catholic culture that can be the salt of the earth and a light on the hill.

Vanish

I recently read a fascinating book called 'Vanish' by Tom Pawlik.





It is a Christian thriller... I use to read a lot of Dean Koontz (SCARY) and never felt peaceful after reading them. I would feel anxious and actually a little afraid. But Pawlik's 'Vanish' is different.

This book really makes you look at good versus evil. People in society try to mute the horror of hell. If we can ignore the truth of hell then we do not have to worry about our actions because they have no long term consequences. When an author decides to tell a story based on the Truth I love it. Check this book out for an action packed and thought provoking read.


From Amazon:

Three strangers each encounter the same mysterious storm and awake the next day to find that everyone else has vanished. There's Conner Hayden, a successful but unscrupulous trial lawyer who has forsaken his family for his career; Helen Krause, a middle-aged model struggling to come to grips with her fading beauty; and Mitch Kent, an enterprising young mechanic unable to escape a past that still haunts him. Afraid and desperate for answers, their paths eventually cross and they discover they are being watched. Elusive and obscured in shadows, the "observers" are apparently forcing them to relive vivid hallucinations of events from their past. They discover a mute homeless boy in tattered clothing and believe he may hold the key to the mystery, but the "observers" soon become aggressive and the four are forced to flee. When the boy disappears, the four decide to head from Chicago to Washington, D.C., in search of answers…and more survivors. Winner of the 2006 operation first novel contest, Vanish is a nonstop suspense thriller in the vein of Ted Dekker.