DIY: Fall Treats

Last Friday kicked off a week of events where someone in our family was required to attend some function and was also required to bring some sort of food item to the function. Since most of the events had to do with Halloween coming up, I felt the need to get crafty and creative. I chose a pumpkin theme because Noah's new favorite word is, "bumbkin." It's pretty cute when he says it and is way better than the "baba" he used to use to describe them. Anyways, here's a few of the things I've whipped up. They are beyond easy.

1. Pumpkin Cupcakes

These bad boys were already featured on my last 7 Quick Takes, but I had to post them again. You can use any kind of cake mix you want. (I may have even cheated and used the boxed kind. Seriously, I have 0 time for making cakes from scratch. I'd rather nap. lol) Then, you use food coloring to dye all the icings the correct colors. The face is made completely out of triangles, which are so easy to make with the right icing tip. Simple, simple, simple. And they tasted delicious. People at my dad's fundraiser really enjoyed this dessert option.

2. Pumpkin Cups filled with Goldfish

Matthew was assigned the snack in preschool for today, and since it was so close to Halloween, we decided to stick with that theme for our snacks. I bought 5 ounce Dixie Cups, and Matthew helped me paint them orange. (It was a great afternoon project.) Once they dried, I drew on pumpkin faces (with a Sharpie), again using all triangles. I mean, I have no artistic ability whatsoever and making these faces was super easy. Then, we filled the cups with Goldfish crackers (you can use any snack you want), covered them in Saran Wrap, and tied them off with green ribbon to look like stems. Again, so very easy. The treats apparently brought lots of smiles to his preschool class, and we had a great time making them.

3. Pumpkin Huggies

Matthew and Noah attend the same Toddlerobics Class on Wednesday mornings. Tomorrow, all of the kids are wearing their costumes, and there will be a mini trick or treat session. Matthew picked out the Huggies, and to make them more exciting and seasonal, we drew on pumpkin faces (again with a Sharpie) and then glued on green, paper stems. It literally took all of 20 minutes. We think they are really cute, and I think his classmates will enjoy receiving them tomorrow.

Well, those are my three DIY's for the Fall/Halloween season. I always look for very easy, kid friendly ideas. Or if I find an idea that's not kid friendly, I try to make it that way or find some part of it that Matthew can participate in. He enjoys helping, and it makes the the time we have just he and I before his nap much more enjoyable as well. Happy crafting! :)

7 Quick Takes

The blog has been pretty quiet recently. I've found lots of things I'd love to write about, but I just haven't had time. Since we returned from our anniversary getaway, life has been crazy. And next week looks even crazier. So I had to take a break from all the craziness today and share my seven quick takes. I apologize in advance for the photo bombing that's about to begin.

1. Matthew has outgrown his toddler bed, and Noah has almost outgrown his crib. So we had some major decisions to make about the bed situation. We plan on moving in the spring and buying a house (God willing), but until then, we will need to set them up in this house for sleeping. After a lot of research and discussion, we decided to go with bunk beds. This means that Noah will completely skip the toddler bed phase, and I am okay with this. We found a black wooden bunk bed frame from IKEA, and we will add a bed rail to the bottom bunk to keep Noah safe. I had so much fun ordering the kids bedding this week, and I have been picking up wall decorations when I see them to redecorate their new room. Goodbye, Elmo and Pooh. Hello, Steelers! :) It is going to be great. :)

 

2. Matthew's first preschool pictures came in this week, and they are adorable! I love the group picture the most. The picture is adorable and so funny. I love how Mary is behind them all. It's awesome.

3. I am obsessed with Sara Evans' new video, Slow Me Down. She is by far my all time favorite singer. I have met her twice and seen her in concert numerous times. She is one of my idols, and it has been three years since she put out new music! That's too long. Take a second to check it out. You will be happy you did. :)

Me and Sara Evans in August of 2004....wow I'm old!

4. I made some time this week to bake for my dad's company's Cash Bash fundraiser tonight. They do a dinner buffet and dessert table and are always looking for donations for the dessert table. Since I love to bake and inherited my grandma Kay's baking skills, I always volunteer. This time around, I came up with the cupcakes below. Seriously, they were soooooo easy to make. And they're cute. 

5. Brian gave me the sweetest, most romantic anniversary card ever last week. Most of it will remain private, but I just had to share the fact that inside the card he taped two tickets to a football game we had attended 6 days into our relationship. Later that day, we prayed together for the first time and later that night, we said I love you for the first time. It is a day I will never forget....and apparently Brian didn't either. I didn't even know he still had the tickets. It really made my anniversary. 

6. Matthew gave one of his closest friends a birthday gift this week. He loved the entire process of gift giving. He had such a blast picking out the present, wrapping it, decorating the card, and then finally presenting the gift. It was so cute to see how much joy he had in the whole process. At the end, he totally attacked his friend with a hug. He's a little more of a hug person than she is apparently, but it was still cute. If only arranged marriages were still the in thing....

7. This picture pretty much sums it all up. This is my goal at the end of the day. I fail almost daily and sometimes hourly at doing this, but I am trying. And I saw this graphic on facebook a few days ago and just really liked it. I think we will be using it in our talk on NFP. It says it better than I ever could.

Have a fantastic last weekend of October! Time is truly flying by! :)

Our Anniversary Getaway

This past Friday, Brian and I left town around 1pm and headed up the Wine Trails just north and East of Erie in North East, PA. We didn't return until around 2pm on Sunday, and we had the most incredible time together. It was so peaceful and romantic and just the perfect way to celebrate five years of marriage. It is so easy in our crazy, hectic weeks to go days without really having a full conversation. Our lives are filled with quick kisses and a "make sure you do ____ for the kids," in between jobs and activities. It was a great delight to have 48 consecutive hours together alone. We spent a good deal of money to make this weekend happen, and we would do it again in a heartbeat. (We may already be discussing ideas for our ten year anniversary.) We know that weekends like the one we just experienced are rare, but also so important. And we know they will be easier to make happen once the kids get older. For now, we are holding tight to our great memories from the past weekend. Here are some pictures from our awesome weekend. :)

I started off the weekend early by sending Brian a balloon bouquet at work the Thursday before our anniversary. Note to every female coworker he has: He is totally taken. ;) lol

The cute computer background I found waiting for me when I got home from work on Thursday night. :)

The gorgeous, long stem roses Brian had waiting for me in our suite at the B&B. I love pink roses!

All dressed up for a fancy dinner in my new, smaller dress from White House Black Market. Thanks, Christi, for helping me get into shape!

After dinner selfie on the night of our anniversary. Filet Mignon is delicious!

Our king sized bedroom with a built in fireplace. :)

Whirlpool bathtub. :) We had a sitting room, too, but I forgot to photograph that.

Wine sippy cups do exist. :)

Best selfie of the whole trip. Wine tasting is fun. :)

Our haul from the wineries. (We also bought two additional bottles as gifts.) I think we visited about a dozen wineries total.

All of the cards and gifts from our fifth anniversary. We are very blessed.

We both agreed that we really do love being married. Our favorite part? The fact that we can dress it up like we did for our anniversary dinner but then run home and get in our sweats faster than you can count to ten so we can be "comfy." We also both enjoy the fact that we love sports and just enjoy sitting back and watching college football on Saturdays when the kids are napping. And the biggest thing we love? The fact that we share our Catholic faith. That's pretty darn cool.

I Could Never Love You Enough

Five years ago today, I married my best friend and the love of my life. So much has happened in those past five years, and we have lived every part of our vows. We brought two beautiful sons into the world, and said goodbye to one beautiful daughter. We've laughed and cried and seen the best and the worst in each other. Through it all, I wouldn't want to have anyone else by side besides Brian. He is kind, patient, understanding, caring, loving, compassionate, faithful, and the list could go on and on. I am beyond blessed and so thankful that he chose me to be his wife and partner throughout this journey of life. When I envisioned my husband, I never imagined someone so perfect and so right for me. He is my better half and together we are complete. Without him, I couldn't be the woman or mother I am today. I love him beyond belief and have fallen more in love with him each day since our wedding. I cannot wait to spend many, many more anniversaries with him by my side. Today, I am beyond blessed. God is good. I really Could Never Love You Enough. :)

I heard so many times "You've got to take love slow"
Well, that's just something said by unsure people who don't know
What it's like to fall when you fall with all your heart
Wantin' to be together every second you're apart
Must not know what it feels like to feel like this
Longing for each other moment, waiting for each kiss

I could never love you enough

I could never hold you too tight

Never give too much of my heart

Never spend too many nights

With my arms just wrapped around you

And a million stars above

Baby, I still can't believe I found you

I could never love you, never love you enough

 

Seems like the time we're given always goes too fast

Before I know it with you girl the future is the past

Seconds turn to hours, the hours turn to days

It seems like you're always leavin' when I'm wantin' you to stay

Cause I could spend the rest of my life with you mine

And still it'd only be like a few seconds in time

 

I could never love you enough

I could never hold you too tight

Never give too much of my heart

Never spend too many nights

With my arms wrapped around you

Underneath a million stars above

Baby, I still can't believe I found you

I could never love you, never love you enough

National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day

Today, October 15, is recognized nationally as National Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Day. This day is very near and dear to my heart, as most of you can imagine. Unfortunately (or fortunately?), I also know a lot of other Mommas who hold this day near to their hearts as well. So in honor of this day, I thought I'd give a few tips (who doesn't love unsolicited advice?) about what you can do to reach out and help someone who has suffered the devastating loss of a baby.

1. Don't pretend like the loss didn't happen.
Okay, so it can be really nerve wracking and awkward when you see someone for the first time after they have just lost a baby. A lot of people go right into the "I'll just pretend like nothing happened" mode. While I totally understand the reasoning why many people do that, it hurts more than you can ever imagine. The fact is that a baby died. That person's child passed away. They are hurting and grieving and trying to move on with life and find some sense of normalcy. Sure they may have come back to work or the gym or shown up at a play date with their living children, but that doesn't mean they aren't thinking about and hurting about the loss of their baby all day long. So don't just pretend like everything is normal. Reach out. A simple, "I am so sorry for your loss," does wonders. Trust me.

2. Do offer your help.
Ask the person if they need anything. Perhaps a meal would be great since getting off the couch to make dinner is almost impossible during the initial grieving process. Or offer to provide childcare if they have other children. Offer to run some errands for them or even with them. Offer to clean. Whatever you can think of to do, offer. It means the world to have people want to help, and it leaves the person who has experienced the loss feeling less alone.


3. Don't shut out the ones who have experienced the loss.
Who cares if the ones who have experienced the loss are extremely sad or just Debbie Downers for a while. Invite them to gatherings with others. Invite them out to do fun things. And after you invite, keep on them to make sure they show up. It is so easy when you lose a baby to lock yourself away from the outside world (I'm pretty sure Brian decided that we should watch an entire marathon of America's Next Top Model instead of go to a college basketball game). Don't let your friends do that. And don't shut them out. Keep including them just like before the loss. They will be happy again, and the happiness may even return sooner if you keep including them in normal, fun social events.

4. Do remember their baby and ask about their baby.
Ask if they named the baby. Talk about the baby whenever you feel it appropriate. Don't worry if you make someone cry. Sometimes that happens. But I can assure you that the person crying is also jumping for joy that you remembered their little one who is gone too soon. Take note of the baby's death date and birth date/due date. Send a text or facebook message on those days. It doesn't have to be profound. A simple, "I'm praying for you and (enter baby's name here) today. Let me know if you need anything."

Also, help brainstorm ways that they can memorialize their baby. Suggestions like getting a ring with the baby's birth stone, or finding a memorial wall where they can place a brick for their baby are great. Other things include donating to a charity in the baby's name or even starting a charity in remembrance of the baby lost. 

5. Don't try to minimize the loss.
Don't say things like, "Well, at least you lost them before you got to know them or hold them." Don't say, "At least the baby didn't suffer." Recognize the loss. A baby is a baby is a baby. Losing one at any point is devastating. If you aren't sure what the right thing to say is, a simple, "Sorry for your loss," is always best. Those words may seem so overused, but they are meaningful and let the person know that you recognize that their baby was a person and that a great loss has occured.


6. Do be patient and sensitive.
Allow the person to work through the grieving process in their own time. There is no time table for grief. In fact, some days I still cry about Abby. Allow time to heal some wounds. Offer words of support and encouragement (cards are great for this) and sit back and wait. Let your friend know you will be there at the end of it all and when they decide they are ready to talk to you or need you. Listen to your friend cry over and over and over again if that is what is necessary. Just let time take it's course and be supportive. Trust me. The person knows you are on their side and it brings them great comfort to know you will still be their friend when the sadness eases. Plus, everyone grieves differently. Patience takes the pressure off of the person to feel like their time to grieve is up at a specific point. It allows them to do the grieving process their way.

7. Even if you say nothing at all, please pray.
Sometimes you still just don't know what to say to someone who has lost a baby. That's okay. And it's normal. However, you can storm Heaven with prayers for the person's comfort and for their baby. Prayers were what got Brian and I through the loss of Abby without totally losing our marriage or our minds in the process. They held us together. We were blessed to have so many people praying for us, and those prayers made all the difference. They still do today. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Sometimes a simple Hail Mary is better than any words that can be spoken. Prayers do wonders.


8. Some Books that are Helpful (You may want to purchase one for the person and send it to them.)
Life Giving Love by Kimberly Hahn (I'm not sure a huge fan usually, but this book talks about the losses of several of her babies and gives great advice for helping people grieve.)
Letters to Gabriel by Karen Santorum (Karen writes letters to her unborn son, Gabriel, until the day he is still born, and for the weeks following. It is a beautiful expression of love and anyone who has lost a baby can definitely relate.)
We Were Gonna Have a Baby, but We had an Angel Instead by Pat Schwiebert (This book is great for explaining to little kids what has happened when a baby is lost. It is also very healing for parents.)

I am in no way an expert about pregnancy and infant loss, but I have survived it. It was a very dark time in my life, and every year on this day, I look back at just how far I have come. Lots of people stepped up to the plate to help me come through losing Abby. Lots of people are still there for me today. And the more women I meet, the more I find others who have walked in my shoes. It still breaks my heart when I hear from a friend that she has recently suffered the loss of a baby. I hate it. It is a common occurrence and happens more often than we realize. I am forever thankful for each and every friend (new and old) in my life. In their own special ways, they have all been there to help me through losing Abby, both when it initially happened and still today. It means the world. So thank you to all of you. I would not be where I am in rebuilding my new normal without you all.

So why the post today? I always want good to come out of us losing Abby. I never want her death to be in vain. One good thing that has come out of losing her has been a deeper understanding of suffering and why we are called to do so. But more good can still come from her death. I hope the things mentioned above may be used to help others who have felt a loss like mine.

On that note, please consider lighting a candle at 7pm tonight and burning it for one hour. It creates an international wave of light, so as one time zone blows out their candles, the next time zone is lighting theirs. The wave of light is a way to honor our babies lost and to bring awareness to pregnancy and infant loss.

And one last thing, this post is dedicated in loving memory of all the babies lost too soon, but especially in memory of Abby and her cousin, Jack. I know they are watching over us all in Heaven, and that thought, most days, makes me smile. We love you, guys. :)

How NFP has made Me Miserable....Not!

Today the Diocese of Pittsburgh celebrated its second annual NFP Awareness Day. Since Brian and I are trained NFP promoters we were once again responsible this year for doing something at our parish to promote the day. We pray it was successful.

However, just yesterday I read a description of a book entitled The Sinner's Guide to Natural Family Planning. And I have to say that I found the description incredibly offensive. (Disclaimer: I have never read the book and since I have been so offended by just the description, I probably won't waste my time.) If you care to read it, you can click here. I particularly took offense with the idea that practicing NFP has now somehow made my life "awful" or that I am "miserable." Now, is our marriage rainbows and sunshine because of NFP? No. But even without NFP our marriage would not be that way. Marriage is hard. The fantasy of holding hands at sunset dies the minute the first child comes along.

But let's deal with the fact that apparently this book is for those who are miserable and have an awful life because of using NFP. This just disgusts me. Is NFP hard? Some days, yes. Is it a cross? Yep. I already blogged about that. But has it made my life awful? Um, no. Not at all! Many things could make my life awful. In fact, after Abby died I tend to think of that time in my life as truly awful. Grieving the loss of a child is something I would not wish on my worst enemy. That was the definition of awful. Using NFP? Not so much.

And as Brian and I discussed, there are many things that make me miserable. Not getting more than 4 hours of a sleep for a week. Lots of cancellations for tutoring slots. Days straight of clouds and rain. A really bad headache or sinus infection. Feeling sick to my stomach for the first 16 weeks of every pregnancy. Not being able to work out four days a week. (Let's face it. I'm a pretty pessimistic person, so that list could go on and on and on, but I will spare you.) Using NFP? Nowhere near to being on that list. Even on the days when I find using NFP to be a cross, I don't feel miserable. And I certainly don't think my life is awful. I just feel like on that day I have a heavier cross to carry, and I rely more fully on the Lord to help me. But misery and pain don't come into play at all. Do I feel a little sad that I'm not nesting and getting out the newborn clothes? Yes, but that's a natural part of being a woman. Miserable and awful are just so far from an accurate description of the situation.

As Brian and I talked further about the statements in the book's description, we came to an interesting conclusion. We are using NFP. We live it, breathe it, fully embrace it. And here's the most awesome part. We feel at PEACE using it. We feel okay at the end of each day knowing we are postponing the next baby for now. We feel like we can breathe and don't feel massive amounts of anxiety about that decision. We are happy and content. We feel good about our decisions regarding family planning and can rest easy at night. But here's the thing. If we were miserable or did feel our life was awful because of the decisions we have made about family planning, it would probably be a HUGE wake up call for us.

Some decisions in life are not so black and white. They take great discernment and careful prayer and discussion. For us, deciding whether or not to have another baby at this point is one of those decisions. And NFP is something that shouldn't be used without careful prayer and consideration. Once we come to the conclusion each month that God isn't calling us to add onto our family at this point, we usually feel great peace with our decision to postpone a baby that month. It eases our mind.

If our minds did not feel at ease, and we were very unhappy and miserable, I think we'd know we were making a huge mistake and totally misreading God's plan for our family. So maybe those who feel they are miserable using NFP and who feel that their lives are awful are misreading what should be happening next in terms of their family planning. It seems to me that if someone doesn't feel at peace using NFP, then maybe that person needs to reevaluate things. God does ask us to suffer, yes. But to be miserable and think you have an awful life? I'm pretty sure God doesn't call any of us to live like that.

What's the point of this post? I guess just to say that Brian and I use NFP (as do many couples we know), and we are not at all miserable. We do not think our life is awful. We feel beyond blessed and quite happy with our marriage and the life we have built together. I have yet to meet someone who is absolutely miserable using NFP, and I really resent the book's description in implying that those who use NFP are bound to be that way. We need young couples in the Church to embrace NFP. Books with descriptions like that simply scare them off and make them turn quickly into the eagerly awaiting arms of artificial contraception. It turns them off.

I pray that on NFP Awareness Sunday many young couples will recognize the beauty and goodness that is NFP and learn to implement it in their marriage. I pray that Brian and I present an example of a couple who practices NFP with joy and contentment and respect for God's plan for our life. Even on the days we find it to be a cross, I hope we may always radiate the goodness that is NFP and show others how that goodness has strengthened our marriage. I pray we may never come off as miserable or actually feel that our life is awful.

On that note, happy charting!

7 Quick Takes

1. Our stove was red tagged last night. I thought all day that I had been smelling gas. And I felt like I could smell it everywhere. Before I left for tutoring, Brian came home from work and while he faintly smelled something in the kitchen, he did not smell it near as strongly as I did. My dad told us that we could call the gas company and they'd send someone to check for any leaks. (Seems like an obvious solution.) So Brian did that. And guess what? The stove was leaking gas. So, it's red tagged and we're waiting on parts to come in before we can fix it and use it again. Looks like the microwave and toaster oven will be the way to cook this weekend. In all seriousness, there was a huge house explosion caused by natural gas just across the border in West Virginia this morning (very close to where I attended school.) The house is leveled and one teenager died. We are very blessed and beyond thankful that the leak was detected before something awful occurred.

2. We headed to Soergel's Farm this morning to hang out with some moms from Mommy's Group. We didn't get to stay nearly as long as I had wanted (had to meet the stove repairman), but my boys had a blast. Noah ended up falling in a large mud puddle, and Matthew purposefully rolled in the same puddle. He then removed his pants and underwear while I was tending to Noah and was standing in the middle of the play area stark naked from the waste down. Parenting fail. But the good news is that they both had a wonderful time and loved the little break from the city.

3. This weekend is the Diocese of Pittsburgh's 2nd Annual NFP Awareness Sunday. Being trained NFP Promoters, Brian and I are responsible for doing something at our parish to promote NFP. We put up a large trifold board with all kinds of fun facts in the back of the church along with some pamphlets. We are also mentioned in the bulletin. And I have a strong suspicion that Father Jim will somehow weave NFP into his homily on Sunday and his homilies about NFP are pretty much the bomb. We are excited and ask for your prayers that many hearts will be converted this weekend and that many couples can recognize the goods the come from practicing NFP instead of artificial contraception.

4. After the repairman left this morning, the boys and I got crafty with our baby pumpkins that we picked up at the farm. (We will go to a different farm at the end of the month with my parents to get big pumpkins, so we opted to get the tiny ones this time around.) We decided to make bat pumpkins. We painted the pumpkins, glued on eyes and wings and now we have bat pumpkins. Matthew made the wings for his pumpkin. I had to help Noah. It was again, an easy and fun craft. I highly recommend trying it out.

5. Noah went to this ENT this week for his usual 6 month follow up. I already knew he had an ear infection before we got there, and we had started drops a few days before. Well, it turns out one of his tubes is completely blocked. And on top of the infection in his ears, he also has a pretty bad yeast infection going on in his ears, too. He is now on two sets of drops. We are praying that this clears the blocked tube and he can start into the colder weather with healthy ears. We really do not want to have to replace the tubes, and we are discouraged that they haven't worked as well for him as they did for Matthew. Please pray his ears get better quickly.

6. This weekend we are heading out to the Dormont Street Fair. I love the street fair. It is such a fun, free community event. (Well, it's not free for us because we definitely indulge in all the local food offered, but it doesn't cost anything to attend. :)) The boys love seeing all the fire trucks and playing in the kids area. Last year I met a politician who was a huge fan of Propel Schools, and he picked my brain for a while about why the Propel Way works. It was awesome. This year a local band, The Justin Fabus Band, will be performing. We first saw them open for the Hillbilly Way in January and April. The best part is....I went to high school with Justin and was in chorus class with him. Great guy. He has no clue who I am, but he was pretty popular back at KO. Everyone knew him. I am happy to see a local guy have a lot of success.

7.This past week, one of my students was having a hard time because his grandmother is dying. (They were actually taking her off of life support today, so offer a prayer for them.) His mom and I had a heart to heart with him, and during the conversation, I mentioned I had lost a daughter a few years ago. At this point, his mom starts crying. She, too, had lost a baby girl many years ago. And just like that: BOOM! Instant connection. We hugged and then made plans to meet for coffee next week. This family is truly wonderful and I work there three hours each week. I knew I always felt especially connected to them, and now I know why. Thank you, Holy Spirit, for prompting me to share so personally. I have gained another friend. :)

And on that note, have a happy, enjoyable weekend! :)

DIY: Milk Jug Pumpkins

Today we decided to get crafty at our house and made milk jug pumpkins. They were easy, not messy, and fun for Matthew to complete. Plus, they look great as indoor fall decorations! Here's how we did it.

1. Gather the supplies.

 

You will need: Empty milk jugs, a hot glue gun, orange poster paint, construction paper, scissors, and a covering of some sort for the table.

2. Paint the milk jugs

  Pour the orange poster paint into the milk jugs. You can really use any color. You will need to pour in quite a good amount. Then, put the lid on tightly and shake the jug until the entire inside is coated in the orange paint.

3. Painted milk jugs

4. Cut out eyes,  nose, mouth, and stem for each pumpkin. 

5. Using hot glue, glue the pieces to the outside of the milk jugs. You can use any kind of glue you like, but we like hot glue in our house because it dries quickly. Once that's done, you have milk jug pumpkins!

Happy crafting! :)

Seven Quick Takes

So I should be napping (seriously, sleep this week has been very little), but I can't not participate in 7 Quick Takes, so here we go!

1. Pittsburgh Catholic Mommas made the cover of Franciscan Way, the magazine from my Alma Mater. It was an honor to be featured there, and it makes me smile a little bit more about where I went to school. How many other universities would want to feature a Mom's Group on their cover? Not many. Nope. Not many at all. I am very blessed.

2. Christi met with me this week and started me on Phase 2 of her workout plan. Oh. My. Goodness. My legs are jello, and my abs just hurt. But you know what? It feels so stinking good! I love it and love her. The workout is definitely a challenge for me, but in a good way. I even overhead another woman at the gym say as I was jumping up and onto a box, "Wow. That's amazing." Oh yeah. :)

3. Noah has been teething terribly this past week. He is 16 months old and until Monday, he only had 7 teeth (the top 4 and bottom 3). Well, that all changed rapidly. Suddenly, he got a low grade fever, got a clear runny nose, became inconsolable, stopped sleeping through the night, and his gums began bleeding. So far, he has gotten two molars in completely. And I counted at least six other tooth buds ready to burst through this morning. I feel bad for him and he won't eat. I don't know what else I can do (we do IB Profen round the clock and Oragel). Matthew never had this hard of time with getting teeth. I am beyond exhausted, and I am tired of seeing my usually happy baby in pain. I am thankful that this too shall pass and selfishly thankful that it's happening before the holidays come along.

4. The boys and I picked up a Cake Boss cake to celebrate Abby's birthday a week late. We had plans to celebrate last Saturday night, but Matthew ended up getting really sick. Anyways, I LOVE Cake Boss. It all began when Matthew was first born and wouldn't sleep at night. I watched every episode of the first season of Cake Boss about a dozen times when they were being rerun at all hours of the night. At one point I was sure I could make all of his cakes in my sleep. He came to Pittsburgh this past April and gave away cakes for free. Matthew and I went down to Market Square and each got one. That was a crazy experience. (People were ready to fist fight. Cause we're classy like that in the Burgh.) The cakes are delicious, even though they are refrigerated, and I am excited to try the Red Velvet tonight.

5. Here are some pics from our outing to get free Cake Boss Cakes (And yes I did just make one quick take into two. Score!)

 

The cake we are eating tonight. :)

 6. Two weeks from now, Brian and I will be on our way to Wine Country in Erie to celebrate our five year anniversary. I am beyond excited. I cannot wait to finally have some much needed one-on-one time with just my hubby. And also we will get to sleep in! Yay! Plus, there's wine. And I really like wine. :)

7. Speaking of our anniversary, Brian and I have a new little picture and featured blurb on AveMariaSingles.com Success Story part of their website. It's kinda cool. That site is so special to us, and I highly recommend it to anyone. It was some of the best money I ever spent to join. My life would be drastically different today without it. Check out the new Success Story Page. :)

Have a great weekend! Happy Friday!

Can Women Really Have It All?

I was watching my favorite Fox News yesterday afternoon when Gretchen (Meghyn Kelly now has a show on in the evenings. Boohoo. She was great, and I don't have the desire to watch more news at nine o'clock at night.), had a women's panel on the show to discuss various hot topics. One of the questions she posed to the panel was the age old, "Can women really have it all?"

This question has always intrigued me. It is easy for my anti-feminist self to quickly say, "Nope. And they shouldn't want it all." And for years, this is how I've answered that question. Bethenny on her reality show used to say that she was so shocked that she finally had it all (a great business, great hubby, cute baby, great place to live, perfect dog, etc, etc). And now, we know that her having it all has quickly unraveled. And when it first did unravel, I found myself saying, "Yep. I told you so, Bethenny. You can't ever have it all."

But yesterday as I listened to the panel delve into all the reasons why women can't have it all (notice no one ever asks this about men. It's just assumed that they are super beings who are able to give 100% to everything all at one time. I don't think sex matters much when it comes to this question.), I found myself saying, "Yes, actually women can have it all. And I kinda do."

Let me explain before anyone is too offended or shocked. I am far from a feminist. I think there's a time and place for everything, and we as women are doing pretty good nowadays. I like staying at home. I think it's ideal for every child to have one parent stay home with them when they are younger. I prefer Brian to be the breadwinner. I like cooking dinner for my family. I hate cleaning, but I like making our house look nice and take great pride in making our house a home. And as Brian agreed last weekend, I have totally become "that" mom at preschool by getting my craft on.

All that being said, I still believe that women truly can have it all. (And everyone's all will be defined differently.) I certainly do. I have a great husband, wonderful kids, an awesome parish, a few close friends, and a booming business. And when I look at all those areas, there isn't one that see is suffering or lacking for attention.

Here's the thing I've learned about having it all. I cannot devote 100% of my time, energy, and attention to each part of my all. And this is where I think most women fail. They somehow think that they are super heroes and try to give 100% of their resources to everything in their all at the same time. Mathematically, this just doesn't add up. I only have 100% time, energy, and attention to go around. I can't give more than that. And when women attempt to do that, I think that's when things fall apart.

In a typical day, I probably give 50% of my time to my kids, 5% of my time to our parish, 5% of my time to friends or myself (and sometimes that number is 0% for friends), 25% of my time to Brian, and 15% of my time to my business. That's just an example and day-to-day the numbers definitely change. But one thing stays the same: total at the end of the day I have expended 100% of my time, energy, and attention. And I feel satisfied and it works. And most of the time, my boys and hubby are satisfied, too, as well as my friends and customers.

So when I hear the question, "Can women have it all?" I think yes, but it just takes balance and prioritizing. Those who forget the balance and prioritizing will realize fairly quickly that they can't actually have it all.  I put my family first and use most of my time, energy, and attention on them and then use any time, energy, and attention left over on everything else. I can confidently say that I do have it all, and I'm pretty happy about that. Next time someone asks if women can have it all, I will confidently answer, "Yep. No doubt about it."

Five Faves

In no particular order...

1. Fall Crafts

 

My mom bought the supplies (thanks, Mom!), and Matthew and I put together a great Halloween wreath for our front door. Now, we don't celebrate Halloween all out in this house (All Saints Day is our day to party), but we are Catholics in the world, therefore, the kids dress up and go trick or treating and we buy pumpkins and carve them. I thought the pieces for this wreath were cute and not offensive, and it looks great on our door. They were super easy to put together, too. One day I'll learn how to make a nice bow and add it on. For now, we are happy with how it turned out.

2. Diet Pepsi

I am a Diet Pepsi addict. In fact, I knew I was pregnant with Noah before I took the test because I could no longer stand the taste of it! (And the same had happened with Matthew during the first trimester). Without it, I would certainly die of exhaustion. I know I'm probably killing myself slowly, but right now, this sleep deprived momma will keep on chugging.

3. Toddlerobics Class

The boys take a Toddlerobics Class each Wednesday morning. Miss Christi (the same Christi who trains me) teaches the class, and she is Matthew's favorite person. The class is fun and involved music, activities, and lots of movement for the little ones. My boys love going, and it's super cheap. I think I paid $45 for each kid and it's about 8 sessions in length. Each session is 45 minutes, just the right amount of time before you start losing toddlers' attentions. And Christi, as usual, is super high energy and just wonderful. It's a good time for all.

Sorry the pics are blurry. The class is constant movement. Christi's in the Nike shirt, if you couldn't tell. ;)

 4. Bethenny's Talk Show

Okay, so it's no secret that I am a HUGE Bethenny Frankel fan. (And, yes, Brian has watched every episode of the her reality show with me. He finds he relates to Jason a lot and I relate to Bethenny. Don't worry, we are soooo not headed for divorce like them!) Anyways, her new talk show that airs at 11am on WPXI each day is pretty hilarious. She just tells it like it is, and I have a feeling that had we met in real life before she was famous, we would be friends. She could just say everything I think but filter most days. Anyways, check out this video parody she did of the song, Thrift Shop. It's pretty hilarious.

5. Father Jim

Father Jim has daily Mass at St. Catherine's this week, and while the other priests we have at St. Catherine's are wonderful, there is just something special about Father Jim. He just truly celebrates the Mass with a great reverence and sense of humility. I was afraid I would never find that outside of the Oratory, and I am so blessed that we have. It is edifying. And Matthew is president of his unofficial fan club. It's a win-win for all!

Have a great Wednesday, everyone!