pie for breakfast

Dear Children,



Don't you have an awesome father? Really. Take today, for example. Fourth of July, 2009. You awoke and Dad had baked a pie for your breakfast. That's right, breakfast. Buttermilk pie with fresh berries. He'd already taken you on an early morning run to fill everyone's bike tires with air so you'd be super pumped for the big neighborhood parade. And then he gave you pie for breakfast. While I was finishing up morning preparations, he was taking dinner orders for your downtown picnic. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here.



Because, before the downtown, there was neighborhood parade where he generously bought you lemonade. And played water balloon toss with you among other things.



And then, when we returned wilted and weakened by the scorching heat, dad had a DVD ready for you to watch because he knew it would be just what we all needed. The King and I. Such corny, irresistable fun! And you did watch it...the whole thing, from beginning to end while Daddy took a well earned nap.



Now, as I write, I await your return from the downtown fireworks where Dad has taken three of you...with custom made picnic dinners and glo-bracelets and chilled water bottles and blankets and hats and sunscreen. He has taken you to park somewhere and then to ride the city bus down to the site where you will take in the symphony and the sites. And, I have no doubt that your Daddy is carrying most of the load and engaging you in conversation and making many walks back and forth to the portapotty station and genuinely enjoying your company. In the heat. Did you know that your Dad hates the heat? But, no matter, because he really loves you and loves being with you crazy cats even if it is almost eleven o' clock at night and still ninety plus degrees outside.

Yup, a really awesome father you've been given.

Love, Mom

P.S. -- And now I find out he bought you Sno-cones and Cotton Candy at the fireworks. There are no more words...but, "thank you, Dad."

upon return

Greeted by an extreme heat wave, we have reluctantly returned to our Texas home from Summer Road Trip '09. A splendid trip which I hope to write about here very soon. As soon as I upload my pictures, which is as soon as I have space on my hard drive, which I hope is very, very soon.

But in the meantime, many friends have asked how we managed to cheerfully pass most of the many hours spent in the van driving through seven, yes seven, states with five young to young-ish passengers. I have promised to share some details with links for anyone looking for ideas. The thoughtful search for auto entertainments usually begins at least two months before departure, because there is just so very much to do in the last week that I can't possibly leave such an important task to the last.

The first key to success on long road trips is to plan to stop frequently and preferably not always at gas stations...parks, historical markers, scenic waysides and interesting local finds provide opportunities to really stretch legs and make noise. Another key: pack good snacks and plenty of water. But, if you've travelled much as family, that is all old news, so onto the "stuff".

No road trip is complete with out a stash of new books for each child. This time First born was treated to a copy of The Twenty-One Balloons and the enjoyable Fr. Finn Set II, companion to the first set of three books by the same author. Having already read and re-read numerous times the Eleanor Estes classic, Ginger Pye, Sunshine was excited on our return trip when I passed back to her a copy of Pinky Pye which I snagged a trip prep stop at our local Half Price Books. For Rosebud, there were some new volumes of her treasured Henry And Mudge stories. In addition, I brought along more read alouds than I could ever actually hope to accomplish on a trip, including a Vision book about the life of Saint Paul and a book about the life of Abraham Lincoln, both of which we enjoyed though neither of which we completed.

The Prof packed music and loaded both his IPods with a variety of classical, bluegrass and, well, miscellany. The children enjoyed the privilege of listening to the Ipod and playing games on them. Normally I also pack along the "trips only" electronic games, but somehow left them behind this time. Though a little handheld Connect Four did make it into the activity crate and was enjoyed by all, including Little O.

Then there was the singing. This was something brand new and unexpected. The Prof was skeptical and I was hopeful and, in the end, we were both surprised by how successful this activity became. Using CDs from the Lester Family, we learned Canons and Rounds and then moved on to more advanced songs sung in 2, 3, and 4 part harmony. (Well, we are working towards the three and four part harmony) The children are still singing and humming these melodies throughout the day and trying to plunk them out on the piano as well. It is a fun moment when a four voice round spontaneously rises out of the quiet humming of someone working in the kitchen or passing the time on the couch. These cds are highly recommended for the eager and reluctant singers in your life.



More music. I guess there was a bit of a theme to the trip. I brought along a recorder with introductory book. The Prof was a bit aghast when he saw this item stashed away in my activity crate. "Do you think it will be too loud for the van ride," I timidly queried. "Yes of course!" was the instant reply. I promised to save it for a desperate moment or withold it altogether.

It is always the return trip when THE moment arrives. Everyone is getting a big ragged, they've read all of their books, burned out on Mad Libs, colored all of their favored pictures in the Costumes of the Colonial Era coloring book and they want something new, something different. And that was the moment that I pulled out the recorder and without a word played through the entire beginner book. Whew! Another hit. Everyone, little by little, wanted a turn and wanted to learn songs. Much fun.

In addition, I did have a little stack of cards I picked up at the toy store with 52 Activities for the Car, but, honestly, we only did one or two of these so I'll have it for next time. There is always a next time...we are family with relatives and friends in far away places, friends and family whom we want to visit whenever we can sneak away. And, of course, there are always sites to see and old favorite haunts to revisit, but more on all of that later when I am able to provide some pictures.


It is nice to be back in this space and I feel a buzz of optimism about becoming a regular here again.

I must have blinked...

I must have blinked, because suddenly on the road before me were a mattress and box spring side by side, blanketing my lane, so to speak. Not just any road, but I-35. Not just anytime, but in the waning rush hour traffic. We made it through just fine, but our quarter ton vehicle crushed one of them; I'm not sure which it was, but I'm leaning towards the box spring.

Next we saw the two men walking from their loaded down pick-up truck to retrieve the lost items. Maybe one of them is sleeping in the proverbial dog-house tonight, sans comfy bed. I do feel bad about the whole thing and pray that they are able to replace what has been lost.

The End.

reprieve

::Present location::

Current (11:47pm): 87*
Saturday: High 104* Lo 76*
Sunday: High 105* Lo 77*
Monday: High 106* Lo 77*
Tuesday: High 99* Lo 75* (Brr.)
Wednesday: High 99* Lo 74*


::Destination::

Current (11:50pm): 59*
Saturday: High 86* Lo 63*
Sunday: High 84* Lo 65*
Monday: High 82* Lo 62*
Tuesday: High 82* Lo 57*
Wednesday: High 79* Lo 56*
Thurday: High 76* Lo 53*

of pliers and antifreeze or a tale of living in the margins

Recently, Lissa mentioned on her blog having once read a book about "margins." (Perhaps she was referencing this book?) It is about allowing margins in our lives to avoid crises or unnecessary stress... a financial safety net, enough time for physical rest, etc. I was most struck, though, by her mention of the margin of time. If you know me, it won't surprise you that I often do not allow enough time to leave the house with young children; I am a procrastinator. We end up leaving the house dissheveled, departing in foul moods and arriving late at our destination. Frustrating. So I have taken Lissa's advice and started tripling the amount of time I think we will need to depart smoothly and arrive on time.

Guess what? It works! Even Firstborn noted the difference and has really gotten on board with trying to make it happen. For example, instead of our usual "fifteen minutes 'til departure" call for ballet class, for example, which typically involves hastily braided hair, terrified hens being thrown back into the coop, and a driveway left strewn with toys followed by a scolding from mother and stumbling into class late, I give a "forty-five minute 'til departure" call. The results: a cheerful departure with smooth braids for the ballerina, hens gently returned to their roost, toys secured in the garage and a good parking spot at class.

So as we have pushed through these first couple of weeks of April, I have wondered how the idea of margins could be applied on a larger scale. April and May are always brutal. It is the peak of sports season for Firstborn, the calendar is peppered with recitals, birthday parties, tax preparation, adult outings, numerous additional work committments for The Prof and extra liturgical events. So, why not plan to say "no" to more of the requests and offers that come our way before we find ourselves with no margin to deal with unexpected demands? I think I need to read that book Lissa mentioned.

Now we are in need of a little margin. Crises little and big have come along and are bullying the committments we are already made. It is a small crisis, to be sure, but now that all four of the control knobs for my stove have broken, I was finally forced to get out a pliers to turn off the stove, demand silence in the room and call Maytag. The knobs are on their way, but, in the meantime don't anyone misplace those pliers.

On the larger side of the time crisis equation is the van. Last Tuesday, our Previa had to be towed. The next day the mechanic called and demanded to know what our intentions were for this thirteen year old vehicle. I assured him that we had begun some car research and shopping and that we hoped to donate it as soon as we found a replacement. On Friday morning when we finally carved out some time to pick up the aging machine that had been so generously donated to us some six years ago, the mechanic made the stern suggestion that we "donate it tomorrow!" and exhorted us not to drive it any distance.

Of course, it is April and we are overcommitted, so there just isn't much time to shop around for a new vehicle. (Oh for a bit of margin!) Plus there is the blessed fact that we don't all fit in the sedan anymore. But on Saturday, between hosting a little birthday party for a neighbor and getting The Prof off to the ball fields to fulfill his "concession stand duty," we managed a quick trip out to test drive a vehicle. Today we drove the moaning van (and I do meaning moaning) to Mass one last time and stopped twice on the way home to refill the antifreeze. We quite literally made it home on a prayer and a bottle of coolant.

Sometime this week The Prof will have to cancel some of his committments so we can go buy that car we test drove. No time to really shop around much. We'll just get down to the haggling and hopefully drive home with a vehicle that will carry us through many a over-committed season.

Coming soon...details on our dream vehicle.

ten things

Ten Things We Did This Weekend
~by almamater & Rosebud (age 5)

1. floated leaf boats & tried to catch minnows on the stream
2. collected acorns and their tops at the wildflower center
3. watched monkeys play ball and admired parrots at the San Antonio zoo
4. filled our gullets with panini and yogurt at the cafe
5. got all dressed up and swooned over the harp at a symphony concert (just mom & Rosebud)
6. walked around the university while my brother & sister took a test all afternoon
7. danced and ate the night away at a dinner party
8. didn't host our Sunday guests as expected
9. was carried away by the University Concert Chorale singing at the Tridentine Mass
10. gobbled cupcakes with friends

State Fair of Texas

The Professor and I have enjoyed state fairs in Minnesota and Wisconsin over the years, but after 12 years of living in the great state of Texas, we decided it was time to load up the carriage and take the family to the State Fair of Texas in Dallas. State Fairs bring such a sense of excitement, nostalgia and history to the air.

I love walking through those old fair grounds and thinking of the thousands and thousands of families before us who have packed up their contest entries, put on their best clothes and come to town for the fair. The Texas State Fair has been held on these grounds since 1886! Imagine the buzz all those years ago as the ranchers and the ranch hands brought their cattle to show off and the wives escaped their duties for the day, bringing their best pies and handwork hoping to go home a blue ribbon.



Overheard (Sunshine): "Mommy, I get dizzy just standing here looking around!"



Before we arrived, the children all thought they might be brave enough for the Ferris wheel, but in the end, 5 year old Rosebud and her daddy were the only ones to go for the ride. Here she is beaming just before getting on.

The Texas Star (Ferris wheel) is the tallest in North America, towering over
Fair Park at 212 feet.
Overheard: "From the top, the people looked like confetti!"

This stadium has been home to famous Red River Shootout--the great rivalry game between Oklahoma and Texas--since 1929. I have no comment about this year's game.

In 1942, Neil & Carl Fletcher unveiled their new creation at the Fair: Corny Dogs.

Living History: Everyone still enjoys a corny dog.

Gotta' love this promotional for the monorail. In case you didn't know, the State Fair of Texas features deep fried foods. We passed on the deep fried lattes. Seriously.

The Art Deco architecture is a striking feature of Fair Park.

It's not that I am a big Art Deco fan, just love how this vintage era style
unintentionally does so much to create that nostalgic ambience.

We also enjoyed spectacular handwork displays such as this stunning quilt.

There were interesting animals to observe and to pet.
The petting zoo included giraffes, kangaroos, camels and other exotic
creatures in addition to the perennial favorite farm stock.

There was a roller coaster ride for the two older children, a dog show,
a string puppet theater show, Big Tex, a cooking show, and so much more.
It was an exhaustingly wonderful day. Proof:

Overheard (Firstborn to Sunshine): "Sunshine, this is a once in a lifetime experience."

I am not so sure about that, Firstborn, but it was a memorable day of family fun.

(Mommy &) Toddler Adventures Part IIB: A Photo Journal

Thursday, September 13, we headed to the Midwest to meet Joseph Paul.

Isn't he beautiful?

Little Queen was smitten by his charms:

She also had fun acting silly with his big sis':

Friday, September 14, was the Feast of the Exhaltation of the Holy Cross as well as the official start date of Pope Benedict XVI's recent Summorum Pontificum. In honor of both of these events, Bishop Perry, an auxilliary bishop from Chicago, came to celebrate a Pontifical High Mass. The Mass was full of inspiring reverence, beauty, ceremony and an indescribably tangible dignity.

Saturday we visited the historical St. Joan of Arc Chapel at Marquette University. The history of this medieval chapel is worth a read. It is believed that St. Joan of Arc prayed in this very oratory. Unfortunately, we arrived minutes after it had been locked up for the evening. Ah well, next time.

Sunday was the baptism of Joseph Paul, for whom The Prof and I are blessed to be Godparents.
The ceremony was performed according to the Traditional Latin rubrics and included the "Churching of the Mother."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The weekend was slow-paced, rich with quiet conversation, happy reunions, delicious meals and leisurly (daily) drives along Lake Michigan. Oh, and the old familiar feel of cooling Autumn afternoons and crisp mornings. Yes, a lovely and very worthwhile adventure.

Mishaps and Adventures Part IIA: Open the Clouds!

Part I of this mini-series saw our beloved Little Queen quite literally in the depths following her mis-step. But in Part II we find her with her mama, quite unexpectedly taken to new heights.

Backing up a couple of days, on September 8-the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lady and just two days before the fateful Pond Incident, Joseph Paul was born. Joseph is The Prof's and my new Godson. Ever since his dear parents had invited us to be his Godparents a few weeks prior, The Professor and I had casually talked about my going up to the midwest to partake in the baptism and spend some quality time with the newborn's mother. On the Tuesday following his birth and the Pond Incident we confirmed that the Baptism would be the following Sunday and late in the evening, I secured airline tickets for Little Queen and myself to make the trip.

It is an understatement to state that the other children were severely disappointed to be left behind on this unprecedented trip, but it had to be. Wednesday was spent in resale shops finding bargains on warm clothes for my petite travel companion. I had checked the weather forecast and, as usual, September in the midwest is quite different than here in Central Texas. (According to the Weatherbug on my screen, it is currently 82* at 10:23pm here at the Suburban Ranch!) Thursday morning, Little Queen and I made the first leg of our journey, driving to the big city, riding the shuttle to the terminal and climbing the narrow steps of the 70 passenger jet.

The bus and the airplane were firsts for this thankfully rather adaptable toddler girl. As the airplane lifted off the ground and began its steep ascent, Little Queen stretched her neck like a turtle straining for some out of reach food as she tried to make sense of the noise and the motion, all the while excitedly shouting, "Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa!" Actually the "whoas" went on for about a solid minute while her face read excited bewilderment. Finally, she exclaimed, "Little Queen is TALL!"

The only difficulty with that first leg of the trip is that Almamater was exhausted. The kind of exhausted where it is literally impossible to keep one's eyes open. I'd been up late the night before, gotten up early that morning, made a 1.5hour drive, single-handedly shuffled a toddler and our belongings on a shuttle bus ride, through the terminal and, finally, onto a plane and I WAS TIRED. Climb in and out of car seat? Yes. Eat? Yes. Have Mom read lots of books? Over and over? Yes. Sleep? Not a wink!

Another favorite activity was opening and closing the window shade. "Mama, Mama! Opin da clouds!" "Mama, Mama! Cose it!" Hey, it kept her quiet and occupied and I just love the "open the clouds" line. Open them we did. Each time a lovely surprise. Unfortunately it also kept Alma awake. I will confess that there are a few lost minutes somewhere in that flight, and whatever she was doing during those moments, Little Queen survived them.

We had a transfer at the Cincinnati airport-located, oddly enough, in Northern Kentucky. Wouldn't you know that little Firecracker was sound asleep before we even taxied to the runway? Of course, I didn't sleep a wink; I was past tired. She stirred when we hit the ground (if feels like a hit when you land in those little 70 passenger planes), but snoozed until I awoke her at the terminal.

Alright, that is enough for now. In Part IIB, I will have pics and a description of some of the highlights of our visit in the North.