I was in the car driving the other day on my way to Target. I was by myself which is rare, so I was just spending some quality time thinking and praying about my life lately. I have to admit I’ve been struggling to keep up with everything that’s been going on with my marriage, my kids, my career, and my faith. I guess you could say I’ve just had a feeling of being very busy and burdened lately, and I think my family and my “self” are paying the price. I’ll admit I’m keeping all the balls in the air sort-of-speak, but I’m not sure that I’m doing it very well. The one huge hole in my life is my inconsistency in my faith/prayer life.

Anyways, I’m driving in the car, and I see my rosary sitting there in the front console. The Holy Spirit inspired me with an idea.. Just like well-known blogger Steve Pavlina had the 1,000,000 experiment, I’m going to blog for the next 30 days about what I’m going to call the “The Rosary Experiment.” I’m going to pray the five decades of the rosary everyday for at least 30 days and record my findings in my blog. We’ll see how it affects my life and the lives of those around me.

It’s not like I’m a stranger to the rosary. I pray it every so often especially on major feasts, but I’ve never been consistent about it. I love the Blessed Mother, and I know her intercession is incredibly powerful. It will be interesting to see what the next 30 days will entail.

Feel free to join me (even if you’re reading this much after it’s written) and record your experiences, God-moments, etc. in the comments. If you haven’t said the rosary in a long time or have never said one, I highly encourage you to joy me. Really, what do we have to lose? We only have grace to gain as a matter of fact!

If you need help here’s a link on to how to pray the rosary.

Check back to see what happens!

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Today I started mashed peas for Anna.  Here’s how I make them from start to finish:

About 8 oz. of frozen peas (normally I prefer fresh produce, but it’s tough to find peas in the fresh produce area in Texas)

1/4 cup water

Dump the peas and water into a bowl and microwave until very tender.  (In my microwave, it’s about a minute and a half.) When done, pour the entire bowl (water and peas both) into a blender or food processor.  Blend until smooth for beginners (around 6 months) or leave a little chucky for older babies.  The amount of water is the key is the thickness.  For a 6 month old, I use a little more water to thin it out.  As they get older, I make it thicker by using a little less water.

I then pour the mix into an ice cube tray and freeze.  I fill the cubes about 3/4 full.  For a 6 month old, 1-2 cubes is a serving.  I use the Oxo Ice Cube Trays (found at Bed, Bath, and Beyond) because they have lids so t makes it easier to stack several trays in the freezer.  I leave the cubes to freeze.  Once frozen, I dump the frozen cubes into a ziplock bags and label them appropriately with the type of food and date.  Use the cubes within one month to maintain freshness.  Also I don’t recommend freezing your baby food in glass jars as they have a tendency to break.

Every couple days I pull out the cubes I want to feed the baby and let them thaw in the refrigerator in a bowl for each meal.  Use them within 1-2 days.

The preparation time is about 20 minutes, and this recipe yields about 8-12 cubes.

Good luck!

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Yesterday I started Anna with oatmeal cereal. I use Gerber’s Organic Oatmeal Cereal for Babies. So far so good, so I think I’m going to move on to veggies within the next couple days. I’m thinking right now that the first veggies will be squash or peas. I haven’t decided which. Anyways, preparing the oatmeal is just like the rice cereal. You can use water if you don’t feel like pumping breastmilk.

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I started rice cereal today with my little baby girl.  She was excited but made her share of funny faces at the new taste.  Hopefully I got some great pictures of her many expressions.  Here’s the baby food plan now that we have started: cereals, then veggies (squash, potatoes, green beans, peas, carrots, etc.), then fruits (everything except for berries), and lastly the meats.  I’ll post my recipes as I perfect them.  Obviously no eggs, nuts, or honey until the baby is at least 12 months, if not older. I plan on making all the baby food from fresh (or frozen when fresh isn’t practical or available) produce in my blender.  With my first child, I wore out my blender making baby food, so we’ll see how it goes this time.  (I got a much stronger one for Christmas.) I’m going to try to make batches every week then freeze the food in ice trays.  Every couple of days I’m going to pull out a few cubes to thaw out.  Anyways… I’ll let you all know how it goes.

As for today’s recipe: 1/2 ounce of freshly pumped breastmilk (which is more familiar to the baby than formula if you’ve been nursing until starting solids) and about 1/2 Tbsp of Earth’s Best Whole Grain Rice Cereal. It’s all about the consistency. You want it to be thin enough to be very similiar to milk/formula but thick enough to stay on a baby spoon. I try to get mine to be the consistency of yogurt, definitely runny but not totally watery. Serve at room temperature. My baby didn’t eat it all and probably won’t for a little while. It’s all about learning about all the new tastes. Yummy!

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I recently started reading a book I found searching on Amazon called, “Natural Family Planning Blessed Our Marriage.” You can find it at being clicking here. So far it seems to be a very edifying and easy read. If you are thinking about using NFP for your marriage or like me just need a little encouragement, read it with me. I’m going to be blogging more about it soon.

It’s the short testimonies of couples using Natural Famliy Planning and the grace and tremendous blessing it has been to their famliy and married life. I know that I struggle with NFP at times and often think it would be so much easier to be on the Pill, but I’m proud to say that we have never used contraception. God has blessed us in so many ways in NFP. I think the struggles are just God’s way to letting us the victory we have in Him. If it weren’t a challenge how would we know how good God’s grace is!

Anyways, join me in reading it, if you get a chance. We can all use the edification!

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To all my sister mothers in the world, many blessings and grace be yours this Mother’s day.

God love you.

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I was reading an article in CCL’s Family Foundations magazine about a couple who learned Natural Family Planning as the wife regained after fertility during a postpartum period and struggled through that period . I think it was definitely divine providence that I read that article today! Last night I was just complaining about how difficult NFP can be. I told my husband that I was just ready to give up on it. (Not that I would actually do that; I was really just complaining and speaking from frustration.) Even though we had successfully used NFP for almost five years now to both postpone and achieve pregnancy, I still have a lot of anxiety about getting pregnant so soon after having a baby. In fact, my doctor and psychologist suggest that I not have any more children. The thought of using NFP to avoid pregnancy for the rest of my many fertile years seems daunting. Anyways, as I was saying, I was just having some serious thoughts of resorting to contraception but I lack faith in the NFP rules to avoid pregnancy even though I have no reason to doubt them. My husband and I have been abstaining quite a bit lately as we watch carefully for the return of my fertility. (Our baby is 6 months old.) Sometimes it feels like we’re back to single life, and it’s so frustrating. We are committed to living a Catholic life including the absence of contraception in our marriage, but I have to say lately it feels to me like this is an impossible task. My husband on the other hand is much holier than I and is 100% patient with the ambiguous fertility signs. My temperates are all over the place and I seem to have varying degrees of mucus all the time. I’m scared to be intimate as I don’t want (nor should I) to get pregnant. I felt good to me to have some reassurance that other couples struggle with strange fertility signs after pregnancy and others have doubts that NFP is significant for family planning. After reading the article, it occurred to me that the abstinence is only temporary, and it provides my spouse and I time to focus on our communication and relationship. God alone is enough even in my family, even in my marriage! Praise be to God. I’m sure I’ll have more to share on our journey with NFP as it continues….

God love you.

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I can’t even begin to say what a huge difference Christian music has made in my life. Here in Austin we have several good Christian radio stations. Klove and The River are both great sources of encouragement as I’m driving around running errands and taking the kiddos to this and that. It’s such a great feeling to hear positive music and to hear your kids singing with the praise of the lyrics. I think it’s a great lesson for them to worship and pray unceasingly. I can also say that there have been many times I’ve gotten in the car and been so frustrated or angry and Christian music helped me to turn those emotions into thanksgiving. I encourage you to find something positive to listen to in your car and see the difference it makes in your life and the life of your family. Just think it’s going to be harder for your kids and spouse to complain or angue with Alleluias in the background!

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I recently just completed a CRHP formation experience through my parish in Austin, Texas. For those of you who don’t know, CRHP (pronounced “chirp”) sounds for Christ Renews His Parish. It is a retreat renewal experience program given on the parish level. It begins with the renewal weekend and continues with a team formation in preparation for giving the next renewal weekend. Opinions of this program vary widely amongst my Catholic friends. Having been through the whole nine yards, I thought I’d put in my two cents.

There are generally two camps in regards to feelings towards CRHP. One group loves it and swears by every word of the CRHP formation book. I think some people in on this side of fence fail to see CRHP for what it is, a parish program. It’s not the only way to conversion, grace, or salvation. It’s just a means to an end, all be it a solid, biblical, sacrament-centered means, but a means to an end nonetheless. The other group of people see CRHP as a parish program for developing cliques, those are with the CRHP group and those who are not. I agree that the strong bond and friendships that are developed as a result of experiencing the formation portion of CRHP can appear to be exclusive to the parish community. It’s hard for this not to happen due to the nature of a group of people putting on a emotional and spiritual retreat.

As for my viewpoint, it’s tough to say. I definitely see CRHP for what it is, a parish program. It isn’t a “must-have” in every parish or in every Catholic’s life. Many people have come to Christ without it. On the other hand, CRHP is very centered on the sacraments especially that of the Eucharist and Reconcialition which is the sign of a solid program. I have seen it produce many good fruits, and Christ tells us in Scripture that we can judge a tree by its fruit. CRHP also focuses on Scripture and incorporating the Word into the renewal weekend as well as formation. I think that is a great way to bring Catholics back to a love for Scripture. Overall CRHP is a positive Catholic program that can be useful in bringing a desire for the sacraments and Scripture into a parish. It is helpful to keep in kind that it isn’t a perfect program in that it is run by imperfect human persons, so just be prepared.

Feel free to add your own comments and experiences! I’m curious to hear what others have to say about CRHP.

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Last night I was watching “Shalom in the Home,” an excellent TV show on TLC where a rabbi goes into a family’s home to help improve their relationships with each other in order to bring more peace to their household. (Check out http://tlc.discovery.com/fansites/shalom/shalom.html) Rabbi Schmuley is like Dr. Phil but much better, giving tangible advice on how to bring a peaceful happy home. He focuses on everything from improving the intimacy in a marriage to getting the best from hyperactive children. Last night the mother on the show had terrible self-esteem. It was so bad she nearly never stood up for herself to her children and husband. It reminded me of how so many women are, especially amongst the practicing Catholic community.

We work so hard to serve our families, but I think it may be a false humility to allow ourselves to get walked over by our families. True humility is to really know who you are as a human person, as wives, as mothers, and as children of God no more and no less. Humility is not allowing others to demean us or not give us our due. Look at Our Lady, for example, in John 2 where she is very vocal regarding the lack of wine and tells the servants, “Do whatever He tells you.” She does not just simply concede that there is no wine; she is assertive yet respectful. In our dealings and daily life, are you being an example for others on true humility?

Be a loving authority to your children. Are you assertive enough to require respect from your children and husband? One of the best lessons we can teach them is to give others the dignity and respect they to which they are entitled as a child of God. I know I have struggled with my son’s behavior. I have definitely had my share with him not listening to me, disobeying me, hitting, tantrums, etc. It wasn’t until I realized that letting him get away with that type of behavior was the root of the problem. Why did I let him get away with that? Because I didn’t have the self-worth, I wanted to be the nicest mom in the world and didn’t want to have a backbone and be tough. But that’s not true humility. Eventually with the assistance of my husband who is an excellent at demanding respect with our children, I was able to learn to be consistent in requiring my son to respect his mother.

Be a challenging partner to your husband. By this I don’t mean nag him or be difficult with him. I mean challenge him to be the man he should be. Remember your job is to get him to Heaven. So require him to be Christ to your family by being an active loving witness to you and your children. Don’t be afraid to require more of him in terms of respect. I think one of the temptations Satan uses with our men is that they are too busy to build us up as their wife. They are too busy working hard to be the bread winners, discipling the children, taking the kiddos to their sporting events, and such. But that is a lie from the Devil. Our husbands must make the time to support us wives in our efforts to be confident in this world that puts women down with birth control, abortions, pornography and the like.

So be truly humble by knowing yourself as a child of God, as a wife, as a mother, no more, no less.

God love you.

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