Ball Family Chronicles #2: Little Voices at Mass

It's been entirely too long since I published something (and in the process of writing this post, I realized how few pictures I've taken over the last three months.... shame on me!). The newborn and infant phases of parenting have really been taking everything out of me.

Daniel has left to go to work, and so in these smallish hours before the littles wake up, I have a little joy to share with you.

As you can imagine, having a baby makes going to the same Mass each week a bit arduous, so we do the sensible thing.

We don't worry about it. We get up when the baby makes us, and we go to the first Mass that's after she finishes nursing.

Essential Virtues for Potty Training... (and How I Don't Have Any of Them)

For the record, I have no idea how anyone manages to potty train a child. None.

For the kid... diapers aren't inconvenient. You do your business wherever you happen to be and tell mom you need a new diaper whenever you get around to it. You don't ever have to stop what you're doing.

So far, I have attempted potty training with Pitter Patter twice... and I don't think that's Pitter Patter's fault - it's mine.

Time For a Change

Original image from Pixabay. Edited by Shannon Ball 2016.

I've been doing some soul searching, blogwise. Thinking, in detail, about how I intended this blog to be, when I started it two years ago.

Bad Blogger, Good Mommy

You may have noticed that I have not posted for a few weeks. For that, I apologize.

My water broke unexpectedly (and inconveniently) one evening in January, and I had to go to the hospital and have a baby! It was a wonderful birth experience that I am looking forward to typing up and sharing sometime in the not-too-distant future. (Don't worry - baby was plenty old enough to be born. We just.. .weren't expecting it to be that night and we had company over...)

Baby and I have both been doing very well, but I forgot exactly how much time being a new mommy consumed. - Especially the time that is consumed with napping.

With all of the new baby stuff that I had to do, and being exhausted from being pregnant... I was ready to be a new mommy again, but this blog definitely wasn't. I think I'm okay with that, and I hope you don't mind. Priorities, you know? God first, then family... I'll get back to looking after my blog when I get my parenting sea legs under me again.

Ain't she cute.

Yep. Being a new mommy (again) has definitely been consuming all of my attention, and I still feel like I'm not ready! It seems like I've only just now gotten everything in order for one day... and then the baby clothes - which were sorted at one time - have been conveniently been unsorted. Not to mention any names, but I'm pretty sure that this is the responsible party. ------------------------------------->

Mercy in the Christian Family

Feast of the Holy Family

The Feast of the Holy Family is one of the feast days for which we use the same readings every year. This year, I will look at Colossians 3:12-17.

Last year, I looked at the expanded version of these verses, which make a little more clear that Paul is not just outlining for us how Christians are supposed to act toward each other, that it is most particularly important (and most particularly difficult at times) within the contexts of our own families.

Why We're Trying Cloth Diapers For The New Baby

When I was still working, there was someone I worked with someone who really liked working from a hard copy.  It wasn't unusual at all for this person to generate 2 reams worth of paper in any given week. (I wish I was exaggerating.)

I tried to show him how to adjust the printer settings so he could print out double-sided copies, but his unfortunate response was, "I don't believe in global warming."

To which I would always, always respond, "That's no excuse not to be a good steward of what we've been given."

The Kind of King We Have

29th Sunday of Ordinary Time

This Sunday, the second reading will be from Hebrews 4:14-16. Make sure you read the other readings for context.

If you do it right, I’m pretty sure it’s no fun being King. People need things from you, they rely on you, they ask for your help with things because they can't do it themselves.

When you are called upon to take up a leadership role, how do you respond?

Jesus himself said, “If it is possible let this cup pass from me," and there are anecdotes about each of the last two popes indicating that at the time that their election seemed certain, each of them begged God to choose someone else.

{7 QT 18} - Glove Boxes, Duggars, House, and Kids

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So, we bought a new-to-us used car last week, and it wasn't until we were leaving for our road trip on Friday that we discovered that one thing that we missed when we were looking at the car.

The handle on the glove box is completely unusable. We can't open it, but we're hoping that our car guy can rig something up.

As undiscovered problems with cars go... it's not so bad. It jut means we don't have a good place to put all of the napkins we get from fast food places!

Never Underestimate the Power of Your Village

Never underestimate the power of your village.

At our annual Mother's Day gathering this past year, my Mom was playing with Pitter Patter (as per usual), and I was not about to stop her.

When her mom, my Grammy, arrived with my godmother (Nanny), Mom immediately started to show Grammy all of the cool stuff that Pitter Patter knows.

She first started out with the things that I had worked on with her, The ABC's, "what's that letter for", counting, "what sound that animal makes", and then she started into the prayers Pitter Patter knows.

{7 QT 16} - What's up in Life

So, it's been a little while since I've posted a quick takes - since early July. Largely because I've been crazy busy lately. So, here's a little of what I've been up to since then.

Kids: A Great Example

19th Sunday of Ordinary Time

This Sunday, the second reading will be from Ephesians 4:30-5:2, but I’d also strongly encourage you to read the other readings.

We’re enjoined several times in scripture to be like little children. In terms of openness to the truth, in terms of radical trust, in terms of respect for our elders. This is one of few parts of scripture in which the this call is juxtaposed with a call to the imitation of God.

Remember all those places in scripture where we are told to do things like “be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect”? This is a call to imitate the father in his attributes, and also in his actions.

Children - especially small children - are a perfect example of how to do imitation right.

Gratitude for the Small Things

If you've been reading for about the last two weeks, you've probably noticed two things.

(1) I have been incredibly busy.
(2) I have been sick.

Between being sick and having a funeral to attend, it's easy to get caught in the poor, poor, pitiful me's, like I did when I was first diagnosed with Hashimoto's. (Which, by the by, is even harder to eat for when your sick and ALL of your comfort foods are carbs.)

It's a good deal harder when you're dealing with problems to have a grateful heart, to think of all of the little gifts that God has given you along the way while he's been carrying you through your convalescence.

{7 QT 13} - Diet Updates, a "Small" Announcement, and Insomnia

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So... you don't have to have been reading my blog very long to know about my "condition". Nothing serious, just a couple of major diet modification.

There are a few things I've discovered in the process of looking for eligible substitutes, but the most important thing on the list is this:

It's Hard to be a Dad

In Holly Pierlot’s book A Mother’s Rule of Life, she identifies the five main priorities of a mom’s life, in this order: (1) Prayer, (2) Person (meaning, “self care”), (3) Partner, (4) Parent, (5) Provider.

I think they apply equally to a dad’s life, and in at least one way, I think Dads have things harder than moms, with these priorities.

Mother's Day Godsend

There is one day out of the year that my house becomes a picture of order, beauty, and cleanliness:

That day is Mother's Day.

I deep-clean the kitchen, and the piles of clutter on the islands at the entrances to my dining room (and on the table) are air-lifted to another room.

I also clean up the living room and the play room.

I usually bake two bundt cakes for the event - usually a chocolate cake (because Daniel likes chocolate cake), and "something else" (because I don't).

Here's one I made for a previous occasion.