Chores

 

One of the mistakes I made in raising my first three children was in not making them help around the house when they were younger.  Oh, occasionally I would ask them to do a chore but they either didn't do it properly or took so long to do it that I ended up doing it for them.

Yes, I fell into that trap.  I let them off the hook too many times and then realized what a mistake that was as they got older and more capable.  As I found out with my younger four children, it is far easier to teach them to work around the house when they are younger than it is when they are older.  

Once I got a clue that that is in fact the case, I began to say yes to my enthusiastic toddlers who wanted to help out.  I was consistently amazed at what they could accomplish if I was just a bit more patient with them.  One of my daughters, at age five, loved to vacuum, and was very good at it, too!

I really believe that it is so important to involve your children in the household chores when they are young.  For one reason, they are far more eager to help and to learn when they are younger than when they are older.  How many times my children would beg to help with something when they were even four years old.  While writing this, my son chimed in with:  it also teaches them to be responsible, to become obedient and it teaches them skills they can use the rest of their lives.

So how do you handle chores around your house?  Is this one of the areas that you struggle with?  Do you have an organized chore chart?  If you've been having problems in this realm, then this chapter should help you to get your thoughts organized and come up with a good plan for your chores.

Once you get a chore plan in place, you will know that the basic chores for the day will get done.  You'll also know who to get after if you find something NOT done!  While it may not be possible to have an immaculate house every day as well as homeschool everyone and eat 3 complete meals, having a plan in place will make it more achievable.

I hope that you've been working on these chapters each week and that you're getting into a groove with organizing the different areas of your life.  I know that some might need more work than others, but hang in there and you'll be amazed at how it all comes together in the end.

 

The Fifth Station

Simon of Cyrene Helps Jesus to Carry the Cross

Jesus is exhausted.  His footsteps become more and more unsteady and the soldiers are in a hurry to be finished.  

So when they are going out of the city through the Judgment Gate, they take hold of a man who is coming in from a farm, a man called Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, and they force him to carry the cross of Jesus.  

In the whole context of the Passion, this help does not add up to very much.  But, for Jesus, a smile, a word, a gesture or a little bit of love is enough for him to pour out his grace bountifully on the soul of his friend.  Years later, Simon's sons, Christians by then, will be known and held in high esteem among their brothers in the faith.  And it all started with this unexpected meeting with the cross.

I went to those who were not looking for me; I was found by those that sought me not (Is 65:1)

At times the cross appears without our looking for it:  It is Christ who is seeking us out.  And if by chance, before this unexpected cross which, perhaps, is therefore more difficult to understand, your heart were to show repugnance...don't give it consolations.  And filled with a noble compassion, when it asks for them, say to it slowly, as one speaking in confidence:  "Heart:  heart on the cross!  Heart on the cross!

Wordless Wednesday

The Fourth Station

Jesus Meets His Blessed Mother

No sooner has Jesus risen from his first fall than he meets his Blessed Mother, standing by the wayside where he is passing.

With immense love, Mary looks at Jesus and Jesus at his mother.  Their eyes meet, and each heart pours into the other its own deep sorrow.  Mary's soul is steeped in bitter grief, the grief of Jesus Christ.

O all you that pass by the way, look and see, was there ever a sorrow to compare with my sorrow! (Lam 1:12).

But no one notices, no one pays attention; only Jesus.

Simeon's prophecy has been fulfilled:  Thine own soul a sword shall pierce (Lk 2:35).

In the dark loneliness of the Passion, our Lady offers her son a comforting balm of tenderness, of union, of faithfulness; a "yes" to the divine will.

 

Hand in hand with Mary, you and I also want to console Jesus, by accepting always and in everything the will of his Father, of our Father.

Only thus will we taste the sweetness of Christ's cross and come to embrace it with all the strength of Love, carrying it in triumph along the ways of the earth.

All photos in this series are under copyright and are property of Laura Dominick and Dominick Photography.  The text is from the Stations of the Cross in the Daily Roman Missal, originally  by St. Josemaria Escriva.

Prayer Time

If I learned one thing early on in my homeschooling journey, it was the importance of prayer.  No matter how busy my day was going to be, I knew that I had to begin it with some type of formal prayer if I was going to get through it.

Over the years my prayer routine has changed quite a bit.  Depending on what was going on in our lives it might include daily Mass, but I've always found it helpful to spend at least a few minutes of quiet prayer time before I begin my day.  

When I was first working my prayer routine out, I tried placing my daily prayer time in various time slots throughout the day but I quickly realized that if I didn't say my prayers first thing in the morning, they were not very likely to get done at all.  No matter how good my intentions were, there always seemed to be something that would sidetrack me and I would never make it back to my room to pray.


I've put "Prayer Time" as the first working chapter in my workbook because I believe it is the foundation of all the other chapters.  If you do not have a solid prayer life, then implementing changes in all of these other areas is going to be a lot more difficult and hard to figure out.  That is also why I've included prayers in each of the chapters.  It is so important to try to figure out what God wants you to do with your day that by praying about it first you're more likely to get yourself on the right track.


A few sentences ago I mentioned a "solid prayer life".  I'll let you decide exactly what that will look like for you.  I've given you a bunch of suggestions in Chapter two, so I think you should be able to pick out the ones that will work best for you in your current circumstances. 


There are some important things to keep in mind while working out a prayer plan.  First, don't take on too much too soon.  You certainly don't want to overwhelm yourself because you will never keep up with it.  Also, make sure that you include some variety and some prayers that you can do together as a family.  If daily Mass works for you, I'd highly encourage you to include that!  Finally, don't forget that circumstances change in our lives so it is important to revamp your prayer plan when necessary.


I hope you will take some time to work on Chapter Two this week and give your prayer life a boost.  If you're interested in joining in on this walk through  my book, "A Plan for Joy in the Home:  A Workbook on Organizing Your Day for Homeschooling Mothers", then just click on the title and it will take you over to the website where you can order your own copy :)

 

This lovely drawing is under copyright.  Please respect that and do not copy it or use it elsewhere. 

7 Quick Takes March 2, 2012

--- 1 ---

We had a wonderful, educational opportunity this week.  We went with our priest and members of our parish to the state capitol to participate in Legislative Days.  
 

We went down to talk to some of our Representatives about an upcoming house bill that would mandate that every woman coming in for an abortion would get the opportunity to view an ultrasound.  It was quite a neat opportunity to see our government at work!

--- 2 ---

After we were done with our lobbying efforts, we had a chance to go to the relatively new Lincoln Museum. Here we are posing with the Lincoln's outside the White House.  There were two really great shows about Abraham Lincoln and some very cool exhibits. If you're ever touring Springfield, IL, I highly recommend stopping by there.

--- 3 ---

 The one thing I really liked about the museum is that it is the perfect size for a history museum.  You can pretty much see everything in about 2 hours - if you browse museums like I do.  This is an ongoing debate in my family.  There are a few of us that like to get the "big picture" of an exhibit, while there are others of us that have to stop and read EVERY SINGLE word.  This museum seemed to be perfect for all of us.

--- 4 ---

I had 6 of my 7 children with me ranging in age from 18 (today, as a matter of fact :) to 6 1/2.  This is the first time any of them have ever ridden on a school bus.  That alone added to the excitement of the trip...a 3 hour trip on a very windy day on a school bus!  Doesn't get much better than that!

--- 5 ---

Mr 6 yo was having a grand time schmoozing the ladies from the parish.  He'd walk the aisles of the bus (only because he saw Father doing it :) and stop and visit with them all.  Oh, of course they all thought he was adorable and he was never in need of anything.  Hungry, are you?  Well, I just happen to have some cookies...I guess it pays to be cute.

--- 6 ---

I must say that I felt quite naked without my camera on this trip.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to take my big camera and backpack into a Government building and I didn't want to have to leave it on the bus, so I left it at home :(  These pictures, therefore, are courtesy of Ms 16 yo and her much smaller camera.

--- 7 ---

Another weekend of rehearsals are in store for us.  Our first performance of "The Seven Last Words of Christ" will be in one week. We would greatly appreciate any prayers that you would offer.  Thanks so much!

 
 

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

The Third Station

Jesus Falls the First Time

The heavy cross cuts and tears into our Lord's shoulders.  

The crowd has swollen into a multitude and the legionaries can scarcely contain the angry, surging mob which, like a river that has burst its banks, flows through the streets and alleyways of Jerusalem. 

The worn-out body of Jesus staggers now beneath the huge cross.  His most loving heart can barely summon up another breath of life for his poor wounded limbs.

To his right and left, our Lord sees the multitude moving around like sheep without a shepherd.  he could call them one by one by their names - by our names.  There they are, those who were fed at the multiplication of the loaves and fishes, those who were cured of their ailments, those he taught by the lakeside, on the mountain and in the porticoes of the Temple.

 

A sharp pain pierces the soul of Jesus; our Lord falls to the ground, exhausted.

You and I can say nothing:  now we know why the cross of Jesus weighs so much.  We weep over our wretched failings and also for the terrible ingratitude of the human heart.  From the depths of our soul there comes an act of real contrition, which lifts us up from the prostration of sin.  Jesus has fallen that we might get up: once and for all.