The One Thing Needful

May His Memory Be Eternal!

2011-01-18T12:38:00.004-06:00

Yesterday, I lost a dear person in my life. Fr. Seraphim fell asleep in the Lord yesterday. I will miss him. I met Fr. Seraphim when I was 14 years old, when his family moved to my parish from Australia in 1993. Our church secretary had suggested a few months before that I write to his oldest daughter, since she was my age, so that she would know someone when she came to the States. Over the summer of 1993, and into the fall, we wrote back and forth about our families, parishes, and the school we both were to attend. By the time the family arrived, I felt like I had known them forever! We were inseparable from that point on, and I think I spent as much time at their house as I did at mine. I came to love spending evenings listening to Fr. Seraphim's stories (he was a layperson at that time). What an adventurous life he had! I loved taking car trips with them as they belted out "Waltzing Matilda" at the top of their lungs. I loved coming into their home, never knowing what art piece was being created at the time. Fr. Seraphim, was a talented painter and potter! They became a part of my family. I'll never forget having to make a hard decision in college, and Fr. Seraphim looking me in the eye and telling me I had made the right decision. "You've had to make one of the first difficult decisions in your young life. I'm proud of you." He has always had a way of bringing me peace. Just a simple smile, and that's all it took. I am blessed to have been able to spend time with him weekly over the past few years, and to see him fulfill his desire to serve God in the priesthood. I will be eternally grateful for his part in bringing the Kursk Root icon here, and for the tremendous healing it brought to my family. I will be grateful to him for bringing his family here, for enriching my life with a best friend who I miss every day. I will greatly miss him, and pray that his family will be comforted.

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

Christ is Risen!

2010-04-04T03:45:00.001-05:00

We Worship Thy Passion, O Christ!

2010-04-01T18:24:00.002-05:00

Today He who hung the earth upon the waters is hung on the tree,

The King of the angels is decked with a crown of thorns.

He who wraps the heavens in clouds is wrapped in the purple

of mockery.

He who freed Adam in the Jordan is slapped on the face.

The Bridegroom of the Church is affixed to the Cross with nails.

The Son of the virgin is pierced by a spear.

We worship Thy passion, O Christ.

We worship Thy passion, O Christ.

We worship Thy passion, O Christ.

Show us also Thy glorious resurrection.

Nightly Devotions during Great Lent

2010-02-02T13:22:00.003-06:00

As Lent approaches, I have been trying to make a plan for nightly devotions with my children. My children love doing this during Advent, and so I've been looking for resources to continue this practice. As much as I love handmade, creative ideas, my life is not conducive to creating right now! It's either beautiful, handmade crafts or school work and a clean house!

Thankfully, I've been able to find some easy ways to incorporate nightly readings, and hands-on activities that will capture the interest of my children. Here are a few ideas:

Paidea Classics sells a wonderful Lenten calendar. It has numbered doors for each Sunday of the Triodion, and then each day during Great Lent. It also comes with a booklet that contains short readings for each day.

We will also be using our Advent wreath, just redecorated! There are 7 Sundays in Lent, so we have 7 purple candles, plus a white candle for Pascha.

The highlight of our nightly devotions during Advent was our Jesse Tree. Paidea also sells shrink plastic ornaments for Lent! There is a pack for the seven Sundays in Lent, and another that has an ornament for each day of Holy Week. We will be using our Jesse Tree, with a spring-time tree skirt.

I'm so happy that with just a few clicks we have something tangible for our family to embrace Great Lent at home!

A Life-Changing Morning

2010-01-30T14:10:00.002-06:00

There's so much to say about this morning, the day when we were blessed to approach the Kursk Root Icon of the Theotokos. Honestly, though, I don't have sufficient words. Thankfully, my dear friend does! Please visit Anna's site to catch a glimpse.

Family Readings for Lent

2010-01-12T13:37:00.003-06:00

If you're like me, you already miss the nightly readings and ornaments of the Jesse Tree. my 2 year-old embraced our devotions fully this year, and still asks to "do Advent" every night! Today I heard about a wonderful way to integrate daily family readings during Lent, which will be here before we know it! This Orthodox Mom is developing the readings and posting them as she finishes them. I am inspired, and would love to eventually come up with ornaments to go along with the readings.

A New Chapter

2009-11-18T13:55:00.002-06:00

Some of you may have visited the Festal Celebrations Gallery, especially to get more information on the Jesse Tree project. I'm excited to announce that I am the new owner of that site!

With God's help, I hope to continue the work of the previous owner, and continue to offer ideas to families who would like tangible ways to bring the Church's Feasts home. Please visit the site, and look forward to contributions from several individuals over the next few months.

I hope to add pictures and updated reading lists for the Jesse Tree project in the next few days. Please pray for me that I am able to live up to the task given to me.

Advent Activities

2009-10-19T13:29:00.012-05:00

Since I am starting to gather my Advent activities in one place for my own use, I thought it might be helpful to write about some specific activities my family participates in.

Let me preface my first posting by giving you a little background info. If you are not familiar with the Orthodox Church's fasting periods, our Nativity Fast begins on November 15th and is a 40 day fast that ends on Christmas. The word Advent is the Latin word for "coming". We Orthodox use other Latin terms, such as "Trinity", so I personally have no problem using the word Advent when speaking about this time period. Here's a great article on that topic.

Instead of writing one long (and possibly overwhelming) post about everything my family does in our home, I thought it would be more helpful to post about one at a time. To me, the best way to do this is to first write about the activities that may take longer to get ready, in case anyone would like to incorporate them this year.

Activity #1 40 Books in 40 Days

One fun way to involve my children in our nightly activities is to have a children's book about the Nativity Season for each night. In our house my husband and I wrap each book individually and place them under our tree on November 15th. (More about our tree later). Each night our 3 children take a turn picking a book and unwrapping it. Then we read the book aloud together, and the book is placed in a basket so that the children can read it again during the rest of the season. There are some books that are designated for special nights, like the feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, or St. Nicholas, and I do this by writing on the wrapping paper, so we don't forget!

There are several ways you can do this activity, and I encourage you to make it YOUR tradition. If you don't put your tree up until later in the season, you can put your books in a big basket. If it is overwhelming, you don't have to wrap the books at all.

I will share some of my favorite book selections with you, but don't feel the need to duplicate them in your household. You may be surprised at how many you already have, if you gather all your Christmas books in one place! Some families may want to include secular Christmas books about Santa Claus, reindeer, etc. Because every family has their own beliefs on this topic, I will only share my top choices that are religious in nature, and some that are specifically written from an Orthodox point of view. I have linked as many books as possible to websites where you can take a closer look:

The Nativity of Our Lord by Sister Elayne (This is one of the books from The 12 Great Feasts for Children)

The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple by Sister Elayne (we read this book on the feast, which falls on November 21st.)

The Saint Who Became Santa Claus

Who is Coming to Our House? by Joseph Slate (there is also a board-book version for toddlers)

Baby in a Manger by Julie Stiegemeyer

On This Special Night By Claire Freedman

The Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats (also available as a board book)

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg

What Star Is This? by Joseph Slate

The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi (We read this book on the Feast of St. Nicholas, Dec. 6th)

The Usborne Advent Nativity Book (This book has pop out characters for each day that make the nativity scene. It starts on Dec. 1st)

North Star: St. Herman of Alaska by Dorrie Papademetrious (read on Dec. 13th)

Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo

Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell

Tonight You Are My Baby: Mary's Christmas Gift by Jeannine Q. Norris

Please feel free to add any great books from your collection by leaving a comment!

Musings

2009-10-15T21:06:00.007-05:00

Well...it seems that every time I come to post I am either uninspired, distracted, or pulled away. It has definitely been hectic around here. I do feel the need to write, however, as it helps me to come and re-visit my own postings. So forgive the personal nature of this post as I muse about the ups and downs of my household.

From the prayer corner:

I have really tried over the past month to improve our family prayer time. The kids and I pray in the morning before starting school, but I was inspired by Mary to try and bring another element into our day by implementing the prayers of the hours. She came up with these great visuals for the daily hours, and for each day of the week. We have added our "visual aids" to our altar, and they have been a wonderful reminder to all of us, kids and adults alike!

From the kitchen:

I am so ready for fasting! I know that sounds crazy, but I am so much more organized with menus during fasting times. I have a weekly rotation that is constant, and right now I could use some of that! I may share my whole weekly menu later, but here's a link to my favorite!

From the schoolroom:

Oh, how time is flying, and yet sitting still! You may know that I started homeschooling the kids after Christmas last year, and we began this school year at the end of August. It has definitely been an adventure. The kids are still loving it, and I admit to having days where I love it, and days when I REALLY miss their old school. My one challenge right now is that school feels very monotonous to me. I still don't know how to get out of making it more without adding more. You can always read more about our school days here.

From the church:

If you know me, you know that I LIVE for the Nativity fast. It is so close! I am doing my best to get the Christmas shopping, card sending, cleaning, planning done by November 1st so that when the 15th comes, we can relax and embrace! I am giving a small talk on Advent at our church's womens' retreat next month. I had a great conversation with my Dad (who's also our parish priest) about the difference in this fast from Great Lent. This fast is meant to be fun and exciting. He compared preparing for the Nativity to preparing for the birth of a baby. Preparing the nursery, knitting the blankets, etc. can be just as exciting as the actual event! Here's a post from last year on how my family embraces the Nativity Fast.

On a personal note:

Last week we were able to visit family and friends on a 5 day trip to Michigan. We stayed with my husband's cousin, and the kids had a blast with their cousins. Dan and I left the kids for the weekend to attend a wedding of an old camp friend. We were able to spend a couple of days with friends we have known since we were kids! We both really needed that. I am always so amazed at how attending a wedding or baptism, or even funeral in the Orthodox Church can be so renewing! Participating in these sacraments is a huge confirmation of our own marriage, our own childrens' baptisms. You realize how connected to the people who share your faith you really are. So Many Years George and Suzy! Your wedding blessed us in more ways than you'll ever realize!

I'll leave you with two pictures from last week. One of my 3 (girl in front, boy in back, and the toddler who still has the paci) with their cousins and Tete (grandmother), and the other from the wedding:

How To Raise An Orthodox Christian Or Possibly A Saint

2009-07-28T17:16:00.002-05:00

Last night my husband and I were discussing how to help our children to be less self-centered. I stumbled across the following today. It is written by an anonymous author, and I came across it here. It was just what I needed!

1) When the child is yet young, begin to train him/her in sympathy and consideration for others and in unselfishness. By these means he/she will grow up to understand that the materialthings of this world are not the most important things for Orthodox Christians. Your life-style and example will be the greatest influence on your child in this matter.

2) Teach your child how to chant the psalms and the hymns of the Church. This will encourage him or her to learn to love the holy services, and to reject the foul language and immodest songs that are so widespread today in our society. Your example in this will have the greatest influence on your child.

3) Never cease from finding occasions to train your child in spiritual matters and in the love of God and others, and always bring them to the Church. When we were small, we were never asked "if" we were coming to church - or anywhere else, for that matter. The fact that we were going to church was a foregone conclusion. Your child must learn this from the very earliest years. If you wait until your
child reaches adolescence, it will already be far too late.

4) Teach your child the meaning of the words "right" and "wrong," "sin" and "virtue," "truth" and "falsehood" ; also teach your child to know the Church's Faith, and to recognize erroneous belief. In this manner, your child's understanding and spiritual discretion will grow as the years go by, and he/she will be prepared for the future, even if he/she has to endure hate and persecution for his/her convictions.

5) Give your child spiritual duties appropriate to his/her age and understanding. These could include such activities as reading the Lives of the Saints written for your child's level, or reciting some of the evening prayers together with the rest of the family, or fasting and making prostrations, or helping out in church if he or she is old enough.

6) Aside from providing your child with plenty of Orthodox spiritual literature appropriate for his/her age, make sure that material of an impure or inappropriate nature is not in your home. Unfortunately, today this includes most of television programming. Remember: whatever goes in, comes out. Your example in this matter will have the greatest influence on your child.

7) Your own life-style, your personal tastes, your words, the books you read, the music you listen to, and the things that draw your interest and attention will all speak louder to your child than anything else. Hallow your child's eyes with the holy icons. Sanctify his hearing with the holy hymns, his sense of smell with sacred incense, and his entire body and soul with the holy Mysteries. If your home is a haven of spiritual sanity, love, and peace, your child will know where to turn when he or she inevitably encounters the blasphemous, shocking, and sordid things that fill our society. Teach your child the Jesus Prayer.

8) Instruct your child in almsgiving and compassion towards those who are in need. And teach them also that they should help in house duties and, if they are old enough, that they should labor at various odd jobs, so that they may learn from an early age that, as the Holy Apostle Paul tells us, one who does not labor should not eat. Idleness and affluence together have, in our society, destroyed countless young people and led them into sin and even an early death. Never be ashamed to say to your child: "We can't afford it."

9) Teach your child by your own example - and by the examples found in the Holy Scriptures and the Lives of the Saints - that abstinence from food and drink and personal comforts is a noble and beautiful thing, taught to us by our Savior Himself and by the Saints.

10) Be fair if it should ever happen that
your child gets into a dispute with another child, or with teachers, or with other authorities. If your child is wrong, he/she is wrong, and
show him/her, together with your love and support, why he/she is wrong. Your child will learn something of God's justice from your example.

11) As the years pass, if you persist faithfully in these matters, as you must, you will discover, much to your surprise, that you have grown spiritually also. Saint Paul was quite serious when he said that "a woman shall be saved by childbearing"- and we know and understand that, especially in a society such as ours, both parents are essential for the proper kind of Orthodox Christian spiritual nurturing that is needed.

12) Prepare yourself for a life of spiritual struggles and prayers. You and your children will need them and the grace of God, for we are not living in the world as God originally created it. We are living in occupied territory - a land occupied by the enemy. But, by our holy Faith and God's grace, we are nonetheless a free people, living in hope and expectation of our deliverance in our true and everlasting country. And if we are heedful in these matters, we will have the boldness to say to our Savior in that last day, "Behold me, your servant, and the children which Thou hast given me."

By the intercessions of Saints Joachim and Anna, O Christ God, may we, together with all our little ones, be deemed worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

Orthodox Children's Bible for only $4.99!

2009-07-14T12:19:00.006-05:00

We have an Orthodox children's Bible reader that we adore. It's called the Greek Orthodox Children's Illustrated Bible Reader. It's a beautiful hard cover book, and the illustrations are in the style of iconography. My son has absorbed so much from this book, that I recommend it to everyone. Here's a review done by the Director of Christian Education from the Antiochian Archdiocese

Go here to get yours for only $4.99! They usually cost $20, and this website offers free shipping, as well. I have a feeling that these won't last long, so grab one while you can. I just bought 3!

A Day of Rest

2009-07-12T15:41:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I read an article on taking a day of rest. This was by no means from an Orthodox, or even Christian viewpoint, but never the less it made me think. I have a very hard time resting. I always feel like there's SOMETHING that needs to be done, and Sunday is no exception. Sundays are busy. It's just a fact. After Liturgy, my family (including my parents, sister, and her family) always have lunch together. This usually takes awhile, since my Dad is our parish priest. He usually gets to lunch late, and by the time we get home it's around 2. My youngest then goes down for a nap, and I always feel like I need to USE that time. I usually grocery shop on Sunday afternoons, and the house always seems to be more of a mess from the hurried weekend activity. By the time all is said and done, it's 6pm, I need to make dinner, and then it's the usual evening chaos before bed. Then my Sunday has somehow disappeared! I also usually have a feeling of resentment towards my husband. He spends his Sunday afternoon lounging with the older two kids, and I always feel like I'm the only one contributing. I think I may have it backwards.

Today, I forced myself to rest. After my youngest went down, I just hung out. It's HARD! I see all the things around me that need to be done, and I still need to grocery shop. I guess I need to move the shopping to a different time, and either I have to do more on Saturday to keep the mess at bay, or just shut my eyes to it on Sunday.

Either way, I think taking time to rest is important, and I need to learn how to do it! Why is it so hard to do nothing? No one else around here seems to have any difficulty!

June Happenings

2009-06-30T09:00:00.010-05:00

It has been a very busy summer! We've been doing a lot of work in the backyard. I'm very proud of our little patch, as you can see above! We have continued our Latin studies at home, and all last week we were busy with our church's Vacation Church School. It was a wonderful week, and my good friend has lots of info and pictures from it here.

A few days ago, I took my oldest to Camp St. Thekla. This was his first year as a camper, and I think my husband and I were just as excited as he was! I spent all my summers at Antiochian Village, and that's where I met my husband. We were both counselors there, and I actually served as a counselor for the first two years of Camp St. Thekla. My son has been ready since age 5!

Turning into the driveway of the camp was just as emotional for me as a parent as it was as a camper and counselor! My dearest friends are those I met at camp, and there's a bond that only those who have experienced camp can understand. I found myself tearing up constantly during my son's first hour there, but it wasn't really sadness. It was the overwhelming feeling of coming full circle. This was a HUGE milestone for him. He now shares something with his parents that his siblings don't, yet. That same bond that connects camp friends now connects parents and child!

I will admit that after 12 hours of driving, I collapsed at home and let out some Mommy tears. It was hard to come home to his empty room, and we won't be able to speak to him for a week, which is a first. I left him in good hands, though! I'm sure he's having a blast.

Here are a few phots of his first day.

Gassing up for the trip.

Our parish's caravan

Officially registered!

Mom felt much better after helping him make his bed!

Outside his lodge with his counselor, and first cabin-mateOn the left is Fr. Philip, the Camp Director. (I actually had Fr. Philip's younger sister as a camper MANY years ago!)

The Angel Cried

2009-05-27T15:29:00.007-05:00

I love that hymn, and I love how my two year-old jumps up and dances in the middle of Liturgy when the choir sings it! Tonight is the last time we'll hear it sung, and what make it so much sadder is that the hymn will be sung without the beautiful voice of one of our tenors. The servant of God, David, passed away yesterday. I have such fond memories of his strong voice, as it led the choir during my childhood. My nephew had a particular fondness for him, and whenever his voice was heard alone during an antiphon, Julian would yell, "There's Mr. David!" If angels do cry, they will cry tonight. Memory Eternal!

This Paschal season has been very special for me. Having the kids home allowed us to participate in more of the services, and our lessons taught us so much! We had our first experience with kulich, tsoureki, and our new cheese mold. It has been a wonderful 40 days.

Christ is Risen!

Winding Down and Gearing Up!

2009-05-15T12:41:00.006-05:00

It seems that even though our school year is winding down, scheduling and planning are gearing up! I have spent the past several weeks not only planning next year's school schedule and curriculum (which you can read about here), but I have also been working on plans for my home and myself! I have serious plans to declutter my house this summer. My 3 children will be spending 2 weeks with my in-laws in New Jersey, and instead of my husband and I taking any major trips, I asked to spend most of the "vacation" at home. I am hoping to work on the kids' closets, attic, and basement while they are away.

I thought I'd share my 4 favorite books/websites for organizing your home, family, and self!

For the Home: Flylady has been my saviour since my 9 year-old was an infant. As life changes, I definitely fall off the wagon, but I always have her routines to get me back on track.

For the Family: Managers of Their Homes has been a Godsend. My good friend Anne Marie recommended the book, and though overwhelming at first, it has changed everything! I have been considering Managers of Their Schools, but would love any opinions of those who have used it.

For Me: A Mother's Rule of Life has really put everything about MY life in perspective. It goes through the 5 P's (prayer, person, partner, parent, provider) and has helped me tremendously. My new favorite book is not a self-help book really, but it feels like one! If you haven't gotten a copy of Close to Home, by Molly Sabourin, get one! It's a very candid look into the life of an Orthodox mom, struggling to get it right, just like the rest of us. (BTW, Conciliar Press is doing maintenance, so the link to the book above will not work until 5/16/09)

So here's some good summer reading! If you have any specific questions about any of the books or Flylady's system, ask away!

Over the next few weeks I will be sharing my curriculum for the next school year, and my yearly school schedule for 09/10 over at St. Artemius Academy.

The Best Mother's Day Gift

2009-05-12T12:58:00.005-05:00

I have to share my special moments from Mother's Day! Since my children are still fairly young, anything done for me on Mother's Day is still orchestrated by my husband. (So you never know!) This year, however, I received three gifts that I will remember forever: The first is a simple sentence that my husband wrote in my card, but it means the world. He wrote, "I can already see a huge difference in the children since you have started homeschooling, and it is really the ultimate in selfless things to have given up your free time to devote totally to the children." I have not been the most confident teachers, so his reassurance raised my confidence a lot! The second gift was my Kindergartner reading the card from her and her siblings to me. She is such a reader now, and I'm so proud. The third gift was a special project that my husband lovingly and painstakingly created. This was a project I had come up with for my gift to my mother, grandmother, his mother and the kids' godmothers. After helping me with all of them, he stayed up late Saturday night and made them again, for me. They are silhouettes of our children, and I LOVE them!

My children, oldest to youngest

My youngest, almost two, with all the curls!

Thank you, sweetheart!

Christ is Risen! Truly He is Risen!

2009-04-19T11:42:00.001-05:00

Holy Friday

2009-04-18T16:11:00.006-05:00

The Three C's

2009-04-15T12:35:00.010-05:00

Today is the half-way mark! We have spent the past three nights singing "Behold, the Bridegroom Cometh at Midnight!" (I, myself, have been mostly singing it from the narthex or comfort room with "Little Miss almost-two") The older two have done quite well during the services, and I think our daily lessons from The Children's Garden of the Theotokos have really helped my Kindergartner connect with the services. She has been working on her "Lent to Pentecost" book for several weeks, and it has been a blessing for all of us.

The next several days, and especially nights, are wonderful and yet so hard!

Today my oldest two are at an all-day enrichment class. I always try to make Holy Wednesday
"Three C's Day". The C's are for cooking, cleaning, and clothes! Have you noticed that your home seems to explode between Holy Thursday night and Agape Vespers? I know that in our house we're barely here, and when we are we're either sleeping, or getting ready for the next service! I really do not enjoy spending Bright Monday sifting through the rubble! So today I tried to do some extra chores that I won't have time for this weekend. I also put away all the laundry and set aside the children's church clothing for the next several days. (Tonight's are already laid out). Now that the little one is napping, I'm going to do my preliminary cooking preparations. My husband is the gourmet cook of the family, and he usually takes care of most of our Pascha basket food (at least, he cooks all of the meat!). This year however, I'm trying to make a few of the traditional items. I'm trying kulich, the Paska cheese, and tsoureki.

I also finally got a lamb mold for the butter. Hopefully, everything except the tsoureki will be done by tomorrow afternoon. (Let's pray!)

Holy Week Burn-Out

2009-04-13T07:51:00.006-05:00

I sat down this morning to write a wonderful post about all the things that I am planning on doing with the kids this week, Holy Week. I was going to write about the food we're going to make, the lessons I plan on teaching on the various services, the egg decorating...(you get the idea).

I've decided, however, to not write about any of that! Why? To be perfectly honest, it will probably just make me frustrated at the amount of things we will truthfully NOT do, and it will frustrate you because you will feel like you're not doing enough.

I'm starting to see too much Martha in me, and not enough Mary! I am quickly losing my focus on the one thing needful!

Last night was my first lesson in not making too many plans this week. I spent the ENTIRE Bridegroom Matins service in either our church's baby comfort room or outside (my toddler was actually screaming so loud that I had to leave the building).

So, just to mix things up, here are some things we will NOT do this week:
We will not beat ourselves up if we are exhausted by Tuesday night.
We will not expect our children to make it through every service quietly.
We will not see the end of every service.
We will not stress out over what food doesn't make it into our Pascha basket.
I will not worry too much about what my children or I will wear to the Pascha service.
We will not try to force understanding into our children about what each service means.
Most of all, we will not make this week about eggs, gifts, food, etc.

So my new goal this week, is to just live this week to the best of my ability, to be at the services, and to make it through. The light at the end of the tunnel this week is the brightest of all!

I wish you a blessed Holy Week.

We Are One

2009-03-28T20:58:00.004-05:00

Tonight was quite a night. At Vespers this evening, our church had its annual visit from a group of Methodists, who bring their confirmation class to see an Orthodox church. I always enjoy this visit, because after the service our priest (my Dad), allows them to ask questions about the church, our faith, or even about the "weird" pictures we have at the front of our church! I always learn something new by listening in. Someone always asks the question, "What's the difference between your church (Antiochian) and Russian or Greek Orthodox churches?" My father always explains that except for language or minute cultural differences, we are all the same. We are all one. We are all Orthodox. I always feel so proud, and truly do feel like all of "us Orthodox" are one family.

This hit home two-fold tonight. We have had storms the last few days, but during Vespers the weather took a turn, and I noticed several people, including my mother, glance down and then walk briskly into the Narthex with cell phones. I found out that three tornadoes had been sighted a little south of the church (where my house is!) and were headed towards us. The service kept going, but I could see nervous faces, especially the faces of the mothers who were there with young children. During the petitions, we responded "Lord have mercy" more firmly, and with a sense of urgency. Eventually the weather calmed, and we all breathed a sigh of relief.

Unfortunately we found out that during Vespers our sister church a little west of us was hit and the roof collapsed right onto the altar! No one was hurt, but I was filled with such a sense of grief for my brothers and sisters in Christ. We truly are a family. Please pray for the parishioners of St. Elizabeth in Murfreesboro, TN. God grant them peace, and a quick recovery from the damage.

God Will Bless Your Efforts!

2009-03-24T22:36:00.004-05:00

It was about 5pm, and my family was enjoying an awesome tofu burrito at our local M*e's. We had just finished eating, and were about to head over to the shop next door for my husband and son to get haircuts. My husband's cell phone rang, and it was my Mom on the other end. "Are you planning on being at Liturgy?" GASP!!! I had totally forgotten that we had liturgy tonight for the Annunciation! I looked around at my family in our shorts and at the kids' messy faces, thought about my 2 year-old's recent "anti-church" behavior, and couldn't fathom how we could make it to church in an hour! I will admit that my husband and I had some not-so-nice words about what to do, but within 20 minutes or so, we had decided to just rush home, change as fast as we could, and get there. After all, the main reason I'm homeschooling is so that the life of the Church can come first!

Even though we were frazzled and stressed, we made it to church pretty much on time. I have to say, it was the calmest, easiest liturgy I have attended in months, maybe even a year!! My two older children didn't fight, they participated, and my toddler didn't scream the entire service! It was actually enjoyable!

I truly feel like God blessed our effort tonight, and that is what I have to continue to remember. No matter how tough it is to get everyone out the door, no matter how many times I chase a toddler up and down the aisle, God will bless our efforts. It is easy to find an excuse to not attend the services, or to keep the fast, and the evil one will never attack those that aren't trying. If we can just push through the temptations, it's always worth it!

Confused about Compost!

2009-03-05T17:04:00.003-06:00

This is a post directed at all of you composters out there! I just finished chopping up a ton of veggies for our dinner tonight. I was also left with a ton of scraps. As I dumped them into the sink to be put into the garbage disposal, it dawned on me that I've been doing that a lot lately! Since we have been fasting 7 days a week, we've upped our vegetable and fruit intake and have produced a lot of waste!

I have been interested in composting for a while, but don't know where to start. I am going to start a small raised-bed garden this spring, and I know the compost would benefit our Tennessee clay-ridden soil!

So help me out! I don't have a very large yard, so I won't have that much space for the pile. What do I need? How do I maintain it?

Any help is appreciated!

Cheesefare Meals

2009-02-24T13:51:00.006-06:00

Last Sunday was our farewell to meat. My family celebrated our annual "Meat Fare Meat Fest" with some friends on Sunday evening. Now that we've said goodbye to meat, I'm gearing up for Cheesefare! I typically try to do a weekly rotating menu during Lent, mostly so that I can have one less thing to think about, and we can concentrate on getting to the weekly services. I'll share our Lenten weekly menu next week, but I thought I'd share one of our favorite Cheesefare week meals. Besides this meal, we also try to do grilled vegetables with goat cheese one night, and this Saturday we're going to eat at the Che*secake Factory for lunch! Now, here's the recipe for our favorite cheesy meal. (I love it because it gets my kids to eat some veggies without complaining!)

Cauliflower-Feta Pasta Bake

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1 pound ziti pasta
One 14.5-ounce can fire-roasted crushed tomatoes
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
2 cups pitted kalamata olives, drained and chopped
3/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1. Preheat the oven to 425. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with 1/4 cup olive and season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring halfway through until browned, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven. Lower temp. to 350.
2. Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook ziti until al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Return pasta and cooking water to pot and stir in crushed tomatoes, feta, olives, and remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil and half each of the parsley and breadcrumbs.
3. Pour the mixture into a 2-quart baking dish; top with the roasted cauliflower and remaining breadcrumbs. Bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top.

Orthodox Pen Pals

2009-02-20T21:43:00.002-06:00

If you have a child who would like to have a fellow Orthodox child as a pen pal, visit Sylvia over at Adventures of an Orthodox Mom. You can get the details and sign up here. Sign up by February 21st.

Don't Forget Our Founding Fathers' Words

2009-02-18T13:05:00.007-06:00

I don't usually write political posts, but these quotes seemed almost prophetic! Take from them what you will...

When we get piled upon one another in large cities, as in Europe, we shall become as corrupt as Europe .Thomas Jefferson

The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not. Thomas Jefferson

It is incumbent on every generation to pay its own debts as it goes. A principle which if acted on would save one-half the wars of the world. Thomas Jefferson

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson

My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government. Thomas Jefferson

No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. Thomas Jefferson

The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government. Thomas Jefferson

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants. Thomas Jefferson

To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical. Thomas Jefferson (Very Interesting Quote)

Training Up a Child

2009-02-12T21:22:00.003-06:00

Bishop THOMAS of the Antiochian Archdiocese just wrote a wonderful article on the education of our children. You can read his thoughts here. Enjoy!

Of all holy works, the education of children is the most holy - St. Theophan the Recluse

Win an Orthodox Icon Bracelet!

2009-01-29T14:42:00.003-06:00

Sylvia, over at Adventures of an Orthodox Mom, is giving away a beautiful icon bracelet. Click on the link to enter to win it!

Life is Getting Back to Normal, and Resolutions (or lack thereof)

2009-01-20T13:46:00.006-06:00

Finally, I can say hello! I have been trying to find the time to post over the past few weeks, but life has been hectic! We had a fun Christmas break, with a trip to Disney World the first week of January. We started our first semester of homeschooling on the 5th of January, and my older two both had birthdays in the past week!

So, now that the craziness (or extra craziness) has past, we're getting back to "normal".

Now that I have two blogs, I may not post on both as often. My goal is to keep our home school discussions and issues separate, so you won't see much school talk here. Please visit my sister blog often, though, since I am still a baby home educator!

I'm not really the resolution-type, but I do have a few BIG goals for the new year. My prayer life is still my biggest struggle, and Satan is doing his best to keep it that way. A friend introduced me to A Mother's Rule of Life, and I have been struggling to get through the book for several months. It is not a long read, or even a hard read, but I have been tempted away from it over and over, and every time I pick it up , my mind is bombarded with interruptions, distractions, and even confusion. This tells me I REALLY need to read it. So often our One Thing Needful is the one thing that the evil one tries to keep us from.

My other goal, is the other thing I've been struggling with (my whole life). De-cluttering. My house is pretty straight if you don't look that carefully. Closets and drawers, however, are my nemesis. I've been slowly working on this, but as soon as anything pops up, like holidays, trips, birthdays, or sickness, my closets just fill up!! At this moment, you can barely walk into my bedroom closet. I am hoping that by the spring I will have my closets under control. The trick is when to clear them out, and how to keep them that way. Please comment on any of this if you have things that work, or don't work for you!

There's my day-to-day in a nutshell right now!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

2008-12-26T10:52:00.003-06:00

I was struck by something this morning. I am very thankful that we, as Orthodox Christians, have 12 days of feasting and celebrating ahead of us! After the 40 day fast, we just can't celebrate Christ's birth for one day. This morning I had to take my 3 to an early morning doctor's visit (Youngest has a double ear infection). A local Christian radio station has played 'round the clock Christmas music since Thanksgiving. We have kept our car radio on this station. When I turned on the car this morning I was jolted out of my "Christmas high" with a regular old song coming out of the speakers. How quickly we forget!

This year we started a new tradition of a 52 day Jesse Tree during our Advent prayers every night. I am so glad that these ornaments go through January 6th. We are heading down to Disney World with my family tomorrow, and our Jesse Tree is going with us. We're not ready to stop celebrating yet! Here's wishing you another 11 days of joyfully celebrating Christ's birth!

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

My Blog Has a New Sister!

2008-12-19T17:49:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to let you know that I now have a 2nd blog that documents my family's home school journey. We are formally starting home school in January, but I've started posting today! Come visit at www.startemiusacademy.blogspot.com See you there!

Another Fasting Meal, Super-quick and REALLY good!

2008-12-09T15:09:00.002-06:00

One of the meals I had planned for last week was postponed, because we attended a wonderful St. Barbara's Day Bonfire last Wednesday night. You can read about it here.

I was able to make that meal last night, and I have to say it is hands-down my new favorite fasting meal! It even has a vegetable in it that the kids didn't complain about. The best part is that you only need the time it takes to boil pasta! (Sorry to those with peanut allergies, but this is a dish with nuts.)

Spirals with Peanut Sauce

12 oz. uncooked spiral pasta (rotini)
water for boiling
2/3 c. natural creamy peanut butter (no sugar added)
3/4 c. water
3-4 T. soy sauce
2 T. white vinegar
1 green onion, coarsely chopped
1 T. honey or rice syrup
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1 1/2 c. frozen green peas, thawed to room temperature

Prepare pasta in boiling water according to package directions. Meanwhile, combine all remaining ingredients, except peas, in food processor or blender. Process until smooth. When pasta is done, drain well and place in large serving bowl. Add peas and sauce. Stir to thoroughly combine. Serve hot.

Recipe Note: The sauce thickens as it stands. If it sits too long, mix in more water before serving, or before serving leftovers. Serve with hot pepper sauce, if desired.

This served all 5 of us, and there was enough left over for my lunch today!

The Intercessions of Saint Seraphim

2008-12-05T14:04:00.004-06:00

I love animals...probably too much. Don't get me wrong, I do enjoy eating them, but I still have a HUGE soft spot. This started at a very early age. I was traumatized by Lassie, I got nervous every time I watched Flipper, and don't even get me started on E.T. Needless to say, my pets have always been very special to me. My empathy for animals was only dulled by the birth of my own human children!

I have always had animals, and from the age of 5, I've always had a cat. Misty was a Christmas present. She lived until I was 20. I grieved for her like I would a family member. A month after she died, I got married. A month after that my husband and I adopted Toby. Toby lived until the age 0f 7, when he got very sick and we had to put him to sleep. After that loss, I decided I was done with cats! Of course, that feeling didn't stick, and two Christmases ago, my husband gave me Goliath. He was a tiny fur-ball. He's a Himalayan Persian with big blue eyes. I fell in love. At the time, I was pregnant with my 3rd child. I had almost 5 months left in my pregnancy, and so I had time to really bond with my new "baby" and he definitely loved sleeping on my pregnant belly!

After the birth of my baby girl, he reacted typically. But things really changed when the baby became a crawler. The cat decided that my new baby was an intrusion and that he was not going to take it anymore. That's when the real trouble started. He turned our house into his litter box! The couch, the playpen, the kitchen counters, the older kids backpacks, MY BED!! You name it, he peed on it. I was horrified. I took him to the vet, but there was nothing medically wrong. We tried everything, buying another litter box, using the cleaner that guarantees it will stop a pet from marking, nothing worked. Sadly, the cat was eventually banned to the laundry room. At first, he yowled day and night. It was awful, and my prayers to Saint Seraphim were numerous. My husband was not so sad, and was already plotting the cat's demise. So for the past 3 months, the cat has been under quarantine. Then about a month ago, he started using the laundry room as his litter box. This was the last straw for my husband. I was actually accepting the fact that my fur-ball was not going to be with us much longer. I asked Saint Seraphim to guide us in finding a family that would take care of him. Then the miraculous happened. A few days ago, my husband called in the middle of the day and asked me who the Patron Saint of animals was. I told him about St. Seraphim. He said he had been feeling like we should try to help the cat one more time, and he had gotten some advice from a local pet shop.

That night, we spent about 2 hours thoroughly cleaning the laundry room, and my husband brought home a few things to try to help. He even bought the cat a toy, which in my opinion was a huge gesture! We prayed that our efforts would help. I am so happy to report that overnight my cat has completely changed!! He is using the litter box, and ONLY the litter box, he's happy, and I'm ecstatic! I've let him out during the day for "supervised visits" and he's been great. I just had to share his story. Thank you, Saint Seraphim!

Tuesday's Menu

2008-12-03T12:22:00.002-06:00

Kids' Breakfast: cold cereal, fruit, milk

Kids' Lunch: turkey/cheese sandwich, apples, cucumber slices, roasted edamame (my kids love edamame, and these sort of look like peanuts but with 40% more protein!) juice

Family Dinner: Veggie Sandwiches, baked chips, carrot sticks
(Tuesday night is our "easy dinner" night since the 5 year-old has gymnastics)

Veggie Sandwiches

Ingredients:
Sourdough bread slices
Avocado slices
Tomato slices
Lettuce (optional)
Cucumber slices (optional)
Mustard (optional)
Tofu mayonnaise (optional)

Toast sourdough bread. Mash avocado slices and spread on toast. Top with tomato slices and any other veggie slices and lettuce if you like.

Monday's Menus

2008-12-01T14:13:00.002-06:00

My previous post admitted to the world that I am severely lacking in the menu planning department. Several of you have given me great ideas! I know there have to be others out there like me, so I've decided to share one week's worth of menus from my household, and if you can get anything from it, yay! I will preface Monday's menus by saying that my children are 8, 5, and 1. I don't require them to keep a strict fast all the time, especially the baby. My older two also pack school lunches, so we do the best we can. They do consume cheese and meat a few times a week, but we eat the same fasting dinners. I will share my children's breakfast and lunches from today, and our family dinner.

Kid's breakfast: Brown Sugar Oatmeal
piece of fruit (8 and 1 year-old chose banana, 5 year-old chose clementine)
milk

Kid's lunch: PBJ sandwich (using a cookie cutter to cut sandwiches magically makes
them taste better)
Baked chips
baby carrots
apples (1 year-old had pears, softer on the gums)
juice

Family Dinner: Haystacks

Ingredients: 1 onion, diced
2 tomatoes, diced
Lettuce, chopped or torn
Jalapeno peppers, sliced (optional)
1 lg. can fat-free refried beans
1 lg. bag Frit*s corn chips
1/2 bag tvp crumbles (optional)
1 lg. can tomato sauce
1 packet taco seasoning
1 can sliced black olives (optional)
Salsa of choice

Directions: Chop vegetables. Warm beans on stove or microwave. Warm tomato sauce and stir in taco seasoning. Warm tvp crumbles. Place each ingredient in bowls on table. The "Haystacks" are assembled by first placing a stack of Frit*os on plate, topping with refried beans, tomato sauce, tvp, veggies and salsa as desired.

My Weak Link

2008-11-30T06:32:00.004-06:00

Everyone has a weak link in their lives. I will admit to several! In my responsibilities as a wife and mother, I feel my greatest weakness in the service of my family is providing nutritious meals. It has become more apparent as the fast has started. (Isn't it funny how quickly fasting shows us our weaknesses?)

I woke up early this morning, and this subject was on my mind and in my heart. I feel the one thing needful in my duties is to start providing more nutritious meals for my family. This is where you come in! I need help! I am one of those perfectionists who likes to jump in with two feet, then quickly becomes overwhelmed and quits. Since I'm trying to be aware of this, I want to start small. My first goal is to make sure my family is served fruit at all three meals of the day, and vegetables twice. Second, I'd like my children's breakfasts and lunches to be healthier, without relying so much on "convenience foods". My third goal will be to tackle dinners.

So, please send me your ideas! Whether it's your own ideas or links to websites or other blogs, I could really use some advice!

I do ask that you be gentle with me! I am not a gourmet cook, and get easily scared in the kitchen! I am willing to work on this, but need to take baby steps.

I can't wait to see what ideas you have. I and my family thanks you!

Tomorrow's the Big Day!

2008-11-14T13:34:00.002-06:00

I wish everyone a Blessed Advent Season! I have spent the last hour and a half wrapping books (see my previous post) and dragging out my indoor decorations from the attic. I was hopeful that tonight and tomorrow were going to be relaxed with tree and house decorating, but that's not the case! We usually put our tree up after the kids go to bed, and then spend the next day decorating the tree and house. Tonight, however, my husband and I have to attend a clergy/parish council dinner with our Diocesan Bishop. We have promised each other to leave early and get the tree up tonight! Tomorrow my two oldest have their final soccer games and parties. We also have Vespers and a parish-wide dinner with our Bishop. So I'm guessing that decorating will not get very far tomorrow. I'm hoping we can get in a couple hours tomorrow afternoon, and finish up Sunday afternoon. We don't decorate the outside of our house until after Thanksgiving (which we are hosting this year!!)

Though it sounds stressful, I am really VERY excited about tomorrow! I can't wait to light that first candle tomorrow night!

Advent Activities

2008-11-05T14:20:00.003-06:00

My very favorite time of year is coming up. Advent!! Since childhood, I have loved this time of year! Now that I'm a Mom, I'm able to share my excitement with my own family. I've shared how I try to prepare for the Nativity fast, and I want to share some of the activities we do on a nightly basis with the kids.

Tree - the night before Advent ( a Friday this year!) my husband and I put our Christmas tree up after the kids go to bed. (Yes, we have an artificial tree.) We don't decorate it, just put it up with the lights. The next morning the kids wake up and see the big tree all lit up, and they know what day it is! That day, (or night if it's a week day) we decorate the tree and the rest of the house. At the suggestion of a friend we're going to wait to put up our stockings until the night before St. Nicholas Day.

Calendar - You can find a paper calendar with 40 doors at many websites, but I have made my own permanent calendar. It has been wonderful to use this every year! If you haven't seen one, here are the instructions If you need any more help I'd be happy to send you pictures of mine.

Every night we light our candles. We have 6 this year (since Advent starts on a Saturday). I personally use all purple candles, except for the one used during the week of the Presentation of the Theotokos. That week I use a blue candle. My parish provides readings for each night, so we also use those. Again, I'd be happy to share.

Nativity Scene - This is a tradition that my parents started, and it really helps my kids understand the journey to Christ's birth. We set up our Nativity scene and place the shepherd and animals in the cave. We place the Theotokos and St. Joseph far away from the cave ( we have ours on a long counter. I cut out 39 "stones" out of brown construction paper. These lead up to the cave. Each night one of the kids move Mary and Joseph up one step towards the Nativity scene. On Christmas Eve, before our service, we place Mary and Joseph in the cave. After the kids go to the car for church I sneak baby Jesus into the cave (He stays hidden during Advent) and when we get home, He is in the cave! We add the Wise Men at Theophany.

Christmas Books - I keep my Christmas books put away during the year, and during our evening Advent time I let one of the kids "unwrap" a book to read. I keep these books wrapped under the tree. Once they've opened a book, it's added to our book basket and they can continue to look at it throughout Advent.

Last year, at the suggestion of a friend, I purchased the Playm*bil Nativity Set. My older two loved playing with this set! This year, I'm going to have to be a little more careful with it since my 18 month old could easily pop any of the pieces into her mouth!

So, as you can see, Advent is a very special time for our family! Needless to say, I am so excited that we only have a week and a half before it all begins!

Saturday's Snapshot

2008-10-11T13:36:00.003-05:00

I had to share this. Last Saturday my new niece was baptized. I was trying to keep my youngest quiet so I could actually participate, and my Mom handed her (locked) cell phone. My purpose for the photo was to capture her in her heirloom "innocence". Oh, well!

Great Way to Get Rid of Clutter!

2008-10-05T20:10:00.004-05:00

A few days ago, I posted about "preparing for preparation". I am on a mission to rid our home of clutter and excess "stuff" before the Advent season. This weekend I decluttered our bonus room (which will hopefully and eventually become our schoolroom), and then my son and I cleaned out his closet.

The one thing that usually holds me back from decluttering is, "What do I do with all these toys, clothes, tupperware?" In my case they tend to go into a box and get dumped into my basement. This is not decluttering, it's moving stuff around! I never get around to packing it all up and driving it to a donation drop-off. Knowing that it's my tendancy, I have put off decluttering, because I don't want to just move stuff around anymore.

I have found a WONDERFUL way of getting rid of the stuff! It's called Freecycle! Just visit the website, enter your city and state, and you're sent to a yahoo group that helps you easily get rid of ANYTHING. Today I filled a huge box with old toys, and filled a 55 gallon trash bag with 70 stuffed animals. At 5pm I posted them on my local freecycle group and by 7:15pm the lucky new owner picked it all up and drove away with it. All I had to do was decide who I wanted to give the stuff to! They come get everything, and I'm free of a whole room of clutter within a couple of hours.

So now my goal is to see how much stuff I can give away before November 15th!

It's the Simple Things!

2008-10-02T09:56:00.007-05:00

I love simple little ideas. This one has been around, but I first saw it at Sycamore Stirrings so she gets the credit! She calls it "Muffin Tin Mondays", but it works any day of the week! Simply grab a muffin tin and fill it with different foods. This has been great for my toddler. Small children tend to compartmentalize everything, and she eats so much better when I present her meals this way. It works just as well for my 5 and 8 year-olds, and we do it often for dinner on soccer nights when we don't have much time (and we're trying to avoid fast food!).

In case your wondering what's in her muffin tin meal, she had turkey, mozzarella cheese, small R*tz crackers, peas, grapes and G*ldfish.

Time to Balance the Scales!

2008-09-29T12:09:00.006-05:00

Calmness and order come and go in waves in my household. There are always seasons when the scales tip the wrong way. Things are definately getting out of balance in my house! The signs are all there: messy pantry and closets, trashed out car, no clean underwear. Can anyone relate? When I see the signs in my house, it usually signals a problem.

As I was putting away laundry today (the first of many loads!), I tried to analyze the causes. Here in the south, school has been underway for almost 2 months. Teachers have ended their "easing in" period. Homework has started coming home, tests are being given, and projects are already underway.

We are now out 3 nights a week for sports: 2 soccer practices and a gymnastics class.

To top it off, my 16 month-old has recently decided to give up her morning nap (otherwise known as 2 hours of precious clean-up time).

All this adds up to chaos! Right around the corner are the upcoming seasons of Advent, Christmas, a trip to Disney World and my two older children's birthdays. Within the next several weeks, things are going to get crazy! There will be an influx of church services, parties, and a HUGE influx of "stuff" into our lives.

It's time to change my routine! I have gotten spoiled over the past few months. With the kids home, nights free and two naps a day to get chores done, I've put off adjusting to our new schedule.

Before it gets any more chaotic I need to take the time to make a plan. The first step is to make a list of tasks that need to be done inside the home. Before November 15th, I need to rid our home of clutter. This especially applies to toys! We have a tradition in our home that we have to give away a large number of our older toys before we can receive any Christmas or birthday gifts. My older two have birthdays in the first two weeks of January. This is our "pre-Advent" tradition, and serves as a reminder for the upcoming season.

So if you're starting to see the red flags in your own household, make a plan now! Before you know it, Advent will be upon us. Do the work and planning now, so that you can enjoy your Nativity traditions without distractions.

Saint Thekla

2008-09-21T20:43:00.000-05:00

Tonight I went to a Supplicatory Service for St. Thekla. Our teens hosted this service, and it was a small gathering. It touched me, though, because all those present seemed to have a personal relationship with St. Thekla. Her day of commemoration is on September 24th.

She is special to me for so many reasons. She is one of the patron saints of Antiochian Village, the camp I attended for many years. It was there that I met my husband, at age 16. Our diocesan camp, Camp St. Thekla, is also named after her. I have always considered St. Thekla a major influence on my marriage. I often ask her to intercede on my behalf, and I believe her intercessions helped bring us together.

I went to the service tonight to honor her, and ended up sharing the story of her intercessions with the teens who were gathered there. It was a blessing for me, because my parents were in attendance, and were able to hear the story for the first time.

If you are unfamiliar with St. Thekla, I encourage you to learn more about her. She is considered equal-to-the apostles.

Troparion to St. Thekla

O glorious Thekla, companion of Paul the divine, you were enflamed with the love of your Creator, by the teaching of the divine preacher. You despised the passing earthly pleasures, and offered yourself to God as an acceptable and pleasing sacrifice, disregarding all suffering. Intercede with Christ your Groom to grant us His great mercy.

We wore St. Helen out!

2008-09-11T07:07:00.000-05:00

I love being in a multi-generational Orthodox family. This is a rare thing in the part of the country I live in, where most of "us" are converts to the faith. I happen to have parents who converted to Orthodoxy when I was a few months old, and my husband is "cradle" and has honestly never been inside any church except an Orthodox Church ever!!

I digress...there's a point to this. This past week has been very stressful. My youngest has been battling an awful urinary tract infection. She has a chronic problem that was diagnosed at 2 months, and because of that she's been on preventative antibiotics for over a year. Unfortunately, the antibiotics weren't enough to stop an infection this week, and she was VERY ill.

On Sunday night, her fever spiked so high she was shaking, which freaked me out. My husband was holding her, quietly mumbling prayers into her ear. My older two were surrounding him, my oldest crying, trying to say the prayers with him. At that point, I was pacing, pleading St. Helen, her patron, for help and intercessions. My parents had come over, in case we had to take her to the ER, and they were silently praying as well. As the night went on, her fever actually came down. My mother-in-law called and said she'd be praying for her during the night.

I am so thankful to be surrounded by family of the same faith! We all came together in common prayer. I know St. Helen is interceding on her behalf. God has truly granted healing mercies. The next morning my Mom called to check on the baby. As we said ended our call, she stated something that summed it all up. She said, "We sure wore St. Helen out last night!"

Happy Saint's Day!

2008-09-05T11:28:00.000-05:00

Today is my Name Day. I share this special day with my 5 year-old. We share the same middle name, and I love sharing this special day with her. In years past, we would visit our church and place flowers at St. Elizabeth's icon. (Our church has a full-figure icon of St. Elizabeth holding St. John the Forerunner). This morning, my sweet-one woke up like it was Christmas! "It's my name day!" Then as the morning went on, and school-time neared, I reminded her to put her shoes on. "But why do I have to wear school shoes?" I replied, "So you can go to school." My princess: "But it's my Name Day." I sadly realized that she has always been home for this special day, and she assumed we would be visiting church. She ended up going to school with a smile, but more often I'm questioning my decisions in my children's education.

I contemplated visiting the church without her today, but it's just too sad. So I think we're going to make a special "night visit" tonight. (I'm fortunate that our priest is also my Dad, so I can get the key from him!) In our family, on our name day, we go out to dinner and the Name Day child gets to pick the place. Tonight, it will be a local Mexican restaurant, and my daughter's Godmother is joining us. Then we'll make our special visit.

Happy Name Day to all you Elizabeths out there! May she intercede on our behalf!

Pride Before the Fall

2008-08-28T09:11:00.000-05:00

I just read my previous post about my routines, and how they have become my way of life. I have spent the past few days wondering why I am feeling sad, bored, and at times desperate. I had an ah-ha moment just now!

The past week has been very busy for me! My 5 year-old Princess Pea started Kindergarten, and my oldest child, and only boy, started third grade a few weeks ago. Three days ago my sister gave birth to her third child. I spent all day Monday at the hospital, and Tuesday night I actually spent the night with her to give her husband some time with the older two. (If you ever think you're ready for another baby, spend the night with someone's newborn. You'll know for sure if you really are ready!) We've also started fall gymnastics for Princess Pea, and soccer for our older two.

So in a nutshell the past few weeks have been hectic and filled with activity! The last few days have been calmer, but I have found myself, after sending the older two off to school, feeling extremely sad and have even begun to dread my days with my toddler! I've been trying to figure it out, "Am I sad because I'm left with just one? Am I missing my older two? Do I need to fill my schedule with more stuff to do?" I've even fleetingly contemplated that maybe I am feeling this way because I need to go out and do something for me, like get a job!!

This morning I was sitting with my sweet baby, and she was having a morning snack. I kept glancing up at the clock, wondering how much longer it would be until she takes her morning nap. Shame on me! Why am I feeling this way?!

It hit me. After all my talk of routines, and how they are what keeps my life running smoothly, I realized I have no schedule or routine for just my baby and I! It has been a few months since the two of us have had our days alone, and even then it was only 3 days a week for a few hours while older sister was in preschool. She was also less than a year old then. Now, at 15 months, she's a different child, with much different needs. I need to establish our daily routine, plain and simple. Now that I've identified the problem, I feel my whole outlook changing! I was looking for some outside activity or lifestyle change, when it was a simple shift in focus. How quickly my pride in my routines is squashed!

So today's one thing needful will be to establish a daily routine for baby and I. I'll share it when the kinks are worked out. As always, I'd love you to share what you do!

Establishing Routines for Prayer

2008-08-21T19:52:00.000-05:00

I love routines. I've only come to realize this in the past few years. As a child, I was always very disorganized and I procrastinated a lot. As a young adult, my habits caused a lot of chaos in my own little world. Then, when I got married, the chaos encroached on my husband's life. I remember in our first year of marriage the arguments that would arise over the messy closets, the unbalanced checkbooks, etc. Looking back, I realize that it was because I never learned to put any routines in place. When my first child was born I quickly learned that I HAD to have routines with him in order to survive. Without realizing it my little schedules and routines spread to my household chores, my calender, my whole life! Now, almost 9 years later, I thrive on routines, look forward to checking off my lists. I realize that my children have given me that gift!

I have been yearning, over the past few months, to extend my routines to my prayer life and the prayer life of my family in general. My prayer life is definately lacking. My children are prayed for nightly, and we pray before meals, the easy stuff. But my husband and I rarely pray together, and we are awful at getting morning and evening prayers into our day as a family. So, I'm hoping that establishing a routine for this will make it a habit. Where to start? I'd love to hear any ideas you may have. I'll share what comes of it!

Oh, and in case your wondering, our first day of Kindergarten went great. She did fine, I cried all the way home!

Wednesday's One Thing

2008-08-20T14:27:00.000-05:00

Today I was walking my 15 month-old around the house, her little hands grasping my fingers. Her older sister came into the room, and the youngest immediately thought this was a game of chase. Her squeals and laughter caught on, and soon the three of us were engaged in a game of tag. This evolved into an impromptu game of hide-and-seek. As the youngest and I were toddling around the house, looking for big sister, it dawned on me. Today is my last day with two. Tomorrow, my 5 year-old goes to Kindergarten. In that moment I was whipped back in time, remembering her firsts. How had this happened? Now, I have been through this before, my oldest is now a 3rd grader. But somehow this was different. Maybe it was because my 5 year-old was the baby for 4 years. I don't know. But as we ran around the house, in our last day of her smallness, I realized that today, this game of hide-and-seek was the one thing needful.

The One Thing Needful

2008-08-20T09:45:00.000-05:00

I am constantly in search of "the one thing needful": as an Orthodox Christian, a wife, a mother, a sister, a friend. Sometimes I feel like I'm under a pinata. One of the new-fangled ones with all the strings. Which one should I pull?

I struggle daily with this, and sometimes feel like I'm running after my own tail. I often beat myself up at the end of the day, regretting all the distractions that I let take over my life. I find myself running around, doing the things I feel are important, but all too often forgetting The One Thing Needful.

Colette Jonopulos writes "As women we have so many responsibilities. It seems our time is not our own. With our homes, families, churches, and jobs we are constantly trying to accomplish more than seems humanly possible...It is easy to convince ourselves that we don't have the time to devote our spiritual life, but that is where the paradox lies. We must attend first to that unseen life, then we will be better able to organize the material areas of our lives." (The One Thing Needful: Meditations for the Busy Orthodox Woman)

This is my daily struggle. I am trying my best to put God first in my life, but find that I am often more like Martha than Mary. "Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing." (Luke 10:41)

So today, I may pull the wrong string on the pinata. I can only pray that I'll eventually find the string that opens the door!