Team Whitaker — a peek at the world from our branch

Top Ten: Mardi Gras and Lent Tidbits

by Kathryn on February 22, 2012

Because I’m a convert, I have to know the reason for everything. It’s what converts do.

HAPPY ASH WEDNESDAY! I was able to attend Mass this morning – all by my lonesome – at 6:30 this morning. I love my husband. Fr. Danny’s message was exactly what my heart needed to hear. It brought me focus and intention.

This was sweet Clare three years ago!

There’s a pretty great two-minute video over on Busted Halo’s website that’s definitely worth the watch. They’re also having a “Show us Your Ash” photo contest. Now, onto this week’s…

TOP TEN: THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT MARDI GRAS AND LENT

1. Mardi Gras is French for “Fast Tuesday.” It’s probably the reason why you hear about all the revelrie. Our sweet friends in Italy celebrate Carnival on that day.

2. The Mardi Gras masks people wear are supposed to depict the vice you’re giving up for Lent. Hmmm, that gives one pause to think. What would your mask look like today?

3. The bead tradition, just where did it come from? Priests used to walk the streets, handing out rosaries to people in preparation for Lent. It’s too bad that tradition has turned so lewd in New Orleans and other places.

4. Ah, why do Catholics wear ashes today? As the ashes are applied to people’s foreheads today, they hear the words: ”Remember, you are dust and to dust you shall return” or “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” This is our reminder of our mortality and the need for ongoing repentance. Lent is a time for us to strip away all the junk and focus our hearts on God. A “retreat of sorts” as Fr. Danny mentioned this morning.

5. The ashes come from palms used at the previous year’s Palm Sunday Masses. They are burned, sprinkled with Holy Water and then become our Lenten ashes.

6. You can wash your ashes off your face anytime after Mass, but most of us tend to wear them all day.

7. Even though today is not a Holy Day of Obligation, for many parishes it’s one of the largest turnouts of the parish community throughout the year. I think that’s pretty awesome. And, I think it speaks to the fact that people want to be part of a community. People really are yearning to grow in their relationship with Christ. Be bold today. When someone asks about your ashes, tell them!

8. Lent officially ends on Holy Thursday, as we prepare for the Easter Triduum: Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday. But that’s another blog post.

9. There are around 40 days of Lent, beginning with today and ending on Holy Thursday. The days are symbolic of the 40 years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness and the 40 days Christ was in the wildnerness and was tempted by Satan.

10. At parishes, all Holy Water is removed from the baptismal font and the church is stripped of most of its decorations, flowers, etc. Again, symbolic of the sacrifice we make during the Lenten season.

There you have it, a few things you may (or may not) have known about this season of Lent.

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Lent: It’s more than Cokes and Candy

by Kathryn on February 21, 2012

Yesterday I touched on how to celebrate Lent as a family. I also strongly believe you need to do something for yourself. Yes, you can gain graces from participating with your children, but you need to find a way to personally strengthen your own relationship with Christ.

I say, dig deep. No, you don’t have to give up the world and make promises you can’t keep. Perhaps giving up sweets, which really ARE your vice, is the thing to do. But, whatever you give up (or choose to do more of!) during Lent should be a SACRIFICE. It should be HARD. It should ask you to STRETCH OUT OF YOUR COMFORT ZONE. Otherwise, you’re missing the whole point of Lent. A priest once reminded me that if I chose to give up television, for example, every time I reached for the remote, I should be reminded of Christ’s sacrifice. Therefore, as I set the remote down and walk away from the temptation, I’m feeling a bit of selflessness and I’m reminded of what Jesus did for us. When put that way, it makes one rethink the sacrifice doesn’t it?

I also say, forget about what other people are doing. Your Lent will be different than another person’s. The things you learn and the ways you grow this season are different than the gal next to you. It’s not a race, there is no prize for “best Lenten sacrifice.” It’s fun to pin things on Pinterest or share your status update on FB about your progress, but do it for the right reasons. Jesus is worth at least that.

One Lent I gave up Dr. Pepper. Oh boy. Scott almost found me famished on the side of the road. I learned a lot that Lent. Namely, that giving up DP was painful for all of us. The Lent I gave up Facebook proved to be completely fabulous. There was the Lent when I strove to work out every day – #fail. Or, the one I didn’t do anything at all. I think that was shortly after Luke was born. Oh wait, I did give something up – sleep and my sanity.

My point? Write down what you’re going to do and enlist the people you love to help you achieve your goals. I’ve learned that Lent is a lot like working out. You have to share your passion with people you love so in the moments when you feel like giving up, they’re standing on the sideliness cheering you on, motivating you to do your best.

This year, my prayers, fasting and almsgiving have me very excited, and a wee bit humbled, too.

PRAYER: Our parish is offering DAILY confessions during the ENTIRE season of Lent (can I get a hoo-rah?) and DAILY Mass at 6:30am, Monday-Friday for those that want to attend during the work week. I talked to Scott and he’s willing to work out one day a week here at the house so I can attend Daily Mass once each week. What a gift. A busy mom of 5 never gets that kind of time. I can hardly wait. And, I plan on hitting confession as well. I definitely don’t have any excuses now.

FASTING: Oh, FB, how I love thee. To be honest, though, sometimes I just don’t want to get caught up in all the drama. I might even give it up again in October as we enter the election season… My Facebook fast has proven to be a gift these last two years, and I suspect this year won’t disappoint.

ALMSGIVING: Last year, my 40 notes of gratitude permanently altered my perspective. Talk about 40 days of love. I felt it. This year, I’ve decided to go a slightly different route and do “40 Bags for 40 Days.” We live in excess, all of us. If you’re reading this blog, chances are you have a computer, a laptop, a smart phone or all three. That right there means you’re living in the 1% of the population. You need little, you want a lot. Btw, I’m the one in the corner raising my hand and shouting an “Amen” to all that. I’ve decided to take 40 areas of our house and fill up a bag to either trash, recycle or donate. If I don’t emerge from the kids’ closets in a couple of days, come look for me. We do a pretty good job of keeping things cleaned out around here, but I don’t kid myself. We have more than we need while others live without. It’s time to share the wealth. If Lent is about freeing oneself to grow closer to Christ, then I hope my little project frees my heart of some things I’ve been holding on to for far too long.

Live it up, Fat Tuesday. The season of sacrifice is upon is, and I don’t think it’s ever been as sweet!

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HDYDI: Celebrating Lent as a Family

by Kathryn on February 20, 2012

Ash Wednesday is nearly upon us and I am practically beside myself with excitement. My heart is craving simplicity, quiet and reflection. We have some great things in store during the Lenten season. I’ll be sharing more tomorrow about my Lenten promises , but today I thought I’d share what we do as a family.

Lent can be a beautiful time of year. So many times, I hear (and I’ve been the one saying), “Ugh, I really felt like I was too busy to participate fully in Lent this year. I can’t believe it’s almost Easter.” I say, stop procrastinating. I’ve given you two full days to get your hiney in gear!

Like I said last year, Lent isn’t just a Catholic thang. We love to celebrate at Easter, but make the celebration worthwhile. Die to oneself, surrender a bit of that selfishness and offer it up to God in sacrifice. Think about the friend you love most in this world. Go ahead, picture them in your head. How do you nurture that relationship? Do you meet for lunch, exchange texts or phone calls, enjoy a night out with one another, pray for each other? Is there shared conversation, shared experiences? I’m betting there is.

God wants to meet you where you are. So set aside the false notion that you must be a “certain this” or a “certain that” and spend some time with Him. He will lead your heart. No doubt.

HDYDI: CELEBRATING LENT AS A FAMILY

1. When the house was a little smaller and the people were a little fewer, Lent was really about the sacrifices Scott and I made. Several years ago we decided to invite the kids to participate through prayer, fasting and almsgiving. I’d say we had mild success. What we realized is that it is extremely difficult to give up something for 40 days when you’re 5. There were many exhasperated sighs and lots of “we’re never doing that again.” It became stressful and that is not what Lent should be. In a stroke of brilliance, we adopted a friend’s activity and made it our own. Enter, the PFA Basket. As in, prayer-fasting-almsgiving. The kids draw one activity each morning and we hang it on our peg, near the kitchen area. We have three activities for prayer, fasting and almsgiving, for a total of nine. Things like “say a decade of the rosary as a family” or “fast from tattling” or “donate a toy or book” are some of the activities. In past years, we’ve just used slips of papers. This year, I dug out our laminator and got fancy. Mostly, because I could not find last year’s slips of paper to save my life and I wanted these puppies to last for several years.

If you want to download our activities in PDF format and print so you can use them, click here for the lent tags! Of, if you want some without writing, here are the lent tags, blank.

2. As a family, we give up eating out every year (and yes, that includes our beloved Happy Hours at Sonic on Friday). It’s always tough, but in the end we are always so grateful for that sacrifice. We find ourselves enjoying healthier meals, saving some cash and having more quality family time around the dinner table. Amazingly enough, the planning ahead makes for a less stressed evening hour.

3. Scott and I were just talking this morning about how we’d like to try to attend Stations of the Cross at our parish once this Lent. Because the service typically starts at 7, that makes it difficult with little people. But, we think everyone is old enough to swing it just once this year. I’ll let you know if that was a good or bad parenting decision in a few weeks.

4. We’ve even talked about – I can’t even believe I’m typing this – cancelling our cable…permanently. Every family we know that’s done it has sung its praises. We’ll have to see if we’re ready to take the leap. I’ll keep you posted on that, too.

5. We do many things in preparation for, and during, the Easter Triduum and as we get closer to that weekend, I’ll share what we do. In the meantime, call a family meeting and make plans to make THIS your best Lent yet.

Whatever you do, just make sure your heart is where it should be. For many Lents, I’ve struggled with trying to find the “just right” sacrifice. What ended up happening is I did it halfway or not at all. Last year’s Lent was amazing. I chose to write 40 notes of gratitude to various people last year. Some were friends I’d had all my life, some were people I just met and some were to complete strangers. It changed my heart. It made me grateful. It strengthened my relationship with my Maker. And that’s really what Lent is about. Strip away all the “stuff” you accumulate during the year and stand before God with the only thing that’s left, your soul. Tomorrow, you’ll get the rest of the story on this year’s sacrifice.

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Luke Update 2.19.12

by Kathryn on February 19, 2012

First off, mighty big Texas THANKS to each and every one of you awesome people. Luke’s procedure on Friday went beautifully and I have you and a pretty amazing God to thank for that.

The feeding journey with Luke is still making its way through the forest, but I catch glimpses of sun rays every now and then. It almost makes me giddy. We’ve been toying with the idea of endoscopy for almost a year. Back in November 2010 (man, has it really been that long?) when Luke first started the liquid supplement, Boost Kid Essentials 1.5, I never dreamed it would STILL be his main source of nutrition over a year later. That stuff ain’t cheap. But, it keeps him alive and for that, I am 100% thankful.

Last June, I almost bottomed out with hope. I mean, when your kid is throwing up three times a day, one tends to wallow in self pity and hopelessness. My knees were practically raw with all the knee time God and I spent together.

We’ve talked about GI tubes, swallow studies, antibiotic regimens, probiotics, diet food elimination and even a six-week, in-patient feeding hospital stay in Dallas. It’s at this point I’m going to give props to our patient, kind, knowledgeable, wonderful GI doc, Dr. B and our OT and ST, Laurie and Tasi. They have given me my sanity when I desperately needed it.

Back to Friday. I must say, of all the procedures Luke has had done and of all the stays and trips we’ve made to Dell Children’s, this one did not freak me out. Progress? Luke and I awoke at the crack ‘o dawn and jetted down to Dell. As in 0545. People should not be awake, showered, dressed and ready at that time of day.

We arrived at pre-op and checked in, did the necessary paperwork with the accounting people. My answers were YES, NO, NO and NOT TODAY.

YES, this is my child and here are my forms of ID.

NO, he is not sick or running a fever.

NO, I do not need all the instructions you’re giving me, this ain’t our first rodeo.

No, I will NOT be paying TODAY our balance in full. Haven’t you seen our EIGHTEEN accounts with you people??

The nurse called us back and I’m thankful I did not have to run through Luke’s history. It’s a good thing, because that would’ve warranted a 4:45 arrival. Anesthesia popped in, as did Dr. B and our surgery nurse. All quite lovely people. Our anesthesiologist even remembered us from a previous gig. I’m going to go with “that’s a good thing.” All was well until I changed Luke’s clothes and handed him to our surgery nurse, Mel. He gave me the “the look.” Like, “Mom, you are NOT giving me to a strange person and walking away, are you?” He let out a little whimper and then arched his back and let ‘er rip. He was ticked. They quickly rushed out of the room, and I turned around and let those eyes fill up with the all-too-familiar tears.

It never gets easy. Ever.

After nearly a minute of hearing him scream, I couldn’t take it anymore. I headed out the door for the nurse’s station. Guess who met me there? The surgical team. They decided to break the rules and let me carry him back to surgery. Fortunately, this wasn’t a sterile procedure, so I was able to sit on the gurney, hold his sweet little body while they put him to sleep. It was quite the scene. Dr. Park our anes, cued “Up!” on his iPhone, Dr. B held the phone, Mel was holding the mask over his face and the nurse anesthetist was watching his vitals. In less than a minute, he was out and I headed to wait.

When I pulled up my phone I saw half a dozen texts and I knew – WITHOUT A DOUBT – your prayers allowed that to happen.

Thank you for easing a mom’s pain and a little boy’s fears. The procedure went wonderfully and I had a great, long visit with his gastro. We have a semi-plan in place and are awaiting biopsy results this week to firm it all up.

The biggest news is that Luke does not have reflux. We are relieved and thankful. More than that, actually. Now we take the next step and work on figuring things out.

Someday we’re going to eat a burger at Mighty Fine and I am going to be crying like a baby. I just know it.

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Endoscopy Update

by Kathryn on February 17, 2012

Before the weekend hit, I wanted to post a quick update on Luke.

The most important news of the day? Luke does NOT have reflux. Hip to the hooray! We won’t get the biopsy results back until next week, but the photos Dr. B took looked pretty clean and normal. Oh, and YES, I definitely have copies for the baby book because I’m that kind of mom. I’m going to hold off on the throwing the party until I get all the information, but I am so relieved at our initial feedback.

It was a l-o-n-g day, but I am grateful for the many prayers offered up on Luke’s behalf – and ours – throughout the wee morning hours and beyond. I’ll post more later about the whole morning, but I wanted to take a few moments to say THANKS for making our family’s intentions part of your prayers today.

Our weekend should be a fun one. Will and I are off to San Antonio tomorrow so he can compete in the District 4-H Consumer Decision Making Contest. Sunday, he’s participating in the District Knights of Columbus Free Throw Contest and then heading to one last study session for PSIA (the academic meet for our area schools). Thank goodness we have Monday off from school! Make it a great weekend, y’all. We love you, to the moon and back.

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Eve of the Endoscopy

by Kathryn on February 16, 2012

That sort of sounds like a Holy Day of Obligation, doesn’t it?

Ah, it’s back to the place we love to hate, Dell Children’s. The scheduler called today and has requested we arrive at 5:45 - in the morning. Somebody might just be pulling an all nighter. I have work piling on my desk and it’s reaching Mt. Everest proportions. No really. There’s the three dozen cookies I forgot I have to bake for John Paul’s class for the last day of standardized testing. The bills I forgot to pay yesterday, a lonely husband on the couch and my poor, neglected running shoes that only got a workout once this week.

It will just all have to take a number (except for the cookies). I’m up for Mom of the Year so we definitely can’t let those slip.

As a sweet friend reminded me today, I’m hoping for answers WITH a plan in the morning. Answers don’t mean squat unless there’s a plan attached. I sure hope Dr. B remembers to bring hers in the morning. I’ve already packed my big girl undies, a water bottle and a can of whoop ### just in case it’s needed. All I ask is that my sweet boy Luke has a restful night. He’s the one with the big day tomorrow. He has no idea what’s going on, he just wants to read his Cars 2 book.

Tomorrow morning we take a big leap and I’m hoping it’s forward. I’ll be posting updates on twitter and FB. My handle on Twitter is @kwhitaker96 (or you can click that handy link at the top of the blog). I appreciate your prayers, more than you know. I’m off to the kitchen…

St. Luke, patron saint of physicians and surgeons, PRAY FOR US.

Bl. John Paul II, PRAY FOR US.

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More Valentine’s Day

by Kathryn on February 16, 2012

Valentine’s Day was really quite lovely, but we had our doses of reality, too.

Decorating the boxes and putting together the Valentine cards was great fun – for all of us. Once we put on Cars 2, Luke was finally distracted from getting into the paint.

Like last year, I used a printable, designed by Olliegraphic, for the kids’ valentines. It’s great, because we can use it for more than one year and because I only print what we need which means no waste. I found some clear sacks at Michael’s for $1.99 and then baked cookies instead of buying candy. In my mind that seemed: 1) slightly more healthy? 2) way less expensive and 3) lots of fun. Clare and Luke helped me bake the cookies on Monday morning and even taste tested a few. No, not Luke, but at least he didn’t gag at the dough!

The boxes turned out great, as did the cards and the kids were very proud of them. After a little back and forth, Will finally settled on a Skylanders box. He and I were SO proud of that thing. That is, until he got in the van after school and when asked how his box held up during the exchange, he busted out in tears saying, “Some people made fun of my box and my Valentines, Mom.” Insert sinking heart HERE. When we got home, Will and I had a heart-to-heart and we came away with that conversation knowing a few things:

1. Sometimes people you like can be mean.

2. Sometimes it hurts your feelings.

3. When situations like that arise, you learn who your real friends are.

4. We should learn to forgive, because people make mistakes.

5. Tomorrow, they will forget about the means things they said. But, you will remember the great memories you made with your mom forever.

We gave each other a big hug and then ate some chocolate. Somehow, that made it all better. For the record, I think his box was the bomb diggety. One final programming note: this was his last year to exchange valentines with his friends. Next year, they’ll be all “I’m too cool for that stuff” as sixth graders so that made the tears especially bittersweet. I’m just thankful we had such a good time making it.

John Paul’s box was a football field. I scaled him back from wanting to put down real astroturf, flying footballs and stands full of people on it. Hey, we only had a couple of hours. Never fear, he loved it and has asked if he can keep it and use it every year until he’s in fifth grade. I’d say that’s a winner.

After school, we headed over to the Sister’s house for a little Dominican love. Talk about a room full of grace. We love you sisters! And, John Paul started begging to “go see Jesus” in the chapel before we even set foot in the door.

We ended the day with a fantastic dinner – lasagna, garlic bread, salad and apple pie. Will learned how to set a formal place setting and the kids got to eat in the dining room on the fancy china. I’ve decided we need to do that more often. I surprised Scott with the fancy stuff and the kids all in red and he surprised me with some beautiful flowers. What a great night!

Two last photos and then I’ll let you go for today. On Sunday, we celebrated St. Valentine’s Day with my family. My parents cooked a superb meal of tenderloin, potatoes, brussel sprouts and applie pie. The girls and Luke decided we needed a little eating music. Precious.

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Top Ten: 5/6 Basketball

by Kathryn on February 15, 2012

This year, Will was able to play his first year of basketball at school. Scott was one of the coaches and it was all great fun. I thought I’d share my favorite 10 memories of the season, in no particular order.

TOP TEN: BBALL MEMORIES

1. The excitement Scott had during the season. He got his fancy whiteboard clipboard that he could mark plays on for the boys. He spent hours researching plays, coaching techniques and drills for the boys. He was so dedicated and so good.

2. The excitement Will shared with him. That boy loves playing basketball. We have a sloped driveway so getting a basketball goal just isn’t feasible. They’d spend the entire time chasing the ball. So, Will always heads over to the neighbor’s house across the street. He loves playing so much even my neighbors comment on his jump shot. Will may not be the #1 player on the team, but boy is he dedicated. He understands the fundamentals of the game and that makes me very proud.

3. About halfway through the season, Will participated in the Knights of Columbus free throw contest and won first place in his age division, making 10 out of 15 free throws! District is this weekend and we’re hoping he shoots his best.

4. It was great fun/exercise to take the other four to watch him play. With Scott coaching, I was on my own. Anna-Laura found a buddy and all they did was giggle and eat snacks from the concession stand. Clare complained that she couldn’t sit closer to ALG’s friend, John Paul was riveted to the game and Luke – oh Luke. He loved to climb the bleachers. I’m pretty sure my workout was more calories burned that Will’s!

5. One of our last games we had a – shall we say – “icky” ref. He made some bad calls, but we were taking them in stride. That is, until he reprimanded Will about something he did on the sideline. Scott stepped in and told him if he had a problem with one of our players, he needed to address it with him or the other coach, not the player. That apparently did not set well with Mr. Black and White. Scott and the other coach were standing at the same time and they got the stank eye and almost got a technical foul. I have no idea what playbook that’s in, but Scott. Was. Hot. He handled himself well, though, because I didn’t find any of that out until after the game!

6. My kids have a knack for making a big play while I’m not there. I HEARD Will made some awesome baskets, but I only got to see ONE all season long!

7. Last week, as we were heading to the second playoff game, Will asked if he was riding with me or Scott. When I told him me, he slumped his shoulders a little. I asked why and he told me that he and Scott listened to a little rap on XM Radio to get “psyched up” for their first playoff game where they beat a #3 seed. “It just put me in the right mood, mom.” Sorry, sweetheart, you get to listen to your brothers and sisters scream on this car trip

8. Let’s face it, fifth/sixth grade boys’ basketball still has high emotions. It wasn’t uncommon to see one of the guys (Will included) with tears in his eye after making a foul or messing up a play. But, seeing him provide encouragement to his teammates when they had a bad play made my heart smile.

9. The camaraderie and Christian sportsmanship on the court was just impressive and reason #1,052 we send our children to Catholic school. We met some great parents and players this season!

10. The third place finish was certainly the icing on the cake. We only missed the championship game by 3 little points. To be fair, it would’ve only been one point if not for that layup the last 45 seconds of the game. Ugh. But, the boys really played hard in their last game and came out with the W.I.N. That’s the way to end a season. Go Big Blue!

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Happy Valentine’s Day!

by Kathryn on February 14, 2012

Last week, Anna-Laura and I (with the expert help of Luke, Clare and Will) decorated her Valentine shoebox. We had a really great time. It’s rare that a project gets completed without whining, crying or meltdowns. This one was actually enjoyable – by all of us – and I loved doing it with her.

I had a few Valentine sacks from last year’s sale in my craft closet that we cut up and used, along with some “on sale” ribbon I purchased over the Christmas holiday at Michael’s. Sweet! The border around her name and those fuzzy balls came from the best $9.99 I’ve ever spent. Aaron Brothers, a frame shop in town, was selling buckets of craft supplies for $19.99, on sale for $9.99 last spring. I snatched one up and it has been a complete lifesaver. It had fuzzy balls, colored popsicle sticks, stick on letters/numbers, googly eyes, pipe cleaners, you name it. For some reason, kindergarten and first grade teachers are always sending home “project homework” and that craft bucket has saved my sanity. We printed out her name on cardstock and glued it to the top. Admittedly, I was inspired by Pinterest (if you are not on that train, you need to JUMP. ON.)

Her smile says it all…happy love day, all!

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HDYDI: Get out the Door on Time

by Kathryn on February 13, 2012

People always ask me, “How do you get everybody ready for school and out the door by 7:30am?”

Practice.

When we just had Will in school, it was (say it with me): “Soooo hard.” HA! I think it felt hard because we had so many littles running around. John Paul was 2 and Anna-Laura had just turned one. A few months later, I found out we were expecting Clare. So, yeah, the exhaustion thing is what it made it so hard.

Now, we’re just as exhausted but our bodies have finally acclimated. They’ve given up on the dream that we will “sleep ’til we wake up” for the next 15 years and they’re leaning into it. Seasoned parents don’t know all the tricks, we just know which causes are lost and which ones are worth fighting.

Back to the morning routine. Or should I say evening. It really begins the night before.

HDYDI: MORNING ROUTINE

1. The kids lay out their clothes and this is when a uniform completely saves your life. As long as the clothes are mildly clean or I can run them through the dryer with a Bounce sheet, we are good.

2. Water bottles are filled up and stashed in the fridge.

3. Along with water bottles, we also make lunches the night before. Occasionally it doesn’t happen and we definitely pay for it the next morning. It is crazy how much time 10 minutes at night will save you the next morning. The lunches go into the fridge next to the water bottles. This year, we bought these amazing bento boxes from Pottery Barn Kids. I busted out the dymo labeler and personalized them. That label has made it all year, through the dishwasher and sink washing, without coming off. In case you’re wondering, of COURSE our lunches are that fancy. Oh, I kid. You might think $16.50 is a little pricey to pay for the box, so I ask you this: How much $$$ do you spend on plastic bags in a year? We have completely gotten rid of every plastic bag in the house. IT. IS. LIBERATING. And, extremely easy on the environment. That just might be next week’s HDYDI.

4. I’ve shown off the kids’ hooks, but why not do it again? When the kids come home from school, they take out their folders for me to sign/empty and then everything goes back on the hook. Any papers that need to be signed or reviewed are done right after school and we put them back in the backpacks. Otherwise, they end up in the black hole! During the “Texas winters” we hang our jackets there, but that season never lasts long. Below the hooks, the kids stash their shoes, for easy access the next morning.

5. Breakfast is typically hot three days a week and cold (aka cereal) two mornings, usually Tuesday/Thursday. Sometimes I make bread or muffins the night before, Scott whips up some breakfast tacos or we bake biscuits. We’re working to do a better job of this, but for the most part, the kids have a pretty balanced breakfast every morning. Since Will is my early bird, he’s usually in the kitchen before I’m done getting ready and Scott is home from the gym.

6. Most days, Scott is the school drop-off man. It’s on his way to work and he gets to spend some quality time with the kids every morning. They usually pray together, a Hail Mary or special prayer requests, which is a pretty nice way to start the day. I’ve been known to do it just to keep them from yelling at each other. Hey, whatever works.

7. There are a few mornings throughout the month when Will needs to be at school by 7am. Eeek. Scott usually takes him after he gets home from the gym, while I corral the rest. Thankfully, he’s the one kid who doesn’t need waking up around here.

And, that, is how we roll.

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