Thoughts for Thursday

What am I cooking?

Meat!  We just got our twice a year meat delivery, and after a vegetarian Lent, I am happy to have easy, familiar meals to prepare.  Tonight I did homemade breaded chicken tenders with dijon honey, whole wheat noodles and a cucumber salad.  Smiles all around!

What are my weekend plans?

Busy and so, so wonderful.  First up, two baseball games, then the little Catholic girls club I lead is meeting to pray the Rosary, then I am going to the ballet — My girls are performing in Don Quixote on Saturday night, my little boys are having a guys night in with their uncle and cousin, and then on Sunday I am taking my children to New York to meet their newborn cousin!

What are my prayer intentions for the day? Thanksgiving.  My husband’s work schedule has eased up a little bit, I am able to sleep well most nights, and really trying to take the time to treasure my children.  My spiritual director encouraged me to thank the Lord often for this “cool breeze,” the joy in my soul at the moment.

What can my children do instead of  watching TV? Gross Science.  My son made gelatin blood from a kit he got for his birthday, and now it is sitting in a petri dish on my kitchen counter so that it can coagulate.  There are other experiments in there that involve cultivating the bacteria from between your toes.  Ah, boys.

What have I done for my marriage this week? I told my husband that I have noticed that our expenses have gone up; we are spending a lot of money right now, on groceries, kids activities and necessities.  By honestly pointing that out, I hoped to give him a safe window to talk about it if the bills this month make him concerned and he feels that we need to pinch a little bit going forward.  It is hard to be the person wielding the credit card and just see those check out totals climb and climb as the kids eat more each year, but it is still harder to be the person who processes at the grand total at the end of each month!

What am I reading? The Catechism.  I have a 200 page assignment for a morality class I am taking.  Wow, is it a stretch for my brain to do academic reading these days!  But, every word is wonderful.

What is one product that made my life easier? Tide Pods!  My children do their own laundry, so a pre-measured toss and go detergent pod has made a huge difference.  I got a sample in the mail and was immediately sold on the concept.

What is challenging me lately? My desire to do home improvement and nest (see above on budget), and also my desire to be home as much as possible, when instead our life at this time of year demands my being out and on the go almost every day.  The rain this week is such a relief to me because it gives us permission to stay home.  I get even more introverted when I am pregnant and postpartum, and I have already started to warn some local friends not to take it personally if I am anti-social all summer, I just get very shy and prefer to live within my own 4 walls, where, frankly, there is still plenty of social activity each day!  In the past, this has damaged some relationships, because people want to help and are insulted that I don’t receive the help graciously, but truly I would rather cook my own meal than have someone ring my door bell and have to make small talk while they drop off a lasagna.  I am still trying to figure out how to work that through smoothly.