Advent: Second Wednesday of Advent -- 12/7/11

Second Wednesday of Advent (Isaiah 25:6-26:6)

Yesterday, we read of the final judgment of God on the actions of men; today, in the reading for the second Wednesday of Advent, we hear the promise of Christ's reign over all the nations. The earth will be remade; death shall be destroyed; and men shall live in peace. The humble and the poor will be exalted, but the haughty will be humbled.

I think that tonight's Advent message is summed up in the words in red above.  We have been reminded so many times that Jesus did not enter the world as the Prince that He indeed was.  He was born of a young girl from a simple background. Mary was a young girl who said, "Yes."

A couple of thoughts -- in Isaiah's words above, he writes that the Lord is going to remake the earth.  Think about how Mary's life was 'remade' as soon as she was visited by the Angel Gabriel.  Isaiah writes that the humble will be exalted -- reminding you of our definition of humility -- putting the needs of another before your own needs, Mary certainly fit the description of humility and a person who was humble.  And, she is exalted - we do lift her name in prayer as we beseech her to pray on our behalf.

Can you think of three people more humble and poor than Jesus, Mary and Joseph in that stable on the night that Jesus was born?  I can't. 

One final thought about humility -- I was trying to make a point about humility this morning to one of my children.  I was explaining that given a certain situation, a particular child was conducting him/herself in a very humble manner and that part of humility is doing the act WITHOUT the expectation of recognition or reward.  The reward is the knowledge that one had done something for another without seeking recognition or payment.  THAT is a big part of humility and a facet of it that the kids and I need to explore further.  I had taken it for granted -- they were totally unaware of it.  Lots of work to do there.

Also -- Thursday, December 8, 2011 -- the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. 

Second Tuesday of Advent -- 12/6/2011

Second Tuesday of Advent (Isaiah 24:19-25:5)

Isaiah prophesied not only about the coming of Christ as a child in Bethlehem, but about the final reign of Christ as King over all the earth. In this selection for the second Tuesday of Advent, Isaiah tells us of the final judgment.

If you live in northern Virginia, do you remember where you were and what you were doing when we felt the earthquake this past summer?  Before you knew what it was, do you remember how you felt and what immediately ran through your mind?

When I opened Isaiah 24 and began to read v20, I thought back to this summer and the earthquake:  'The earth reels like a drunkard, it sways like a hut in the wind.'  Isaiah is writing about the final judgment.  As I stood ready to leave Wegman's and the building began to shake, I made the Sign of the Cross and pleaded to the Lord for whatever it was to stop.  I would have to say that for however many seconds the quake lasted, my heart was empty of everything except 'Lord have mercy.'

 Isaiah goes on to write that we are to praise the Lord and exalt Him in perfect faithfulness.  Is anyone of us able to praise and exalt the Lord without humbling ourselves before Him?  Can we praise and exalt the Lord without humbling ourselves before others?  Can we be obedient without first practicing humility.......true humility? 

I'm asking these questions because I would be remiss in my parenting if I did not take time and make you aware of the importance of humility.  Sunday night you told your dad and I that humility was putting the needs of another ahead of your own needs.  That is an excellent definition of humility.  We asked you who was the epitome of humility and why and you answered Jesus because he died for our sins and put our needs ahead of his own desires. 

So tonight, let's talk abut Mary, the Mother of G-d.  Her feast day, the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, is the day after tomorrow, and, really, how in the world could we talk about preparing for the birth of Christ and not talk about Mary.   I mean, really?  Let me ask you:  do you think that Mary showed humility?  But, before you answer, let me tell you some things about her.

As a young Jewish girl, Mary was considered marriageable at the age of twelve years and six months.  Remember that people had a much shorter life span 2000 years ago so at twelve and a half years old, one was of marriageable age.

 Luke 1:26-38,  The Evangelist tells us that in the sixth month after the conception of St. John the Baptist by Elizabeth, the angel Gabriel was sent from God to the Virgin Mary, at Nazareth, a small town in the mountains of Galilee. Mary was of the house of David, and was espoused (i.e. married) to Joseph, of the same royal family. She had, however, not yet entered the household of her spouse, but was still in her mother's house, working, perhaps, over her dowry. (Bardenhewer, Maria Verk., 69). And the angel having taken the figure and the form of man, came into the house and said to her: "Hail, full of grace (to whom is given grace, favoured one), the Lord is with thee." Mary having heard the greeting words did not speak; she was troubled in spirit, since she knew not the angel, nor the cause of his coming, nor the meaning of the salutation. And the angel continued and said: "Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob forever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end." The Virgin understood that there was question of the coming Redeemer. But, why should she be elected from amongst women for the splendid dignity of being the mother of the Messiah.  Therefore, not doubting the word of God like Zachary, but filled with fear and astonishment, she said: "How shall this be done, because I know not man?"

This twelve and a half year old girl knew and had studied and prayed and she understood that the world was awaiting the Messiah, BUT as she is kneeling and praying on this day, the Angel Gabriel has told her that she is going to be the mother of the Messiah.  She, who has not engaged in any behavior that would cause her to become pregnant, is going to give birth! 

The angel to remove Mary's anxiety and to assure her that her virginity would be spared, answered: "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God." In token of the truth of his word he made known to her the conception of St. John, the miraculous pregnancy of her relative now old and sterile: "And behold, thy cousin Elizabeth; she also has conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month with her that is called barren: because no word shall be impossible with God." Mary may not yet have fully understood the meaning of the heavenly message and how the maternity might be reconciled with her vow of virginity, but clinging to the first words of the angel and trusting to the Omnipotence of God she said: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to thy word."

Let me have you read these words here yourself and pay attention to the part that is underlined.  Do you see that part?  THAT is humility.  Essentially, this is what Mary said:  'I have no idea how the Lord is going to do this.  I do understand that I have been chosen by Him.  So be it.  I am the Lord's servant -- His needs come before whatever I think mine are.'

That is humility (did I say that already?).  

So, let's think about this in relation to our own lives.  When you are asked to do something, do you respond 'yes,' 'no,' or 'wait awhile?'  If you are asked to do something that is inconvenient for you at that moment (you are at a crucial point in a video game or television show or movie), OR maybe you aren't even doing anything at all but you HATE doing what you've been asked to do, whose needs influence your response?

If your mom asks you to set the table or empty the dishwasher or take the dog out, does your answer depend on whether or not you actually feel like doing it or if you want to do it?

Are you beginning to get a more clear idea of what humility is and how it is so closely tied to obedience? 

Do you know that in order for us to be pleasing in the sight of the Lord, we must practice humility?

Please think of some ways that your behavior and attitude have to change in order for you to be pleasing in the sight of the Lord.  What needs to be swept out of your stable so that humility and obedience can move in?

Second Monday of Advent

Second Monday of Advent (Isaiah 24:1-18)

True repentance means conforming ourselves to the way of the Lord. In this reading for the second Monday of Advent from the Prophet Isaiah, we see the Lord overturning all of human society, because of the sins and transgressions of the people. To be pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, we must humble ourselves.

Yesterday you heard alot about humility.  Again today, there is that word and we are again reminded of the fact that in order to be pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, we must humble ourselves.

Humility is a difficult concept to, hmmmm,  wrap our brains around and to wrap our hearts around.  Here's why:  it takes great humility to understand humility.  Try to wrap your brain around that one.  Did you love CHRONICLES OF NARNIA?  Here is what the author writes about humility:  Christian humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less, as C. S. Lewis so memorably said. It is to be no longer always noticing yourself and how you are doing and how you are being treated.  And, why does it take great humility to understand humility? Well, because if you take a look at what is written in red, we are not inclined to think of ourselves less, we are inclined to notice ourselves, to be aware of how we are doing and we are certainly aware of how we are treated.  That's just human nature.  But, we are called to be pleasing in the eyes of the Lord, and obviously this 'humility-thing' is not going to be easy in today's world.

Well, of course it isn't going to be......we cannot do it on our own.  We can only do it with the power of the Lord.  Where do we start?  Prayer is a good place.  In your prayers, ask the Lord to open your eyes and your heart so that you may be humbled.  I've changed the words in red above and this may help you (the words are in blue now):  it is thinking of others MORE; It is to be noticing others more, noticing how they are doing more, and how they are being treated. 

I'm going to ask you again to look around (and because you are children your 'world' is rather limited as to the people at whom you will be looking) and look at someone near you or around you who might need a hand, or an encouraging word, or perhaps you have a pretty awful relationship with someone that could be fixed.  Taking the first step in repairing that relationship is a step in the direction of humility -- when you put someone else first.

If we think of humility, how much of a contrast or difference is the idea of making a list of what you want for Christmas and handing that list to your parents?  Think about it.

This week we are blessed to be able to talk about two wonderful examples of individuals who exemplified humility:  St. Nicholas (no, not Santa Claus), and Mary, the Mother of Jesus.

Mary's response to the Angel Gabriel which is told to us in the book of Luke is one example of  humility:  'Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.'  Luke 1:38.  Mary was a young girl with no idea of how the news that the Angle brought her was going to happen.  But, instead of questioning or thinking of a thousand reasons why she could not be obedient, her response was simply that whatever It was, she would be the Lord's willing servant.

Can you think of an example of the most perfect act of humility ever?

Maybe you can find a library book or do a google search and get some background info on St. Nicholas.  His Feast Day is Wednesday, December 6th and it is great fun to celebrate.

The word going round and round in your head and your heart and in your prayers should be humility.  With your stable getting cleaned and ready for the Savior, the first thing you will want to have there is humility.  If you have difficulty getting an image of humility, think of the Baby Jesus in a manger in a stable with Mary and Joseph.  The Baby Jesus depended on Mary and Joseph for everything - the same way that you did as an infant, and the same way that you truly still do now. 

Second Sunday of Advent

Second Sunday of Advent (Isaiah 22:8b-23)

As we enter the second week of Advent, we continue reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah. In today's selection, the Lord calls on the inhabitants of Jerusalem—those who have been saved—to mourn for their past sins, yet they continue to celebrate. They aren't thankful to God for saving them, and thus the Lord vows to humble them.

The word 'Advent' may come from the Latin adventus meaning 'coming,' but this past week, it has put me into 'search' mode.  Feeling called to light the candles on the Advent wreath every night of Advent and having a meaningful albeit brief message to accompany the candle lighting has challenged me to turn down Springsteen's rendition of 'Santa Claus is Coming To Town' and look closely at how best to spiritually prepare my family and me to celebrate the birth of the Baby Jesus.

I've read today's Scripture verse more times than I can count - and i have read and prayed that the Lord would give me the words to share with my family.  I am beginning to wonder why some people think there isn't enough time to get ready for Christmas.......really.  I have decided that maybe there isn't enough time to buy gifts, decorate trees, send out cards, attend parties, throw parties, wrap gifts, bake cookies, etc., but the Lord in His infinite wisdom has certainly given us the time to prepare to celebrate the birth of His son. 

Tonight is the eighth night that our family is going to light the candle(s) on our Advent wreath, and listen to a lesson linked to the OT Scripture and our life today.  I don't know about you, but I think that after doing that for 28 days (even if you pass on Sundays or Saturday evenings after attending Mass), there should be at least something beginning to take hold in one's heart that provides a new perspective to the season........as in 'Jesus is the reason' for it.

Soooooooooooooooooooooooooo, going back to Isaiah's verses for today, the issue here is humility.  I can work with that.  Listen up!  The prophet says in v 11:  ...'you did not look to the One who made it.......or have regard for the One who planned it long ago.  The Lord, the Lord Almighty, called you on that day to weep and to wail, to tear out your hair and put on sackcloth.  But, see, there is joy and revelry.'

If we agree that Jesus is the reason for the season, then we must acknowledge that the reason for Jesus is our sin.  'For G-d so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son...'  And, if we agree that the reason for Jesus is our sin, then can we also agree that we should be looking to the One who planned all this long ago?  And, if we look to the Lord and His plan to send His only begotten Son to die for our sins, shouldn't we feel humbled?  Shouldn't humility find a place in our 'stable?'  [I know -- but it's such a great image........you didn't think I wasn't going to continue using it, did you?]

Do you find it thought-provoking that the world (which I have already determined does not have room for Jesus) doesn't have room for the reason for the season?  The Lord sent His Son into the world to die for our sins.  Jesus came into the world as G-d-made man......he was born of a virgin. 

Think back to First Grade and one of the very first things you learned if you went to Catholic School:  'Who is G-d?'  'G-d is the Supreme Being, infinitely perfect, who made all things and keeps them in existence.'  Supreme Being?  Jesus came into this world as an infant.  Born to a woman who (and I will go into this more as we get closer to 12/8) was the epitome of humility.  And, if I think about the Supreme Being, well, I am hard-pressed to think of anything more humble, more the other end of the spectrum than an infant.  A totally dependent being who is totally reliant on the love and care of another.  In that stable, Jesus and Mary bring humility.  And Joseph?  Yes, of course.  Joseph and Mary:  humility and obedience.

I would have to say here that if one's stable is swept clean and one is preparing for the Lord to move in, well, humility and obedience would certainly go a long way in making your heart a fine place to welcome the Lord.

Humility?  Serve others.  What?  You're only 8 or 9 or 10 years old?  Who can you serve?  Ahem........look around.  Why do kids consider responsibilities at home not 'humility in action' but rather consider it as 'chores' or 'work?'  Listen to me -- your mom and dad are tired.  You know how you feel when you get into bed at night and you know that in a minute or two you will be asleep because you are tired.  Well, multiply the way you feel by about 4,584,000 and you might be close to how tired your parents are. 

Can you open your heart, clear out some junk, and make room for humility?  Just humility?  Humility's constant companion obedience will show up with him, and it will be easy for you to let both of them into your heart.  I'm asking you to do one thing, just one thing that you think you are too good to do, or you don't want to do.  Just one thing.

Let this roll around in your head as well:  the time before our celebration of the Christ Child's birth has become (if we look at the world around us) one great, big celebration.  The world has taken the time of preparation that the Lord purposely placed in our liturgical season, and turned the entire four weeks into one huge party.  The world is doing what it can not only to totally obscure the reason for the season, but it is trying to cover all of its bases by making the event that we are to be preparing  spiritually for, well, the world is doing its best to make the birth of the Christ Child anti-climactic.  After the things of the world are 'over':  the presents, the wrapping paper, the parties, and the shopping, well,the world makes the actual event, the birth of Our Savior, more of an after-thought than what it truly is:  the fulfillment of G-d's promise to us that He would never leave us or forsake us.

My challenge to you is to do one act that causes you to practice humility OR to humble yourself.

Be ready to tell me tomorrow what it is.

Saturday, The Seventh Day of Advent, 2011

Today's Scripture Reading is

First Saturday of Advent (Isaiah 21:6-12)

Isaiah's prophecy foretells the coming of Christ, and of His triumph over sin. In the reading for the first Saturday of Advent, Babylon, the symbol of sin and idolatry, has fallen. Like the watchman, in this Advent we wait for the triumph of the Lord.

Below is a re-post of an entry from 1/29/2011.  It has been speaking to my heart lately because my daughter and her husband lost their baby boy 13 months ago.  Robbie's funeral was Saturday, December 18, 2010.  It was one week before Christmas, our family traveled to East Hanover, NJ to Gate of Heaven cemetary where my dad is buried.  This was such a sad sad time for our family -- beginning with Stacey's heartbreaking phone call on 11/14 telling me that they had lost their baby, everything that followed, and then months later, having Stacey and her husband and their two little girls experience the same heartbreak all over again when late in her pregnancy a second baby boy was lost.
As I share about Advent this year, I find myself thanking the Lord a multitude of times each day for the fact that the sadness that enveloped our family last year, feels as if it has lifted.  Last year, I went through all the motions, and I thought I did everything that I was supposed to do for the holiday season.  Granted, we did ALL of our Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve, but there are folks who do that normally anyway, right? 
I told myself that as long as everything was accomplished, well, that meant I felt fine and we were all okay.  Boy, was I ever wrong!  While I did indeed go through the motions, I can stand here one year later and state that I was so 'absent' from the Holiday Spirit that it now astounds me. 
Sadness is indeed an emotion, but grief is a process.  The grieving process has no timetable, no benchmarks that one can try to reach by a certain date...it is unique to each individual and a journey like no other.
I remarked to my husband that this year I have very specific, definite activities/events that have been placed on my 'must' list.  Mariano, the kids and I have prepared homemade vanilla extract to give as gifts.  We have sterilized the bottles, I've had labels printed, and a ton (well, maybe not really a ton) of Madagascar Vanilla Beans have been sitting in very expensive Imperia Vodka since October making what we hope will be amazing pure vanilla extract that will be ready to use by 2/2012.  I am pretty sure that this time last year I couldn't even spell 'vanilla' I was so preoccupied -- and, as for the vodka, well it would have made ALOT of screwdrivers.
I'm knitting a blanket for my grand daughter, I've purchased gifts, the tree is almost up, we have fun things planned as a family and things planned for just me and the kids, I have a definite plan for decorating outside (all in blue in loving memory of Jack Donaldson who was just one of the most amazing children anyone could have known -- pls visit his mom's blog:  www.aninchofgray.blogspot.com), and tons of other things.  I think it has taken me this long to get here to this point where I say that not only am I doing these things, I am doing them and I feel joy in my heart.  THAT is my Christmas gift this year -- this joy placed by the Lord in my heart. 

Below is what I wrote 11 months ago here.  Tomorrow, I will get back to the Advent devotions -- but, the post below came to my mind tonight sitting at Mass and thinking about Mary and how she must have felt when her son was crucified, and with the Feast of the Immaculate Conception coming this week, I thought I would share my thoughts from earlier this year.

My daughter shared this quote with me from C.S. Lewis when this past November, she and her husband lost their baby boy late in her pregnancy: “I thought I could describe a state; make a map of sorrow. Sorrow, however, turns out to be not a state but a process. It needs not a map but a history…there is something new to be chronicled every day. Grief is like a long valley, a winding valley where any bend may reveal a totally new landscape…not every bend does. Sometimes the surprise is the opposite one; you are presented with exactly the same sort of country you thought you had left behind miles ago. That is when you wonder whether the valley isn’t a circular trench. But it isn’t. There are partial recurrences, but the sequence doesn’t repeat.”
My daughter, my sister and I noticed when we were at the cemetary at my grandson Robbie's funeral that the gravesite next to my dad and Robbie's was totally decorated for Christmas (Robbie's funeral was a week before Christmas). We were looking at the teddy bears and ornaments and we noticed the date on the gravestone -- the little girl, her name was Gabriella, had died when she was 11 months old in 1960. The three of us were silent and then my sister commented to my daughter that it's obvious that families do not 'get over' the death of their children......here we were 50 years later and family members were making sure that Gabriella's grave was decorated for Christmas. As we walked around the children's section of this very large cemetary (my dad's gravesite is at the edge of the 'baby' section) most if not all of the gravesites were decorated with tiny Christmas trees or teddy bears, or toys. We looked at dates on gravestones and continued to notice and comment that 20, 30, 40, 50+ years later, so many children are remembered with love.

ADVENT Day SIX (Friday, 12/2): Quick Thoughts for Families

First Friday of Advent (Isaiah 19:16-25)

The Prophet Isaiah continues with his theme of the conversion of nations in the reading for the first Friday of Advent. With the coming of Christ, salvation is no longer confined to Israel. Egypt, whose enslavement of the Israelites represented the darkness of sin, will be converted, as will Assyria. Christ's love encompasses all nations, and all are welcome in the New Testament Israel, the Church.

 

I'm going to talk to the kids tonight about the phrase 'once a year Catholics' and ask them if they ever heard of it or if they can take a guess as to what it means.  I think that Catholics get a bum rap as the denomination named in that phrase......it could easily be 'once a year Christians' (and maybe in some denominations it is), but..............I am going to use it as a jumping off point for tonight's message.

 

Let me begin by stating that Isaiah is not an easy place to find a message that can be made relevant to an almost 13 year old and two 11 year olds.  That being said, after our Scripture reading, I went back and placed particular emphasis on Isaiah 19:20.......'...he will send them a savior and a defender and he will rescue them.' And, isaiah 19:22.......'They will turn to the Lord.  He will respond to their pleas and heal them.'

 

The message to the kids then goes like this:

 

So, we've talked about that phrase 'once a year Catholic' or 'once a year Christian.'  And, traditionally it probably explained an individual who showed up at Church, duh, once a year.  When I was a kid, even people who NEVER went to Church, went on Palm Sunday.  I clearly remember that.  Our family ALWAYS attended Mass on Sunday.....but we had friends and neighbors who were Roman Catholic; however, they did not attend every Sunday or for that matter more than once or twice a year.  It was always intriguing to me as an 11 or 12 year old that there were kids on our block who never went to Mass, but they never missed Mass on Palm Sunday.  They would ring our doorbell with literally armloads of Palms, and ask how much we had gotten, and then point out that they had more. 

 

IF we, meaning those of us right here in this living room, are 'once a year' Catholics or Christians, how would we likely respond to someone who thought that Palm Sunday was 'only' for grabbing as many Palm fronds as you could?  How would we likely respond to someone who thought that Christmas was about Santa, writing up a really long list of 'I wants', and amassing a pile of stuff?  Hmmmmm?

 

Let's go back to something I said on the first night of Advent; I said that one year from now (meaning the first night of Advent 2012) I wanted our family to sit and light the first candle, and not have had it be 11 months since we had gathered as a family to pray and seek the Lord.  Can change, big or small, occur in our hearts if we shut the Lord out 11 months of the year or 364 days of the year?  Think about the stable in which Jesus was born.  Remember how we said it was swept clean and ready for the precious baby.  Our hearts should be the same way.  What if Mary and Joseph, having been turned away at the Inn but told there was a stable they night use, showed up, and the stable was a filthy mess?  What if Joseph starts trying to make at least a small clean place for Mary?  Think about it.  What is it like when there is a massive amount of dust and debris and you want to clear it out all at once?  Do you end up choking on the micro-particles that float up from the ground or floor as you sweep?  Do those tiny pieces of this and that make it difficult for you to see?  Maybe you try to wave or fan the cloud out of your face or nose.  Perhaps you cough or try to turn in the other direction only to find yourself surrounded by the very stuff you are trying to clear out of the place.  'Ugh,' you say.  'This is useless.  I can't do this.'  And you walk away.

 

Stay with me:  if we are taking these four weeks before the celebration of the birth of
Our Savior as a time to prepare of place for Him in our lives, perhaps we need a plan.  Well, okay then.  The first part of our plan is to sit here with our family and hope that someone says something that actually has meaning in our lives.  This stable idea that your father brought up on Sunday night is obviously a really good image because I clearly keep bringing it up......don't I?

 

So, if our heart is the stable and it has to be cleaned, we are bright enough to be able to tell from the story above that if we try to do it in one shot, with one quick sweep of the broom, we are only going to get choked with the stuff that we are really trying to get rid of, so that is not the way to proceed.

 

Let's go back to Isaiah -- where he says: ' when they cry out to the Lord, he will send them a Savior and a defender and he will rescue them.'  Sounds like if you are standing there being choked by the junk in your stable, it's time to cry out to the Lord.  How?  Well, you can actually cry out to Him.....and folks certainly do.....and I certainly have.  Or, you can speak quietly to Him in prayer, and you can listen for Him to speak to you in prayer. 

 

You can speak quietly very simply with three little words:  'Lord have mercy.'  THAT,  you can practically do all day long.  Ask me how I know. 

 

You see, G-d isn't Merry Maids or Sunshine Cleaning or ServiceMaster.  He isn't in a hurry, he isn't on the clock, he isn't rushing off to take care of someone else.  He does want to be invited in, and then He wants to stay.  He isn't in a rush.  He doesn't want to be invisible in your cloud of dirt that you are trying to sweep under the rug -- don't even waste your time.  He knows all about your stuff.....and your rug and what is under it.  He's there to help you roll up the rug, get every speck of stuff and dirt out of there, and move into every single inch of your heart.  And, not just for one day.  Because once you let Him do the job His way, you won't want anything coming along and messing things up.

 

When you call out to Him, he will show up, respond, rescue and heal you.  Why wouldn't you want that every single day of the year?   He sent His son to be born in a manger in a stable so that you could be rescued.  THAT is the reason for the season.

 

It's kind of ironic, isn't it, that commercials and advertisements talk about the 'Holiday Rush?'  Well,

G-d isn't in a rush.  The media bombards us at Christmas with a constant message of hustle and bustle, dashing here and there, and so little time to do the things we 'have' to do.

 

THIS is what we HAVE to do this Advent season:  take each and every day of Advent to prepare our hearts to welcome Our Savior.  We have little more than three weeks from right now to do that.  Let's pray and welcome the Lord in our hearts to take inventory and speak to us about where we should begin.

 

To my children and my husband:  I Love You!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ADVENT Day Three, Four,and Five: Quick Thoughts for Families

Two days down, quite a few more to go!  May you and your family be richly blessed during this time of Advent.

Don't forget the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8th and two days before that, the Feast of St. Nick which is such fun and such a homeschooling favorite.  I will have ideas for that as we get closer to it.

 

First Tuesday of Advent (Isaiah 2:6-22; 4:2-6)

The Prophet Isaiah continues the theme of the judgment of Israel in the reading for the first Tuesday of Advent. Because of the sins of the people, God will humble Israel, and only the "bud of the Lord"—Christ—will shine in glory.

 

We speak to our children alot about gaining the world and losing their soul: 

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=coHKdhAZ9hU&ob=av2e  That is the Tobey Mac Video from the song we hear alot on Christian radio.  Isaiah (not a particularly easy place to find kid-friendly, kid-appropriate, kid-level messages..........about Advent) 2:6-8 is a good place to launch a discussion with kids about self-love, pride, love of material things, and those things being idols who take the place of the Lord in their hearts.  In a liturgical season and time of preparation for the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, the stable must be swept clean (to borrow the imagery used Sunday night). For older kids, it's a good time to have a discussion about all of the gadgets and e-things that their friends have, that they mnay want, and perhaps why you, as a parent, have decided to limit such items.  Again, for older kids, it's a good time to explain the 'slippery slope' and why we want to keep them off it -- and how 'pride' (mentioned specifically in Isaiah) can put one right on that slope.

 

In keeping with the message of preparing, sweeping clean the stable of our heart and making room for Jesus, my kids also love this song: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QVNgI9yhgqA  Remedy Drive -- ALL ALONG -- another simple to understand message about all the stuff that takes up the precious space that is to be saved for Jesus.  Depending on the age of the child, a parent can decide where to go with this -- the message being, of course, that there is nothing more than Jesus Christ and He is all we need.  I would add that if we (any of us - not just kids) are not careful, we can miss Him and  give items and objects the place that He is to have in our life and in our heart.  An examination of conscience, an accounting, an awareness of what needs to be removed from our 'stable' and placed at the curb for junk pick up - well, Advent is a perfect time to get busy with that.  I have encouraged my children to make certain that their heart is emptied and ready to be filled with Christ.  And of course the vitally important message that your child's heart was MADE to be filled with the love of the Lord.  They are precious, and they are the pride and glory of the Lord. (Isaiah 4:2).  Isaiah 4:6 goes on to talk about the glory of the Lord, the protection that will bless His followers, the shelter He will be for each and every one who takes Him into their heart.  Another good place, to mention the stable, the protection it provided Mary, Joseph and the Baby Jesus.  It was no accident that Our Savior was born in a stable -- it is no accident that our children are being called to open their hearts and let them be filled with the love of the Lord.  THAT is what they are preparing to do this Advent season.

 

 

First Wednesday of Advent (Isaiah 5:1-7)

In this passage for the first Wednesday of Advent, Isaiah discusses the vineyard that the Lord has built—the house of Israel. The passage calls to mind Christ's parable of the vineyard, in which the vineyard owner sends his only son to oversee the vineyard, and the workers in the vineyard kill him, foreshadowing Christ's own death.

 

Isaiah 5:4:  'What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?'  This is a powerful verse for tweens and teens.  After explaining that the vineyard in Scripture here is the House of Israel, one can explain to the children the love with which we tend to them, much like vineyard owner (the Lord) showers on his vineyard.  "He...cleared it of stones.....planted it with the choicest of vines.....and looked for a crop of good grapes."  How very much are we like that with our own children:  we feed them healthy food, we monitor what they see and hear, we make certain they are learning and learning well, we love them, we model appropriate behavior for them.  In this season of preparation, Advent, we are (every single day) preparing them to become G-dly men and women.  We teach them to pray when they are little, we take them to Church, we pray with them, we instruct them and do what is necessary so they receive the sacraments --all of this is preparation.  For younger children, the message from us to them might be how interminably long the time of preparation seems until Christmas Day when we joyously welcome the Baby Jesus when we see Him in the manger in the creche at Church.  Advent calenders, times of prayer, saying the Rosary, St. Nick's Day, St. Lucia Day -- all of these things bridge the time between the first and last day of Advent for younger children and break the four weeks into more manageable pieces of time for them. 

First Thursday of Advent (Isaiah 16:1-5; 17:4-8)

In this reading for the first Thursday of Advent, we see Isaiah prophesying the purification of Old Testament Israel. The Chosen People have squandered their inheritance, and now God is opening the door of salvation to all nations. Israel survives, as the New Testament Church; and over her sits a just judge, Jesus Christ.

 

Isaiah 16:1-5:  "In love a throne will be established, in faithfulness a man will sit on it - one from the house of David."  Isaiah makes it easy here to enter into a short family talk abut love, our hearts, room for Jesus and how this is all an unfathomable gift from G-d.  Older children (teens) may understand that we are the New Testament Church.  How utterly important this makes their actions and convictions as young people!  Young people, of course, have that spirit of invincibility, they have the concept of 'do-over' tattooed on their psyche, many of them totally live 'in the moment.'  What an eye opener for them to be reminded of last night's reading regarding the vineyard and the time it takes to plant, nurture, grow and harvest a vineyard of grapes.  How similar is that process to learning that one is having a baby, giving birth to that precious soul, and then embarking on the road to parenthood.  Mary and Joseph set out to Bethlehem over 2000 years ago -- here we are, still talking about it.   How similar is it to prepare for a mere 4 weeks to celebrate the birth of Our Savior and prepare our hearts for His coming.

Isaiah 17:7-:8:  "In that day, men will look to their Maker and turn their eyes to the Holy One of Israel.  They will not look to the altars, the work of their hands, and they will have no regard for the Asherah poles and the incense altars their fingers have made."  Let's go back for a moment to 'no room in the inn,' 'no room in the world,' 'no room in one's heart.'  The message here is a basic one -- this is the time to clean from our heart what shouldn't be there.  Make room for the Lord.  With our tweens and teens, it may be as simple as what words fall from their lips, their manner of dress, the music the hear, the shows they watch. 

I challenged my kids on Sunday night to consciously and prayerfully clean their hearts.  I told them that one year from now, I wanted to sit with them and light the first candle on the Advent wreath and be able to give thanks to the Lord for wonderful changes He had wrought in all of us.  I challenged them, my husband and me to make this time meaningful, purposeful, and to lead us on an eternal path of Advent and preparation to empty ourselves of the world and fill ourselves with the Lord.

ADVENT: Day One and Day Two - Quick Thoughts for Families

DH and I are making a concerted effort to light the Advent candle(s) every night of Advent and have a short time of scripture/message/practical application and prayer with the kids. By the tine dh gets in the door, we don't have more than five minutes to do this, but I am thankful we can put into practice "Prepare Ye The Way of The Lord.'



May I share you what we have done the past two nights? I am a real fly by the seat of my pants kind of teacher, but it has gone well and I have been able to come back to behavior issues (which are huge in our house) time and time again b/c of the message we shared with the kids.



Here are the Scripture readings for each night with a short topical intro about each one. Here is the link where I found these: http://catholicism.about.com/od/catholicliving/a/Adv_Readings_W1.htm



There are of course many, many others, I just happened to select this one and it is working out well.

An excellent way to focus our thoughts and deepen our understanding of the meaning of Advent is to turn to the Bible. Sometimes, however, it’s hard to know where to start. That is why the Catholic Church has provided us with the Office of the Readings, part of the Liturgy of the Hours, the official prayer of the Church. In the Office of the Readings, the Church has chosen Scripture passages that are appropriate to every day of the year.

Every season of the Church year has a certain theme or themes. During Advent, the Church turns to the Old Testament book of the Prophet Isaiah. There are many themes in Isaiah's prophecy, but some of the most important are:

• The need for repentance
• Spiritual conversion
• The extension of salvation from Israel to all nations

This article contains a link to the Scripture reading for each day of the first week of Advent, as well as a brief commentary on that reading.

First Sunday of Advent (Isaiah 1:1-18)

On the first Sunday of Advent, we read the beginning of the book of Isaiah, where the prophet speaks in the voice of God and calls the people of Israel to repentance, to prepare them for the coming of His Son. But the Old Testament people of Israel also represents the New Testament Church, so the call to repentance applies to us as well.

I touched on two points tonight -- Isaiah 1:13 (Stop bringing meaningless offerings) and 1:16(...Stop doing wrong and learn to do right). Dh and I gently explained that while the kids may think we are being real pains by constantly (in their eyes) going on and on about appropriate behavior and responsibilities and jobs in our home, there it is, straight out of the Old Testament -- it could not be more clear what the Lord thinks of their disrespect and misbehavior. I likened their constant, empty apologies to 'meaningless offerings.' I told them that it is NOT easy to change one's behavior and it can only be done by letting the Lord take over every place in our heart -- we cannot do it alone.

Earlier in the day, dd11 and I were going through her Catholic Heritage Curric Religion book and she read that when a person loves anyone or anything MORE than G-d, that person has taken G-d out of the place of honor in their heart. I used examples of anger, disobedience, disrespect, unkindness - and explained that each of those becomes our idol when we act that way - because we have pushed the Lord's love aside.

Back to Advent, our last point with them was that Jesus was born in an empty stable. We explained that in the way that there was no room for Mary and Joseph anyplace that night, Jesus entered the world in an empty stable -- the only place where there was room. We concluded by explaining that we are to empty our hearts of anything that would cause us to choose it or them over the Lord. Our heart is to become, symbolically, an empty stable so that Jesus can take His place in it.

First Monday of Advent (Isaiah 1:21-27; 2:1-5)

In the reading for the first Monday of Advent, the Prophet Isaiah continues to call Israel to account, and God reveals His plan to remake Israel, purifying her so that she will be the shining city on a hill, toward which men of all nations will turn. This remade Israel is the Church of the New Testament, and it is Christ's coming that remakes Her.

Tonight, I began by telling them that G-d's plan to remake Israel so that she will be a shining city on a hill, is pretty much what parents want for their children when they put effort and prayer into raising them to be

G-dly young people who will grow to be G-dly adults. I also spoke to them about accountability -- and being called into account. I mentioned some things from last night about accountability, and we basically refreshed their memory of what it is to be 'accountable.'

I talked again about making room in our hearts, and what happened to Mary and Joseph when they arrived in Bethlehem looking for a place to stay. We asked to imagine a man and his very very pregnant wife and the two of them being told 'no.' I reminded them that at this point in history, there were no hospitals or birthing centers, and pretty much everyone had probably been present at least once at a birth so it couldn't have been that people were 'afraid' that Mary would give birth while they were there. Clearly she was going to -- but no one had any room. We asked the kids to imagine a world that did not have room for Christ, Our Savior. We used examples of the world we live in today and explained that graphic lyrics, violence, disrespect for life and for others in general -- all of these were real illustrations of places in the world where there is 'no room.' Then we went back to last night's talk about our hearts -- I asked them if their heart, like Bethlehem, did not have room for Our Savior. I told them that whenever the chose to purposely and deliberately disobey, hurt each other, or be disrespectful (to name a few things), they were telling Jesus that there was no room in their heart for Him.

First Tuesday of Advent (Isaiah 2:6-22; 4:2-6)

The Prophet Isaiah continues the theme of the judgment of Israel in the reading for the first Tuesday of Advent. Because of the sins of the people, God will humble Israel, and only the "bud of the Lord"—Christ—will shine in glory.

First Wednesday of Advent (Isaiah 5:1-7)

In this passage for the first Wednesday of Advent, Isaiah discusses the vineyard that the Lord has built—the house of Israel. The passage calls to mind Christ's parable of the vineyard, in which the vineyard owner sends his only son to oversee the vineyard, and the workers in the vineyard kill him, foreshadowing Christ's own death.

First Thursday of Advent (Isaiah 16:1-5; 17:4-8)

In this reading for the first Thursday of Advent, we see Isaiah prophesying the purification of Old Testament Israel. The Chosen People have squandered their inheritance, and now God is opening the door of salvation to all nations. Israel survives, as the New Testament Church; and over her sits a just judge, Jesus Christ.

First Friday of Advent (Isaiah 19:16-25)

The Prophet Isaiah continues with his theme of the conversion of nations in the reading for the first Friday of Advent. With the coming of Christ, salvation is no longer confined to Israel. Egypt, whose enslavement of the Israelites represented the darkness of sin, will be converted, as will Assyria. Christ's love encompasses all nations, and all are welcome in the New Testament Israel, the Church.

First Saturday of Advent (Isaiah 21:6-12)

Isaiah's prophecy foretells the coming of Christ, and of His triumph over sin. In the reading for the first Saturday of Advent, Babylon, the symbol of sin and idolatry, has fallen. Like the watchman, in this Advent we wait for the triumph of the Lord.

In Our House, 'E.D.' Is Not What You Think It Is.............................................

according to my husband, it is 'Electronically Deprived.'  A few posts back, I posted about the fact that our family has now been television-free for almost FOURTEEN months.  Yes, we watch DVDs from Netflix and Blockbuster and RedBox, but we have no cable, no satellite and no FIOS tv service.

For the most part, we are surviving.  The kids miss Sponge-Bob, but we get DVDs when they really get whiney about it.

Yesterday, we were in H.H. Gregg looking for a clothes dryer to replace the one we have here - we have a great washer but a really, crummy dryer.  Michael went immediately to the perimeter of the store to watch Tranformers (he caught it RIGHT at my favorite line from the entire movie:  'This is the official start of the remodel.')  He stretched out on the floor, and he was happy.  The girls went to another section of the electronics/video part of the store and were immediately sucked into a movie on a really really nice sixty-something inch screen with speakers EVERYWHERE!  I went over to where they were about 5 minutes later, and I was immediately sucked in as well.  I recognized Jon Cusak, Amanda Peet, Danny Glover, and someone from ER.....but I had no clue what film it was.  That did not stop me, however, from sitting down on the floor with the girls and watching intently.  It was so relevant to our Emergency Preparedness Project from just a few days before......and so clear that unless we put rocket boosters on our Rubbermaid container and were all able to fit in it, well, we may as well just kiss our you-know-whats good-bye!  Flashlights and saltine crackers were not going to help us one single bit.   And that propane stove that Madison was eyeing covetously was only going to help if it could get itself (and us) to WARP speed!

Mariano told us he was going to wander next door to Barnes & Noble (how intellectual of him) and we told him we would be watching whatever we were watching - we still didn't know the name of the film.

An employee provided us the name of the film:  '2012' -- good thing we have our Emergency Preparedness Kit ready b/c 2012 is literally right around the corner.  Another employee told me that if we purchased the big screen tv, he would give us the DVD of the film.  I looked at him and told him that we had a tv of similar proportions at home but it was wrapped in plastic as we were in the throes of home renovation.  I added that I don't watch tv or films (it's true, I don't -- I watch baseball games........typically NYY baseball games, but little else) but I had really gotten sucked into this one particular film. 

Mariano came back into the store at this point and explained to the salesperson that his family was 'E.D.'  THAT did get a strange look.  He explained that we are 'electronically deprived.'  The salesperson didn't even laugh.  He looked at us like we were absolutely one sandwich shy of a picnic!

Michael watched Transformers in its entirety, and the girls and I watched 2012 until the very end...or very beginning depending on your point of view.  Then we exited the store.  It was 5:30pm, the sun was still shining, we felt like we had gone to the movies, Mariano was sitting on the bench outside the store reading the book he had purchased. EVERYONE was happy AND it hadn't cost the typical $125.00 for the five of us to go to the movies.

Electronically deprived, perhaps!  $125.00 on the plus side, PRICELESS!!

The Best Laid Plans----------

I sat down at about 11:30pm last night with a not stingy glass of Coke Zero laced with O'Reilly's White Chocolate (a product of Ireland - you figure it out) and a leprechaun cookie from Wegman's, and I proceeded to fill in what has been going on (hence my extended absence from here) in northern Virginia.  Clicked 'publish' and CRASH! (me, drinking more Coke Not Zero).

Here goes again:

I coached an Odyssey of the Mind Team (my team above) (little kids - 3rd and 4th grade - my twins were on the team) all of them first-time OM-ers.  Our competition was March 5th.  I won't deny that I was hating life for about the last 4 weeks prior to the competition...and I won't deny that I swore up and down that I would NEVER NEVER EVER again coach a team (you know where this is going, don't you?)...and I will admit that I probably swallowed more Xanax in four weeks than I previously had in my entire life, my little team did amazingly well.  They placed fourth in a field of 16.  The First, Second and Third place teams were all much older and were competing in our division for the final time as they were just about ready to 'age out' into Div II.  The First and Second place teams had last year placed First and Second just in reverse order.  There were only ELEVEN points separating my little team from First Place and ONE POINT separating my team from Third place.  Not shabby.

To everyone who heard me vow, swear, promise, and state emphatically that I would NOT EVER coach an OM team again, well, that ship loaded with negativity, exhaustion, frustration, and rule books has sailed.  To those who accused me of being 'competitive' (and used it like a 'dirty' word - what's up with THAT?) my official response is:  'I am NOT competitive.  I simply KNOW that I can do things better than anyone else so why shouldn't I do just that?  Since when has doing what one is absolutely capable of doing (and maybe it IS actually the BEST anywhere) become something to shy away from or be ashamed of?????  That being said, bring on the 2011-2012 OM problems and my little team and I are SO THERE!  And to the parents of my little team members, the bottles of Kahlua and Vodka (really excellent quality I might add) were incredibly appreciated!

Fast forward:

Our house looks like something out of the movie E.T.  It is swathed in zippered plastic sheeting which is pretending to be hallways where there were no hallways and doorways where there were no doorways.  The zippered doorways are problematic for Guidry and he resembles a circus dog leaping through the hoop of flames as he makes a running start for the kitchen doorway - exiting or entering, doesn't matter.  He is so confused by all of this that we have had to switch him to yet another very pricey, very not-available-at-PetSmart dog food for his sensitive hound digestive system.  Fortunately, that really bad flatulence issue seems to be behind him -- no pun intended! (wink, wink)

The demolition and renovation of this house should be completed in 3-4 weeks and will then go on the market.  We are building (on paper) a really nice, not ostentatious, reasonably-sized home in Alexandria......which is where for the past 9 months I seem to have spent most of my time driving to and from as everything we do seems to be done where The Father of Our Country lived.  Hey, if it was good enough for George, it's good enough for me.  A friend tells me that since we will be building in the Mount Vernon area of Alexandria on land that was originally part of George Washington's original estate, we will get a Certificate or Plaque or something stating that our home is on property that once belonged to GW.  Really.  I cannot tell a lie!

Back to OM -- Madison's team (division II) mostly 6th graders, placed FIRST and they are going on to State Level competition in the middle of April.  I feel a little like Al Pacino in THE GODFATHER:  'Just when I think I'm out, they pull me back in.'  I am driving her to practices and rehearsals in Alexandria anywhere from 3-7 times a week.  Oh, and with gas approaching $4.00/gal, I am not a happy Hummer driver.......well, I am actually b/c I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Hummer, but I am beginning to think that fairly soon I am going to have to start deciding between food and gas.

Off again to Lowe's and Home Depot today.  Tuesday of last week (Mariano was on travel) I went to no less than FOUR Home Depot stores and ONE Lowe's between the hours of 7:30am and 8:00 pm looking for counter tops for the mud room.  I have now learned my lesson and I am committed to staying at least TWO material requests ahead of our contractor.  Hence, the fact that we spent yesterday in and out of numerous Home Depot stores and numerous Lowe's stores and went to THE TILE SHOP (clearly bathrooms and kitchens for the Rich and Famous).  We ended up at 3:30pm parking the truck in the lot at GS in (where else?) Alexandria, took the dog (he had been traveling with us all day) for a wonderfully long walk around Mt. Vernon, arrived back at GS around 4:50pm and saw all the kids' little friends from co-op running into 5:00 Mass.  So, yes, I had the kids wash their faces and hands and sort of neaten up and look somewhat presentable, and we joined everyone for Mass (I go to Mass more than most Catholics).  Mariano sat in the way back and ran out a couple of times to check on Guidry who was in the truck.....a HUGE thing as we had never done that with him before.  Mass, out to dinner with all the co-op families (dog still in truck and loving it -- I was glad he didn't eat the steering wheel or one of the headrests), and finally home at 9pm.

And, THAT is where we have been for the past month.  Add in having to have dinner out 4-5 times a week b/c of the construction, OM rehearsals, the fact that we are usually in Alexandria and our house is not......well, I do think it's better than kicking back in a La-Z-Boy recliner (is that redundant?) with a cold one.......btw, I don't even drink beer.

On Tuesday I asked the kids what they thought we might do to prepare for, say, some kind of EMERGENCY -- you know, a weather emergency, or a tree falls on the house, or something like that.  When the overwhelming answer was:  'Call Mr. Lynn and see if we can get our old suite' (Lynn is the Manager of the Towne Place Suites where we lived for four months while our house was supposed to be repaired by the insurance company) well, I knew it was time for FEMA 101.  I'm happy to report that a short lecture by moi and a one hour trip to WalMart has resulted in our family having quite an inventory of flashlights, batteries, safety matches, bottled water, peanut butter, saltines, manual can openers, and cookies.


Photo of my wonderful OM team is up top.  Photos of demolition and destruction.......oops, I mean construction will be up soon.

Announcing The Winner of The Gift Card................................................

Drum Roll Please!

The Winner is:

Old Dominion Heather

Heather's name was selected at random.

HEATHER:  Congratulations!  Please email me at majr0328@aol.com so I can arrange for the Gift Card to find its way to you.  Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and to comment.  MARIANN

What Are You Doing to Prepare for Tough Times Ahead? ($50. GIFT CARD GIVEAWAY!)

WHAT, IF ANYTHING, ARE YOU DOING TO PREPARE FOR WHAT SOME THINK ARE VERY TOUGH TIMES AHEAD? 

I probably communicate with the people on my homeschool board more than any other group........IRL or cyber.  Today I spotted a thread that pulled me right in:

Ok, so I am finally absolutely convinced Americans are going to face VERY rough times
http://welltrainedmind.com/forums/showthread.php?t=245957

and I began to read it because DH had been talking about the same thing the other night at dinner.  I paid attention to him for a little while but then realized I had messed up the pick up times for lacrosse practice and I flew out the door.

Coupled with the fact that we have not had tv broadcasted into our house in a year (see previous post), I am totally clueless to some extent about these coming TOUGH TIMES.  I read the thread cited above, I jotted down the title of a book recommended by an individual on the board for whom I have the utmost respect, asked some questions, and now am asking here:

WHAT, IF ANYTHING, ARE YOU DOING TO PREPARE FOR WHAT SOME THINK ARE VERY TOUGH TIMES AHEAD? 

Honestly, I think I personally will have to take it a little bit further than 'maybe I won't buy a new dress to wear to Brunch on Sunday.'

WHAT ABOUT YOU?

I intend to read every single comment -- I am going to somehow plan a giveaway around this -- I will announce those details later -- perhaps a $50. American Express Gift Card (or a card of the Winner's choosing) -- that would buy a fair amount of canned goods - and no, I am not being snarky.

I am going to give away a $50. Gift Card to a randomly selected individual who comments legitimately

(SPAM will not be considered)

DEADLINE for COMMENT to be submitted is 10:00PM EST Saturday, February 19, 2011. ONE COMMENT PER PERSON ONLY PLEASE. WINNER SELECTED AT RANDOM FROM LEGITIMATE COMMENTS -- NO SPAM WILL BE INCLUDED IN RANDOM DRAWING.

I will announce winner on the blog on Tuesday night, February 22, 2011 and provide contact instructions for them.  Thanks and good luck!

And, just in case you are as clueless about this as I was, here are some links that you may find helpful:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/157...JDC5J5QCCRCSCE

http://sharonastyk.com/


http://scienceblogs.com/casaubonsbook/

http://www.chrismartenson.com/page/what-should-i-do

The Backyard Homestead and Country Wisdom and Know How

The link to Amazon is a publication recommended by someone whose opinion I highly respect.

TV-FREE FOR ONE YEAR TODAY!!!!!!!!

WHAT???????    #$^%%$   And, yes, it has felt like that sometimes!  We moved home from the ESH one year ago today, and I did not get tv service:  internet, yes , landline phone, yes........but I stood my ground and we do not have tv.

The kids watch stuff that I preview on netflix.  We do redbox and bb. 

It has not been without its challenges, but, all in all, it has been good for our family.  Ds10 has what can be called 'screen addicition' so there are no electronic games and no tv now -- it has been a positive change for him -- he is reading books now (heretofore, 'reading' was only something that he did for school).  We do play board games, we do more read alouds, all three kids knit (which they like to do when we read-aloud), we bake together, we make craft stuff for just about every goofy little holiday that comes along.

This is not to say that there are nights when I would love to stare at the screen and just veg............but I can do that with or without cable/satellite/FIOS.


I can watch pretty much what I used to watch (not much) on my computer, and dh is able to get a fair number of football games and baseball online.

There are folks at co-op who look at us like we are from another planet if the kids mention that we don't have tv service (we have a gorgeous flat screen tv - just  no tv service) and there are families who nod in agreement that they do not have tv service either.

For us, this has been a good thing.  I think that dh is amazed that HE made it for one year!

Fast Food At Our House.................................

Our day is going to resemble Mr. Toad's Wild Road today!  We have places to go and people to see.  It is Odyssey of the Mind Season, and all three kids are on teams.  Sous Chef 11 has volunteer work so I am going to get dinner ready while she is there.

PASTA and GROUND BEEF

This is Fast Food at our house.  I am cooking at 11:00am as the kids and I will be out until dinnertime.

Pasta and Ground Beef!  Everyone loves it.  I use jar sauce -- my Aunt Tess doesn't think I use jar sauce, but I do.  She's been told that I use jar sauce, but she insists that I don't.  OK!  Ingredients will be listed at the end of the photos, but they are all here.

We love good quality pasta.  I bought this pasta at MOM's in Alexandria.  MOM's stands for 'My Organic Market.'  My family loves cool-shaped pasta, and a shape like this works well with the ground beef. 

This is the jar sauce that Aunt Tess says I don't use.  I typically buy Wegman's Organic, or Whole Foods Organic or something organic at MOM's.

One pound of ground beef.  We buy our meats from South Mountain Creamery in Maryland.  The link will be found below.  SMC delivers our milk (in glass bottles) and meats and other goodies once a week.  The meat is hormone-free, antibiotic-free and the cows are grass-fed.  If I forget to order meat from 'the farm,' I will buy organic at Wegman's.

I am only going to use a tsp of tomato paste in the ground beef.  And, we are going to be adding grated cheese.

The ground beef has been defrosted and is ready to be browned.  A hint here:  remember the yellow rice and black bean recipe?  If you wanted to add ground beef, this is the method I use to brown it.

I have a different sous chef today, btw.

Pour 2 teaspoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil (these olives have never even seen a man) in your fry pan.  We use a basting brush to coat the pan so we don't use more oil than we need.

The ground beef goes in, the heat is on medium to begin.  I slice the square of ground beef lengthwise......

I slice it crosswise, and with the spatula, I break it up some more and make sure it covers the pan evenly so it browns evenly.

Like this.

I continue to use the spatula to break it up and get the uncooked beef to the bottom of the fry pan.

Today's sous chef, Miss Eenie Weenie, grates cheese into a little dish we will put on the table at dinner.  Watch your knuckles!





The beef is nicely browned.  If you were going to use it with the yellow rice dish, it would be perfect right now.  If you are going to proceed with the Pasta and Ground Beef, read on.

I add the sauce.  This is about 2/3 of a jar.

I get every last drop from the jar.

That looks good.

I stir the sauce into the browned beef thoroughly.

My sous chef, Miss Eenie Weenie, grates cheese into the ground beef and sauce.

The cheese, beef and sauce before stirring in the cheese.

Ground beef, sauce and cheese nicely mixed.

I add a half teaspoon to one teaspoon of tomato paste just to thicken things and give it a hint of sweetness.

And, the tomato paste goes in.......



Stir.  Cover.  Let sit and only slightly simmer at the lowest heat setting possible.  Now it's time to 'get the pot on' for the pasta.



I add a teaspoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to the pasta water right when I turn on the heat.  And, I have added a teaspoon of salt as well.

When the water comes to a full, rolling boil, we add the pasta........

We are using a full pound of pasta.  Lower the heat to medium-high, and stir.

Notice that none of your pasta is floating.......that's because it isn't cooked.  When the pasta is cooked, it will float.

Like this.

Drain into your colander.

Don't get burned.  The steam is hot!

Give those last few a little nudge.

Give it a stir so the water is drained -- this shape might have some water 'inside' so give it a stir.

The pasta goes back into the pot that we used to cook it in.

That's why I call this 'fast food' -- cooking and clean up are a snap!

Add the ground beef and sauce to the cooked pasta.

All of it goes in.  And the fry pan is HEAVY!

All in.

Almost finished.  Stir everything till thoroughly mixed.

Stir.

And stir.

AND, that is why we call it FAST FOOD!  Did I say that already?  Start to clean-up: 25 minutes.....and I was taking photos!

OOPS!  I'm dropping hints to DH for Valentine's Day, hence, the PANDORA book.  I'm leaving this photo in so he sees it.

I know it's only 11:30am, but I get flatware and dinnerware out on the table so one of the kids can get the table set as soon as we walk in the door.

Our Pasta and Ground Beef are going to sit in here till it is time to warm it in the oven.

It's here......waiting......waiting........waiting........................

The kids and I are out the door.  We will stop at Wegman's on our way home for a loaf of fresh-baked bread and a salad to go with our pasta and ground beef. 

Here is what you need:

Pound of Ground Beef
Salt, Pepper, Olive Oil, Grated Cheese or Cheese for Grating
A Pound of Pasta
Jar of Pasta Sauce
One teaspoon of Tomato Paste

Serve with a nice loaf of Italian bread (we are having Rosemary Loaf with Olive Oil and Sea Salt from Wegman's) and a Caesar salad!  Who says you can't get a great dinner on the table just because you've been in the car most of the day!

Mangia!