7 Quick Takes: The “Mommy has a crush on Jesus” and More Edition

— 1 —

Thomas, who is just shy of five months, has made his modeling debut.

— 2 —

7-year-old: Do you have a crush on anyone, Mommy?

Me: Yup.

7-year-old: I think I know who.

Me: Who do you think?

7-year-old: Jesus!

4-year-old: Yeah. It’s definitely Jesus.

I actually had their daddy in mind, but I’ll take Jesus as my main squeeze any day.

This exchange reminds me of the beautiful quote from St. Augustine:

“To fall in love with God is the greatest of all romances; to seek Him, the greatest adventure; to find Him, the greatest human achievement.”

— 3 —

After one of Madeline’s homeschool co-op days she confided in me that there was a little girl who some of the other children were excluding. Madeline admitted that this particular child didn’t always listen well and that it wasn’t always easy to be extra nice to her. I encouraged Madeline to stand up for this girl and to do her best to include her during their free play time and lunch.

Following her co-op this week, my daughter hopped in the van and immediately told me that she tried to be nice to this child, but she threw a carrot at Madeline during lunch. I explained that sometimes when a child felt excluded or was worried about fitting in, she might not act like themselves but that Madeline should still be kind even if the girl wasn’t always nice in return.

“Love your enemies,” I added, hoping to turn this into a lesson rooted in Scripture. But then I realized that this little girl probably shouldn’t be thought of as an enemy just because she tossed a carrot at Madeline.

“Not that she’s your enemy,” I hastily added.

“No,” Madeline agreed. “It’s not like she’s Darth Vader or something.”

So much for a Biblical lesson.

The Star Wars obsession continues.

In fact, we couldn’t resist buying these Yoda Robeez shoes for Thomas, especially since they were on sale at Stride Rite.

Then my uber talented sister-in-law made Madeline a Star Wars dress!

I just love how she's posing like a little lady but wearing a dress with Han Solo's ship on it.

Here’s a closeup of the pattern:

Read more

Everybody’s sick around here

Even my 2-year-old’s baby doll.

Fortunately, the baby and the girls only have some sniffles and congestion. This doll seems to be in for a worse fate. The Black Death perhaps?

Those are actually globs of black Play-doh. My 2-year-old is normally a very attentive mommy, but she has recently taken up a new pastime of plastering Play-Doh to all sorts of things. Giving her free reign with the stuff is definitely a trade off. It keeps her busy for a long time, but the cleanup keeps me busy for a long time, too.

Waiting for my miracle

Tonight I was curled up next to my 4-year-old, my eyes half-mast. “I’m so tired. I just may fall asleep right here beside you.”

“And stay here all night?” she asked hopefully. It’s been an adjustment for my two younger daughters to not be able to sleep with me now that I have to night-nurture my little man and can’t safely co-sleep with everybody. Nor can I imagine how crowded our bed would be with five and occasionally six people in it since my 7-year-old still periodically migrates to our room. (For some co-sleeping humor, check this out.)

“Well, I’ll stay here until Thomas wakes up. Then I’ll have to go sleep with him.”

“Would it be a miracle if he didn’t need you all night?”

“Yes.”

“Would it be really, really, really a miracle if he didn’t need you?”

“Yes.”

Not even two seconds later, I could faintly detect a noise rising up from below us that sounded an awful lot like a baby wailing.

“I think I hear Thomas,” my sweet, understanding daughter said.

No miracles for me tonight. In fact, I’m typing standing up as I bounce my baby boy in my Ergo, his head completely burrowed into my chest.

See?

Sleep is overrated. That’s what I keep telling myself anyway.

Glorify God in Your Body

I’m honored to have a guest post over at the Behold Conference’s blog. The big event is just around the corner. Mark your calendars for March 10th, and find all the registration info here.  It’s going to be an amazing weekend of faith, fellowship, and fun, and you’ll get to meet all sorts of familar faces in Catholic media: Danielle Bean, Jen Fulwiler,  Sarah Reinhard, Mary Hasson, Arwen Mosher, Amy Bonaccorso, Sr. Helena Burns, Hallie Lord, and more! Marie Miller will be performing, and Ginny Baldridge, and the Sisters of Life and I will be speaking. Plus, you’ll get to meet my little sidekick, Thomas, and my mom, my official baby holder for the weekend (but she promises to share!).

Here’s an excerpt from my post:

I love the spring. It’s especially romantic to dream about the season of renewal now when we’re all waiting for that last cold sigh of winter. I imagine the green grass, the effusion of color that the springtime brings, and the warmer days. Ahhhhh… (Of course, I live in the South and won’t pretend to know what a real, bitter winter feels like!)

But is there any less glory when the trees are stripped of their leaves and stand stark against the gray sky?

The naked tree, the latent flowers hiding in our front yard – these natural things are doing what they were designed to do and are without pretense or flamboyance honoring God. They don’t look like much now, but they’ll be beautiful in a few months’ time. They will glorify God then, too. As part of His creation, they never stop adoring Him.

Isn’t the same true of our bodies?

Please read the rest here.  While you’re over there, let us know how you glorify God in your body.

*And please, if you have a moment, do read this absolutely lovely piece of Hallie Lord’s about thriving in all of the seasons of motherhood.

{this moment}

Quiet time.

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you’re inspired to do the same, visit Soulemama to leave a link to your ‘moment’ in the comments for all to find and see.