Doodle Acres » Baring my soul

Thoughts for Thursday

Heather — Fri, 14 Oct 2011 02:43:45 +0000

What am I cooking? Len and I had a WONDERFUL dinner at our favorite restaurant. We will be taking a cooking class there together this weekend and are super excited about that…

What are my weekend plans? My hubby and I continue to enjoy our romantic getaway in Vermont…

What are my prayer intentions for the day? A boy from our church who has cancer…

What can my children do instead of watching TV? That question would be better answered by my valiant parents who are on childcare duty for us right now…

What have I done for my marriage this week? This week in VT has been all about our marriage – biking and hiking together in the exquisite fall foliage, leisurely conversations, romantic gestures, breaking out of the usual routine, and crossing a thing or two off our bucket list…

What am I reading? Eat to Live by Dr. Joel Fuhrman and Heat Rises by Richard Castle…

What’s Challenging Me Lately? Finding balance with the main areas of my life – homemaking, homeschooling, cooking, fitness. It is a constant juggling act to do all those things well at one time. I can do one area exceptionally to the detriment of the others. I can do two satisfactorily while the others suffer. I can try to do them all and have limited success. So after 22 years as a wife and 19 years as a mother, I still continue to search for balance…

Something that made me think? The changing of the season which is so vivid here in the foliage of Vermont has made me think about the brevity of life. I am not feeling morose, just introspective…

Thoughts for Thursday

Heather — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 19:48:26 +0000

Inspired by Building Cathedrals (Right Said Red)

What am I cooking?

Not much… I am in Vermont with my dear husband on a second honeymoon of sorts. He has done most of the cooking. I am one blessed woman!

What am I reading?

Catching up on my blog reading and The Merchant of Venice by William Shakespeare…

What are my weekend plans?

I am running my first half-marathon on Sunday. Pray for me!!!

What are my prayer intentions for the day?

For my friend Ellen with breast cancer and a good friend who is dealing with an eventful pregnancy…

What can my children do instead of watching TV?

Right now they are being entertained by my parents who love to play games with them, especially card games…

What is one product that is making my life a little easier?

My computer… but it also complicates it… and I’d call that a paradox…

What am I grateful for?

My husband who has willingly taken care of all the odds and ends that my parents needed fixed here at their home in VT – some screens replaced on the porch, insulation in the basement fixed, garage door seal replaced, screen on a window replaced, outdoor sign repaired, etc. He’s finishing up as we speak. He’s a real gem…

What have I done for my marriage this week?

Time alone… it’s a rare treat, and we are taking full advantage of it…

What’s challenging me lately?

Balance…

Something that made me think?

I have been thinking about how our lives are going to be changing soon. Our oldest child (Hope) will be finishing college (Bachelor’s in Business Administration) just before Thanksgiving. Life is going to change for her and for us. It is bittersweet. She’s a fantastic young lady, and we couldn’t be more proud. But the times they are a changin’ (cue the music)…

Repost: In Honor of Valentine’s Day: Now That’s Romantic

Len — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 15:02:25 +0000

(Originally posted Feb. 2007)

After reading Mary Ellen’s post on romance and after receiving an encouraging email from Margaret, I have decided to chime in on the topic of romance. It has taken me many years to shed my teenage ideas about romance developed largely by movies I can’t believe my parents ever let me watch. We actually experienced a few years of marital difficulties in those first few years of marriage due in large part to my inability to let go of those unrealistic romantic notions. If my life is a movie then it certainly isn’t a romantic comedy but praise God it’s not a tragedy either.

Mary Ellen mentioned in her post about when she knew that she had married the right man. My “aha” moment came shortly after the death of our daughter Mary in 2003. She was delivered stillborn at 36 1/2 weeks gestation. As you can imagine, this was a very difficult time for my husband and I (not to mention our three children). In the weeks and months that followed I spent many days in tears for the baby that I would never know here on earth. On one particularly difficult morning as I was crying in the shower, my husband entered our bathroom. As I got out of the shower, I commented to my husband that I wished I was coping better. He turned to me and said, “You got out of bed this morning and you took a shower. Everything else is just icing on the cake.” I knew at that moment that I had married the man of my dreams – romantic and otherwise. This was a man who understood that I was giving my best effort and loved me unconditionally. Now that’s romantic!!!

This is the same man who waited to hold our sweet baby Peter (born 15 months later) so that I could be the first to hold him after the c-section. Now that’s romantic!!!

This is the same man who devotedly goes to a stressful job day after day to support his family and to enable his wife to home teach their children. Now that’s romantic!!!

This is the same man who took his wife on a romantic NYC getaway for her 40th birthday. Now that’s romantic!!!

And finally, this is the same man who loves his wife enough to find special moments together even if it’s only a trip to the supermarket together, a movie, or holding hands at Home Depot. Now that’s romantic!!!

True romance comes through a life of service and devotion to one’s spouse. Now that’s romantic!!!

Gratituesday: A Patient Husband

Heather — Tue, 26 Jan 2010 12:25:11 +0000

When I think about all the things I am thankful for in my life, my wonderfully patient husband usually comes to mind first. I am not a naturally good housekeeper, cook, wife, or helpmeet. Left to my nature, I am not sweet, energetic, or cheerful. I have worked hard at improving in these areas over my twenty years of marriage, BUT none of this comes naturally or easily for me. HOWEVER I have been blessed with a sweet husband, who has bore with my slow progress, loved me in spite of my shortcomings, and been faithful through the inevitable ups and downs of two decades of marriage. He is my treasure and I am one blessed wife. Thanks honey!!!You can check out other Gratituesday posts at HeavenlyHomemakers.com

Stop!!!

Heather — Sun, 24 Jan 2010 00:47:22 +0000

Sometimes God just plops me on my butt… and this is one of those times… walking pneumonia… ugh… I am not used to being so inactive… in fact I hate it… but I know that my body needs rest and recovery… so here I sit… praying for a quick recovery… Lord, please grant me the patience to wait this thing out… and not to rush back into the busyness of life… before I am fully recovered…

Jumping into Advent… a bit late

Heather — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 01:18:30 +0000

I’ll admit it. I tend to have an “all or nothing” personality. So when Advent started on Sunday and I hadn’t gotten my rear in gear, I figured, “Ah well, there’s always next year!!!” Well a well-timed email from a blessed friend and mentor encouraged me to jump into Advent. She, of course, didn’t know about my delay, but her words roused me to start.

Another friend instigated me to “do” Advent for the sake of the little ones (Lily, 9 and Peter, almost 5). Because as she pointed out, the older ones have all these wonderful memories of Advents past (when I was enthusiastic), but really the little ones don’t. She told me of an Advent tradition in her home where she wraps up all their Advent/Christmas books. One child per day (starting with the youngest) gets to unwrap a book and it is read to all. This creates excitement and suspense AND pushes to make sure at least one book gets read aloud per day, which is challenging during this busy season. So our newly wrapped books in a basket are my first Advent activity and the littles did enjoy our first book together this evening. I hope that this will be the first of many memorable Advent activities…

So I say, jump into Advent. And no matter how little or much you do, enjoy the season!!!

Memories of Ryan

Heather — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 14:17:46 +0000

Since hearing yesterday of the drowning death of 14 year old Ryan Barrett, I have struggled to make sense of this tragedy. Frankly, I have struggled to have a coherent conversation or thought. This hits very close to home for me, having lost one of my own children. But I wanted to share with those who might not have had the privilege of knowing Ryan, some of my Ryan memories.

Mary Ellen Barrett was someone that I met online in a Yahoo group about three years ago. When we realized we lived so close, she invited me over for a mothers’ Rosary night. My first memory of the Barretts and of that night is of dear Ryan greeting me at the door. In the dozens of times that I saw Ryan since that night, he never failed to greet me by name (and “Mrs. Giambalvo” is a mouthful) and to give me a big hug.

I had the privilege of driving him to Shakespeare play practice on several occasions. He had an uncanny knack for directions and helped me as I muddled my way through the relatively unfamiliar roads that connected the Barrett and Gunther homes.

I will remember his love for his Indiana Jones hat, Laurel and Hardy movies, his guitar, singing, and tree climbing (he gave me quite a fright one time when I found him up a tall tree ).

Ryan also loved the mass and longed to be a priest one day. While autism made this unlikely, I can’t help but think that he will be honored as a good and Godly priest in heaven as he makes his way to heaven.

Update from Doodle Acres – July 15, 2009

Heather — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 19:50:20 +0000

I know, I know, it has been a long time since I have blogged. I didn’t start out taking a blogging break but somehow, I got out of the habit of posting. So anyway, for those couple of you who might still check this site, I thought I’d write a post about what we’ve been up to…

Well about me… I am happy to have this school year behind us and am enjoying some much needed time off from the usual rat race. This spring I let things get way too busy. Everything that we did was wonderful but I had trouble keeping up with the mayhem in a peaceful manner. Note to self: Don’t let that happen again!!!

About 16 months ago, I started a journey of trying to get my weight and my health into a better place. I began (and continue) that journey at a local Diet Center. I have lost 85 pounds thus far. That number seems surreal to me even as I type it but I am thrilled to be the thinnest I’ve been in nearly 20 years and 25 lbs. thinner than when I got pregnant with Hope almost 18 years ago.

I have learned many things at Diet Center. They have taught me that I cannot change my past mistakes. I can just start out right now, right this minute doing the next right thing. I don’t need to punish myself for a food faux pas. I just need to do that next right thing.

I go in to Diet Center about 3 times a week for 15 minutes or so for individual diet counselling. And the support of my counselors (Ellen and Meg) has meant the world to me. They have shared my triumphs and my falls. They have encouraged me to persevere when I wanted to quit. They have been there for me through everything. And I can’t thank them enough.

They even encouraged me to get off my lazy rear and get moving. Of course they put it in nicer words!!! With their encouragement, I have gone from a couch potato to somewhat of an athlete, who actually looks forward to exercising —well most of the time.

Last summer, I read a book called The Secrets of a Former Fat Girl by Lisa Delaney. The author talked about her own journey from fat girl to fit. She believes that in order to change the same old messages in her head, she had to change how she perceived herself. In a nutshell, she began running and started to think of herself as an “athlete” rather than as a “fat girl”.

When I read this book, I found her logic and her story inspiring. However, at my weight (even having lost 25 lbs at that point with Diet Center) I knew that my body wasn’t ready to run. So I started with “baby steps” (as Flylady would say) and began walking. I walked and walked and walked for months until finally I started to slowly begin to run.

I found a training plan online for transforming oneself from a couch potato to a 5K runner. It was late February when I began my running and slowly but surely I have been able to increase my running time up to 35 minutes straight plus warm-up and cool-down walks. I even joined the track club with my two middle children, Lenny and Lily. Who would have thunk it???

I am a slow runner but I am running nonetheless. And as Lisa Delaney predicted, it has helped me to start to change the way I view myself. It is only a beginning but I have high hopes of running my first 5K race this fall. I may very well be the last person to cross the finish line but who cares as long as I finish!!!

AND BEST OF ALL, I AM NO LONGER ON BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICATION!!! I had to write that in bold letters!!! I feel as if God has blessed me so greatly with all of the positive support he has brought into my path. God is indeed good!!!

Well I know that this update was all about me but it’s getting long and I’ll close for now. I’ll fill you in on the children and Len next time!!! Thanks for reading…

Oh one more thing, I am (reluctantly, sheepishly) posting these before and after pictures in hopes that it will encourage you in your journey towards health and fitness. I hope it helps to see how far I’ve come.

I wept…

Heather — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 21:46:41 +0000

I had been undecided as whether to watch the swearing in of our newest president today. For my family, it is a dark day in our country’s history. I feel no optimism.

At about 12 noon, I decided to turn on the TV and watch the swearing in. Well I lasted about 2 minutes before the tears of sadness began to flow. I spontaneously found myself praying out loud through tears for the future of our country. Then I shut off my television.

I read recently that we have entered another “Dark Ages”, where babies are discarded like yesterday’s trash and the moral fortitude of the average citizen is at an all time low. I do believe that.

But I also believe in a God that is so great that He can overcome all the Obamas in the world and He has the victory. Praise God!!! And it is to this that I cling on this dark, dark day…

Perfectionism is the Death of Homeschooling!!!

Heather — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 00:30:07 +0000

That’s my new motto: “Perfectionism is the Death of Homeschooling!!!” What was my old motto you ask? I’d have to say it was, “Parenting is a humbling experience!!!” LOL

Over the last ten years I have read MANY, MANY books on homeschooling. Most of them have been helpful. Most of them have been inspiring. I usually finish the book feeling that I have found the “right” way to home-school. But experience has taught me that there is no “right” way to home-school. And what works in my house might not work in yours. And what works in my house this week or this month or this year, may not work in my house next week or next month or next year. And what works with Child A might not work with Child B, C, or D. So what is a homeschooling mother to do?

For me, I have come to realize that my perfectionism was the death of my homeschooling and of me!!! I am a first-born with a Type-A personality. I want all my ducks in a row every minute of the day!!! But you know what, that’s not a healthy way to live as demonstrated by my high blood pressure.

A number of years ago, I read a book called The Well Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer. While I’m sure that the author of this book had the best of intentions when she wrote it, I fear that many children have been sent back to school because of the unrealistic expectations set by this book. I love the four year history cycle explained in this book and continue to use it. But I had to learn to set aside its unworkable schedule and ideals.

So now I seek to be more level-headed in my choices for my homeschooling and in my expectations for my children and myself. I now enjoy sites such as Guilt-Free Homeschooling. I am not as quick to purchase every new book or material that I see. I try to think about what I am really trying to accomplish when I make a curriculum choice or an activity choice. These are the kinds of questions I try to ask myself as I make these choices for my children:

Is this (curriculum, activity, etc.) really going to add something wonderful to our lives or is this just something to do?

Does my daughter want to be a professional dancer? No, then why am I carting her to dance 6 days a week?

Does my son want to be a professional basketball player? No, then why am I considering putting him on a second basketball team.

Am I more concerned about the product on a written page than I am about the product which is my child? Because truly, these pages of finished math problems will mean nothing if my child doesn’t know and love the Lord, and doesn’t function well in our family and in society.

So as I look back on the first half of this, my 10th year of homeschooling, I try to remind myself of what is truly important in my life and the lives of my child AND I will continue to chant my new mantra:

PERFECTIONISM IS THE DEATH OF HOMESCHOOLING!!!

And yes, parenting still is a humbling experience…