What We Did Last Night

The girls helped me prepare the pumpkins for carving, then helped with straining the seeds so we could roast them for our trip next week.

I'm kind of proud of how the jack-o-lanterns turned out.  Not bad for someone who had not carved a pumpkin until about three years ago, eh?

More pictures here.

My Girls' Costumes

Big girl:
Little Girl:
I'm contemplating posting their pictures ... I'll have to think about it, though.  In the meantime, enjoy these artists' renderings of their costumes.  ;)

Matthew 25 in Action

This is a really nice story.

(*Skip the comments - they just detract from the beauty of what that woman did for a stranger.)

Hat tip: On the Other Foot

Are We Setting the Bar Too Low?

I've been thinking about Big Girl's sleepover a bit.  Some people were under the impression that I'd have my hands full - that the girls would kind of take over and be out of control.  There was a pillow fight, but when I firmly said to stay in the back bedroom to have it, they did (without complaint).  And manners were a common thread between the girls.  

Here is a bit of demographics about the seven girls who were there (five guests plus my two girls):

• Six are homeschooled
• All seven are Christians - five, Catholic
• Four play soccer together
• Big Girl and one other girl are in CCD together
• Ages were from seven (Little Girl) to eleven

Yes, Little Girl was at the party.  Did I mention that?  Big Girl's friends asked if she would also be letting her sister play with them and be a part of the party.  Naturally, Big Girl said yes.  She is great friends with her sister.  

All of this behavior makes me wonder if society is convincing a great many parents to set the bar too low for their children.  Instead of expecting that they will get along with siblings as they get older, we are told that fifth graders don't/won't play with second graders.  Instead of expecting that their manners will improve as they get closer to young adulthood, parents are told that we are to expect our teen-aged children to be surly and uncooperative.  Instead of expecting our children to increase in faith as they grow in age, we are told that it's only natural for children to discard the faith they are brought up in.  

I think that these attitudes, which have prevailed my entire life, are self-fulfilling.  We cringingly set forth rules of the house, "knowing" that they'll only obey for a time.  We wince as we present the Faith, thinking that once they get to their teen years (not young adult, but teen - think a bit about the difference in connotation there) they will be ready to rebel and discard it.  

Why cringe!?  Why shrink in fear!?

Be not afraid!  If you expect your children to be insolent and uncooperative, they'll live up to it.  But expect that they will remain best of friends, that they will have the best of manners, that they will love and live and grow in the Faith you hand down to them ... well, then they will!  Do not accept society's attitudes that your child will wish to be separate from you, away from you.  

Expect what is right!  Raise the bar!

Then watch your children soar right over it.  

OOOH!

Hey, don't forget that EWTN is showing Into the Great Silence tonight at 9:00 EDT.  I've got my DVR set to record.  


Here are some clips and the trailer for the US release:

The Big Sleep-Over

Last night, Big Girl had her first sleep-over party.  This was to celebrate her tenth birthday, and I allowed her to invite 6 girls about her age (she just turned ten, in case you missed that) to stay Saturday to Sunday.  We had five who came last night, one of whom wasn't able to stay overnight.  (This girl's father had been away in the Philippines on business for three months; he kind of missed her and wanted her home.)

Girls came around six-ish last night, and we ordered pizza, watched movies (The Music Man and Singin' in the Rain), and baked lollipop sugar cookes.  At 11:00 I asked them all to brush teeth and lay down for a little sleep.  I relented a bit and said they could have lights on until 11:30, and then they had to lay down with lights off and lay down if they wanted to talk after that.  I hear they were up until at least 1:00 am, which explained the bleary-eyed children at my table this morning.  

I made French toast and sausage for breakfast, saw one child out the door by 8:30 (singing at Mass at her own parish, she was), and then Travel Man and I loaded the remaining children into our cars to get to CCD and Mass at our parish.  (One child attends our parish, another is Catholic from another parish, and the last non-Travel Family child attends a Baptist church in town.)  

All in all?  Well, despite what some people were telling me ("What?  Six girls overnight?  You're awfully brave..." and "Boy, I feel sorry for you," were among the comments I got), the girls were all a delight: sweet, well-mannered, kind, and obedient.  Not a single girl complained about me telling them to turn off the TV at 11:00.  Not a single peep about lights out at 11:30.  It was all pleases and thank yous and yes ma'ams and no sirs all night long.  I had one girl who started putting away ingredients for cookies as we finished using them so we didn't have as much to clean up!  When choosing movies, they voted and made sure that they didn't pick anything that someone wasn't allowed to watch.  All of the girls were delightful!

It was a complete pleasure, and I even had fun in spite of being incredibly nervous about it.  

Honestly, I can't wait to do it again.  I might not even wait for a birthday.

I'm Printing this for Co-Op Today

Domine, da mihi hanc aquam...: Church is not Wal-Mart (UPDATED)

The top-ten list here has been making the rounds, but I finally went and read it.  It's coming to co-op today.  :)

Fungi!

Taken on the Shenandoah Parkway - Dark Hollow trail.  Completely untouched pictures, hosted at MobileMe.

Brainless People

Soccer Dad and I were watching this "Get It Sold!" (or something like it) on HGTV.  It's taken an interesting turn with the foreclosures and such happening.

On the show we watched, they featured a family where the wife/mother had taken out the home loan in her name alone.  Her husband was working at the time, but wound up being "between jobs" not long after.  She had enough money in the bank to pay for one year of the mortgage, but she put NOTHING down and was not working at the time.  She was a full-time student.  And she got a loan for the home at 8.25% for the first year, then 13% after.  For ... drumroll, please ... 

$350,000!!!!

Are you FREAKIN' kidding me???!!!???

And she was shocked that she couldn't pay.  And then the bank did not want to work with her any more, and she had to go to a company that specializes in helping you get accepted to short sell so she and her family could move out of this house and into an apartment, where they'll rent.  I didn't catch if she was actually working now, but her husband was not according to the show.

I have a quick question here.

Was I supposed to feel SORRY for her?  What kind of idiot does that kind of thing?  Seriously - $350,000 with no money down and no income?

And what kind of bank MAKES that kind of loan??!!??

Holy cow.  And we wonder what happened.

Guess Who is Studying for First Confession?

Upon seeing an "Obama/Biden" sign in their new friends' yard:

Little Girl: They have a sign for Barack Obama!  (pause)  That's okay...they have Free Will.