I had no idea

I had no idea that peanut butter removes that sticky gunk off of glass jars. Maybe I’m the last to know. If not, then try it!

I’ve been recycling glass jars by slowly replacing the smaller plastic food containers we’ve been using. But, despite having my husband really go at that sticky residue, we just couldn’t get it all off. Enter the internet where I found various suggestions including peanut butter. I thought “Why not?” and gave it a try. Worked brilliantly! Smooth some on the jar, use a rag or one of those scrubber sponges to go over the area, and rinse. Who knew? (Apparently a lot of people – just not me.)

And since I am full of great tips, I used baking soda, water and lots of scrubbing and rinsing to deep clean our slate bathroom floors. I didn’t really verify this one, so do so before you try. Worked great on ours.

Happy March!

I fell for it

As a family, we give our time and resources in three ways. The first, and primary, is through our parish and other catholic charities. Next, we donate new and gently used goods, usually to our parish and city St. Vincent de Paul groups. And a bit farther down on the list, are other charities that we or our friends and colleagues support, either with time or money (although far less time these days). Oh, and a fourth: we support the Girl Scouts by purchasing Thin Mints.

Last night, a woman came to our door selling magazines. I never buy, but she had a good I’m-pulling-myself-out-of-poverty-and-domestic-violence story. Sigh. I’m really trying to put my money where my mouth is. We signed up for (ok, I bought) one magazine subscription. I looked up the company afterwards and found many negative reviews from people who didn’t get magazines in a timely manner – or at all. Why, oh why, did I do that?!?!

The point of this post is not how much we do (or not do) or how I feel taken advantage of (well, kind of), but what happened next. My wonderful husband talked me out of a freak out. He told me that, despite what may be the end result, I was helping someone. And that I need to remember this. Then, as we were saying family prayers later, he prayed that the person that came to our door was a good person.

What a wonderful husband! This is the point of this post. Have a wonderful day!

More, More, More!

That’s right. I want MORE! However, unlike so many others, I’m not trying to gain more power, wealth, fame or stuff. No, I want to improve how I live my life, praise God, and affect others. With that in mind, below is my top 10 “I want MORE!” list:

1. Pray more: Everyone can pray more. I can and need to pray more. I look for opportunities to pray throughout the day. But I also need to reassess my committed (and currently very short) time for prayer. And by making my prayers more visible, I hope to lead my husband and daughter to a more active prayer life.

2. Do more: My goal is to acquire less so that as a family we can focus on experiencing more. Studies show that it’s not stuff that makes us happy, but the trips and things that we do that promote long-term happiness. Recently, our family has talked about saving for Disney World (popular with our little Princess), taking another cruise (parental favorite!), and planning for future pilgrimages to Rome, the Holy Land, or other locations. Yet, these trips take planning and saving. Meanwhile, we can and should take time to make day trips, visit museums and parks, and plan dates.

3. Learn more: I love to read. There is always something new to learn, although learning a new language or picking up an instrument is a bit too optimistic at this time.

4. Teach more: Through my words and how I live my life, I am trying to lead others to live better lives.

5. Listen more: Yes, I need to listen more to what others are saying. What does my husband really need from me? How can I be more patient in understanding my daughter? What did that person just say on yet another conference call???

6. Create more: Happy times when I am creative. Like most of this list, I just have to make the time.

7. Be “more healthy”: My husband and I both need to exercise more (or, if I am honest, start exercising). And while eating healthier (or less unhealthy) than most Americans is great, I know that I can improve my diet and that of my family. I love fruits and veggies, but I’ve got to eat more protein and good fats.

8. Give more: We need to count our blessings. We have so much more than so many others. And we really can help others by giving more of our time and resources.

9. Relax more: I try – I really do!

10. Cuddle more: My daughter just wants someone to play with her. Yes, she needs to learn to entertain herself, but I can attend more tea parties, play more games, and watch more performances. She is growing up so fast, and these are the activities that both of us will remember. I also need to spend more cuddle time with my husband. Although we are usually in the same room in the evenings, we tend to do our own thing. Nice – but not enough. At least some evenings should be spent doing something, even if watching TV, together.

There you have it. Any suggestions are welcome.

Happy and healthy New Year!

Sad diagnosis. Prayers needed

My mother has been ill for a number of years. This week, she was diagnosed with Corticobasal Degeneration, a progressive degenerative brain disease that has similarities with both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s. Unfortunately, what we thought were physical signs of OCD were mostly likely the early stages of CBD. She has declined rapidly over the past several months and is now getting significantly worse each day. I thought that our upcoming visit for the holidays (what will certainly be our last Christmas with her) could be used to discuss care for her because my father is close to not being able to care for her any more. But that day may come sooner than expected. What looked like months now seems like weeks – or less. This is a disease with no cure and from which patients die, usually of pneumonia or other disease associated with immobile, elderly people.

Please pray for my mother, my father and all of us.

Best prayer ever!

From Little One/Princess (I'm still transitioning her name) last night: "Make me a saint, Lord!"

St. Nicholas has arrived!

Our Little Princess remembered St. Nicholas from last Advent, so last night we set out our shoes by the front door. St. Nicholas kindly left chocolate candy in everyone’s shoes and left a small ornament and a book of Catholic prayers for Little One. We thanked God for all of His gifts and asked St. Nicholas to keep us always in his prayers.

For those looking for a way to start an Advent tradition, lighting our advent wreath and saying a small prayer with our dinner blessing reminds us of the true meaning of the season – and is easy to keep up! Another tradition that we tried to start last year and have been only partially successful with this year is the Jesse tree. We still don’t have an actual tree, but we did color some pictures (found here), cut them out, and made a small book.

And we’re participating in our parish’s angel program. This weekend, we purchased clothing for a little girl (still need to get a toy). I’m still struggling with how our daughter reacts to giving to others – or more specifically, buying for others. I know she is still young, but I have a guilty suspicion that some of her attitude comes from us (her parents). Am I too selfish? Too materialistic? Most definitely on both. I’m working on it!

Finally, our Nativity is in place on the mantel, complete with moving Mary and Joseph, wise men way off, and no baby Jesus (yet). Happy Advent!

Another Angel

We found out earlier this week that we lost another baby. We now have four little angels in Heaven praying for the rest of their family here. This one, like the second, never developed past five weeks (we lost the other two around eight-and-a-half weeks).

As it turns out, one can be “kind of” pregnant. Like most of the other times, I still have all the first trimester symptoms including being incredibly nauseas all day long. It makes it even more difficult to deal with the emotional loss while still feeling horrible.

But we will get through our sadness with faith, prayers and love. Once again, Princess (aka “Little One” – but she’s not so little any more) has the right attitude: she is happy to have an angel in Heaven.