July 2009 Archives

My Family Could Use Some Prayers

| | Comments (1)

My father's brother, my Uncle Joe, has been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. I know little details about what stage or prognosis at this point.

Say a prayer for me as well. I am kind of cantankerous at the moment. This is all too much, like my whole family is disappearing very quickly. I feel guilty because I am not the sick one, I'm not going to deal with chemo. But I don't know how I can watch so many people I love go through this.

I also don't want this to be about me...

St. Peregrine, pray for us!

Update: I apologise, I got it wrong. My uncle's doctor said it looks like cancer, but the biopsy results are not back yet. In the game of telephone, I missed that. In the past few years, when a doctor has said to a family member something "looks like cancer", it usually has been, so maybe I am a bit jaded. Either way, the prayers, I am sure, will be put to good use, and it would be awesome if I am worrying for nothing.

Peony's Seven Quick Takes

| | Comments (2)

7_quick_takes_sm.jpg

1.

Thanks to all those who send me kind words after my car accident. Looks like I'll be driving that loaner for a few more weeks. Wondering what good God wants to bring out of this.

2.

As I write, Hambet is trying to assemble some kind of Bionicle-type creature and is starting to pitch a fit. I am doing my best to ignore the fit.

3.

On the President's press conference: I tuned in just in time to hear his comments on tonsillectomies, red pills, and blue pills. My take: Whiskey Tango Foxtrot?! Mr President, if you don't understand the problem, please don't take it upon yourself to fix it.

4.

I saw Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince last Saturday with my pal Iris. Slughorn (and his hourglass!) were great. Ron? TOO. FUNNY. Severe lack of Snape, though! I liked the way they set up the Sectumsempra scene but they should have shown the aftermath. I wish they'd done more with The Book and how Harry grew so fond of "the clever boy who had helped him so much.". And with the ROR -- how in the world is Harry going to find the diadem in movie 8?!

5.

Google Chrome: It loads SO QUICKLY. Love it.

6.

Crockpot happiness continues to elude me. I'd love to have crockpot Tuesday, but Tuesdays used to be chicken, and all the chicken recipes I've tried have been disappointing. The crockpot meal everyone loves is chili, and the tomatoes seem kind of repetitious after our usual Monday night spaghetti. Seems like everything I like best in the crockpot is either very time-consuming to prep, involves tomatoes, or both. Maybe I'll try bean soup next Tuesday.

7.

Funny how every hour of Adoration seems to go more and more quickly.

Here's something to help you follow it: Straw Man Bingo

The idea of a word, for a contingent being, implies the existence of one who is not myself (the one to whom I speak) and the existence of a truth that is not myself (that about which I speak). Language is a robe for love. -- Anthony Esolen

I was in a car accident this afternoon. Everyone's fine except my car, which is fixable but in the body shop. I'm just rattled.

God is very pleased with those who recognise his goodness by reciting the Te Deum in thanksgiving whenever something out of the ordinary happens, without caring whether it may have been good or bad, as the world reckons these things. Because everything comes from the hands of our Father: so though the blow of the chisel may hurt our flesh, it is a sign of Love, as he smooths off our rough edges and brings us closer to perfection. -- St Josemaria Escriva


Te Deum laudámus:
te Dóminum confitémur.
Te ætérnum Patrem,
omnis terra venerátur.
Tibi omnes ángeli,
tibi cæli
et univérsæ potestátes:
tibi chérubim et séraphim
incessábili voce proclámant:
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus,
Dóminus Deus Sábaoth.
Pleni sunt cæli et terra
maiestátis glóriæ tuæ.
Te gloriósus
apostolòrum chorus,
te prophetárum
laudábilis númerus,
te mártyrum candidátus
laudat exércitus.
Te per orbem terrárum
sancta confitétur Ecclésia,
Patrem imménsæ maiestátis;
venerándum tuum verum
et únicum Fílium;
Sanctum quoque
Paráclitum Spíritum.
Tu rex glóriæ, Christe.
Tu Patris sempitérnus es Filius.
Tu, ad liberándum susceptúrus hóminem,
non horrúisti Virginis úterum.
Tu, devícto mortis acúleo,
aperuísti credéntibus regna cælórum.
Tu ad déxteram Dei sedes,
in glória Patris.
Iudex créderis esse ventúrus.
Te ergo quǽsumus,
tuis fámulis súbveni,
quos pretióso sánguine redemísti.
Ætérna fac cum sanctis tuis
in glória numerári.
Salvum fac pópulum tuum, Dómine,
et bénedic hereditáti tuæ.
Et rege eos, et extólle illos
usque in ætérnum.
Per síngulos dies benedícimus te;
et laudámus nomen tuum
in sǽculum, et in sǽculum sǽculi.
Dignáre, Dómine,
die isto sine peccáto nos custodíre.
Miserére nostri, Dómine, miserére nostri.
Fiat misericórdia tua,
Dómine, super nos,
quemádmodum sperávimus in te.
In te, Dómine, sperávi:
non confúndar in ætérnum.

Bishop Hubbard supports Cap and Trade.

I guess he thinks upstate NY families don't need to be able to pay their heating bills.

Making Babies: A Very Different Look at Natural Family Planning

But another reason for NFP's allegedly high success rate is that couples who use it are prepared to welcome children and so don't blame NFP for unexpected pregnancies. Four of my own five children came the NFP way -- that is, totally unexpectedly -- and that's a good thing, because without them bouncing in as surprises, excuses to delay (the sort of excuses one might hear from a recruit in parachute training) might have gone on for a very long time. As it is, in a mere matter of ten years, my wife and I assembled a complete basketball team. And if menopause doesn't strike my wife soon, who knows what sort of team we might assemble.
Rather than bite one's nails to the quick at the prospect of baby number ten -- which, if one marries in one's early 20s and practices NFP, is a definite possibility -- we should encourage the attitude of the more the merrier, which is a far more attractive case to make than all the goo-goo language about how NFP helps couples "communicate" and about the joy of charting temperatures and discharges and plotting one's conjugal acts as a captain might chart a course for his ship.

From an address to the Legatus Group:

...Most readers who follow the columns of George Will or Paul Krugman do so because they share the author’s views or because they want to know what the other side is saying. And because Will and Krugman are both opinion journalists, we expect them to argue a certain set of ideas.

In like manner, anyone reading my own writings gets a pretty clear sense, pretty quickly, of how I think about issues. As a Catholic bishop, I belong to a believing community with a widely accessible and carefully articulated understanding of the world.

In contrast, we usually know very little about the person who writes an unsigned editorial or the people who create the nightly news. And that’s worth talking about. Here’s why. In an information society, the people who shape our information control the public conversation.

The importance of marriage

| | Comments (0)

Cate Flanagan in TIME Magazine:

There is no other single force causing as much measurable hardship and human misery in this country as the collapse of marriage. It hurts children, it reduces mothers' financial security, and it has landed with particular devastation on those who can bear it least: the nation's underclass.

Two lovely links within that article:

Married 50 Years: TIME Photogallery

Snapshots from a Very Special Wedding

I *heart* Pope Benedict

| | Comments (0)

Pope Benedict XVI gave President Barack Obama a surprise gift this evening: a copy of the Vatican’s document on bioethics and human dignity, which was published in December.

The document, “Dignitas Personae” (”The Dignity of a Person”), was issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

"Sebastian's Voodoo"

| | Comments (0)

HT: CMR

7 Quick Takes from Peony

| | Comments (1)

7_quick_takes_sm.jpg

1. Michael Jackson: even his own funeral was a performance of sorts. And how did Rev. Sharpton get involved?

Anyway, MJ needed Christ and he needed a good psychotherapist. I hope he found at least One at the last minute.

2. Sarah Palin: OODA: "You have to decode the environment before [your opponent] does, act decisively, and then capitalize on his initial confusion by confusing him some more."

And what is intelligence, anyway?

"...I saw more stupid people in graduate school and three decades in academia than I ever did who ran 100 acres without going broke-and more of the latter whom I’d trust not to bankrupt the country and let down our defenses than of the former."

3. Caritas in Veritate: Haven't read it. Don't know when I'm going to read it, since I still haven't read the first two encyclicals.

4. My "books to read" stack is approaching 48 linear inches. I need... an intervention? Something.

5. Delightful: This podcast from Greg and Jennifer "The Catholics Next Door" Willits. Parents of "Star Wars" obsessed little boys will understand why I was laughing out loud.

6. Only a couple more weeks till the next Harry Potter movie! Though how they're going to manage the adaptation after omitting from the last movie that somewhat important part about (spoiler) Snape being a spy for the Order of the Phoenix -- seeing as Snape is one of the two TITLE CHARACTERS and all -- I do not know.

7. I made this the other night, with grilled peaches and grilled mushrooms. So at least with my husband, my stock is high.

The Anchoress - A Must Read Now!

| | Comments (0)

Caritas in Veritate, by B-16 & Pixar

The Pixar short is adorable and the tie-in to the new encyclical is inspiring brings tears to my eyes (yeah, a little inspiration goes a long way with me, alright?)

There's also a great round-up of commentary on Caritas in Veritate.

So, you don't want to be a DB?

| | Comments (0)

Let Mr. Kellemeyer show you how it's done:

For instance, I began to realize that the assertion, “I can have sex without wanting a child” was logically absurd. It’s like saying, “I can eat ice cream all day without wanting to get fat.” Sure, you can. But what does your "want" have to do with it? The biological reality was going to hit you either way.

I thought it was a good analogy, but I quickly discovered a flaw. Having sex was different from eating cupcakes all day. Every time I ate a cupcake, I added calories to my body. Every time. But it is not the case that every act of sex creates a child. The analogy wasn’t perfect.

I gnawed on that for awhile.

And I began to see… something

Something I didn’t expect.

Ultimately, it was this point - the point that sex does not always create children – that converted me back to the Faith.

This is what I saw.

Precisely because sex does not always create children, yet it always holds the promise of creating children, that sex stands for something greater than itself. Because sex is designed to produce children, yet does not always produce them, the act is transformed from a simple biological action into… there was no other word for it… poetry.

Because sex contains not a hard reality, but only a future promise, it becomes a promise, the promise of the man to the woman "I will be with you always, even if this does produce that for which it is designed."

And by this act, the man gives himself not just to the woman, he gives himself primarily to the not-yet-conceived child.

It was the poetic biology of the thing that snared me.

In the end, Ladies, real men are so much more appealing than punks who think women are good for one thing only.

DB Clinic 101

| | Comments (0)

This gem must have been written by 17-year old men for 17-year-old men, or at least the perpetual 17-year old men. The author, Isabella Snow, claims to be a woman, but for the life of me, I cannot imagine a woman selling out other women like this. Let's dissect this, shall we? C'mon, it'll be fun!

Dealing With An Uwanted Pregnancy

An unplanned and unwanted pregnancy can dramatically affect an otherwise loving long-term relationship. Some men rejoice, but others simply aren’t ready to be fathers. If they discussed the possibility and specifics at the start of the relationship, he may hope she’s going to stick to the original plan and terminate the pregnancy. And she might -- but for some women, getting pregnant can start clocks ticking and make them suddenly want to be mothers, despite previous agreements.

Guess what? They are mothers.

Prenatal prep: If possible, have this conversation at home while sitting together on the sofa.

Who writes this stuff? Got it? Sofa! Like the waiting room at the doc's office-bad. Dining room table-bad. Might bring to mind family dinners. Oh, don't do that thing where you get all your bros together and all gang up on her with you. She might catch on that this isn't about her. Taking her to Dave and Busters or Hooters-not good. She doesn't even like that place, Try Red Lobster and let her order what ever she wants. Even dessert. Chicks dig that kind of thing. That is if you can't do the whole "sofa thing".

When you’re ready to share your opinion, you’ll want to use a calm, steady tone. You’ll also want to take care with your word choice; pregnant women tend to feel like they’re carrying someone, as opposed to something, even if she is just a month or so pregnant.

Because they are.

Toss words like “it” around too many times, and she’s going to start feeling like she needs to defend “it” from you.

::snort:: Do this, Mr. Tool, and you're done. Take a long walk on a short pier. Fact is, if this is your intent, no matter how many crab legs at Red Lobster you buy, if you are asking her to kill her child so you can carry on doing who knows what...There are very few things that give women strength like love for their children. That pull you had on her, gone.

If you want her to really listen to you, paraphrase her own word usage.

Manipulate! The ends justify the means. Manipulate to get your way and what you want!!!

This is not the time to sugarcoat your true feelings. If you don’t want to be a father, you have every right to come out and say so.

Even though that was not what you were saying when you took the actions that made it possible to create this pregnancy.

Fatherhood will last for the rest of your life; if you’re not going to be able to cope with that, you need to make it clear so she can factor it into her decision-making process.

Let her know you totally plan on abandoning her and your child. Set the record straight. Be a man-er, well, you know a Bro (let's not go too far and use the 'm' word).

When giving your opinion, use phrases like “I need” instead of “I want.” This will be easier for her to process on an emotional level, and will also sound less demanding.

Again, manipulate her into to doing what you want, not what she wants!

A new baby means significant life changes: Food, diapers, medical care -- these things cost money you may not have. Who’s going to care for the baby while you’re working? Will you have to move to a new home? Will you have to sell your Harley and get a station wagon?

...

(This is a horrible article)

Take care that you don’t come across as whiny.

Because you're whining.

If you feel the need to make strong declarations, use words like “can’t” instead of “won’t.”

Even though "can't" means it's impossible and the truth is you simply "won't". Manipulate. Lie. Do what you gotta do, Bro.

If you’ve followed all of these steps and your woman decides to have the baby anyway, this does not mean you’re required to get married or move in together. You’ll probably want to provide for your child regardless, but if you’ve been clear about your intentions from the start, you are not obligated to contribute beyond what your conscience and the law expects of you. This was her decision, not yours, and the bulk of the responsibility is now hers.

After all your hard work, you still don't have to do the right thing just what the law forces you to do, which isn't much, so buck up little camper. Life ain't over. And you know what? You can use tales about how you take care of your kid to lure in the next woman. It works
.
I actually cannot believe there are articles such as these this day. Feminists, regardless of pro-life or pro-choice should be all over this. This article is not Dealing With an Unplanned Pregnancy. it's How to Get Your Girl to Do What You Want When You Can't Be Bothered. Disgusting.

HT:Jill Stanek

http://www.americanpapist.com/2009/07/photo-archbishop-dolan-prays-at-ground.html#links

Via dylan:

And the Antichrist, with an air of scholarly excellence, tells us that any exegesis that reads the Bible from the perspective of faith in the living God, in order to listen to what God has to say, is fundamentalism; he wants to convince us that only his kind of exegesis, the supposedly purely scientific kind, in which God says nothing and has nothing to say, is able to keep abreast of the times.

Pope Benedict XVI, Jesus of Nazareth, p. 36


http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/03/AR2009070301738.html?hpid=topnews

Woah.

My hope for her? I hope that when the Republican party comes crawling back to her, she tells them to go jump in the lake.

7_quick_takes_sm.jpg

1. I'm so bummed -- I thought my new shoes would be comfortable but instead they're killing my feet. Is it the heels or my plantar fascia?

2. Hambet is teaching me to play Lego Star Wars on the Wii. In return, I am giving him piano lessons. It's working out.

3. Hmmmm. Not sure what to say here.

4. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies!
: two hours and $12.95 I'll never get back. The joke simply isn't funny enough to last 317 pages; after a while, it's just tedious (kind of like those Saturday Night Live sketches that get flogged to death.) The Discussion Questions at the end are a hoot, though.

5. Why the Sarah Palin hatred? What unseen psychological -- or spiritual -- forces are driving this? It's so strange.

6. From Jennifer at Conversion Diary: most hysterical lead-in to a rec EVAR. (Fates, please note I said "hysterical", not "funny.")

7. Our parish recently started expanded hours of Adoration. I'm up this afternoon.

http://www.ncregister.com/daily/u2_singer_bonos_ode_to_mary/

HT: Amy

Update on the colic thing

| | Comments (1)

A few months ago, I was whining about the stress of taking care of family and a colicy newborn. Gabriel is nearly five months old now. He is very happy, he smiles, giggles, and talks all the time, and he loves his siblings. He is thriving well and is pleasantly plump. Note the little sausage legs:

Family Take 2

But he still screams when I try to put him down. Many people told me to ask about acid reflux, and I did. The doctor told me it was gas and to use Mylicon drops. Having gone through colic before, I figured we could last until three months.

Three months have come and gone (he is nearly five moths old now) and while Gabriel no longer has that newborn shell-shockedness about his personality ("Why is it bright? Why am I cold? Why is it noisy? Mommy, where are you? Who are you, you're not my mommy! Where am I?"), a distinct pattern has emerged. While Gabriel loves to nurse, he doesn't like to eat that much. He is always looking to latch on, but when he does, he arches his back and squirms and usually spits up a good portion of what he takes in. And nights, oh man. The past three weeks he wakes up every hour or so and I have to sit in the rocking chair and hold him up on my shoulder. He instantly falls into a deep sleep then, but when hel ies back down, he starts to squirm. For me, dozing in a rocking chair night after night is not very restful. He spends a great deal of time during the day in the sling and/or walking back and forth, back and forth. (If this is disconnected it's because I had to stop about a dozen times to walk him).

On Monday, I called the pediatrician first thing in the morning for an appointment about this acid reflux thing because I.Had.IT. He hasn't outgrown it, and perhaps poor munchkin (er, Mommy) would be much happier sleeping the night with a prescription of some sort of Baby Zantac. For the check-up, Gabriel smiled and cooed and charmed the socks off the nurse and the doctor. The nurse said "this is the most pleasant baby I have ever seen" and the doctor who had been trying to get me to supplement with formula was happy to see how well he is thriving (he didn't even ask me to supplement once) and repeatedly remarked how well he's doing. This baby can't possibly have any issues! When I asked about acid reflux and relayed the symptoms, he said it was gas because he is thriving and developing so well. He told me to use Mylicon. He must have stock in the company.

So here we are. Fussy baby, laundry, dinner. Kids who pretend they didn't know have to do daily chores. I have three quilts I would love to finish...Again, one thing having seven kids has taught me is this too will pass...


Di Fattura Caslinga: Pansy's Etsy Shop
The Sleepy Mommy Shoppe: Stuff we Like
(Disclaimer: We aren't being compensated to like this stuff.
Any loose change in referral fees goes to the Feed Pansy's Ravenous Teens Fund.)


Pansy and Peony: The Two Sleepy Mommies



Archives