Another Beauty

We welcomed another niece into the family on Friday. Her name is Sofia Elizabeth and she was induced 9 days early and weighed 6lbs 2oz. She is as gorgeous as her siblings Roman and Lucia (don't all those names sound wonderful together!) and she will probably come home on Sunday. Please pray for my sister (the "in law" is too formal, she really feels like my actual sister) because she is suffering from a very painful kidney problem and with three little ones, the next few months (heck, years) won't be easy ones! This picture doesn't do Nellie justice (my SIL) but, after all, she DID just have a baby a few moments before it was taken! She is a beautiful woman with a HUGE heart and I'm so proud to call her "sister"...that, and she makes some CUTE babies!


Oh, I should probably mention my brother, Peter...he had something to do with the whole thing but...I forget what. (scratching head) Oh well, he was there (so I've been told...he's in the pictures so...) but I could barely notice him through all the other people that were there:
Nellie's mom, Beth...
her two sisters, Jolene and Jody...
Trine...
and me!
He might have just been an "extra" in the whole event, but Nellie is so glad for his support and love (He had to fight his way to her side through the whole delivery. It was kind of funny to see him trying to edge his way through the women to even give Nellie a kiss or brush her hair from her forehead! Just kiddin', Pete, you are a great daddy and you did a good job, too!). We have made quite a scene in that hospital ever since we started deliveries there (Trine's 4, Nellie's 3, and one of mine). Every time, I think, we've had at LEAST two other people besides the husband there to witness the new babies come into the world. The staff there might be getting annoyed, but they are very accommodating and we are getting very good at shrinking into the corner and being quiet and polite when the dr. or nurse comes into the room so no one gets "kicked out"! I LOVE being surrounded by my "posse" when the baby comes! After experiencing birth this way so many times (either me or witnessing my sis/sis-in-law) I imagine that only having Butch there would almost be depressing! No offense to Butch, it's just that the party atmosphere takes your mind off the pain and the worry of what is to come. A good friend of Nellie's was delivering down the hall (her first) and she said today to my sis that she heard the cheers when Sofia was born...everybody heard! Now THAT is a great way to come into the world...with a built-in fan club, joy, and more love surrounding you than you can possibly imagine!

So Many Feets

Today we knew it was going to be 75 degrees or warmer so sis and I were all ready to get the kids in their summer clothes and sit outside basking in the warmth we've been craving all winter. She called early and told me that Gabs was already wearing her tank top and flip-flops. I had sort of a panic attack knowing that Niklaus was short-less (he grew too much over the winter, the little stinker) and that the kids shoes were taking over the world, one corner of my house at a time. So, it was time for the BIG SORT. I also had to get the glove/scarf/hat box sorted and put away for the notwinter so we worked on that first. Then, I grabbed the 43 coats and snowpants that were crowding the entryway on two, big, hook racks and sorted them and hung them up in a back closet. Now, the entryway was crowded with:

a. glove/scarf/hat box
b. a bajillion coats/snowpants/jackets/bags and purses
c. dead grass that trails in on every ones feet before they take their shoes off and leave them in the path of the next person coming in the front door.
d. shoes and boots in an extra basket I keep in the entry for the overflow
e. extra toys and stupid stuff that ends in all of the baskets even though they don't belong there
f. a small bench for sitting on and taking off the dirty, filthy, stinkin',space-taker-uppers called "shoes"

I know this is all very boring to read so I have provided you with pictures:
This first one is the "shoe mountain" created by having the kids find every shoe in the house (that isn't hiding) and piling them all up so as to sort which ones go in the garbage (like my old tennies which only last a couple of months with all the running I do and the tennies Niklaus wore out putting miles and miles on his little trike before he knew how to work the pedals), which ones go to charity, and which ones end up in old milk crates in the back closet sorted by owner. Well, with one more set of feet in the house, we have exceeded our space for shoe storage (i.e. our closet is too fricken small) so now I actually have to STACK two of the milk crates to get them all to fit in there.

*If you click on this picture to see a larger image, you can play "I Spy" with your kids..."On Laura's shoe mountain I spy a baseball slipper, a bear, a pump, a blue toy, a little pink slip on and a boot for a boy."



Shoe Math (math theory by Laura N.)
"The number of shoes in any given household is not an indicator of how many persons are in said households as evidenced by the theory that a household which holds more than 5 persons runs out of room for more than 7 pairs of shoes per person whereas a household of less than 5 persons might decide that they need more than 7 pairs of shoes per person because there is actually one, small, smidgen of space in the back of the closet for another pair of shoes. Thusly, we cannot assume to know the number of persons in any given household using shoe math, alone. However, we can assume that the mother of said household swears like a long shore man every spring when realizing just how many dang shoes have accumulated over any given winter and just how many fricken pairs of shoes do you need when you've only got two feet each??????"

I shouldn't have gotten so frustrated. My children can all walk. They can mostly all put their own shoes on their own feet. They have healthy feet to walk on and they are not slaves to fashion or demand the latest styles. I have much to be grateful for, don't I? I shouldn't look at the humongous pile of shoes with frustration every year and instead should look at it with joy and pride for all the blessings that I have. That's it! I should look to each shoe as sort of a blessing and a prayer. With every shoe that I sort, I should say a short prayer for my kid's feet and all the fun we will have on walks, trips to the beach, bike rides, ball games, sledding in boots that keep our feet warm in my nemesis; the winter. All year long that (ridiculous) pile of shoes has kept us warm, and protected and I have no right to complain. So I won't anymore. Instead I'll entertain you with pictures of Weazy climbing the "shoe mountain"...

Poem For Butch II

Last night we were joking around about something (having to do with height?) and he walked away kidding with the words, "What are you talking about? I'm ten foot, two!" to one of the kids. It put some funny ideas in my head and I couldn't stop rhyming so I decided to blog about it. He IS ten foot, two in my book!

BIG BUTCH (sort of to the tune to "Big John")

He's ten foot, two
two-twenty, too
He's got big, bad pipes
and a heart that's true

Big Butch

He rolls with the flow
He hates the snow
(Except for plowing)
He'd like to tell it where to go

Big Butch

I love that man
Beside him I stand
He's got a crooked hip
But I love his can

Big Butch

One day he'll go
What I'll do I don't know
He drives me crazy
And I love him so.

Big Butch

My Hot Ride

I just cleaned out a winter's worth of yuck out of the Suburban and then got this in an email...


Auuwwww yeaaaaaahhhhh, now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!
(I especially liked the bottles baking in the sun one-but they should have added one about cans of food alternately freezing and thawing left in the back of the vehicle all winter...by the way, if you find one of those DO NOT OPEN them.)

It's Almost, Nearly, Close to Being Spring, So...

...quick, you'd better find out what kind of flower you are!!!!

I am an Echinacea What Flower Are You?

"You are a health conscious person, both your health and the health of others. You know all about the health benefits and dangers of the world around you."

Heehee, I thought this was kind of funny because people always call me for health advice and I often don't know why. Maybe I act like I know what I'm talking about but most of the time I'm just trying to figure out stuff myself! I would have guessed I was a hydrangia (sort of crazy and poofy and all over the place)...or a dandylion (kids really like me because they don't know that I'm really just kind of a weed).

Coulda, Shoulda...GOOD-UH? *with update

Fr. John Zuhlsdorf o{]:¬)
not only has the cutest, little smiley guy (I think it's supposed to be a priest with one of those old fashioned, funny, priest beanies) but also has an interesting thing to note about the English translation of the pope's new apostolic exhortation...


"Bad translation in English version of Exhortation about Latin
Posted in SESSIUNCULUM, WDTPRS | Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 | Trackback

For a long time I have warned people about bad English translations of papal documents.

There are methodological problems in that the documents are no longer composed in Latin.

The Latin text, which is the official text, is itself a translation.

However, since no on refers to the Latin text… few people know this. Thus, they are always working with compromised versions of documents.

Moreover, the texts they are working with were those released at the time of the presentation of the document, even though the LATIN is itself revised before publication in is final official form in the Acta Apostolicae Sedis. But no one goes back to revise the vernacular versions in keeping with the changes in the Latin Lot’s of people are misquoting documents because the vernacular docs themselves were never updated.

That said, let us take a look at the Exhortation’s paragraph on Latin in the liturgy and see if there is a disconnect. I tip my biretta to "stefano" who was alert and caught this before I did.

Latin: exceptis lectionibus, homilia et oratione fidelium, aequum est ut huiusmodi celebrationes fiant lingua Latina.

In Latin, the phrase aequum est means "it is reasonable, proper, right". It can be rendered as "it is becoming", to use a somewhat archaic turn of phrase.

German: es ist gut, wenn außer den Lesungen, der Predigt und den Fürbitten der Gläubigen die Feier in lateinischer Sprache gehalten wird.

Italian: eccettuate le letture, l’omelia e la preghiera dei fedeli, è bene che tali celebrazioni siano in lingua latina.

French: excepté les lectures, l’homélie et la prière des fidèles, il est bon que ces célébrations soient en langue latine

Spanish: exceptuadas las lecturas, la homilía y la oración de los fieles, sería bueno que dichas celebraciones fueran en latín

Portuguese: exceptuando as leituras, a homilia e a oração dos fiéis, é bom que tais celebrações sejam em língua latina

Polish: z wyjątkiem czytań, homilii oraz modlitwy wiernych, dobrze będzie, jeśli takie celebracje będą odprawiane w języku łacińskim (Literally: "It will be good, if such celebration will be officiated in Latin language").

Are you sensing a pattern in the rendering of aequum est, or rather how aequum est in Latin is more than likely the accurate reading of the original language of composition of the Exortation?

Let’s see the English.

English: with the exception of the readings, the homily and the prayer of the faithful, such liturgies could be celebrated in Latin.

WOAH…. wait a minute… "could be" celebrated? That changes the entire impact of what the Pope said. All the of the other languages reflect one concept and the English alone says another thing entirely. The English implies that the value of Latin is, at best, a neutral thing. The Latin and all the other languages imply that Latin is positive.

I think we must conclude that whoever did the translation into English chose not to stick to the original text which they were given to work from."


Wow! I love this stuff. It borders on brooding but I actually read this document and loved all of the stuff about the Eucharist. It would benefit everyone who cares about the Eucharist to read the
POST-SYNODAL
APOSTOLIC EXHORTATION
SACRAMENTUM CARITATIS
OF THE HOLY FATHER
BENEDICT XVI

Trust me, you won't be bored, this is good stuff!

* Fr.'s site was down for a while, check it out now! Here is a link to another view on another mis-translation in the text of the document.

Roller Girl

I called my sister on the way to the roller rink with my kids on March 3rd (blue knights and little flowers annual event):

Me: Hey, Trine, they rent roller skates still so you don't even need to bring your roller blades! I know you are out and about and Matt's with the kids so it would be totally cool for you to meet us there!

Trine: What? OH, you mean, me...by myself...meet you at the roller rink?

Me: Yeah, like, it would be so totally cool,I wonder if they still have that creepy music dj...
Trine:... and those icky roller rink guys that chain smoke...
Me:...and all that wood panelling and stinky carpet...
Trine:...and weird roller rink floor and gross-out food stand???

Me: I don't know, I haven't been there for 20 years or so

Trine: I didn't even know that place was still open!
Nooooo, sorry...I can't really come...but I hope you get the BROWN skates HAHAHAHAHAHA!

I so TOTALLY got the brown skates...and they were
FABULOUS!

I didn't want to taint the experience by roller blading when the situation clearly called for a retro-application. It was like hopping on a bike after all those years. I couldn't believe how comfy skates were compared to blades! Also, they were probably leather and 20 years old which would explain the comfy-ness. I swear I had more fun than the kids. It was hard not to grin really wide as I skated and felt the wind in my hair (hat-hair...they made me take off my lid, darn roller rink rules) and watching all the little ones have so much fun falling. I don't think one kid that fell even once started to cry...it seemed like they were TRYING to fall!

The roller rink was where I first learned how to flirt. It was the first place I had freedom from parents. It was one of the first places I experienced social interaction outside of school. It was the first place I learned about rejection of my peers (snowball skate...boys on one side choose girls on other wall...never got picked to hold hands and skate around and around) and about catching a boy's eye. I learned how to skate backward and cross over my feet without tripping. I learned how to show off a little but not take risky moves too much for fear of falling on my face. I learned that being one of the tallest girls in the class (at the time until they all shot up over me in 7th grade) was a MAJOR disadvantage when it came to the "limbo" on skates. I learned that if you ration your treat money, there might be some left over so you can bring home money for your change jar and mom and dad won't ask for it back. I learned that skating all night makes your legs sore but it kinda feels good to have sore legs once in a while...kind of like working out after a long time of not working out. Hurts so good. Jack and Dianne. YMCA. Eye Of The Tiger. Jessie's girl. Thriller.

Good times, good times.
Same wood panelling.
Same old stinky lockers.
Same old fake brick tiled bathrooms.
Same blue lights that make your shirt look like it's glowing if it's white.
Same icky, overpriced stuff at the same old icky concession stand.
Same foosball table for the boys who can't skate but are too cool to admit it.
Same carpet-covered coffee-table shaped things to sit on if you get tired.
Same old me, acting like a big nerd on my brown skates...and just like the roller rink I'm a little older and more than a little nerdier...

Ev-er-ee Day's a 'Oliday With Butcheeeeee

I don't like to go to the bar (I always have a sore throat after from trying to talk above the loud music). Butch gets a sore back from sitting in the movie theater. We don't really dance (except around the kitchen). Bowling alleys around here are stinky. Restaurants get old and are mostly too loud for conversation anyway. Butch doesn't like outdoor activities because he spends all day in the elements and would rather be inside.

There is a Cana dinner coming up in Albertville. Butch and I went to one a couple of years ago. Jeff Cavins was the speaker and I thought it was quite lovely but it really wasn't Butch's deal. I guess he's "not quite there" yet and that's okay. I WAS going to make a big announcement on my blog about how we were going to go on vacation to Fla. this May. Just the two of us. Alone. No kids...I KNOW, crazy thought, huh? BUUUUUT, just like all the other times in the past 14 years of marriage that a vacation idea has been brought up I have talked myself out of it using sound reasoning and good judgement (bills, braces, car lease up in May, Butch's union contract up in May, finishing the basement). I am not really all that disappointed. After all...
List time again:

1. We went up north for one night for our honeymoon and that was just so fun, the memory of it will sustain me for at least 14 more years or so.

2. I got to go with Butch (about 3 years into our Marriage) to Lake Erie with his boss, a co-worker and his co-worker's really annoying wife. Her name was Kelly. She howled on and on about how she wanted to go to Kelly Island. I heard about it the whole dang trip. In a Suburban. With five generous sized adults. One who snored. By the time she and I finally got on the ferry to fricken Kelly Island I was ready to slap that b...I'm not a violent person but I swear I could have done it were it not for my upbringing. I went to another part of that stinky ferry and said "Hail Marys" until my teeth unclenched and we spent exactly one half hour on fricken Kelly Island and took the rank ferry back only to discover about a gazillion "Kelly Island" T-shirts right there on the mainland at the local Wal-Mart. NICE "vacation". About the only thing good that came of that trip was that we got to sleep at the front of this little, cramped "mini yacht" type-thing and it was kind of romantic to fall asleep to the wavey water. Also, the public bathroom and shower at the marina was just wonderful and fish smelling...ooooh and I forgot to mention that Kelly and her husband smoked like chimneys and didn't care that Butch has asthma and I get pukey when people do that within about 10 feet of me. Did I mention that Kelly was a "close talker" (who started every sentence with "I"). Oh yeah. You know what I'm sayin'.
Anyway, that trip cured me of any urge to do the island hopping, great lakes experience EVER again-so that's out.

3. It's just so lovely in Minnesota in the spring. All the snow melts and uncovers the offal of the dogs that were missed in the fall before it got sub-zero and the first snows covered them up. Also, it takes several months before the buds turn into full blown leaves so we have all the woodland sticks to look at for all that time. Yup. Wouldn't want to miss that. And lest I forget, there's the 3 inches of mud on Butch's pant hem to dry out and shake outside and sweep and then hope comes off in the wash. And what spring would be complete without making a fun trip to the store for athlete's foot cream that he will inevitably need from having chronically wet feet from all the melt and rain that the springtime brings. Now, if I were on vacation, hooo boy, I would miss an entire week of that!

4. The kids have been clamoring for a vacation for so long and they do deserve one! We really should save our money to get the most out of a family vacation. I mean, I drive them like slaves around here. I make them clean their rooms, do school, laundry, dishes, pick up toys around the house, and other extra things like make them brush their teeth and take showers. Seriously, come on! I don't need a vacation with just my husband when I have all my minions to do my bidding. All I do is:
get up at 6:30
nurse Mari
get dressed
bathe/get kids dressed
get breakfast
"read"(in the bathroom for 4 minutes)
clean breakfast
fold laundry
yell at kids to do dishes
finish the dishes they "don't know how to put away"
start school
finish bathing children/getting them dressed
feed kid who "forgot" to eat breakfast
figure out something to do when school is done
do more school
separate kid who is bugging other kid
yell at kids to empty garbage
make them go outside
make them clean their rooms
remind them to clean their rooms and finish getting dressed
get every one's coats and boots on
get a "car bottle" for Mari
got to community center
work out
get kids back in their stuff
go home to eat or go get food
go shopping for some one's birthday/household needs
go home take everything off kids
put away shopping items
put crankiest kid to sleep
nurse Mari (while answering email or making calls)
put Mari down to nap
finish putting away shopping items
finish cleaning lunch stuff
play a game with Weazy
yell at kids to get off the computer/tv/nintendo ds
finish school
wait for Butch to get home and yell at kids to help me clean up
listen to Butch's day
fight off the urge to run screaming when Mari hangs on my legs the ENTIRE time I'm making supper
clean supper dishes (optional)
talk and laugh and have nice family time
put kids to bed
put butch to bed
hop on the computer
write a blog entry to keep my sanity
go to bed at about 1am
dream crazy stuff until...
6:30 am...
yeah, hardly nothing at all. What do I need a vacation for?

I think I'll just go on a vacation in my mind. Or just go and watch the travel channel. I don't know, I don't ever go anywhere really so it must be just as good, right? A pine tree could look like a palm tree if you squint a little, right? Hey! There BOTH EVERGREENS RIGHT? PLEASE TELL ME I'M RIGHT!!!!!! MUD IS JUST WETTER, DARKER SAND THAT USED TO BE ON A BEACH (or a glacier...using my imagination here, folks), RIGHT??? THE COMMUNITY CENTER POOL COULD BE THE OCEAN IF I JUST PLUG MY NOSE SO I DON'T SMELL THE CHLORINE, RIGHT???? THE TANNING BOOTH COULD BE THE ACTUAL SUN, RIGHT (not so sure about this one, not having actually seen the sun since around September)RIGHTRIGHTRIGHT????????????

(laughing maniacally)
(crying)
(laughing maniacally)
(sighing)


Okay, Butch and I just might need a vacation.

(+ update) REAL EMERGENCY ALERT!!!!! PRAY PRAY PRAY

This is the update I got in an email today about Matthew's surgery yesterday morning...keep praying for Matthew's pain and quick healing (I wish I could express more adequately what a wonderful and special child Matthew is, but I think it's evident in the unselfish behavior that his family describes in the email!):

Hello friends and family,

As you are all aware, Matthew's foot was amputated today.
He is now at (name of hospital deleted for privacy by laura)
He really is a trooper and too worried about his mother...and his
room-mate. After coming out of surgery, things were not fun until
his pain was under control. Once that was accomplished, he was
fine. He drew for a while (there's a turtle drawing contest),
and shared his gifts with the (cutest) little boy next to him.
We can not thank all of you enough for your prayers (and food),
as your prayers are carrying us through this time.
Upon arriving home tonight, my sister informed me that her husband
talked to someone who knew someone that went through this, but refused
to amputate. He died a few months later....as hard as this has been, we're
so thankful we still have our wonderful son and that all tests to date show
he is cancer free. (please continue praying, as he'll have another scan
in 2-3 months.) THANK YOU all.. God bless you for your thoughtfulness
and generosity.

Joe, Kelly and family

original post follows:

I just found out from his mom that Matthew has to have his foot removed tomorrow. The kids (hopefully Matthew included) will come over for a visit today and hopefully Matthew will enjoy one, last day with his foot until he has a new, bionic foot! Please pray to get him and his family through this really difficult time.

I have decided to do a Novena starting today for Matthew.
I chose the Infant of Prague because I always loved the statue in the crying room of Matthew's parish church. I think the child Jesus has a special place in His heart for the suffering children of the world.
Every hour today at the :45 mark for nine hours I will say...


INFANT OF PRAGUE NOVENA PRAYER


O Jesus, Who has said, "Ask and you shall receive, seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened," through the intercession of Mary, Your Most Holy Mother, I knock, I seek, I ask that my prayer be granted.

(Make your request)
O Jesus, Who has said, "All that you ask of the Father in My Name, He will grant you," through the intercession of Mary Your Most Holy Mother, I humbly and urgently ask your Father in your name that my prayer will be granted.


(Make your request)
O Jesus, Who has said, "Heaven and earth shall pass away but My word shall not pass away," through the intercession of Mary Your Most Holy Mother, I feel confident that my prayer will be granted.


(Make your request)
PRAYER OF THANKSGIVING

Divine Infant Jesus, I know You love me and would never leave me. I thank You for Your close Presence in my life.

Miraculous Infant, I believe in Your promise of peace, blessings, and freedom from want. I place every need and care in Your hands.

Lord Jesus, may I always trust in Your generous mercy and love. I want to honor and praise You, now and forever. Amen.

Please join me in this prayer and pray for Matthew's suffering and anxiety and for peace in the hearts of his family members!!!!!

Thank you all so much, if you could spread the word on your blogs, maybe others may pray for Matthew tomorrow, too!

It's Freakin' Cold Today, I Could Use A Little O' That "Global Warming" Thingy

I saw this paragraph (below) in one of her articles and couldn't stop laughing. That girl has such a way with words...I bow to her talent. She could be my friend. She's too cool. I wish I had HALF of her intellect and wit!

Our lives depend on fossil fuel. Steel plants, chemical plants, rubber plants, pharmaceutical plants, glass plants, paper plants –- those run on energy. There are no Mother Earth nursery designs in stylish organic cotton without gas-belching factories, ships and trucks, and temperature-controlled, well-lighted stores. Windmills can't even produce enough energy to manufacture a windmill.


Heeheehee... (sigh) that girl is a hoot! I wonder about people who say that she is inappropriate or otherwise hate her. I don't think they are actually "getting" her and/or aren't really reading her articles or listening to what she really said. I wish SHE would be the President of the U.S.!

Spits and Furtz

I am posting at almost 3 am because I woke up from a weird dream and couldn't fall back to sleep. Don't worry, I'm not breaking my Lenten resolution or anything but I am a little restless. I keep thinking that I am forgetting something. I never was a list maker so maybe I need to start the habit of making a list and checking it twice to make sure I don't forget anything? I try to write everything on the calendar but sometimes I just don't look at the calendar until it's too late. Kind of pointless, I guess.

Do you ever have the feeling that someone is missing? The other day the children and I were in the car and I kept looking in my rear-view mirror doubting that I had everyone with me. No matter how many times I checked and counted heads, I kept thinking that someone was missing. This has happened to me MANY times. I always wonder at those times where this strange, gut feeling comes from. I've narrowed it down to a few possibilities...(also, I'm practicing my list making)

1. Deep down, I want more children so I am subconsciously looking for those "other children".

2. I had two miscarriages so I am subconsciously aware that they are "missing"

3. God is training me to always keep track of my children and be hyper-vigilant about where they are so I don't lose them, no matter how many there are.

4. I always have extra little ones here (relatives, neighbors, play-dates) so when it's just my own children, I overestimate how many I should be counting.

It is such a strong feeling that most times, I almost wish I could pull over and touch all of them on their heads just to make sure they are really there and I'm not going all goofy in the head.

Speaking of driving in the car with the kids...I was explaining something to the kids the other day in the car. I was telling them something having to do with working steadily instead of in "Fits and spurts" and it came out as the title of this blog post. We thought it sounded so funny (it really cracked Trina up when she heard me say it) that I knew I would have to put it somewhere in my blog.
When I'm trying to yell at the kids lately I make a lot of these goofy errors in my speech. I think my brain is turning to mush. I wonder if there's some kind of supplement I could take to enhance brain waves or something. I also wonder if it's God's funny way of making me take things more lightly and not raising my voice so dang much at them. It must be working because I'm a heck of a lot more mellow about things than I used to be!

Blogging helps too. I'll try to be more consistent and not blog in spits and furtz from now on. (See! Now that right there is FUNNY! Try using it in a sentence without laughing, I dare you.)

Green Matter?

Who knew?

Your Brain is Green

Of all the brain types, yours has the most balance. You are able to see all sides to most problems and are a good problem solver. You need time to work out your thoughts, but you don't get stuck in bad thinking patterns. You tend to spend a lot of time thinking about the future, philosophy, and relationships (both personal and intellectual).

What Color Is Your Brain?

Hmmm, these funny quizzes seem to get shorter and shorter. I'm starting to think that they are completely reliant on one question in the whole quiz to pigeonhole you into the one category. I don't care though. I think they are fun!

H/T CHRISTUS VINCIT

First Friday (on Saturday, whoops)

So we all know where that road leads when we really have good intentions, right? Okay, yesterday I meant to post a reflection on praying for the end to abortion but got distracted (snowstorm, hubs home, kids running here and there, Matty graduating from green to purple belt, meals, naps, you know all that stuff!) and didn't get it posted. But I did reflect, and pray, and also fast so it counted for me! I will try to remember to post a reflection next month but since Lent has started I am reading more and more about how ALL Fridays are penitential days so I think that will stick in my head from now on and it really adds to prayer time to think of all Fridays as special.

My reflection yesterday was on how so many people (especially mothers) must have felt when they heard about Roe v. Wade back in the early seventies. It must have been on the news and in the papers all of the time. They must have felt so helpless to do anything. It must have made them just sick to think that people would have a legal RIGHT to kill their unborn children. I think about what I would have felt or thought about at that time if I were a young mother instead of a baby myself in my mother's womb (I was born in 1972). My mother took some of that sorrow and put it into a great effort. She and many other women (and men, I assume) went around passing out literature and information on abortion and pro-life causes. I remember as a little girl seeing all of that stuff on the kitchen table and being horrified that anyone could consider such an awful thing. I am so happy that it was ingrained in me that life was precious for it's own sake because in later years, that belief came in handy! In school and in life in general, the value of life is constantly assaulted and it's a great thing that I had this base of knowledge to speak intelligently about what it means to be valued as a human person. I was able to act on these beliefs so many times I've lost count. Some of what I learned back then helped me in dealing with a pro-death attitude of others in high school, the nursing home where I worked, in caring for the profoundly mentally handicapped, and caring for my own children. My parents were on the front lines at that time and they instilled in me (and my siblings) the importance of being pro-life in a pro-death world.

A Teeny, Little, Itsy, Bitsy Request

Howdy. I was wondering about something the other day. I was kind of wondering how I could draw out lurkers on my blog and find out who the heck is reading this thing. OH, I KNOW about all the nice gals who always are kind enough to leave a comment but I was wondering about others who don't or can't comment soooooo...I'm gonna make it so easy for you to do my informal poll.

Here's how it works, simply email me at laurathecrazymama@yahoo.com and put one of these letters in the body of the email. That's pretty painless, right?

Are you somebody who:

A. is related to me and lives far away but never comments because you don't know how or don't really like my opinions and don't want to admit you're related to me?

B. is a stranger who always reads this but is too shy to comment?

C. is too tired to ever comment or can't type so you don't bother?

D. is someone who knows me from the past but is too embarrassed to admit they are nosey about my life?

E. is from another country and is wondering if all of us Americans are a strange as that laura girl?

F. came across my blog by complete accident and now you are hooked?

G. isn't Catholic, but now that you've been reading my blog for a while, you're convinced it can work for you (hahahaha, I know, that one's kinda reaching!)?

H. thinks I'm a dork for even having a poll like this?

Alrighty, I was mostly just curious. You can even send this email from an anonymous email address (you know, the one you use for contests and stuff, not your REAL email) so I won't even know who you are or anything if you don't want me to.
That's all.
Really!