header

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Seven Quick Takes Friday (13)


--- 1 ---
So Lent starts Wednesday...I am not sure what I will give up or choose to add to my life. I think this move is absolutely stressful, so I don't know what other type of penance God would will me do. Last year I was a brand new mom, so I didn't give up much...I just gave up watching Ellen. I added receiving Eucharist on the tongue and have kept that as part of my life.
I think this year I will do what I did for Advent; add a daily mass to my week...except that we will be moving the week after Ash Wednesday, so I'll start the next week.
I don't know what to give up this year that is meaningful... What are you doing??

--- 2 ---
Next Wednesday is also my baby girl's first birthday. Her birthday actually falls on Ash Wednesday in 11 years too...I find that interesting. My mom is a third grade teacher at a Catholic school. I think her kids want to throw baby G a Mardi Gras birthday party on Tuesday. I don't know what they expect of a one year old at a school party, but I think it is cute.

--- 3 ---
I feel like I have looked at 50 homes online. We are trying to find a nice size home (3 bed, 2 bath), with updated kitchen, for rent in our new town. It's pretty tough to do online, because pictures don't tell the whole story. We are lucky to have one of my husband's co-workers in the area already who scoped a place out for us. We've decided to move forward on one, despite it being a bit higher than we wanted to pay. The area around it seems great, so I guess we'll pay for that versus something cheaper with not as nice of a neighborhood.

--- 4 ---
I could really use some prayers for the drive to my parents on Sunday. I have never driven baby G alone for more than 2 hours. I am very nervous about how our SIX hour drive alone is going to go. If you have tips for driving with a baby while not being able to attend to her, I'd appreciate if you shared them with me. I know that I should plan to stop at least once. My biggest worry is that she'll get bored/mad and cry the whole time. She throws all her toys to the side & usually I am able to hand things back to her while my husband drives. Not possible when I am alone. If you can't tell, my stress level is pretty high right now between the move & this drive.

--- 5 ---
I went to dinner with a friend Thursday night (the one I mentioned last week, whose son needs surgery). I really pray their situation ends well. I know that God doesn't give us more than we can handle, but she surely has a lot on her plate right now. I've enjoyed getting to know her and her family over the past year & I'll really miss them when we move to California. The ironic thing is that they moved to Kansas from the San Francisco area...and we are moving from Kansas to the San Francisco area.
I'm actually going to miss a lot about this area. My husband I both really like it here, so we may end up moving back later in life. I'll probably post my favorite things in the area next week.

--- 6 ---
G's top two highlights of the week:
  • I swear G said "hi dada." I was talking to my husband on the phone and I told her to say hi. She started waving as usual, but then said "Hi Dada!" pretty clearly. He didn't hear it though :-(
  • She's got a great fort to play in now. She likes hiding things in it and also using her lantern as a night light.

--- 7 ---
If you haven't seen it, please check out the guest post I shared this week from Mandi @ Catholic Newlywed. She wrote about pacifier use and there have been many great comments left. I really appreciate her sharing this story with me and my readers. If you have something you'd like to share regarding natural parenting, feel free to contact me!

For more Quick Takes, visit Conversion Diary!

8 comments:

  1. I don't know what you should do particularly about Lent, but I can pass on some good advice I've received, which is that you should take something on when you give something up. So, if you give up eating lunch on Wednesdays, say, spend the time instead reading Scripture. Or something like that. Basically, don't leave a hole in your life where the thing you're fasting from used to be. Fill it with something good.

    ReplyDelete
  2. #2: I have a Holy Week baby. :) (He was born during Holy Week 3 years ago and his birthday falls on Holy Saturday this year.)

    #4: Plan to stop about every 2 hours or so to feed and stretch your legs. I've done some 7+ hour drives with Daniel (one when he was about 11 months old) and it's completely doable

    #5: Why are you moving? I grew up in the Bay Area (more specifically San Jose) and I live outside of Sacramento so if I can help you at all with figuring stuff out, let me know. I'm jen @ grace-filled dot net.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Good luck with the drive.
    LF

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yes, plan on taking frequent stops! Also, I don't know how practical it is to drive during the night or at a nap time, but I'd recommend that, too! I'll be praying for you with your upcoming move, for your friend, and for your road trip with the baby.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Did I miss something? I didn't know you were moving. Where to? I know you're in KS so hopefully it's closer to KC (not that I'm biased.) If by some odd chance it is, let me know what apartments you're looking at. We went to probably 20+ when we were looking and I made an excel sheet on them with important factors that I'd be happy to share. :)

    Good luck with the drive and happy early birthday to G! :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. one time I gave up hot showers.....that was not a very good Lent!!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Good luck with home hunting and with the drive. Make frequent stops and enjoy the journey.

    Blessings to you and your family!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Good luck with the drive. Try to keep yourself calm and not approach it stressed out. Have some good music, drinks, snacks, etc. For you. I found that my baby reacted much better on the longer trips than the two hour ones, much to my pleasure. And best of luck with the move!

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for leaving a comment! Have a great day!