{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life with Like Mother, Like Daughter. ~

{pretty}

It's always so pretty over at the coast! I have some more pictures I'm hoping to share from our camping trip last weekend, but here is one that someone took of our whole family.  ❤ You can also see pictures from the Saturday afternoon rehearsal and Corpus Christi Mass and Procession here. 

{happy}

Lots of big smiles in our home today! Last day of school for the kids, and last day of braces for me!!! Woot woot! Thank you to my orthodontist and his amazing staff. They are the best! #bracesoff #onceagain #twentyyearslater #wearyourretainer

{funny}

"What are you smiling about?!" asks my husband, when he met up with us at DQ this afternoon to celebrate the last day of school. Haha! #nomorebraces #thatswhat

He wasn't joking, but he figured it out really quickly when I grinned even bigger and all the kids started giggling! He's had a long week.

I don't think I'll ever forget him asking if I had asked the orthodontist if he could still kiss me when I first got them on, and the electric shock he got from that first kiss! ⚡ That was the one and only time that happened, but the timing couldn't have been more perfect!

{real}

A screen shot from my Target Weight App showing my weight loss from the past year.
The green dots show that I'm now in the "normal" range for my height!

Today is also my 100th day on the Auto-Immune Protocol (AIP) diet! (This is my favorite book on the topic.) I'm feeling so much better than I have in years. 

When I first started the diet, the day after getting my biopsy results back in March, I planned on trying it for thirty days which seemed like an eternity at the time. I surprised myself by being able to successfully give up all my favorite things (Coffee, Chocolate, Chipotle...) and then some (all Sugar, Seeds, Nuts, Grains, Nightshades, Eggs, Dairy, etc). I figured Lent was the perfect time to make the extra sacrifices. Day 30 ended up being Holy Thursday, so I spent Day 31 fasting for Good Friday. My lichen planus wasn't completely gone so I decided to continue on the diet through Easter and beyond.  

My Easter morning breakfast was an AIP approved Pina Colada Smoothie made with 1 large banana, 1 1/4 cup frozen pineapple tidbits, 1 cup coconut milk (this kind), 1 cup crushed ice, topped with unsweetened toasted coconut and garnished with an organic strawberry. Yum! 

I've found that, in addition to the diet, keeping my stress levels as low as possible and making sure I'm getting enough sleep each night is essential to avoiding new lichen planus from appearing. With the combination of the AIP diet, low(er) stress, and plenty of more sleep, I've been able to manage my autoimmune skin issues without using any of the prescribed steroids! The added benefit of weight loss has really helped keep me motivated too! :)  As of today I have lost 32 pounds since March 4th, and over 42 pounds since last fall! I've gone from wearing maternity clothes and/or barely being able to squeeze into a size fourteen to my old size eights now fitting loosely! On June 3rd, for the first time in nearly seven years, I finally weigh less than my husband once again!!! I've actually been buying him lots of beer and chocolate to keep it that way! Just kidding... or am I! ;)  Anyway, I still have another 15-20 pounds I would love to lose, but it actually seems achievable for the first time in a very long time. I'm looking forward to slowly reintroducing some foods back into my diet later this summer. We'll see how it goes! 

Seven Quick Takes :: Instagram Recap & More

It's time for another Instagram Recap in Seven Quick Takes! 

— 1 :: NPLTW —

#NPLTW Second and Third place winners in the National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week 2015 photo contest. #prolifegen (and our oldest daughter came in at Fourth place, just a couple points behind her brother!) 
First place went to Melody's son, Peter!  No… I'm not going to start using their names on the blog, but I do think it's pretty awesome that the winner's of the recent National Pro-Life T-Shirt Week contest were Peter, James and John, and in that order! ;)

Captain was actually holding one of his own sonogram images (Task #6-Holding a sonogram image of a baby.) in this picture. He pulled it out of his baby book!

— 2 :: Another Win! —

On Tuesday morning Ranger found out that he had won last month's clean teeth drawing at the orthodontist for $50 in Baskin-Robbins gift certificates!

— 3 :: Baptisms and Birthdays —

Last Saturday we attended the Baptism & reception for a sweet baby boy. 

Welcome into the Body of Christ, little one!

Afterwards we headed to my brother's house to celebrate his 29th birthday that day, and my brother Kevin's 21st birthday which is this Saturday! Of course… Lighting candles turns into a lighter fight.

— 4 :: Curriculum Plans —

  

I know it's already the end of the school year... but I finally got around to posting our 2014-2015 curriculum plans. Better late than never, right? 

If you missed it you can find it here:

Our 2014-2015 Curriculum Plans and Checklists 

— 5 :: Ascension Thursday —

I posted all the rest of the pictures from our annual Acsension Thursday picnic here and a little video over at Instagram. The feast of the Ascension has been transferred to Sunday in our diocese... We will continue our celebration with Sunday Mass and Ascension Pancakes this coming weekend!

 "Getting ready for a family game of soccer!"

"It's crazy out there! We decided to watch {or rather dodge balls!} from the sidelines. Almost bedtime... Everyone should sleep well tonight!"

— 6 :: Art for Our Lady —

Bring flow'rs of the fairest, 

Bring flow'rs of the rarest,

From garden and woodland

And hillside and vale;

Our full hearts are swelling,

Our Glad voices telling

The praise of the loveliest

Rose of the vale.

Kimberlee recently announced the Marian ATC Swap 2015.
Be sure to visit Pondered in My Heart for all the details and to sign up! 

— 7 :: Feast of St. Dymphna —

May 15th is the feast of St. Dymphna, Lily of the Emerald Isle. In honor of her feast Regina Martyrum Productions just released the audio story of St. Dymphna! It's over an hour long and I'm looking forward to listening to it later this afternoon with our older children. (Note: The subject matter of this story can tend to a mature theme.) 

Right now Regina Martryum Productions is having an 18 HOUR FLASH SALE!

You can purchase two audio stories and get one free with coupon code DYMPHNA15 at checkout.

You can find additional saint stories for the month of May in our Book Basket!

You can follow me on Instagram here. 

April Instagram Recap

April 10th

Wrapping up our school week with another art lesson! This week we studied Frederic Remington and our activity emphasized Realism in Western Landscapes. Our five year old especially loved learning how to cut out triangle teepees and make cactuses by tracing her pointer finger and thumb. All the kids are looking forward to showing their Dad their finished art projects when he gets home from work tonight. #homeschoolart #meetthemasters #fredericremington

April 12th

V. Panem de caelo praestitisti eis. Alleluia.

R. Omne delectamentum in se habentem. Alleluia.

V. Thou hast given them bread from heaven. Alleluia. 

R. Having within it all sweetness. Alleluia.

April 13th

A fun field trip to the theater to see the Charlotte's Web production with just these four! 

April 15th

My view from the kitchen as they patiently wait for their breakfast.  

The oatmeal will be ready soon boys!

 

A surprise gift from a friend! It's not coffee but pretty much the next best thing after giving up coffee two months ago when I started the AIP diet. Thank you, Jennifer Anne!

"No! I'm not going to bake you a cake for completing lesson 100... But I WILL bake you a cake if you complete your Math book(s) before the school year ends!" Well... Tonight I baked another cake! The oldest three have now all completed their math for the year and will be able to get a jump start on next year's Math for the rest of this quarter. My 4th grader should finish her math book on Monday, which just so happens to be her birthday! I suppose I'll have to bake her a cake too! 

April 16th 

Gorgeous afternoon at Grandpa and Grandma's house... Happy 38th Anniversary, Dad and Mom!

The older boys spent the afternoon helping my parents with yard work. The rest of the children went with me to pick them up and we all enjoyed rides on the Golf carts and Grandpa's quad.

You can also watch a short 15 second video here.

April 18th

Haircuts for the girls, just in time for Chiquita's "Kit" themed birthday party the next day! 

Celebrating the birthday of a beautiful little girl who just turned one!

A few more pictures from the 1st birthday party! 

April 20th

Ten years ago today ♥

April 2005 - Ages 4, 3, 1 and newborn!

Ten years old today! She asked if she could have her hair cut short again for her birthday so (after stopping at 10 different salons on Saturday trying to find someone who had an opening - or three!) we finally found an available hairdresser. I was sad to see her beautiful long hair get cut, but she loves it short and it will be easy and cool for summer. Tomorrow is going to be another big day... Her braces are coming off in the morning!

April 21st

Braces off! 

April 22nd

I love watching our older children read to their younger siblings.♥ 

#lifeisprecious #angelinthewaters #npltw

You can find me on Instagram here.

7QT: Meeting my godson, spending time with friends, orthodontia updates, and other craziness. . .

— 1 —

It was so nice to finally meet my newest godson - and spend time with his mama and siblings this week! Isn't he just adorable?!?  Snuggles and Rose kept asking if we can "please have a baby just like this!" Rose would add that she'd prefer "a girl baby like that!" ❤  Bud loved the "BABY!" too. It's so hard to believe that my "baby" will be turning three this year…

Anyways, our friends arrived Monday and they were able to stay until Friday afternoon. We had hoped to join them at the coast for the weekend exploring the tide pools, but my husband ended up having an opportunity to work overtime, so we are spending a quiet weekend at home instead.  We miss them already! Sure wish they didn't live so far away. . . 

— 2 —

On Wednesday we drove down to our little local Malt Shop for $1.25 ice cream cones before heading to the river to feed the ducks and walk the trail.  At 93˚ it was too hot to eat the cones outside!  (And no ice cream for me. . . Following my last round of ear infections a couple weeks ago I have once again removed all dairy products from my diet.  I can do it, right?! I'm still fighting fluid in my ears, despite my efforts to eat a healthy diet.) 

It was such a beautiful day at the river! 

— 3 —

Captain got his braces off this past Tuesday, May 13th!  

— 4 —

Speaking of Braces, Ranger and Chiquita had braces put on their teeth a couple weeks ago, on April 29th! (This is just phase one of two phases for Chiquita.) I never would have thought we'd find a way to put the first two through braces, let alone four children in less than two years time, but it has all worked out.  We signed up for dental insurance the year before last and I was so excited to find out at the consultation for these two that our benefits had increased by an extra $1,000 per child!  (We still owed $1000 for Captain's braces, so that brought his balance down to $0!!) Between the insurance benefits, family discount, and the pre-tax funds we have been putting into a Medical Flexible Spending Account to go right to the orthodontist each year, we haven't had to come up with any extra monthly payments. Such a blessing!

I am a little nervous about how that front tooth of his is going to hold up through the movement… Praying it stays together!

— 5 —

On April 30th we (I) drove to a small DMV a couple hours away so that my husband could take his driving test without having to wait for a mid-May appointment at any of the local DMVs. 

He passed the test and it turned into a nice day-trip for our family, and the perfect opportunity to see my youngest brother at college.  We had fun at the park and took him out to dinner before driving home.  

Mashed Potatoes for the two suffering children on Day 2 of Braces...

Even though Sean passed the driver's tests it still took two weeks of us going in circles before he was able to get his license.  The problem was he didn't have a copy of his birth certificate, and Vital Check would not send him a copy until he showed valid photo ID - specifically a Driver's license or passport, both of which were expired.  His government issues work ID was not acceptable.  Another option was to have his signature notarized after completing a special form/oath stating you are who you say you are, that is if you can find a notary who will work with you without valid photo idea… We called quite a few before our bank said they'd accept his debit card.  THEN, after faxing that in, we had yet another denial since the notary copied his notary seal expiration date down incorrectly as Apr 4, 2014… Once again expired.   He scheduled an appointment to try one more time, and in the meantime asked his parents to see if they could get him a copy.  Two birth certificates arrived in the mail on Monday and he finally received his new valid driver's license yesterday!  

Moral of the story: Make sure you have a certified copy of your birth certificate and don't let your driver's license expire! 

— 6 —

The Sunday before last, looking ahead at our schedule for the week with all the planned excavation/tutors/testing/book sale/doctor appointments/company arriving, I realized there was no way I could put off grocery shopping any longer and decided to go to Costco and Trader Joe's before they closed. As I was trying to hurry and squeeze the last couple bags in the van around 8:30pm, before I was soaked from the rain, I shut the sliding door and was about to open the front door when it beeped.  Somehow the van had decided to re-lock itself and I was stuck outside.  My purse and phone were sitting inside.  A nice older man overheard me saying "Nonononononono!!!!" and asked if I was okay.  He kindly let me borrow his phone so I could call home and ask my husband to drive down to town (40 minutes each way) with his temporary license and the spare key!  He asked if I was kidding...  If only!  I'm sure God is trying to teach us something through all of this… Patience, perhaps?

— 7 —

Last Friday night my friend Juliana came for a short overnight visit with her three boys! Many of the best memories from my teenage years include her, MI camps, and my frequent trips to the coast to visit. She lives a few hours away and we don't see her very often.  It was so nice to stay up late visiting, and to see our children have so much fun together!

On Saturday they left to attend a First Holy Communion, and I spent the day with my girls!  First we met up with many of the women that live on our road for the monthly luncheon, then we headed to the Church for a double baby shower for our Pastor's Assistant and TT's godmother's new sister-in-law who just moved to the area when her husband moved back for a job at the parish. It was nice to meet her and the baby shower was lovely! 

The girls helped me pick out a darling outfit and blanket for one of the mamas (which we thought she might like having just moved from Florida) to pair with some white booties from Sew Many Booties. 

Sean and I wanted to give the other new couple, who we've enjoyed getting to know this past year, one of our own favorite (and defintiely the most used over the past 14 years) baby gear items, along with some soft green booties for this green lovin' mama! 

It has been such a busy month!  On Sunday we had our Latin Mass/Potluck (following a 7 mile bike ride in the morning with my older boys on my new Mother's Day gift!) and Monday our company arrived.  Somewhere in there (thanks to staying up 36 hours straight - I'm really getting too old for this! lol) I did manage to host the Spring book sale, and then mail out everyone's book orders! (THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!)  As fun as it has been I am looking forward to at least a few quiet days before our summer activities begin, and maybe I'll have a chance to share our Easter/Birthday photos… I'm starting to wonder if that is just wishful thinking! ;) 

For additional Quick Takes visit Conversion Diary, author of the newly released book Something Other than God!  I have my pre-ordered copy sitting on my nightstand along with The Little Oratory and I'm hoping to find the time to read them soon… If not, at least I'll still have something to read when our first session of swimming lessons begin on May 27th!