Has it really been 3 days?

Time flies when you are trying to catch up and dealing with sickie poo babies!

We've had lots of fun over the past three days. We discovered that Lukie is allergic to something, it might be soap, it might not be. What we do know is that he is covered in hives and so drugged up on Benedryl that he falls asleep at the drop of a hat. (I think we are going to back off on the Benedryl and see what happens.) We've also learned that feeding tubes are amazing things. Daddy is starting to feel better with his feeding tube in place. We also discovered that Gracie and Luke do not like cheeseburgers. There is no reason to elaborate on that one. Just imagine your worst time at McDonald's and multiply it by 100. That was our visit yesterday!

Today, I am here to talk about Ash Wednesday. I'm behind on my 12 visits to Mass and I had to be reminded by Bill Handel, of all people (he's Jewish), that today is Ash Wednesday. And, since today is Ash Wednesday, it is also the beginning of Lent. I have not been a good practicing Catholic in some time now. Mass was always something we did as a family. When I moved away from my family, I accidentally moved away from Mass and practicing my faith as well. It wasn't on purpose. It just, well, happened.

One of my friends, Caryn, is one of the most spiritual people I know. She is dedicated to her faith and to living her life honoring Jesus' teachings every day. Yesterday, she posted on her blog about how she is going to use the season of Lent to become a better person. I liked it so much, that I have adopted it. She said:

So, the season of Lent is upon us once again. I usually give up sweets or coffee and although those are sacrifices, let's face it, not really life changing. This year, I am going to do some "spring cleaning of my soul" by getting rid of the materialism that seems to be swallowing me whole. I feel like I go from one worry to the next and although I am not worried about getting a new Mercedes I do worry about material possessions. I worry about things getting broken, stolen, lost and used up. I think that I am too focused on what we "need" and not what we have. I am going to spend this season of Lent by purging my home and mind of "stuff." I am going to get rid of one item a day that I do not need and replace it with one prayer for something I have been blessed with. We live in an amazing world and I am going to try to appreciate it more.

Can you imagine? Getting rid of the idea that we "need" this or that. Getting rid of the stuff we don't need and replacing it with a prayer. What a fantastic idea: to become more spiritual by letting go of the superfluous stuff in our lives. This is definitely something I need right now.

Maybe this will also lead to something else: a cleaner house. :)

Mass - Our First attempt goes horribly awry

I've promised myself that I am going to go to mass this year. Nothing huge, just 12 times. Once a month would be wonderful considering we haven't been going at all!

Last night, Gracie and Luke spent the night at Nana's house and I drove out to pick them up this morning so that we could go to lunch with our friends. Nana was reading at Mass today, so I decided to see if I could check off one of my 12 Masses for the year.

Let me put it this way, if I hadn't had Teddy Grahams with me, there would have been a nuclear meltdown in the church! One Mommy and 2 toddlers does not equal a good time. The first thing they did was pull every prayer book and song book out of the pew. I solved that by sitting both of them on my lap. They were interested in the lights and flowers. Lukie was especially enjoying the Christmas trees. When they saw Nana walk up with the priest, Gracie shouted a loud "Hi!" and waved at Nana. I managed to keep her quiet with a quick Teddy in the mouth. They kind of liked the music. Kind of. But then, Nana had to go up and read and I was left by myself.

Dear Lord in Heaven, I am so sorry for the words I said in my head! Please, please forgive me!

Lukie tried to wriggle off of my lap and when I would not let him down, he started to yell. Gracie cried every time her supply of teddies fell short. Then, Lukie pulled his famous "Throw the binky and they'll put me down" trick - to no avail. Nana came back and held Gracie, who immediately started to cry because I was not holding her. When Nana stepped out of the pew to remove the screaming Gracie, Lukie chucked his binky at Nana's back. I am not kidding! You could hear the collective GASP! that came from the parishioners throughout the church. This is not an exaggeration. Nana sat us in the second pew and, in the semi-circular church, everyone saw what he did. That was the end!

So we officially made it to the beginning of the homily. Nana helped me take them out to the car. We hightailed it away from the church and headed straight for McDonald's. French fries made the Twinsies feel better and an iced tea did the trick for me. About 5 minutes later, they were both asleep.

Oh, well. Better luck next time!