everyday Ann

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Easter Prep

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It is hard to believe that we are almost halfway through Holy Week and Easter will be upon us soon. My kids are counting down the days and Grace and Caden are practicing up their Alleluias!

I feel like so many efforts I wanted to work on during Lent didn’t all come to fruition, including making Lent more applicable for the little ones. So we are throwing everything into Holy Week.

I ordered Resurrection Eggs for the younger ones, although the older kids enjoy reading it as well. I debated about saving them for Grace’s Easter basket, but I am so glad I didn’t. These are perfect for Holy Week and telling the story of Christ’s Passion leading up to Easter. Grace asks to read the Jesus story before nap time instead of a book and we have gone through them at least twice a day since getting them in the mail last week. I highly recommend them for anyone with little ones.

We made it through Palm Sunday Mass without too much sweat, two long Triduum Masses to go. I wrote about taking our little ones to Mass a few weeks ago over at Catholic Mom in case you are in need of some encouragement before embarking on Mass during bedtime and naptime.

Ever since our first Easter with Kolbe and Ethan we have done the Risen Jesus search Easter morning. On Good Friday the kids will make a picture of Jesus on the cross. They will then put their picture in a tomb (decorated shoe box). Easter morning they will find the boxes open and empty and will need to go in search of the Risen Jesus. When they find Jesus they will also see another surprise, their Easter basket!!

Easter morning the kids wake up to the house transformed and full of bright color. I wait until they are asleep Saturday night to put up any Easter decorations or flowers and also set out a nice table setting for breakfast. Come Easter morning I always wake up insanely early to make a nice brunch and a pan of sweet pecan rolls for us all to sit down and enjoy before heading out to Easter Mass at 8:30am. This year I am going to add virgin mimosas to the early morning brunch menu, something I think the kids will really enjoy.

The following are true and tried family recipes that my Mom has made every Easter morning since I can remember. Since we won’t be traveling this year for Easter, but will actually be hosting some of Aaron’s family I will be making sure to keep the tradition alive.

Pecan Rolls
3 packages buttermilk biscuits (make sure to buy the regular size, otherwise they won’t turn out)
Pecans
Sugar
Cinnamon
1 cup Brown Sugar
1/3 cup Butter
1/3 cup Cream

  • Grease bundt pan and spread pecans on the bottom. Layer biscuits in pan. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon between each layer.
  • Mix brown sugar, butter and cream in saucepan. Bring to a light boil. Pour over pan.
  • Bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Chocolate Pudding Torte
1 1/2 cups Flour
1 1/2 sticks Butter
2/3 cup Chopped Pecans
8 oz. Cream Cheese
1 cup Powdered Sugar
1 large Jello Instant Chocolate Pudding
3 cups Milk
12 oz. Cool Whip

  • Combine flour, melted butter and pecans. Press mixture into 9×13 pan. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes.
  • Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar and half of cool whip until smooth. Spread over cooled crust.
  • Combine pudding mix with 3 cups milk and beat until thick. Pour over cream cheese layer.
  • Spread remaining cool whip on top and refrigerate.
  • Garnish with chopped pecans.

I would love to hear some of your Easter traditions! This is the holiest week of the year and we are about to embark on the greatest moment in history of all time, Christ’s Resurrection!!

Moms and Lent

It is practically here, are you ready? I know I will be fine tuning my Lenten commitment right until midnight tonight along with enjoying a large bowl of ice cream. I set up the sacrifice jar today and we each wrote down our Lenten commitments on a note card last night. The boys are already thinking of ways to fill the jar, because they know the coffee beans will turn to jelly beans come Easter.

Writing over at Catholic Mom as we prepare to enter the Lenten journey. Let’s be honest, simply by being a mom we are daily met with situations that challenge us and we don’t have to look far for opportunities to make a sacrifice. All in this together!

Advent: Learning to Wait Well

We have officially begun the season of Advent. I am not good at waiting, at all and this season is no different. Our family is filled with excitement as we look forward to traditions, visits with family and most importantly the celebration of the birth of our Savior. I always want to bottle up this time of year as it is a season that brings our family closer together.

Sharing my thoughts at Catholic Mom today reflecting on waiting, Advent and ways to live out the Advent season with your children and in your family.

As Our Hearts Ponder

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School day number 4 in the books and we still seem to be adjusting to the new routine, not to mention that on day 3 I was already late for pick-up. I am also finding the need to come up with coping strategies come 3:45 when are are all together again and chaos seems to hit. Yesterday every single child was in tears between 4:00 and 5:00. Working on adjusting to everything being new again.

Writing at Catholic Mom this week for all of our mama hearts as we send our children back to school. Keeping all of you mothers in prayer as sometimes the transition is so much harder on us.

When God Says Give More

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The days when God asks you to give a little more and you wonder how you will make it through. You just spent the entire night rocking and holding your sick baby, so they could be in a more comfortable position because as soon as you lay them in their crib they scream in pain. When you finally get settled for an hour of sleep the toddler wakes up, your jaw clenches as you try to get them their drink of water.

Morning comes all too quickly and it seems as if you would rather hide under the covers than face the day. Nothing that a two cup of fully caffeinated coffee can’t help. Only you haven’t been drinking caffeine, so after the jolt you are left feeling a little shaky and nauseated instead of energized.

Made it to lunch, nap time is right around the corner and you cannot wait to sneak in a 30 minute snooze while the little ones sleep. Only today they decide that their nap time will not coincide and your glimmer of hope is gone. You begin to countdown the hours until the second shift steps in. Five hours and counting, slamming LaCroix because it’s the next best thing to wine.

Dinner becomes well balanced with a bag of tator-tots, sandwiches and cucumbers because nobody ever said this was a five star kitchen. Your relief walks in the door and you use everything in your power to not run out while you have the chance.

Bedtime approaches only to find the toddler spiked a high fever meaning another sleepless night. Two sick kiddos and the weekend plans went out the door, your only opportunity at having a social life and communication with the outside world. In addition the four day family vacay that you spent all week packing and prepping for gets canceled.

Some days God definitely ask me to give a little more, sometimes a lot more. When I think I have given all of my love, time, sleep and energy to my family I find God stretching me even more. At moments to the point of exhaustion, ready to throw in the towel.

Then I remember that this, this is my vocation. Sleepless nights, rocking babies, cancelling plans is all part of God’s plan to make me holy. His plan to etch away the selfishness that still consumes me, the comfort that I take for granted and the need to feel in control of my plans.

Motherhood is my path to heaven if I can just accept the difficulties alongside with the joys. To see God’s grace even in the moments that leave me giving more than I think I am capable of. He gave more, He gave all.