Books Clubs, Anniversary, First Communion, NFP class, and Babysitting

We've had a busy last few days. Nothing new for our family! As the title for this post suggests, there is a long list of activities that have kept us hopping the past few days.

The first activity was a children's book club for our home schooling group. The younger kids read the book The Weight of a Mass and then discussed the Mass and the Eucharist. It was a really great book, great for First Communicants and younger kids. It is a fairytale style story that has a really great message. The kids made monstrances as a craft to reinforce the importance of adoring and receiving Jesus in the Eucharist. They had lots of fun and they turned out very well.

On Friday, dear hubby and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary. We went out for dinner and then over to some friends' home to have an evening of adult conversation. After taking the babysitter home, we watched a movie before going to bed. It was a lovely evening.

On Saturday evening, dear hubby's God-daughter made her First Holy Communion. I had never been to an evening Mass for the reception of First Holy Communion, so I didn't know what to expect. I should have expected that the baby (I mean toddler) would be very cranky. But, cranky isn't severe enough a word! She was horrible and the Mass lasted 2 hours! I was either covering her mouth to keep her quiet, wrestling her into submission, or outside the church while she screamed nearly the whole Mass. However, at least the other kids behaved and dear hubby was able to be there to witness such a blessed occasion. Afterward we had dinner and the kids were able to play with their cousin and aunt.

On Sunday, we had our last NFP class for the series we've been teaching and also had Dear Hubby's grandparents (Ma and Pa) over. Ma and Pa came to till up our garden and then stayed for dinner. Dear Hubby's mom and sister also came over and enjoyed a nice roast with us. I was so exhausted by Sunday night I could barely handle writing up the kids lesson plans for the upcoming week, but I got through it and finally went to bed exhausted.

Monday morning I got a bit of a surprise phone call from our neighbors asking if we could babysit their four little blessings while they went to the hospital to deliver their newest bundle of joy. I was happy to help out and the day went rather smoothly until dinner time, when all chaos started to break out because the kids were exhausted from playing outside most of the day and not having their normal nap time. Thank goodness dear hubby came home about that time and was able to referee while I fixed dinner. All eleven of us were able to sit down to a nice dinner and in plenty of time for him to get out the door to his two meetings. After dinner, I realized how dirty the kids had gotten from playing outside and decided to give some quick baths. When that was all done, I finally got all the kids settled down and to sleep. Some took longer than others.

Guns and a Movie?

That's right! I said guns and a movie! We did a his and her's date. A movie for him, and guns for me! HA! LOL!

We went to see the movie "Fireproof". The movie is one of those typical "chick flicks", but had a Christian message about the perminance of marriage. There were some pretty intense action scenes that really appealed to the guys. I was pleasantly surprised to hear them actually talking about the difference between a contract and a covanent marriage. If you haven't seen it, go! Especially, go with your spouse! It was worth the money. We plan on buying it once it comes out on DVD, so we can share it with others who need this message.

I am sure you want to hear about the gun range! Well, since Obama has was elected, we've been talking about getting a gun. Obama's stance on the life issues, gun control, and this 'Civilian Service Force' (or whatever he calls it) makes me think more of Hitler than hope. We've been talking about getting a gun just in case. In case of what? Well, if things tank and go down hill like in the Great Depression, we'll need something that will help us be able to hunt. That is why we got a shot gun. But, because of the worries associated with protecting our family, especially our 5 children, we want to make sure we are ready for anything. So, my dear husband, wants us to buy a hand gun. I have NEVER liked guns! EVER!!! I guess it is a sign of how truly worried I am, that I am more scared of an Obama regime than I am of guns. So, we went to the gun range. We rented two different guns: a 357 and a 9 mil. semi-auto Glock. I was so scared I started shaking and couldn't even shoot at first. What was so scary, you might ask. The thought that I might have to use that gun for real someday. An image of me shooting at someone frightened me. How desperate would things have to be, if it meant I was actually using that gun to protect myself and my family? Once the fear subsided, I was able to try both guns. I think I did a little better with the semi-auto 9 mil. Glock. I was able to get 5 directly in the head of the target. The 357 was heavier and a little more intimidating to me. However, the 357 would be more reliable the gun range owner said. As he put it, "If the rhino is charging you, you want to know that the gun you are holding will work!"