Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Sunday, August 28, 2011
No baby yet.
Michael and I have been "ready" for this baby for about two weeks now. We've had the bags packed, the pack n' play set up and ready, diapers and wipes stocked and organized, the van washed and vacuumed, the car seat installed, the baby toys and clothes ready, the linens washed and ready, and my extensive summer list of To-Do's (mostly) tackled.
I'm ready to meet this precious little girl. But she is quite happy to stay in the oven at the moment.
I remember halfway dreading Gabriel's birth because everything was so unknown and new--I had no idea, other than what I'd read in books and gleaned from conversations with friends--of how to get through labor and how to be a mother. And consequently I was completely at peace with simply letting him stay in as long as he wanted to! The fact that he came 15 days early took me somewhat by surprise. But I liken it to someone throwing you in a chilly pool you're not sure you want to go swimming in. You're thankful that it wasn't up to you in the end to decide when and how you'd jump in!
The end of this pregnancy has been very different, because I'm so much more ready to have this baby! (Not the least of my reasons being that I'm much more physically uncomfortable this time around for a few reasons.)
After being honestly a bit disappointed each day of the past week and a half or so that the baby hasn't arrived, I am thankful for a spiritual return to peace this weekend. After all, I was reminded these past couple of days, this baby isn't choosing when she's coming--God is.
So, keep checking back on Humble Handmaid and/or on Facebook. Baby Girl will come eventually! My due date isn't until September 6, after all.
Thank you for your prayers, everyone!
St. Gerard Majella, pray for us!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Summer successes - Part 2
Another 'success' of my summer has been the organization of my home, household chores, and family activities.
Take a second to breeze through this old post to get an idea of how overwhelmed I was with housework, my job and parenting back in January of this year. I feel sorry for myself just reading back through it (especially when I look at the picture of that disastrous roast).
I feel a thousand miles away from that now.
I wrote a post a few weeks ago about the chores and activities calendar I created recently to help me get on top on everything. I have absolutely loved this new system ever since I started it. And, surprisingly, so has my husband. Michael has commented several times out of the blue over the past few weeks about how much he appreciates the organization of our home, meals and activities.
I do laundry only on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays now. I vacuum on Wednesdays. I clean bathrooms every Friday. I run most of my errands on Wednesdays. Gabriel and I go to the library on Monday mornings, and we attend daily mass every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Friday is our play date day.
It was a little tough to make myself stick to the schedule at first (and I still allow myself reasonable flexibility), but I have noticed that my house is the cleanest and most peaceful that it's ever been, by far. And the routine I've created stands up to interruptions like teething, rainy days, tired days, and company.
I'm definitely still tweaking lots of things, and sometimes I definitely don't feel on top of all of those little daily challenges of housework and motherhood that all of us face. But as I finish my summer as a rookie member of the noble SAHM club, I think that me being home has concretely made my life and my family's lives more peaceful and orderly, and I am so thankful for that!
Take a second to breeze through this old post to get an idea of how overwhelmed I was with housework, my job and parenting back in January of this year. I feel sorry for myself just reading back through it (especially when I look at the picture of that disastrous roast).
I feel a thousand miles away from that now.
I wrote a post a few weeks ago about the chores and activities calendar I created recently to help me get on top on everything. I have absolutely loved this new system ever since I started it. And, surprisingly, so has my husband. Michael has commented several times out of the blue over the past few weeks about how much he appreciates the organization of our home, meals and activities.
I do laundry only on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays now. I vacuum on Wednesdays. I clean bathrooms every Friday. I run most of my errands on Wednesdays. Gabriel and I go to the library on Monday mornings, and we attend daily mass every Tuesday and Thursday morning. Friday is our play date day.
It was a little tough to make myself stick to the schedule at first (and I still allow myself reasonable flexibility), but I have noticed that my house is the cleanest and most peaceful that it's ever been, by far. And the routine I've created stands up to interruptions like teething, rainy days, tired days, and company.
I'm definitely still tweaking lots of things, and sometimes I definitely don't feel on top of all of those little daily challenges of housework and motherhood that all of us face. But as I finish my summer as a rookie member of the noble SAHM club, I think that me being home has concretely made my life and my family's lives more peaceful and orderly, and I am so thankful for that!
Summer successes - Part 1
As summer comes to a close, I'm realizing that I accomplished fewer of my goals than I set out to, but that I'm happy with what I've done.
One goal I had for the summer was to teach myself how to shop more intelligently (and frugally!) using coupons, taking advantage of sales, and changing the way I plan meals each week. I am happy to report that I have saved about $60 on groceries so far this month by matching coupons and shopping sales at my local Kroger and H-E-B. (Die-hard Coupon Divas and Extreme Couponing producers would probably laugh at that, but it's a big step for me!) There are so many great tips and tricks to saving money on groceries and everyday household items, and I'm taking things one step at a time.
For example, this week was my first week consciously matching up online coupons I printed out with sales on particular items at Kroger and H-E-B. And the month of August has also been the first month that I have planned at least half of my family's meals based on what's on sale meat-wise each week. I also signed up for a CVS card last week, so that I can start to take advantage of what I understand to be some amazing savings opportunities with their generous Extra Care Bucks program.
I have a long way to go, but I think I'm headed in the right direction with a humble one-step-at-a-time approach.
Here are some Websites that have been helpful to me this summer. Please feel free to leave a comment with any favorite sites or blogs you've found that help newbie frugalistas like me learn how to get fantastic deals on everything! :)
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Gabriel the Explorer
I've had a bit more energy lately, so I've tried my best to get Gabriel outside more. He is so much happier when he gets to blow off some of that toddler steam in the Great Outdoors--and so is his mommy. Here are some recent photos from a few summer adventures with my curious little Gabriel.
He is definitely not worried about leaving me behind when we go places--he is an Explorer through and through!
He is definitely not worried about leaving me behind when we go places--he is an Explorer through and through!
At the Kemah splash fountain a few weeks ago.
I wonder why I don't seem to have many shots of Gabriel actually looking at the camera...
A group of my friends all went in to buy me a glider recently (THANKS so much girls!!!). We found the perfect new job for the big cardboard box it came in...
Time flies
I just found this adorable little home video from May of 2010, when Gabriel was 6 months old. What a darling, darling baby he was! :) He is now a hot-blooded toddler of almost 20 months...how time flies.
Wednesday, August 10, 2011
Radiant faith
"Those who look to Him are radiant..." -Psalm 34:5
This is one of my favorite little Psalms. It reminds me that if I'm letting God in with all my heart, I should radiate every fruit of the Holy Spirit to everyone around me.
One of the daily meditations in the Magnificat recently was an excerpt from the diary of Elisabeth Leseur, a married laywoman who lived at the end of the 19th century in France. Leseur's cause for canonization is underway. She was married to an atheist and suffered much during her life from his antagonism of her faith. Her husband read her diary after her death from breast cancer, however, and converted to Catholicism, eventually becoming a priest.
I was struck by how this passage from her diary expands on the idea of radiating one's faith--especially to one's husband and family.
I could use some work on all of these "blossoms" though.
The very nature of marriage and motherhood makes it a huge challenge (maybe just for me?) to maintain anything close to consistent "tender love," "equanimity," or (I'm laughing as I type this) simplicity every moment of every ordinary day.
But giving myself up to hopeless spiritual mediocrity also isn't an option.
Which is why I like the part in the meditation where Leseur points out that "a truly holy person" is "mistress, by divine grace, of her body and its challenges."
Reminding myself that I am created for more than mediocrity, and then praying for the grace of God to live that out--that's my strategy.
This is one of my favorite little Psalms. It reminds me that if I'm letting God in with all my heart, I should radiate every fruit of the Holy Spirit to everyone around me.
One of the daily meditations in the Magnificat recently was an excerpt from the diary of Elisabeth Leseur, a married laywoman who lived at the end of the 19th century in France. Leseur's cause for canonization is underway. She was married to an atheist and suffered much during her life from his antagonism of her faith. Her husband read her diary after her death from breast cancer, however, and converted to Catholicism, eventually becoming a priest.
I was struck by how this passage from her diary expands on the idea of radiating one's faith--especially to one's husband and family.
So often I wish I had the right words all the time in conversations with my husband. The right words to encourage, to challenge, to uplift. But in the end maybe it is my behavior all of the time I'm not talking to Michael that is most important in helping my husband get to heaven. It's those "blossoms that first attract notice and precede the fruit...tender love, graciousness...serenity, equanimity, friendliness, joy and simplicity."The Gift of Self. Not only in fulfilling my responsibilities to everyone, not only in charitable work, not only in prayer, but in my whole attitude and way of life. Great and holy ideas and deep convictions often influence others only through the attractiveness of those who embody them. "You will know them by their fruits" (Mt 7:16), our Savior said--by the fruits of devotion, charity, and radiant faith, and also by those blossoms that first attract notice and precede the fruit; those are called tender love, graciousness...serenity, equanimity, friendliness, joy and simplicity. A truly holy person--mistress, by divine grace, of her body and its challenges--without ever speaking, exudes the delicate perfume of these flowers. Such a person attracts others by her gentle influence and prepares them for God's approach, which she eventually obtains for them through her prayers."
I could use some work on all of these "blossoms" though.
The very nature of marriage and motherhood makes it a huge challenge (maybe just for me?) to maintain anything close to consistent "tender love," "equanimity," or (I'm laughing as I type this) simplicity every moment of every ordinary day.
But giving myself up to hopeless spiritual mediocrity also isn't an option.
Which is why I like the part in the meditation where Leseur points out that "a truly holy person" is "mistress, by divine grace, of her body and its challenges."
Reminding myself that I am created for more than mediocrity, and then praying for the grace of God to live that out--that's my strategy.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Third Anniversary Night Out
Our anniversary night out was a smashing success! Michael has been so busy that I volunteered to plan the entire thing, and I did pretty well if I say so myself. :) We both had a great time.
Since I'm 36 weeks pregnant, we couldn't travel anywhere very far, so I decided to do another "staycation" here in Houston, similar to what we did last year.
I started out on Saturday afternoon with a small scavenger hunt around the house that led Michael to clues about our itinerary. I ended up confusing myself and losing one of the clues while I was hurriedly trying to hide them as he ate lunch though, and also I accidentally hid clues in Gabriel's room before he went down for a nap. Since I had lost one of the clues and also placed a couple of them in a room with a sleeping baby we didn't want to disturb, the scavenger hunt ended up being pretty hilarious with all of the improvising I had to do! Michael absolutely loved it.
Our evening began at the 5pm vigil mass at Houston's gorgeous Co-cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Neither of us had been to the co-cathedral before. We both love visiting beautiful churches, so it was fun to go there for the first time. Not to mention God spoke to both of us with the hard-hitting homily on the awesome Gospel reading (Peter walking on water with Jesus and floundering when he starts to lose faith).
After mass, we headed over to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner. Michael worked at the Baton Rouge Ruth's Chris in college, and I had never eaten there, so it was a big treat for both of us. My mouth is actually watering just thinking about the delicious filet I ordered. We both ate very, very slow and savored every bite of our food.
After dinner, we went with full, happy bellies to see a movie, Crazy Stupid Love. We both enjoyed it, surprisingly. (That statement really reads: I was surprised that Michael agreed to go see it and actually liked it too!)
The night ended at the Hotel Indigo, a small boutique hotel in the Galleria area. It was definitely not your average stuffy-ish hotel--everything was calm, clean and decorated in cool tropical blues, greens and white, so that you really felt like you were on a little getaway to the islands. It reminded us a lot of our honeymoon in St. Lucia, and we absolutely loved it!
Sleeping in on Sunday morning was a dream come true, sort of literally :). I kept waking up and having to tell myself that I could go back to sleep! (I also kept waking up with a start thinking I'd heard crying babies in the distance, though) Waking up "naturally" for once was one of the biggest treats for us this weekend.
After a late breakfast, we headed home and spent the rest of the day resting and hanging out with our precious 20-month-old. Well, Michael may have done more hanging out than I did. I am in full-blown Nesting Mode over here! I have this overwhelming impulse to organize, clean, set up, rearrange, you name it!
Our actually anniversary is on August 8. It's been three exciting, busy years! We graduated from college, moved to Houston, had two babies (well almost two :), bought our first house, purchased a minivan (which I swore I'd never do, lol) and started a business. God has been good to us, and I hope with all of my heart that we have lived in a way that has pleased and honored Him.
God be praised for good health, friends, family and our many blessings as Michael and I celebrate year three together tomorrow.
Since I'm 36 weeks pregnant, we couldn't travel anywhere very far, so I decided to do another "staycation" here in Houston, similar to what we did last year.
I started out on Saturday afternoon with a small scavenger hunt around the house that led Michael to clues about our itinerary. I ended up confusing myself and losing one of the clues while I was hurriedly trying to hide them as he ate lunch though, and also I accidentally hid clues in Gabriel's room before he went down for a nap. Since I had lost one of the clues and also placed a couple of them in a room with a sleeping baby we didn't want to disturb, the scavenger hunt ended up being pretty hilarious with all of the improvising I had to do! Michael absolutely loved it.
Our evening began at the 5pm vigil mass at Houston's gorgeous Co-cathedral of the Sacred Heart. Neither of us had been to the co-cathedral before. We both love visiting beautiful churches, so it was fun to go there for the first time. Not to mention God spoke to both of us with the hard-hitting homily on the awesome Gospel reading (Peter walking on water with Jesus and floundering when he starts to lose faith).
After mass, we headed over to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner. Michael worked at the Baton Rouge Ruth's Chris in college, and I had never eaten there, so it was a big treat for both of us. My mouth is actually watering just thinking about the delicious filet I ordered. We both ate very, very slow and savored every bite of our food.
After dinner, we went with full, happy bellies to see a movie, Crazy Stupid Love. We both enjoyed it, surprisingly. (That statement really reads: I was surprised that Michael agreed to go see it and actually liked it too!)
The night ended at the Hotel Indigo, a small boutique hotel in the Galleria area. It was definitely not your average stuffy-ish hotel--everything was calm, clean and decorated in cool tropical blues, greens and white, so that you really felt like you were on a little getaway to the islands. It reminded us a lot of our honeymoon in St. Lucia, and we absolutely loved it!
Sleeping in on Sunday morning was a dream come true, sort of literally :). I kept waking up and having to tell myself that I could go back to sleep! (I also kept waking up with a start thinking I'd heard crying babies in the distance, though) Waking up "naturally" for once was one of the biggest treats for us this weekend.
After a late breakfast, we headed home and spent the rest of the day resting and hanging out with our precious 20-month-old. Well, Michael may have done more hanging out than I did. I am in full-blown Nesting Mode over here! I have this overwhelming impulse to organize, clean, set up, rearrange, you name it!
Our actually anniversary is on August 8. It's been three exciting, busy years! We graduated from college, moved to Houston, had two babies (well almost two :), bought our first house, purchased a minivan (which I swore I'd never do, lol) and started a business. God has been good to us, and I hope with all of my heart that we have lived in a way that has pleased and honored Him.
God be praised for good health, friends, family and our many blessings as Michael and I celebrate year three together tomorrow.
Michael and I a couple of months ago, posing in front of the house before heading to a gala I'd received tickets to through work. I love this man!!!!
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Bizziness
The last few weeks in the Franco household have been bizzy, as in busy+dizzy=bizzy.
As in I'm making up goofy words to describe my life bizzy. :)
Busy because Michael is getting more and more CrossCutt customers, which means he is working more and more afternoons/evenings per week, which means we don't see him as much anymore, which means I'm on my own quite a lot more than our lives B.C. (Before CrossCutt).
Dizzy because I'm doing all this with a rebellious teenager (did I type that? I meant toddler) in tow, plus celebrating a (fantastic!!!!) birthday and an anniversary or two, plus carrying around an almost-here Baby Girl who likes to nap on top of my bladder, make me tired all the time, and keep me up tossing and turning every night.
I've been trying my heart out to deal with all the bizziness in my life with vigilant daily prayer and patience. And God has been good to me.
I had a much-needed, wonderful visit from my mom and sister this past weekend--complete with a surprise visit from my little brother, who drove with a family friend to surprise me and spend the weekend with us! I also had a few friends throw me a baby "sprinkle" on Saturday. My mom and sister took me shopping on Monday to pick up the rest of my New Baby Necessities, and it felt great to spend some quality Girl Time with them, as well as finish getting everything together that I need to bring this baby home.
The next few weeks are going to be just as bizzy. Maybe bizzier.
Our summer roommate, Katie, is leaving us this coming Sunday. My Anniversary Night Out is this coming Saturday, and my aunt will be coming to babysit Gabriel and help me with a few baby projects around the house. And our fall roommate, Colin, will be arriving in just about a week and a half to stay with us for the fall. It's definitely a non-traditional situation having someone come to live with you right before the birth of a new baby, but Colin is going to be a desperately-needed help to Michael with our growing business, and I think that he will be a huge help to me with Gabriel and with the house.
Baby Girl is due on Sept. 6. I can't believe it's so close.
I will confess that I am going to be much, much readier to have this baby than I was my first baby! I think it's because this pregnancy is so much more physically challenging for me. :)
Send some prayers to Houston, please! We need them! :)
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