#QuarantineCard

It's been awhile. Work, home school, and singing for Pascha kept me busy. But I will try to be back more frequently. I realized this is a good a journal as any and I'm terrible at writing in a physical journal with a pen. I have the best of intentions, but it never seems to stick. How many times do you need to do something to form a habit?

Porch Photo Shoot

Late last year, I decided to move our annual photo shoot to the Winter or Spring, rather than the Fall. We have a lot of family photos with colorful leaves and brown grass. I thought, "What fun if we do a Winter shoot in the snow!" Then COVID-19 hit. Needless to say, we didn't get photos taken.

Then, a neighbor posted her photographer would be in the neighborhood doing Porch Photos! Perfect timing, as we also needed a photo to submit for the Church montage for Pascha. Our photos turned out awesome, despite L having a small meltdown just as she arrived. Angela Rabbitt was amazing! She kept her social distance and got L to smile after a few last minute tears.

Photos courtesy la rabbitt photography

If you didn't get a card from us this past year, PLEASE don't remove us from your list! I promise there will be one coming next year.

We Made the Internet

Side note - about a month ago, the Minnesota Children's Museum asked for submissions for their blog to share how families were being creative at home. I submitted shots from when we painted our front window to brighten our street and celebrate Pascha. I had no idea if they would be accepted. Found out today that we were the post for the day!

https://mcm.org/diy-window-mosaic/

Can't say we broke the internet, but the Communications Director reached out to me to let me know she had posted it and the response was really positive with a lot of engagement. So glad that we could inspire others to be creative, too!

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The Protection of the Theotokos

The Cathedral's Patronal Feast St. Mary's Orthodox Cathedral - at the start of Vespers (courtesy Fr. Benjamin Tucci) Tonight was just what I needed - a calming evening in church with the boys to celebrate the Protection of the Theotokos. "Calming" and "with the boys" don't often go together, but tonight they were both so well behaved and the singing was a balm for the soul. M decided he was going to stand the entire service. I told him he could sit during the Old Testament readings, but he refused and stood the entire time. L worked on crossing himself correctly and pointed out each of the plagues on the Egyptians in his Children's Bible. Throughout the chaos of the world today, I just wanted to go to church. Yes, it was our feast, but something just drew me this evening. As we were driving down, we could see the storms rolling in with the lightning streaking across the sky. The first drops began as we raced into church. Once we settled in, a peacef

First Day of School

Second Grade & Kindergarten I can hardly believe that my baby is in kindergarten! My lands, they are growing up so fast! Yesterday, we made a last ditch run for haircuts, which turned out awesome! Seriously... a car that runs on toothpaste? Eventually I’ll let him know maybe he would want to consider “alternate fuel sources” 🤣 Deciding to do the hybrid model for school this year was a happy medium for us. I don’t think that school full-time for us would have been ideal, given the class sizes. For them to be able to go two days a week, this would allow them some social interaction as well as safety in smaller class sizes. M has 12 kids in his class, L has 9. We carpooled to school with a neighbor friend, and it was so chaotic at the drop off that I didn’t even have time for tears. I got a little emotional after I got home, but these COVID days are not the same. Any other year, I would have been a blubbering mess! School Prep Has anyone ever mentioned how challenging it is to get o

Senselessness and Atrocities

I have struggled with the senselessness of this past week. I have not had the words to express my sadness, anger, frustration. How can a man be dead when he complied with officers? How does NOT ONE officer in attendance step in and say, "Enough?" How does one who has so many complaints against him still patrol the streets? What has allowed this behavior to continue? How does it take so long to arrest the offending officer? I have so many questions and no answers. And then the rioters. I believe in peaceful protest. Yes, Ma rtin Luther King Jr said, "A riot is the language of the unheard." But he also said, " Man must evolve for all human conflict a method which rejects revenge, aggression, and retaliation. The foundation of such a method is love.” How does burning down local businesses, restaurants, and looting further the cause? Rather than focusing on the truth of what happened, those who are violently protesting are distracting from what happened.

Pogativity

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