An update

We have been rather busy here on our house hold. Hubby just finished up his first semester in seminary. All in all it was a good semester.

We will be leaving for Arizona in a few days and I am busy trying to prepare for the trip. I still need to finish up cleaning house and laundry. Then on to packing.

Tommorrow is hubby's birthday. We will celebrate with a cake and gifts. He plans on attending liturgy tommorrow morning at the monestary.

Pic pic and I wrapped up homeschooling last week. She is doing well at reading and loves to do school. We plan on taking a break until seminary starts next semester.

Dan Dan is healing after having had staples. Ironically we were at Urgent Care with Ice Man when she fell and split the back of her head. She need three staples. She did well through the whole ordeal. She had some complications getting one of the staples out but was a trooper.

Ice Man is into everything. We are having a hard time keeping him away from the Christmas tree. He is starting to form more words now instead of just babbling.

I am rereading Father Arseny Cloud Of Witness. I have forgotten how much I enjoy this book.  It is such a gem.

Our week thus far and other ramblings

This week hubby has off from school so its been rather nice having him home. We started of the week with Hubby's names day and Dan Dan's birthday. We started the day by attending Liturgy and then helped bake bread for the church. Afterwards we came home and had a nice little party for the birthday girl who turned three. The start of the day:

By the end of the day:

The rest of the week we have been attempting to get caught up on laundry and housework. After this week we have three weeks left before we leave for our trip to Arizona. Our family was gracious enough to all contribute for our plane tickets. We are looking forward to spending time with both our church family and biological family.  I have vowed not to over pack for this trip as I tend to do. We will be staying with family so we will have a washer and dryer at our disposal.

We started our Thanksgiving cooking today and will just have mainly the turkey to cook tomorrow. We will be spending it here at home and look forward to a nice time together. I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving.

I have been thinking lately about the role of how to better manage my time at home and get everthing accomplished on my long to do list. When I was working, it was often about being able to multi-task and keeping multiple projects going at one time. Being home, I have not been successful at multitasking. Having little ones I often start something and don't return to it until the next day where often times I have to start over or forgot what I was doing to begin with (ie laundry, etc). I think the best approach for me is to choose one thing to concentrate on per day and if I am able to accomplish it, that's a good day. Depending on the day it may just be tidying the house, other days it may be a more involved project like updating my homemaking binder. I am going to try to use this approach with other areas as well, like reading. I am finding I do not do well reading multiple books at one time. So for now, I am going to try and stick with reading the Bible daily and one other book, rotating between a spiritual book and a fiction or homemaking/homeschooling book. It's amazing to me to find that as much as my children are growing I am also growing.

A couple weeks ago we took pictures at the seminary. I thought I share a few. I love the girls faces:

This would have been a good one if I wasn't leaning:

Some Others:

And of course hubby:

Cider Mill Trip

The seminary organized a trip to a local cider mill. It was rather chilly out but a nice time was had by all.

The kids had a good time seeing the goats and rabbits in the petting zoo. We had a fun  muddy time going through the corn maze as a family. But the girls favorite part was riding the horses.

We attempted to take pictures but realized our camera battery was dead when we tried to snap our first picture. Here are a few fuzzy pictures from my phone and one a seminarian was kind enough to take with his camera.

Absence

First please forgive me for my absence. I have been all over the place with my thoughts not knowing if I was coming or going and have neglected this blog.

I am still trying to find a rhythm to our days. I realized that with three young kids are days are going to be disruptive and each day may be completely opposite from the next. I pray for patience and to embrace this stage while my kids are still young.

My mom was here for a couple months and then was frightened away by our first snow storm. After my mom left I realized how nice it was having an extra pair of eyes and hands her to help out. I am not sure if I mentioned before that I am watching another seminarian's daughter who is the same age as Ice Man. So extra eyes and hands were defianetly helpful.

I have had a cold that I can't seem to get rid of. It's been about a month and just varies in intensity. The kids also have come down with the sniffles so we will be drinking lots of tea.

Pic Pic and has enjoyed going to the homeschool co-op at the seminary and counts down the days. We have been working away here at home as well. She really enjoys her reading lessons and is eager to learn to read.

Dan Dan she is a little character. She will be three in a week and it seems as though those three years flew by. She loves to comment after communion either saying "Yummy in my Tummy" and "That was so good".

Ice Man is defianetly all boy. I remember people commenting how much more difficult boys are when they are young. I am starting to see what they were talking about. Ice Man is fearless. He climbs on everything including the dining table. His vocabulary and comprehension is starting to increase. He has been a little slower at progressing than his sisters. I think some if it may attest to him being born at exactly 37 weeks. Instead of grunting at me for my attention he now consistently says Ma. He is checking his head no often when asking him questions. He crosses him self by pointing to his chest. Anytime he hears music he stops to dance.

Hubby is doing well. He has been pretty busy this semester and looking forward to the long winter break. God willing we will be going back to AZ for part of the break.

The Art of Self Care

I just read this post and thought I would share my list of items to feel refreshed.

1. Attend a church service without children.

2. When I start feeling really restless stop whatever I maybe doing and pray.

3. Tidy the home before bed.

4. Enjoy a cup of coffee in the morning while it is still relatively quite.

5. Enjoy a good book.

6. Drink more water and take daily vitamins.

7. Live in the moment.

This will be a good reminder for those times, all to often, that I start to feel broken down.

Refreshed

Today hubby and I celebrated our anniversary. We were able to attend vespers at the monestary without the children. Throughout service I could slowly feel the weight of motherhood being lifted off my shoulders. I find it amazing the impact services in a monastic setting can have on a person. They are so refreshing. I mentioned to hubby that what I felt may be easily compared to how one feels after a massage but so much better than a massage.  Glory to God we are here near the monestary. Hubby also offered to watch the children so I can make a weekly service without the children. He is a great hubby I couldn't ask for anyone better. Many years!

The Steelers

Watch "Troy Polamalu at Madame Tussauds Wax Museum" on YouTube

My sister was a huge Steelers fan. We all knew it was to drive my brother crazy since he is a Cowboy fan. I have now carried on the legacy and am a Steelers fan especially since they have Troy Polamalu and we live in PA now.

Daybook: October 7, 2011

Outside my window ... The sun is shinning. After having some chilly weather, it is suppose to warm up this weekend. (Sorry Mat. Anna, I enjoy the sunshine and am enjoying this break from the gloomy weather. :) )

I am thinking ... That there is much work to do. Not only obvious work such as house work and homeschooling but the internal work we must do as an Orthodox Christian. As we are making this transition into seminary life, I am constantly reminded on how much work we need to do for our own salvation as well as those around us.

I am thankful for ... an understanding husband. As we are quickly approaching our anniversary, I am reminded of how much he means to me. I may not always agree with him at the time but he always knows what is needed.


From the learning room ... we started taking Pic Pic to a homeschool co-op at the seminary. She is enjoying her time there. It is a nice way to incorporate the "school" element she has been asking for. We have been working on her lessons at home but I have fallen a bit out of sync with the addition of co-op and play dates. We will continue working on finding a balance and incorporating some activities for Dan Dan to participate in as she is asking for school work.

From the kitchen ... I have started to bake again. I think baking is going to be a much needed thing this winter. I also want to start meal planning to make it a little easier during our busy days.

I am creating .. I am by no means a creative person. I think that may be why I enjoy math so much and baking. I can follow well laid out plains and not have to think out side the box. However, this is an area I would like to work on. With that being said, I have decided to attempt to taking up quilting. I think it is a good combination of analytical skills and creativity. I have started a basic baby quilt for Ice Man. I haven't gotten much done since I am sewing by hand and have only been able to work on it when the kids are sleeping.

I am going ... we don't have any plans for today other than house work and catching up on some homeschool.

I am reading ... How to live a Holy Life.

I am hoping and praying for ... our family in this journey.


I am hearing ... children happily playing and singing Happy Birthday.

Around the house ... chaos. I am still trying to adjust to the new house and establishing routines. Laundry seems to be perpetually behind. And there seems to be a never ending mess to clean up. Today and the rest of the weekend will defiantly be housework as a priority.

A few plans for the rest of the week (and next week)... housework, enjoying the outdoors with the nice weather and of course church services. Next week we have a check up for Pic Pic, homeschool co-op, book club, play date, and The Protection of the Theotokos old calendar.

Picture thoughts to share ... from the Holy Cross Hermitage Pilgrimage hubby was able to attend this past weekend.

Busy

We have been pretty busy the last month here in NEPA. I thought I would share a quick summary of what's been going on. Hubby started his courses and has been kept quite busy. We are all adjusting to his schedule and trying to find a rhythm to our days.

The Kids: We officially started homeschooling Pic Pic and kindergarten. All in all it has been going well. We also are including some PreK activities for Dan Dan since she is so eager to do "schoolwork". Ice Man is walking around everywhere now. He still hasn't figured out how to stand up from a sitting position. He finds the closest furniture to use to stand up. He is starting to formulate more words now and is so cute when we figure out what he is trying to communicate.We also are watching another seminarian's daughter so we have quite a houseful and are kept very busy.

Our home: Everything is unpacked and put away. I would still like to do some organizing to make things a little more efficient. I also want to try and meal plan. In the past, I would have an idea of what dinner I would be cooking. But more times than not I would have to run up to the store to get last minute items a couple times a week. My goal is to start with just planning out meals for what we currently have.

Educating me: I ran across this blog post and thought that this was a great idea. I am looking forward to jotting down some things I would like to learn.

Update

We are finally getting settled in our new home. I have the girls room left to unpack and then we should be set. Now that its all coming together it feels like home. We have also been getting to know everyone which has been nice. Things are starting to settle now so we will be working on getting back into our daily routines, especially since hubby official starts on Sunday.

One of the adjustments we have had to make is switching from Old Calendar to New Calendar. After much thought and prayers hubby and I made the switch on the feast of the Dormition. We will still try and attend feast day services on the Old Calendar at the Parish's here but we will observe the new calendar.

We plan to start homeschooling slowly next week. We signed up for our library card, what a difference there was. We were fortunate to live within a few miles of our previous library which was very large and had a large selection of books. The new library is small but so charming and seems to have a good children's selection. I have the base of our curriculum set. Next I am going to work on adding in some fun activities.

Yesterday we experienced winter for us. The low was in the 40s and the high in the 70s. That's winter for us Arizona folk. We are hoping the weather changes gradually to help us ease into it. There was also an earthquake, one of the last things we thought we would experience here. We did not actually feel it though, or we may have and just thought it was our kids jumping up in down. ;)

I have been reading Keeper of the Light by Bev Cooke. I read the following excerpt last night:

"I know it's hard. But that is a Christian's job, my son. To love God and to trust Him, no matter how bad things are. ... Trust Him to love us infinitely. ... Trust that His justice is the best for us no matter what. Trust enough to love Him when things are even this bad. Trust that we will be enfolded in His grace and mercy."

It was such a blessing to read this. With so much uncertainty right now for us it was a nice reminder to place all our trust in God and that we are very fortunate to be where we are. I struggle with the unknown, I have been one who likes plans and wants to be organized for those plans. I need to embrace this time in our life  to become a more pious Orthodox Christian. We may not have a plan but if we place our trust in Him he will provide and will not give us more than we can handle. Lord have mercy, on me a sinner.

Our First Week

It has been an adventure thus far in our new life. Once we reached home it took a couple days for our stuff to arrive. During those days the family was sick with a stomach bug. It was a little lonely sitting in an empty house while the hubby and kids were sick but it made me realize how attached one can be to material things and how I should be grateful that we are all together.

We went to our first Liturgy at St. Tikhons and at first it seemed a little foreign to me. We are use to a different translation but the church was absolutely beautiful. Breathing the incense was like a breath of fresh air. As service progressed I couldn't help asking myself if we made the right decision. As soon as Liturgy was completed we were flooded by people recognizing us as a new seminarian family. Everyone was so kind and offered so many words of comfort and encouragement.

Our stuff arrived on Monday but due to the size of the truck they were unable to drive onto our road. Hubby and I began frantically looking for an alternative. We rented a truck from a Uhall that we passed by. Thanks to Rebekah's help enlisting her husband and another seminarian we were able to unload the whole truck on Monday night. We are still working on unpacking and getting the whole house together but in due time it will happen.

We are fortunate to live near another semaniaran family who has been over to introduce themselves and bring us goodies. They have been so nice to offer words of encouragement to us and help us with any questions we have about the area.

Last night we attended Vigil where we were able to experience our first services including a Bishop, and not only one Bishop but two. The Kursk Root Icon was also visiting. Hubby posted some pictures on his blog. I spent most of the time outside with the little ones but was kept company by other seminarians wives and little ones.

So far the adjustment is going well. Everyone is so friendly and it seems as though life long friendships will be made here. I still have moments of fear and doubt but are often dissipated by the sense of community here.

Culture Shock

We arrived at our new home yesterday. I am experiencing a bit of culture shock. Everything is so different than what I am accustomed to. It's completely opposite than what we came from. I am praying that once we go to church I will feel a piece of home.

When I start to feel overwhelmed I can't help but think that Christ asked to leave everything behind and follow him.

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Quick Update

We have made it to Cleveland, OH. We anticipate being home tommorrow. We still don't know when our furniture will be arriving. We have gone through nine states had two sick kids and been pulled over once. Needless to say it will be a trip we will always remember.

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Day Two: Albuquerque, NM to Loveland, CO

It's morning here in New Mexico and quite in our hotel room. Hubby and I are the only ones awake. Our plans today are to make it to Loveland, CO where I have family. We plan on spending a few days there visting with everyone.

Yesterday the kids and the dogs did fairly well. One of our dogs, Dusty a toy poodle, does not travel well. He is easily agitated when out of the comforts of his own home. It is so interesting to see the personality changes in the dogs. Typically, Daisy our min pin, is the crazy one but when we travel she has a sense of calmness within her.

The kids all did well yesterday, especially considering it was a long day for them. Ice Man was a little fussy towards the end but other than that it was pretty smooth.

I will need to reorganize everything once we reach Colorado. I thought I had done a good job but apparently it was not as efficient as I would like it to be. I am learning as we go. This is our first big trip as a family and of course I packed more than we needed. 

Final Goodbye!

Today is our last day here in Arizona. We went to our last Liturgy at our little parish. I couldn't help but be swept up with emotion during confession. I was emotional all throughout service. Once we were done I couldn't help but feel excited about our new adventure.

After our long day of loading I am looking forward to our road trip. Time spent as a family. We have our van packed to the max with fun activities for the kids. Our goal today is Albuquerque, New Mexico.

In other news, Ice Man has sprouted two new teeth giving him a total of eight teeth. And Pic Pic will be celebrating her fifth birthday while we are on the road.

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A New Blog

I have started a new blog as I am in the process of changing email accounts. About a month ago my email account was hacked. I am still working on switching everything over.

This week is a big week for us as it is our last week in Arizona. We have quite a bit of work left to do the rest of the week here. Packing to finish, cleaning to do, and thinking of activities to keep the kids busy during our drive. Our official last day here will be Sunday. We plan on heading out after Liturgy.

I have so many thoughts running through my head regarding the move. I have lived in Arizona all my life, thirty one years. I am not sure what lies ahead of us but look forward to whatever adventures are in store for us.

There are two big changes in store for us, the weather and population. The first, the weather is my biggest concern. I am not sure how to deal with everything regarding snowy cold weather. Clothes, tires, shoveling oh my! I am however looking forward to a smaller population. Here we are in  a metropolis area that has around four million people. Our new town will have roughly 1400 people.

After  reflecting on our goodbyes to our families this past weekend, I look forward to the distance. I think the distance will be good for us so that we can whole heartily immerse ourselves in living a pious Orthodox Christian life. Our families are not practicing Christians and do not understand our Orthodox Faith. I struggle with being distracted with thier wordly way of living and our children are easliy affect by it as well.

With our new start there are a couple of changes I would like to make. 
      1. Limit TV for myself and the children
      2. Read more Orthodox books
      3. Take up quilting  & knitting
      4. And most importantly be a better mom

I am anxious to get the rest of the week over with so that we may begin our new journey.