Veiled Joy

This morning I woke early to go to 9 am Mass with my parents and the kids. I usually sing upstairs in the choir loft, but speaking loudly is beyond me, much less singing, so I sat with the rest of the congregation. It is really difficult to contain the urge to use my talent to praise God. However, the kids were so excited to see me that I spent most of my time cuddling with them. Initially they fought over sitting by me. They finally settled though. Mom, Rachel, and I sported our hand-made veils. Rachel went so far as getting angry when Mass was over and I removed her veil. 

During the Consecration, I spoke in Simon's ear about what was happening. When I told him the chalice contained Jesus's blood, he was flabbergasted. Since he has seen two of his cousins receive First Holy Communion, I was able to explain that when he gets bigger he'll be able to receive Jesus in his belly to help him be a good boy. I also told him that Jesus is all around us all the time. I think he finally understood that praying is talking to God, not just randomly talking. hopefully this understanding will keep him from praying for "underpants", beds, tables, etc. Lately, he and Rachel have been obsessed with saying "underpants". In any situations that word is apparently appropriate. That is not only annoying, but also embarrassing!! 

After Holy Mass, I spent the morning at my parents' house with the kids. We ate "panny-cakes" and then the kids wanted to play. First, tragedy struck. Simon was vaguely playing outside. By vaguely I mean that he was coming in and out constantly. On one such occasion, I opened the door and told him to stop running in and out, then I shut the door. I immediately opened it again amid Rachel's wails of pain. Simon's darting in and out what actually teasing Rachel. So she stuck her finger in the crack of the door away from the knob. I didn't see that, so I shut the door like normal, until she began crying. I flattened her poor finger. It was very dramatic too because she has gotten to the stage where she doesn't want to show you her boo-boos. Thankfully, it may still be sore, but it looks fine.

That's when the first organizational session happened. During brunch, my parents and I had been talking about a missing toy. After brunch, the kids had gotten some toys out to play with, however, they hadn't stuck to the house-rule of putting away the first set of toys before getting out a new set. So toys were strewn in all corners of the living room. I commandeered the kids into picking up toys, while I helped them put them away. Except I got much more involved in it than even I intended. 

Mom and I subscribe to the OCD mother's method of toy sorting. Toys that are similar are packed in a bag or box together. Then the boxes and bags are out in the toy box (or closet depending). Then when the kids want to play with something, they know to grab the appropriate container. They also know which container to bring for each set of toys. This keeps the house neat and keeps the kids from getting tired of the same toys (we alternate toys in the closet or toy box for play). I can also keep more toys in a smaller space than if they were just thrown haphazard into the toy box. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!