So Much Going On..

That I can't contain it in one post..So I will be breaking it into 2 or 3 posts..1 will be about homeschool..1 will be about family..& 1 will be about religion/religious happenings..

I am trying to compose all of them now, so the posts will be coming shortly..But until then here is one GREAT update..

My sister Alisha had her baby..She gave birth to a healthy, happy, BIG baby boy..

Luke Michael born: 2/15/10 @ 10:27pm 8lbs 10ozs. 19in long.. My sister was in labor for about 15 hrs..Pushed for at least 3hrs, and finally ended up having a c-section.. Here are a few pics of Luke..

Luke when he got home from the hospital..

Ariana feeding Luke..

Luke @ 3wks..He was staring out the window from his swing..

I have more pictures of Luke to post, but I'll wait until my family post..But isn't he a cutie!! So this is just a little teaser of what's to come..So much has happened, that I can't believe it.. Well, that's it for today..

An Amazing New Book..

This is my personal review of a new book that I had a chance to read..The title of the book is called "My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories" by Heidi Hess Saxton..

I met Ms. Saxton through the internet, and I had mentioned that I love to review books, especially Catholic books..So she (Ms. Saxton) asked if I wanted to review "My Big Book of Catholic Bible Stories"..I jumped at the offer..A few days later I received the book..When I opened the envelope the first thing that caught my eye was the beautiful cover of the book..It shows Jesus taking a basket of fish from a little child while the others wait in the back round..

The book starts out with a typed letter from Blessed Mother Teresa..And it has and introduction on how to read the book which explains everything so well..I was very impressed with the introduction..

The book begins with how God created the world, and goes on from there until the book of Revelation..There are 4 main points to the stories..

1. Going Deeper ~ Which includes the Read It & Do It sections..These are little things to read from the CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) & projects to do with family..

2. Special Words ~ This teaches the reader(s) words from the stories that some may not understand (like Hebrew etc..)

3. Did You Know? ~ Tells some interesting facts to the reader(s)..

4. The Quote Of The Day ~ These are quotes from famous people (religious & not religious)

And Ms. Saxton also gives a website for more resources (see below)..These things were beautifully explained..And I actually enjoyed reading the book of Revelation!! Which is sometimes scary for younger readers..

I think that all of the bible stories that Ms. Saxton picked for the book were very well chosen..I enjoyed all of the stories, and learned a few new things in the process..I know this book is for children ages 7-10, but anyone can read it in my opinion..I actually understood the stories better than reading my own Bible..

The beginning of each story starts with a quick story of what is coming up..This is also very informative..There are also prayers included at the end of the story..And through out the book..

And I can't forget the illustrations..Natalie Carabetta has done a superb job with the illustrations..They are indescribable!!

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read about the Bible..It's easy to understand, well planned out & beautifully illustrated..It's well worth it!!

You can also check out Ms. Saxton at http://extraordinarymomsnetwork.wordpress.com.

You Can Trust..

The furry rat in my last post (aka Phil the groundhog).. He apparently knows what he's talking about..We're supposed to get hit with a major snow storm this weekend..We could get up to 10" of snow..Some places like Washington D.C. & Delaware may get up to almost 2ft of snow..I personally haven't seen this much snow coming in since 1993..

So the kids & I will be getting our trusty ruler out & measuring the snow..That's the beauty of homeschooling..You can use Mother Nature as a lesson!!

So if we get snowed in for the weekend, I will definetley be putting up pictures of our adventures to D.C. & DE..Also give an update on how the kids are doing as we are at the 1/2 way point in school..

And my sister still hasn't had the baby YET!! I really don't think a human person can stretch that much, but I guess we'll find out!! Luke is due Feb. 18th, but who knows when he'll make his debut!! He likes where he's at & personally I don't blame him!! I'm going to share a picture that Bob took of my sister @ 37 wks..She's now 38 wks..*I have her permission* to post the pic..

If you're in the Eastern part of the U.S. please stay warm, and hopefully we'll be able to dig out of this mess coming on Sunday or Monday..Take Care & Be careful also!!

This Guy Says...

Six more weeks of winter!! Are you NUTS groundhog!! Six more weeks!! Oh well, Spring will be just around the corner than!! You can learn more about Groundhog Day here..

My Review Of..

"Mother Teresa and Me ~ Ten Years of Friendship" by Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle

Donna-Marie is up there as one of my favorite Catholic authors..I have all but 1 (or 2) of her books..She is a superb author..So when I saw that her new book "Mother Teresa and Me" was on the list for review, I didn't hesitate to pick it..

I enjoyed the endorsements & the Foreword by Teresa Tomeo, but I couldn't wait to start reading the book itself..From the moment I started reading the book, I was filled by a warmth that you get when your sitting or chatting with an old friend..Ms. Cooper O'Boyle's way of describing her friendship with Blessed Mother Teresa is so sincere, loving & respectful in every way possible..

I love the typed letters at the beginning of each chapter from Blessed Teresa..How she took the time to convey her wisdom to Ms. Cooper O'Boyle..It's like a loving mother offering advice to her own child..And the pictures of Blessed Teresa with Ms. Cooper O'Boyle's children to me represented a loving grandmother, who gushes over her grandchildren..

As I got further into the book, the warmth & love continued on in my heart..It was like Blessed Mother Teresa was speaking directly to me..This was no ordinary woman..She was extraordinary..

The personal stories that Ms. Cooper O'Boyle wrote in this book are inspiring also..Especially the story of her & her daughter being in a car accident & the forgiveness of the teenage driver..That was amazing..All of the stories in this book are incredible..You will absolutely be in awe..

There were two things that I really liked in this book..The "Take Time" saying & personal reflection that Ms. Cooper O'Boyle gives is a reminder to all of us to take time in our lives to think, pray, laugh, play, love & be loved, give, read, be friendly, work & do charity..Ms. Cooper O'Boyle goes into detail on these in Ch. 13 called "Take Time"..And the Express Novena..Blessed Mother Teresa called saying "The Memorare" nine times in a row an Express Novena..And there is an example in the book of how it worked for her..

All in all this book is a MUST read..I learned a lot about Blessed Mother Teresa, & how Ms. Cooper O'Boyle had the most interesting & blessed friendship with her..Ms. Cooper O'Boyle also talks about the late Fr. John Hardon..

I take away from this book life lessons..Like how to see Jesus in every person..To love the poor, and to be a light in the world..I also am thinking of joining the lay Missionary of Charity movement..You too will also be transformed by this wonderful book..I highly recommend it..

This review was written as part of the Catholic book Reviewer program from The Catholic Company. Visit The Catholic Company to find more information on Mother Teresa and Me .

Blame It On FB..

I can honestly say that the reason I haven't been blogging much is because I've been spending so much time on Facebook..Yes, it's true..At first I didn't think I would be on it as much, but then I started finding old friends, family, etc.. And now it's just kind of taken over..But I'm updating now..Isn't that a good thing?? :)

Anyway, we've had a bunch of things going on here..Our hot water tank died, so we had to get a new one..We have roots in our pipes, so we may have to get them replaced..Then we had the March for Life to go to, and we went back to Delaware to visit some friends..We're also anticipating the birth of our new nephew/cousin Luke..

Feb. will also be a busy month for us..This starts the beginning of birthdays!! We have a bunch of them coming up Feb., Mar., Apr. & May..But it doesn't slow down after that..Then we'll have Jenna's graduation, my nephew Zack's graduation, Communions, Baptism, the list goes on & on..I'm not much of a *party* person..I like the quietness..But I guess that's gonna get flung out the window..

I also have book reviews to do, I'm in the middle of reading 3-4 new books, and we can't forget the homeschooling!!

So please, please bear with me..I'm going to get caught up on things..I just need to take a deep breath, and dive on into it..Everything will be on here as soon as I can get it up..

Like the title says..Blame it on FB..LOL

I Will Have A New Post..

For our holiday happenings in a few days..Hope you all had a wonderful CHRISTmas & a Happy New Year..