Checking in

Just a quick post to say that we're all doing well! The brush clearing project is moving along pretty smoothly. We've thrown away two dumspter-fuls of brush already, and have about 2 more loads to be thrown away.

Our yard is looking really good! I think we'll make our deadline of Dec. 21st, thankfully, but we'll be working up to the bell. I'll have to post some pictures of the finished product.

Here are some recent pictures -- Peter eating his first food (carrots -- so far he hasn't been too impressed with solid food)!, and our nativity scene in the front yard.

In closing, a couple of random observations...

-- How is it that a baby can make "Mom, are you trying to poison me?!?" faces when I try to feed him things like carrots, apples, and sweet potatoes, and yet he spends all day trying to put his feet in his mouth? Can his feet taste *that* much better?! Maybe I should invent a "foot flavored" line of baby food and make a gazillion dollars :).

-- I never knew my kids could sing Gospel, that is, until we listened to Tiemyer McCain's rendition of "O Come, O Come Emmanuel" on Poppi's Christmas music CD for the 100th time (it's their favorite Christmas CD) and they both started singing along in full Gospel style! (including the 7 or 8 syllable stretch on "Emmanuel" and "Israel"!) It was hilarious and quite impressive!!

On Hiatus

Remember my good friend, the Dumpster? It's back!

Last week, we received a "brush clearance" notice from the fire department. At first, I was a little TO'd because I thought our backyard was really doing well -- I worked hard last spring to clear away many dumpster-loads of brush, and the yard had never looked so good. But, it's not quite good enough -- we need to clear all native brush/shrubs from 100 ft around our house, and we're not quite there yet.

Thankfully, I did put all that work in last spring, otherwise we'd be in a tight spot right now. I think we can manage it, and the cooler weather (and not being hugely pregnant!) will make the clearing go a lot faster this time. I actually kind of like hacking away at the brush -- it's good exercise, and it makes me feel like the pioneer woman that I am at heart :). But, it will be a lot of work -- most of my free time in the last week has been (and for the next few weeks will be) spent cutting, hauling, and throwing away brush.

It's crazy to think that in less than 3 weeks it will be Christmas!! I am very excited about a new religious program I'm starting with the boys. It's based on the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd, but tailored to a home setting. We have readings and reflections for each week of advent, Christmas, and Epiphany, and the rest of the liturgical year plus additional work on the Mass parts, parables, etc. It's geared toward helping kids from 3-6 years old develop a relationship with Christ.

I'm looking forward to it! I really want that for my kids, and I think they're ready for it (Jack especially).

Anyway, between brush clearing and Advent preparation stuff, my blog postings will be pretty sparse over the next few weeks. But I will try to make up for it in lots of pictures and updates when I do come back!!

Babbles, Babbles Everywhere

Our house is now filled with the wonderful "Bababa" and "Dadada" babbles of Peter (or "Peas", one of his newer nicknames). I love it! It's sounds so much more grown up than his previous coos. Even Jack noticed ... "He's talking, Mom!".

He's also rolling and scooching more accurately to get closer to toys or Forbidden or Dangerous Objects (I tell you, he knows when he shouldn't play with something, and he beelines right for it!). Peter also has a hilarious "I want that" look -- one of these days I'll capture it on camera and post it!

In the mean time, I did snag a picture of Thomas doing his precarious hand washing stunt.

His feet are not touching the stepstool at all -- just one foot is on the cabinet knob. But he's pretty careful and he gets the job done! He is also doing quite well with potty training -- I'm so proud of him!

Jack and Thomas are getting excited about Thanksgiving this week. They're looking forward to having family come visit us, and of course the yummy food. I was explaining the concept of Thanksgiving to the boys, and Jack asked me "Are we going to Mass?".

I told him we weren't planning on it (because we normally don't on Thanksgiving), but I was struck by the connection he made between holiday and Mass. I suppose it does make sense, after all, most all of the holidays we observe as a family are religious and going to Mass is part of the celebration. As I was trying to think of how to explain to him that this holiday is different than the more religious holidays (and therefore we didn't need to go to Mass), it occured to me that *my* thinking needed correcting, not his.

I just finished telling him that Thanksgiving is when we give thanks for all the good things in our lives, and exactly who are we thanking? God. What's one of the best ways to thank God and participate in a deeper Thanksgiving? Go to Mass. So, I think I will be taking Jack and Thomas to 9AM Mass on Thanksgiving after all -- it seems fitting and consistent with the family culture we're trying to establish. And it was Jack's idea after all -- good job, little man!

Fingers always taste better...

when they are on someone else's hand.

Michael was pretty unfazed by Peter's attack ... until Peter started crying (Why? I don't know -- his fingers weren't the ones being munched!).

When he heard Peter cry, Michael's bottom lip pushed forward (in an adorable pout) and he began to cry in sympathy. What a sweet little man!

The Rock

After nearly 5 years of living in this house, I am finally seeing some progress in my backyard reclamation project -- beating back the throngs of shrubs, assorted prickly plants, and bunny and squirrel dens that have had their run of our yard for decades, I'm sure.

This past week, I got around to tackling the bushes near the large, lovely boulder near the bottom of our yard. As I worked, all of a sudden the boys started squealing with delight over their new "mountain" that I had uncovered. It is actually a very cool rock, with little divits and gullies where the rain has eroded it, narrow pathways just the right size for little boys to climb through and hide behind. And even a little outcrop that begged to be ridden as an imaginary horse (or giraffe, in Jack's case, and a whale, in Thomas's).

It was really fun to see them playing on the boulder almost like they would a play structure at a park. And here it's been sitting in our backyard all this time, waiting to be uncovered. It didn't even cost me anything except for a little elbow grease!

In other news, Peter has become quite the contortionist. His feet are in mouth whenever he gets the chance, and socks last about a minute before he yanks them off and sucks on them. He looks like he's bending himself in half to reach those toes -- it's funny! He's also rolling all over the place, including under chairs and coffee tables, and in the middle of whatever Jack and Thomas are doing, which sometimes results in exasperated cries of "Peeeeter!" from the boys. Oh yes, this little man is definitely going to keep his big brothers on their toes.

It's off to work he goes.

The boys waaay down at the bottom of the yard.

Jack takes this rock for a spin.

Little mountain goats.

Feet, glorious feet!

Jack's pick for president...

Jack told me this morning that Jesus should be president! When I explained that Jesus is King of heaven and earth, way more important than just the president of a country, Jack changed his vote to Daddy :).

'Cause That's My Fun Day

Ah, Sunday evening is drawing to a close and I'm wishing we could turn back the clocks again tonight! I do love Sundays, and today was just about perfect.

The boys did very well with the time change (I expected them to get up around 5:30AM "new time", but they got up closer to 6:30 -- yeah!). They were very, very good at Mass. Jack and Thomas were very quiet (Jack was intent on trying to read the stained glass windows during part of Mass), and Peter actually laid his head down on my shoulder when he got tired and fell asleep for half an hour -- no fussing or crankiness, he just drifted off -- it was one of those sweet baby moments that I treasure, especially because I know there probably won't be too many of those left in the months to come.

It rained a little here and the weather was cool, and I made applesauce in the crockpot which made the house smell like fall :). Then we had a good dinner, and put some bluegrass music on for the boys while they cleaned up their toys. Jack was dancing like Steve Martin (spot on!) and Thomas was doing a darn good Pappy O'Daniel impression from O Brother Where Art Thou. It was just a very pleasant day!

We also had a good Halloween on Friday. Jack, Thomas, and I made popcorn balls from Grandmom's recipe -- they loved it! David came home from work early and we watched Superman, ate pizza, and tried to get the boys to dress up like Superman using an Indian blanket from Grandmom as the cape :). Thomas and Peter were willing, but Jack wasn't having any part of it. He was amenable to dressing up like a Dodger, though! It was simple -- no trick or treating or Halloween parties, but we had a good time.

This week will be busy coming up -- on Election Day I'd like to take the boys to visit Jesus at Adoration for a little while (our church is having a special day-long Adoration), even if we can only stay for 10 or 15 minutes.

Like Kim mentions in her beautiful post, we pray that the election results -- both the presidential election and the many propositions across the nation -- are in favor of the dignity of human life from conception to natural death. Sometimes Jack hears David and I talking about politics, and asks what it's all about. I've explained that there are two men running for president (aka "Boss of America") and we want one to win and not the other. He asked if the other guy was mean, and I thought about it for a second and said "Yes, he doesn't think babies who are in their mommy's tummy are real people". Jack looked over at Peter, who was in my lap trying furiously to bat at my plate with his chubby little hands, but who was IN my tummy only 4.5 months ago. It was a powerful moment as I watched him process what I had just said.

For Jack and Thomas, Peter has been part of our lives, a real part of all of our lives, from the moment that they knew I was pregnant. To think that anyone could deny his personhood all that time in the womb is ridiculous, and even Jack at just 4 years old, knew that. It's funny -- I've always known where I stand on this issue, but having to distill it down to its simplest form for my 4-year old really hit home for me -- who in their right mind could think a baby in its mommy's tummy isn't a person? And, more importantly, who would want such a person as boss of our country?!?

Let me close by saying how grateful I am to my children for the joy they have every single day just in being alive, and for their way of making the important things in life seem so simple and clear.

--------------------------

Thomas makes a slightly wary Superman.

This Superbaby has a superpower for rolling all over the floor, seeking out crumbs and forbidden Big Boy Toys.

A hint of a shadow of some eyebrows perhaps? He does have an impressive eyebrow furrow, regardless :).

This family bleeds Dodger blue.

Peter, just seconds before attacking Thomas's "Buddy Bear".

Helping to make popcorn balls on Halloween!

Jack does the dirty work while Thomas conducts quality control.

Thomas doesn't approve of the level of stickiness involved.

Jack dives right in.

Last but not least, Elmo on a pumpkin!

If you give a boy a camera...

he will want to take a picture of something really important.

He will search high and low, and will finally decide to take a picture of a scrape on his leg.

Taking a picture of the scrape will remind him of Grammy and Poppi's RV step, where the scrape happened.

Thinking about the RV step will remind him of how much fun he had helping Poppi fix the RV. He will talk about all the different tools that Poppi had, and how he needs to go back to the Blue House soon so he can help Grammy and Poppi some more.

Talking about Poppi and his tools will remind him of the other fun things he did at Grammy and Poppi's. Like the airshow. He will want you to find his Thunderbolt airplane and his little brother's Flying Fortress airplane so they can fly their airplanes around the house.

Flying the airplanes around the house will remind his little brother about all the fun that he had at Grammy and Poppi's, too. He will say "I miss Poppi" and then will talk about all the hair that Poppi has on the back of his hands.

Talking about Poppi's hands will remind the boys about playing Spider with Poppi. They will want you to play Spider, too, and they don't mind too much that you don't play as good as Poppi does.

Playing Spider will make the little boy think about Poppi's watch, since that is also close to his hands. He will have fun remembering how he borrowed it from him and pretended it was a camera.

Thinking about the pretend camera will remind the boy of taking a picture with a real camera. He will want to use your camera again.

And chances are, if you give him your camera, he is going to want to take a picture of something really important with it...

___________________

(written with apologies to the author of "If You Give a Mouse a Cookie..." (who really knows how little kids' minds work!), and based on a compilation of funny things the boys have said since their visit to Grammy and Poppi's last month.

Happy Sunday!

I'm not sure which photo I like better ... this one, because of Peter's adoring gaze at Thomas:

Or this one, where Jack is "helping" Peter to say "Cheese!".

In honor of this weekend, which has been a little rough because Jack and Thomas have both been very tired and very cranky, I wanted to share a few of my favorite things about the kids that I think about when they're particularly trying my patience:

Jack: I love his hand gestures, especially when he's pontificating about something (which is... pretty much everything). Yesterday at dinner he wasn't saying anything, but he was gesturing as if he were, and it was hilarious. Oh, and if you ever want to see something really funny, wink at him. He'll wink back at you, but it's very involved -- there's a wind up of the head, and then he fast-pitches the wink right back to you!

Thomas: lately he's been adding "ses" to the end of everything to make it plural. Like "feetses", "kneeses", "sockses". It's cute, and it probably won't last long because I try to repeat the correct word after he says it incorrectly so he knows the right way to say it (and I'm sure he'll catch on quickly), but I love hearing his made-up grammar rules all the same :).

Peter: I love feeling that happy, rumbly vibration in his back when he laughs, or "talks" while I'm holding him.

Awestruck boys

Take two little boys, ages 4.5 and 2.5, and let them:

• sit in the back of a police car
• climb into an ambulance
• sit in the driver's seat of a fire engine and pretend to drive
• be hoisted up into a fire bulldozer by a real firefighter
• hop into two fire helicopters

and you'll score some serious WOW points. We took the boys to an open house at one of the Ramona fire stations this morning, and we had a great time. Thomas even hugged a firefighter and later said "I love you guys" to the fire station as we pulled away in the car. Jack did try to hide from Smokey the Bear (he put his hands over his eyes and I'm sure was thinking "if I can't see him, he can't see me" :) ), but I can respect that -- I've always thought there was something a little creepy about big costumed characters.

We saw a tiny 7-week old baby there, and I looked at Peter and realized how big he's getting, but it truly seems like he was *just* that size. Amazing. He likes rolling onto his tummy to play and is raking toys (and whatever else is nearby on the floor -- now I've really got to watch what the boys leave around!) to his mouth to taste. He also will spin in a little circle when he's on his tummy, and has been spotted trying to get his knees up under him and his rump in the air (he's got a little ways to go yet, but I bet he'll be crawling by the time he's 6 months old).

Peter has been sleeping in the boys' room for the past several nights, and it's going very well! We initially put him to bed in our room since Jack and Thomas tend to chat for a while before falling asleep, and then we just move Peter to the crib when we're ready to go to bed. So far, Peter has been sleeping soundly through the night and they've all been waking up around 6:30-6:45AM, which is respectable. Thomas, however, has not taken naps 5 out of the last 6 days (which is not good, since I think he really does still need that sleep in the afternoon), but I can only encourage him so much. He may be heading toward no naps, and it's just going to be a rough until he adjusts to less sleep. On the other hand, his potty training continues to go very well and I'm very thankful to have just one kid in diapers again!

A little peace of mind

This week's project was updating and completing our family emergency kit, and after today's shopping trip, it's done! We started out with one of these 4-person emergency starter kits a couple of years ago:

and I sort of haphazardly threw together some food in a box and a few gallons of water and called it good. It's been tugging at the back of my mind that I really should make sure I have a complete emergency kit on hand, especially now that our family size has increased.

Anyway, it's all together now -- 15+ gallons of water in the garage (at least 1 gallon per person per day), first aid supplies, and 3 days worth of food for us all. I even thought to pack away the 2 large cans of formula that Evenflo sent me after Peter was born, just in case I can't nurse him for some reason. I do feel a bit of peace knowing that we've got the basics covered in case we need them.

Stretched thin, but grateful

We've had a lot going on in the Campbell household lately!

Sick house

I managed to catch a cold a couple of weeks ago and felt a bit out of it for a week. Everyone else seemed OK until this past Friday evening (argh! I really thought I was in the clear!) when Jack came down with a sore throat. Then the night before last Peter had a stuffy nose and didn't sleep well, and today Peter is still stuffy and Thomas started up with runny nose

:(. So that has not been fun. BUT, I am very grateful that it's just a cold and not some gastrointestinal bug, and I'm very grateful that now I'm healthy and feeling well enough to care for the sick kids.

Potty training

Thomas is out of diapers except for naps and bedtime! He's actually doing very well, although it was a rough first week or so. At the point that I was about ready to give up and put him back in diapers until he was closer to 3, something clicked and now he seems to get it. Hooray!! This leads me to ...

Out of the crib and into the bed

In honor of potty training, Thomas now sleeps in a mattress on the floor, next to Jack. Once again, we had a rough couple of days convincing Thomas to keep napping in this new arrangement (and some days he still fights it), but overall the transition has been smoother than I expected. I needed more sheets, so I bought construction sheets for both beds, and the boys love them.

Reading

Jack is about 1/4 of the way through his reading book, and he is doing so well. He's reading short, simple sentences, but we still have a bunch of letter/sound combinations to learn. He really seems to enjoy it, and he's eager to learn more. My biggest surprise so far is how excited *I* am to watch him learn this new skill, and to know that I'm his primary teacher. It definitely gives me hope that he and I can work well together in a teacher-student relationship for when he starts charter school next year.

Rolling

Peter is rolling all over the place these days, although he usually gets "stuck" on his tummy and forgets how to roll onto his back, so he'll squawk until someone comes to rescue him. His head control is excellent now, and his sleeping schedule is really evening out. I can usually count on 3 naps a day, right around 8:30AM, 12:30PM, and 3:30PM. It's great that he has a good routine now, but it makes planning outings difficult ... I can't usually get big outings (like grocery shopping) done between his naps because there just isn't enough of his awake, not-eating time available. But he doesn't usually take good naps unless we're at home, and if he misses a nap, he gets cranky. So I'm trying to limit my big outings to just a couple times a week, and then spend the rest of the week at home if I can ... I know when Jack starts T-ball and kindergarten, my weeks will be busier and less flexible, so I'll try to enjoy spending time at home while I can.

The Citation

Remember that silly registration ticket that I got early in September? Would you believe that it's STILL not settled?!? I've gone by the courthouse twice already, but my ticket is "not in their system", which means they can't clear it now that I've fixed the violation. Apparently Ramona only has court on Fridays, and the court date written on my ticket was not only a Monday, but it was Columbus Day (yesterday!). So the ticket got sent back (to where? I have no clue!) to have a new, better date assigned. And until then, I just have to keep calling or visiting the courthouse to see if I'm in the system yet. David wondered if maybe the cop never turned in my ticket -- maybe he had pity on that lady driving around a minivan-full of little boys after all!

No thanks, my plate is full

I'm slowly coming to terms with life with 3 kids. I think the day-to-day reality is finally settling in. In the early weeks of Peter's life, people would ask me if having 3 kids was harder than having 2, and I usually answered "No", because it didn't seem that different, still crazy but not too much more so. But that was when Peter slept pretty much all the time, pretty much any where. Aside from feeding him (which is kind of nice, because it forces me to sit still in one place for 15 minutes) changing a few extra diapers (Peter is blessed with an amazingly slow digestion, so those are 99% easy diapers), and extra laundry, it wasn't too different from life with 2 kids. But I can definitely say that things ramped up over the last month or two, and they haven't showed any signs of slowing down. I do have time to cook meals, keep the house reasonably clean, play with the boys, and do the usual maintenance chores, but I really and truly do not have time for extras (my less-than-frequent blog posts are proof of that!) I'm supposed to start teaching an NFP class in the near future (whenever I feel ready), but the thought of it makes my heart sink -- even if David were able to get home in time to put the kids to bed, and Peter were to take a bottle, I do not know where I can squeeze out the extra time for class prep, teaching time, student follow-ups, etc. Something else would have to give, and I don't think I can afford to give up anything else right now. It's frustrating, but I suppose it is the season of my life right now. The NFP class will still need teachers in a few months, or a few years, but my family needs me (especially my littlest and most demanding members) now!

The twins

I hate to post and run, but here are a few great shots of the "twins" from when Kim and Michael visited last week. They're both growing so fast!

I do have a handful of updates to post, so hopefully I can get around to a real post in a few days.

A Couple of Weeks Worth of Recap

I thought it had only been a week since my last post here, and I signed on today to realize it's been closer to 3! Amazing.

Jack, Thomas, and Peter are all sporting new haircuts, as of yesterday. David and I called it H-Day, since it's not unlike an assault trying to get them cornered, strapped in, and sheared. :). Jack and Peter did great, but Thomas was sobbing through pretty much the entire haircut. I'm trying something a little different, letting their hair grow a bit longer on top rather than buzzing it all the same length. With Peter, I just trimmed up his sides and left the top alone, but since the hair on top sticks straight up (and is very even), it totally looks like he has a flat top now :). It probably looks like I am trying to style it that way (with gel or whatnot), but I really have no control over it -- 5 minutes after his hair is washed, and POOF! up it goes!

Oooh, I've heard some interesting things lately that I wanted to share re: schooling. Jack isn't in preschool, and he'll start kindergarten next fall. Apparently this is pretty unusual for a 4-year old kid around here, because all the kids his age seemed to have disappeared now that summer is over. Kindergarten, from what I've heard, is taken pretty seriously these days. It's full day, and the kids have homework!! One Mom that I know actually said she was glad that her 5-year-old was being challenged this way. He even missed a day of kindergarten and had to make up the work that he missed (it sounded like a decent amount of work, too!). This Mom was glad that the teacher was being so rigorous. The whole time I'm thinking "These kids are only 5 years old! This is crazy!".

Since kindergarten is so "rigorous", many moms feel that they need to put their kids into preschool so they're not behind. Seriously! In casual conversation, other moms will ask me whether Jack is in preschool, and I usually tell them that I'm doing preschool work with him at home and that it's expensive anyway. This is one of the first times in my parenting career that I've felt like I'm choosing a very different path for my child from the mainstream, just because I'm not putting him into preschool. Oh well! I couldn't be happier with my decision, and I have total confidence that Jack will learn whatever he needs to learn before he enters kindergarten.

In other news, I had another run-in with the law today! After we finished grocery shopping, we pulled into the library parking lot and I left the car running with the air on and gave the boys a snack before story time began. Peter was hungry, too, so I climbed into the back of the van and nursed him. About 10 minutes later, a police car pulled up next to the van and a cop gets out and starts peering into my car windows (they're tinted). I actually found a CHP officer a week ago to sign off on my registration ticket(he was hanging out in the local sheriff station next to the library, so it was easy, thankfully), but I was worried that somehow I didn't do it right.

The cop came around to the sliding door, which I opened to see what the problem was. The officer said that someone had called to report that someone had left kids in my car unattended! Once the cop saw that I was with the kids and we were just having a snack in the car, he let us be.

At first, I was a little mad that someone had "reported" me, since whoever it was didn't take the time to look in the car and really check to see if the kids were alone, but then I realized that it's probably a good thing that someone cared enough to worry about possibly unattended kids in a car on a hot day.

Anyway, here are a few pictures we've taken recently:

This is a baby sling that Peter loves because he can face out. I love it because it frees up my hands and is easier on my back than holding him.

Peter, pre-haircut

Peter, post-haircut

Peter is starting to like tummy time! He actually laughs when we put him on his tummy, and his ribs are ticklish. :)

More pictures

Peter is getting better at using his hands -- he can grab things now and bring them to his mouth. He's also getting "better" at cooing (I put that in quotes because his lovely, pretty-sounding coos are being replaced by all kinds of strange noises, garbles, and growls. He kind of sounds like a little pirate!)

This is how Jack and Thomas interpret the words "Boys, please clean up the front room now"

Peter's adoring smile for Thomas

Jack in the box. He brought down his pillow and bed toys to the box because he decided "it would be a good place for a rest".

So happy! I believe it was some of the Barber sisters that said he has "lightbulb hair"--- you are so right! His hair is definitely getting big again, but there is still a disturbing lack of eyebrow. Is it time to nickname him Whoopi yet?

David braved the madhouse that is the DMV today on my behalf. Thank you, David!! After a wait and a bit of a hassle, he successfully retrieved the sticker for my license plate, and now all I have to do is track down a CHP officer to make me right with the law. I'll keep you posted on that!

Otherwise, we're all doing well! I'm trying to take it easy this week because I've felt a bit tired and ragged lately. I'm letting things slide a little bit, and am mentally trying to ignore the many projects I have on my to-do list that just aren't getting done. Realistically, I don't think I'll be able to make much progress on special projects until maybe this fall, when Peter's daytime naps are more regular. And that's OK. I was reading a neat article by Fr. Ron Rolheiser that compares the life of a mom to the life of a monk - I can definitely relate! Now I have lots and lots of little monastic bells to listen for :). Here's an excerpt:

"For example, the mother who stays home with small children experiences a very real withdrawal from the world. Her existence is definitely monastic. Her tasks and preoccupations remove her from the centres of power and social importance. And she feels it. Moreover her sustained contact with young children (the mildest of the mild) gives her a privileged opportunity to be in harmony with the mild, that is, to attune herself to the powerlessness rather than to the powerful.

Moreover, the demands of young children also provide her with what St. Bernard, one of the great architects of monasticism, called the "monastic bell". All monasteries have a bell. Bernard, in writing his rules for monasticism, told his monks that whenever the monastic bell rang, they were to drop whatever they were doing and go immediately to the particular activity (prayer, meals, work, study, sleep) to which the bell was summoning them. He was adamant that they respond immediately, stating that if they were writing a letter they were to stop in mid-sentence when the bell rang. The idea in his mind was that when the bell called, it called you to the next task and you were to respond immediately, not because you want to, but because it's time for that task and time isn't your time, it's God's time. For him, the monastic bell was intended as a discipline to stretch the heart by always taking you beyond your own agenda to God's agenda.

Hence, a mother raising children, perhaps in a more privileged way even than a professional contemplative, is forced, almost against her will, to constantly stretch her heart. For years, while raising children, her time is never her own, her own needs have to be kept in second place, and every time she turns around a hand is reaching out and demanding something. She hears the monastic bell many times during the day and she has to drop things in mid-sentence and respond, not because she wants to, but because it's time for that activity and time isn't her time, but God's time.