Thursdays at CatholicMom.com begin with a look at the past week’s Small Successes!

If all has gone according to plan, I’m hangin’ with the fourth grade right about now. I had committed to a half-day substitute-teaching gig months ago. This is a great class and I’m happy to help the teacher out. I’m also a little sad that it’s not Friday, because on Friday in her class, it’s “Freaky Friday” and the students take turns teaching the religion lesson (which is all set up by the teacher, complete with notes to highlight and activities to assign.) The kids love it, and it gives them a chance to (a) see what the teacher does to prepare lessons and (b) gain experience presenting information to their peers.

It’s been a tough and tiring week, though. Yesterday afternoon, 3 little words were getting me through. “Just One More.”

Just one more pan to wash, and the dishes will be done. Just one more task for work, and I can stop looking at emails. That sort of thing.

I did get my garden planted on Tuesday, though. And I think my herbs grew a little bit already!

Here’s a close-up of my herb garden:

My plants are happy and I hope they stay that way.

I also cleaned the dishwasher (I stood a 2-cup measuring cup full of white vinegar in the top rack and ran the dishwasher). It smells much better now, which is to say, it doesn’t smell now.

AND I cleaned the washing machine according to the directions I found at Real Housekeeping, and that smells much better now too!

So the only things that smell right now are lilacs, which I strategically planted right in front of my extra-large living room window when we moved here in 1998. That’s paying off. Big time.

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© 2015 Barb Szyszkiewicz

I liked how I set up last week’s “menu”–it was actually just a list of dinners. That worked well for me, so I’m going to do the same for this week.

Last night I made a pot roast; turns out no one else was here to eat it (moral of the story: Cook But Verify.) We’ll have something with leftover pot roast one day this week–and another time in the future.

Chicken with tomato, fennel and basil; side salad and garlic bread

Chicken tacos with rice and salad on the side

Spaghetti and meatballs, salad

SURVIVAL DINNER: Pork chops with lemon-garlic marinade, Stove Top stuffing, “winter blend” frozen vegetables. This meal can be on the table in under 10 minutes.

Meatless Friday:  Tilapia with ginger and lemongrass, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots

Balsamic chicken with onions and thyme, roasted potatoes, roasted asparagus

I’m linking this menu up at Mary Ellen Barrett’s place. Today, she’s talking cookbooks (one of my favorite topics!) Learn about my favorite cookbook here!

My opportunities to attend daily Mass have been very limited lately, so when I had the chance today, I grabbed it.
I had the day all planned out. I’d go to Mass, pick up a coffee (I have a coupon that expires today, and far be it from me to waste a coupon), head to Little Brother’s school for his morning test, do the food shopping, return for the lunchtime test and then be home for 2 1/2 gloriously quiet hours until it was time to pick him up.
As I scribbled out a shopping list, the phone rang. It was the school, at 8:20 AM. Not a good sign. And there was Little Brother on the other end, calling to tell me that a classmate has brought homemade birthday treats for both snack time and lunchtime.
Oh, joy.
The best-laid plans went right out the window with that news, as I hurriedly packed up my kitchen scale and calorie king book and planned to spend the morning at school once again.
But I still wanted to get to Mass, so I finished packing my tote bag for school and made it out the door just in time. As I got out of the car in the church parking lot, I realized that I’d never changed my clothes. I was still running around in the yoga pants I’d put on after my shower, figuring I would change just before leaving the house, like I always do.
But that phone call, which was the right call for my kid to make, got me sidetracked.
I went to Mass anyway.
While I generally don’t leave the house in yoga pants, much less wear them to church, I needed the grace of Mass today more than I needed to bow to my inner fashion police.
Today I am grateful that I got there.
When Jesus said, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavily burdened,” I’m pretty sure He meant “come as you are.”
I’ll be better-dressed next time, but I am so grateful for the moments in which my soul found rest this morning.
As to the food shopping, it can wait until after lunch.

Christmas is 10 days away. I finally got some shopping done. Yesterday.

I hope everything gets here in time, and there is still plenty yet to be done.

A good part of last week, it was all I could do to keep from bursting into tears.

I’ll probably be crying in a little while, but those tears will come not from frustration but from wonder at the miracle of music.

The Festival of Lessons and Carols is scheduled for Friday, and in a few minutes I’m on my way to rehearsal, where for 3 hours I will get to put my worries and concerns and plans and work and unfinished business on the back burner and just…make music. Music that puts the focus back where it belongs–giving glory to God, and waiting in “joyful hope.”

I’m not ready for Christmas.

Is anyone ever ready?

Were Mary and Joseph ready?

Was the world ready?

Is the world ready?

Instead of a list, today there’s a story. Because it’s anything but normal around here right now. I’m going to “bold” the successes, if I can figure out how to do that on this tablet! Please pardon typos and weird autocorrects. You’ll see why…

Yesterday started out like any normal Wednesday. I woke up at 5 and got ready to go to the gym. After my workout I went to the bagel store to load up on those New Jersey breakfast necessities. Big brother was home! Many “everything” bagels were needed.

And then I got home, where my husband met me as I came in the door to tell me that the pediatrician had called and was sending us to the ER. Now.

Little Brother has been sick for over 10 days, dropping weight he could ill afford to lose. I’d taken him to the doctor 3 times. Finally blood work had been ordered, and it showed that his sugar levels were topping 600.

Middle Sister wanted to come with us to the ER. We agreed that she could miss the half day of school and come along. TheDad stayed at home with Grandma.

After Little brother’s diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes was confirmed, the local hospital prepared to transfer him to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, where they are prepared to do the kind of patient-and-parent education we will need to manage this.

TheDad, who had arrived by this time, rode in the ambulance with Little Brother. I stopped at home to pack some stuff for both of us, and to get the World’s Fastest Shower. Then I made the terrifying drive into center city in crummy weather to meet them at the hospital. Big brother came over after dinner to visit and drive TheDad home. I stayed the night.

We will be here at least 3 days to learn what we need to know. Little Brother is steadily improving. He is out of crisis.

I have so many blessings to count today, such as a pediatrician who checks lab results at 6:15 AM, Big Kids who bracketed the day with visits to see their brother and covered things at home with Grandma all day, the many friends and relatives who connected via email, text message, Facebook and Twitter, the many Alternate Turkey Invitations my Big Kids received, the dinner that showed up–unasked-for–at my front door last night, several friends who have first-hand experience with diabetes (or are doctors) upon whom I can lean, and the excellent care Little brother has gotten at 2 hospitals in the past 24 hours. Oh yeah–and hospital WiFi so I can type this while he snoozes.

I have been surprisingly calm. I’ll have the luxury of falling apart later, I’m sure…but honestly, after his being sick for so long with no answers, I’m just glad to know what’s up!

For the record, Middle Sister called it a couple of days ago, and I have a text message to prove it. If I could figure out how to post pictures I could share it, but that’s beyond me right now. She clearly has Mad Diagnostic Skillz.

This is the weirdest Thanksgiving since the year I was in grad school and couldn’t come home for Turkey Day, so my roommates and I divided up the dinner and cooked for a dozen friends. I did the turkey. I woke up early, stuffed the bird, then worked on Old English translations, because some professors don’t give you holidays off from homework.

I’ll miss my family today and Saturday, but I’m just relieved and thankful (and really tired) right now.

Link up at CatholicMom.com for more Small Successes!