JOYfilledfamily BLOG

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

April 12, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: {phfr}, Picture Recap

{pretty}

A family picture is always a pretty sight for Dad and I. It gives us all a visual to remind us to count our blessings – totally worth the discomfort I have when seeing myself in the photo.

{happy}

The chef is working overtime in Dad’s Café.

{funny}

~~Groucho Marx~~ Papi picked this out from the bank’s treasure chest. He doesn’t even know who Groucho is but he does a perfect impersonation.

Papi is always good for a laugh.

{real}

We have to put Dragonfly’s pjs on backwards since he prefers to sleep in his birthday suit.

~~~

{pretty, happy, funny, real}

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~
Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

Dad’s Cafe

April 11, 2012 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Beef, Dessert, Dinner, Lunch, Recipes Leave a Comment

Dad’s been cooking it up. He even has a waitress, Sparkles, who waits and serves everyone. Today he pulled out the cook book, Everyday Paleo.

For lunch I had two BLT wraps. They were similar to the B.A.T. shown below, sans avocado and mayo.

Dad fixed Everyday Paleo Beanless Chili for dinner. YUMMY! I wish he made more for leftovers.

He even made up a healthy treat, Paleo Apple Muffins. It’s amazing how quickly our taste buds have changed. Butter on the warm sugar-free muffin, hit the spot.

—

Easter Sunday

April 11, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Easter 10 Comments

~~~

liturgical chalkboard with our Lent mottos, quotes from Bl. Teresa of Calcutta

The morning started with an Alleluia!

empty tombs,

and sacrifice beans turned alleluia beans.

The little’s had a hard time sticking to our “Jesus first” policy.

My Easter baskets were recycled from Sparkles bday last year. They were filled with up-cycled goods from the thrift store and my stash.

We took several outtakes before heading to a Solemn High Easter Mass.

The kid’s Easter clothes were all re-cycled clothing from the thrift store and my sis – Children’s Place, Nordstrom’s, Ralph Lauren, Chico’s, LOFT and other quality brands. The total cost of this year’s Easter Collection was $18!

Dad and I also wore thrift store finds. I had a brand new Liz Claiborne shirt, brand new Talbots sweater, and brand new Loft skirt – for a grand total of $11. Dad had a like-new suite and new shirt – for a grand total of $9.

~~~

We arrived at church an hour early, time for more pics.

We even met a fellow Catholic blogger, Tridentine Wife.

Rose with some of her friends.

All the littles were wonderful for the (almost) two hour long Easter Mass.

~~~

We headed home to prepare some side dishes, empty tomb eggs and stuffed mushrooms. Then we headed to my sister’s house to spend the rest of the day with relaxed family time.

We feasted on ham, prime rib, asparagus, salad, mushrooms, and no-potato salad.

My sis made up some healthy treats – chocolate dipped fruit and Tropical Macaroons.

Dad and Uncle hid the Easter Eggs and the fun began.

The kids cashed in at Papa & Nana’s Bank. That’s right, the kids get money instead of candy. Actually, they get paper money in their eggs. They are responsible for adding up their findings. Papa supervises the money counting. Then they get to cash it in with Nana. Nana distributes the cash. This year she plans to the kids open a new account.

Lastly, we watched a movie as a family. This was a nice treat since all TV use was offered up for Lent.

~~~

We will continue our family time of feasting and fun for Eastertide, all for Him.

ALLELUIA!

~~~

Easter Linky ~ Catholic Cuisine

Holy Thursday & Good Friday

April 10, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Easter, Holy Week, Lent, Triduum 1 Comment

Holy Thursday

commemorates Christ’s Last Supper and the initiation of the Eucharist

Altar of Repose

After the Mass, the priest takes off his chasuble and vests in a white cope. He returns to the Altar, incenses the Sacred Hosts in the ciborium, and, preceded by the Crucifer and torchbearers, carries the Ciborium to the "Altar of Repose," also called the "Holy Sepulchre," where it will remain "entombed" until the Mass of the Presanctified on Good Friday.

Then there follows the Stripping of the Altars, during which everything is removed as Antiphons and Psalms are recited. All the glorious symbols of Christ’s Presence are removed to give us the sense of His entering most fully into His Passion. Christ enters the Garden of Gethsemani; His arrest is imminent. Fortescue’s "Ceremonies of the Roman Rite Described" tells us: "From now till Saturday no lamps in the church are lit. No bells are rung. Holy Water should be removed from all stoups and thrown into the sacrarium. A small quantity is kept for blessing the fire on Holy Saturday or for a sick call." The joyful signs of His Presence won’t return until Easter begins with the Easter Vigil Mass on Saturday evening.

~Fisheaters

Good Friday

Good Friday¹ (also called "Great Friday" or "Holy Friday") is the most somber day of the entire year. A silence pervades, socializing is kept to a minimum, things are done quietly; it is a day of mourning; it is a funeral. The Temple of the Body of Christ is destroyed, capping the the penitential seasons begun on Septuagesima Sunday and becoming more intense throughout Lent. Traditional Catholics wear black, cover their mirrors, extinguish candles and any lamps burning before icons, keep amusements and distractions down, and go about the day in great solemnity. ~Fisheaters

Papi with a rose from the Altar of Repose

Lenten Recap

April 10, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Easter, Lent, Picture Recap 6 Comments

I give thanks to the Good Lord for a blessed Lenten season full of loss, mercy, family time, and service.

My family adopted two quotes from Bl. Teresa of Calcutta as our Lenten motto.

Never let anything so fill you with sorrow as to make you forget the joy of the Christ risen.

~~~

Do ordinary things with extraordinary love.

Here is a recap of some Lenten happenings in my family.

~~~

Shrove Tuesday 2.20

Visiting the elderly on Shrove Tuesday is a family tradition that was started some years ago with the prompting of a sister in Christ. My family shared this tradition with our parish community this year.

Park Days

kite flying and fence climbing

40 Days for Life

We prayed for the unborn babies and an end to abortion every Monday in front of the abortion clinic.

Family Start-Up 2.28

It’s official! We filed our paperwork for our start-up LLC. We have much more work ahead of us but we are all excited about the possibilities that await us as we grow this family business.

We pray that this business will lead us to financial freedom, be a source of income for our children in whatever vocation that they are called to, allow us to become providers for family as they enter full retirement, permit us to start a ministry, create jobs for families desiring to work out of their home, and fund the call that our Heavenly Father has placed on our heart – All for the greater glory of God.

Loss & Healing

Maria Louisa’s face was not seen but her love will remain forever imprinted on our hearts.

Dad and I were moved to share the reality of our five saints with the littles. For whatever reason, we did not find it fitting to do so earlier. We trust that our angels are not for us alone and we desire for all of our children to form bonds with all their siblings.

Maria Louisa has also led us to further discern something big that the Good Lord has been prompting us to. We pray to cooperate with His grace and move forward with unwavering faith – Ad Jesum per Mariam.

St. Patrick’s Day 3.17

no pictures since there were no free hands

Dad took the lead from Fr. L and helped to coordinate a parish clean-up day. The day started with a Solemn High Mass since St. Patrick’s day is a first class feast day in our diocese. Then the work began with many helping hands. The day ended with a BBQ potluck.

Hair Cut 3.20

I like my boys with long hair but couldn’t tell Papi no when he requested to “look like” dad.

Job Shadow 3.21

Rose participated in a job shadow with the HR department at the University of the Pacific (my alma-mater). She walked away with more than the average participant, the normal goodie bag with a shirt and a job offer.

Birthday Date Night 3.24

MarchBaby

Consecration Renewal 3.25

My family made our renewal on 3.25 (Feast of the Annunciation) since we knew that we would not be able to attend Mass on Monday (Feast of the Annunciation for 2012) as a family.

Passion Sunday 3.25

Potty 3.29

Dragonfly started using the potty, sporadically.

Uma 3.29

We got a new family member.

I really don’t know what I was thinking when I responded to the email.

I want to offer an 8 yr old AKC registered chocolate lab. She was spayed last week. She is very calm, does not bark much, and does not chew. She is housetrained, leash trained, fetches, swims, travels well, loves kids. She is really a great dog. Her one problem is that she does not get along with other dogs. I have had to keep her separate from my other dogs. She needs to be someone’s only dog.

This was not planned but she needed a new home and as it turns out, we needed her.

Confirmation 3.30.12

Confirmation was scheduled on my birthday this year. Dad gave me the ok to sign up to help with the reception since he knew that I desired to be serving on my birthday.

Rose and I were in charge of the cakes. We ordered them from Costco.

Rose and her confirmandi who chose St. Thecla as her patron.

Bishop Jamie Soto

Birthday Blessing 3.30

Rose and I received our birthday blessing by our spiritual director, Fr. M. A fun side note, Fr. M is the same age as Dad and I. In fact, is one day older than Dad.

Palm Sunday 4.1

Mass, Blessing of Palms, and Procession

Birthday Celebration 4.1

Rose and I celebrated with family on Sunday.

~~~

AD JESUM PER MARIAM

7 Day Challenge Wrap-up

April 9, 2012 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: 7 Day Challenge, Lent Leave a Comment

Day 6 & Day 7: 7 Day Challenge

Both days were rather uneventful. I worked on getting enough calories by way of protein and veggies.

I enjoyed the challenge. It helped me to stay focused for the remainder of my Lenten program.

I plan to continue to the idea of a 7 day challenge as I move forward to restore my health.

This week will be my return to exercise. I must say, I’m a bit nervous. It’s been about a month since I did anything remotely close to exercise. As a result, my energy has increased along with my weight. I’m trying hard not to worry about the aesthetics. My scale will be officially purged from the house tomorrow, after I take my pre-work out stats.

I will be working solely on gaining strength until I get things under control and get the go ahead from my trainer.

May the Good Lord keep me in the race.

GO ALL OUT – ALL FOR!
I have NOT ARRIVED.
I am far from the finish line.
But I am on CHRIST’S TEAM.
His love ignites me.
…His power fuels me.
His mission compels me.
I AM COMMITTED to Christ
and to this race.

Act of Consecration

March 26, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: 03 March, Annunciation, Consecration, Marian, Total Consecration

In honor of my family’s recent renewal of our Total Consecration, I am sharing with you a printable Act of Consecration.

You are free to print and share this printable.

AD JESUM PER MARIAM

~~~

Full Color – Printable Act of Consecration

White – Printable Act of Consecration

~~~

After Consecration

from Fish Eaters

Once you have consecrated yourself to Jesus through Mary, live that consecration. St. Louis-Marie de Montfort recommended the following:

Keep praying to develop a “great contempt” for the spirit of this world
Maintain a special devotion to the Mystery of the Incarnation (e.g., through meditation; spiritual reading; focusing on Feasts centering around the Incarnation, such as the Annunciation and the Nativity, etc.)
Frequently recite the Ave, Rosary, and the Magnificat
Recite, every day if it is not inconvenient, the “Little Crown of the Blessed Virgin” — a series of Paters, Aves, and Glorias — one Ave for each star in the Virgin’s Crown. St. Louis has a special way of praying the Little Crown, which is recommended.
Do everything through, with, in and for Mary for the sake of Jesus, with the prayer, “I am all thine Immaculate One, with all that I have: in time and in eternity” in your heart and on your lips
Associate yourself with Mary in a special way before, during, and after Communion (see Supplement of the book, “True Devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary” above)
Wear a little iron chain (around the neck, arm, waist, or ankle) as an outward sign and reminder of holy slavery. This practice is optional, but very recommended by St. Louis. The appearance of this chain is not further specified.
Renew the consecration once a year on the same date chosen above, and by following the same 33-day period of exercises. If desired, also renew the consecration monthly with the prayer, “I am all thine and all I have is thine, O dear Jesus, through Mary, Thy holy Mother.”
Optional: Join the Confraternity of Mary, Queen of All Hearts. Their address:
Director, Confraternity of Mary Queen of All Hearts
26 South Saxon Avenue
Bay Shore, NY 11706

My MarchBaby

March 26, 2012 by Lena {JOYfilledfamily} Filed Under: Lent, Pro-Life, Rose, Rose GFG

My MarchBaby and I went to view OctoberBaby for our birthday ~~retreat~~ date night. We invited friends, another mother and her two teen daughters. Dad and I usually do not permit any social dates during Lent but we thought that this occasion and cause warranted an exception.

I opted for this simplified birthday retreat as soon as March rolled in. The budget was already stretched and a heavy heart was made.

It was much more than just a retreat. It was an almsgiving of sorts. Dad and I knew that we would eventually watch OctoberBaby but we wanted to make a difference. We wanted to send a message to the entertainment industry that there are people out there who want wholesome movies and are willing to support a prolife message.

October Baby jumped into the overall top 10 despite its screen count, taking in $1,718,427….The film’s total is actually now $1,917,869… -IndieWire.com

OctoberBaby is a powerful movie that hit me on many levels. It had a similar impact on Rose and her girlfriends. I encourage all teens, parents, youth ministers,…all prolifers to take the time and money to view this movie.

Eating Out

March 25, 2012 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: 7 Day Challenge, Dinning Out Leave a Comment

Day 5: 7 Day Challenge

I took it easy for majority of the day, only doing the bare minimum with three of the littles. I was trying to stay rested for my date with Rose. Dad took Rose and Sweetie to church for the morning. Sparkles was sick and the boys needed to be home. It was a very uneventful morning. Dad returned with the girls around 3:00pm. Rose and I ventured off for our birthday date.

I realized that I was running a bit low on fuel but didn’t want to stop for a quick fix/bad choice of food. Rose and I shopped for 2 hours then we went to eat Mexican food. I didn’t choose my normal cheesy dish. Instead, I opted for the kiddie plate with shredded chicken, mole, beans and lettuce. I also enjoyed some chips and salsa. I followed my plan loosely and tried to make the best out of our night out. The food was delish. My only noticeable side effect was immediate gassiness.

Rose and I went to the movies to watch OctoberBaby. We went with friends, another mother-daughter couple. Both of us opted to pass on the snack bar. I’m not sure that I would have had enough will power had it not been for Lent. I despise movie popcorn—it always makes me sick. Nevertheless, I usually can’t refuse it. Praise God that I didn’t bat an eye. It worked out, too, because the movie wasn’t a popcorn type of movie.

The date night ended with a visit to McDonalds. We were just looking for a place to visit. Not much will power was needed for me there since the food is a complete turn-off to me. I had water

I returned home at 11am with little energy but wanted to share everything with dad. It was 1am before I knew it. Shame on me, I need to make sleep a priority!

————–

I’ve been thinking a lot about my trainer’s critique of my food log. I’m not sure what he’ll think of today’s log.

————-
Breakfast:

1.5 slice – paleo pumpkin pie

Snack:

Lunch:

1 cup – carnitas
.5 cup – guacamole
- .25 – avocado
- 4 – grape tomatoes
- 1 tsp – red onion
- lime juice
- .5 tsp – green chilies

Snack:

.5 slice – paleo pumpkin pie

Dinner:

I ate out with Rose for a birthday dinner. I opted for Mexican foods.

1.5 cups – shredded chicken with mole
.5 cups – refried beans
1 cup tortilla chips
salsa
lettuce

Drink:

6 cups – water

Exercise:

walking/shopping

Sleep:

1am– 7:00am (6 hrs)

More Food & More Prayer

March 25, 2012 by JOYfilledWELLNESS Filed Under: Caloric Intake, Health, Trainer Leave a Comment

Earlier in the day (on Sat.) I read my trainers critique of my food log for the past 3 days. He has urged me to eat more calories and up the veggie intake.

“I was very careful to err on the heavy side and I still only came up with 1,223 calories for day 1. That is way too low. Also, you only have 26 grams of carbs, not including your honey mustard dressing. If you are suffering from lack of energy, the first thing to do is increase your carbs. Try to get between 50 and 70 per day (I’m talking to Lena here!).
Your sleep looks great, so lets start with just adding a bunch more vegetable and getting some more calories and not changing anything else yet. We need to do this systematically. One change at a time. “ ~ Jason S, EPLifeFit Trainer

Sadly, my trainer overestimated my caloric intake for Wed. Here are my stats according to FitDay.

Eating enough food has always been a challenge for me. In fact, I agree that it may be a big culprit in my current decline of health.

—-

I kept his advice in the back of my mind the entire day. I didn’t want to change anything, I just wanted to be aware of what I ate, when I ate, and why I ate.

I realized that I’m waiting to eat when I’m hungry, have energy to get my food, and or the time. I tend to stay away from foods that require some prep in fear that the prepping will zap my energy.

My finances may be another factor in my current diet. I’m currently very limited financially and that has greatly affected the food that is available on any given day. I have help from my family and that goes a long way. I’m learning how to stretch the budget. I often set my mind on the ideal food choice, if that doesn’t fit within my budget, then I opt for the secondary choice that fits within the guidelines. This usually means that I end up with some sub-standard form of protein.

Fruits and veggies are a different story. My father brings a bag of fresh produce to my home on a daily basis. Still, I can never keep up with my kid’s veggie and fruit intake.

In conclusion, I have real limitations. Yet, I desire to do what is necessary to get healthy. I pray for His providence and grace.

After Consecration

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