A Bit Excessive

My sweet sixteen-year-old surprised me this afternoon by cleaning and organizing my candle cabinet.  I had mentioned to her that it was one of the hot spots I wanted to de-clutter in a renewed effort to make good use of our space.

I'm sure I've told you that I am quite the candle connoisseur.  Whether it's a new scent that woos me or pretty packaging, I have no will power when it comes to these waxy creations.  And unlike with other things like purses and shoes, buyer's remorse over candles is a bit less remorseful because of the low price tag.  Of course, it often happens that a scent I like in the store is way too strong at home--or even sweet to the point of inducing a headache.  But what to do with a slightly used, almost new candle?  I can't return it or give it as a gift and don't feel right throwing it away.  I know--I'll put it in my candle cabinet!  Maybe I'll want to use it later.  I've been doing this for a few years now.

Which is why, when Madeleine cleared out the cabinet, she found this:

And she laughed.  And did what I would have done.  She took pictures--to remind her that the same mama who occasionally gives her a hard time about the number of t-shirts in her drawer is herself a bit...excessive.

Happiness

In my last post, I shared a bit of my personal philosophy on happiness.  Happiness is one of those topics that we all take seriously and the way we live our lives is often the biggest indication of our take on the subject.

One of the best known and most often quoted first lines in literature is from Leo Tolstoy's Anna Karenina.  It is a comment on happiness.  "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."

I have heard this line repeated over and over.  I read it just this week in a book about marriage that I'm in the middle of.  I have turned it over in my mind and considered it and today, my question is--what do you think?  Do you agree or disagree?  Are happy families all alike and if so, in what way?  Support your position with as many "proofs" or reasons that you can think of.  I have my own opinion and will include it along with yours in a week or so.  You can answer by commenting or emailing me at chaucershome@msn.com.  Please jump in.  This will be fun.

Big Decision

As most of you know, we have been planning a move to Virginia for a long time now.  These have not been pie-in-the sky, hopeless dreamer type thoughts.  Chris actually changed jobs within Shell to facilitate the move, and last summer, we prepped the house and put it on the market.  We came close to selling twice only to have the buyers go elsewhere.  So we settled back into life in Kingwood last fall with a plan to try again after the school year.  Our agent's advice this time around was to put in new counter tops.  The market is slow, people want things ready-to-go, and by the way, she knew "a guy".  Luís installed granite for much less than I would have guessed it would cost and the counters are beautiful.
In the end though, Chris and I found ourselves dragging our feet about putting the For Sale sign back in the yard.  On my part, it wasn't due to doubts about Virginia being the place for us in the long run.  But our initial determination to move came from a real need caused by serious struggles we were facing as a family.  As the dust settled and things got better, I realized there was no hurry and that there are a quite a few things in the "pro" column about our Texas life.
First, are the friends we have made.  We have met families through home schooling, through St. Martha's and even through the swim team.  Our TEAMS friends are irreplaceable.  They are such a source of support and strength.  And they have absolutely reinforced my belief that we Catholics have the most fun.
Then there are our neighbors.  Two doors down, is a family that fits with ours in so many ways.  But we have great neighbors on all sides.  Neighbors with kids and neighbors without.  I really love where we live.  It is the best kept secret in Kingwood.
Other pros include Houston itself.  It is the easiest city to navigate that I've ever lived in, and it has anything and everything.  I love hearing Spanish everywhere I go.  I love that the beach is so close and that we have all kinds of home schooling opportunities*.  I love having a job.
And, like Dorothy's beloved Scarecrow, our "best of all" reason to stay here is the close connection we have with G & G Doyle.  They live 6.1 miles away (according to Chris' GPS running watch), and the kids go running up to hug them everytime we see them.  (The occasional weekend away for me and Chris while they babysit is definitely the icing.)
So, after much deliberation, we decided to stay awhile.  We briefly considered a move within Kingwood--despite our awesome neighborhood--because our house has been too small for us for awhile.  Instead, I lobbied for clearing our closets and making better use of the space we have.  Some of the money we'll save by not moving, we're putting into a few house projects.  I'll post pictures over the next couple of weeks.
This whole stressful process has reminded me of the adage, "a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush."  In my younger days, I loved change for its own sake.  Big changes always held the promise of clean slates and problems forgotten.  That strategy worked alright back then but these days, I find myself reluctant to let go of the bird I know.  I want to be careful and thoughtful before I give away what I have now for something "better".  I also have a personal motto around blooming and finding happiness where I am.  For me, happiness is more something to be practiced than sought.  And the bottom line is, we at Casa Doyle need to stop pedaling and coast a bit, enjoy life for awhile before managing another big change.  Oh--and we'll be sure to listen for the birdsong.

*There are big changes coming for The Doyle All Girls Academy next year.  All of the girls except for Ella will be attending Holy House one full day a week.  Holy House is a catholic home school apostolate run by volunteers.  At Holy House, Madeleine, Mia, Grace and Sophie will be doing just about everything except math.  Before I found out that they all had spots there, I also signed them up for Super Friday, a half-day program run by the large protestant home school group here in Kingwood.  Mia and Grace were able to choose their Super Friday classes--things like mosaic and jewelry making, American Girl Doll Class and Photography.  They were so excited about that that I think we're going to do both.  Sophie and Ella both have spots in the classes for kids their age and Madeleine and I may just go for coffee and a little shopping every Friday morning :)  I'm feeling very grateful.

Another First

leading the Responsorial Psalm

This morning, for the very first time, Madeleine served as cantor at Mass.  It is the cantor's job to lead all the songs, responses and sung parts of the Mass.  The Responsorial Psalm is probably the most stressful part because it is essentially a solo.  Madeleine breezed through it.  She also aced the one song with verses in Spanish.  Really though--I had no doubt things would go off without a hitch.  She's been practicing madly for weeks, plunking out notes on the piano to get her pitch exactly right.  Her piano teacher, Miss Lita, was her accompanist.  It was sometimes difficult to hear Madeleine as Lita plays very enthusiastically and, well, loudly.  She gave Madeleine high praise at the end.  From Lita, high praise is mile high.    
After Mass, we went to brunch with G and G Doyle and our buddies the Rouselles to celebrate.  I reflected a bit on the fact that this was one of the many times in my life when I will see one of the girls go somewhere that I haven't been.  I find it truly awesome to experience those things through my daughters.  I had a decent enough voice growing up but never really worked at it or got better.  Madeleine loves to sing and trains herself to improve.  Today, she was poised and beautiful.  She certainly blessed all of us by using her gifts in the service of God.
There really is so much to look forward to from that girl!

Peeking In

I love catching my kids in the act of doing things that surprise me.  I admit that I am occasionally guilty of thinking of them as mini me-s and forget that they are indeed, their own little people, completely separate and unique.  

This post is about a few times recently when I have peeked in on my girls and recognized that if I were to interrupt or insert myself in any way, I would ruin the moment.

First up is Sophie.  The other day I found her alone in her room listening to the CD All of a Kind Family.  While she listened, she was arranging Jenga blocks to fill book covers.  After that, she used them more traditionally, poking out block after block.  My heart hurt a little as I realized she was actually old enough to understand the CD without any pictures and without my help.

 Mia and Grace have been playing school a lot lately.  I love eavesdropping on them from the next room as they speak in their "teacher" voices.  They're doing a lot of writing which makes me very happy.

 End of Year Lunch Party

I did the set up and cooking but left the dining to them.  They were so grown up.

 Here, the three pirates obviously knew I was watching but I was not around for the poster-making.  I gave them poster board, washable paint and glitter and this was their creation.

Coach Mark dubbed it "Wahoos" by Van Go-Fast

Happy Fin de Semana Everyone!

Still Cinder-Ella

One of my first posts as a novice blogger was this one about our youngest.  In the comments section, my mom asked if she does windows.  While she wasn't quite tall enough to reach them back then, she certainly is now.  As I was making dinner the other day, she grabbed the windex and a rag and went at it.  In addition to her talent as a window washer, Ella holds the record for youngest table setter in Doyle family history.  How did I get so lucky?

Just doing a little window washing.
Got my rag, got my Windex and most importantly, a whole lot of dirt to wipe away!

Wait--is that a smudge?

Got it!

Just a leeeettle more Windex.

There--just right.

But look at this!  More dirt!  Need Windex.

This could go on all day if I let it.

First of the Season

Galveston, Tx
May 31, 2011

One of the advantages of living in Houston is the one-hour trip to the shore.  Our drive is a bit longer than that because, from Kingwood, we have to go south before traveling east but yesterday, the three hour round trip was nothing compared to the fun.

It was a last-minute outing, inspired by an invite from one of Madeleine's swim team/ home school friends.  I went alone with the five girls--something I probably wouldn't have attempted even last year but it went swimmingly.  Madeleine chatted with her friends but also took her sisters out to jump waves in the "deep end" of the ocean.  Sophie looked like a mermaid, swimming and kicking through the surf.  I kept her close to shore for the most part but even she took a few turns farther out with her big sis.  And Ella?  She's still happiest playing in a nice safe pool.  We dug her two yesterday because it took us awhile to find Madeleine's friends and when we did, we moved our camp down the beach.  Pool-digging is not as easy as it looks.  I have a new respect for Chris and my nephews who built Ella little pool palaces every day of our beach trip last summer!  (Interestingly, when the kids made their Top 10 of the week, digging Ella's pools was near the top.)

The number one thing that made the day for me yesterday was the girls' respect for my authority.  They stayed where I could see them and asked permission before venturing anywhere different.  In the last year, I've really come to see how homeschooling helps me with discipline.  One would think that all of the togetherness would wear me out but it actually makes it essential to get any big behavior issues under control.  There are times when I let things go because I am too tired to deal with them but for the most part, I've learned that the best policy is consistent and quick action.  Yesterday was one of those days when I could see the goal line--at least temporarily.
I also thought about the times I have told Chris that I think his job is so much easier than mine.  My comments run along the lines of, "You know, back when I worked full time, I had office space to myself.  No one came along and colored on it or messed with it.  No one tugged on me saying "mama, mama" all day and I wasn't constantly refereeing arguments."  After yesterday though, I have to admit.  There's no contest.  Of the two of us, I have the better deal.  Even on the hard days.  Which makes me one very grateful wife.
So, for the six Doyle Dames, a wonderful start to Summer 2011.

 We ran into a shark right after we arrived but luckily, Ella scared him away with her monster face.

Oh look, he's just a harmless dolphin.  Surely a real shark would snap up these tasty morsels.

 Tis' the season...for a hat.  I bought this one cheap yesterday and it saved my face because I wasn't as vigilant with the sunscreen as I should have been.

 Ella's first pool.  Grace's idea and built almost entirely by her.

Side note:  Grace is a fabulous big sis to Ella.  She sometimes forgets to go easy on Sophie but I suppose surviving Grace will help the Mophus build character, no?

 Ella's second pool built mostly by Mama.

 Mia and her "mud" people

She told Madeleine, "Since I don't get to play with snow, at least I can play with mud."  So sad :(

 Mia really got into the mud people game and worried that they would be washed away.  She wanted to save them and moved them more than once.  It was sweet.  I asked her their names and story but she didn't answer me at first.

 Then she told me to count them.  There were seven--our family--in mud.

I wanted to take a photo but she had to fix my mud person first because the head had fallen off.  I told her, "That's okay, Daddy loves me for my body anyway."  She fixed my head without comment.  She's still a little short to get that joke--which isn't exactly true anyway.  Chris is totally in it for my brains--or maybe my heart :)

 All home schooled.  Pretty impressive group.  They're new to us and I'm excited to get to know them better next year.  Lots of teens for Madeleine to pal around with.

 The three mud people Mia rescued.  I wonder if they're there today, the only evidence of our fun.

Last pic of the day and the story of my life.  There's always someone not with the program isn't there?  I suppose that's what makes life interesting and fun.

Oh, Summer.  So glad you're back!