(6/20)...streaming

Well, that break from blogging was not intended, but I am back and without a whole lot going on -- just life.

Faith is in dance camp this week -- noon to five every day but Friday, and on Friday she has a little public performance in our little city. She's a busy, busy girl. She is loving dance now, which is ironic because right before her May recital she had decided it just wasn't what she had thought it would be and she was done. Now she is excited to dance this Friday and even more excited to add jazz classes to lyrical ballet in the Fall. Something clearly clicked for her and I'm glad.


Faith and I were at the allergist all morning today having her tested. She reacts so intensely every time she gets a virus, I thought maybe her overreactive immune system was due to allergies. Two of her older brothers have tremendous allergies (or as the allergist puts it, "they are allergic to life") so I really thought allergies were at the root of all her illness. She's allergic to maple and ash trees (and the ash trees are almost all dead now due to the emerald ash borer), and slightly allergic to dog, though I think probably most people could test slightly allergic to dog or cat (although she did not test allergic to cat), but that's it. So my theory is blown. I'm glad she does not have bad allergies, but I wish I knew why she runs a high fever every time she gets a little cold. The pediatrician said we're all different that way, and I guess he is right, again (he's always right).

It's funny that my oldest and my youngest have very few allergies (or none -- the oldest has never been tested) and they are my two who were bottlefed. With my first, I attempted to nurse, but with no support (our mothers bottlefed) and no experience, I gave up when after six days I still had no milk. I figured out what I was doing wrong (supplementing too much) and successfully nursed boys #2 and #3, but then when Faith came I bottle fed again (regretfully now). Oddly though, as I was saying, my two breastfed kids have awful allergies and the bottlefed kids have almost no or no allergies. I know a study group of four is not very large, and very unscientific, but I find it interesting. Especially since one of the breastfed kids has life-threatening food allergies. I know there is a direct link there because I have read that peanut protein passes through breastmilk and we all know we are not supposed to intentionally give peanuts and egg whites to babies because they can trigger an early food allergy. I ate a lot of pb&js when I was nursing. It was my favorite midnight snack while I was nursing -- pb&j and a glass of milk. I guess maybe he'll be in therapy some day.



As I was saying, Faith is at dance camp this week and I had all sorts of plans to get things done. Of course the operative phrase there is "all sorts of plans." Five hours a day can not be multiplied even when the youngest and neediest child is away from home. Five times one person is still five.

On Monday, I went to the bead store, worked on a rosary, baked bread and made homemade pasta. Yesterday, I went to the grocery, baked the best cherry pie ever (really), and made French vanilla ice cream. Yum. I also finished the rosaries I was working on, finished a scapular I was working on and started a nightgown for Faith.

Today I have to go to the doctor in a short while, so I will not be quite as productive. I have arthritic pain in my tailbone still (it's been months now). and now a super achy hip. My maternal great grandmother had rheumatoid arthritis, so I'm worried that it's that. Also worried because my brother-in-law's multiple myeloma started with pain in his bones. I just need to go to the doctor so I can stop worrying.



I could, of course, offer it up for religious freedom, as the Fortnight for Freedom starts tomorrow. I hope you have heard of it at your parish. If not, go to the USCCB website (click on Fortnight Freedom in the previous sentence) and they will tell you all about it: two weeks of prayers, especially the rosary,  leading up to the Fourth of July, for religious freedom in this country. I plan to offer up material needs as well, by not buying anything other than necessary groceries during that two weeks. Will you join us and pray? Not just that the Supreme Court tosses Obamacare and the HHS Mandate on its head, but that our leaders come to their senses and realize that without placing the utmost value on human life, nothing else matters.


Speaking of which, did you hear that Sister Carol Keehan of the Catholic Hospital Association came to her senses? Yeah Sister! She is still not quite with the bishops, but she made a move in the right direction. I realize that my family watches the news on the HHS mandate more so than the average Catholic, because my husband works in Catholic healthcare, but this is really important, so we need to stay up on it -- all of us. If you ever listen to Women of Grace on EWTN radio you know that their blog has a Breaking News category where you can stay up-to-date. It's better than watching the news because they sort out what most Catholic women are most interested in. Lifesitenews has a news page, as well as a blog, so they are good to subscribe to as well.


Well, that's all for today. I'm off to throw in some laundry and find something to knit at the doctor's office. I hope you're having a good hump day!