{pretty, happy, funny, real} ~ Keeping You Informed edition

The secret to planning menus. How to remove mildew stains! ~ {bits ...

{pretty, happy, funny, real} ~ Keeping You Informed edition

~ Capturing the context of contentment in everyday life ~

Every Thursday, here at Like Mother, Like Daughter!

First order of business, things I have to tell you:

I will be in Wichita next week!

Will you be there? It is in the exact center of the continental United States, as the Chief keeps telling me, so you have no excuse not to come! Thursday, 7:00 pm, in the Dugan Gorges Conference Room of Newman University. I will be speaking on Order and Wonder in the Christian Family. There will be time for “Ask Auntie Leila” afterwards, as well as a chance to buy The Little Oratory and have me sign it if you like.

I will also be in Houston next month. I am staying a whole week. I’m speaking twice at Our Lady of Walsingham Parish, and I hope to see you there! I know Houston is big, so if your parish, radio station, mothers’ group, homeschooling group, couples’ group, or what have you is looking for a speaker, let me know. I will be busy with the talks I am giving, not to mention cuddling Freddie, so if you think you can swing it, contact me soon.

Yesterday I posted starting to establish ritual and courtesy at the dinner table.

Working on these two aspects will help you with what I know is the trial of figuring out what the family will eat, shopping, and preparing meals — all in a timely and frugal manner (how do I know? Because I always find it tricky as well!).

I will be answering comments, but I just want to remind you that I have lots of posts about all the particulars. Not only Making Menus (plus shopping), Being Efficient About It and Not Worrying, but also Disciplining the Children, Giving them Chores, Why and How to eat Dinner Together, Including the Barbarians You Live With (with the best tip of all for really enjoying dinner-time conversation!), Quelling Picky Eaters, and Even How to Eat Together When They Get Older and So Busy. I may not have downloadables, printables, and flashy graphics, but I really think that my methods help you find peace while whipping everyone into shape building your community of life and love.

Here’s the thing. If you and your husband work on training and commanding just a wee bit of respect from the children (and each other), you will find that the details of how to do it fall into place. Not easily, and not all at once. But little by little! Why? Because, being respected and released from affirmation-seeking, you will have the confidence to do your job.

Today is the Feast of St. Gregory.

We chose him as the patron for our “Pockets” because in him we find the model for being a faithful person in the midst of the world, with all its woes — not to be overcome by the darkness but to be a light for others. He stands for beauty, music, rescuing those enslaved, and taking Christ to the city — as well as living a life of prayer and union with Our Lord, St. Benedict-style. I think he’s the perfect solution for the Benedict vs. Dominic Optioners (withdraw or go forth?), and I plan to develop my very own Gregory Option to convince you. Meanwhile…

That reminds me to remind you:

That earlier this summer, Deirdre encouraged you to have your St. Greg’s Pocket meetings and take pictures! I hope you have been doing that, but if you forgot, you have a week to take them and send them to us. She’s going to post about it shortly after Labor Day and she will include your snapshots if you like! So don’t be shy — go ahead and have an “in real life” get-together with some like-minded people (all women, all men, couples, during the day with kids running around, in the evening over a glass of wine — up to you!).

I know that for most of you school has started and you are busy. But quick — have a meeting — this Labor Day Weekend maybe? and plan what you will do this fall. Read a series from the blog? A Church document? A great book? Will you go apple picking? Just hang out? Send us a shapshot!

I thought I’d make my {pretty, happy, funny, real} this week about pictures from our Pocket meetings — this one happened not to have very many ladies there, which gave me the chance to snap a couple of pictures — there’ve been times we’ve had a driveway gridlock of vans and Suburbans! You can see that regardless, there is a veritable horde of children running around.

We’re reading The Spirit of the Liturgy by Joseph Ratzinger (who became Pope Benedict XVI of course), and our discussions have been intense, lively, and inspiring.