Church in the Park

Back on September 8th, at the request of my Mother-In-Law, Lisa and I attended a multi-denominational Christian service in the park . 

(I had already gone to Mass the evening before). 

 

It was gorgeous weather, the turnout was good, and the crowd was friendly.  During the Eucharist someone dropped a plate of the bread and no one moved to pick it up from the ground, during or after the service. That bothered me, even if it was just symbolic of Christ. Other than that, it was a pleasant experience. 

Afterwards, we stopped and had breakfast at Landmark Restaurant, sitting in Team Slap's old booth. 

A Long Narrative on a Bad but Uneventful Day

So for a few weeks our church has been advertising this event, and I reminded the family, more than once over that span, that I wanted us to go. 

YaYa and her boyfriend begged out citing a prior engagement but said they'd try and go another time. To me it sounded like polite fiction but fair enough. That left me with three other kids and (alas) Junie's friend Bella. 

 Lulu didn't want to go because she doesn't like chicken, so ok. She decided to go somewhere else instead, and took Junie and her friend along with her - this, Junie said she was too tired from homecoming to go out to dinner. 

Well, that still left Smiley, but he was working until 6 which meant we'd get there pretty late - oh! He walks in early, at 4. Great, let's go I say. 

No, he'd already agreed to meet up with LuLu. 

Ugh. 

Whatever. So I sulked in my bedroom. It didn't help that I had woken up sick with a bad cold, that the rain and the cold weather had been nonstop since Lisa left on her trip, and that I was just generally bummed. 

Then an hour later I heard footsteps in the empty house. 

No burglar folks. It was Smiley.

"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be out with Lu." I said. 

"Naw, she had already left so I just went up to my room."

"Annnnnd you didn't think of then going with me like I've asked for weeks?" 

Boy was I angry at the lot of them. 

 I went alone, pretty miserable in body and spirit, paid my money, waited a good 20 minutes in this line . . . 

Got to the front and the woman in front of me was firmly declaring to the kitchen staff that if they were out of white meat, they didn't have to bother making her a plate. 

Trivia: I can't stand dark meat

So the kitchen guy looks past her to me and says "What are you looking for?"  (which sounds combative in print. It was not)

"White meat, but you're out eh?"

"Yeah, what you see is what we got left."

What I saw wasn't much. 

Now I should mention that about 10 times as I waited in line I thought about just leaving and considering the $15 I'd paid a donation to the church. So I was not in a place of indignation when this happened. 

"What about those chicken tenders I saw that kid have? Can I have some of those?" I asked. 

You know that scene during the run on the saving and loan in It's a Wonderful Life, when the one bank customer asks for only the smallest amount she can, and George is so happy he kisses her? I was half expecting a kiss from this dude, such was his delight that no further ruckus was made. 

So for my $15 I had three kid sized chicken tenders, a handful of fries that were obviously the end of the bag scraps, the very last dinner roll they had, and a spoonful of cranberry sauce. 

Shrug Whatever. They obviously had far more people than they expected and they'll do better next time I'm sure, and besides, it gave the kids some unwarranted validation for not going. 

It was not - at least prior to 7 pm - a good day for me at all. 

The Wishing Tree

Yesterday we donated forty dollars in gift certificates to the Wishing Tree at church, and all I keep thinking is  "I hope they got to the kids and no one stole them after Mass." Paranoia,  my old friend,  I won't miss you if you leave me.

Bible Camp

I signed my Godson up for a week long Bible camp at a local megachurch. It seemed like he had fun today, and Smiley enjoyed going to pick him up with me.

Welcome!

The Puerto Rican Orthodox Church has entered into communion with the Catholic Church.  Welcome!

My Birthday Missal

I wanted to post pics of this birthday gift back in March, but Lisa said it would make look like a religious nut. Maybe it does, but OFW. This rocks, and is easily one of the best birthday gifts of recent years

Yesterday

 

Smiley as "Simon"

The review of the Stations of the Cross? Hmm, not good I'm afraid.

Smiley did well, carrying off the pivotal role of Simon with skill and emotional weight, but the rest of the cast was lackluster and divorced from the events they portrayed. Apparently Jesus falls only once, and then merely stumbles from that point on, and Mary didn't seem to care one bit about her son dying in front of her.

The costumes were good, and Smiley's photo is on the cover of the program, but beyond that I'd grade the whole thing a D-.

They ought to be grateful they are only 2nd graders, or it'd be a flat F ;)

Oh my darling boy...the star of the show no not just one star but ***** many stars xxx -Sybil Wilson

Changes in the Mass

I went to the school Mass today, the first featuring the 'new translation', and it was a mess. Nothing sounded 'right', everyone was stumbling over lines, I was reflexively answering w/ the 'old' responses, some kid got stagefright and couldn't do his petition, the Communion lines got inexplicably turned around and out of order, and the guest Priest was so dry I think he sleeps in a dehydrator. Geesh. You'd think after 2000 years we could put on a better show . . .

outside church, dealing w/ a crying jag by Smiley

Today Only!

Today only - Noodles and Company on 28th and Oklahoma will donate 25% of any purchase made between 4-9 pm to our parish.  The $ will prob go to the school, which we don't attend, but that will help free up $ for other projects. You must mention Queen of Peace at the counter. Thanks in advance!

It ain't always rosy

Lest you fear I'm shortchanging you on the reality of life with kids, here's a recent email exchange between me and my priest following Mass on Sunday.

    
    Were your two little dears having problems yesterday? I saw that
you had to take them outside.
    Fr. Greg

Fr. -

I'm not sure I'd classify them as 'dears' yesterday. The oldest began a
quiet chant of 'go home', the 4 year old claimed she had to go the
bathroom multiple times, and they both argued over who was going to hand
in the weekly check - all during Mass.

Most of the time they are very good and in fact the 4 year old will
often sing along; sometimes they're not so good. But they both object to
the 'indignity' of sitting in the crying room so I guess I'll have to
take the good with the bad.

Talk to you later,

Dan

Dan - When I saw you come in, I thought "I wonder if Dan knows that there is
open space right in front, on the west side"; but then there's that
parental worry of getting to the front pews so the little ones can see,
only to have to get up and left because "I have to go potty.....NOW!".
My heart goes out to parents! I wish I could find a solution for the
kids being in front where they could see and a bathroom nearby. Also,
how do I get people who should not be in the "crying room" out of
there...............
 

And a letter from Lisa this past Tuesday:

 saw you called at 4:30 or so...I was still gone...I'm back now...what an ordeal

wanted to take the kids out because I just didn't want to cook . . anyway, they fought about where to go, then I decided on Boston Market, because it's where I wanted to go...figure its at the beginning of a pay period and I would feel the crunch later...

anyway, got there and it was promissing, the two girls ordered their food respectfully, and smartly, one had green beans, chicken, and mac n cheese, the other chicken, broccoli and mashed potatoes....parker i got meatloaf, mac and cheese and broccoli...

 

things were going ok....then LuLu noticed gravy on her potatoes, and did her usual LuLu FREAK, then parker started getting up to roam everywhere....enter screaming infant and gawking onlookers, then ask YaYa to get napkins, find her opening up drawers everywhere....

 

time to pack up, done or not....oh well, i got most of my meal down...take theirs to go....get everything packed up in the bag, all the while holding a lauren bottle (forgot a prop blankie)....then parker offers to carry the bag, aw what a good boy....then he has a fit, dont have any clue why (although I think it was something YaYa did but she denies it), he shakes the bag, and THROWS IT across the restaurant, food spills out everywhere in the bag.....YaYa and LuLu still opening up the drawers under the soda area....

 

ugh...I made it home...what a pain!

Parker is at the 'seek and destroy' age . . LuLu is at the 'nothing makes me happy, woe is me!' era, and YaYa is subject to periodic meltdowns along with a day in/ day out tendency to assume she has the power and rights of a grown up.

And Lauren's just a pill, 'least at night :)

Case in point: last week we had Lisa's Dad and step-mom over for dinner to celebrate both Lisa's and YaYa's birthday's . . midway through the night, when told a single wrapped gift wasn't hers, YaYa MELTED DOWN. .

she locked herself in her room, went completely limp as dead weight when taken downstairs, screamed and squeeled . . she hasn't had a fit like that in at least a year, so NATURALLY she choices to do it in front of two people who see her only 4 or 5 times a year.

No way they don't think less of her and of our parenting, their protests to the contrary notwithstanding.

Anyhow, it's no picnic, but I wouldn't trade 'em in.

'Course, I don't have to spend all day with them either :)