A Day in my Life- a "Bit of Reality"

fair warning: The only thing 'typical' in a typical day for me is that every day is atypical. Here's today, Wednesday....

6:00 AM- I pray SERVIAM in my mind and get priest-husband up for his gym workout. I go back to sleep.

6:45- I pray SERVIAM again and get out of bed, knowing that I am most certainly not the type of woman that satan says "oh no" about when I start the day. I try, but as I've said, I am a lazy, low-energy introvert.


then...breakfast, kid stuff, make school lists for the big girls, go to the car rental place to get my name on the rental agreement so I can drive Fr's rental (his car has been in the shop with a dead starter for almost a week) while he takes part of the day off from his hospital work so he can drive Boy and preschool friends to the zoo about 45 minutes north, pack lunches, give instructions to bug girls who will be with our house guest until I get home at 2


8:45- Fr. takes Boy to preschool to pick up other riders and then drives to zoo for field trip. I leave for my college to observe my boss teaching for her required evaluation. After my observation, I drive the forty-five minutes north to the zoo to relieve Fr.


11:00- the changing of the guard. We switch cars so Fr. can drive back down to get to work at the hospital. I join the preschool field trip; baby girl is also there. I highly recommend the 'Sit and Stand' double stroller fort activities like this.


12:00 PM- Fr. makes his important meeting with the new CEO and president of his hospital. I sit down to peanut butter crackers, bananas and water with the preschool group at the zoo. Boy bites his lip and stars wailing. I'm glad I decided to be a parent chaperon because there are simply not enough adults to attend to all the minor drama swirling around.


2:00- I get back to town and drop off my passengers. Boy and baby girl are exhausted but not sleeping.  Finally, we are home. I check to make sure the girls did their school work. Fr. is celebrating a Roman-rite mass at the hospital.

3:00- I take the big girls to ballet, then go home and start dinner- a variation of my 'easy Lenten pasta.' I throw in some laundry, putz around, throw away junk mail, etc, etc, Fr. is putting out fires at the hospital. 

5:45- We pick up the girls from dance and go to the Pre-Sanctified Liturgy, hoping that the littles don't fall asleep in the van.

7:30- We go home, eat dinner and put the two littles to sleep while Fr. and the big girls stay for Bible study.

8:30- I serve dinner to the rest of the family- big girls do the dishes and then start to play some chess.


9:00- Fr. and house guest go back to the hospital for end-of-life sacramental ministry. I don't know when they will be back. I should finish the laundry and prepare for my class tomorrow, but I  think I'll watch an episode of Castle on Hulu.

so, that's that. One day in our life and it will get crazier; our bishop is here this weekend! Our life is busy, crazy, but not that interesting. It is what is normal for us. I guess that is why the following comment stung:

"Yes, because only positive, happy-clappy takes on Catholicism are the experience of most Catholics. Get real. What your blog needs is a bit of reality, rather than rank-and-file parsing of Catholic thought and teaching, which gets boring, and which is the fodder of hundreds of other Catholic blogs as it is."

It is always a bad idea to take one comment to heart, but my post calling for guest posts last week got over 200 views the first day but only one comment. So, the commenter must have had some strong feelings that I should consider if I am trying to write a blog for others to read and perhaps benefit from. First of all, there are 100s of orthodox Catholic blogs, 100s of anti-Catholic or liberal Catholic blogs, 100s of atheist blogs, 1000s of mommy blogs, 1000s of lifestyle blogs: we are spoiled for choice. So I am writing about my generally happy Catholic life where I am not at odds with my Church. Am I writing 'happy-clappy' stuff if I usually don't complain about the bad stuff in my life? Should I be writing bitter stuff like....there was black mold in our clergy housing which might have led to my 20-week miscarriage about seven years ago? Should I write and complain about the cantor  who is bitter about his church experiences? Should I write about how we are all sinners and hypocrites in need of salvation? Should I write and complain about parishioners who come in very late and light candles in the front of the church, crossing in front of Fr. while he is preaching the homily (actually, the last time this happened it was so ridiculous I had to stifle a laugh)  What good does it do to be bitter? Sometimes I write about the hard stuff (click on the labels 'disappointed' and 'loss') But if this blog is boring- oh well. It is what it is. 

linking up with Like Mother, Like Daughter's Pretty Happy Funny Real