Ok. I am not a big fan of all the recent reality shows. When we had a sattelite dish, I liked to watch the decorating type reality shows (ie. Trading Spaces), but apart from that, I am something of a traditionalist when it comes to TV.

So I feel I must comment that I still enjoy ER. Last night, NBC showed the last episode of the 11th season. My mother-in-law has been visiting this week, and she taped the show while Mark and I were out last night. Tonight after the children were in bed, Mom and I watched the taped show. Dr. Carter left, having been the only original character left. (Yes, Dr. Lewis is there now and was an original character, but she was away for several years and doesn’t count.) I thought it was a pretty good episode, and the departure of Carter after so many years was not even sappy.

So, next year is the 12th year. I am expecting it to be the last; I thought this season would have been last though, too. So what do I know? (Don’t think of answering that!)

In addition to the beer, playing baseball on the Catholic league has been educational. After her first game, Evangeline said to me, “They don’t pray right.”
I said, “Did they pray to Mary?”
She said, “I don’t know, but it wasn’t right”
The next week, Mark took Evangeline to her game. He heard them say the “Hail Mary.” On the ride home, Mark explained to her that we don’t pray to Mary, but we don’t think it would be right for her to say anything to her teammates about their prayer. He told her to just stand quietly when they were “praying” before the game.
Calvin’s team crosses themselves before each game. So far, we noticed no praying or crossing on Nevin’s team.

Yes. The name of the entry is “Catholic Baseball.” Have I decided to enter the theological discussions of my husband’s world? No. I am just reporting on the newest phenomena in our lives.

The three older children are playing little league ball through the Roman Catholic parish in which we live. So far, we are really pleased with the program. The coaches are very helpful and instructive to the children on the teams, and the parents actually behave themselves like civilized human beings at the games. As if that is not different enough from our experience with small town “public” or “secular” baseball, here’s the kicker. The concession stands at all the catholic ball fields sell beer. I just have been laughing to myself about this for the last couple of weeks. I actually performed my volunteer duty in the concession stand 2 weeks ago and served the beer, and tonight at my 9-year-old’s game, my mother-in-law and I shared a Bud Light. (OK, I said “beer.” I didn’t say “great beer.” This is, after all, St Louis.)

Yes. It’s 12:48 am, and I am posting on my blog. Why? Because Mark and I stayed up late to watch the last 2 episodes of season 1 of 24. I just had to tell someone how irritated I was by the ending. Yes, it would have been unrealistic for Nina not to shoot Terry, but we’ve been witnessing miraculous escapes for the all 23 of the previous episodes. Was it too much to ask for us to suspend our belief one more time? I don’t think so.

The children and I headed to the library this afternoon for a little homeschool outing. We had been going once every 2 weeks or so for the first part of the year, but we had fallen out of that practice in the last 6 weeks or so. The kids were really happy to be back at the library to play the computer games and pick out some new books and one video each.

I picked up a new book to read called, In the Land of Second Chances. It is about life in a small town in Nebraska. It is sort of light and funny. I guess it appeals to me because of my nearly 4 years in rural OK. I think most midwestern small towns share characteristics, so I feel I can relate to the humor, perhaps more than the average reader–perhaps not.

Our homeschool year is coming to a close at the end of next week. We are all getting cabin fever, so I think our library trip was especially timely. If you think of it, please pray for us as we consider our schooling options for next year. We are considering making a change, but we’re not sure how it will all work out.

For summer, we have signed up for swimming lessons at the gym where the children take gymnastics. We also all have membership cards for using the pool during open swim times. So I think going to the pool will fill up much of our summer days.

Finally, I am the director of VBS at our church. After a late start, we have finally settled on a theme and curriculum. So now the real work must start with zeal. VBS is the last week in July, so I suspect planning for it will fill up a good part of my summer.

I am joining the throngs of bloggers who have read or are reading Gilead, by Marrilynne Robinson. I finished it last night. I found the expression of the narrator’s feelings about his life, his faith, and his sin very moving. If we would all examine our motives as honestly as Rev. Ames did, we would make some real progress on our spiritual journeys. I hope to write more about it later, but I just wanted to post something today to urge any who have hesitated to read this book because you thought it would be too slow moving or “plotless” to take the plunge. The plot–the story that makes you want to keep on reading–is the life of Rev. Ames and, as the book draws to a close, it is the desire to know how things are resolved with Jack Boughton. Gilead is worth reading on many levels, but at the very least, it will cause you to stop and think about your own spiritual journey and your motives, your thoughts, your actions along the way.

I’m goin’ to Heaven, can’t wait.
Gonna see Jesus, can’t wait.
Heaven is wonderful, bright and fair,
Praise the Lord I’m goin’ there.

I’ll be there forever, can’t wait.
Gonna leave never, can’t wait.
And I know I’ll not be late,
’cause I’m goin’ to heaven,
and I can’t wait.

This is a song we sang in Sunday school at the church I went to when I was a small child. I thought of it yesterday during our church’s women’s Bible study. We are studying 1 Cor ch 15, and we were discussing the resurrection and how important it is to the truth of the Gospel and to our understanding of eternal life.

When I was little, I remember asking some adult in my life if it was ok that I wasn’t that excited about going to heaven. While the chorus we were singing made heaven sound pretty nice, I was feeling pretty good about life here on earth–hoping to experience more of it as an adult.

Over the past 10 years or so, as I have become more and more of the power and importance of the resurrection of Christ and the eventual resurrection of our earthly bodies from the dead, I realize that our hope of eternal life is much more real or tangible. It makes so much more sense to me to think of eternal life meaning we will eventually be corporal people again and enjoy life with God in its fullest sense.

We own several Barney videos. Before Mark and I had children, we despised Barney. We chuckled along with all the cool people about how stupid Barney is. Then we had a baby. We didn’t actually buy our first Barney video; someone at our church in Washington passed their copies onto us when their son outgrew them. However, Calvin was already primed to receive them with glee; he had already watched Barney almost daily for a few months since these were the days when Barney was still on PBS. Oh the many happy hours Calvin and then Nevin and Evangeline spent singing and dancing along with that silly big purple dinosaur! After having children and needing an opportunity to load the washing machine, clean the bathroom, or just to sit down for 30 minutes, the Big Purple Dinosaur became a valued friend.

Now that our 3 older children have nearly outgrown Barney’s charms, I thought it might be time to include the Barney videos in our upcoming yard sale. But alas, Charis has now come under Barney’s spell. She isn’t really interested in a lot of tv. She is happier playing (which of course is a good thing). But there are times–particularly when I am trying to homeschool the older children–that it is nice to have an electronic babysitter to occupy her. Up until about 3 weeks ago, she would only watch something for 10 minutes or so. Then Barney spun his magic over her. Now she asks for Barney. She choooses a favorite from our extensive collection. At last, I am able to get 30 minute blocks of time carved out for some needed activity.

Oh. And this has also solved the dllemma over what kind of cake to make for her 2nd birthday.

The Big Purple Dinosaur is my friend. And, I am not ashamed to admit it.

March went out like a lion, a whipping up the water in the bay.
Then April sighed, and stepped aside, and along came pretty little May.
May was full of promises, but she couldn’t keep ’em quick enough for some.
And a bunch of doubting Thomases kept predicting that the summer’d never come.
But it’s coming by gum. I can feel it come.
Loook around, look around, look around.

June is busting out all over–all over the meadow and the hill.
Buds are busting out of bushes and the little river pushes every little wheel that wheels behind a mill.

Because it’s June. June. June. June.

Just because it’s June, June, June! –from the musical Carousel.

Well, it’s not June yet, but March has left us and April is a third over. Spring is here in all its glory, and I am thankful for the warm temperatures, the green grass–even if it must be mowed, and for the hope of summer. Before we know it, June will be busting out all over.

March is here already!!!! It is rather incredible for me to grasp that 2 months of the year are already past. I guess life with 4 kids and lots of other stuff to keep one occupied just passes by quickly.

In an effort to savor life a bit, I looked through some of my entries from last year at this time. As usual, they were mostly about the children. I am glad that I have posted so much about them, and when they are older I think I’ll appreciate it even more.

Today was a fun outing day for myself and the 3 older children. We went to the Magic House in Saint Louis–it is a hands-on children’s museum. A friend has a membership there, and she invited us to go along with them on some guest passes she had. The kids loved it, and we all had fun together. I am pretty exhausted now, but it is a good kind of tired.

Well, as the old saying goes, “No news is good news.” There’s really nothing new here and nothing else on my mind. So happy Saturday night and have a restful Sabbath day tomorrow.