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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Aug 13 2012 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Ah.. Sundays.. a good way to keep us humble. 
Now mind you, under normal conditions my kids tend to be fairly well behaved. Enough that it's commented on especially when we're away from our parish. Just so you understand that while we have our challenges the norm is for reasonably good behavior.
So my dh had to work Sunday.
And I'm leading the singing. In our small parish, all of our musicians were out of town so Father asked me to lead the singing. I have a fair voice, nothing special, but I'm willing and my girls are big enough that they can help me sing so it's not like I'm all alone. I get to pick songs that we're familiar with, and we don't do the parts of the Mass, so just 4 songs Entrance, Gifts, Communion, Exit. I look at the readings if I have time and try and pick ones we know that go with the theme but Father doesn't even ask that much.
And my son was an alter server.
So we get there early and one of my older girls asks if she can let the 5 yr old girl and 4 yr old boy play outside for a few minutes instead of trying to keep them still. I thought that would be ok and tell her she only has about 5 minutes.
I had my first hint of how the morning was going to go when my head strong 5 yr old girlie decides she doesn't want to come back into the church. So when I should be calmly considering music and waiting for the signal to begin from Father, I'm hurrying out the back door of the church to threaten my lovely girl that if she doesn't come into church she won't get to have a donut afterward and will have to sit in the van instead of playing. So she comes and I walk in just in time to catch Father's signal. 
Oh and I'm holding the baby at this time because he's fussy and the other kids are dealing with the almost 2 year old being.. a 2 year old. The 4 yr old is being mischevious and causing other minor ripples in the calm.
The 5 yr old has come into church but still has got the "bit in her teeth" and is refusing to follow any directions.
Notice that other than the 2 yr old, the kids aren't grumpy. They're more.. delighted in their rebellion.. you know the type that everyone else in church is thinking how cute they are and you're pretty much the only one that is frustrated by the (really fairly mild) shenanigans.
OK deep breath. So we survive the entrance. And I have a chance to nurse the baby during the readings so he settles down more though we still need to play pass the baby a bit. Everyone else gets somewhat settled down.
Then the 4 and 5 yr olds decide that they have to come with me when I'm singing (only about 5 steps from our pew) Not ideal but they're actually doing better with me than sitting with siblings.. that is after I threaten the 5 yr old with losing donuts again. 
So the song for gifts and then for communion actually go rather well. Just by chance and not design the length of the songs ended up working out well.. though the baby hummed (his own song) with me during the song at communion. What can you do? he was perfectly happy and just joining in. 
Then my 4 and 5 yr olds during the last song instead of being a bit closer to me made it onto the couple of steps behind me which we have as risers for the choir.. and dance (not wildly.. swaying and such) to the music. And they're out of reach. 
They were probably most disruptive to me they weren't really loud or rambuctious or anything. Nothing that if I wasn't otherwise occupied, I would have done more than direct them back to what they're supposed to be doing.
It was definately one of those mornings to be very thankful that the "Mass has ended".  
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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pumpkinmom
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| Posted: Aug 13 2012 at 12:54pm | IP Logged
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Isn't that how it goes! You survived! 
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Cassie
Homeschooling my little patch of Ds-14 and Ds-10
Tending the Pumpkin Patch
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Michaela
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| Posted: Aug 13 2012 at 2:11pm | IP Logged
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You're amazing!
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Michaela
Momma to Nicholas 16, Nathan 13, Olivia 13, Teresa 6, & Anthony 3
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Kathryn
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| Posted: Aug 13 2012 at 2:37pm | IP Logged
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And then "let us go in peace...."
 Great story...thanks for sharing!
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Kathryn in TX
(dd 16, ds 15, dd 8, dd 5)
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jawgee
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| Posted: Aug 13 2012 at 3:00pm | IP Logged
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JodieLyn wrote:
| It was definately one of those mornings to be very thankful that the "Mass has ended". |
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I'm not the only one who says "Thanks be to God" with a little more passion than others on some Sundays, am I?! LOL.
It sounds like you and your children did very well!! God bless you for your witness to us and to all the members of your parish. What a blessing your family must be to them!
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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AmandaV
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| Posted: Aug 13 2012 at 8:11pm | IP Logged
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Oh, my. Well, bless you for even attempting it!
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Amanda
wife since 6/03, Mom to son 7/04, daughter 2/06, twin sons 6/08 and son 7/11, son 1/2014
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JodieLyn
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| Posted: Aug 13 2012 at 9:31pm | IP Logged
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I've definately had worse days. This one was as amusing for the ridiculousness of the situation as anything. Of course it had to happen with mom distracted.. but since it started before I was singing I know it wasn't the only reason.
Of course my dh looks at me significantly while saying "I have no idea where she gets that" refering to the head strong 5 yr old.
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Jodie, wife to Dave
G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
All men who have turned out worth anything have had the chief hand in their own education.
-Sir Walter Scott
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Erin
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| Posted: Aug 16 2012 at 4:45am | IP Logged
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Jodie
sounds like you didn't get to relax at all!
We went to Mass last night for the Feast of the Assumption, our nearly 4 yr old would not stop talking! Admittedly it was all related to the Mass, God and Jesus but still do other people understand his voice enough to know that?? Mind you I'm sure they heard clearly when whilst looking at Our Lord on the crucifix he announced very loudly, "Jesus is NAKED!!"
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Erin
Faith Filled Days
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: My Sunday...
