Hello again!

Hello everyone!
I have had a few inquiries as to what is going on with the blog. Don't worry--it's not over, as it's my kids' only scrapbook, but it will be on hiatus probably until late August. Why?

1. New life for All Saints Religious Ed.
Our Religious Ed program has always been good. And, for the first five or so years of my being DRE, things stayed pretty much the same, which was good and honestly was all I had the time or energy for at the time. Things have changed to make it even better better in the past year, in part from encouragement from our priest and parish, enthusiastic teachers on our team, and most of all, the work of the Holy Spirit in all of us. Time and time again, I have been reminded of how God has used the small, seemingly insignificant people and places to do His will throughout history. If we don't disqualify ourselves, there is no limit to what He can do. (Fr. Mike Schmitz has a FABULOUS homily series called Disqualified on this topic. Check it out on bulldogcatholic.org under homilies for more on this.) Since we've jumped in and said, "OK, God, let's do this," the Holy Spirit has been doing amazing things through our little parish and it has been an honor to have a front row seat. We are getting away from "reading out of the book," which is a method that has been used for decades, with probably not much success overall. We are coming up on year two of this changed way of teaching and learning. Planning this takes as much time as preparing high school lesson plans, and sometimes more when I hit a roadblock and have to wait and pray about what should be taught--not just what I want to teach. I LOVE it and would devote even more time to it if I could. :)

2. Housekeeping.
What I ask the most during the summer--"Why is this wet?" "Why is this sticky?" and "Where is my phone charger??" Summer is all about learning how to live together full time as a family again. It seems the messes have been lessening, but maybe I've just been out of the house too much to notice. :)

3.  Summer is a lot of work.
Can I tell you a secret? Summer is not my favorite season. I know it is supposed to be, but I don't see it nearly as relaxing as it is portrayed on TV, Facebook, and by everyone who owns a camper. (Truth be told, we would probably have at least a small camper by now, but the thought of that brings me even more anxiety.)  When it's summer, farming is in full swing, the days are long, we all have extra work that only summer brings, and the nights are often shorter than I'd like. There is plenty to love about summer, to be sure, like occasional afternoons at the pool, freshly mowed grass, seeing family, weddings and a little vacation if we can squeak one in. But, still, I wouldn't put it in my top two. :)

So, that, in a nutshell, is why this summer has not been compatible at all with blogging. I hope you are all enjoying your summers and I will see you in the fall . . . which IS in my top two favorite seasons. :)