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October Requests

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Wow, September is coming to a close which means it’s time to prepare for October. Already?! I can’t believe how quickly this month has gone by! 

Personally, looking back on this month and reflecting on what to change in the coming weeks, I realise that I am having a hard time balancing paid work, this passion project, and my work as a mother, as you can probably tell by the tardiness in posting this monthly prayer request post, the missing post this week (oops), and my missing Joys posts (though I have had many joys!). So, I would appreciate if you would pray for the Lord to guide me as I navigate that.

It also occurs to me that I need to learn how tolead my life as a wife and mother with more grace. I have wonderful examples all around me, but I know that in my own life, I need more patience (didn’t I write a post about that last year? Yes, I think I did…) and gentleness. Come Holy Spirit!

I know with the arrival of fall weather, changes in temperature as well as generally being a little cooler, sicknesses abound – we have certainly already had to push through our own health issues. So, please pray for my family’s health!

This month, as you pray for me and for anyone else in the Mom Things Through Christ community, I also ask you to keep the Holy Father’s intentions in your prayers. This month, we join Pope Francis in praying for a shared mission:

We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.

That’s more requests than I usually post. I’m leaning on my prayer warriors, but feel free to lean right back! How has the month been for you? Has the return to school impacted much on your daily life? Are there new crosses for you to bear? Anything coming up that we can pray for? Feel free to let me know how I can pray for you this month in the comment section!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

July Prayers

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I admit, have had another short break, but here I am! I come bearing an opportunity to pray. Well, my usual post tagline asks us to pray for each other, and we can’t do that unless we actually pray for each other! So… here we go!

As usual, I’ll be looking at the comment section for the entire month of July and I’ll be praying for any intentions you pop in there as the month moves along. And as always, if you have intentions you’d rather not share publicly, just say you have a personal intention (no need to divulge details, the Lord will know what it is if I mention it like that!).

As well as bringing the requests people might leave in the comments to God in your own prayers, I would also ask that you pray for the Papal intention for July:

For The Pastoral Care of The Sick: Let us pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, bestows the Lord’s strength to those who receive it and to their loved ones, and that it may become for everyone an ever more visible sign of compassion and hope.

As for me, we finalise our home purchase and then the house move, which is coming up in July, so please pray that everything goes smoothly!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week: Jul 31-Aug 5

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Happy Sunday! What joys have blessed you over the past week? I’ll share mine below, please leave yours in the comments!

My husband surprised me with a mid-week breakfast run! He’s out and about for work and I love when he pops in – he hasn’t been able to do it in many, many months but he did this week! And what’s more, I got a real coffee! Best husband in the world – for me. Thank God!

I did a little matchmaking, as some of you may be aware. Got me feeling like a modern day Yente and I can kind of see why she did what she did! Not sure how fruitful it will be – I have hopes, but it’s ultimately in God’s hands – but it’s been fun! Please pray for all people discerning their vocation (God doesn’t just call us to marriage, if marriage should be our vocation; He calls us to marry one specific person!).

My child has given me countless, countless joys, as usual! But probably the biggest joy from baby has been a tiny bit more time just to do a full clean of the floors. Second time in two weeks, which is the most regular it’s been probably since baby arrived – so necessary, too, because we can count another biped in the ranks! I’m beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel!

That’s how we wrap up the week that was. Your turn!

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week: July 16-22

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Another week, another chance to share our joys! As usual, I’ll start, but please feel free to add your own in the comments!

Well, my baby’s growth and development never ceases to amaze, and it is a constant source of joy. More milestones, more improvement, and all in the cutest little package!

I got to go to a social dance – in the before times, I used to do a lot of swing dancing. Then there was a pandemic. And then I had a baby. So opportunities became scant. But today, I had an opportunity, and my wonderful husband volunteered to mind our baby while I enjoyed a couple of hours of afternoon dancing. It was so good to move my body and to connect with the music and other adults!

I quite unexpectedly caught up with some old friends. An old dear friend of mine, it turns out, lives not too far, and has a child close in age to mine, as well! My heart was filled with joy to reconnect.

So grateful to the Lord for these blessings and all the others He bestows on me every day. God is indeed good! What blessings have lifted you up this week? Let’s share in one another’s joys.

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the week: July 1-8

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These weekly reviews always sneak up on me… how do they come so often?! Anyway. Let me kick us off.

Our baby started walking! Still a few tumbles here and there, but it’s enough steps to stop counting. It’s so bittersweet… but if I cut myself out of the picture, I’m happy that bub is getting more independent and gradually spreading those wings! I’m so wary that I’ll blink and it’ll be time to head off to college, but that’sgoing to be another (bittersweet) joy for another day.

I bought matching summer swimwear for the whole family this week. Usually I don’t like to match (and often avoid matching with my husband!), but these outfits have a fun citrusy summer vibe, so I’m actually excited to wear them together! It was a bit tricky, as I had bought hubby’s swim trunks online and had to go to the ohysical stores to see if they had anything in my size that would work… and they did! We even got a matchy picnic blanket!

I got off the waitlist and onto the real list for a dance event! It’s not for a few months, but I have been looking for opportunities to up my dance, and I am glad to be going! I’m pleasantly surprised at the level I was put in, as well! Feeling a little rusty at present, but there are a few opportunities between now and then, where hopefully I will be able to dust off the cobwebs and get back into it.

Let me know what your joys have been this week – I’d love for us to celebrate one another’s little victories and give thanks to the Father! Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week: June 25-July 1

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Wow, how is it already July? Time seems to move faster every day! Well, time to take stock and give thanks for another week. Let me know your joys in the comments so we can rejoice with one another and praise God for His goodness!

We have had some good news on the health front for our baby, which has been a long (and stressful) time coming! Over the last several months, we’ve sought professional help and implemented the suggestions and I am so grateful for the blessings God has given us on this path. So glad we’ve finally found what works!

My parents will be visiting us soon and I managed to find them a place to stay not far from us (unfortunately we don’t have space to host). I am getting excited about it, because it’s been over a year since I last saw them.

I have been struggling spiritually the last few weeks… I didn’t realise, but I had committed to so much that I was experiencing spiritual burnout! I just fell into a hole and could not manage to pull myself out. How ironic with my recent post about self-care! But by God’s grace, and thanks to the prayers of probably a dozen people, He has empowered me to pick myself up, dust myself off, and once again continue to follow Him, perhaps with less productivity, but with no less zeal and love.

Looking forward to sharing the joys – please leave yours down below! Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

July Prayers

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As the month draws to a close, it’s time to start a new prayer thread. Just like last time, simply leave your prayer requests in the comment section! I will come back throughout the month to see if there are any new prayers I need to add to my personal prayer list, so even if it comes up a few weeks from now, just come back to this post and pop it in and know I’ll pray for you! Since this is about community-building, I would ask that you keep everyone else who comments in your own prayers too, along with Pope Francis’ prayer intention for July which is:

July: for a Eucharistic life

We pray that Catholics may place the celebration of the Eucharist at the heart of their lives, transforming human relationships in a very deep way and opening to the encounter with God and all their brothers and sisters.

I can’t wait for you to see next week’s monthly devotion post to find out why this is so apt! 

Thanks for being part of this community and for your prayers. I truly believe it’s the most you can do, even (and especially) when you alone can do nothing.

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week: June 3-11

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Well, it’s that time of the week again… time to share our joys of the week!

I’m getting a bit of clarity on something I’ve been discerning for several weeks, now. I’ve still got some discerning to do, but getting some direction on where to go next is a good feeling!

We have an exclusive conact napper since birth, but just this week, I have managed to transfer my baby to the bed – twice! I’ve only had 10-15 minutes to myself but preparing food in peace has been so appreciated!

Last night, I got to have some food I’ve been wanting to eat for a loooong time. It’s a dish I haven’t had in years… and it did not disappoint!

What about you? What brought you joy last week? Let me know in the comments! Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week: May 28 – Jun 3

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I missed posting last week! We had a terribly hectic weekend, so I didn’t get time to write about my joys (well, I needed the rest more than I had the inclination to write). But I’m back this week and I’d love to read about your joys too, so leave them in the comments!

On Sunday, we went to church at a different parish, because our parish Mass schedule was changed and we forgot (oops!). But it was a chance to discover a beautiful, new (to us) church, it was visually stunning! And the priest was on fire for his homily! It was truly a blessing in disguise.

I’ve personally been discerning about a return to the workforce (please pray for me!), but changing up what I do for work in a big way! I started to take some practical steps this week to find out how feasible the idea I’ve been feeling called to would be and got some encouraging news. I know more prayer and more research is to be done, but I’m happy to take it slow.

I’ve been crafting a little for kiddo’s birthday, which always brings me joy. It’s a smaller, let’s say a humbler joy, but a joy nonetheless!

Please put your joys in the comments. I love to hear from you! Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!

Joys of the Week – Apr 30 – May 6

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How was your week? My week was pretty rough, but there are always blessings to be counted. God is good, all the time! Let’s reflect and express gratitude.

Sunday started the week beautifully with a family jam… The little one started it by playing some rhythms on the high chair tray at the end of breakfast, so I broke out a couple of percussive instruments and we spent a little while just jamming together! Thank you God for anticipatory Masses (I’m beginning to understand why that was the timeslot of choice for my parents while I was growing up!).

Hubby and I got some spring cleaning done this week, and while the house isn’t completely spic and span (how often does that realistically happen with young children?), it definitely feels a lot more manageable. It was also nice to be able to donate some of the clothes we don’t use anymore to our parish thrift store. It is too easy to buy into (no pun intended) the materialistic consumerism that is ubiquitously in our faces. Fighting that is hard, but like GK Chesterton says, “A dead thing can go with the stream, but only a living thing can go against it.” We gotta keep striving to live counter-cultural lives!

A family member had some medical tests that we were waiting on results for, and they all came back clear! All things in God’s time, but that’s still a big relief for me at this point in time.

Alright, that’s enough of me-talk. What about you? What are some of your joys of the week?

Until next time, let’s pray for each other. And remember, we can do Mom things through Christ who strengthens us!