Exciting News on the AP Front

Dr. William Sears and his wife, Martha, the leading medical family in the philosophy of Attachment Parenting have recently announced their return to the Catholic faith. They will be part of Gregory and Lisa Popcak's television show "Fully Alive" on The Catholic Channel later tonight (10:20pm EST). Attachment Parenting, as defined by the Sears' family includes breastfeeding, babywearing, believing in baby's cries and birth bonding. Dave and I were fortunate enough to hear Dr. Sears son speak at last year's NJ La Leche Conference. For more information on this exciting news, check out this link to Greg Popcak's website.

http://www.exceptionalmarriages.com/weblog/BlogDetail. asp?ID=41626

Movie Review: Fireproof and Bella

Fireproof was the best movie that I have viewed in a long while (OK - so it was really the only movie I have a viewed in a long while). I laughed and cried throughout the entire movie - something that us "chicks" usually look for in a "flick". IT WAS AWESOME. Starring Kirk Cameron, this movie brings to light not only the many realistic struggles of marriage but the grace that God is ready to grant with some work on our parts. Cameron, a fire captain, hesitantly embarks on a 40 day "love dare" at the prodding of his father, which is rooted in scripture, at a time when he and his wife are considering divorce. Fireproof was enjoyable, inspiring, and quite entertaining. Dave even commented that the message of the movie meant a great deal to him. Try to make the time for this movie and try to be open to the message that the Holy Spirit is truly sending in this movie. It is not just for married couples, as there is much to be learned from this movie in dealing with all kinds of relationships, including the workplace. Here is a link to the website for the Love Dare book, a New York Times Bestseller. http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/lovedare/book.html#moreinfo Just to get you curious, day 1 of the love dare is to: "...say nothing negative to your spouse at all. If the temptation arises, choose not to say anything."

As for Bella, well, it has earned a great deal of awards in the movie industry and the message behind the movie is very pro-life, which is indeed wonderful. I think it is worth seeing. Compared to Fireproof, though, it was the lesser of the two in my opinion. The storyline follows a day in the life of two individuals - a pregnant waitress and a chef. The chef's past and good nature inspire the waitress in more ways than one!

Happy Hearts

Isabella had quite an eventful Valentine's Day weekend, visiting with Grandma, Papa, and Nana on Friday. She loves visiting 4 Norge because she gets lots of love there and always leaves with a happy heart. Bella received quite an extensive valentine collection this year, including her first one from a boy (gasp)! At this point in time it is hard to say exactly what is going on with her and her boy-friend Ryan - that is, a boy that is a friend. If you notice in the pictures Isabella is sporting her happy hearts hoodie for the holiday, a gift from Aunt Barb. Stay tuned for the Spring blog updates when she will be sporting some new wardrobe pieces from Fran, Grace, Lindsay, and Grandma. In celebration of Valentine's Day we dined at a Thai restaurant in Hackettstown with our friends Jen and Mark and their twin girls. Jen is pregnant and due any time now - we thought for sure that she would go into labor at dinner, but no action yet :) We rented the movies Bella and Fireproof - 2 movies with underlying Christian themes - Dave and I are hoping to watch one of them tonight! Wishing everyone a happy heart.

Keeping It Cool

The wind is howling outside and feels like it is literally blowing through the house. It isn't stopping Isabella from wearing her sun glasses, though! She is a true summer girl. We did get quite a few beautiful days at the park this week for Mommy to get some walking in and for Isabella to explore the playground and the leftover patches of snow. The nice days were just a tease really as Spring weather is still weeks away. It is amazing, though, what fresh air can do for our health and spirit. Time outdoors has been noted to be a critical component of preventive medicine.

On an expensive note, Bella's current pursuits are clearly "money" and "jewelery". She not only loves to collect these items, but loves to say the words. As Dave says, a daughter with a love of money and jewelery means trouble for him! Bella is really showing enjoyment for music these days, loving to listen, to sing, and to dance. In response to this interest, we just started the Music Together program today. We will participate for the next several weeks and see how it goes. Bella loves the music from the program, listening to it in the car and clapping along at home. She has also been exploring with Play-Doh, sidewalk chalk, and paint, sometimes all in the same day! I really enjoy watching her learn new activities and skills. She is really so inquisitive at this age and so willing to please. After doing some reading on Maria Montessori, I became aware of how important it is to include children in real life activities. As described in the book, toys will keep a child occupied for some time while leaving them left completely unfulfilled. With this in mind, I am now trying to involve Isabella in any task that she shows interest in including, but not limited to mopping, drying dishes, unloading the dishwasher, polishing mirrors, mixing ingredients in a bowl, and putting items back into the fridge. Sounds like I have a live in housekeeper, huh? She is starting to understand the concept of clean up too these days too.

Dave is doing well and looking forward to having President's Day off on Monday. He has been working long hours and will be ever busier in the coming months with high school musicals that he is playing trumpet for and conducting some rehearsals for area bands. He's also planning on training again for the half marathon in April that he ran for the first time last year.

I am in survival mode these days, caring for Bella and managing life at home. I have a stack of books that I am trying to work my way through (if I can find some quiet moments in the late evening) for La Leche and for personal reading. In addition to the numerous breastfeeding books, I am currently reading the Diary of Sister Faustina (which I recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about and receive Divine Mercy) and Slow Steady Get Me Ready (a guide with developmental activities to engage your little one - this book was recommended to me by many "seasoned" moms). I'm also pursing interests in more nourishing food practices i.e. soaking grains, utilizing coconut oil and coconut milk, and incorporating raw dairy.

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Happy Birthday,
Grandma! Wishing you many more filled with health, happiness, and frozen yogurt. Love, Isa

Comments from the Peanut Gallery

Quite a few people informed me that they have been trying to leave comments on this blog but were unable to do so for not having a Google account. I just updated my blog settings so now everyone should be able to leave a comment without any strings attached! Look forward to hearing from you!

Message of January 25, 2009

"Dear children! Also today I call you to prayer. May prayer be for you like the seed that you will put in my heart, which I will give over to my Son Jesus for you, for the salvation of your souls. I desire, little children, for each of you to fall in love with eternal life which is your future, and for all worldly things to be a help for you to draw you closer to God the Creator. I am with you for this long because you are on the wrong path. Only with my help, little children, you will open your eyes. There are many of those who, by living my messages, comprehend that they are on the way of holiness towards eternity. Thank you for having responded to my call."