Bufo

My husband found a toad last night. He wanted to keep the little critter, so we decided to call him Bufo, which means "toad" in Latin. As I write, my husband is on his way to PetSmart to buy more little critters to feed this guy. I'm not too thrilled about Bufo, but my husband would like to have some aquarium animals. Bufo will have to do for now.

If you ask me, any aquarium animal is to much work. We had a Russian Tortoise named Herman, who was very sick when we got him, which we of course were unaware of. He died about 2 months later. Erin was so sad. He was actually a birthday present for her. Before Herman we had a Guinea Pig, belonging to Erin. He lasted about six months and died of dehydration. Apparently he couldn't get any water from the dispenser. Erin and I were both devastated. Now we have Bufo. I'll tell ya, I'm not much for little caged animals. I would like to just stick with dogs and cats. We have one large dog and four cats. Haven't killed one of those yet.

Remembering 9/11

I know that in the back of everyone's mind today is the memory of the awful attack on our country 6 years ago. Has it been six years? What has become if this great country?


Do you remember how shocked you were as you heard horror story after horror story? And the great pride you felt as you heard stories of heroism? The priest that became the first casualty, who before he died was at ground zero giving last rights to those who had already perished. What a hero. It brings tears to my eyes as I write about it. Or what about all the police and firefighters who rushed into the Trade Towers to rescue whomever they could? Many died in their efforts to save the lives of the victims inside. Or the story of the passengers on Flight 93 who were faced with certain death and tried desperately to overcome the terrorists on their flight? Remember the unity we all felt as a nation? United we stand! Where is that unity today? As far as I can see, it is gone. This country seems to be more divided than ever. It's the Republicans vs. Democrats, the Conservatives vs. Liberals, black vs. white, life vs. choice (to kill not for freedom), and the constant struggle with moral issues in our society. Abortion is the law of the land. Contraception is taking over our country with Catholics at the forefront, accepting what society says, not what the church teaches. Same sex marriage is socially acceptable as well as premarital sex along with a litany of other mortal sins. God is being pushed out of our schools, out of our courtrooms, off of our money, out of our Pledge of Allegiance. What is to become of this great country? Do we need another 9/11 to get us to wake up and realize that this country will fall harder than the Roman Empire if we do not restore our faith in God, love for our neighbors, and do penance for our sins? God is so merciful, but He will not let this path of self destruction continue much longer. If we do continue down this road, God's mercy will be given in the form of a great suffering. Just like 9/11. Are we prepared for that? Let us pray that our country will be restored in unity and faith before it is to late.


What is to become of this great country?

Back to School

Well, today is the first day of school at the Lyons residence. It has been a good long summer, which has lead to a lack of discipline in our daily lives. Starting school always puts order back into our house. I hope to make this year the best yet. So far we are running quite smoothly.

Preparing for the new school year is always a challenge. This year, I decided to make up my own lesson plans, which has been very time consuming. But I hope that all that work will pay off in the end, for me and for Erin. I have only made plans up to 18 weeks just encase they don't work the way I had hoped. I have also moved our school room from the kitchen to the computer room. We were able to obtain a table and two chairs (Thanks Renee) to use for school. I had all the schoolbooks spiral bound which looks like it will be more helpful for Erin, especially since she is left-handed. And I'll be working hard to keep up with our extra curricular activities for this year. It looks like this year will consist of piano lessons, church choir, Apostolic Works Program, Adoration, and the occasional trip to the library. It seems like a lot, but I think it will be well worth it.

Hopefully we can maintain good discipline and organization throughout the school year, even after the excitement of the new year wears off.

Happy Home Schooling to you all!

Baby Sophia

Well, here she is. My niece, Sophia, after three happy months on this earth. Isn't she beautiful?