melted smoosh

Greta and i went to the children's museum for the very first time last week and loved it! i'd always assumed that the museum was geared more for older kids, but the subject came up at at our mom's group at church last month and we decided to go as a group. lo and behold, the bottom floor is designed for elementary-age kids, but the middle floor is designated as the nursery, and the top floor is entirely water play -- fun for all ages!  in every new room, Greta would sit back and take it all in before starting to explore. she absolutely loved the "spaceship" made out of recycled foam noodles and water bottles. lots of buttons to push and walls to climb!  the next section of the toddler play area includes beads to scoop and shovel, wooden balls that run down a track, light tables, and a gigantic black pegboard with thick plastic cylinders you can put in the holes -- just like a lifesize Lite Brite. the sand section was also a HUGE hit. she's n

i think it started selfishly, with making my Christmas wish list for Nick. i'd been curious about Jennifer Fulwiler 's book, Something Other Than God , for quite some time, and i've been wanting a good Catholic study Bible with plenty of room to write in the margins. so those two went on the list right away, followed quickly by a few others that Amazon "recommended" for me ( Danielle Bean 's Momnipotent , and My Sisters the Saints , by Colleen Carroll Campbell).  and then, on a whim, i searched for "Catholic apps" on my kindle fire and discovered Laudate , which is a treasure trove of resources, including the daily readings (in print and audio form), podcasts, prayers, and an interactive rosary that automatically updates the mysteries for the day of the week. it also includes an examination of conscience, which i skipped over with a little niggling thought in my brain that i hadn't been to confession since last Easter. that day, i listened to a