McLoughlin Family Christmas Letter 2016

Merry Christmas once again from the McLoughlins! Here’s all the latest for this past year and it’s a lot!

Aron turned 50 in November, traveled to South Carolina and Canada this year for work and grew a massive garden. He also got most of our kitchen remodeled. He went fishing in the spring with the Solsbergs and the boys. He’s still active in Joel’s Boy Scout troop and now also in Sam’s Cub Scout pack, along with helping out at Theology of the Body for Teens classes. He went to Camp Savio (including Schlitterbahn!) and Medicine Mountain this past summer (with Joel, see below). He also did the Octoginta bike ride in Lawrence and rode 100 miles in a row TWICE!

Kerrie turned 45 in June and is still homeschooling while running her writing-related businesses of writing books/magazine articles, proofreading, and blogging. She gets to teach high school PE, 5^th/6^th grade Drama, and 7^th-12^th grade Creative Writing at Christ the King homeschool co-op. Kerrie and Aron did something in March they had not done in 15 years: they went away overnight together ALONE!

Joel is 15, was Confirmed in March, and is the Senior Patrol Leader of his Scout troop. He enjoyed his co-op classes of Music Appreciation, Drama, and PE last spring and now likes PE, Study Skills, Creative Writing, and Latin. He’s always doing various activities and dances and lock-ins, as well as his Theology of the Body for Teens course. He went to Catholic Camp Savio for a week in June and then Medicine Mountain High Adventure camp in South Dakota, where he discovered his love for indoor and outdoor rock climbing. He also was a spring/fall soccer referee, played spring/fall soccer, babysits, and started a terrific lawn care job recently. With all of that working, he saved up for a really nice bow he is very proud of. He got his learner’s permit in the fall and has been knocking out those hours to prepare for his driver’s license. Oliver the bearded dragon is doing well and roams the house sometimes. The adjective I would use for Joel would be: social.

Michael is 13 is a super-smart Minecraft and Lego master who is going through Confirmation classes now to be Confirmed in the spring. Last spring he took PE, Science (shark dissection!) and LEGO Robotics in co-op and is making new friends. This semester he is taking PE, Study Skills and Engineering. Michael makes sure we make the Lego mini-build at the mall every month like clockwork. Jiggy the tortoise, who he has had for about 5 years now, is currently hibernating.

Callie is 11 and gave track a shot this past spring and is currently playing CYO basketball for Holy Cross. She got a sewing machine last Christmas and promptly made a bunch of pillows, a pillowcase, a skirt, and even a dress. She loved her PE, Science and Egyptian Mummification classes at co-op in the spring and now digs her Science Experiments, Drama and Handcrafts classes. She went to her first coop dance this past fall and lives life with flair J

Eva is 9, always talking and smiling, and had her First Communion in April. She loved her Catechesis, Science, Storytime and PE classes at co-op last spring with her friends and also enjoyed lunch and recess. Now she is taking Art, World Geography and Creative Writing. She likes to play My Little Pony, Shopkins, Littlest Pet Shop and Barbies with her friends and alone and likes to sit and color.

Samuel is 7 and is all super-snuggly boy. He’s going through First Communion classes and making new besties at co-op who like to play with toy guns and run around like he does. He played a little soccer in the spring, took up Cub Scouts, and at coop he takes two art classes, fairy tales, PE, and music. He took all the same classes as Eva in the spring. His fish, Spongebob and Patrick, live on swimmingly in our bedroom.

Here’s to a fabulous 2017 from The McLoughlins (Aron, Kerrie, Joel, Michael, Callie, Eva & Samuel)

HOPE{LOVEYDREAMRPRAYVLEARN&SINGTLAUGHJACCEPTASLEEP

3 Telltale Signs Your Relationship Isn't Ready For Marriage

A lot of couples see marriage as the end goal, something they want to happen. However, there are times when a relationship just isn’t ready for marriage. Here are three telltale signs that you and your partner shouldn’t tie the knot:

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You Have Lots Of Heated Arguments

Arguing is pretty much part and parcel of being in a relationship. Every couple will have little disputes here and there and differences of opinion on certain things. The difference is that a functional relationship learns how to get over any arguments and keep them at a minimum. If you’re involved in lots of heated arguments with your partner then you might want to reconsider is things are really working.  The more you argue, the less likely it is that you will make this relationship work in the long term. If you have aspirations of marriage, then it should be with someone you get along with most of the time, not someone you argue with all the time.

There’s Mistrust And Lots Of Lying

Trust and lies are things that decide a lot of relationships. If there’s a lot of trust between the two of you and you don’t lie to one another, then guess what? You’ll have a happy and functional relationship that may just be perfect for marriage. On the other hand, if one or both of you lie a lot, there will be a lack of trust. This can be very damaging for a relationship as you never know when your partner is telling the truth or if you can trust them. Lies can be damaging in so many ways for so many couples. Some people tell big lies in the heat of an argument to try and hurt the other person. An example of this is domestic abuse claims. There are many cases where a domestic violence attorney has proved that someone was wrongfully arrested for domestic abuse because their partner lied. A lie like this can ruin a relationship forever. Then, you have small lies every day that builds up and makes the trust disappear. Ask yourself, do you really trust your partner? If you have to think about it, then marriage probably isn’t wise.

You Break Up A Lot

There are some people that are in relationships that involve a lot of break ups. You’re together for a period, break up, then get back together, and the cycle repeats itself. Sometimes, couples like this think that marriage might be the answer to this problem. If you commit to marriage, maybe things will be different. The likelihood is that they won’t. The difference is, it’s more complex to break up when you’re married. You’d need an official divorce which requires an expensive attorney. If you break up a lot then the chances are you’re just not meant to be together.

The urge to get married can be strong for many couples, particularly if you have kids together. However, if you experience any of the issues above, you should put off marriage. Do everything you can to work on your relationship first, before you commit to a life together.  

Gingerbread Man Fun with the Kids

3 Problems All Parents Can Relate To

Being a parent isn’t all fun and games. There are times when your kids can cause a few problems here and there. Today, I’ve got three parenting problems I’m sure all of you can relate to:

(Image via: http://bit.ly/2gDsKhO)

Fussy Eaters

Anyone with more than one child will tell you that life can be difficult when dinnertime comes around. With every child you have comes an increase in the likelihood that they’ll have different tastes to their siblings. So, when it’s time to eat, you’re left trying to satisfy everyone’s fussy appetites. One of your children hates one thing, but the other likes it and hates a different thing. I can all get extremely confusing and the only way to sort things out is by making different meals for everyone. So, dinnertime becomes a massive chore when it should be something that only takes half an hour or so to get through. Things are made even worse when kids get older and start following trends, I’m sure most of you will deal with a child that goes through a vegetarian or vegan stage at some point when they live with you.

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Kids Losing Their Keys

If you have younger children, then this won’t be a problem for you right now. However, you better believe it starts to become an issue when your children are old enough to be trusted with their very own pair of house keys. Now, they can let themselves into your house if you’re still at work or run errands and they’ve come back from school. It’s a big moment for every child, as they feel responsible for the first time. But, they will undoubtedly lose their keys a fair few times over the years. This is a pain for us parents as we now have to go through the effort of finding a locksmith to get them a new pair of keys. We threaten that we’ll take this pair away if they lose them, but we know we can’t. They need their keys, so, we just have to put up with them losing theirs all the time.

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The Morning Rush

Ah yes, the morning rush, a staple of modern day parenthood and something no mother or father looks forward to. As soon as your children start going to school, life becomes incredibly hectic in the mornings. You’ve now got to make sure everyone wakes up, gets dressed, eats breakfast, and is out the door with enough time to make it to school. Plus, if you’re working too, you need to do all of this while getting yourself ready! All in all, the mornings are a massive rush for every parent that has to take their kids to school. It’s slightly better if you live within walking distance of the school, for those that need to drive a fair bit then the morning rush is even worse!

We all know that parenting can be extremely hard and there are lots of other problems just like these. However, we wouldn’t change it for the world as learning to get through these problems helps make us stronger.

How To Prepare Your Home For Summer

It only seems like it was yesterday when we were moaning about the scorching summer heat and the fact that no amount of deodorant would mask those unwanted sweat patches. Winter is in full swing (yuck) and the days of walking around in just shorts and a t-shirt are long gone.

Summer is wonderful for so many reasons and I must admit, it’s definitely my favorite season. I’d take battling away the flies during a summer BBQ than battling the ice on my car any day of the week and there are ways to tackle all the “not so great” parts about summer.

Here I’ve put together a little guide on how to sail through summer next year. If you start preparing now while it’s still cold, you’ll be all set by the time the heat hits and therefore it won’t be a problem!

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1. You need to say your sweet goodbyes to winter

It may have been a great season for you, or it may have been a case of counting down the days until it cleared off, but either way you’ll need to change a few things around the house to prepare for summer. Anything that emits heat needs to go! Things that help insulate the home also need to make a quick departure, such as draperies, thick blankets and heavy rugs. Put the candles away for next year and brighten things up with some fresh flowers instead.

2. Make sure your house is air conditioned

Now, you might be blinking at the screen thinking “is she serious? That costs a bomb!” But it doesn’t have to. There are cheap, affordable cooling systems that you can buy and run on a budget. If you’re not sure where to get them then try Harster Heating.

3. It’s party season

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Luckily you’re able to leave the house past 7 pm without going into a meltdown over having to navigate the icy roads. It’s just no fun, is it? That also means that your friends will be more than happy to come over for the evening to enjoy some delicious cocktails and a fancy spread once the kids are in bed. Give your house a good clean so that you’re not embarrassed at your guests finding dust bunnies all over the place.

4. Invite the light in

During the cold months there wasn’t really any need to have curtains or blinds open as by the time everyone is back in the house after being at work or school, the light had long gone anyway! But once summer is back in your life, you’ll sigh a breath of relief at being able to relax with a book without having to turn the lights on. Make sure you clean your windows properly (it’s probably best to do this once it’s warmed up a bit though) by using a mixture of half water, half vinegar and a nice clean cloth.

5. Brighten the decor up a little too

Warm tones and dark decor is exactly what you want in the winter. Having the fire on, flickering in a dark room whilst you enjoy a glass of red or two is essentially what winter is about, but it all changes once the sun is back in our lives. Get your old shabby clothes on and repaint the house. A new lick of paint on the walls will help rejuvenate your home and while you’re using a new pot of paint, redo any garden furniture such as benches, swings and tables.