Mother Teresa Movie

While the kids were snowboarding, I stayed in the lodge for 9 hours and did my own thing. This included watching the "Mother Teresa" movie with Olivia Hussey. She did an excellent job portraying the saint of Calcutta! It was easy to watch, and I recommend it for kids. Her passion to respect the poorest of the poor is so evident, yet her humility in pursuing this dream is astonishing. This film was produced by Lux Vide, as an Italian TV special in 2003 in honor of her beatification.

Snowboarding

We took a field trip to Snow Creek today. All four of my kids went snowboarding with their friends, despite the cold temps and the snow-makers blasting right into their faces. Meggar skied with Rach, Dorito took Adam, and the twins invited Todd and Taylor. We were fortunate enough to win a 3-visit pass from the West Ski Club annual drawing, and it's great to use it for friends like this! Here's a photo of the board Meggar got for Christmas from Santa.

Weekend Hockey

It started with a Topeka Roadrunners game on Friday night. They scored 5 goals (exciting!) so we were treated to FREE pizza at Cici's Buffet. The twins asked Dawson to come home with us - and they spent their time Saturday playing knee hockey, air hockey, and garage hockey.
Their team had the weekend off, but the Saints Bantam team had 4 games! They went on the ice without a warm-up, because I forgot the roster and registration documents. Luckily, Dorito helped them come back, and he scored 2 goals this weekend.

You've Got Mail!

For Christmas, we set up new email accounts for the twins. They were so cute to hurry and check their email the next morning. After the initial message from Mommy and Daddy, they forgot for a few days... Then Winger announced excitedly, "I've got four messages!" He will be good about writing replies, because he is always writing letters and stories during school. Whereas Polar Bear is a little more laid back and reads the emails without bothering to reply. You can guess which is Mom's favorite twin!

Art Showing

"Don't Eat the Artwork" was the theme of Robin's and Aimee's art showing at Blue Plate Dinners in Lawrence. We journeyed to their Opening Night, which included wine and appetizers by the host establishment. I was not disappointed. Robin looked hip and happy, the artwork was refreshing, and the crowd was cheery and full of conversation. Robin was in my journalism classes at K-State, and she has a beautiful spirit. Her paintings are a combination of vibrant, Italian colors and raised glass covers which are etched with one-word encouragements. We saw her trademark stars on a green background of "hope." (Robin was always able to wish upon a star.) Winger liked the "be happy" painting, because yellow is his favorite color. Captain liked the menu at Blue Plate Dinners, so we took home Chicken Brunswick Stew. And I bought the Cream Cheese Puffs with Apricot Chutney. (It will be a great appetizer for my next movie night.) The evening was too short, but it was sweet.

Obama's Disgrace

He only waited one day to sign an executive order that repealed the Mexico City Policy. President Obama fulfilled his campaign promise one day after the March for Life. Now taxpayers will be forced to see their money given to groups that promote and perform abortion here and overseas.

President Reagan first put the Mexico City Policy in place, and it is named for the population conference that took place in Mexico in 1984. President George H.W. Bush continued the pro-life policy, President Clinton overturned it, and President George W. Bush kept it for eight years by threatening to veto any Congressional action that aimed to reverse it.

"One effect of Obama's order will be to divert many millions of dollars away from groups that do not promote abortion, and into the hands of those organizations that are the most aggressive in promoting abortion in developing countries," said Douglas Johnson at the National Right to Life Committee.

March for Life

Today marks the 36th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, so hundreds of thousands of pro-lifers will witness for the unborn by marching in Washington, D.C. Luckily, our friends (like Stephanie) have warmer weather than the year Meggar and I went with Kristen H. and Elizabeth S. Regardless of who is the sitting president, we will bring up the cause year after year and pray for legislative/judicial justice for the tiniest human babies.

At our parish, we sent home baby bottles and asked each family to return them full of coins. This fundraiser will benefit the local Pregnancy Resource Clinic.