Loved my Maclaren.  I finally bought one for my fourth child and I wish I had spent the $ earlier for the first three.  I would have saved money in the long run.  I had a Volo and since my youngest is now almost 8, I bought it about 8 years ago.  I’m not sure what the updates are, if any.  But do check them out.  It’s worth every cent.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE my Maclaren. I have the Techno XT, but I everyone I talk to loves their Maclaren, regardless of model type.  They are pricey strollers, but very durable and compact. You can also try searching Craigslist for a used one.

I love my Evenflo XSport stroller.  I have the kind without the adjustable handles but I know they sell one model with them.  It is just a great umbrella stroller, with the storage space underneath, a little sunshade, a soft cupholder and zipper pouch, and comfortable handles.  I thought the price was worth it too—more than $15, certainly, but less than Maclarens and a great value.  I know people love their Maclarens, which is great, but honestly, I also think the Evenflo looks a little nicer aesthetically too!  But either way I’m sure you wouldn’t go wrong.

I love our Maclaren Volo. There are probably lots of other really nice ones, too, but I don’t think you’d regret getting a Maclaren.

We’re hoping to conceive our second soon. What kind of double stroller do you have? Any other recommendations?

I really like my McClaren too. I have a Quest, and you can’t fit much at all in the basket under the stroller, though. Just so you know since you mentioned it.

I don’t know of any books, but I would probably choose a simple but truthful approach. Kids do understand far more than we think. You could tell her something like, “Heaven is one of two places we go after we die. It is the place for those who have loved God in life to go spend the rest of time with Him and with the angels and saints and all the other people who have loved Him. We won’t know exactly what it’s like until we get there, but we do know that we will be with Jesus there. Who do we know who’s in Heaven? I would love for you and me and everyone we love to be in Heaven together. Let’s be sure to always love God and follow Him so that we can be there together one day.”

God bless!

YES< YES< YES!

The “Treasure Box” series is excellent.  I am reading it with my seventh three-year-old. 

Heaven is the happiest place, God’s house, and some day we will all be happy there with him.  I also remark when kids do something good that “Jesus must be dancing with happiness in hevaen because you did _____,” to try to reinforce that heaven is a place for happiness.

Thank you, Bethany!  Next time he asks, I’ll be sure to tell him.  And, Angela thank you, I’ve been looking at Treasure Box for our fall homeschool curric.!

As far as I understand, what does or does not constitute “grave” or “just” reason to postpone a pregnancy is intentionally left very vague by the Church.  My best advice would be to find a good priest to talk to, one who can help you discern what God truly wants for your family.  And, of course, to continue praying about it.  There are no easy answers on that one!  I’ll pray for your family too…

Pray pray pray!  It can be difficult to compare situations with strangers.  I have 6 kids and certainly not all of them were conceived or born in ideal situations.  Personally I would want my DH to be employed or pretty close to being employed before I would try to conceive. I worry about insurance and things like that - some insurances won’t cover a “pre-existing condition” like pregnancy.  I also think your age is a factor. Personally I don’t agree with the idea that “having enough financial resources isn’t a good enough reason to not have another baby”. I do however think you have to discern what is “enough financial resources”.  There’s also the possibility that even though your other children are healthy and your other pregnancies have gone well, this one might not and to be without a job could make that extra difficult.  That’s just my two cents . . . but in the end you need to follow what God wants . . . he has the big picture.

I agree that you and your husband should keep praying about this. “Grave” reason for one couple may not constitute ” grave” reason for another and vise versa. You say that you work from home which I am not sure if that is a stay at home Wife / Mom(  of course we work !) or if you have a paying job which you do at home.  I know two families who do very very well with the wife working from home( One Home based sales and the other medical transcription) their husbands either doing housework and taking care of their larger than normal family or going to college.

I don’t know what you’ve been reading, but real financial reasons certainly can be “just cause” to use NFP to avoid pregnancy.  I’ve always found my answers as to whether or not my reasons for waiting were valid by reading Humanae Vitae on the Vatican website or talking to an orthodox priest.  What you have to figure out is whether having another child is in accordance with the cardinal virtues of justice and prudence.

I agree that it’s well worth reading Humanae Vitae http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/paul_vi/encyclicals/documents/hf_p-vi_enc_25071968_humanae-vitae_en.html

Here is what I consider the most relevant paragraph

“With regard to physical, economic, psychological and social conditions, responsible parenthood is exercised by those who prudently and generously decide to have more children, and by those who, for serious reasons and with due respect to moral precepts, decide not to have additional children for either a certain or an indefinite period of time. “

What stuck me most the first time I read it is that we are to be *prudent* when having children.  We should think things over and consider if our physical, economic, psychological and social conditions are such we can raise another child in the faith.

I find that prayer is essential for untangling what the child will *need* from what I would consider ideal and to distingish between fears and proper concerns.

I have been reading and pondering “H”‘s quiry concerning another child.  In all the replies, one factor was not mentioned.  And it was a factor that was total unexpected and impacted our family in ways that not many people have experienced.  I’m not even sure I should throw it “into the ballpark”.  And yet, it can be a part of the reality we face and accept when having children.  What happens if you cannot work in your home for financial gain?  Where will the money come from for your existing family if that happens?  I guess none of us seriously contemplates what will happen to resources-not just money, but incredible amounts of time, extra expense, worry, stress, and the impact on the personalities of each member of the family, should the “new arrival” be a seriously handicapped child, or a child with a fatal illness.  In considering this factor, which believe me is very real, I think that a stable job is very important.  Otherwise, the real possiblilty of your child being taken away because you do not have the resources to provide care exists.
My husband and I have no history in either of our family backgrounds of any kind of genetic anomoly.  Still, my dearly loved, and delightful second son was born with Cystic Fibrosis and severe asthma.  Although this is a fatal disease, God makes those decisions, and so, in spite of a diagnosis of a maximum of five years of life, he has far surpassed that and grown into adulthood. (Yup, a whole lot of people in my parish have prayed every day for years and years.) Within a relatively short time, he will require a double lung transplant, which, if he is lucky enough to get a donor, he must still accomodate and survive the anti-rejection drugs.  Do you have the stamina to exist on a maximum of four hours sleep over the course of three years?  I really do mean every night, and some nights none. Do you have a health plan that will allow your child to be airvacked to a hospital that can care for him when he is dying?  Can you own a car that is reliable, so that you can drive like a bat out of hell the 350 miles to a major hospital when a major “bleed” begins in his lungs?  If you don’t he will drown in his own blood.  Heck, never mind those questions.  Can you afford to pay for the antibiotics (often multi courses at a time.)  These aren’t stupid questions.  For my son’s first three years, I never got undressed.  I made it down to my bathrobe and I slept in it for three years…anywhere I could…often on the floor beside him.  In the morning I changed and began the day It can and does happen within God’s most precious will.  God gave to me the greatest blessings through my son.  I would never desire that he have this illness, but because of this gift in our marriage I gained far more than is possible to say.  I am not the least bit “sorry” this happened to me, or our family; rather I am so terrible grateful for the honor of such a gift.  But the gift does cost money and the security of a health plan.  The culture of death has an answer for those of us who carry “defective” children like mine.  Like me, that’s not an option for you…so you would move into the position of having a “defiant birth”, a way of protecting themselves and limiting funding for your child.  And believe me, if that health reform bill is not drastically changed, Sara Palin’s phrase “Death Panels” will become a reality.  I’m Canadian.  Thanks to Catholic politicians as long as the baby’s head in still inside the birth canal, I could go ahead and stab that baby a million times and it would be just fine because it is not a “human being”.  We have a “catholic” politician who has introduced into our Federal legislation a euthanasia bill that would put us on the par of Holland.  Even if not passed, it’s a matter of time in North America.  So we all need to be ready to protect our families, and to beg God’s wisdom and guidance regarding how best He wishes us to do this, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Every day.  And your husband having a job that can pay for basic expenses of your current family would help, should you need to devote yourself full time to your children.  Just a thought to perhaps consider.

Having that kind of discomfort seems a bit odd. Is it possible that she could have a yeast or bladder infection ? My cousin’s daughter had one because she was sensitive to the soap that they used to wash her. Left untreated( because they never thought this was possible) the infection went to her kidneys. Thankfully, her parents finally mentioned it to her pediatrician and they found the problem and she is OK now. Yeast infection can also be caused by any medication that she may have taken or even certain foods that she may have eaten. I would think that if she refuses to set down and relieve herself, that perhaps she may not be getting relief but rather experiencing discomfort . Just a thought.

Check out Accountable Kids at http://www.accountablekids.com.  The program does work.  We got off track during my last pregnancy which I spent largely on bed rest but if you’re doing it consistently it does work with any number of children.

I would start slowly. Take a time durring the day ( maybe before lunch time)and say Ok now it is chore time and hand out a simple chore to each child. Once these chores are done, serve lunch and go about your day. With time make the chores more of what you want them to be or add multiple chore times or whatever you sence will work for your family. This will also give you an idea on what children can handle what chore best. After the introduction phase you could then go to chore charts and expecting the children to do more without your standing over them.

Have you heard of Holly Pierlot’s A Mother’s Rule of Life: How to Bring Order to Your Home and Peace to Your Soul?  It’s a really good book for the whole family.  I’ve also heard of Choreganizers for the kids (found on amazon).  If you like Pierlot’s book, there is a book study going on right now at a mom’s blog on this website.  I hope some of this helps!  God bless! (http://www.thesteeds.net/)

I’ve tried a few different schemes for inducing structure into our home.  But my life feels like it’s make of fluke situations.  Everyday seems to have this curve ball in it that I couldn’t possibly plan around: drop in Grandma, sick mom, sick kid, dentists, plumber, we like to go to Mass when we can…  It’s always something and I can’t get a hard agenda going.  I’ve read MROL and implemented some of her ideas but I keep getting thrown off course.  But, like you, I do get nice compliments from strangers about how good my kids are in stores and in church!  I also get lots of compliments about how curly their hair is.  Ha, ha!

I went through a stage during my late high school years and most of college when I rarely attended Mass.  My parents would gently insist that we go to Mass if we were home visiting, but they never called me out when I was away in college or afterwards when I lived in the city.  In fact, I really didn’t start going back to church regularly until I was married and had children. 
I think your priest’s advice is correct.  You have prepared your daughter in the sacraments, you have given her instruction in the faith.  I assume she has been confirmed.  Now it’s up to the Holy Spirit.  Your job is to pray for her.  By calling her out, or being too preachy or church ladyish, you may turn her off more completely.