Quotes that (http://www.quotationspage.com)
(a) reflect who you are
and/or
(b) what you believe.
The random generator spits out 10 quotes at a time, and I took these five.
You can't choose the ways in which you'll be tested.
Robert J. Sawyer, "Calculating God", 2000
(Man, isn't this the truth?)
General principles should not be based on exceptional cases.
Robert J. Sawyer, "Calculating God", 2000
(Like being pro-abortion or pro-life. There is NO grey area, no exception.)
The only way to discover the limits of the possible is to go beyond them into the impossible.
Arthur C. Clarke (1917 - ), "Technology and the Future" (Clarke's second law)
(I keep discovering, over and over again, that just when I start to think something is impossible God speaks to me and tells me otherwise.)
How can you come to know yourself? Never by thinking, always by doing. Try to do your duty, and you'll know right away what you amount to.
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
(We are too smart. We always want to intelectualize everything and "think it to death", meanwhile our lives are passing us by and we are getting nothing done. Shut up, let go, get up out of your chair and DO. Do, for others, for your family, for God. Stop waiting for it to feel comfortable.)
Dwelling on the negative simply contributes to its power.
Shirley MacLaine (1934 - )
(So true.)
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Friday, August 18, 2006
Rotarian ticket taking...and punch.
Steve came home around 11:00 last night after a long day at the fair, taking tickets and being a fill-in. Last night, the first night of the Rodeo, Steve's post was at the Blue Gate. At said Blue Gate, there are many different kinds of people wanting to get into the fair without having to pay; gothic teenagers, aging Hispanic men with many children, none of whom speak a lick of English, scantily clad young women who "just need to get in because they work there", and angry African American men thinking that being asked to present proof of purchase, ie: a ticket, screams racism. Ahh...the joys of having to get into a confrontation with someone over a seven dollar ticket and a green stamp. I loved hearing of the night's adventures.
My personal favorite? Having my husband come into the bedroom, wake me up with a kiss and proceed to tell me all about it, beginning with "So, honey! Your husband got punched in the face tonight!"
I was so proud.
It seems to me that Rotary has a higher than usual expectation of service. Something tells me that he would be kicked out of the club if he punched the kid back. If that isn't discrimination, I don't know what is. Sheesh.
Apparently, that angry teenager on a huffy thought he could peddle right on by Steve and NOT HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT TICKET. I don't think so. Steve stopped him and a swift punch was delivered. Poor Steve. Poor angry teenager that must not have grown up with a positive male role model and a loving maternal influence.
My personal favorite? Having my husband come into the bedroom, wake me up with a kiss and proceed to tell me all about it, beginning with "So, honey! Your husband got punched in the face tonight!"
I was so proud.
It seems to me that Rotary has a higher than usual expectation of service. Something tells me that he would be kicked out of the club if he punched the kid back. If that isn't discrimination, I don't know what is. Sheesh.
Apparently, that angry teenager on a huffy thought he could peddle right on by Steve and NOT HAVE TO ACCOUNT FOR THAT TICKET. I don't think so. Steve stopped him and a swift punch was delivered. Poor Steve. Poor angry teenager that must not have grown up with a positive male role model and a loving maternal influence.
Pop Tart MeMe
( I don't get the pop tart thing either)
tagged by Michelle
3 Things That Scare Me
Spiders
My children in high places or in the street
Pitbulls
3 People That Make Me Laugh
My Husband
My parents
My kids ( I agree, it's more than three, but how CAN I choose?)
3 Things I Love
Quiet in the morning
Little "I love you's" from little people with little hands giving little hugs
Wintertime
3 Things I Hate
Rudeness
Arrogance
Little obnoxious yappy dogs ( No mom, not Alex. I'm talking CHIHUAHUA'S)
3 Things I Don'’t Understand
Electricity
Car engines
Teletubbies
3 Things On My Floor
The dog ( a big, quiet Golden Labrador Retriever)
The baby's excersaucer
The baby's jumparoo
3 Things I'’m Doing Right Now
Drinking coffee
Hurrying becuase I haven't gotten to the Magnificat yet and the kids will be up ANY SECOND.
Watching the sprinklers. ( It's early, okay?)
3 Things I Want to Do Someday
Take piano lessons again
Learn to rock climb
Run a marathon
3 Things I Can Do
Cook
Muli-task
Change the oil in the car ( IF I HAVE TO)
3 Ways to Describe My Personality
Outgoing
Funny
and umm........HEADSTRONG.
3 Things I Cannot Do
The splits
Swim well
Sing
3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
God's will
Your family members
Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio
3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To
Unproductive gossip (There are times when you can talk about someone if it's to pray for them or to give an update on a condition)
NPR
Michael Moore
3 Absolute Favorite Foods
Aged Cheeses
Dark Chocolate
Fresh fruit
3 Things I'’d Like to Learn More About
Dehydrating and canning
Home building
Homeschooling
3 Beverages I Drink Regularly
Water
Water
Water
3 Shows I Watch
Hmm...yeah, no. No T.V. here. We did order two seasons of Lost on itunes though!
3 Bloggers I Tag:
Everyone that I would tag has already been taggged! Can't wait to hear their responses!
tagged by Michelle
3 Things That Scare Me
Spiders
My children in high places or in the street
Pitbulls
3 People That Make Me Laugh
My Husband
My parents
My kids ( I agree, it's more than three, but how CAN I choose?)
3 Things I Love
Quiet in the morning
Little "I love you's" from little people with little hands giving little hugs
Wintertime
3 Things I Hate
Rudeness
Arrogance
Little obnoxious yappy dogs ( No mom, not Alex. I'm talking CHIHUAHUA'S)
3 Things I Don'’t Understand
Electricity
Car engines
Teletubbies
3 Things On My Floor
The dog ( a big, quiet Golden Labrador Retriever)
The baby's excersaucer
The baby's jumparoo
3 Things I'’m Doing Right Now
Drinking coffee
Hurrying becuase I haven't gotten to the Magnificat yet and the kids will be up ANY SECOND.
Watching the sprinklers. ( It's early, okay?)
3 Things I Want to Do Someday
Take piano lessons again
Learn to rock climb
Run a marathon
3 Things I Can Do
Cook
Muli-task
Change the oil in the car ( IF I HAVE TO)
3 Ways to Describe My Personality
Outgoing
Funny
and umm........HEADSTRONG.
3 Things I Cannot Do
The splits
Swim well
Sing
3 Things I Think You Should Listen To
God's will
Your family members
Dr. Marcellino D'Ambrosio
3 Things I Think You Should Never Listen To
Unproductive gossip (There are times when you can talk about someone if it's to pray for them or to give an update on a condition)
NPR
Michael Moore
3 Absolute Favorite Foods
Aged Cheeses
Dark Chocolate
Fresh fruit
3 Things I'’d Like to Learn More About
Dehydrating and canning
Home building
Homeschooling
3 Beverages I Drink Regularly
Water
Water
Water
3 Shows I Watch
Hmm...yeah, no. No T.V. here. We did order two seasons of Lost on itunes though!
3 Bloggers I Tag:
Everyone that I would tag has already been taggged! Can't wait to hear their responses!
Thursday, August 17, 2006
dollar store familiarity
Steve's been at the fair all day today and will be there until late tonight, taking tickets. He is a member of Rotary and they are all "encouraged" to take a shift at the fair. So...my generous husband signed up for THREE, all in one day.
The kids and I are in the process of watching Snow White. I say process because there are usually frequent intermissions when you are watching an hour and half long movie with a four year old and a two year old.
I was just sitting with Paxton a second ago and the following conversation ensued:
Paxton: Mom, did you know I have enough stickers to go to the dollar store now?
Me: Yeah, let's go tomorrow!
Paxton: But, I think that we should go to Grandma and Grandpa's dollar store. ( They live in the next town over)
Me: Why?
Paxton: Cuz I don't know our dollar store very well. I just know Grandma's better. I think that's a good idea, Mom.
So cute.
The kids and I are in the process of watching Snow White. I say process because there are usually frequent intermissions when you are watching an hour and half long movie with a four year old and a two year old.
I was just sitting with Paxton a second ago and the following conversation ensued:
Paxton: Mom, did you know I have enough stickers to go to the dollar store now?
Me: Yeah, let's go tomorrow!
Paxton: But, I think that we should go to Grandma and Grandpa's dollar store. ( They live in the next town over)
Me: Why?
Paxton: Cuz I don't know our dollar store very well. I just know Grandma's better. I think that's a good idea, Mom.
So cute.
Tuesday, August 15, 2006
FREEness
So, we got to Cave B around 4:30ish. It was amazing. So beautiful. So quiet. So perfect.
It's a small resort and winery--only about thirty or so rooms. BUT, each room is more like a suite or studio apartment, complete with hardwood floors, exposed ceiling beams, rustic furnishings, limestone and granite and lots of glass in the bathrooms. The entire backside of each suite overlooks the Columbia River Gorge and Cave B vineyard--it's all glass with two doors so that you can walk out onto your own lawn and patio (covered by trellises and grapevines). It was just so incredibly peaceful. Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.
So, when we checked in, the receptionist at the front desk said to Steve, "Oh, I see that our manager (that would be the 'Amazingly Fabulous Tiffany') has decided to upgrade you to the Honeymoon Suite, which will be complementary this evening. We are so sorry for your trouble. Also, your dinner, at table #2 (better known as THE BEST TABLE IN THE PLACE!), will be on us this evening, as will your breakfast in bed. What time would you like us to bring that to you in the morning, Sir?"
We giggle like teenagers and stutter a bit, wondering, "Could they be serious?'"
Oh yes, they were.
After we agreed on what time we would like to eat at the finest table in the restaurant for free, we had to decide what time in the morning we would like to be fed a gourmet breakfast in bed for free. Then there was one more decision. What time would we like to go to the free wine tasting session we were given along with our two free wine glasses. Hmmm. Um, NOW? Cuz, it's free.
I realize that with all of this "free" excitement I must sound like a total and complete cheapskate. I promise, I am not. But, it felt so surreal to be in such a beautiful place, enjoying beautiful scenery, tasting amazing wine, eating amazing cuisine, holding my husband's hand, sleeping in, reading, lounging, taking two long baths in a jetted tub, and being able to actually have an adult conversation that wasn't punctuated with phones ringing, disciplining, etiquette training, or hiney-wiping of any kind. I would have paid six hundred dollars for that. We paid nothing. It was Cave B's little gift to the Prentices for --um--being INCONVENIENCED. Man, I wish we could be inconvenienced like that every time we vacation!
All in all, it was one of the best times away with Steve I have had yet. So relaxing. So beautiful. So quiet.
Don't worry. We did some pretty over-the-top tipping, just so we could feel like we were actually giving them something for treating us like ROYALTY. I can't wait to go back! And, we won't even mind if they ask us to pay for it.
It's a small resort and winery--only about thirty or so rooms. BUT, each room is more like a suite or studio apartment, complete with hardwood floors, exposed ceiling beams, rustic furnishings, limestone and granite and lots of glass in the bathrooms. The entire backside of each suite overlooks the Columbia River Gorge and Cave B vineyard--it's all glass with two doors so that you can walk out onto your own lawn and patio (covered by trellises and grapevines). It was just so incredibly peaceful. Okay, I'm getting ahead of myself.
So, when we checked in, the receptionist at the front desk said to Steve, "Oh, I see that our manager (that would be the 'Amazingly Fabulous Tiffany') has decided to upgrade you to the Honeymoon Suite, which will be complementary this evening. We are so sorry for your trouble. Also, your dinner, at table #2 (better known as THE BEST TABLE IN THE PLACE!), will be on us this evening, as will your breakfast in bed. What time would you like us to bring that to you in the morning, Sir?"
We giggle like teenagers and stutter a bit, wondering, "Could they be serious?'"
Oh yes, they were.
After we agreed on what time we would like to eat at the finest table in the restaurant for free, we had to decide what time in the morning we would like to be fed a gourmet breakfast in bed for free. Then there was one more decision. What time would we like to go to the free wine tasting session we were given along with our two free wine glasses. Hmmm. Um, NOW? Cuz, it's free.
I realize that with all of this "free" excitement I must sound like a total and complete cheapskate. I promise, I am not. But, it felt so surreal to be in such a beautiful place, enjoying beautiful scenery, tasting amazing wine, eating amazing cuisine, holding my husband's hand, sleeping in, reading, lounging, taking two long baths in a jetted tub, and being able to actually have an adult conversation that wasn't punctuated with phones ringing, disciplining, etiquette training, or hiney-wiping of any kind. I would have paid six hundred dollars for that. We paid nothing. It was Cave B's little gift to the Prentices for --um--being INCONVENIENCED. Man, I wish we could be inconvenienced like that every time we vacation!
All in all, it was one of the best times away with Steve I have had yet. So relaxing. So beautiful. So quiet.
Don't worry. We did some pretty over-the-top tipping, just so we could feel like we were actually giving them something for treating us like ROYALTY. I can't wait to go back! And, we won't even mind if they ask us to pay for it.
Let us honor...
The Assumption into Heaven of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Feast Day: August 15
Young Families
When Jesus died on the cross, he gave his mother to his apostle John. That means that he wanted Mary to treat John as her son, and John to treat Mary as his mother and take care of her. Mary moved into John's home, where he said Mass each day. So Mary was close to her Son in the Blessed Sacrament, even though He had ascended into Heaven.
Mary's love for God and Jesus grew even stronger than it had been when Jesus had been present on earth. She grew more holy every day. People came to visit her, she was kind and patient with everyone. Saint Luke (who wrote the Gospel of Saint Luke) painted a picture of her during this time. The portrait of 'Our Lady of Perpetual Help" which was painted centuries later, used Saint Luke's portrait as a model of what Mary looked like.
Finally when she was very old, it was time for Mary to die. She had enough time to say goodbye to all the apostles before she died. The grieving apostles took her body to a tomb near the one that Jesus was laid in. They covered her with a white shroud and laid her to rest in the tomb.
But Mary's body didn't stay there. Jesus came to her and took her body and soul into heaven to be with Him. Mary was the Immaculate Conception - the only person except Jesus who had been born without the stain of Original Sin,the disobedience of Adam and Eve. God and Jesus would not let the body of the Mother of God decay. This was her reward for her love of God and her years of faithful prayers and suffering.
This is an excerpt from a post on Danielle Bean's blog this morning. We're off to Mass at 9 and then a nice playdate in the park.
I also just found out that FOUR out of 8 of the women in my book club/ bible study are expecting!!! That will make FOUR NEW BABIES in two and a half months. Yay!
Oh, our weekend? Incredible. I will post about it either later today or tomorrow. :)
Feast Day: August 15
Young Families
When Jesus died on the cross, he gave his mother to his apostle John. That means that he wanted Mary to treat John as her son, and John to treat Mary as his mother and take care of her. Mary moved into John's home, where he said Mass each day. So Mary was close to her Son in the Blessed Sacrament, even though He had ascended into Heaven.
Mary's love for God and Jesus grew even stronger than it had been when Jesus had been present on earth. She grew more holy every day. People came to visit her, she was kind and patient with everyone. Saint Luke (who wrote the Gospel of Saint Luke) painted a picture of her during this time. The portrait of 'Our Lady of Perpetual Help" which was painted centuries later, used Saint Luke's portrait as a model of what Mary looked like.
Finally when she was very old, it was time for Mary to die. She had enough time to say goodbye to all the apostles before she died. The grieving apostles took her body to a tomb near the one that Jesus was laid in. They covered her with a white shroud and laid her to rest in the tomb.
But Mary's body didn't stay there. Jesus came to her and took her body and soul into heaven to be with Him. Mary was the Immaculate Conception - the only person except Jesus who had been born without the stain of Original Sin,the disobedience of Adam and Eve. God and Jesus would not let the body of the Mother of God decay. This was her reward for her love of God and her years of faithful prayers and suffering.
This is an excerpt from a post on Danielle Bean's blog this morning. We're off to Mass at 9 and then a nice playdate in the park.
I also just found out that FOUR out of 8 of the women in my book club/ bible study are expecting!!! That will make FOUR NEW BABIES in two and a half months. Yay!
Oh, our weekend? Incredible. I will post about it either later today or tomorrow. :)
Saturday, August 12, 2006
...or the good news?
So...we were supposed to go to Cave-B tonight for our anniversary. We were supposed to taste wine, have dinner, stay in the cliffhouse suite and wake up to breakfast in bed. We were supposed to leave here in about 45 minutes to drop the kids off at grandma's for the rest of the weekend.
Tiffany from Cave-B called. She called Steve's work phone (thank goodness we were in the house!). Her voice was quivering. She regretted to inform us that they had DOUBLE BOOKED and could not honor our reservation. She felt horrible.
Steve got the news and felt horrible. Almost Ill. All his hard work and the effort he made to do something special, to be romantic, was going to be ruined.
And then.....
The good news. Tiffany felt so badly, that, in an effort to compensate for their error, she offered to upgrade us to the honeymoon suite (the best one they have), give us $100 towards our dinner, offer us a free wine tasting session, and throw in a free breakfast in bed. All this AND an apology that we would have to wait until tomorrow night instead of tonight. Was she kidding?! We needed to be thanking her for giving us an excuse to have a three-day weekend, no stress about having to try to figure out how to coordinate picking up the kids AND making it to Mass in the morning, letting us eat breakfast in bed, and maybe, just maybe, get through an entire morning paper without having to wipe someone else's rear end! God is so good. Tiffany is so good. Cave-B rocks. ( You can check it out online at http://www.cavebdirect.com/. They deserve a plug after this!)
If I weren't married to Steve, I just might ask Tiffany to marry me and stay in the honeymoon suite with me.
Oh, and Steve, happy 6th wedding anniversary. I love you so much. Thank you for sticking with me for six of the most amazing years of my life. You have forever changed the woman that I am and will be. You have given me three amazing children and you have required more of me than any other person I have ever known. Thank you. I love you.
Tiffany from Cave-B called. She called Steve's work phone (thank goodness we were in the house!). Her voice was quivering. She regretted to inform us that they had DOUBLE BOOKED and could not honor our reservation. She felt horrible.
Steve got the news and felt horrible. Almost Ill. All his hard work and the effort he made to do something special, to be romantic, was going to be ruined.
And then.....
The good news. Tiffany felt so badly, that, in an effort to compensate for their error, she offered to upgrade us to the honeymoon suite (the best one they have), give us $100 towards our dinner, offer us a free wine tasting session, and throw in a free breakfast in bed. All this AND an apology that we would have to wait until tomorrow night instead of tonight. Was she kidding?! We needed to be thanking her for giving us an excuse to have a three-day weekend, no stress about having to try to figure out how to coordinate picking up the kids AND making it to Mass in the morning, letting us eat breakfast in bed, and maybe, just maybe, get through an entire morning paper without having to wipe someone else's rear end! God is so good. Tiffany is so good. Cave-B rocks. ( You can check it out online at http://www.cavebdirect.com/. They deserve a plug after this!)
If I weren't married to Steve, I just might ask Tiffany to marry me and stay in the honeymoon suite with me.
Oh, and Steve, happy 6th wedding anniversary. I love you so much. Thank you for sticking with me for six of the most amazing years of my life. You have forever changed the woman that I am and will be. You have given me three amazing children and you have required more of me than any other person I have ever known. Thank you. I love you.
Friday, August 11, 2006
Eleven words
to say to get your children to behave like perfect angels while grocery shopping:
"And if you are really good, we can get some strawberries."
Can I tell you how much I love that?
"And if you are really good, we can get some strawberries."
Can I tell you how much I love that?
Thursday, August 10, 2006
What's funnier than funny?
Being at the neighborhood ice cream social and having your neighbor, who NEVER waves at you when they drive by, recognize you instantly as "the sweet family that is always waving at us".
You can't make this stuff up. Seriously.
You can't make this stuff up. Seriously.
Socials.
Okay, it's been three days and Team Prentice is still going strong. We have been getting up at 5:30, showering, making coffee, reading, praying and tackling our days head on. So, I know three days is only a drop in the bucket but, it's a start. It's a strong start. Steve commented just a bit ago that it seems like we aren't snipping at each other at all with this new schedule. We are both rested and feeling like we have a purpose; our marriage and our respective vocations. I have a feeling that God's hand is in all of it, right down to me playing catch with the kids at 7:00 this morning instead of my usual walking around the house, having other priorities like laundry, cleaning, returning phone calls or finally showering. I am really happy with the way our days have been. Long, but so much better and more positive.
Tonight we are headed to our neighbor's house for a "dessert and ice cream social" for the entire block. Honestly, I'd really prefer a fresh cucumber social or a strawberry and cottage cheese social or even a quiche social. However, they didn't ask me. So, I suppose I will take my brood, my refrigerator log and my lawn chair and shut up. I'll try to choke down a little bit of all the 13 or so desserts and the homemade ice cream. Whoa.
I started using fitday.com to track my calories, activities and goals. It's a wonderful tool that was given to my by my endocrinologist and I am so glad that I started using it. One problem? You have to be rigorously honest about every. single. thing. that goes into your mouth, so you are painfully aware that, by 4:30 you have about five hundred calories left to work with. Hmmm. Five hundred calories? Homemade ice cream and desserts? Well, I guess I'll be taking along one of the kids sippy cups as well then. Maybe just the lid.
On the upside, I am looking forward to directly confronting the eight or nine neighbors that habitually drive right on by our house, every day, never waving back at either my children or me when we are in the front yard. How rude! Okay, so I won't be confronting them but maybe just trying to burn holes into them with my eyes. Or, I guess, better yet, I could try to be nice to them and see if maybe they'll start waving from here on out. Yeah, I suppose that would be the more "christ-like" thing to do. How dull though. Ice cream social just screams cat-fight, don't you think?
Tonight we are headed to our neighbor's house for a "dessert and ice cream social" for the entire block. Honestly, I'd really prefer a fresh cucumber social or a strawberry and cottage cheese social or even a quiche social. However, they didn't ask me. So, I suppose I will take my brood, my refrigerator log and my lawn chair and shut up. I'll try to choke down a little bit of all the 13 or so desserts and the homemade ice cream. Whoa.
I started using fitday.com to track my calories, activities and goals. It's a wonderful tool that was given to my by my endocrinologist and I am so glad that I started using it. One problem? You have to be rigorously honest about every. single. thing. that goes into your mouth, so you are painfully aware that, by 4:30 you have about five hundred calories left to work with. Hmmm. Five hundred calories? Homemade ice cream and desserts? Well, I guess I'll be taking along one of the kids sippy cups as well then. Maybe just the lid.
On the upside, I am looking forward to directly confronting the eight or nine neighbors that habitually drive right on by our house, every day, never waving back at either my children or me when we are in the front yard. How rude! Okay, so I won't be confronting them but maybe just trying to burn holes into them with my eyes. Or, I guess, better yet, I could try to be nice to them and see if maybe they'll start waving from here on out. Yeah, I suppose that would be the more "christ-like" thing to do. How dull though. Ice cream social just screams cat-fight, don't you think?
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
is it naptime yet?
We started our day at 5:30 this morning. Steve and I showered in seperate showers at the same time and came out swinging. Ready to begin our day and ready to do our respective jobs, with clarity, purpose, and peace of mind. We ate, we prayed, we formed a plan. It is now 9:07 and I feel as though I have been awake and ready for the world (and our children) for about 7 hours. I have a feeling that, by 8:30 tonight, we are going to be one tired "Team Prentice".
It feels so good.
Now, on to Danielle Bean....
It feels so good.
Now, on to Danielle Bean....
Monday, August 07, 2006
Happy Birthday, Mama by marriage!
Steve's mom turned 60 today. Sorry, Mrs. Prentice, you've been exposed. :)
We just went to their house for a nice birthday dinner cooked by the Prentice 5. Well, more like the Prentice 2 since Paxton, Ella and Shepherd weren't much help. They were good for filling the cuteness quota I suppose.
This birthday seemed hard for Steve's mom. She kept saying that it felt a lot bigger than turning 50 did. I guess it's all relative. Don't we all have a certain number? That one number that is harder to hit than any other? Why is that? So strange. Regardless of how SHE feels about it, we feel so grateful. I told her that she is finally at the "believable age to be a grandma". It has nothing to do with looks, but something about the 60's says, "I am a grandparent and I have a ton of energy still to give to these little people who are pretty sure that the sun rises and sets on me". I am ready to rest, live, learn, grow, and watch my legacy unfold before my eyes. What's more, she will be so pivotal to who they become as adults by what she models today. They are watching you, Grandma, and they are loving you with every fiber of their being. You better take advantage of the coolness with which you have been bestowed!
Steve and I are really going to try to take charge of this ship. Tonight, before tucking the kids into bed, we read the daily scripture from the magnificat. It felt SO good. On the way home from Grandma's we listened to the luminous mysteries on CD. I keep feeling like we are chasing our tails, like we're on a runaway train. It doesn't have to be like that. I know too much. Steve knows too much. God loves us too much. Our kids need us too much. The resources at our fingertips are too great to keep going unused. It feels good. I think we are officially on the bandwagon.
Pictures are coming, I promise! You'd think that with a husband who is a software engineer that the technology of it all might not horrify me. But, it really does. Shhhh. Please don't tell him. He'd be so ashamed.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
the working rebel
I just got back from a long weekend in Spokane with my mom. I was so glad to be able to have Steve's support to go over there. I tried to be really helpful and I just hope that I was. She is recovering slowly but surely. It's so hard to watch your mom be in physical pain, pain that you can't take away. I always figure food helps in times of pain. So, I just made a bunch of soup and sides, helped her walk around, tried not to make her feel like a small child, and tried not to mix up her pills while administering them and accidentally kill her. Joe warned me before I got there that, in an effort to be frugal, my mother, in a medicated fog,"combined" her new prescriptions with the ones that she's had for years. So stubborn. Honestly, I don't know where she gets it. I'm certainly no that way. Not at all. Really. Not at all. Seriously.
While I was there I started reading an excellent book that I ordered. "Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler" by Kathy Pierce and Lori Rowland. SO GOOD. I realized within the first chapter that, thus far, I have been a complete slacker-parent. Sure, I was saying mealtime prayers with the kids, reciting at least one of the prayers in the rosary every day or so, putting crosses and pictures of Jesus in the house, and taking the kids to Mass every Sunday. But all of this is not enough. First of all, somewhere in the fog of just trying to keep the kids alive and crossing my fingers that they'll be polite adults, I forgot that there actually was a PURPOSE. God has a purpose for them to go through adolescence and for me to muddle my way through helping them to reach Him. A purpose for choosing ME to be their mom. Children are like sponges. My job is to lay down my life for them, to be an example by the way that I dress, speak, pray, eat, worship, and learn. Their jobs? To listen and learn. I have been afraid that they were too young for this or that, or that we might alienate some people if we completely dedicate ourselves to the service of others and God. God first, family second, everything else after that. God will always help me to teach and guide my children, His children. The rebel within me doesn't want it to have to so much be work! I guess Jesus did warn us that following Him would not be easy.
Speaking of rebels....our anniversary is in 6 days. Our 6 year wedding anniversary to be exact. And our gift to each other? A new camera!! One that actually takes the picture when you click the button! Not 3 or 4 seconds afterwards! Imagine. It is so nice. It's a Canon Rebel XT with EIGHT MEGAPIXELS!!!! Whoa. We thought we'd have fun with it tonight after I got home. We put it on "sport mode" and it took three pictures in one second. One second. ONE SECOND. Thank you, Steven. I love you!! Photos are what helps us to remember our pasts and I cannot wait to start documenting the kids' pasts.
While I was there I started reading an excellent book that I ordered. "Guiding Your Catholic Preschooler" by Kathy Pierce and Lori Rowland. SO GOOD. I realized within the first chapter that, thus far, I have been a complete slacker-parent. Sure, I was saying mealtime prayers with the kids, reciting at least one of the prayers in the rosary every day or so, putting crosses and pictures of Jesus in the house, and taking the kids to Mass every Sunday. But all of this is not enough. First of all, somewhere in the fog of just trying to keep the kids alive and crossing my fingers that they'll be polite adults, I forgot that there actually was a PURPOSE. God has a purpose for them to go through adolescence and for me to muddle my way through helping them to reach Him. A purpose for choosing ME to be their mom. Children are like sponges. My job is to lay down my life for them, to be an example by the way that I dress, speak, pray, eat, worship, and learn. Their jobs? To listen and learn. I have been afraid that they were too young for this or that, or that we might alienate some people if we completely dedicate ourselves to the service of others and God. God first, family second, everything else after that. God will always help me to teach and guide my children, His children. The rebel within me doesn't want it to have to so much be work! I guess Jesus did warn us that following Him would not be easy.
Speaking of rebels....our anniversary is in 6 days. Our 6 year wedding anniversary to be exact. And our gift to each other? A new camera!! One that actually takes the picture when you click the button! Not 3 or 4 seconds afterwards! Imagine. It is so nice. It's a Canon Rebel XT with EIGHT MEGAPIXELS!!!! Whoa. We thought we'd have fun with it tonight after I got home. We put it on "sport mode" and it took three pictures in one second. One second. ONE SECOND. Thank you, Steven. I love you!! Photos are what helps us to remember our pasts and I cannot wait to start documenting the kids' pasts.
Thursday, August 03, 2006
Book Meme
1. One book that changed your life:
The Road Less Travelled by Scott M. Peck
2. One book that you've read more than once:
The Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
3. One book you'd want on a deserted island:
Eating Raw
4. One book that made you laugh:
A Girlfriends Guige to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine
5. One book that made you cry:
Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls ( I know, I'm a sap)
6. One book that you wish had been written:
Women With Hormone Imbalances and The Men Who Love Them
7. One book that you wish had never been written:
Um...since I haven't read it but am so tired of hearing about it....A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
8. One book you're currently reading:
Godless by Ann Coulter
9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Theology of the Body Explained by Christopher West
1. One book that changed your life:
The Road Less Travelled by Scott M. Peck
2. One book that you've read more than once:
The Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
3. One book you'd want on a deserted island:
Eating Raw
4. One book that made you laugh:
A Girlfriends Guige to Pregnancy by Vicki Iovine
5. One book that made you cry:
Where The Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls ( I know, I'm a sap)
6. One book that you wish had been written:
Women With Hormone Imbalances and The Men Who Love Them
7. One book that you wish had never been written:
Um...since I haven't read it but am so tired of hearing about it....A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
8. One book you're currently reading:
Godless by Ann Coulter
9. One book you've been meaning to read:
Theology of the Body Explained by Christopher West
forgiveness
Me: Ella, come here right now.
Ella: What, mom?
Me: I told you not to play with the hose. What were you just doing?
Ella: But I was just making a river!
Me: Ella, that's not okay and I told you that you weren't allowed to play with the hose.
Ella: Just mommies and daddies can?
Me: Yes. That makes me upset with you.
Ella: Okay, (reaching over to hug me) I forgive you, mom.
I'm sure glad that I have instilled the importance of forgiveness in my children. Discernment, on the other hand...
Ella: What, mom?
Me: I told you not to play with the hose. What were you just doing?
Ella: But I was just making a river!
Me: Ella, that's not okay and I told you that you weren't allowed to play with the hose.
Ella: Just mommies and daddies can?
Me: Yes. That makes me upset with you.
Ella: Okay, (reaching over to hug me) I forgive you, mom.
I'm sure glad that I have instilled the importance of forgiveness in my children. Discernment, on the other hand...
Wednesday, August 02, 2006
Age old debate...Working: with pay or without?
On Wednesdays, I volunteer as a counselor at a crisis pregnancy center for three hours or so. I take the kids with me and Shepherd and Ella usually nap for two hours or more while I am there. Paxton entertains himself by coloring, reading, or watching veggie tales movies. I travel thirty minutes there and back since the center is in another town. All in all, the kids and I are usually gone for around five hours. Five hours.
Five hours shouldn't seem like that much. A good friend of mine commented on how difficult it would be to work outside the home, like I do, with more than one child. I hadn't thought about it like that before. I AM working outside the home. I am not getting paid, but I am certainly working. I think until now, I have just been thinking about it as simple volunteering. I guess that, when she said that, what was going through my mind was "I don't work outside the home!" And then, right after that, I thought, "Wow, that was so nice of her to notice that just because I don't get paid doesn't mean that my whole family isn't sacrificing every single Wednesday so that I can help those in need". How validating.
You see, I get home on Wednesday, late afternoon, and feel exhausted. Utterly exhausted. I feel like I have worked 40+ hours. I feel like nothing has been done around my home and I haven't taken care of my own family for SO long. How is that? Since staring to volunteer, I have had feelings of compassion for moms who HAVE to work like I never did before. I judged them. I judged them to be having "different" priorities. "Different" equaling "backwards". No longer do I feel that way. I really don't. I have so many friends who are in that struggle of HAVING to work to provide for their families, of having to make this exhausting juggle every single day. I love them so much and I think of how blessed I am. I am blessed that I don't have to. I am blessed to be able to stay home because Wednesdays exhaust me.
I have been saving this post as a draft for two days now, thinking that it might offend someone or that I shouldn't be THIS honest about how I feel. Ultimately I decided that, like Danielle Bean's post a day ago, this is my space to talk about what I want to, about what is on my mind.
That being said, coincidentally, I had an email from a friend yesterday afternoon after I had already begun this post. It was a friend who works, has been married for a little over a year and doesn't have children yet. This friend has thanked me on numerous occasions for staying at home with my children and not working outside the home. She feels passionately about it and feels that all mothers should stay at home. She even feels that it's a SIN not to. In her email, she asked me if I felt the same way. My answer? I don't know. That judgment is left to God. I DO think that working for the sole motivation of having more money and more material things is sinful, since it is greed and sloth and those are clearly sins. I don't however think that all working mom's are working because they want to wear Estee Lauder makeup and Gucci sunglasses. Some legitimately must work so that their children can eat. I do happen to think that far too many women, however, have convinced themselves that they are in the "must work" category and not the "want to" work category. Pride is also a sin, so if I go any further I am guilty of an equal sin; judgment.
Any thoughts?
Five hours shouldn't seem like that much. A good friend of mine commented on how difficult it would be to work outside the home, like I do, with more than one child. I hadn't thought about it like that before. I AM working outside the home. I am not getting paid, but I am certainly working. I think until now, I have just been thinking about it as simple volunteering. I guess that, when she said that, what was going through my mind was "I don't work outside the home!" And then, right after that, I thought, "Wow, that was so nice of her to notice that just because I don't get paid doesn't mean that my whole family isn't sacrificing every single Wednesday so that I can help those in need". How validating.
You see, I get home on Wednesday, late afternoon, and feel exhausted. Utterly exhausted. I feel like I have worked 40+ hours. I feel like nothing has been done around my home and I haven't taken care of my own family for SO long. How is that? Since staring to volunteer, I have had feelings of compassion for moms who HAVE to work like I never did before. I judged them. I judged them to be having "different" priorities. "Different" equaling "backwards". No longer do I feel that way. I really don't. I have so many friends who are in that struggle of HAVING to work to provide for their families, of having to make this exhausting juggle every single day. I love them so much and I think of how blessed I am. I am blessed that I don't have to. I am blessed to be able to stay home because Wednesdays exhaust me.
I have been saving this post as a draft for two days now, thinking that it might offend someone or that I shouldn't be THIS honest about how I feel. Ultimately I decided that, like Danielle Bean's post a day ago, this is my space to talk about what I want to, about what is on my mind.
That being said, coincidentally, I had an email from a friend yesterday afternoon after I had already begun this post. It was a friend who works, has been married for a little over a year and doesn't have children yet. This friend has thanked me on numerous occasions for staying at home with my children and not working outside the home. She feels passionately about it and feels that all mothers should stay at home. She even feels that it's a SIN not to. In her email, she asked me if I felt the same way. My answer? I don't know. That judgment is left to God. I DO think that working for the sole motivation of having more money and more material things is sinful, since it is greed and sloth and those are clearly sins. I don't however think that all working mom's are working because they want to wear Estee Lauder makeup and Gucci sunglasses. Some legitimately must work so that their children can eat. I do happen to think that far too many women, however, have convinced themselves that they are in the "must work" category and not the "want to" work category. Pride is also a sin, so if I go any further I am guilty of an equal sin; judgment.
Any thoughts?
Monday, July 31, 2006
Even more precious..
Tucking the kids into bed tonight....
Me: Paxton, I loved that book. Did you notice that eventhough all the other jaguars were spotted they still wanted to be friends with the one that was all black and looked different than them?
Paxton: Yeah. But, Aw, that's too bad. I wish I could just be black.
Me: Goodnight Ella (kissing her).
Ella: Goodnight, beautiful!
I am sitting here checking out Amazon's deals on Catholic children's books. I just bought the three books by Gortler and Piscitelli; 'Little Acts of Grace' looks awesome! And also the book about homeschooling by Kimberly Hahn, per Melissa's suggestion. Thanks Melissa!!!
Me: Paxton, I loved that book. Did you notice that eventhough all the other jaguars were spotted they still wanted to be friends with the one that was all black and looked different than them?
Paxton: Yeah. But, Aw, that's too bad. I wish I could just be black.
Me: Goodnight Ella (kissing her).
Ella: Goodnight, beautiful!
I am sitting here checking out Amazon's deals on Catholic children's books. I just bought the three books by Gortler and Piscitelli; 'Little Acts of Grace' looks awesome! And also the book about homeschooling by Kimberly Hahn, per Melissa's suggestion. Thanks Melissa!!!
Damaged for life : breastfeeding hangups and brain capacities
We are back from our long weekend to go spend some more time with my mom. Thanks for the well wishes! Mom is starting to do a little better, although it seems that it is two steps forward and one back. My stepdad called this morning to tell me that she is starting to complain about the hospital food now. That's a good sign at least. Now she is aware enough to notice the tar that sits before her, that everyone seems to call "lunch". They actually tried feeding her the quintessential hospital food, green jello. Ew. Hopefully she'll be home by Wednesday or Thursday, a full ten days after she went in (and five days longer than she was supposed to have been there).
While we were in Spokane we took the kids to the airshow at Fairchild airforce base. They got to see the THUNDERBIRDS. They were awesome and the kids loved going through the old warplanes. Steve keeps saying that one of his major regrets is that he never served his country. When pressed further, he just said that it was 'the right thing to do' especially with the war happening. If he had said that to me three years ago I might have chuckled and not given it another thought. But for some reason when he said that yesterday, I agreed with him. I found myself wishing that too, wishing that my brothers would serve, and thinking that there is still time. Interesting, huh? How could Steve do that?
Awesome post on Danielle Bean re: breastfeeding. Check it out! With all of this talk about my boobs lately, it's a wonder any of you are still reading this. Thanks for being so awesome and supportive. I am, afterall, just trying to do the best thing for MY baby and also be the best mom possible to all of my children. The end. No more nipple talk.
One last random tidbit. As most of you know, we don't have television in our house. We have a T.V. but we only use it to watch movies. While at my mom's house, the kids got to watch that flickering blue haze once again and THEY LOVED IT. So did Steve and I. So, I think while I soak in self righteousness that I am not poisoning my children's brains and diminishing their brain capacities, I will also feel free to take a two to three day vacation to mom's house anytime I feel that their little minds need poisoning. In other words, anytime I feel that they need to just "check out" so that I can do the same. It was So nice at 7:00 Saturday morning to just turn it on and let it do it's job. It did it's job so well in fact that Paxton is now calling his father 'Steve' and Ella has started yelling 'NO!'. Dear Lord, what have we done? It was just a little Dora and Doogal! The damage is irreparable.
While we were in Spokane we took the kids to the airshow at Fairchild airforce base. They got to see the THUNDERBIRDS. They were awesome and the kids loved going through the old warplanes. Steve keeps saying that one of his major regrets is that he never served his country. When pressed further, he just said that it was 'the right thing to do' especially with the war happening. If he had said that to me three years ago I might have chuckled and not given it another thought. But for some reason when he said that yesterday, I agreed with him. I found myself wishing that too, wishing that my brothers would serve, and thinking that there is still time. Interesting, huh? How could Steve do that?
Awesome post on Danielle Bean re: breastfeeding. Check it out! With all of this talk about my boobs lately, it's a wonder any of you are still reading this. Thanks for being so awesome and supportive. I am, afterall, just trying to do the best thing for MY baby and also be the best mom possible to all of my children. The end. No more nipple talk.
One last random tidbit. As most of you know, we don't have television in our house. We have a T.V. but we only use it to watch movies. While at my mom's house, the kids got to watch that flickering blue haze once again and THEY LOVED IT. So did Steve and I. So, I think while I soak in self righteousness that I am not poisoning my children's brains and diminishing their brain capacities, I will also feel free to take a two to three day vacation to mom's house anytime I feel that their little minds need poisoning. In other words, anytime I feel that they need to just "check out" so that I can do the same. It was So nice at 7:00 Saturday morning to just turn it on and let it do it's job. It did it's job so well in fact that Paxton is now calling his father 'Steve' and Ella has started yelling 'NO!'. Dear Lord, what have we done? It was just a little Dora and Doogal! The damage is irreparable.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
Epiphanies and thank you's.
To my new supporters and allies, thank you. Melissa and Michelle, you're awesome. Thanks for the support, from one Catholic mom to two others!
My mom had some pretty major surgery and I have been out of town. I nursed Shepherd yesterday morning and then didn't nurse him again until this evening, and that was only because I got online and read your supportive comments. I realize that I have been beating myself up. And for what? I CAN nurse him once a day if I'd like and if it isn't excruciating. I CAN wean him if I feel like it's just too much pain to continue to endure. And I CAN feel confident that he's not going to love me or hate me any more or any less because I did or didn't breastfeed him four months longer. I am so overwhelmingly blessed to have found some amazing support over this crazy connection making machine they call the internet. God continues to amaze me with how much love he has for us and for how happy he wants us to be, connecting us with support all over the place if we choose to reach out for it.
On to my mom... So, my mom had this major surgery yesterday morning and I cannot believe how strong she is. She literally had almost half of a lung removed due to RA and lung disease, and she managed to muster up enough wit and humor today to throw a piece of ice at my brother, jokingly flip him off ( with her index finger no less!) and tell me how pretty I was. How amazing is that? Here is my beautiful mother, in a hospital gown, in the ICU, with more tubes coming out of her than teats on a dairy cow and she manages to find a way to be a light in the room; to put my brother, who is completely freaked out by the smell of hospitals, sterile environments and needles, at ease; to stroke my face and with just a look, let me know that she wasn't going anywhere and that she was going to be around for a long time. I really tried not to let any worry show on my face but I am assuming that just the sheer nature of her being my mother means that she might be able to read more into me than I give her credit for. I wasn't scared that anything was going to happen but I was scared for my mom. Does that make any kind of sense? I guess compassion is the common name for it, but it feels so much more profound than that.
My mother and I have had a tumultuous relationship since I was a young girl (for more reasons than I can really get into in one sitting). But I saw my mother in a new way today. I saw her being a strong, graceful woman; letting people take care of her but also letting us know the she will be around to take care of us and our children. I don't really feel like I "need" mothering. I don't really feel like I "need" nurturing from her. I wanted that a long time ago and it wasn't there. But, today, for some reason I kept feeling like now is our time. Now is my time to appreciate my mother for her boisterous laughter, her beautiful dark curly hair and rosy cheeks, her deep wit and charm, her warm hands, her sense of style and humor, her tenacity, the way she can make my children smile and giggle like no other. I love the Noni that she is for my children and I love the mother she has grown to be for me. Faultless? No. The mother than I always wanted growing up? No. The beautiful human being that God created her to be and the perfect mother for me now? Absolutely.
I am going back to be with my mom in another two days and will be gone over the weekend. And if all this traveling insanity keeps up? We're just going to have to cancel school. My children won't have time to learn.
Thanks again, Blogger friends. You're awesome!!
My mom had some pretty major surgery and I have been out of town. I nursed Shepherd yesterday morning and then didn't nurse him again until this evening, and that was only because I got online and read your supportive comments. I realize that I have been beating myself up. And for what? I CAN nurse him once a day if I'd like and if it isn't excruciating. I CAN wean him if I feel like it's just too much pain to continue to endure. And I CAN feel confident that he's not going to love me or hate me any more or any less because I did or didn't breastfeed him four months longer. I am so overwhelmingly blessed to have found some amazing support over this crazy connection making machine they call the internet. God continues to amaze me with how much love he has for us and for how happy he wants us to be, connecting us with support all over the place if we choose to reach out for it.
On to my mom... So, my mom had this major surgery yesterday morning and I cannot believe how strong she is. She literally had almost half of a lung removed due to RA and lung disease, and she managed to muster up enough wit and humor today to throw a piece of ice at my brother, jokingly flip him off ( with her index finger no less!) and tell me how pretty I was. How amazing is that? Here is my beautiful mother, in a hospital gown, in the ICU, with more tubes coming out of her than teats on a dairy cow and she manages to find a way to be a light in the room; to put my brother, who is completely freaked out by the smell of hospitals, sterile environments and needles, at ease; to stroke my face and with just a look, let me know that she wasn't going anywhere and that she was going to be around for a long time. I really tried not to let any worry show on my face but I am assuming that just the sheer nature of her being my mother means that she might be able to read more into me than I give her credit for. I wasn't scared that anything was going to happen but I was scared for my mom. Does that make any kind of sense? I guess compassion is the common name for it, but it feels so much more profound than that.
My mother and I have had a tumultuous relationship since I was a young girl (for more reasons than I can really get into in one sitting). But I saw my mother in a new way today. I saw her being a strong, graceful woman; letting people take care of her but also letting us know the she will be around to take care of us and our children. I don't really feel like I "need" mothering. I don't really feel like I "need" nurturing from her. I wanted that a long time ago and it wasn't there. But, today, for some reason I kept feeling like now is our time. Now is my time to appreciate my mother for her boisterous laughter, her beautiful dark curly hair and rosy cheeks, her deep wit and charm, her warm hands, her sense of style and humor, her tenacity, the way she can make my children smile and giggle like no other. I love the Noni that she is for my children and I love the mother she has grown to be for me. Faultless? No. The mother than I always wanted growing up? No. The beautiful human being that God created her to be and the perfect mother for me now? Absolutely.
I am going back to be with my mom in another two days and will be gone over the weekend. And if all this traveling insanity keeps up? We're just going to have to cancel school. My children won't have time to learn.
Thanks again, Blogger friends. You're awesome!!
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