I know it's a disgusting title, but bear with me. I've been watching Todd Friel's "Wretched" for a couple weeks now. Let's see if I can work my way through his "process" with you, my friend - whoever you may be reading this right now.
Let me ask you a question. Do you consider yourself to be a good person? (Typical answer is, "Yeah, I'm pretty good. I mean, I'm not perfect, no one is, but I think I'm mostly good. So, yeah, I'm a good person.")
Okay, then. Do good people go to heaven? (Typical answer is, "Yeah. Like, if their good outweighs the bad, then yeah.")
By your own admission, you are a good person, right? Okay. Are you familiar with the 10 Commandments? ("Yeah.") How many lies do you think you've told in your lifetime? (Typical answer is, "Too many.") Okay, I have too. So, people like you and me, who have told lies, we are what? ("Liars.") That's right. I'm a liar. You're a liar.
Okay, what about stealing? Have you ever taken something that wasn't yours? (Typical answer, "Yeah, like when I was a kid. And I took some of my roommate's cookies in college.") Okay, you've stolen. That makes you a... ("thief").
And what about lust? Because the 10 Commandments tells us not to commit adultery, and Jesus judges our heart, if we've lusted then that's adultery in our heart. Have you ever lusted before? ("Yeah.") Okay, then you're an adulterer, too.
So, by your own words, you're a liar, a thief, and an adulterer. That's three of the Ten Commandments right there! We didn't even check the other seven. If you died right now, and God laid out all your sins, because He knows them, everything you've ever done in private, in the dark, or when you thought no one was looking, and God judged you as a liar, a thief, and an adulterer, would God allow you into Heaven? Can God allow someone who's admittedly a liar, thief, and an adulterer into the gates of Heaven? (Typical answer is, "No. I guess He can't do that.")
At this point, if you realize that you, too, are a liar, a thief, and an adulterer, then you must understand... there is NO chance for you to get to heaven by yourself. Nothing you could possibly do can ever get you there.
I explain it to my kids this way: At dinner tonight, we're having iced tea with our meal. It's sweet tea, a whole pitcher! Yum! But, I just want you to know, I peed in the pitcher. Just a little. I mean, it's mostly sweet tea, with just a little pee. Can I pour you some? Invariably, they wrinkle up their noses at me, disgustedly, and say no way. That's how it is with God. He wants NO sin in His perfect heaven! Just like we want NO pee in our tea. Now, we can get clean tea, no problem: just dump the pitcher and start new. But we can't do that with our lives, we don't get to start over, and we're not perfect, because we have ALL sinned. Not a single one of us has ever lived a perfect life.
Except Jesus.
Now, because God is good, he loves all things holy and righteous. Justice is good. God loves justice. If he didn't punish sin, there would be no justice. He demands a blood sacrifice for the punishment of sin. Sin is paid for with death. That's where Jesus comes in. Jesus is God's Son, He is wholly God and wholly man, He was born into a sinful world, but He lived a perfect life. Jesus never stole, lied, or lusted like you and I have. He always honored His parents, He worshipped only His heavenly Father, He kept the Sabbath, never used God's name in vain, never murdered anyone even in His heart, never was jealous for Himself what someone else has... He was absolutely perfect! And He, as a perfect man, allowed Himself to be put on a cross and unjustly killed so that all your sins, past, present, and future, could be cast upon Him, and He paid the price for YOUR sins. He died, so you could live.
But He did so much more than just die for you. He conquered that grave, and rose to life again. Because of His sacrifice for you, you get to go to heaven. The bible says, "No man cometh unto the Father but by Me." And that "Me" is Jesus Christ, our Savior. There is no amount of good you can do that can qualify you for heaven, because all your good is tainted with whatever sins you've committed. Plain and simple. To "get to heaven" you must repent and put your trust in Jesus, believe that His death sacrifice was sufficient to pay your way to heaven.
Do you know what "repent" means? It means to "turn from." Acknowledge that you are a sinner, repent from your sins, and accept that Jesus paid your bill, your debt is covered by His blood, and you, my friend, can "get to heaven." That's all there is to it. Christianity is the ONLY "religion" in the entire world whose God paid for you to get to heaven. ALL other "religions" require the believer to earn their own way through works, but the Bible tells us no one can earn it, that Jesus paid it. Jesus - fully God and fully perfect man. He did it for you! Rely on Him, and Him alone!
Now, do you know how much more God loves you? He not only sent His Son to die for you, but He wrote you 66 loveletters so you can get to know Him. Imagine if you have a love-interest, and you wrote him 66 loveletters, and he never read them. Would you feel loved by him? No, you wouldn't. God's loveletters to you are His Holy Bible. There are 66 books in there. If you are grateful to Him for saving you (if you've repented and put your trust in Jesus), then read His loveletters to you! You can find out so much about God! And you can talk to Him, too! He wants you to pick up the phone and call Him every minute of every day! That's called prayer!
Friend, if you have questions about all this, please feel free to shoot me an e-mail right here on HSB, or leave me a comment and I'll do my best to answer.
Jesus loves you. He loves you enough to have paid your debt. Amen!
This past summer, we raised a baby robin. I put a cute video on YouTube describing our adventure. Here it is, and under it is the sidebar-info I wrote. Enjoy!
Okay, this has been the BEST homeschooling project we've done in a LONG time! The kids have done a LOT of work on this, and I'm so proud of them and how it's been going.
We found "Robby Ray" out of his nest on July 2nd, 2009 in our yard. His nest was in the gutter above, 2 stories up. After looking him over and figuring him to be about a week and a half old (based on web-photos of other robins), we decided to go ahead and try to raise and release him. This video is of day 12, so he's roughly just over 3 weeks old (maybe 23 days or so). You can see that after raising him for 12 days that he's really imprinted on my daughter. It's the sweetest thing ever!
And, everyone will be happy to know that we've been in contact with a rehab center, who looked him over and gave him a clean bill of health (except for a tiny bubbly sound... he's been a little sneezy, but no other symptoms) and remarked at what a wonderful job the kids have done with feeding him and raising him. He has good muscle tone, good hydration, good grooming, good active level, he's even been learning what to eat, etc. The ONLY thing they worry about is his socialization, that he enjoys people way too much, and we all agree. (However, I must point out that my hubby said, "Socialization? Didn't you tell them that Robby Ray is homeschooled?" Socialization is a big joke with us homeschooler-types. ^_^)
Anyway, the rehab center has five aviaries in its backyard. They said that the other robins Robby Ray'sage are just about old enough for an aviary, that as soon as an aviary opens up they will put that group in. After talking it over with my kids, we all agreed that as soon as that group "graduates" to the aviary, we will relinquish Robby Ray to them. Since we're raising him out-of-doors, with no cage anymore, we don't feel it's right to give him to the rehab center until the other caged babies are out of the cages and enjoying the freedom of flight. In fact, Robby Ray threw a big fit tonight being in a cage again just to take a trip to the rehab center. He didn't like it at all! Can't say that I blame him.
So, later this week, off he'll go to the rehab center to play with the other robins his age... a "Fifth Grade Camp" or "Senior Trip" if you will... ^_^. Heh heh. AND... the center is so impressed with how well the kids have done raising him that they're going to keep us on file for next spring to help with the Starlings, maybe some Sparrows, too! Won't that be fun!? Homeschooling is the BEST!
Blessings! ♥♥Christi
Update: 2 days after I shot this video, I went into labor. 2 days after that, Stewart took the kids and Robby Ray to the rehab center and relinquished the bird to them. It was a hard day for the kids, but they were champs about it. Robby Ray, we were told, did a fine job adjusting to the other robins and was later successfully released into the wild.
Have you or your student[s] evered wonder why x0=1? I've illustrated that on my HUGE chalkboard (see photo below). Use it if you need it, friends. Need further explanations? I'll be happy to oblige. Just leave me a comment or shoot me an e-mail. BTW... I love, love, LOVE my chalkboard and am VERY grateful to my dear friends, the Gaffneys, for giving it to me. It's a 4ft. by 6ft. bit o' heaven!
Elimination Communication, or How We're Beginning Infant Potty Training
You may remember several months ago my saying that I wanted to try Infant Potty Training once Benjamin got here. Or, perhaps, you don't remember this. Either way is okay. I did promise to keep this blog updated on what I learn and how our progress goes, if we do indeed utilize it.
So, this is the update.
I decided at the start that I didn't want to actually hold my son over a potty until he had good head-balance. Benjamin is now three months old and doesn't quite have the strength in his neck to hold his head steady; he's still a bit of a bobble-head. However, there's more to this Diaper Free Babying than steady-head. There's the whole communication part of it, too. So, that's where we're beginning, until I feel comfortable with his neck strength. I mean, I don't want to have to worry about his head toppling over while I'm trying to balance his little bottom over the toilet, aiming his elimination into the water, ya know?
Anyway, here's what we're doing right now. Of the two "eliminations," I can only (so far) pick up on his cues of when he's having a bowel movement; I have no idea what his cues are when he urinates. But for BM's, he kind of blank-eyed stares, sometimes he'll hold eye-contact and chit chat, but he always grunts. So, what we're doing, all of us, is repeating back to him his grunting, followed by the words "Go poop?" The hope is that we're teaching him that he can communicate to us what he's doing, which will hopefully lead naturally into his ability to communicate to us that he has to go and we should take him to the potty. By grunting at him and saying, "Go poop?" we're attempting to give words that we use as well as sounds that he already orates to help him to be aware of this bodily function of his.
So far, when we grunt and say, "Go poop?" at him, he makes eye-contact and grins. It seems like a positive sign to me, like he knows that we're talking to him about his pooping.
Here's hoping it works! I'd love nothing more than to have him potty trained by his first birthday! Wouldn't that be dreamy?
He finally did it. He giggled - for the first real time - to the game "Peekaboo." Those first baby giggles always make the previous months of diapers, crying, and late nights all worthwhile! And... we caught it on video. Let's see if I can embed it from my YouTube account (disclaimer: I do not endorse the videos that pop up after my video plays.)...
Please forgive me; I've been neglecting my blog. The reason is trifecta.
The baby came. He's beautiful, just beautiful, healthy, but takes up a lot of time. Mostly, if I'm on the computer, it's while I'm nursing, and I HATE one-handed typing.
I discovered FaceBook. I spend a lot - okay, a loooooooooooot - of time there, and I can do most stuff there one-handedly. (I'm at http://www.facebook.com/christi.waterman if you'd like to friend me.)
I didn't realize I had any readers here on HSB, but have recently been told by a certain few readers that they - in fact - do read and would like an update. Thank you for that, friends. I didn't know anyone read this. It's easy to let fall to the wayside that which you think doesn't affect anyone but yourself, know what I mean?
So, here I am. I'm about to give the low-down on the what's up. ^_^
My previous entry was dated July 14th. I spent that day very actively! I should've known what was to come of it, but - alas! - I never do! It always surprises me!
The Day Before Benjamin - It was a Tuesday. That day I made an entry in my blog, wrote and sent my Thank You cards, finished making and addressing the invitation cards for Benjamin's Meet & Greet celebration, threw the kids in the car, and ran to Quik Trip (cheap fountain drinks), McDonald's (dollar menu), Worm's Way (for our Baby Robin), our neighbor's restaurant (dropped off some organic produce), the Post Office (stamps for the Meet & Greet), PetCo (b/c Worm's Way didn't have worms - who'da thunk?), and someplace else that now eludes me. There were 7 stops total, THAT I clearly remember.
Anyway, once home, it was time to feed Robby Ray (the afore-linked robin). Feeling like we were possibly not taking very good care of him, I called the bird-rehab center (2 miles from my house!) and spoke to a volunteer there (Hi, Bonnie! ^_^). She HIGHLY recommended we turn Robby over to them, but I refused, and I asked if they'd give him a once-over and let us know how we're doing, and that if we weren't doing well we'd hand him over. Bonnie agreed to see Robby.
Then, once Kari and my niece Kirsten got to Grandma Sandi's and Pappy's house for a sleep-over, Kari called me and told me she forgot to pack her "unmentionables." (I didn't mention them on my blog, okay?) So, I packed up Robby Ray to visit the rehab center and packed Kari's "unmentionables," and off Beth and I went, first to the rehab center, then to bring Kari her "stuff." Robby Ray got an A+ evaluation, Bonnie was very impressed with how we were doing with him, and she put our family on a list of volunteers so she can call us to care for baby birds next spring. How exciting! Also, we took Kari her "item."
At home, it was now late at night, and I still had to upload the Robby Ray video and send a link out to everyone I thought might be interested (I'll embed it later in an entry all to itself; in the meantime, you really MUST look at it in the link above). Just when I clicked "Send," I noticed something...
A CONTRACTION!
The Labor - It was no ordinary contraction. It was the MOTHER OF ALL CONTRACTIONS, AND NOTHING LIKE ANY I'D EVER HAD IN ANY OF MY FOUR PREGNANCIES! It started low and in front, and over the next couple hours it grew in size and intensity to cover my entire abdomen and lower back, AND IT NEVER STOPPED! You can't time something that doesn't end, friends. It was WEIRD! It was one, ceaseless, 3-hour contraction!
I called the doc. She said to come in. By the time Hubby and I got in the van, with bags and all, it was almost 4am, and my singular contraction turned into timed contractions, coming every 5 minutes. By the time they had me hooked up on monitors, they were at 2.5 minute intervals. After several hours of this, they stopped.
Weird, right?
Well, since I was already hooked up and admitted, and the baby was considered "full-term" (12 days early, yes... but full-term none-the-less), they went ahead and gave me the dreaded Pitocin. Ugh! I made it all the way to contraction level 60 (out of 100) before I accepted the epidural. I was GONNA try "au naturel," but nobody told me the Pitocin made the pain come on like a race horse out of the gate! Man! Painful! Let me tell you, ladies... if you decide to deliver without an epidural, but they give you Pitocin... TAKE THE DRUGS! Trust me on this, okay? Your body doesn't have time to build up its endurance and natural endorphins when you're on Pitocin. Okay?
Baby Benjamin - Anyway, my beautiful baby boy came at 5:10 pm on the 15th of July, weighing in at 7 pounds 9 ounces. He's named Benjamin ("son of my right hand") David (his Uncle Shawn's middle name).
God kissed him all over the place, too, in honor of each child. It's amazing. Here's the blessing-run-down:
He has the same Superman swirl in his hairline that Alex does. I'd never seen a cowlick like this before - or since - except in my own son. Now, whenever Alex looks at Benjamin, he can see a bit of himself.
He has just one dimple, like Kari. She was the only one of the kids to receive my dimple, but Benjamin has one, too... and it's in the opposite cheek as Kari's. So now, when Kari looks at Benjamin, she can see a mirror-reflection of her own dimple looking back at her.
Beth was the only one of my children to have a big, red strawberry birthmark on the back of the head. Of course, her long red hair covers all evidence of it, but she can now look at Benjamin and see a small way God kissed him just for her.
All three of my other kids have crooked fingers just like I do - they bend backwards at the second joint. Benjamin has wonderfully straight fingers, like his big brother, my stepson Stew. It must be hard for Stew to be the only one not from both parents in this house, but now when he looks at Benjamin, he can see a definite link to this little guy and know that God kissed Ben's hands just for him.
I know, sappy and sentimental, right? But those are the thoughts that go through a new-mom's head, all the new observances of holding her new baby.
Here's a link to his hospital photos (hope it works):
Since then, he's battled - and won victoriously - a bout fighting jaundice. It took six weeks to overcome, which was on-target for his "type" of jaundice (late on-set of milk production made the bile stay in his system too long, had to overcome jaundice by feeding, feeding, feeding until it was all washed out).
And now he's a whopping 13+ pound 3-month old baby, and he's the joy of the whole house! Every single one of us loves to look at him, hold him, interact with him, and laugh at his cuteness.
God has so richly blessed us, way beyond anything we could have ever hoped for!
Anyway, friends, I do plan not to neglect this blog anymore. And I do plan to upload photos. I have LOTS to share! Plus, FaceBook doesn't have much of a way for me to really express my thoughts on those things God's been teaching me, except in "Notes," but - I dunno - it's just not quite like a blog. Ya know? And I do miss my writing.
We're almost there. The baby has almost completely filled up the space I have to give him. LOL. I mean, he is WAAAAY up in my ribs! Heh heh.
On a very positive note.... we're getting through a lot of the stuff on my TO-DO list. Hooray!
About that list, there are several things which have decreased in importance to me since I wrote it. So, several items will NOT get crossed off before Benjamin gets here. And I'm okay with that. ^_^
It won't be long now. ^_^ I've been dilated at 1cm for 2 weeks now. And there's only 2 weeks to go! It's amazing how quickly this pregnancy has just whizzed by! We found out the Tuesday before Thanksgiving, and when I think about it like that, it seems forever ago. But when I think about only having 2 weeks until he's due... WOW! I just can't believe it!
And we have so much to be thankful for! Our church gave me a "Blessing Shower" a few weeks ago. It's where the ladies of the church write messages of encouragement, Scripture, poetry, give gifts, brush my hair (^_^), and feed me lunch. It was wonderful! And they all seemed led by the Spirit to speak to me exactly what I needed to hear! We've also had lots of friends give items of clothing, seats (car, bouncy, etc.), and even service (painting, planning, cleaning). My hubby's work threw HIM a baby shower, too! The items were mostly "daddy" related, which I thought was awesome ("My daddy can outcode your daddy" bib, "Daddy's little speedster" jammies, etc.).
The most thanks goes to God for opening my womb, providing a healthy pregnancy, healthy ultrasounds, and bringing me full-term. He also answered prayer in giving us a son (so far as we know, anyway), which we prayed for. Personally, I've been believing Him for this baby to have green eyes, in honor of both grandmothers who have green eyes. Both grandfathers have brown eyes, and that's all we've been able to have so far is brown-eyed babies. ^_^ So, I'm praying for green eyes. I'm also praying for a mellow child, one whose emotions run pretty even-kieled, like Beth. That would give me 2 and 2 for temperament. Plus, since this one is "slated" to be Kari's little buddy (Beth and Alex are buddies), and Kari is a high-emotional child, she would bond well with one whose emotions were not so easily wound.
Anyway, as I've said, he's almost here! And we're so excited!
They stand for so much that we believe in. They are a band of brothers who love performing and traveling and just being together. Awesome, because we love family-togetherness! They were homeschooled (for a time). Awesome, because we homeschool! They are professing Christians. Awesome, because so are we. They wear purity rings and are committed to that purity. Awesome, because that's our mindset, too. And they're boys. Awesome, because I have daughters.
I've long told anyone in ear-shot, "Look! It's my future-son-in-law!" whenever the Jonas Brothers were on. The girls and I have had many discussions about which one would suit them best, based on personality differences, age gap, birth order and so on and so forth. Okay, most of it's been in jest, but that's beside the point I'm trying to make.
That point being that the eldest Jo-Bro has gotten engaged!
NOOOOO! Say it ain't so, Jo-Bro!
Actually, I'm happy for him. Getting engaged is the first step in that coveted happily-ever-after longed for with another person. May God grant them many, many happy and productive years together, years that bless and honor the Lord and their own parents, too.
Life (life... life...) Without (without... without...) Facebook! (facebook... facebook)
And it stinks, man! Here's the skibby:
On Monday evening, my darling little Karibear, my mini-me, my social butterfly, asked me if she could have a Facebook account. Hesitatingly, I agreed, and began the process of opening up an account for her. But, hmmm... what's this? They need a functional e-mail address to associate with her account. Well, she happens to have an e-mail addy, but she's, like, NEVER used it! She is only ten, you know. That means we have long-forgotten her password to her e-mail.
Enter Daddy. He is the e-mail accounts admin. for the whole family, right? And he happens to be a walking encyclopedia of password memorization, too. After we gave up, he strolls in and inputs it, no problem. So, our issue is solved, and we head back to FB for Kari. Her account gets set up, and they flash on the screen the message stating that a "confirmation e-mail has been sent" to the e-mail address given. She can't do much of anything on FB until she clicks the confirmation link in that e-mail.
So, we login to Kari's e-mail and check. No confirmation e-mail. We wait a few minutes and check again. Still, no confirmation e-mail. So, we head back to FB and request another one be sent and toggle over to her e-mail. STILL, no confirmation e-mail.
I deduced that she has so many parental controls on her e-mail account that she is unable to receive anything from a party not approved by the e-mail accounts admin. (aka: Daddy). So, we log hubby in to his multiple accounts to see if there is an e-mail to him requesting permission to allow FB to send e-mails to Kari. No such doing.
At this point, I get impatient at how difficult this has become, toggle over to Kari's newly created FB account, click on her Settings, and add another e-mail account to her FB. The one I added was one I KNEW worked, because it's the one I use, right?
Guess what happened. Go ahead. Guess.
Stinkin' Facebook wiped out MY account so that my e-mail address could be associated with HER account! In fact, if you "search" my name now, NOTHING shows up! It returns ZERO results! All those hours spent on downloading pictures and videos; all those links to people I've been thrilled to be back in touch with; all those e-mails sent through FB... GONE!
"Just report the problem." Done, and done, and done again! Still NO resolution! I'm sick to my ears with this!
And you canNOT imagine how many people have called and asked me, "What's wrong? Where'd you go?" Yesterday, my high school best friend called me from another state and told me that one of the gals I never really spoke to in high school contacted her and asked, "What happened to Christi? I tried to send her a message, but she's gone." My MIL called me; my friend Pam asked what happened; my "captain" in Puzzle Pirates asked; and my friend Joy was almost in tears b/c she thought she'd offended me or something!
Grrrrrr!
If I didn't love being on Facebook so much, I wouldn't worry about it. But it turns out, it's way better than MySpace at getting in touch and KEEPING in touch with people (so long as your account doesn't get WIPED, that is!). Plus, it's just plain fun keeping up with your friends, too. Faster than calling eveyone.
Anyway, if a Facebook Administrator ever happens upon this page, please, PLEASE fix this problem!
Hope everyone has a splendid day. I'm off soon to my ObGyn for one of my last visits this pregnancy. I have 3 weeks and 4 days until I'm due!
We Watermans don't play golf or follow it, but I've always thought Tiger Woods was a pretty cool class act.
And I still do.
Today I found an interesting little tidbit. Tonight on Jimmy Fallon's late-night show, Tiger will be there to accept Jimmy's golf challenge... on the Nintendo Wii. I plan to watch it... or at least DV-R it.
I hope Tiger whoops Jimmy. That would be awesome! (No offense, Jimmy... but c'mon! It would be way cool!)
Wow. Okay, one of the really neato things about having your babies spaced so far apart is seeing all the changes in baby gear. Hubby and I went out recently and looked at monitors. The only one we ever used was a hand-me-down that we rec'd 16 years ago for Beth. We had to get rid of it; something about battery acid and picking up on cordless phone conversations and truck drivers' CB radios.
Anyway, here's the newest trend: VIDEO monitors! I kid you not! Here's a photo of one:
This, my beloved friends, family, and readers, is the Summer Infant Best View Color Handheld Video Monitor. Now, a normal, audio-only monitor costs around $30 or so. This nifty thing... TWO HUNDRED AND THRITY DOLLARS at Toys R Us. Um... yeah.
Okay, so when we first saw these sorts of things, we poked fun and laughed and said the same thing my MIL said last night, "How EVER did babies survive without these?" I know, right?! What a ridiculous purchase!
But then I got to thinking... our schoolroom's in the basement, the baby's bed will be in my room... hmmm... stairs to climb... do I REALLY want to climb up them at every little peep? And what about being outside?
Call me ridiculous... I want it. Is that so wrong?
This is my fourth baby that's due in five weeks. I'm no newbie; I know what I want in a diaper bag. In essence, it's the bag I had 6 years ago with Alex. And I canNOT find another one like it!
Here's my "essentials" list for its specifications:
It needs an adjustable shoulder strap that can be long enough to go cross-body or over stroller handles
It needs a "Purse Pocket" on the outside that has a three-quarter unzip (unzips on left, top, and right sides of pocket to REALLY open up), preferably with 2 zipper pulls so I can open just a little or a lot. This "Purse Pocket" would also be ideal if it had a tiny mirror buttoned inside, a keys hook, two lipstick pouches, card slots, and room enough for cell and wallet.
A change pad would be nice.
Elastic pockets on the sides for bottle/sippie cup/ jar of food, etc.
The large top pocket would have some sort of dividers or additional pockets and the whole interior would only be big enough for about 3-4 diapers, small wipes box, a bib, change of clothes, 2 small toys, binky, small Tylenol, spoon, and a snack bag of Cheerios. In other words, it's a "Mini." I do NOT "do" large diaper bags!
NOT with pink or cutesie animals... the color should be pretty plain or neutral, like Navy, Forest, Brown, or other similar.
So far, I've found bags with, like, 4 or 5 of the 6 requirements. They all lack something. But... I KNOW it exists! I had one! And it didn't cost a fortune, either! If I recall correctly, I got it at Wal-Mart. *sigh* Eddie Bauer comes closest, so far. Look at the bag on the right at the bottom of this page:
It's a story of how bad the economy is in Detroit. The last Chrysler dealer closed, there are NO major grocery chains, and even Starbucks is gone! As you all know, I'm not pleased about mortgages, and this is one sad, sad result of what happens when too many people get mortgage-crazed and help to send the economy into a swirling vortex of doom.
On a lighter note, if you're out on Facebook, I've posted some great pictures of the kids out there. Here's my direct link at www.facebook.com/momwtrmn. Send me a message or friend request, and check out my wonderful children!
For several days now, little Alex (6yrs.) has posed the question to each of us, "What do you think is the most important meal of the day?" He asks it in such a way that suggests HE has knowledge of the correct answer, and it's up to us to guess what that correct answer is.
"Well," I said, "I've heard it said that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, because it wakes your body up and gives it energy to get going. Am I right?" With a smile, he says, "Yes, ma'am. You're correct!"
I asked him where he heard that from, and it turns out that he heard if from an animated series called Iron Man: Armored Adventures. Who knew comic cartoons were so educational?
Tonight, after dinner, as he was excusing himself from the dinner table, Alex said, "I think dinner is the most important meal of the day. Do you know why?" "No," I said. "Why?" He replied, "Because families get together at dinner."
Eat your heart out, Iron Man. Tony Stark's got nothin' on MY little man!
I enjoy listening to Janice McBride's teachings. She says (and other Biblical scholars say) that our eternal souls are our "mind, will, and emotions." This makes sense, since this is the part of us that isn't made of physical matter; it's the stuff that goes with us into eternity when our bodies die. Our Mind, Will, and Emotions.
Sometime ago, I got to thinking about the importance of the order of these words, "Mind, Will, and Emotions." Why is it that I always hear the trio in that order? Is it significant? If so, why?
As I pondered this, I recalled the times in my marriage when I felt no love at all towards my darling hubby, Stewart. It's during these times that I've been apathetic towards him, not caring if he comes or goes, taking his every word and even his casual demeanor as purposeful and personal attacks against me. Truly, there was no love lost in my thoughts! I was absolutely, 100% not in love with him.
But somehow, often through a someone (thank you, ladies), I get the notion that - basically - there's a "kink in my think." And that's the first part: the Mind. I need to get the right thoughts into my head. I need to think about what's good, right, honest, and true. I can choose to be patient with him. I can choose to be kind toward him. I can be slow to anger. I can give him the benefit of the doubt. These are all good, right, honest, and true thoughts that I can choose to let seep into my Mind.
Then comes the second part: the Will. Once I get the right thoughts into my Mind, then I need to act on them through purposeful utilization of my Will. When he comes home, I say, "Hi. How was your day?" And then I can actually listen with a pleasant, smiling expression on my face, even if I don't "feel" pleasant towards him. When he heavy-sighs at me, I bite my tongue and remind myself that I haven't been kind towards him and that I deserve that sigh. And I don't respond with a "What was THAT for!" I anticipate that his favorite beverage is Dr. Pepper and I bring him an ice-cold glass of it, just because I can. These are actions I can Will myself to do.
So far, those two things, the Mind and the Will, are choices I can make, things I can control.
But what about my Emotions? It's interesting to note that when I get the right thoughts into my Mind and act on those with my Will that it's not long and my Emotions follow-suit. Suddenly, as I incorporate right thoughts and right actions into my daily life, I begin to FEEL love towards my hubby again! Gone are the feelings of apathy and hate, of disgust and frustration. It's not long and I begin to wonder what my problem against him ever was! And then I can't wait until he comes home so I can see him, hear him, touch him. And life is again good.
And another interesting thing about all this is that it all depends on me! It has nothing to do with whether or not he's acting in the way I think he should or speaking to me in a kind tone or jumping through any hoops I want him to jump through. It's all about what thoughts I ponder on and what actions I take because of these thoughts! However, he can't help but react to my own actions. If I'm consistent enough, his demeanor towards me naturally softens, his voice towards me loses its gruffness and its nastiness, his words become kinder, and even his body language towards me becomes warmer. It's the most amazing thing I've ever personally and repetitiously witnessed!
And the opposite of it is equally true! If I get wrong ideas into my head and make them a part of my Mind, and then I act on them with my Will, my Emotions follow that suit, too! It's like divorce and the ugliness between the couple that results. Think about it. When one person considers divorce, that idea makes itself strong in the person, deeply embedding itself into the person's Mind. Soon, the person begins to make decisions and moves in his Will to act on that idea of divorce. It's not long and that person FEELS apathy, hate, disgust, anger, frustration... and says to their spouse, "I don't love you anymore." Well, no wonder! They've got the wrong Mind! They've got a baaaaaad "kink in their think!"
But all this can be so easily and so quickly resolved if people will just take a moment and consider that they don't have to be slaves to their Emotions! No! Instead, they can force their Emotions into obedience to their Mind and Will! Get the right think! Do the right thing! Then bask in the warmth of the right feelings! It's so simple, but so abstract to people. This is something that should be taught to our children as we teach them self-control, when we see them acting out against their siblings or neighborhood kids. If we teach them these things when they are young, they will be masters of their Emotions, because they will know how to use their Mind and Will for the good of all, before they enter into marriage! And they will be happier for it! So will their spouses and children!
Instead of a baby shower or leaving an open invite for hospital visits, we're going to do a post-partum Meet and Greet with the new baby. I think this will be good for several reasons:
We still don't know what we "need" that is NOT large-ticket items (stroller/carseat combo and video monitor is about all that's left). At this point, doing a baby registry would be something to do just to get "stuff," and I am so not a Stuff Person! So it will relieve me of having to do a baby registry. Also, having a Diaper Pounding type of Shower isn't really desirable, since I'm planning on trying out that Infant Potty Training thing.
When people come to a shower, they feel obligated to buy a gift. A Meet and Greet will relieve guests of this imposed need. Only those who really feel they want to bless us in that way will bring gifts, and by then I'll know what I "need."
It will relieve people of the need to visit me and the baby at the hospital. Hospital visits are nice, but so is peace and quiet right after giving birth.
It will relieve people of the need to visit me and the baby at random times right when I come home from the hospital. Who wants to keep a clean house for pop-in guests right after giving birth?
I'll be in the comfort of my own home with my new little baby when everybody comes over. Nursing made easy!
Everyone can see the baby, b/c he won't be whisked off by nurses for shots, baths, tests, etc.
Plenty of seats for all the guests, unlike a hospital visit.
Plenty of things for guests' children to do downstairs in the school/play room, unlike a hospital visit.
Snacks will be available, unlike a hospital visit.
Dads are welcome to come, unlike a baby shower.
People can stop by anytime at their convenience during the Meet and Greet, unlike a baby shower.
The baby and I should be ready for guests by then, since we'll plan the Meet and Greet between 2 and 3 weeks after the due date. Who knows if we'll be able to handle visitors while in the hospital?
I'm sure there are more pros that I could list, but I think I'll stop at a dozen. I can't wait to meet my little guy and to have you all meet him, too.
*sigh* I really have no good reason to feel so blue. I know right now I'd like for at least ONE of our computers to have a camera hook-up to it so I could upload some fun images of the kids. But that's a silly reason to "feel" blue, ya know? I'm healthy, my kids and hubby are healthy, I have lots of people in my life who surround me with love, God has been unsurpassingly good and gracious with us. What is it? Is it just pregnancy hormones? (Seven weeks to go.)
Perhaps. Whatever the reason, I know not to dwell on it. I think I'll go put on some fun music and do laundry. That will make me up-beat and dance-y ... with the added benefit of making hubby happy, too. And the kids always like to see me making a fool of myself dancing about the house. ^_^ The two younger ones usually join in, and then Beth can't help but laugh at all of us.
We enjoy our Wii. Sometimes, we'll get into some real smack-down competitions, other times we'll gather 'round to help each other solve some puzzle, or we'll just thoroughly enjoy a good "work out" (hoola hoops, anyone?). Of course, we have some play-alone games, too. But we're almost never alone while playing. ^_^ Someone is almost always hanging out watching, chatting, offering back-seat-driver-style tips to the one holding the controller. It's good fun!
One of our favorite title series is the LEGO games. We have LEGO Star Wars, LEGO Batman, and LEGO Indiana Jones. And they're just so cute!
Now, a new title is coming this winter. LEGO has joined forces with one of the biggest names in the gaming industry: Rock Band. We have ZERO of the Rock Band titles, but we MAY just get this one. We'll have to see a list of the songs and approve them.
Did I mention? LEGO games are just so spankin' cute! Here's the video trailer. Enjoy!
See? Wasn't that cute? I love how they "bring down the house" ... right on their own heads... and the band laughs! Funny stuff!
What do you think? Too controversial? Too un-family? Or do you think LEGO will - maybe - manage to make it family-friendlier than previous Rock Band titles?
My hubby called me a little while ago and told me that it had been a while since we discussed the importance of today's date. It was 14 years ago today that we won - by judge's decision - the right to have visitation with my then-6-year-old stepson, Stew.
Wow. Fourteen years ago! I remember that previous winter, Stew's mom had allowed us one visit at her place, but then for months after wouldn't allow us to see him again. We kept our Christmas tree up from that winter until June when we could finally celebrate Christmas with him. We got him a Hotwheels race track and a Tasmanian Devil sleeping bag. Such humble beginnings! ^_^
Today, as he's 20 years old now and stepping out on his own to be a man of his own life, we just helped him - this morning, in fact - obtain the keys to his first apartment.
June 1st, 1995, we worked to bring him into our home, and June 1st, 2009, we worked to get him into a home of his own. Funny how it's come full-circle like that.
Thank You, Lord, for the blessing of my stepson, my darling boy, whom I love and adore. Please keep Your guiding hand on him and bring him safely into Your fold. Help him to become the man You have designed him to become, and help us guide him along that path.
With so many "reality shows" out there, I thought I'd take a break and blog a little on the only reality I know... MY reality. I am a Christian woman, wife, mother, and homeschooler. Without further ado, these are my real thoughts about life around me. I hope it honors and glorifies Christ Jesus.
