Gerrr.. My rant for the day

I was totally shocked and disgruntled when I opened the USA Weekend in my paper this morning. The article was entitled, "More Money, More Kids.... Stats show that wealthier families are having more children." I went on to read an article with excerpts like these,

....Begin excerpts.... (bold my emphasis)

"Having more than two children is a luxury," says Paul Demeny of the Population Council, a non-profit research group. "Three or four is getting to be a size that only the affluent can afford."

With contraception more effective these days and the cost of raising children so high, couples are thinking more about economics as they plan their families, Demeny says. Once families have more than two children, everything becomes much more expensive, he says, pointing out that larger families need bigger cars and homes. "These trends have been unfolding during the last 20 or 30 years, but they are just now showing up in statistics, he says. They reflect the movement of women into the workforce, the complications of finding quality, affordable child care and America becoming a more secular society. (secular couples tend to have fewer children)

Children were considered a financial asset to the poor in the 19th century, providing a cheap source of unskilled labor and the potential to bring additional income to the family. But with industrialization and the need for children to spend their youth in school, the economics of large families dramatically changed. Now, 'people hurt their own standards of living and diminsh prospects for their own children if they have more than two," Demeny says. The very wealthy, however, don't need to worry about economic constraints. For them, children have become part of having it all.

....end of excerpt......

WHAT?????

Okay. I have four children. I plan on having more. (gasp)

People, we make about $26,000 a year. We are a one-income family. Have my children suffered for it? No way! They have never been hungry, they have never been in want of clothes, and we do fun things. We go to the zoo. We go to aquariums. We go on trips. Nothing fancy, mind you, but we can squeeze a few extra things in here and there.

We will be completely debt free in 8 months. We will own our vans, and we will not have a credit card. We have a small emergency fund, and we have some small investments started. We already have some saved for our children's college fund, and we will continue to save until they are old enough. We are saving for our retirement.

Even when our children go to college, if they so choose too, we want their college fund to be their 'backup fund.' Since when did it hurt anyone to work their way through school?

True, I rarely go on shopping sprees. True, most of my children's clothes come from clearance racks, and giving people from the church. True, my two girls share a room, and my two boys share a room.  So what?

In fact, because we make so little, I have to maximize what I have. I promise you I can get more for my money then the person that makes $100,000 a year. Because they don't care how much they spend on groceries. But I do. And because I do, making less has taught me to be frugal. I scope out sales, and I get so much more than I did when we made $35,000 a year.

We are in no way wealthy- by the world's definition, but we do not think that children have 'Hurt our standards of living.' We don't have alot of extra cash to blow, but when did it become all about 'our wants', and 'our needs'???

When did it become all about us? Children are seen as a burden- a mouth to feed, a body to clothe. They are never seen as a blessing anymore. When did it become dollar signs and cents when it came to having children- instead of the knowledge that when you raised a child right, you were leaving a legacy behind that money cannot buy?

This article pretty much disgusted me. I am so glad that I am in a minority, if this is the mainstream thinking in America.

We don't make much money, but I can promise you that my children will be more loved, more appreciated, and have more character than the two children who live in a mansion, have nannies for mommies, and have all the expensive toys that money can buy. Because there are things that money can't buy. And those are the things that will get my children through life.

Kroger deals!!!

11:12 AM, Apr. 2, 2008 .. Posted in Just Because .. 6 comments .. Link

All right, I have been visiting Money Saving Mom now for some time, and it has really been helping me get more for my money. Never, ever, ever, however, have I gotten such a great deal as I did today. The picture above does not even do my deals justice. Before coupons, the total was $105. 02. After coupons and the Mega sale that they had going on, (Buy 10 of certain items, get $5 off your total- you can do three 10 item transactions. A coupon printed out at the register, so I actually took all my bags out to the car, and did another 10 item transaction. So I ended up doing four 10 item transactions.) I paid $34.34 for everything. Let me specify- I saved $70.68!!! Thanks, Crystal!!! I even felt like I qualified to link this on her site. I have been saving money now for a couple months, but never, ever something like this. For $34 I got:

4 Rolls of Scott paper towells

2 Pert Plus Shampoo/Conditioner (not part of the deal, but they were mega bottles marked down to $2.39, and I had a BO/GO coupon. . The cashier punched the coupon total off as $3.99, so I pretty much got them for free)

Chicken fettucine entree

Ziploc baggies

2 Betty Crocker Supreme Brownies

2 boxes Quaker Granola Bars

1 box Special K

1 box Kellogg granola bars

1 tube of Excedrin (free plus overage)

7 bags of Goldfish

1 Windex antibacterial spray

3 Lipton rice bags

1 package Scalloped potatoes

1 Newman's dressing

1 Progresso soup

2 Pillsbury pizza crusts

1 Betty Crocker muffin mix

8 boxes of Hot Pockets

1 Kraft Singles

I was so thrilled I felt like shouting! I actually did my first transaction, took the bags out to the van, and went in and did one more 10 item transaction with Hot pockets and Goldfish, because a coupon for the Hot pockets printed at the register the first time around.

I felt like such a 'Proverbs 31' lady- saving my family all of that money!

Rice cakes, brothers, and nothingness, oh my!

11:12 AM, Apr. 2, 2008 .. Posted in Just Because .. 1 comments .. Link

Don't those just look yummy? And they are! And oh-so-cheap to make! Drum roll please... I have lost six pounds in the last three weeks! Wha-hoo! It's all been from working out, I think. I joined Curves less than a month ago, and I am already shrinking! I usually wear a twelve.. well, last night, for the first time in a really long time... I wore a size ten to church! I was thrilled. Since things have been so tight, (financially, not my clothes.... ha, ha,) I have had to come up with some quick, frugal, and healthy snacks. When you burn off 550 calories at Curves, the last thing you want to do is come home and inhale 600 calories. So, I came up with these. I remembered eating these at a friend's house when I was a kid. (remember Shaina- Sarah and Courtnie?) All it is is a rice cake spread with peanut butter, with mixed fruit on top. I added a little sugar to the fruit, because I like a little bit of sweetness. I bought the rice cakes for $1.69 for 12 of them at Aldis, and the bag of frozen fruit for $1.99. I already had the peanut butter. So it's an entire week of snacks for me for less then $4! And they are so yummy, and filling to boot! Who thought two rice cakes could be so filling? Those two rice cakes were actually my lunch for today. Yum, yum....

You'll find that when you start to lose weight, that you start taking your eating habits seriously, also. At least in my case. When you go through all the trouble to drive somewhere, work out for 30 minutes, get all hot and sweaty, and drive *back* home- well, you get pretty picky about what you are going to eat. Two pounds a week is fine with me!

And since you are rolling your eyes and thinking, "Rice cakes are all this lady can come up with to talk about???" I will leave you with a cute picture. I happened upon this the other day, and it did my Mama's heart good, I'm telling you. They looked so cute sharing a book and drawing!

So my life revolves around rice cakes and my children. Oh well. I'm happy. If you want some real news, go watch the news. It might make you all depressed, but go for it. At least here you won't get all depressed.

Because you know how looking at pictures of rice cakes makes you all happy and tingly inside. OH, I am the only person that happens to? Oh well. I might just go eat me another one. They make me feel that good.

John Piper on Birth Control

11:12 AM, Apr. 2, 2008 .. Posted in Just Because .. 0 comments .. Link

My thoughts exactly.

Now I remember why I go shopping by myself

8:10 AM, Apr. 1, 2008 .. Posted in My Crazy Moments .. 3 comments .. Link

Since I can't complain about this to my husband, (I don't want to prove him right- he says I always have horror stories about the kids when I take them shopping) I'll just write about it on here.

Yesterday I was running low on time. Since I have been reading Money Saving Mom I have been scoring some great deals. In order to score these great deals, however, I have to run to about a bazillion stores. Okay, not a bazillion, but at least four- Wal-Mart, (the only things I buy there are diapers and formula- I haven't found them cheaper anywhere else) Target, CVS, and Aldis. It's time consuming, but boy, I have been getting alot for my money. I saved $22 at Wal-Mart, saved $25 at Target, and paid $.76 for about ten dollars worth of stuff at CVS yesterday. (plus got ECBs back) And I am new at all this stuff! But anyways, I wanted to work out at Curves, too, and I needed to be home before 5:30.

Sooo... I came up with the brilliant plan of going to Target and Wal-Mart before I dropped them off at the church to their daddy. Wal-mart went fine. The older two kept their rowdiness under check, (barely) and Abby kept her whining to a minimum. Chloe was perfect.

Then we went to Target.

All was good until we got to the yogurt isle. It was on sale at Target, and I had coupons. I started grabbing armfuls, and putting them in the cart. All was good. *Until* Chloe saw them. Now, Chloe knows what yogurt is. She eats it almost every day. I've fed it to her for a long time, and she is a yogurt lover. She could live off of the stuff. She had had a bottle before we left, but by this time she was getting hungry. She let out a scream that the entire store could have (and probably did) heard. I then realized that I had left her diaper bag- with her *paci* in it- in the van.

Duh, Cassandra.

I tried patting her head. She looked at the yogurt. I tried calming her down with "Shh, shh..." She looked at the yogurt. I picked her up and rocked her. She arched her back towards the cart and flailed her arms toward the yogurt.

I had turned into one of 'those moms' that has a screaming kid in the store and everyone is craning their necks trying to see who it is.

So here I am, pushing the cart while Jason and Tommy laugh, Abby whines that *she* wants yogurt, and Chloe screams- all the while reaching for the yogurt. I go down the Goldfish isle, and I grab four bags. Chloe screams anew. Did I mention she loves Goldfish?

Finally, out of desparation, I did something I never thought I would do. I plunked Chloe down, grabbed Tommy, grabbed a Goldfish bag- one that I hadn't paid for yet- and ripped it open. I instructed Tommy to feed Chloe the Goldfish. I became one of 'those moms' that feeds their kids food they haven't paid for yet.

When I got up to the register, I put the Goldfish on the belt and told the lady, "I have four bags of these. My kids are already eating the other one." I looked back, and both of Abby's hands were full of Goldfish, and she was stuffing them in her mouth. She looked like a chipmunk, and she was spilling crumbs all over the ground. Sigh. (and yes, we had a talk about being greedy when we got into the van)

To all of the Target workers that had to clean up a trail of Goldfish crumbs, I am so, so sorry. My children can wreak havoc pretty quickly.

And since I can't complain about it to my husband, I tell it here, my dear, faithful readers. All five of you. Go ahead and laugh, but this one thing is true-

Next time I'm leaving the children at home with Daddy.

Jason, my social son

10:44 AM, Mar. 31, 2008 .. Posted in Raising children .. 0 comments .. Link

My son Jason is a special kid. He loves people. From the time he was a baby, he would coo and smile at just about anyone, and he never had an attachment problem with me. I always had to be super careful to watch his every move when we were out- because I never knew just *who* he would go to! If a stranger would have asked him to come with them, he would have happily obliged.

I don't know if it is because we go to nursing homes every week, or because he has alot of grandmas and grandpas, but this kid has a special place in his heart for old people. He loves 'em.

We have a very special older couple that sits behind our family in every service. From the time Jason started sitting with us in service, he has won over their hearts. He started by peeking over my shoulder and waving with a big, toothy smile. Then, he started shaking their hands. Now, he gives them both hugs the instant they walk in the door.

As a Mommy, you like to think that you hold 'the spot' in your little son's heart. I always was the one he was going to marry. I mean, I was the most beautiful, right? Well, my illusion was shattered the other day. We were driving along, and Jason tells me,

"Mommy, I'm going to marry Mrs ***** when I grow up."

Tommy, the all time practical one, said, "Jas, you can't. She's already married."

Jason- "I don't care. She can get married again. And I am going to marry her."

Tommy- "Jason, you can't. Because she's already married, and then you would all have to live in a big house, and only her and her husband can live in a house. And she already has one."

Jason would not be deterred. By George, he's convinced he's going to marry Mrs. *****!

My place in Jason's heart as his future bride has been overturned. By a woman ten times his age. And to top it off, he's going to be a polygamist! He then went on to say,

"And I am going to marry Grandma G***, too." His great grandma. A sweet, cuddly honey of a woman that he sees twice a year. But she's made an impression. And he's never forgotten it.

Jason's favorite people in the world are old people. And I have a feeling that their favorite boy is a little five year old that is madly in love with them.

(as I write this, Jason is drawing pictures for his great grandma G*** . We see them in a month, and he.is.pumped. Grandpa better watch out- he has some competition now!)

Busy, Busy, all the time....

1:21 PM, Mar. 24, 2008 .. Posted in Just Because .. 1 comments .. Link

Sometimes I wonder if life was meant to be this busy. But then I tell myself that I would hate it if I sat at home. All day. Every day. I really do love my life. It just gets crazy sometimes! A run-down of my life lately...

1. I had a really nice Easter dinner with my family yesterday. Thanks Mom, for a great meal! I got to see my cute little nephews, (no nieces yet on my side... come on sisters, get busy with that one!) and my brother was home from college for the weekend. Yum, yum, my mouth is watering, because....

2. I am starving. We have no food in the house, but we don't want to go grocery shopping, because.....

3. We have convention this week, Wed-Friday. Thank God for mothers that will watch four little children. It just stinks that they are going to need a break after watching them, because....

4. We are going to need a break after supervising ten teens for three days. Husband in one hotel room, me in another. Fun times, I am telling you. I sometimes have a hard time, because...

5. Why does it seem like teen girls today are highly emotional and weepy almost all the time sometimes? I don't remember being that way growing up. I don't think my mom tolerated it very well. Since I am not weepy, I have a hard time knowing how to deal with weepy girls. And I usually am very happy nowadays, because....

6. I joined Curves, and I love it. It has made me a better Mommy, because I have way more energy, I feel better about myself, and I get a little break three times a week. I am shooting for a size eight. My clothes are already getting bigger on me, which is good because....

7. I am starving, and those little Hershey kisses with almonds are calling my name, but I am resisting, because I realize just how long it will take to work off those calories. And I need to conserve my calories this week, because...

8. Fast food, here we come. We will be eating approx. nine fast food meals between Wed and Friday. Yum, Yum. (sarcasm) I am thinking salads and Subway. Which sounds really good, because....

9. I am starving. Oh, did I mention that? I need to put the kids down for naps, because....

10. They are fighting, and I want to sit, read, and drink tea, because....

11. My house is freezing. It snowed yesterday. On Easter. It was pitiful. And my hands are about to fall off, they are so cold. I am still wearing my fuzzy slippers. And it's almost April. Pathetic. And April makes me happy, becuase....

12. Husband and I will be married seven years in a little less then a month! And we are still in love! That's pretty cool. I love that man. Which makes me think of food, because....

13. He's bringing it home right now. And I am hungry. And I am so hungry that I can no longer write, because the weakness from lack of food makes all the words in my brain go....Poof. Gone. All I can think about is food. Glorious, yummy, hot, warm food. I have to crawl to the couch and await my food. I will leave you with Adios, because...

14. I have to pack tomorrow for six people, and I won't be home until Friday night sometime. Have a great week. As soon as I eat, I know I will.

Ah, the thought of food.....

Things that will keep you humble as a mom....

1:13 PM, Mar. 21, 2008 .. Posted in My Crazy Moments .. 1 comments .. Link

Five of our teen girls were riding in my van one day on the way to the mall to shop. Jennifer, the girl sitting in the spot that Abby usually sits in, looked out the window, and with shock, disgust, and a little humor in her voice screeched out, "Is that boogers???"

Sure enough, it was. Abby had obviously picked her nose, and not having a kleenex, decided to make use of the window. Talk about nasty.

It was not one of my finer moments in Mommyhood.

And the reason I am posting it here?

So that when Abby gets a guy, he can read about the humbling moments that she put me through.

I just hope by then, she's outgrown using a window as a kleenex.

Anyone else have any humbling moments you would like to share in the comments?

Please, help me feel a little better about it. My face still burns when I think of the teen girls' disgust at the booger-window.

Sigh. How humiliating.

Why I blog

10:17 AM, Mar. 19, 2008 .. Posted in Ponderings from the Heart .. 4 comments .. Link

Sometimes my husband, the private man that he is, wonders why in the world "I have a blog- so the entire universe can read it if they want".

And while my posts have been very sporadiac as of late, probably disqualifying me from being a 'real blogger' anyways, this is why I blog....

1. For my children. My dad died when I was 17 of ALS. There is a little book that had questions for each day of the month, for a year, that was designed for dads to write to their children. We only got about three months done before he passed away. When I am having a hard day of missing him, I grab that book and pour over the few things that are written within its pages. I can't even imagine if I had a spot on the internet to come to when I was feeling blue. So, in the slim chance that I die in a fiery car wreck, I have a little spot on the internet that my children can come to after I am gone, and see little glimpses of their Mama's heart. They will know me better by what I have written here. This is the number one reason I blog.

2. I love, love, love to write. I am going to write a book someday. I really am. This is just my writer's outlet for now. = )

3. Someday, when I move to Colorado, (I hope Colorado, anyways!) I am going to need a way to keep in touch with my family members, and let them know what's going on in our lives. This is a great way. My sisters and I are already spread out within a couple of hours, and this is the main way, besides the telephone, that we stay in contact. Right, Sarah and Courtnie?

And those are the main reasons that I blog. But mainly for #1. Call me a hypochondriac, (cause I am, ) call me paranoid. But my number one fear growing up was that one of my parents would die. I thought about it all the time. (I was a thinker and ponderer even then) And guess what? My biggest fear came true. My dad died. Guess what my biggest fear is right now? Yep. That I am going to die, and my children will never truly know their mother. (well, that might be right under the fear that one of my children will die)

So, I write. I write for me, but I ultimately write for them. And for my grandchildren. Because when Tom and I are old, and we are missionaries to dark Africa, my grandchildren are going to want to know about their legendary grandma!

So they'll sit down, grab their coffee, and read about how their grandma was like any other young mother- busy, tired, sad, happy.... but above all, they'll read about the love she had for her husband, her children, and her God.

And they'll know me just a little better.

That's why I write, and that's why I'll never stop writing.

One of those days....

8:26 AM, Mar. 13, 2008 .. Posted in Ponderings from the Heart .. 3 comments .. Link

"I should have stayed in bed this morning..."

Words thought amid the brain's roar. A simple phrase mixed in with the other jumbled, hurtful things bouncing around.

What to do?

Get bitter? The heart says yes. The mind knows it cannot.

Still up at 1 in the morning.

The heart is bruised, tired, sore. It thumps on.... while the mind races madly- re-thinking the long, exhausting day.

Tears shed. Prayers whispered in the darkness. The heart says, 'I can't take any more of this.'

The mind says, 'How much did Jesus take?'

The heart rebels.

The mind argues with the heart.  

A warm hug from a sympathetic husband stills the racing mind... puts a warm, soothing balm on a bruised heart.

Wisdom from his mind speaks to the heart of the woman he loves. He knows she was hurt. He knows what her heart is telling her. But he also knows that sometimes, you can't listen to your heart. You have to just let go, and go on.

Slowly, the iciness begins to thaw. Tender words and affirming love are the rays of sunshine that begin to melt away the hardness of the slick, dark wall.  

Melt, melt, melt.....

until the heart and mind are quiet. Still.

And peaceful slumber, at last, finally comes.

Wordless Wednesday.... Sleep

9:20 AM, Mar. 12, 2008 .. Posted in Just Because .. 4 comments .. Link

 

It's not just my children that don't like sleeping, is it? Sometimes they would rather just fall asleep playing....

And the one who never sleeps.....

(But mom, my eyes are closed, isn't that enough?)

Busy times

3:18 PM, Mar. 8, 2008 .. Posted in My Crazy Moments .. 4 comments .. Link

What do you get when you spend three days in a hospital, leaving the rest of the children with various (wonderful!) relatives, living out of a duffle bag, with only hospital food to eat???

A fussy baby who got used to being held.

A messy house.

Fussy children who haven't been dealt with in three days.

No time to blog. (story of my life lately)

An upset stomach from said hospital food.

Dirty floors.

Lots of laundry.

Follow-up doctor visits.

Fussy children.

A tired Mommy.

A Mommy and Daddy that haven't seen each other and talked- really talked- in half a week.

A messy house. (oh, did I say that already?)

Lots of stuff that needs to be caught up on.

Blogging is just really low on the priority list right now.

Maybe someday I'll be back.

But until then, I have a lot of things that need to be done.

EEEKKK!!!

10:45 PM, Mar. 4, 2008 .. Posted in My Crazy Moments .. 4 comments .. Link

So said the nurse at the doctor's office when my Chloe's temp reached almost 105 degrees. 104.4, to be exact. So said I when the doctor told me she was admitting her to the hospital. Her white blood count was over 30,000, and that meant a very sick child. So said her father when she (the doctor) told him the news.

By the time the doctor told me this morning that Chloe had a full-blown UTI, and would need to be at the hospital until they determined if it was MRSA or not, I had over used the phrase. So I didn't say much of anything. I just kissed on my poor baby and groaned a sad, sad moan of sympathy.

Pray for us. They have tried nine- let me say that again- nine times to stick my baby for an i.v. They succeeded once. And the time that they succeeded only lasted about 8 hours. It came off in the morning. Thus leading to more times of sticking my baby for a vein, only to fail each and every time. They wanted to put it in her head. My husband said no. If it is the MRSA strain that is causing this, the i.v. will have to go in tomorrow, whether we like it or not. Daddy is now at the hospital with pitiful Chloe while I wait for my sheets to dry so I can sleep in peace. I got a total of one hour at the hospital.

*After* being up two nights in a row with my oldest who was running a high temp and puking. And when I picked up the kids at my inlaws tonight, to bring them home with me, I was told the sad news that my second son is now running a high temp- 103.5, and feeling like he is going to puke.

All this while my baby sits in a germy hospital bed with a UTI and a 104 temp.

Pray for us. Really hard. I'm doing fine with it, really. Just pray I don't strangle my husband who is about to strangle the nurses. I don't know who I want to strangle more. The people sticking my baby, or my husband who is being difficult with the people sticking my baby. Maybe I'll strangle both.

Or maybe I'll go to sleep, get up at five in the morning, and go snuggle with my baby. That sounds better then going to prison for murder. But at this point, I just don't know.....

I think I need to diet

3:13 PM, Mar. 1, 2008 .. Posted in Health and fitness .. 4 comments .. Link

This is the conclusion I have come up with. I need a special, no-fat, no-carbs, no nothing to eat type of diet. Since I have had Chloe- I have lost all 35 of the pounds that I had gained with my pregnancy. Yeah for that. But- I needed to lose 20 before I even got pregnant with her. And these last 20 pounds are driving me nuts. I want to be as skinny as I was when I got married... I want to fit into a size 8 again... I want... I know, I want the impossible.

At least it seems that way.

This past month, in February, I ran every day I could. At least 30 minutes. I wrote it down on the calendar when I did. Well, I went through today and counted how many days I ran. It averaged out to every other day. I ran 15 days in February. For a half hour each time, and twice for 40 minutes. And I lost a whopping 3 pounds.

A whopping three pounds. Lest you forgot, let me say that again- I lost a grand total of three pounds. Three. Not thirteen, not ten. Three.

I am pretty depressed today. I think I need to never look at food again. Because it seems as if I can't lose weight any other way. And the sad thing is is that I have also been limiting what I eat this past month. When you are sweating like a pig, (who ever came up with phrase?) and running for 40 minutes straight, you start to obsess over fat count and calorie count.

Take today, for instance. I ran 40 minutes, burned roughly 450 calories and 140 some grams of fat. After you see the numbers on the treadmill, and then you see just how many calories are in those little caramel Hershey kisses that you love- well, suddenly they lose their appeal. You'd rather just grab a carrot stick, and drink some more water.

And all for a whopping three pounds. Yippee.

I still have over 15 to go- 20 if I want to get really skinny. I mean, I weigh 1** something, and I need to get down to 1** pounds. You didn't think I would post my weight on the internet so the whole world could read it, did you? I'll just keep that information to myself.

And think about it- over and over- as I run 40 minutes. Almost every day.

I think I need to go see a diet specialist. Something has to be wrong with my body.

Three pounds. I really am disgusted with my scale.

(Cause it is my scale's fault, right? I mean come on- three pounds after a MONTH of torture??? Something just has to be wrong with it...)

I'm hungry. I need to go eat some lettuce.

What an article will inspire....

8:28 AM, Feb. 27, 2008 .. Posted in Just Because .. 4 comments .. Link

As some of you know, I wrote something for the newspaper a few days ago. (Scroll down a couple of posts) Well, it got published. And some things have happened since then. I received a few phone calls that night- all from men- telling me how much they appreciated the article, but the really neat call came the next day. A man called and told me that he was trying to recruit me. 'For what?' I asked with a small laugh.

And then he told me that his wife worked at a crisis pregnancy center as a nurse that did ultrasounds, and that they thought it would be really neat if I could be a counselor there- because I was closer to the girls' ages that came in every day. I told him I would call my husband, and if it was fine with him, then I would call the number of the woman that headed up the clinic.

Well, it was fine with my husband, (he was all for it, actually) so I called the lady's number.

And now.... I am going to be training in the near future to counsel girl's seeking abortions! It scares me, terrifies me, and excites me all at the same time. Will I have the words to explain to these girls that what they are carrying is a real life? Will I help sway any of them into keeping their precious child?

I have always wanted to do this- I remember as a little girl going with my mom to Crisis pregnancy Centers- she helped out alot at them. I remember loving every minute of going with her, and thinking that some day I wanted to help out. Well, marriage and four children happened, and life got crazy. Plus, I never really knew where to start.

When I was writing the article, I was praying the whole time that God would give me the words to reach people. But I never dreamt that it would lead to this! I am so excited, and nervous at the same time. I have to go through 14-16 hours of training before I start. I will keep you updated as to when I will actually be talking to the girls that come in. It's going to be a little tricky, because I am going to have to plan my volunteer time around my husband's schedule. I want to see him as much as possible when he's home, but he has already said he will help out with the kids once a week if I need him to. There might be a couple days here and there that are all day things- they have a mobile unit that they are starting up in April, so I might try to help out then.

I am so excited! Maybe my bold tongue will be good for something after all.

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