Just want everyone to know that all three children are healthy for the moment.
Our weekend visit went well. It may take a few days to recover though. Sammy napped for six hours today.
I am back to feeling pretty good again. Though after the court case today (see below) I am pretty exhausted. Before Maggie's trial we had to sit through a number of other hearings. Most were straightforward and lasted about two minutes. The most interesting to me: One man had asked for a change of judge several years ago in a previous trial, alleging that the judge had accosted him in a local restaurant. He claimed the judge was drunk at the time. The judge said something like "I do not recall any such incident" And the idea of this old man accosting anyone seemed somewhat humorous. Judge Sheibenberger recused himself from this case so that the man would not have a ground for appeal. The other interesting case was that of a man whose charges I don't remember. He was an inmate, and the public defender was arguing that the bond should be lower. It was set at $250,000. This seemed rather high, and the man could certainly not have posted it. However, the state attorney countered by listing over half a dozen times in which this man had not appeared in court on the day slated for his trial. The judge decided that the bond was just right.
The rest of the cases were boring. They mostly went something like this:
John Doe, FCYEBKWU8987758 (if person is not chained down he comes forward)
Judge - Have you read the presentencing document? yes
Judge - Is everything in it correct? yes
Judge - Do you or your lawyer have anything more to say?
Lawyer - Because of blah, blah, blah I recommend you reduce the sentence from X to Y.
Prosecutor - Because of the nature of the crime X is better
People mumble a bunch
Judge - John Doe, I sentence you to something that is approximately (X+Y)/2.
Judge - Do you understand the conditions of probation? yes
Judge - As a special condition I require that you participate in (pick one: psychiatric eval, drug rehab, AA, anger management)
Jane Smith, LIHIUGL32875932
" "
Since the court room had several convicts there, it did make some of us testifying a little nervous about stating our address. I figured they were probably half-asleep anyway though.
Monday, April 30, 2007
And I call to witness
I had my first ever experience in criminal court today. It was not an experience I would care to repeat. And let me tell, it's not quite like they do it on TV.
My friend Maggie Wiley, whom I have known for several years and who attends our church faithfully was on trial. Maggie worked as a corrections officer at the Indiana Juvenile Detention Facility. It was a job she hated. Before beginning this job, she had worked in the juvenile girls facility, which was closed. In her job she was often harassed, and it was not uncommon for her to receive on the job injuries. But despite all of the hard parts, and the fact that Maggie really hoped for a better job (there aren't a lot of good careers out there for someone with a BA in Criminal Justice), she tried to be a good Christian in her work. Maggie is incredible about helping people. There was a 16-year-old boy at the facility whom she thought had a future. She wanted to help him to be able to get past his crimes. So she corresponded with him with letters offering friendly advice. Then since he seemed to be making good progress and since she thought it would be good for, she requested that he be allowed to help her out with cleaning and such at the facility.
This decision had vast and unintended consequences. First the boy alleged that she had acted inappropriately toward him. Maggie was fired. Then several months after the alleged incident, Maggie was arrested. The boy said that the notes she had written to him contained illicit suggestions. And then worse, he claimed that she had coerced him into a sexual relationship. I know Maggie and I know this is false. The prosecution raised a number of outrageous charges against her. Among these charges were child trafficking!!! First Maggie had a public defender assigned to her, and this lawyer told her she should plead guilty. Fortunately, a gentleman from our church was able to find her a lawyer who would work with her.
In order to have the other charges dropped and to avoid a 20 year prison sentence, Maggie agreed to plead guilty to one count of sexual misconduct with a minor (class D Felony). For which this charge the maximum sentence is 2 years in prison. Her lawyer argues that the judge should be lenient and that he should suspend her sentence and allow her to spend the time on probation. To argue his point he called for character witnesses to vouch for her character.
By the time the character witnesses were done, no one could argue that Maggie was not an upstanding citizen. Character witnesses included:
the mother and grandmother of her "little sister" (from Big Brothers Big Sisters), who shared how Maggie has had an impact on their family for years.
Maggie's family:
Her mother, father, and older sister. They shared her desire to always be learning. Her diligence to be in the top 10 of her high school class (despite playing both basketball and volleyball) and to work her way through college. And her help with her niece Isabell.
Her husband, who stands behind her one hundred and ten percent. He shared how much she takes good care of him, and how much his son loves her.
The young man who she and her husband have taken in as a roommate. He shared how he was in a living situation surrounded by drug dealing and use, but Maggie and Jonathan have taken him in and cared for him. He said that Maggie is like an older sister to him.
Other family friends who have known Maggie for years shared how she has impacted their lives and how they see how much she strives to help the community.
Church Members:
Here's where I come in. Several church members vouched for her. We shared how she has been faithful in attending church and doing whatever she can to help out even after the allegations came out. We talked about how she helps in the nursery. I shared that I trust her with my children, and also that I feel that she is a wonderfully caring person.
It was a little awkward to testify in court, but it was very easy. I had to state my name, address, how I know Maggie, and why I think the judge should be lenient toward her.
Then the pastor vouched for her. And I think they took his statement with greatest credibility. He has only known Maggie since the beginning of February when he began at our church. But he was able to share that he has seen nothing but positive things about her.
Maggie's lawyer also produced written statements from people unable to be present in court.
After lots of testimony. You could see the judge was visually disturbed.
Then the prosecution present its case. Basically, they said "The defendant has plead guilty to this act. She admits that she did it. She needs the fullest punishment possible" Then the superintendent of the correctional facility read a prepared statement about why having sexual acts with juvenile inmates is harmful (there is nothing about his statement that I could argue with. I felt awful for Maggie and Jonathan at this point. Maggie was in tears. They did not produce the boy making the accusations against her as a witness, they did not need to with her guilty plea. They did not mention the letters she had written. The letters corroborate her story, since they contain friendly advice and not innuendo. But people can interpret things the way they want to.
It was very upsetting for her to have this guilty plea. But I can totally understand since the risk of winding up in prison is not something to take lightly.
After the lawyers made their comments, the judge was silent for a long time. He bowed his head for a while. He stared at the ceiling for awhile. I can understand his turmoil. This would not be an easy decision. Finally, he stated that she would have a two year sentence, suspended. With home detention for six months. This would mean that she would have two years of probation. The lawyer mentioned that it was unreasonable for her to serve home detention because of Indiana laws relating to the distance that a person under home detention must be from schools, and playgrounds. Their apartment is right beside a playground. Also, there are not allowed to be any children on the premises and at this point her stepson and niece both stay part of the time in their home.
So the judge was exceptionally frustrated. And the lawyer did not seem to have a workable solution (since the judge was obviously not going to suspend her sentence).
Finally the judge asked "Pastor, does your church participate in the One Church-One offender program? Please tell me you do!" Pastor Mike replied "I never have before, but I certainly can now!"
So her sentence is to participate in this program. I'm not sure yet what this entails. But I'm sure Pastor Mike does by now.
And so ended the trial.
My friend Maggie Wiley, whom I have known for several years and who attends our church faithfully was on trial. Maggie worked as a corrections officer at the Indiana Juvenile Detention Facility. It was a job she hated. Before beginning this job, she had worked in the juvenile girls facility, which was closed. In her job she was often harassed, and it was not uncommon for her to receive on the job injuries. But despite all of the hard parts, and the fact that Maggie really hoped for a better job (there aren't a lot of good careers out there for someone with a BA in Criminal Justice), she tried to be a good Christian in her work. Maggie is incredible about helping people. There was a 16-year-old boy at the facility whom she thought had a future. She wanted to help him to be able to get past his crimes. So she corresponded with him with letters offering friendly advice. Then since he seemed to be making good progress and since she thought it would be good for, she requested that he be allowed to help her out with cleaning and such at the facility.
This decision had vast and unintended consequences. First the boy alleged that she had acted inappropriately toward him. Maggie was fired. Then several months after the alleged incident, Maggie was arrested. The boy said that the notes she had written to him contained illicit suggestions. And then worse, he claimed that she had coerced him into a sexual relationship. I know Maggie and I know this is false. The prosecution raised a number of outrageous charges against her. Among these charges were child trafficking!!! First Maggie had a public defender assigned to her, and this lawyer told her she should plead guilty. Fortunately, a gentleman from our church was able to find her a lawyer who would work with her.
In order to have the other charges dropped and to avoid a 20 year prison sentence, Maggie agreed to plead guilty to one count of sexual misconduct with a minor (class D Felony). For which this charge the maximum sentence is 2 years in prison. Her lawyer argues that the judge should be lenient and that he should suspend her sentence and allow her to spend the time on probation. To argue his point he called for character witnesses to vouch for her character.
By the time the character witnesses were done, no one could argue that Maggie was not an upstanding citizen. Character witnesses included:
the mother and grandmother of her "little sister" (from Big Brothers Big Sisters), who shared how Maggie has had an impact on their family for years.
Maggie's family:
Her mother, father, and older sister. They shared her desire to always be learning. Her diligence to be in the top 10 of her high school class (despite playing both basketball and volleyball) and to work her way through college. And her help with her niece Isabell.
Her husband, who stands behind her one hundred and ten percent. He shared how much she takes good care of him, and how much his son loves her.
The young man who she and her husband have taken in as a roommate. He shared how he was in a living situation surrounded by drug dealing and use, but Maggie and Jonathan have taken him in and cared for him. He said that Maggie is like an older sister to him.
Other family friends who have known Maggie for years shared how she has impacted their lives and how they see how much she strives to help the community.
Church Members:
Here's where I come in. Several church members vouched for her. We shared how she has been faithful in attending church and doing whatever she can to help out even after the allegations came out. We talked about how she helps in the nursery. I shared that I trust her with my children, and also that I feel that she is a wonderfully caring person.
It was a little awkward to testify in court, but it was very easy. I had to state my name, address, how I know Maggie, and why I think the judge should be lenient toward her.
Then the pastor vouched for her. And I think they took his statement with greatest credibility. He has only known Maggie since the beginning of February when he began at our church. But he was able to share that he has seen nothing but positive things about her.
Maggie's lawyer also produced written statements from people unable to be present in court.
After lots of testimony. You could see the judge was visually disturbed.
Then the prosecution present its case. Basically, they said "The defendant has plead guilty to this act. She admits that she did it. She needs the fullest punishment possible" Then the superintendent of the correctional facility read a prepared statement about why having sexual acts with juvenile inmates is harmful (there is nothing about his statement that I could argue with. I felt awful for Maggie and Jonathan at this point. Maggie was in tears. They did not produce the boy making the accusations against her as a witness, they did not need to with her guilty plea. They did not mention the letters she had written. The letters corroborate her story, since they contain friendly advice and not innuendo. But people can interpret things the way they want to.
It was very upsetting for her to have this guilty plea. But I can totally understand since the risk of winding up in prison is not something to take lightly.
After the lawyers made their comments, the judge was silent for a long time. He bowed his head for a while. He stared at the ceiling for awhile. I can understand his turmoil. This would not be an easy decision. Finally, he stated that she would have a two year sentence, suspended. With home detention for six months. This would mean that she would have two years of probation. The lawyer mentioned that it was unreasonable for her to serve home detention because of Indiana laws relating to the distance that a person under home detention must be from schools, and playgrounds. Their apartment is right beside a playground. Also, there are not allowed to be any children on the premises and at this point her stepson and niece both stay part of the time in their home.
So the judge was exceptionally frustrated. And the lawyer did not seem to have a workable solution (since the judge was obviously not going to suspend her sentence).
Finally the judge asked "Pastor, does your church participate in the One Church-One offender program? Please tell me you do!" Pastor Mike replied "I never have before, but I certainly can now!"
So her sentence is to participate in this program. I'm not sure yet what this entails. But I'm sure Pastor Mike does by now.
And so ended the trial.
Thursday, April 26, 2007
Atypical Randomness.
Little Isaac has been quite sick the past few days. It turns out that he has atypical pneumonia (caused by a bacteria that doesn't respond to the normal treatment). But he is finally on the right combination of medicines, so there is every sign he will be feeling well enough to make it to his own party Saturday.
Today was a completely unproductive day. At least from outward appearances. I guess I over exerted myself too much yesterday. Anyhow I've been spotting and cramping. So to protect the little one inside of me, I've mostly laid on the couch and let the children run wild. Fortunately, my mother was able to come over and help out this evening.
My house definitely does not look ready for out of town company. Paul's mom and sister will be here Saturday. They are both totally awesome, and they won't be offended by our messy house. But unfortunately, they'll probably feel like they need to help clean.
And speaking of out of town company we'd like to have some kind of a get together this summer (especially since we might not be able to have a New Years Party --though we aren't calling it off yet). Originally, we thought memorial day would be a good time, but a couple of the people we've talked to have conflicts then. So what weekends are good? Are any bad?
If it hadn't been for the cramps and such, I was planning on going to a meeting a church tonight. It was a meeting for the board of ministry. Not to be confused with those who are bored of ministry (which is the joke Paul likes to make). I'm technically not on the board. But Paul is. I don't know if he made it or not (he was going to take off work for an hour to go. And since I don't know what the agenda of the meeting was, I really don't know if I missed anything important or if it was just boring everyday stuff.
It seems that our church is a church ruled by committees. There is a committee for everything. I am on the Evangelism committee. There are also committees for stewardship, missions, Christian education, site-development. Plus there is a board of trustees, board of ministry, official board, and Pastor's cabinet. (I have probably forgotten some). The pastor of the church is member of all the committees (I think). Then our congregation belongs to a conference of churches in the region (we are the Wabash conference) which includes Indiana and parts of Illinois... and West Virginia (If I recall correctly, this is because Ohio didn't want them -- I don't know it seems really strange to me). The conference has a office in Indy and they are presided over by the superintendent (who knows that I am "Paul's wife"). Now I know that there are bishops and deacons. But as far as I can tell there main job is to make sure that the committees don't get out of line. Bishop Joe James, who has oversight of the Central part of the US spoke at our church on Sunday. This was my first encounter with a Free Methodist Bishop. He didn't seem very bishop-like. Maybe because he wasn't wearing a funny hat.
Every year our conference has a big meeting known as "Annual Conference" and they vote on things like how to handle having West Virginia in the conference. I don't really know. It always sounded boring to me. Our church is small so we only send one delegate. We used to be bigger so we still vote on three delegates each year. This way in case the actual delegate can't attend we have a back-up. (For instance, the delegate might run off and leave his wife and four children to go live with another woman --making him no longer qualified). This year there is no danger of that happening (for one thing he doesn't have any kids). Our delegate is someone I highly respect. And our first reserve also. But in case they both get sick, Paul is second reserve. The cool thing about this is that it earns him a position on the Pastor's cabinet. Which he already served on, but that's beside the point. The pastor's cabinet gets to have meetings and talk about stuff that is really interesting and work to solve major problems in the church. They don't actually have any authority, but they are generally listened too by the pastor. And then Paul comes home and isn't allowed to tell me any of the interesting stuff.
So I'm kind of curious how does stuff get done in a Catholic church. I mean I know there is the authority of the bishops to decide things. But what about evangelism, education, stewardship, missions? Who does all that?
Today was a completely unproductive day. At least from outward appearances. I guess I over exerted myself too much yesterday. Anyhow I've been spotting and cramping. So to protect the little one inside of me, I've mostly laid on the couch and let the children run wild. Fortunately, my mother was able to come over and help out this evening.
My house definitely does not look ready for out of town company. Paul's mom and sister will be here Saturday. They are both totally awesome, and they won't be offended by our messy house. But unfortunately, they'll probably feel like they need to help clean.
And speaking of out of town company we'd like to have some kind of a get together this summer (especially since we might not be able to have a New Years Party --though we aren't calling it off yet). Originally, we thought memorial day would be a good time, but a couple of the people we've talked to have conflicts then. So what weekends are good? Are any bad?
If it hadn't been for the cramps and such, I was planning on going to a meeting a church tonight. It was a meeting for the board of ministry. Not to be confused with those who are bored of ministry (which is the joke Paul likes to make). I'm technically not on the board. But Paul is. I don't know if he made it or not (he was going to take off work for an hour to go. And since I don't know what the agenda of the meeting was, I really don't know if I missed anything important or if it was just boring everyday stuff.
It seems that our church is a church ruled by committees. There is a committee for everything. I am on the Evangelism committee. There are also committees for stewardship, missions, Christian education, site-development. Plus there is a board of trustees, board of ministry, official board, and Pastor's cabinet. (I have probably forgotten some). The pastor of the church is member of all the committees (I think). Then our congregation belongs to a conference of churches in the region (we are the Wabash conference) which includes Indiana and parts of Illinois... and West Virginia (If I recall correctly, this is because Ohio didn't want them -- I don't know it seems really strange to me). The conference has a office in Indy and they are presided over by the superintendent (who knows that I am "Paul's wife"). Now I know that there are bishops and deacons. But as far as I can tell there main job is to make sure that the committees don't get out of line. Bishop Joe James, who has oversight of the Central part of the US spoke at our church on Sunday. This was my first encounter with a Free Methodist Bishop. He didn't seem very bishop-like. Maybe because he wasn't wearing a funny hat.
Every year our conference has a big meeting known as "Annual Conference" and they vote on things like how to handle having West Virginia in the conference. I don't really know. It always sounded boring to me. Our church is small so we only send one delegate. We used to be bigger so we still vote on three delegates each year. This way in case the actual delegate can't attend we have a back-up. (For instance, the delegate might run off and leave his wife and four children to go live with another woman --making him no longer qualified). This year there is no danger of that happening (for one thing he doesn't have any kids). Our delegate is someone I highly respect. And our first reserve also. But in case they both get sick, Paul is second reserve. The cool thing about this is that it earns him a position on the Pastor's cabinet. Which he already served on, but that's beside the point. The pastor's cabinet gets to have meetings and talk about stuff that is really interesting and work to solve major problems in the church. They don't actually have any authority, but they are generally listened too by the pastor. And then Paul comes home and isn't allowed to tell me any of the interesting stuff.
So I'm kind of curious how does stuff get done in a Catholic church. I mean I know there is the authority of the bishops to decide things. But what about evangelism, education, stewardship, missions? Who does all that?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007
Happy Birthday Isaac!!!
Today Isaac turned one. He is not quite walking on his own (though he has taken a few steps on his own). He also is climbing onto everything and getting into everything. Because Isaac has had pneumonia and double ear infections we had to postpone his Birthday party until Saturday. We are going to Chuck E. Cheese Saturday morning.
This morning Abigail was attempting to teach Isaac how to fetch. Also she was trying to play teacher for awhile, and she found that he was not always cooperative. However, he seemed to think it was great fun to crawl away just when she wanted him to do something.
Isaac is a very laid back child. Now if we could just keep him healthy (it looks like he'll be getting tubes in his ears soon).
This morning Abigail was attempting to teach Isaac how to fetch. Also she was trying to play teacher for awhile, and she found that he was not always cooperative. However, he seemed to think it was great fun to crawl away just when she wanted him to do something.
Isaac is a very laid back child. Now if we could just keep him healthy (it looks like he'll be getting tubes in his ears soon).
The Suggestion That Has Nothing To Do With It
"It" being the previous semi-coherent blather on TV.
I really like to start projects, but I finish probably about a quarter of them. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Such habits were the motivation behind National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or, in layman's terms, November), but even armed with the knowledge that people just like me were striving to pound out a novel in thirty days, I have yet to actually win that challenge.
However, I find myself more motivated to finish things when I drag others in on the fun. "Misery loves company," as the adage goes. With that joyful thought in mind, I present a reworking of something at least Kathy and Shae should remember:
Saturday Night Baking!
Now hear me out: I do, in fact, realize that none of us are in any position to regularly visit someplace, steal the use of its oven, and make goodies whilst booting every male from the vicinity. However, I do like to cook/bake things, and I know other people do, too. But I either get bored of everything I cook, or just forget that the recipe is somewhere in the back of my mind, and never pull it out for dinner (what, recipe book? I dunno what you're talking about).
So every Friday, I'm going to (attempt to) post about something I'm making for the weekend, and invite others to do the same. An alternative would be to pick a recipe for everyone to make for the weekend (have it rotate, like Shae comes up with one on one week, and so on), and offer variations/comments/results. Like, say, SUPER DUPER CHOCOLATE COOKIES become SUPER DUPER CHOCOLATE COOKIE CAKE. Or something. It doesn't even have to be baking (I say this because there's a limit to how much sweet stuff I can take).
So there's my random idea. What do you think? (the rotation thing might involve actually making another joint blog, hm, so this one can stay the cheerios-sanity-booster, but it's up to you)
I really like to start projects, but I finish probably about a quarter of them. I'm sure I'm not the only one. Such habits were the motivation behind National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo, or, in layman's terms, November), but even armed with the knowledge that people just like me were striving to pound out a novel in thirty days, I have yet to actually win that challenge.
However, I find myself more motivated to finish things when I drag others in on the fun. "Misery loves company," as the adage goes. With that joyful thought in mind, I present a reworking of something at least Kathy and Shae should remember:
Saturday Night Baking!
Now hear me out: I do, in fact, realize that none of us are in any position to regularly visit someplace, steal the use of its oven, and make goodies whilst booting every male from the vicinity. However, I do like to cook/bake things, and I know other people do, too. But I either get bored of everything I cook, or just forget that the recipe is somewhere in the back of my mind, and never pull it out for dinner (what, recipe book? I dunno what you're talking about).
So every Friday, I'm going to (attempt to) post about something I'm making for the weekend, and invite others to do the same. An alternative would be to pick a recipe for everyone to make for the weekend (have it rotate, like Shae comes up with one on one week, and so on), and offer variations/comments/results. Like, say, SUPER DUPER CHOCOLATE COOKIES become SUPER DUPER CHOCOLATE COOKIE CAKE. Or something. It doesn't even have to be baking (I say this because there's a limit to how much sweet stuff I can take).
So there's my random idea. What do you think? (the rotation thing might involve actually making another joint blog, hm, so this one can stay the cheerios-sanity-booster, but it's up to you)
Monday, April 23, 2007
New Post
Please notice, the post I just made showed up as having been written two days ago... Blogger is crazy, that's all.
What is this "TV" you speak of?
As long as I'm in the rant mood after reading Shae's post (I may or may not elaborate on that later, who knows?), I might as well start in on today's peeve, and maybe I'll follow up tomorrow with a suggestion that has nothing to do with it.
So. I've meandered back to the CD community in an attempt to alleviate boredom whilst NAKing and waiting for laundry to finish. Currently I've gotten a little more than jaded by the group, though the cloth diapering itself is by no means stopping because of this.
That last line is pretty much indicative of how I think about a lot of things, actually.
Now that I think I'm done being vague, I'll try to explain:
On the forum, there was a thread started by a mother who banished TV from the house. Or at least, turned it off indefinitely. This post brought in, as threads often do, a number of other mothers who have wanted to do the same thing, or have been doing it for a while now, in a rush of support for the family and its efforts.
Now, Derek and I don't watch TV, really. Those of you who know us better realize that we spend our hobby time playing video games or reading books. And now, playing with baby.
We made the decision (before we were married, actually) to not get cable TV, primarily because we do spend our hobby time playing on the computer, and not watching TV. So, in a sense, we're just like these mothers who desire deeply to banish the TV from their home; at the same time, though, we are not.
Reading the thread, I found that the attitude was that TV inherently was BAD, and not having TV at all was GOOD. In my mind, though, the only reason TV was BAD was because people don't have common sense. Content can be, and should be, regulated by responsible parties in the household, so really, one can't blame bad words and behavior on the TV itself (you can, however, complain all you like to the producers). The TV does not force people to sit down and watch it for hours on end, and I don't know about you, but I would not watch an exercise show merely to watch that one skinny girl in a neon pink leotard do 50 step ups (and I realize there are people who would, but there should be better ways to get your kicks). Who knows, though? Maybe people don't realize that it's meant to be interactive.
The point, though, is that people seemed to make it a big deal, and seeing it from the perspective of a TV/book/gaming/whatever-is-cool-at-the-time junkie, I think that they're missing the main idea: Moderation.
... and now a few words from the resident baby, who got tired of tummy time:
gb jjkRr
So. I've meandered back to the CD community in an attempt to alleviate boredom whilst NAKing and waiting for laundry to finish. Currently I've gotten a little more than jaded by the group, though the cloth diapering itself is by no means stopping because of this.
That last line is pretty much indicative of how I think about a lot of things, actually.
Now that I think I'm done being vague, I'll try to explain:
On the forum, there was a thread started by a mother who banished TV from the house. Or at least, turned it off indefinitely. This post brought in, as threads often do, a number of other mothers who have wanted to do the same thing, or have been doing it for a while now, in a rush of support for the family and its efforts.
Now, Derek and I don't watch TV, really. Those of you who know us better realize that we spend our hobby time playing video games or reading books. And now, playing with baby.
We made the decision (before we were married, actually) to not get cable TV, primarily because we do spend our hobby time playing on the computer, and not watching TV. So, in a sense, we're just like these mothers who desire deeply to banish the TV from their home; at the same time, though, we are not.
Reading the thread, I found that the attitude was that TV inherently was BAD, and not having TV at all was GOOD. In my mind, though, the only reason TV was BAD was because people don't have common sense. Content can be, and should be, regulated by responsible parties in the household, so really, one can't blame bad words and behavior on the TV itself (you can, however, complain all you like to the producers). The TV does not force people to sit down and watch it for hours on end, and I don't know about you, but I would not watch an exercise show merely to watch that one skinny girl in a neon pink leotard do 50 step ups (and I realize there are people who would, but there should be better ways to get your kicks). Who knows, though? Maybe people don't realize that it's meant to be interactive.
The point, though, is that people seemed to make it a big deal, and seeing it from the perspective of a TV/book/gaming/whatever-is-cool-at-the-time junkie, I think that they're missing the main idea: Moderation.
... and now a few words from the resident baby, who got tired of tummy time:
gb jjkRr
Sunday, April 22, 2007
No I'm not living in the dark ages!
For all of you who might be wondering:
YES I DO KNOW THERE ARE WAYS TO PREVENT PREGNANCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And I have attempted to use the only method which seemed morally acceptable.
So please don't ask.
Every time I get the "You know, there are ways to prevent that" comment, it makes me feel even more that the world does not want my baby.
I have not come up with a good response. (One that expresses my true feelings without being mean). I really want to slap these people. Especially the well meaning old ladies.
YES I DO KNOW THERE ARE WAYS TO PREVENT PREGNANCY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And I have attempted to use the only method which seemed morally acceptable.
So please don't ask.
Every time I get the "You know, there are ways to prevent that" comment, it makes me feel even more that the world does not want my baby.
I have not come up with a good response. (One that expresses my true feelings without being mean). I really want to slap these people. Especially the well meaning old ladies.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
There's something about Mary
The Immaculate Conception:
Roman Catholics believe that at the moment Mary was conceived she was gifted by the grace of the Holy Spirit to remove the stain of original sin. This is church doctrine but it is not considered necessary to believe in the immaculate conception to be in full communion with the Catholic church (Eastern Catholics reject it). I had never heard of this doctrine until a couple years ago. I have no problem with it since the idea is that Mary had no sin stain because of God's grace. Most Protestants who are bothered by the doctrine don't understand this point. Moreover, just as in the old testament the ark bearers needed to be purified, it makes sense that the God-bearer would need to be so as well. Though I'm not sure this needed to happen at the moment of conception. (God can do things how he wants to).
The Assumption:
After her death because Mary was sinless she did not suffer decay but instead was assumed into Heaven. In Heaven she has a special place, she is sometimes referred to as the Queen of Angels or Queen of Heaven. The title Queen of Heaven bothers many Protestants because there was an ancient Babylonian goddess known as the Queen of Heaven. Israelites are condemned for worshiping the Queen of Heaven in the book of Jeremiah. But the assumption itself is easy to agree with. After all, if God could take Enoch and Elijah to Heaven why not Mary. Many Protestants are confused by this doctrine because we are told Catholics believe that Mary ascended into Heaven which implies that it was by her own power. I do wonder why the Catholic church insists that belief in the assumption is necessary to be in full communion with the church.
Mother of God:
Of course God the Father had no mother, he is without beginning. But Mary is the mother of Christ, and Christ is God. So she is the mother of God. This title affirms that Jesus was fully God as well as fully man.
Perpetual Virgin:
This belief is bothersome to many Protestants because the belief in perpetual virginity seems to imply that sex is in itself somehow sinful. Plus there is the mention of Christ's brothers in the Bible. Plus "and he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son." There are several different theories about Jesus' brothers. And until means simply that it did not happen before, this doesn't mean it did happen afterward. Until is often used in this sense in the Bible. But the first part? It seems that Catholic tradition holds that Mary was pledged to be a virgin all her life. To break that vow would be sin. So then I ask, was she really married to Joseph?
Spouse of the Holy Spirit:
If Mary was pledged to remain a virgin in the service of God, it does not seem unreasonable to call her this. I do not believe that God loved Mary more than others, but because of her purity and faithfulness she is able to be united to God in a special way. Her example as the first Christian shows us all how to be the Bride of Christ.
Prayers to Mary (and to the saints in general):
No Catholics do not pray to Mary or to any other saint in the same sense they pray to God. Really they are asking Mary to pray for them. In the same way, we ask our friends to pray for us here on earth. Still there is a possibility of trouble arising. It is possible to spend to much time asking our friends to pray for us, and neglect actually spending time communing with God. Perhaps when people don't feel comfortable going straight to God, they ought to ask themselves why. But I totally commend asking for help, as long as this danger is avoided.
Mary Worship:
Catholic doctrine teaches that we should venerate Mary but not adore her. She is to be honored, not worshiped. This is very clear. Nonetheless, Mary worship is occurring and is a very real problem. It has been documented since the second century and still occurs today. It is especially common in cultures where goddess worship was the norm before Christian theology was introduced. I think it would make us protestants feel a lot better to hear Catholics say "Yes , there are people who worship Mary and we realize how terrible this is! We totally condemn the worship of anyone but God" I think this would make us feel better than discussions of dulia and hyper-dulia.
Crazy Visions:
Over time many people have seen visions of Mary. Some of these are endorsed by the Catholic church. Some of them are crazy. I don't know about you, but personally if I saw the virgin Mary on my grilled cheese sandwich, I would want to get my head examined. And I certainly wouldn't save the sandwich for years (I'd sell it on ebay as quickly as possible to turn a profit --or maybe not). And when the blessed Virgin appeared in oil stains on an overpass it caused major traffic jams to what end? Now, I don't discount that there are authentic visions by truly pious people. But what is up with all these Marian appearances? Surely the Mother of God has better things to do than show up on cheese sandwiches. Please tell me you Catholics are in agreement on this one!
Roman Catholics believe that at the moment Mary was conceived she was gifted by the grace of the Holy Spirit to remove the stain of original sin. This is church doctrine but it is not considered necessary to believe in the immaculate conception to be in full communion with the Catholic church (Eastern Catholics reject it). I had never heard of this doctrine until a couple years ago. I have no problem with it since the idea is that Mary had no sin stain because of God's grace. Most Protestants who are bothered by the doctrine don't understand this point. Moreover, just as in the old testament the ark bearers needed to be purified, it makes sense that the God-bearer would need to be so as well. Though I'm not sure this needed to happen at the moment of conception. (God can do things how he wants to).
The Assumption:
After her death because Mary was sinless she did not suffer decay but instead was assumed into Heaven. In Heaven she has a special place, she is sometimes referred to as the Queen of Angels or Queen of Heaven. The title Queen of Heaven bothers many Protestants because there was an ancient Babylonian goddess known as the Queen of Heaven. Israelites are condemned for worshiping the Queen of Heaven in the book of Jeremiah. But the assumption itself is easy to agree with. After all, if God could take Enoch and Elijah to Heaven why not Mary. Many Protestants are confused by this doctrine because we are told Catholics believe that Mary ascended into Heaven which implies that it was by her own power. I do wonder why the Catholic church insists that belief in the assumption is necessary to be in full communion with the church.
Mother of God:
Of course God the Father had no mother, he is without beginning. But Mary is the mother of Christ, and Christ is God. So she is the mother of God. This title affirms that Jesus was fully God as well as fully man.
Perpetual Virgin:
This belief is bothersome to many Protestants because the belief in perpetual virginity seems to imply that sex is in itself somehow sinful. Plus there is the mention of Christ's brothers in the Bible. Plus "and he had no union with her until she gave birth to a son." There are several different theories about Jesus' brothers. And until means simply that it did not happen before, this doesn't mean it did happen afterward. Until is often used in this sense in the Bible. But the first part? It seems that Catholic tradition holds that Mary was pledged to be a virgin all her life. To break that vow would be sin. So then I ask, was she really married to Joseph?
Spouse of the Holy Spirit:
If Mary was pledged to remain a virgin in the service of God, it does not seem unreasonable to call her this. I do not believe that God loved Mary more than others, but because of her purity and faithfulness she is able to be united to God in a special way. Her example as the first Christian shows us all how to be the Bride of Christ.
Prayers to Mary (and to the saints in general):
No Catholics do not pray to Mary or to any other saint in the same sense they pray to God. Really they are asking Mary to pray for them. In the same way, we ask our friends to pray for us here on earth. Still there is a possibility of trouble arising. It is possible to spend to much time asking our friends to pray for us, and neglect actually spending time communing with God. Perhaps when people don't feel comfortable going straight to God, they ought to ask themselves why. But I totally commend asking for help, as long as this danger is avoided.
Mary Worship:
Catholic doctrine teaches that we should venerate Mary but not adore her. She is to be honored, not worshiped. This is very clear. Nonetheless, Mary worship is occurring and is a very real problem. It has been documented since the second century and still occurs today. It is especially common in cultures where goddess worship was the norm before Christian theology was introduced. I think it would make us protestants feel a lot better to hear Catholics say "Yes , there are people who worship Mary and we realize how terrible this is! We totally condemn the worship of anyone but God" I think this would make us feel better than discussions of dulia and hyper-dulia.
Crazy Visions:
Over time many people have seen visions of Mary. Some of these are endorsed by the Catholic church. Some of them are crazy. I don't know about you, but personally if I saw the virgin Mary on my grilled cheese sandwich, I would want to get my head examined. And I certainly wouldn't save the sandwich for years (I'd sell it on ebay as quickly as possible to turn a profit --or maybe not). And when the blessed Virgin appeared in oil stains on an overpass it caused major traffic jams to what end? Now, I don't discount that there are authentic visions by truly pious people. But what is up with all these Marian appearances? Surely the Mother of God has better things to do than show up on cheese sandwiches. Please tell me you Catholics are in agreement on this one!
Friday, April 20, 2007
Crayon Mess
How do you get crayon mess out of the dryer??? One of the children must have had a crayon in his (or her) pocket, it melted in the dryer but now it has solidified.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Religious ramblings of a sick person
There are a lot of things that ought to be done right now, but I feel to sick to do them. The children have been sick all week, and now I've got it too. How sick are they? Abigail asked at 7:00 if she could go to bed.
Anyhow, I can't take medicine, so I'm sucking on cough drops and trying to take it easy. It's hard to relax when there is so much to do. But on the other hand I have to keep reminding myself, I've got a little person to take care of inside of me. I'll have my first ultrasound May17, and I'll feel a lot better then.
On a completely unrelated note: Sunday at church Pastor Mike announced "starting next Sunday we will be undergoing a forty day period of prayer and fasting" "SAY WHAT???? Didn't we just finish Lent??" Okay, so obviously Lent is not the only time that we can fast. And while Lenten fasting is generally focussed on personal growth (at least for us) this fast is specifically about our church. Of course, I could argue that I'm exempt since I'm pregnant. Besides I've already given up, soda, coffee, sweets and most other junk food for the baby. But since I believe that our church is important, I decided to fast from reading advice columns. You know the Dear Abby sorts. It is one of my guilty pleasures and it really has no edifying value. I'm not sure what Paul will do yet.
And speaking of fasting, back during Lent I was discussing some theology and I left a few things hanging. Nobody has been clamoring for more religion but I thought I would bring it back up anyway.
First a synopsis on the sacraments:
Communion: The Real Presence of Christ but not technically blood and flesh (if Christ can be manifest in a human form, he can be manifest in the sacrament).
Baptism: Truly a sacrament, but it had no affect on a non-believing individual. The argument, from this perspective, for infant baptism is that a child can have faith long before he is old enough to understand the sacrament. Most families in our church do not baptize infants, we dedicate them. But this does not mean we do not view baptism as a sacrament. This is entirely different than the Baptist view which is that the baptism is merely symbolic.
Confession: We do not believe that priest mediated confession is necessary. Although confessing to the pastor is an option. However, confessing our sins and repenting of them is definitely a must.
Matrimony: Marriage is a life long commitment. Divorce is only allowable in the case that the spouse committed adultery. If a person is deserted by a non-Christian spouse, that person may remarry. However, divorces that occurred before the person came to faith are not counted against them. I totally do not understand the Catholic annulment thing. I think annulments are granted way too frequently.
Ordination: Certain people are called to ministry, they go to seminary and become ordained as ministers. Some ordained ministers also become deacons and bishops. Perhaps the one teaching of the Free Methodist church that I have never been able to really come to terms with is that they ordain women. They were actually one of the first denominations to come to this practice from my understanding. The logic is scriptural that in Christ we are "neither male nor female" still this doesn't sit right with me. On the other hand I am bothered by the Catholic demand for Celibacy since the Bible also says the overseer should be "the husband of one wife". Besides the fact that Peter was married (otherwise how could Jesus have healed his mother-in-law).
Anointing: When someone is ill (dying or not) they may request to be anointed. Sometimes there are special healing services. And usually this is accompanied by the laying on of hands of the congregation. Of course in some cases that is not possible. And sometimes a substitute is used for the laying on of hands. For instance when Sammy was in the NICU -- I was a stand in since the congregation could obviously not come in and see him. He was anointed once. It was kind of neat.
Confirmation: I don't know a lot about confirmation. People undergo classes then there is a ceremony in which they make professions and become full church members. If a person has a severe sin which needs to be remedied they can have a sort of probationary membership. For instance in our class there was a woman who was living with a man whom she was not married to. She went through the classes and ceremony with us. But was not a full member until she married him (she also could have moved out) but she didn't need any additional ceremony. The classes are very simple and much less rigorous than RCIA in part because the Free Methodist doctrine/discipline is oodles simpler. And the professions are very basic and any true Christian would agree with them even if they thought the church had a lot of other things backwards.
I think that's all the sacraments. We do truly believe in sacraments in our church. But usually if we say "the sacrament" we are referring to The Lord's Supper.
I think tomorrow I will give a discussion on Mariology. I will try to explain fairly what Catholic teachings say and why protestants are bothered by some of it. And I will also try not to offend anyone.
In the meantime I will go to bed and sleep.
I suppose I should put a disclaimer on my sight.
DISCLAIMER: Although I am a Free Methodist, I am not authorized to make statements on behalf of the church. So don't get mad if I said something wrong.
P.S. A lot of denominations recognize some of the sacraments but not others, this is sort of confusing to me.
P.P.S. Sometime in the next few days, I plan to post on all the things that really bug me about the Catholic church. So be prepared to defend yourselves, all you Catholics (I think that constitutes a vast majority of my readership). And all you non-Catholics, I could probably use some support?
Anyhow, I can't take medicine, so I'm sucking on cough drops and trying to take it easy. It's hard to relax when there is so much to do. But on the other hand I have to keep reminding myself, I've got a little person to take care of inside of me. I'll have my first ultrasound May17, and I'll feel a lot better then.
On a completely unrelated note: Sunday at church Pastor Mike announced "starting next Sunday we will be undergoing a forty day period of prayer and fasting" "SAY WHAT???? Didn't we just finish Lent??" Okay, so obviously Lent is not the only time that we can fast. And while Lenten fasting is generally focussed on personal growth (at least for us) this fast is specifically about our church. Of course, I could argue that I'm exempt since I'm pregnant. Besides I've already given up, soda, coffee, sweets and most other junk food for the baby. But since I believe that our church is important, I decided to fast from reading advice columns. You know the Dear Abby sorts. It is one of my guilty pleasures and it really has no edifying value. I'm not sure what Paul will do yet.
And speaking of fasting, back during Lent I was discussing some theology and I left a few things hanging. Nobody has been clamoring for more religion but I thought I would bring it back up anyway.
First a synopsis on the sacraments:
Communion: The Real Presence of Christ but not technically blood and flesh (if Christ can be manifest in a human form, he can be manifest in the sacrament).
Baptism: Truly a sacrament, but it had no affect on a non-believing individual. The argument, from this perspective, for infant baptism is that a child can have faith long before he is old enough to understand the sacrament. Most families in our church do not baptize infants, we dedicate them. But this does not mean we do not view baptism as a sacrament. This is entirely different than the Baptist view which is that the baptism is merely symbolic.
Confession: We do not believe that priest mediated confession is necessary. Although confessing to the pastor is an option. However, confessing our sins and repenting of them is definitely a must.
Matrimony: Marriage is a life long commitment. Divorce is only allowable in the case that the spouse committed adultery. If a person is deserted by a non-Christian spouse, that person may remarry. However, divorces that occurred before the person came to faith are not counted against them. I totally do not understand the Catholic annulment thing. I think annulments are granted way too frequently.
Ordination: Certain people are called to ministry, they go to seminary and become ordained as ministers. Some ordained ministers also become deacons and bishops. Perhaps the one teaching of the Free Methodist church that I have never been able to really come to terms with is that they ordain women. They were actually one of the first denominations to come to this practice from my understanding. The logic is scriptural that in Christ we are "neither male nor female" still this doesn't sit right with me. On the other hand I am bothered by the Catholic demand for Celibacy since the Bible also says the overseer should be "the husband of one wife". Besides the fact that Peter was married (otherwise how could Jesus have healed his mother-in-law).
Anointing: When someone is ill (dying or not) they may request to be anointed. Sometimes there are special healing services. And usually this is accompanied by the laying on of hands of the congregation. Of course in some cases that is not possible. And sometimes a substitute is used for the laying on of hands. For instance when Sammy was in the NICU -- I was a stand in since the congregation could obviously not come in and see him. He was anointed once. It was kind of neat.
Confirmation: I don't know a lot about confirmation. People undergo classes then there is a ceremony in which they make professions and become full church members. If a person has a severe sin which needs to be remedied they can have a sort of probationary membership. For instance in our class there was a woman who was living with a man whom she was not married to. She went through the classes and ceremony with us. But was not a full member until she married him (she also could have moved out) but she didn't need any additional ceremony. The classes are very simple and much less rigorous than RCIA in part because the Free Methodist doctrine/discipline is oodles simpler. And the professions are very basic and any true Christian would agree with them even if they thought the church had a lot of other things backwards.
I think that's all the sacraments. We do truly believe in sacraments in our church. But usually if we say "the sacrament" we are referring to The Lord's Supper.
I think tomorrow I will give a discussion on Mariology. I will try to explain fairly what Catholic teachings say and why protestants are bothered by some of it. And I will also try not to offend anyone.
In the meantime I will go to bed and sleep.
I suppose I should put a disclaimer on my sight.
DISCLAIMER: Although I am a Free Methodist, I am not authorized to make statements on behalf of the church. So don't get mad if I said something wrong.
P.S. A lot of denominations recognize some of the sacraments but not others, this is sort of confusing to me.
P.P.S. Sometime in the next few days, I plan to post on all the things that really bug me about the Catholic church. So be prepared to defend yourselves, all you Catholics (I think that constitutes a vast majority of my readership). And all you non-Catholics, I could probably use some support?
Monday, April 16, 2007
One search ended...
http://www.pioneersolutionsllc.com/
I start May 7.
The reality of the matter hasn't really hit me yet.
I am still in the process of notifying everyone who needs to know.
The thought "now I have to start looking for an apartment" has crossed my mind, but is way too much to think about just yet.
I start May 7.
The reality of the matter hasn't really hit me yet.
I am still in the process of notifying everyone who needs to know.
The thought "now I have to start looking for an apartment" has crossed my mind, but is way too much to think about just yet.
Taco Salad
I have been madly craving taco salad lately. So just about every meal I make one for myself. I switch it up a little bit, so there not all exactly the same. But I go through about a head of lettuce and a jar of salsa a day. Today I fixed pizza for my family (with leftover fajita chicken and peppers) and the idea of pizza seemed yucky so I had a taco salad. I think Paul was inwardly laughing at me (and he didn't even know that I had also eaten taco salad for breakfast).
I'm just glad it's a craving I can indulge without guilt or negative consequences. I am not losing weight right now, but I'm not gaining yet either. And interestingly, my fat stores from all over my body (and I believe me I had plenty are being depleted). My size eight pants are getting too big (they are low-waisted, so they cut below the belly bulge). My little bulge is actually kind of cute, well at least when it's hidden under a suitable garment. You don't want to even imagine three children's worth of stretch marks.
I worried a little bit about what would happen if I continue at this rate and lose all my fat stores. But I figure my body will let me know what it needs to feed the baby (babies really, since Isaac is still nursing). I told this to Paul. His reply: "Well then I'll know what's going on if I come home and seeing you gnawing on a stick of butter!"
On a completely unrelated note... Abigail had ice skating lessons today. This was only her second lesson, and she is pretty scared of the ice. She wanted to hold my hand all the time. The instructor was leading the group in a bunch of activities, but it was all I could do to get Abigail to let go for even a second. They had two assistants for the class, and I tried to get some help with her. But the one was working with kids who were more advanced, and the other spent his entire time with one little girl. This girl who was a smidge younger than Abigail and about the same skill level (at least at the beginning) did not have a parent with her one the ice (despite that supposedly being a class rule for children under 4). Instead both of her parents watched from the sidelines. I was mad at the time. It seemed highly unfair that their little girl monopolized the assistant's time.
But instead I guess I should be grateful that I was able to be with Abigail. For all I know, they are physically incapable of getting on the ice.
But maybe I will try to take her to the ice arena for open skating this weekend. That way we could practice.
I'm just glad it's a craving I can indulge without guilt or negative consequences. I am not losing weight right now, but I'm not gaining yet either. And interestingly, my fat stores from all over my body (and I believe me I had plenty are being depleted). My size eight pants are getting too big (they are low-waisted, so they cut below the belly bulge). My little bulge is actually kind of cute, well at least when it's hidden under a suitable garment. You don't want to even imagine three children's worth of stretch marks.
I worried a little bit about what would happen if I continue at this rate and lose all my fat stores. But I figure my body will let me know what it needs to feed the baby (babies really, since Isaac is still nursing). I told this to Paul. His reply: "Well then I'll know what's going on if I come home and seeing you gnawing on a stick of butter!"
On a completely unrelated note... Abigail had ice skating lessons today. This was only her second lesson, and she is pretty scared of the ice. She wanted to hold my hand all the time. The instructor was leading the group in a bunch of activities, but it was all I could do to get Abigail to let go for even a second. They had two assistants for the class, and I tried to get some help with her. But the one was working with kids who were more advanced, and the other spent his entire time with one little girl. This girl who was a smidge younger than Abigail and about the same skill level (at least at the beginning) did not have a parent with her one the ice (despite that supposedly being a class rule for children under 4). Instead both of her parents watched from the sidelines. I was mad at the time. It seemed highly unfair that their little girl monopolized the assistant's time.
But instead I guess I should be grateful that I was able to be with Abigail. For all I know, they are physically incapable of getting on the ice.
But maybe I will try to take her to the ice arena for open skating this weekend. That way we could practice.
Saturday, April 14, 2007
What type of homemaker are you?
Aprons- Y/N?
I own one that Sammy gave me for Christmas, and when I think of it I wear it. Based on the number of stains on my clothing this is not nearly enough.
Baking- Favorite things to bake:
Blueberry muffins! Duncan Hines mix.
Clothesline- Y/N?
We have one. I used it the first summer we were married (i.e. before children)
Donuts- Have you ever made them?
No, but I've made bagels.
Every day- One homemaking thing you do every day.
Feed the children?
Freezer- Do you have a separate deep freeze?
We have two.
Garbage Disposal- Y/N?
Yes, and I have destroyed many pieces of silverware in it.
What is your favorite homemaking resource?
My Mother
Ironing- Love it or hate it?
Hate it. Actually, for several months there has been an unknown sticky substance on the iron that I keep forgetting to clean off, so every time I try to iron I get sticky gunk on the clothes.
Junk Drawer- Y/N? Where is it?
Define "junk"?
Kitchen: Design and Decorating-
Roosters all the way!
Love- what is your favorite part of homemaking?
Playing with the children.
Mop- Y/N?
Before we got married Paul made me promise to let him do all the mopping. Mostly I do. Except sometimes the floor gets so sticky you can hardly walk across it. When this happens I think about mopping. And eventually I do actually mop if there is company coming over.
Nylons- wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I was them in the machine, then when I go to put them on I realize they have holes in them, so I throw them away. Then, if at all possible I do not wear them.
Oven- Do you use the window or open the door to check?
It depends what I'm cooking. But usually I open the door.
Pizza- what do you put on yours?
Everyone else I've seen did not see how this was a homemaking question. I do. I use whatever kind of leftover meat and veggies we have (taco meat and green beans anyone?). Unless it is summer, and then I use zucchini (I am excellent at growing zuchini.
Quiet- what do you do during the day to get a quiet moment-
It's only quiet if the children are sleeping.
Recipe box- Y/N?
No, but I have a recipe book into which I cram random papers with recipes on them.
Style of House-
Messy
Tablecloths and napkins- Y/N.
I own probably half a dozen tablecloths, but my table is naked (except for the clutter) because Isaac likes to pull on the tablecloth and send everything flying onto the floor.
Under the sink- organized or toxic wasteland?
Which sink? Actually both are pretty organized.
Vacuum- How many times per week?
As many times as Sammy has therapists coming to the house. I hate vacuuming
Wash- how many loads of laundry do you do per week?
12 maybe. And I'm still always behind.
X's- Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
No. But I sometimes make a list of things for Paul to do. And I make a grocery list, and then forget to take it to the store.
Yard- Y/N. Who does what?
I love our yard. I do the fun stuff like gardening and landscaping. (It looks pretty bad right now). And then whenever a random neighbor kid shows up at the door wanting to mow we hire him. If there are no neighbor kids for a long time, either Paul mows, or my dad.
So what does everyone else have to say?
I own one that Sammy gave me for Christmas, and when I think of it I wear it. Based on the number of stains on my clothing this is not nearly enough.
Baking- Favorite things to bake:
Blueberry muffins! Duncan Hines mix.
Clothesline- Y/N?
We have one. I used it the first summer we were married (i.e. before children)
Donuts- Have you ever made them?
No, but I've made bagels.
Every day- One homemaking thing you do every day.
Feed the children?
Freezer- Do you have a separate deep freeze?
We have two.
Garbage Disposal- Y/N?
Yes, and I have destroyed many pieces of silverware in it.
What is your favorite homemaking resource?
My Mother
Ironing- Love it or hate it?
Hate it. Actually, for several months there has been an unknown sticky substance on the iron that I keep forgetting to clean off, so every time I try to iron I get sticky gunk on the clothes.
Junk Drawer- Y/N? Where is it?
Define "junk"?
Kitchen: Design and Decorating-
Roosters all the way!
Love- what is your favorite part of homemaking?
Playing with the children.
Mop- Y/N?
Before we got married Paul made me promise to let him do all the mopping. Mostly I do. Except sometimes the floor gets so sticky you can hardly walk across it. When this happens I think about mopping. And eventually I do actually mop if there is company coming over.
Nylons- wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I was them in the machine, then when I go to put them on I realize they have holes in them, so I throw them away. Then, if at all possible I do not wear them.
Oven- Do you use the window or open the door to check?
It depends what I'm cooking. But usually I open the door.
Pizza- what do you put on yours?
Everyone else I've seen did not see how this was a homemaking question. I do. I use whatever kind of leftover meat and veggies we have (taco meat and green beans anyone?). Unless it is summer, and then I use zucchini (I am excellent at growing zuchini.
Quiet- what do you do during the day to get a quiet moment-
It's only quiet if the children are sleeping.
Recipe box- Y/N?
No, but I have a recipe book into which I cram random papers with recipes on them.
Style of House-
Messy
Tablecloths and napkins- Y/N.
I own probably half a dozen tablecloths, but my table is naked (except for the clutter) because Isaac likes to pull on the tablecloth and send everything flying onto the floor.
Under the sink- organized or toxic wasteland?
Which sink? Actually both are pretty organized.
Vacuum- How many times per week?
As many times as Sammy has therapists coming to the house. I hate vacuuming
Wash- how many loads of laundry do you do per week?
12 maybe. And I'm still always behind.
X's- Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
No. But I sometimes make a list of things for Paul to do. And I make a grocery list, and then forget to take it to the store.
Yard- Y/N. Who does what?
I love our yard. I do the fun stuff like gardening and landscaping. (It looks pretty bad right now). And then whenever a random neighbor kid shows up at the door wanting to mow we hire him. If there are no neighbor kids for a long time, either Paul mows, or my dad.
So what does everyone else have to say?
Thursday, April 12, 2007
mustard covered onions
Doesn't that just sound yummy??? No? Then, unlike me, you are probably not pregnant.
So much for NFP. When I got pregnant with Isaac, it was easy to see that I had misread my signs. This time I am convinced that I did not. Depending on what due date the doctor determines, I will decide whether there was an exceptionally long lived sperm or if I ovulated a second time (both of these are scientifically documented but extremely rare phenomena). It is sort of frustrating to find that after all that abstaining we got pregnant anyway. Why bother with the NFP then??
But despite all of that I am delightedly happy. I figure God chose to bless us inspite of ourselves. God's timing is never wrong.
And since Abigail has been praying extra hard for a baby sister, I am willing to bet this baby is a girl (the way I feel is also a good indicator).
The best I can say for when the baby is due is sometime in December. Which could make for an interesting Christmas.
This afternoon I am sorting through clothes, no sense of having a closet full of stuff that doesn't fit now and won't fit anytime soon.
Besides that, something about being pregnant makes me want to clean and sort everything. Paul will come home and wonder what happened.
(By the way Dave and Monica if you are reading this, would you like our little coffee pot?)
I also find that eating healthier has been easier. Partly because I know what I eat is going to feed a little person. And partly because I keep craving vegetables.
On an unrelated note... I just found out we are getting a humongous tax return. PARTY TIME! Actually, although I have not yet discussed the matter with Paul I think that we will put ninety percent in savings and use the rest to buy new blinds for our living room (unless Paul thinks a new camera is more important).
So much for NFP. When I got pregnant with Isaac, it was easy to see that I had misread my signs. This time I am convinced that I did not. Depending on what due date the doctor determines, I will decide whether there was an exceptionally long lived sperm or if I ovulated a second time (both of these are scientifically documented but extremely rare phenomena). It is sort of frustrating to find that after all that abstaining we got pregnant anyway. Why bother with the NFP then??
But despite all of that I am delightedly happy. I figure God chose to bless us inspite of ourselves. God's timing is never wrong.
And since Abigail has been praying extra hard for a baby sister, I am willing to bet this baby is a girl (the way I feel is also a good indicator).
The best I can say for when the baby is due is sometime in December. Which could make for an interesting Christmas.
This afternoon I am sorting through clothes, no sense of having a closet full of stuff that doesn't fit now and won't fit anytime soon.
Besides that, something about being pregnant makes me want to clean and sort everything. Paul will come home and wonder what happened.
(By the way Dave and Monica if you are reading this, would you like our little coffee pot?)
I also find that eating healthier has been easier. Partly because I know what I eat is going to feed a little person. And partly because I keep craving vegetables.
On an unrelated note... I just found out we are getting a humongous tax return. PARTY TIME! Actually, although I have not yet discussed the matter with Paul I think that we will put ninety percent in savings and use the rest to buy new blinds for our living room (unless Paul thinks a new camera is more important).
Saturday, April 7, 2007
I'm dreaming...
of a white Easter?!?
I guess it is only fair that after a "green" Christmas there be a foot or so of snow (and falling) outside right now. Unless there is a last minute heat wave, there will be quite a bit of snow on the ground for Easter.
The lady a few houses down from us still plans on having an Easter Egg Hunt this afternoon. She said that if kids can go tobogganing and sledding they can hunt Easter Eggs. That, and she already had the eggs made up and didn't want that effort to go to waste. She's "hidden" some of them by hanging them on a tree where they might actually be found.
I've been out shoveling twice this morning, and will have to go out again. Apparently, some of the highways were closed this morning because of traffic. I know my street didn't look very well-plowed this morning (I live on a "main road" that is plowed... or at least should be).
Today therefore should be interesting. I'm planning on going to the Easter Basket Blessing at my parish this afternoon. Then we're all going to the Vigil Mass this evening. Mary is singing in the choir and I have the 3rd reading about the parting of the red sea. At least this way we won't have to worry about shoveling tomorrow morning to get to Mass. Those are the crowded Masses (there is an overflow Mass in the gym that starts 15 min after the one in the church) because they are more normal length. The Vigil is considerably longer but, in my opinion, it doesn't feel as long as it is.
A Happy and Blessed Easter to you all!
I guess it is only fair that after a "green" Christmas there be a foot or so of snow (and falling) outside right now. Unless there is a last minute heat wave, there will be quite a bit of snow on the ground for Easter.
The lady a few houses down from us still plans on having an Easter Egg Hunt this afternoon. She said that if kids can go tobogganing and sledding they can hunt Easter Eggs. That, and she already had the eggs made up and didn't want that effort to go to waste. She's "hidden" some of them by hanging them on a tree where they might actually be found.
I've been out shoveling twice this morning, and will have to go out again. Apparently, some of the highways were closed this morning because of traffic. I know my street didn't look very well-plowed this morning (I live on a "main road" that is plowed... or at least should be).
Today therefore should be interesting. I'm planning on going to the Easter Basket Blessing at my parish this afternoon. Then we're all going to the Vigil Mass this evening. Mary is singing in the choir and I have the 3rd reading about the parting of the red sea. At least this way we won't have to worry about shoveling tomorrow morning to get to Mass. Those are the crowded Masses (there is an overflow Mass in the gym that starts 15 min after the one in the church) because they are more normal length. The Vigil is considerably longer but, in my opinion, it doesn't feel as long as it is.
A Happy and Blessed Easter to you all!
Tuesday, April 3, 2007
Is Satan shivering?
Or are there pigs out there with those 747s?
My house is clean.
Okay, you neatniks would not probably call it clean.
Sunday morning the lady who was supposed to host Bible study this week asked if I could instead. I said yes. Then I came home and saw my mess and said, "What was I thinking????" So the children and I have spent the last two days "cleaning"? For the kids this mostly seems to mean making everything wet, but that's okay. I also had to explain to Abigail that Febreeze is for soft things (i.e. couch, drapes, mattresses). And pledge is for hard things (tables, chairs, bookshelves).
I was in the bathroom washing the countertop and I heard giggling and spraying. I came out to the living room to discover that Sammy was apparently a hard thing. I told her that Sammy is neither hard nor soft so we don't spray him. She said she thought he was soft. But to her dismay, I put the Febreeze away.
We continued cleaning until about 6:30 (with many, many breaks) since people were supposed to arrive at 6:45.
For dinner I fed them taco bell (my mother picked it up on her way over) as a special treat for how much they were helping me (and because I didn't want to cook dinner).
At Bible study we discussed how we can be peacemakers. (And why we should). I don't remember which exact scripture passages we discussed, although one was the peacemaker verse from the beatitudes.
Most of the evening I got to hold Jamie Lynn. She's not quite two months old, and oh so sweet. I used all of my excellent mommy dancing skills to keep her from crying. She was hungry, but her poor mommy really looked like she could use a break. Apparently Jamie nurses just about constantly. It felt really good to hold such a tiny one. It also felt good to hand her back to Colleen when the study was over.
My house is clean.
Okay, you neatniks would not probably call it clean.
Sunday morning the lady who was supposed to host Bible study this week asked if I could instead. I said yes. Then I came home and saw my mess and said, "What was I thinking????" So the children and I have spent the last two days "cleaning"? For the kids this mostly seems to mean making everything wet, but that's okay. I also had to explain to Abigail that Febreeze is for soft things (i.e. couch, drapes, mattresses). And pledge is for hard things (tables, chairs, bookshelves).
I was in the bathroom washing the countertop and I heard giggling and spraying. I came out to the living room to discover that Sammy was apparently a hard thing. I told her that Sammy is neither hard nor soft so we don't spray him. She said she thought he was soft. But to her dismay, I put the Febreeze away.
We continued cleaning until about 6:30 (with many, many breaks) since people were supposed to arrive at 6:45.
For dinner I fed them taco bell (my mother picked it up on her way over) as a special treat for how much they were helping me (and because I didn't want to cook dinner).
At Bible study we discussed how we can be peacemakers. (And why we should). I don't remember which exact scripture passages we discussed, although one was the peacemaker verse from the beatitudes.
Most of the evening I got to hold Jamie Lynn. She's not quite two months old, and oh so sweet. I used all of my excellent mommy dancing skills to keep her from crying. She was hungry, but her poor mommy really looked like she could use a break. Apparently Jamie nurses just about constantly. It felt really good to hold such a tiny one. It also felt good to hand her back to Colleen when the study was over.
Sunday, April 1, 2007
Teaching Children about Money
At my MOPS (mothers of preschoolers) meeting on Friday our speaker talked to us about teaching our children about financial matters. He is a financial adviser at Edward Jones, and the father of three (if I recall correctly) children.
I first decided that he was pretty cool when he eschewed modern technology and used an overhead projector and transparencies. (And not because he lacks the know-how to use power-point).
He started out by asking us how many of us talk to our children about money. A number of women raised their hands. Then he asked us what we tell them. There were a variety of responses, but my favorite was "Don't EAT it". I especially appreciate this because I tell my children the same thing often.
He then asked why we thought it was important to teach our children about money. One of our mentor moms (someone who has passed the preschool stage and lived to tell about it) piped up "Because if you don't you'll end up with a twenty-something son still living at home." Of course, she was speaking from personal experience.
-Basically we should teach our children about money so that they can make wise decisions.
Next question, what do we want our children to know about money
-My favorite answer here "It all belongs to God." --This is a totally awesome way to look at it, everything is his, we are just the stewards, and someday we will give account for the decisions we made. The other answer I really liked "It's supply is limited." One of the things we talked about was not telling our children "I can't afford that". Instead, we are to say "That isn't in our budget" Or "We have more important things to spend our money on".
Then we talked about how we should teach our children about money.
-Set Financial Goals. We need to sit down with our kids and set goals with them. Both short term and long term. And we are not supposed to criticize them for unrealistic goals. "What is your short term goal?" "I want a TV" "How much do you think that costs?" "$6.00" (Do not tell your child, "A TV costs way more than that, that's absurd") . Instead, write down there goal and encourage them to save money to achieve it.
-Use Self Discipline. I figure I need to work more on this one myself. One of the best ways we teach is by example. He shared a story about a family that took their children to Toys R Us and let them pick out any toy they wanted and then would offer to either buy the toy or set the money aside for a trip to Disneyland. I guess they bought a lot of junk before the first trip to Disneyland. But after that the kids were much more willing to set aside the savings.
We also talked about giving to charities and helping to find things your children can be involved with. And he also talked about taking a child shopping with you and having them help you to compare prices on products and to help you choose which ones to buy. Then there was a rant about how many mothers talk to someone on the cell phone while they shop instead of enjoying the time that they are spending with their child.
...I love to shop with my children. Especially if I only have one of them with me. Then I can give that child extra attention. It usually ends up being a lot of fun. Although Abigail is starting to think grocery stores are boring. Unless she gets to ride the Horse.
After the speaker we had discussion groups. I mentioned in my group that we give Abigail an allowance and that her receiving it is contingent on her completing her chores/behaving herself through the week. I about had someone chew my head off. She said it was absolutely horrible to do this because then your child would only do chores if she was getting paid. Yada Yada Yada!! And she didn't pause from her tirade to let me defend myself either.
Truthfully, motivating a three-year-old can be difficult anyway. I think she probably just felt mad because she didn't make her three-year-olds do chores at all. That's just my theory.
I got an allowance as a child, and I think that was probably a good thing. And we certainly learned about saving. When I was six we saved up and bought a Nintendo (they were brand new at the time). It turns out it takes a long time to save 100 dollars for three children who each receive one dollar a week.
So I'm in favor of an allowance. At least for children who are too young to earn money any other way.
I first decided that he was pretty cool when he eschewed modern technology and used an overhead projector and transparencies. (And not because he lacks the know-how to use power-point).
He started out by asking us how many of us talk to our children about money. A number of women raised their hands. Then he asked us what we tell them. There were a variety of responses, but my favorite was "Don't EAT it". I especially appreciate this because I tell my children the same thing often.
He then asked why we thought it was important to teach our children about money. One of our mentor moms (someone who has passed the preschool stage and lived to tell about it) piped up "Because if you don't you'll end up with a twenty-something son still living at home." Of course, she was speaking from personal experience.
-Basically we should teach our children about money so that they can make wise decisions.
Next question, what do we want our children to know about money
-My favorite answer here "It all belongs to God." --This is a totally awesome way to look at it, everything is his, we are just the stewards, and someday we will give account for the decisions we made. The other answer I really liked "It's supply is limited." One of the things we talked about was not telling our children "I can't afford that". Instead, we are to say "That isn't in our budget" Or "We have more important things to spend our money on".
Then we talked about how we should teach our children about money.
-Set Financial Goals. We need to sit down with our kids and set goals with them. Both short term and long term. And we are not supposed to criticize them for unrealistic goals. "What is your short term goal?" "I want a TV" "How much do you think that costs?" "$6.00" (Do not tell your child, "A TV costs way more than that, that's absurd") . Instead, write down there goal and encourage them to save money to achieve it.
-Use Self Discipline. I figure I need to work more on this one myself. One of the best ways we teach is by example. He shared a story about a family that took their children to Toys R Us and let them pick out any toy they wanted and then would offer to either buy the toy or set the money aside for a trip to Disneyland. I guess they bought a lot of junk before the first trip to Disneyland. But after that the kids were much more willing to set aside the savings.
We also talked about giving to charities and helping to find things your children can be involved with. And he also talked about taking a child shopping with you and having them help you to compare prices on products and to help you choose which ones to buy. Then there was a rant about how many mothers talk to someone on the cell phone while they shop instead of enjoying the time that they are spending with their child.
...I love to shop with my children. Especially if I only have one of them with me. Then I can give that child extra attention. It usually ends up being a lot of fun. Although Abigail is starting to think grocery stores are boring. Unless she gets to ride the Horse.
After the speaker we had discussion groups. I mentioned in my group that we give Abigail an allowance and that her receiving it is contingent on her completing her chores/behaving herself through the week. I about had someone chew my head off. She said it was absolutely horrible to do this because then your child would only do chores if she was getting paid. Yada Yada Yada!! And she didn't pause from her tirade to let me defend myself either.
Truthfully, motivating a three-year-old can be difficult anyway. I think she probably just felt mad because she didn't make her three-year-olds do chores at all. That's just my theory.
I got an allowance as a child, and I think that was probably a good thing. And we certainly learned about saving. When I was six we saved up and bought a Nintendo (they were brand new at the time). It turns out it takes a long time to save 100 dollars for three children who each receive one dollar a week.
So I'm in favor of an allowance. At least for children who are too young to earn money any other way.
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