Life with baby #4

The fourth baby is much easier than the others were in many ways. I know how to change diapers quickly, and how to improvise when stuff is forgotten at how. I've learned what works to kill pain and what just makes me loopy. I know the mommy dance to calm crying. And I know what to do when the baby is screaming with an upset stomach. And when Naomi started to show signs of an allergic reaction I quickly eliminated milk and corn from my diet (the two most likely culprits) and within a day she was back to being a happy baby.

But that's not to say that everything is peachy. First night home, Sammy had the stomach flu (I had to change his sheets about half a dozen times) and I got no sleep. He got over it in a couple of days, only in time for Isaac to get sick. I have to say though that it deepened my love for my husband to watch him crawling around scrubbing up vomit. Isaac remained sick until Christmas day. A lovely quiet day from which we are still recovering. Then he was better a couple days and now he's got a respiratory bug. Because of his asthma, the cold everyone is passing around seems to have hit him harder.

I'm under doctor's orders not to lift more than ten pounds till Monday (when Naomi is two weeks old) which is really hard on the boys. But at least they can sit on my lap when I'm sitting down.

The children all love the baby and are adjusting reasonably well.

And boy am I glad not to be pregnant anymore.

Soon I will post about labor and such --but not today.

Naomi Elizabeth

Born 12/17/2007 at 6:03 PM
7 lbs 14 oz
20.75 in

Other details to be posted later.

I hate mice!

First of all, no the baby hasn't come yet. Labor has been long and slow ugh!

But I just want you all to know that I hate mice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Mouse #4 was just sighted (three have been trapped and disposed of -- i won't discuss the method for those of you who love mice). But before the mouse was sighted, I felt him running over my foot.

I didn't know I was scared of mice. Well, it turns out that I am.

Maybe today

I've been having contractions a lot the last couple of days, and they seem to be becoming more frequent. I made Paul stay home today. So here's hoping.

Baby not here yet

No the baby isn't here yet. As you can all see Dr. Wheeler (who is a totally wonderful Dr.) is terrible at predicting when babies will come. She still hasn't turned yet. But she has engaged and disengaged multiple times.

And Paul is done making our family movie.

How time flies...

The picture is 9 yrs old. Today, the sister that I am preventing from blowing out the candles on my birthday cake became the same age I was when that pictures was taken.

1000

Should you ever meet my sisters in person, you never saw this.

Windshields4Huckabee

Yes, I am still pregnant. And no, the baby hasn't turned yet.

But I have other things to post about now.

I know not all of you share my political leanings. I don't generally use my blog to talk politics. But I want to let those of you who do have views similar to mine of a cool grassroots activity you can participate in.

If you support Mike Huckabee for president, and you'd like to attract attention to his campaign. Then you can participate in Windshields4Huckabee . Basically on December 15, you write a pro-Huckabee message on your windshield (or rear window) and then go about your business. The message should include Huckabee's web address www.mikehuckabee.com.

The idea is that this will draw attention to the candidate. People all across the country will be participating.

If you don't know much about Huckabee, check out the links. And for everybody who links he doesn't have a chance I say pbbth! He just overtook Giuliani in the national polls.

Turn baby turn

A week and a half ago baby was in correct position and fully engaged in my cervix. Then one night, my pelvis went POP! out of place. Now baby is unengaged and facing backwards (not very pleasant). I see the chiropractor today and I am really hoping that will help. Please pray for me. I really want to be able to have this baby naturally, with no complications. That's only likely if she turns around.

I love my husband

Paul stopped at the store to buy some tortillas on his way home from work. He also brought me chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream :) and a coke!

The Problem with Health Care

Paul's comment asked for discussion on the medical industry today, and I could probably go on for days about all of the problems. Of course, if I was to remember that we just past the Thanksgiving holiday, I might be inspired to talk about all of the truly wonderful things about American medicine.

There are obviously many problems with the current system of insurance for most. And it is not at all obvious to me what the solution should be. But it seems pretty easy to see what the root of our problem is.

The body of Christ is not doing it's job. We have a Biblical mandate to care for the sick. This means we should be sacrificing our time and money and energy to care for those with health care needs who cannot meet them themselves. If we had been doing this all along, there surely would not have been a health care crisis. The insurance system as we know it would never have developed, because we would not have had to worry what would happen if we got sick.

Although we are now stuck with a broken system, it seems obvious to me that we need start doing our part. Have money? Give a gift to a local free health care clinic. Have time? Volunteer at such a clinic. Have neither? Pray hard about it. If we really have a heart to give, it often seems that God enables us to do so.

The Glamourous Life

Abigail: Mommy, I shoved an eyeball up my nose.
Me: What?
Abigail: I put an eyeball in my nose?
Me: Did you really put something in your nose?
Abigail: Yes.
Me: What did you really put in your nose.
Abigail: A snowman eye.
Paul: There WAS a googley eye sitting on my desk.
Me (scanning desk): There isn't anymore?

So began our adventure. We spent the next hour or so trying to get her to blow the eyeball out and waiting for the on-call doctor to call us back. He finally called, and he told us to take Abigail to Redi-Med.

So while Paul watched the boys Abigail and I went to Redi-Med. First we waited. Then we checked in. Then we waited. Then the Nurse Practitioner took us back to the exam room "Why are you here?" Abigail replies, "I stuck an eyeball in my nose." Nurse asks confusedly "What kind of an eyeball?" Abigail says, "craft." I explained the situation. The nurse looked in Abigail's nose and asked Abigail to blow several times. No luck. Then she got out some funny looking forceps, called alligator forceps. She attempted to remove the eyeball, but all that happened was Abigail's nose started bleeding profusely. So she said she would go get the doctor. We waited. Abigail asked questions about everything. The doctor came and we explained the situation. He looked in Abigail's nose and asked her to blow. She tried. After several attempts at blowing and lots more blood he got out the alligator forceps and removed the eyeball. Then we were sent back to the waiting room to wait. It took a ridiculously long time for them to check us out.

Now, back at home Abigail is pretending to be a doctor and daddy is the patient with an object stuck in his nose.

Where did the pillow go?

It is never fun to be awoken at 2:30 AM by a screaming child. But it is especially not fun when you can't easily solve the child's complaint.

Sam: I dropped my pillow
Me (looking everywhere in the vicinity): Where did it go?
Sam: Under the bed
Me (looking under the bed): Where?
Sam: I don't know
Me: Here's a new pillow.

I think my child may have inadvertently eaten his pillow. Or maybe it'll be obvious in the morning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Come, ye thankful people, come, Raise the song of harvest home;
All is safely gathered in, Ere the winter storms begin;
God, our Maker, doth provide For our wants to be supplied:
Come to God's own temple, come, Raise the song of harvest home.

-Henry Alford 1844

Birthday Presents

Isaac: wok
Sam: potato masher
Abigail: oven mitt
Paul: toothbrush holder

I love how I have a husband who gives me exactly what I want for my Birthday. For what it's worth Abigail picked out her gift for me all by herself. She did a really good job. The only thing she struggled with was that she informed me at least a month ago that she was going to get me an oven mitt, and has been reminding me ever since.

The potato masher, which Sammy picked out after Paul held it up for him, is a kitchen aid. It looks nice, I'll be trying it out by making mashed potatoes for Thanksgiving.

Skin cells to stem cells

Now this is cool news!

Happy Birthday Shae!

I hope you feel better, especially since today is your birthday. May God bless you and your family today and always.

To reiterate the request you made of me a week ago, have a great birthday and eat plenty of chocolate!

Sick as a dog

3:30 AM is a wonderful time to post on my blog. I took some robitussin at about 3 so it's starting to kick in, then I will go back to bed. This has been a rough couple of days.

Friday night, I was feeling fine (not great, at eight months pregnant you never feel great). I had an appointment with the chiropractor, and Nana and Papa were watching the children, so I made a trip to the grocery store to buy vegetables (Linda and Cheryl were here to visit this weekend) and a few other necessities. After checking out I called Paul to see when he was getting off work, and we made plans to have Mexican food for dinner. Then I drove back to Nana's house to wait for Paul.

By the time I got to Nana's I was feeling pretty ugh! but that's typical from late-term grocery shopping. I didn't think much of it until the contractions started getting really hard and really close together. And then I was puking with every contraction.

When Paul arrived I told him I wasn't ready for dinner. Then a little later I told him to eat dinner himself. Then I said "call the doctor".

The Dr. on call told us to go the hospital which we promptly did. Paul dropped me off, and it was all I could do to hobble in the door and sit down. The ER attendant found a wheelchair and as soon as Paul got in she wheeled me up to the labor and delivery unit (if you're more than 28 weeks pregnant they automatically take you to L&D no matter the complaint). When I get there, they were expecting me but didn't have any rooms available so they took me to the breastfeeding room where they asked a bunch of questions while I proceeded to moan and puke.

When they had a room ready they took me in and had me change into a hospital gown (designed by the famous Seymour Hiney). I was really limping and having trouble moving. I tried to pee in a cup but couldn't. So they put me in the bed, examined me and hooked up the tocometer.

I didn't take them long to figure out that I had stomach flu and was having contractions from dehydration. So they put me on an IV and administer nausea meds. The pains softened. I continued to have contractions for a couple of hours, but by 2 AM they had almost stopped entirely. If I had not gone into the hospital when I did the labor probably would have been irreversible, but fortunately we arrived on time.

At 3 AM they sent me home. I was still too weak to walk very far, so they wheeled me down. By the time I got home the nausea meds were starting to wear off. And I could tell it would be a long weekend.

Paul called the doctor Saturday morning got me some nausea meds. Linda and Cheryl arrived Saturday morning. We had not really warned them that I was sick. We probably should have told them Friday night. But at that point we didn't really know what was going on. And because of the relatively high likelihood that I would have the baby this weekend we thought it might be nice for them to be here. Plus with the doctors orders to stay off my feet I needed their help

But fortunately, the baby stayed right where she belongs. Hopefully, she can incubate at least another week.

The nausea mostly left by about 1:30 yesterday, but not before I somehow developed a cold. The coughing and the sneezing wouldn't be so bad if I weren't so weakened already. So popsicles and jello for me for awhile longer. Although I can no handle chicken soup too.

Now I am just praying that I get myself recouped before I have real labor.

Happy Birthday Kathy!

Today is Kathy's Birthday. I'm not sure how old you have to be before it's impolite to say how old you are. But I'll just say that this is the car insurance Birthday. Possibly the most meaningful of Birthdays. At least until you reach the retirement Birthday in another 40 (or more) years.

So have a great Birthday, and eat plenty of chocolate.

PS. For those of you who don't read Manda's blog, yesterday was her Birthday, too.

P.S. Ever wonder why there are so many Birthday's in mid November? If you haven't figured it out look at a calendar nine months back.

PG

So runner Dave and Leanne will be arriving within the next couple of hours, so the children are helping to ensure that the house is as messy as possible for their arrival. Paul will be getting home from work around the same time they arrive. And I convinced him to bring some Arby's home for dinner. I love my husband!!!!!!!!

So as well as finding that I am writing a blog for the scholarly, I also checked up on my blog's rating. Keeper of the Cheerios is now PG instead of G. The reason given was three instances of the word breast and one of the word sex. I will grant that the post in which these words were used is somewhat illicit and not appropriate for very small children. However, I really do not believe that sex or breast are bad words.

I could have been writing an article about how the doctor had easily determined the sex of our baby by doing so many ultrasounds. Or I could have been discussing sex as the Latin number six and the root of the word sextuplet. Speaking of sex, is that also the root of sexton?

Then again I could have been writing a recipe which called for breast of chicken or breast of turkey. Or I could have been discussing how I plan to breast feed the baby because breast milk is the absolute best nutrition for baby. Breast is not a dirty word! I wish our culture was more understanding of the fact that God designed breasts for the purpose of feeding babies (and perhaps with other mating purposes in mind).

Post grad reading...

Running the home stretch

I saw the OB today. The ultrasound shows that Naomi is nice and plump. She also has hair!!! The Dr. couldn't get a good printout of her though, because her head is so far engaged. Although I'd have liked a better picture, I'm happy to hear this.

After my appointment, I took the kiddos to the BMV to renew my driver's license. The lady did not want to update my weight. So it still says I weigh 124. Perhaps she figured you shouldn't change the weight of a pregnant woman. But the amazing thing is that there was no wait at all. I guess I picked a good day and time. The new BMV is actually very nice too. So I suppose I'll eventually have to stop being bitter about all the changes they've made. The children behaved themselves wonderfully through the whole ordeal. I received many compliments on them.

The word of the day today is humidifier. I don't know why but Abigail has been saying it over and over again.

And Sammy has learned to count to ten.

My nesting energy left this afternoon, so now I am back to feeling dead tired.

Woohoo!!!!!!!!!!

The longer time goes, the less it seems to take to get me really excited.

Right now, I am celebrating the discovery of my long lost phillips screw driver. Yes, the very same one I couldn't find over labor day weekend. :) Finally!

Braxton and Hix

Nana is watching the kids tonight so I can get some cleaning done around this house. Bible Study is here tomorrow night, so I should make it look at least sort of decent. So why, you ask, am I typing on my blog? Is Shaelin procrastinating? For once no. I actually have a lot of cleaning energy today, the nesting bug finally hit. But thanks to Mssrs. Braxton and Hix I needed to take a break.

For those of you who don't know what that means: Braxton Hix contractions are contractions that prepare the uterus/cervix for labor and delivery. They cause effacement but not dilation. Women usually get lots of them in the month (or two) leading up to delivery. Most of my pregnancy advice books say they are painless (this is a complete lie --they sometimes are really terrible). But if you are actively doing something when they start (e.g. walking, chasing toddlers, or cleaning the house) they almost always stop when you stop. Conversely if they start when you are laying in bed, becoming active stops them.

Hopefully this has been a long enough break, so I will get back to work.

Sammy's evals

Sam will be turning three this January. At that time he will no longer be eligible for therapy services through the state-funded First Steps program. As much as First Steps has been a frustration it has also been a blessing. Anyway, when a child transitions out of First Steps they are evaluated for services through the local school system. Sam has been having all sorts of evaluations lately.

His first eval was for IQ. They did not tell me the results of that test, so I really don't know how he scored. Next he had a physical therapy eval (checking his gross motor skills). The therapist did not know where exactly he placed, but did say that it was probably a little over age 2 (which is amazing considering he was almost a year late walking). Then he had an occupational therapy eval (fine motor skills) There were several things in that eval that he was behind age level, but others that he was well ahead. Overall, he was probably about age level, but he may still qualify for services, especially since the occupational therapists work with oral motor activities (in First Steps that is the job of the speech therapist). His speech therapy eval was interesting. In comprehension he was at about the level of a five-year-old (the therapist indicated that he might be even more advanced, but she did not see a need to proceed farther in the test). His articulation (ability to make the correct sounds) is at age level. His vocabulary and sentence structure both put him close to a five-year old level. But he still showed weakness and a need for greater breath support for his words. Because of this he was labeled "at risk". The therapist said that if he qualifies for other services that she will re-evaluate him closer to his Birthday. Lastly he had a hearing evaluation. This eval showed some hearing impairment. However, the tympanogram showed he was not moving air through his right ear (which is the same ear he's had trouble with in the past). However, closer inspection revealed that he has waxy build up in that ear. He might need to have the wax flushed by a doctor, since it is pretty deep in (you can't see it at all without the otoscope). So he has to have another eval in two weeks.

All of this has been exhausting. But it is absolutely amazing how far he has come. I consider it a miracle. All of the evaluators have been amazed by his performance, since they had read his medical history.


God is good.

One of those days

Today, the kids were at Nana's house, and it was my intent to sleep in. Instead I woke up at 3 AM from a very scary nightmare. The kind that spooky because it seems really realistic (except that Paul doesn't drink iced tea). After about an hour I finally fell back to sleep only to have another bad dream (again somewhat realistic, except I would never be stupid enough to try to hide in a closet like that). So I awoke, and although I stayed in bed I never really could get back to sleep.

Then Paul got up with the alarm to go to the men's work day at the church property. The workday must have been canceled though because only one other guy showed up, and he didn't know what was supposed to be going on either. I eventually got up. But I was still fitfully emotional from my poor sleep and bad dreams. So I broke down sobbing probably half a dozen times. I'll blame it on the pregnancy hormones. But I finally had a cup of coffee, and then I felt a lot better.

I haven't gotten much done today. I just don't have the energy. Ugh!

What is with our overly sexualized society?

First, I read in a friend's blog about the "Mom Job", plastic surgery just for moms who want to get their old shape back (this includes lipo, tummy tucks, breast lifts and augmentation). Because without plastic surgery it's basically impossible to look like you did before.

Then, I learn that JK Rowling intended for professor Dumbledore to be gay in the Harry Potter books.

Next, I'm listening to the radio and a Christian author is discussing how Men's sexuality is normal. And he goes on to explain that it is normal and natural for men to think about sex all the time and to perceive women's actions in a sexual manner. For instance, at a party a guy sees a girl across the room, she smiles at him, he smiles back. She thinks "wow he seems nice, he must want to be my friend." He thinks "wow she must be interested in me sexually!" (Please, guys, tell me you really aren't so sex-focussed)

Then the pastor's wife tells me about another church in the denomination where they are conflicted as to what to do because the youth pastor's wife has gotten breast augmentation and is dressing in a manner that shows off her chest.

Then, I hear about a website where men can anonymously donate money to help women who can't afford breast implants get them.

Chastity and Modesty sure seem highly undervalued these days.

Explaining things to a 4-year-old

What is peace?
What is conflict?
Who is Mercy Mild?
How can Jesus be everywhere?
Do angels wear panties?
Are angels girls?
What does Rock of My Soul Mean?
What is the bosom of Abraham?
How is Jesus God if God is Jesus's father?
Is Jesus a father?
Did they sing Happy Birthday to Jesus?
Should we sing Happy Birthday to Jesus?
Why is Christmas Jesus's Birthday?
How old is Jesus?
What is sin?
What is forgiven?
What is mercy?

Help! Help!

If my child has poor theology, I'm afraid it is my fault.

Snowman building

Abigail has been telling me often lately that she wants to play in the snow. And every time the outdoor temperature drops below sixty she expects there to be snow. No luck yet.

But yesterday we built "snowmen". We used washcloths, pipe cleaners (or for you craft snobs, they were actually "chenille twists") felt, googly eyes, and buttons.

Abigail was able to make hers mostly on her own. Sam required more help. Isaac held his while I glued things on it. It was a pretty good method. We had a lot of fun.

So today the children are running around the house with their creations yelling "Snowmans! Snowmans!"

I love my job.

A few days ago I read a blog meme where you're supposed to share what would be your ideal job.

My ideal job: Mommy!

Only I would be able to just be a mommy, someone else would do the laundry, the cleaning, the cooking (except when I wanted to). All I would have to do is be the mommy (and of course the wife too). I'd like to think I'd do a better job at wife and mommy if there weren't so many things to do.

Ah well, no one gets the ideal job. I'll just settle for pretty darn close. At least I don't have to worry about getting fired.

But before I continue on, I better go pack Paul's lunch.

Happy Mole Day!

"A mole is a unit, or have you heard?
6 times 10 to the twenty-third!"

6.022..*10^ 23

So at 6:02 on 10:23 we celebrate.

:)

By the way the :) just celebrated it's twenty-fifth Birthday. Some professor invented it for use with his students in 1982. I heard the details on the radio yesterday can't remember exactly. Just one more great thing to celebrate about the eighties (of course it didn't become truly popular until Al Gore invented the internet :)).

I love Pachelbel

I can relate

Thoughts, or something...

So it's seven o'clock in the morning. But when Isaac woke up crying it felt like the middle of the night. It still feels and looks like the middle of the night. What exactly is the benefit I'm getting from all that daylight we're saving. It might be great for some people, who don't have to get up in the morning. In my mind, the darkness is the worst part of winter.

I've been meaning to write a post about Keith's wedding this weekend. It was a lot of fun. But I just haven't found it in me to string together enough coherent thoughts. We of course killed our food budget. I'm not thinking to much about that.

Isaac is now standing on the coffee table and has put the handle of the vacuum cleaner in his shirt. He has that huge "look how smart I am" grin on his face.

And I've never been to Boston in the fall..

... is not a claim that the Cleveland Indians can make. I however, still can. It is funny when a sports team is actually doing well (though with the Indians it isn't completely unheard of) -- random people ask you what you think will happen next. (This evening as I was leaving the YMCA, one of the other folks leaving asked me if I was a fan and if I thought they'd win).

They are losing as I type this. But who knows how things will turn out. I have no doubts that their chances are better than the football team. (an opinion that I trust other readers of this share, though possibly for different reasons)

Well, it is about time for the math show that my friends who don't have a TV introduced me to, so it is time to draw this to a close.

Keeper of the Cheerios

Every so often I google myself to see what is out there about me. Nothing exciting really. But the thing I found exciting was that now, if you google the phrase "keeper of the cheerios" my blog shows up in the first page of results.

I shouldn't be on the computer right now. I just looked over and saw Abigail is using the large roll of masking tape to tape Sammy (who is completely willing) to a chair.

If you fight the Insurance Company long enough, you'll probably win!

Empire has finally paid for the work Paul had done on his foot in March.

Woohoo!

Tents

Due to the ever expanding size of my tummy, and due to the upcoming church rummage sale, I have been sorting through clothing and trying things on. I had to face the unfortunate, saddening reality; I have now reached the tent phase of pregnancy. For those of you unfamiliar with the concept, this is the phase in which the only clothing that fits makes you look like you are wearing a tent.

I have lots of really cute maternity clothing from my previous pregnancies. It never fit right. Right up until the point when you really need maternity clothes it is possible to find all sorts of adorable maternity clothes. Then, once your tummy reaches a certain point, the only way to find clothing to cover it is to buy things three sizes to large. I don't get it. My tummy is big, the rest of me is not. Presumably this is what maternity clothing is supposed to be for. SO WHY DOESN"T IT FIT?????

Some of the shirts fit pretty well, but they aren't nearly long enough. I thought I could get by wearing a camisole under them. But the camis I can find either aren't long enough, or they roll up over my belly.

Ugh! Two more months of tents.

She'll be a big one!

I saw the obstetrician today. When he was looking at the ultrasound, he said "It looks like we'll be seeing this one in mid November." I looked at him and said "WHAT????" He said "When's your due date again?" "December 17." "Oh, umm... early December then, and it looks like she'll be at least an eight pounder."

I guess the baby is more the size it should be if I were much farther along, and even then she's on the big side. He had forgotten to look at the chart for the due date and was just making an age assumption based on the fetal size.

prenatal soccer?

Have you ever lain awake at night watching your stomach move around into all sorts of crazy positions? No? Let me tell you, Naomi is quite the mover. I am not sure if it's kick boxing or what it is she's doing in there.

I can barely keep my eyes open, and yet there's not a chance I'm going to sleep. When Abigail used to do this I would walk on the treadmill until she'd fall asleep. Yes, babies do like to be rocked to sleep even in utero. But I am physically so worn out there's not a chance I could mill enough treads.

I spent much of today cleaning the house. While not spotless, it looks pretty good. The women's Bible study met here tonight. I am leading the study for the next few weeks . We just started an eight week study of Colossians. It went very well. The only disappointment was a relatively low attendance. Also I was the only participant under age fifty. Do young women think a straight scripture study will be boring? The last time I tried to lead a study I invited only young women, and none of them came.

Ah well...

We already knew that about Ready-To Assemble Furniture

Please note : Refractory means stubborn or uncooperative.

I hijacked this "Staples" ad from the Boston Globe Braniac column.

Maybe you aren't as amused as I am? I obviously need more sleep.

This one's for you Dave

!!! BREAD IS DANGEROUS !!!

Research on bread indicates that:

1. More than 98 percent of convicted felons are bread users.

2. Fully HALF of all children who grow up in bread-consuming households score below average on standardized tests.

3. In the 18th century, when virtually all bread was baked in the home, the average life expectancy was less than 50 years; infant mortality rates were unacceptably high; many women died in childbirth; and diseases such as typhoid, yellow fever, and influenza ravaged whole nations.

4. More than 90 percent of violent crimes are committed within 24 hours of eating bread.

5. Bread is made from a substance called "dough." It has been proven that as little as one pound of dough can be used to suffocate a mouse. The average American eats more bread than that in one month!

6. Primitive tribal societies that have no bread exhibit a low incidence of cancer, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's disease, and osteoporosis.

7. Bread has been proven to be addictive. Subjects deprived of bread and given only water to eat begged for bread after as little as two days.

8. Bread is often a "gateway" food item, leading the user to "harder" items such as butter, jelly, peanut butter, and even cold cuts.

9. Bread has been proven to absorb water. Since the human body is more than 90 percent water, it follows that eating bread could lead to your body being taken over by this absorptive food product, turning you into a soggy, gooey bread-pudding person.

10. Newborn babies can choke on bread.

11. Bread is baked at temperatures as high as 400 degrees Fahrenheit! That kind of heat can kill an adult in less than one minute.

12. Most American bread eaters are utterly unable to distinguish between significant scientific fact and meaningless statistical babbling.

In light of these frightening statistics, it has been proposed that the following bread restrictions be made:

1. No sale of bread to minors.

2. A nationwide "Just Say No To Toast" campaign, complete celebrity TV spots and bumper stickers.

3. A 300 percent federal tax on all bread to pay for all the societal ills we might associate with bread.

4. No animal or human images, nor any primary colors (which may appeal to children) may be used to promote bread usage.

5. The establishment of "Bread-free" zones around schools.

What type of Mommy are you?

What type of Mommy are you?

Experienced Mother You most likely have more than one child. Nothing seems to surprise you. You can handle almost any situation.

How do you compare? Take this test! | Tests from Testriffic

Camping

This weekend we took a camping trip to Chain O' Lakes state park (about a 45 minute drive) . We went up early (before 11:00) Saturday morning. First we set up camp and made sandwiches for lunch. Then we took a nature hike.

Our "nature" hike started with a trip to the campstore, where we were informed that there were only two bundles of firewood left. So we bought firewood and hauled it back to the campsite (which they provided a little wagon for). Then after the wagon was returned we took trail #3 which leads to the beach. Because of the giardia outbreak (we are now cleared, but are not supposed to swim for at least two weeks), we could not go in the water. There were a lot of young children splashing around in the water, but fortunately ours were content to dig in the sand. While there a DNR lady came and explained to us that the beach was closed and we were absolutely not to go in the water. Apparently the beach is only open from Memorial Day until Labor Day. They don't have lifeguards or anything then, so I don't really get it.

We eventually pried the children away from the sand to continue our hike. We began on trail #5 which heads alongside the lakes. We didn't get very far though when it became time to turn around and head back to the campground. On the way back we were sidetracked by a playground. I laid on the grass and stared up at the sky while Paul played with the kids. It was lovely. Eventually we did make it back to camp. Paul used his axe to break up some kindling, and then built the fire. Meanwhile, I set up sleeping arrangements in the tent. Paul fixed dinner (hamburgers and potatoes). It was yummy. Meanwhile the children discovered that our campsite had lots of dirt (almost as good as sand).

After dinner we heated water over the fire and washed the dishes. Abigail washed and Sammy rinsed (with some help). And I think by the time we were done the dishes were cleaner than when we started. Then the kids returned to playing in the dirt for awhile. Then we roasted marshmallows over the fire.

After marshmallows I took the kids to the restroom and cleaned them. Abigail and Sammy showered, then I washed Isaac in the sink. Washing Isaac was interesting because the sinks had an automatic sensor that only worked if there was a hand directly in front of the sensor. So the children got clean. And as soon as we stepped outside they were covered in mosquitoes. It turns out that I had washed off all twenty-seven layers of bug spray.

I said prayers with them and put them to bed in the tent. Then I went to join Paul by the campfire. The kids settled down pretty quickly (though when I went in to go to bed myself, none of them were in their own sleeping bags). Paul and I sat and talked and enjoyed each others company until long after the rest of the campground had gone to sleep. This includes the people across the way who didn't bother to put out their fire. The stars were amazing to see. We ended up in an electric campground (not our first choice), but things were fairly calm and quiet. Although a few campsites away you could see people sitting outside watching television.

Finally, I was so exhausted that I went to the tent and fell quickly to sleep. Not long after Isaac woke up. He would not be pacified. At least not until Paul took him, which caused him to immediately fall back to sleep. So he slept for quite awhile, but the next several times he woke up Paul did not. Which left me rocking the baby for most of the night. Sammy only woke up once through the night, though. And Abigail slept clear through.

For breakfast the next morning we made pancakes and eggs. I had forgotten the syrup, so everyone but me ate their pancakes with peanut butter. Then we washed the dishes (slightly more successfully this time) and packed up camp. After everything was packed up we drove to the nature center and caught trail #8 which leads around another lake. It was a fairly hilly trail. Isaac rode in the baby backpack and Sammy in the off-road stroller. Abigail held Paul's hand most of the way and she carried the diaper bag backpack. About halfway through we stopped and sat on a log to eat lunch. (I had packed the lunch while we were packing up camp). Shortly after our stop, we received a call from Paul's sister, Cheryl, with very exciting news. If you're super curious ask her. Otherwise I'll wait for awhile before I share.

When we got home the kids had a nice long nap, and we got the necessary stuff unpacked. Not everything is put away yet. I fixed a pseudo hamburger helper type thing for dinner. And now I eagerly await the next camping trip.

And I'm supposed to believe the media isn't biased???

Now, I'm not Catholic, of course. But I have a great deal of respect for most of the Catholics I do know. And I greatly appreciate their faith. I suppose this is why I became so riled when I saw a Time-CNN headline

Was John Paul II Euthanized?

What??? Are they trying to make a mockery of the Catholic faith?

Anyhow, I read the article with the slanderous headline. Apparently one of the physicians attending to the late pope believes that he should have had a feeding tube inserted much sooner than he did. Shouldn't the headline have been "Did John Paul II receive proper medical treatment?" Unless my understanding of what entails Euthanasia is incorrect, to even use the term is ludicrous.

Well anyway, that's my rant for today.

Prayer request Update

From Jess:

Hi all,



I have good news! The preliminary results from my mom’s tests indicate that
not only are there no new spots of lung cancer - the existing spots of cancer
are smaller!!! This is the first treatment that seems to have really worked
well for her, so we are incredibly grateful for it.



Thank you all so much for your prayers and encouragement - it has meant a lot
to me the past few days to have so many people willing to pray – and I can’t
help but think it made all the difference!!!



Jess

God is Good... ALL the time! We will keep on praying!

Carpet

Last night I shampooed the carpet (finally). I really wanted to post on here "MY CARPET IS CLEAN" But Paul was using the computer, so I decided to wait until morning.

So here goes

"MY CARPET was CLEAN"

Close enough. I'm sure after I've had the chance to vacuum it'll look better again.

On other notes, Sammy's speech therapist decided to quit without letting us know. I would give more details, but if I had to tell you just what I thought about her right now, my blog might lose it's G rating.

Prayer Request

Hopefully Jess doesn't mind me posting this on the blog. But I know a lot of you are strong prayers, so I wanted to share this with you. I received this email from Jess this morning.

Hi all,
I'd like you all to please pray for my mom. As many of you know, she has been
battling lung cancer for the past year and a half. Tomorrow she goes in for
some tests to see if the latest round of treatment has been helping (previous
treatments have slowed the progress of the cancer but not stopped or reversed
it), and to look for any signs of the cancer having spread. Please pray that
the course of the cancer is being reversed, wisdom for the doctors as the
course of treatment is reevaluated in light of the results, and strength for
my family as we wait for an updated diagnosis (we probably won't know anything
until next week).
Thank you for your prayers!
In Christ,
Jess

That pretty well speaks for itself, so please pray!

Hopeful dinner of apples?

So there are three things I want to post about, and rather than make separate entries, I thought I would come up with a clever title that hints at those things but doesn't actually describe any of them.

#1 Dinner Party: Anne, in order to celebrate her Birthday Friday, decided to throw a dinner party. She went with an Indian theme. I being budget minded, but willing to spend lots of time in the kitchen, volunteered to bring all of the starchy foods (I made naan, chapatis, and rice). Wanting to be practical and efficient, I put the rice into the rice cooker ahead. Then on the drive to Anne's house the lid flew off the rice cooker and sent rice everywhere. Only about half the rice was lost. When we arrived, Anne found some rice she had and we added that to the rice cooker, guessing how much to add, then I added water in what appeared to be a good quantity. It later turned out that there was too much rice and not enough water. So we put the excess rice in a pot on the stove and added water, then we put more water in the rice cooker.
The food Anne made was all very yummy, and not too spicy. Afterwards there was a very yummy birthday cake (mmm chocolate!!). Then we sat around and played Cranium. Paul and I discovered that we are absolutely awful at cranium. The worst part was when I broke out laughing so hard I couldn't even begin to hum "funkytown" not that I would be very good at it anyway.
The dinner party was adults only, so Nana and Papa watched the kids for us. It was nice to get away. I honestly do not know how long it had been since Paul and I had been to an adults only function.

#2 Strides of Hope Walk: Thank you again to all of my sponsors! Saturday morning we woke up early and drove across town to Shoaff park for the annual Strides of Hope Walk/Run. My parents also were walking, so they met us at the park with the children. All of the children walked at least part of the way, so we fell behind rather quickly. Eventually we came to a place where the walking trail crossed the road. We later found out that someone had already removed the signs, and that we were supposed to turn on the road. However, the trail did eventually take us back to our location and was a rather scenic walk. We walked about half a mile more than we were supposed to though.
My parents really enjoyed the walk since they had been living in the apartment complex across from Shoaff park when they first met. They had all sorts of great stories to share about their dating experience. If I recall correctly they met because of an incident involving someone (not one of them) throwing a cat out of a window.

#3 Johnny Appleseed Festival: After the race we went to the Johnny Appleseed Festival. It is a large festival with old fashioned rides and games for the kids, tons of reenactments and lots of neat crafts and foods. We started out with the children's rides and games, then we went on to visiting different reenactments. They had soldiers' camps from the Revolutionary War, 1812, and the Civil War. Also, there was a French Fife and Drum Corps from the French and Indian War. Also, there was a fur trapper with a really neat tee-pee. And there was a man with all sorts of neat civil war era toys. I especially enjoyed talking to a woman from the civil war period who explained about how all the funny clothes they war worked. She also had some neat civil war era toys. Back then the toys were all miniature versions of things adults had (sewing machine, ironing board, quilting rack etc.).
We did not visit all of the reenactments, because we were getting tired and hungry. So we went and found the Homestead Chicken and Dumplings. The boys and I ate chicken and dumplings while Abigail and Paul found the (I am sure very authentic) fajita pitas where Abigail got hers sans pita. By the time we were done eating it nigh on time to go home. But we stopped at the blacksmith shop so Paul could watch them smith things over a coal fire. He was enthralled. But I was eventually able to drag him away so that we could go home and nap.
All in all it was a lot of fun.

Happy Birthday Aunt Cheryl!

I don't know if Cheryl reads this blog or not. But it's her Birthday today (the 13th). So I thought I would take a moment to tell you all what a wonderful sister-in-law she is.

Cheryl is a deeply caring person, who puts everyone else's needs first. She is also amazingly friendly, and can strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. She is great fun to be around. A shopping trip with her is something of an adventure.

But most of all, I am grateful that my children have such a wonderful aunt who cares so much about them. She is very much in tune with their individual personalities and is very supportive.

Cheryl, if you're reading this, your Birthday package will come eventually. Sammy is just taking extra long finishing his present for you, but he is determined to do it himself.

Clean-up! Clean-up! Everybody do your share!

Who knew it would take a dump truck to get my kitchen clean?

And the motto for anyone with small children

"If it's worth doing, it's worth doing poorly... at first"

Spanking

So I don't know how all of you feel about spanking children. I think it's best to reserve spanking for occasional use. And usually I give my children time-out. Abigail gets spanked more than the others because she is the most defiant. And I have resorted to light swats for Isaac, because he just doesn't get the whole time out thing yet. But at 15 months he can understand "when I reach for the outlet Mommy swats my hand".

But I almost never spank Sam. He doesn't need it. Generally ten seconds of time-out is more than enough to permanently alter any behavior problem he has.

Well I spanked him tonight.

I was mopping the floor when the phone rang. I went to get the phone and when I was about done talking (a quick "no sorry Paul's not home), I saw Sam head for the mop water (containing lysol) and start drinking it. I ran to him, picked him up and smacked his behind before taking him to time-out.

Hopefully he got the message.

I don't regret it, but I certainly hope I don't need tO AGW1I1wqq1wA1 Q QQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQQ` ` IN

TONIGHt's interrup`tion brought to you by Isaac.

What is it about the Rich?

I was reading the business section of the newspaper today and I saw a book review of a new book entitled "Are the Rich Necessary?" Basically the book seems to be discussing whether or not rich people are necessary for a prosperous economy.

I haven't read the book and my intent isn't to debate it's points. I just found myself a little bothered at the title. I mean if you replace "rich" with any other subset of people, you have a title that seems to be promoting some sort of Neonazism. "Are the Poor Necessary?", "Are the Jews Necessary?", "Are the Handicapped Necessary?".

What is it about the rich that makes it acceptable? Why do we so malign the wealthy. Especially given that by world standards just about anyone in this country is wealthy.

Besides that I think it is only natural, no matter how socialist your society, that some people will have greater wealth than others.

Prescription Frustration

Why couldn't Walgreens have told me that as well as having to drive across town to get Sam's prescription I would also have to wait 24 hours to get it. Oh well, now I get to make another trip across town.

Return of Beaver Fever

So we thought we were in the clear for the Giardia. THINK AGAIN!! Time to start again with the disinfecting.

Dump Truck

When Grandma Pat came to visit, she bought each of the boys a toy truck. Then she got Abigail a fancy dress. The dress goes virtually ignored, while Abigail follows her brothers around pretending the little vacuum is a dump truck.

The $21 a week challenge

A few days ago in our local newspaper, there was an article about a woman who had done the $21 a week challenge. In case you are unfamiliar with the concept:

In general a single person who qualifies for food stamps receives $21 worth of stamps a week. Many congressmen, as well as others, feel that this amount is outrageously low and that it is simply not possible to eat a healthy, well-rounded diet on only $21 a week. In order to "prove" this point many of them have undertaken the $21 a week challenge. The restrictions of this challenge are that you may not spend more than $21 a week on food.

The author of the article I read came across as a clueless, pretentious snob. She talked about how she felt like she was starving all the time and how she was not able to get enough protein in her diet. She also ate things like canned ravioli while on the diet, which a smart shopper will know is not a very cost-efficient choice.

I would like to rebut her article. However, currently my family spends more than the allotted amount on food. In part this is because we have a weakness for dining out. However, if I can convince my beloved husband, I intend to show that it is entirely possible to feed a family of 5 on less than $100 per week. It shouldn't be too big of a leap. And since one week does not seem like a good representative sample. I plan to continue until we have proven that it is not unreasonable, or until we are convinced that it is.

Would anyone care to join us in the challenge?

I plan to keep an update of any food purchases we make (to give dollar amounts, not to list exact foods), as well as good suggestions for eating on the cheap. All of this will be posted on the baking blog. So if you're curious hop on over there.

Meme

Favorite Food: Spaghetti

Favorite Month: May

Favorite Movie:

Favorite Sport: to watch - gymnastics, to play - volleyball

Favorite Season: spring

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: Chocolate

Favorite Time of Day: naptime

Last Cigarette: Never!

Last Drink: Ummm... before I turned 21

Last Car Ride: this afternoon coming home from a meeting

Last Movie Seen in a Theater: Underdog

Last Phone Call: My mom

Last CD Played: Veggietales

Have You Ever Been on TV: Yes, most recently when I was interviewed by reporters about the double homicide across the street

Thing You're Wearing: My "employee of the month" shirt

Thing You've Done Today: taught Abigail how to change Isaac's diaper

Thing You Can Hear Right Now: Nothing but the hum of the fan

Thing You Can't Live Without: God's grace

Thing You Do When You're Bored: I don't get bored, but when shirking responsibility I like to goof off on the computer

Coke or Pepsi: Coke!!

Hot or Cold: Is this supposed to be what I am now, or what I wish I was. I am hot, and would prefer to be cold

What Do You Want To Do Before You Die? Live a life that pleases God

Summer New Years

It was nice at the New Years Party to be able to grill outside, and to not have to worry about snowy road conditions. I think the runners didn't mind not having to layer up either.

For this reason it has been mentioned that perhaps we should permanently move the New Years party to Labor Day, or some other day in the summer time.

Personally, I don't want to move the party. I love having a New Years Eve bash. I certainly am sad that I won't be able to host one this year. Besides there are some people who find it easier to come in the winter time. However, I do have to admit that a summer party is also appealing.

So why not two parties. Perhaps we can have an annual labor day bash and a New Years bash. Besides, who says we can't get together multiple times in a year.

What does everyone think?

New Years, Part II

The trip to Ft. Wayne and back was quite nice. There was a little bit of construction on 24 near Defiance OH, however, traffic was moving at the construction speed limit so it wasn't a big problem. I must admit, as I was driving past lines of construction vehicles, I made an attempt to see what types there were, and wondered if there were any machines that my company has done work with. I didn't get that good a look though, seeing as I had to concentrate on that whole matter of driving. Speaking of work, there were brownies today in honor of the company's 3rd birthday (it came into being when Euclid-Hitachi left Euclid OH).

Getting back to the New Year's party/weekend...

I learned this weekend that:

• a four-year old can learn the phrase "hand sanitizer."
  
• running on New Year's in September is warmer than on Jan. 1
• 9 adults and 3 children can survive in a house with 1 bathroom and only have a line people get up early for church on Sunday
• "bunderbolts" is a word (at least in the world of some assembly required furniture)
  
• on should inspect the area you're placing a piece of furniture before completely assembling said piece
• Dr. Sherman's quote "Art Modell is a chiseling weasel" is a quote that will live in infamy forever... or at least as long as it is common ground between the Steelers' fans and me
• Even the best laid plans for a game can go awry when the roll of the dice does not correspond with the posted probabilities
  
• whoever estimated the length of time for such games does not know my friends
• the "camera priest" (so named because of a homily... long story) has been reassigned from Scared Heart (which is too bad)
• one should bring bug spray and limit the amount of exposed skin (ie wear long sleeved shirt, long pants) to a drive-in theater
  

In addition to these life lessons, there was Saturday Night Baking on Saturday morning, and time spent around young children and Rose friends. Probably lots of other stuff that neither Shaelin nor I have discussed; but there's only so much rambling I can do at a time.

Happy New Year

So as I write this I think most of the people who read this blog are in my living room celebrating the New Year. However, I could not let pass this momentous time to reflect about the previous year... Actually, I only had four hours of sleep and there is no way that I could possibly reflect on anything sensible.

Instead I will note a few pieces of wisdom that have come to mind from this party.

- Be very careful when a four-year-old is pretending you are a mountain

-Congressional districting should definitely be done differently, but coming up with the best solution is not as easy as you thought. And deciding is probably not worth losing sleep over.

-Zoa actually is a word.

-We all use lots of acronyms without ever knowing what they stand for.

-Wikipedia is useful.

- One bathroom is not enough for 12 people who are all trying to get ready for church.

Some financial advice:

Buy stock in disinfectant products!

Okay, maybe it just seems that we are using that much.

In order to curb the outbreak of giardiasis, we are disinfecting the entire house. Namely anything that might go into a child's mouth. And also anything that a child might touch, since that child might then put their hands in their mouth. So, in a word, everything.

For those of you coming to the party, you really don't have to worry about catching this parasite. Just follow these rules:

1. D0 not put random objects into your mouth.
2. Do not share food or drink with the children.
3. Avoid handling dirty diapers (as if you needed a rule for this).
4. Wash hands well and often.

Really, if proper hygiene is used, this infectious protozoa is not very contagious. It's just that children tend not to use proper hygiene and tend to put things in their mouths a lot. It can only be contracted by direct ingestion of Giardia Lamblia cysts (well, there's one other way, but I really don't want to think about it), the important thing is that it is not an airborne pathogen.

More info later.

Thankfully...

God does not call the equipped, He equips the called!

UGH!

I was going to write a really long post about my day.

Instead here's a summary.

Power struggle with Abigail
Find out Sammy has strange intestinal parasite
Find out I have same parasite
Call Nana to babysit
Go to appointment, spend an extra half-hour driving because of road construction
Go to Walgreens only to discover nowhere in Fort Wayne has Sammy's prescription
Buy chocolate ice cream
Watch children terrorize house
Put children to bed early
Eat chocolate ice cream

In Memory of Jonathan Carbaugh

When I was growing up, a very nice lady named Lucy Carbaugh lived in the house two doors down from us. (Do all neighborhoods have a nice little old lady, or is that just a stereotype?) Anyway, we liked to go and visit Lucy from time to time. She would feed us cookies or other snacks. Especially, she was known for her zucchini bread, which we all loved, until you told us it had zucchini in it.

Sometimes when we would go to visit Lucy, she would be babysitting her grandsons Jason and Jonathan. Jason was one year older than me. He seemed like a nice kid, and as far as I can remember he was pretty much normal. Sometimes we played together.

But Jonathan was not a "normal" little boy. He suffered from Cerebral Palsy. He mostly seemed to be a sweet little boy. But he couldn't physically do much, and he couldn't really communicate well. When he got a little older, he was able to use a computer, and that helped. The adults around us always said that Jonathan was smart. I never believed them. I guess because he seemed like such a little kid, I never thought it was possible that he could be intelligent. I believe them now.

I wish I could say that I had played with Jonathan, and that I had spent time getting to know him. I wish that I could be counted as one of his friends. What a blessed opportunity it would have been for me to have the chance to know someone who was trapped in their own body like that.

But no, mostly we avoided or ignored him. We didn't make fun of him, we just didn't bother him.

I hadn't thought about Jonathan Carbaugh in years, probably since I graduated from high school. He didn't cross my mind at all... Until I heard that he had passed away.

He passed away Sunday, after suffering from ill health. And I am filled with a sort of regret. I am wishing that I could feel that I had lost a friend. I am wishing that he would have been my childhood playmate.

At least, this realization will help me to encourage my children to befriend those who are handicapped. I can't go back.

But with God's help we will all go forward, and maybe somehow we can make a difference in someone's life.

Random Updates

Last night youth group went relatively well. Attendance was low. Only two kids ( a brother and sister) came, but they had a lot of fun. We played Apples to Apples, had a short discussion about popularity (it seemed like a good start of the year topic), and then we played DDR and Ping-Pong. We used the ping-pong rule that as long as you can hit the ball it's still in play, which made for some interesting games.

Our visit from Grandma and Cheryl went well too. We took the kids to Science Central on Saturday. They all learned a lot about science, especially Isaac who slept the entire time. Sammy's favorite part was the Mastodon adventure game, which he won. And Abigail's favorite part was the moonwalk exhibit. I think they also enjoyed making "edible clouds" at least they liked the part that involved eating marshmallows.

Friday night I got a phone call from an ecstatic Anne. She now has a job in the Library at Summit Middle School (where I went). She starts Wednesday. This is not quite a teaching job, but it is a step closer. It will also be a much better environment than the school she worked in last year (as an assistant in an emotionally disturbed classroom).

I think I need to go shopping this week. I need to look through my clothes to see if I have stuff that is suitable to wear for camping. Currently not much fits, but I won't be this precise size for very long. I also need new blue jeans because the ones I have are starting to fall apart. I am thinking that I am better off sticking with regular jeans that are low-waisted since maternity jeans never seem to fit right.

I guess that's enough randomness for now. Two of three children are now up from their naps.

Treasure Hunting

This morning, while Abigail was at day camp learning about one monkey (according to her), I took the boys shopping at Salvation Army. It was difficult to know which things to buy without Abigail there to help (she usually tells me to buy everything). But we did make a way with quite a few treasures.

We found:

2 T-shirts for Sammy (after searching three entire racks of children's t-shirts, most were not the right size, and some were already stained/worn out)

1 pair of pajamas for Isaac

2 Leotards for Abigail (knowing how much money I saved by not having to buy these new, made the whole trip worthwhile)

1 pair of Thomas the Tank Engine sneakers (size 10, so they are currently too big for any of my children, but I couldn't tell Sam no. Isaac spent the rest of the shopping trip yanking them away from Sam and throwing them on the floor. )

1 bathrobe with Smiley Faces (Too big for Isaac, so I need to try and convince Sam to wear it, so Isaac can take his old one. Sam gets really attached to everything though)

Things I almost bought but didn't include: infant-sized superman suit, roller-blades adult size six, cabbage patch doll, two size five velvety dresses.

Things I was looking for but did not find: one child size sleeping bag, appropriate for a little boy (The Little Mermaid didn't seem quite right for Isaac), one small backpack for Isaac (The only one that was the right size in good shape had "Peter" embroidered on it), Size 7 boys shoes.

Not my most successful thrifting experience, but all in all we had fun. Someday my children may want to own things that were not pre-owned, but in the meantime we can all be happy.

The dentist

This morning after dropping Abigail off at day camp, I took the boys to the Food Coop to kill about an hour until I had to be at a dentist appointment. Sammy insisted on pushing the cart (with Isaac riding), and since the point of the trip was to kill time I let him. The boys tested the samples, and amazingly loved the raw green beans dipped in Honey-Dijon mustard. I refused since I didn't want to get any crud in my teeth. Then a store employee with a roll of stickers came by and put on one Sammy that said "Organic". He was delighted. We purchased a few "necessities" like Virgil's root beer for Paul. Then I let the boys select a baked treat. If it had been me, I probably would have wanted the chocolate coconut bar or the toffee brownie. But they wanted a carrot, raisin muffin.

I waited until we arrived at the Dentist's office to give the boys the muffin. I figured it would help pacify them while I was being tortured. I was right. I was not at all pleased to see that I had my least favorite dental hygienist. She tends to be rather brutal, and my mouth still hurts five hours later. Then the dentist came in, and I'm pretty sure he didn't actually talk to me about my teeth at all. He did ask about Sam's hair. Since this is the same dentist I have gone to for years, he must have forgotten that I am an O'Neil. Then he talked with the hygienist about my teeth. Then he looked at my teeth while ranting about the new smoking ban. He then discussed the condition of the enamel on my front teeth with the hygienist. The condition of the enamel on my teeth has not changed in over ten years. And yet, at every appointment it is discussed. He figures that as long as it doesn't get worse he won't do anything about it. Unless I want to, for cosmetic reasons.

Finally, my teeth cleaning was done. By this time, Isaac had successfully unhooked the suctioning straw at least three times. Plus, both boys were covered in muffin crumbs.

Since we still had an hour and a half until it was time to pick up Abigail, I took the boys to Jefferson Pointe Mall. There is a really neat play area in the food court. The still somewhat muffin covered boys were hungry, so we went to Auntie Anne's and got pretzels. The first batch of pretzels for the day was just coming out of the oven. Yum!

Finally, we retrieved Abigail and came home. The boys were both too full from their snacks to want lunch.

Not me, I'm always hungry. (Of course, I didn't get a muffin)

Day 4

It feels nice outside today. That is, if you like a sauna. I am so grateful that someone invented air-conditioning. We were about half-an-hour early to pick up Abigail from camp, so the boys and I found a nice shady spot to sit and wait. Even in the shade it was quite hot.

It's day 4, and I am really tired. My house is still a mess. But deep down I know that it would be messier if I were not trying so hard. Cheryl called today and wondered if it is too much on us for them to come visit. She said they didn't need to come. It was sweet of her to offer. However, can you imagine... "I'm sorry kids, Grandma isn't coming after all." "Why not mommy?" "Why?" "But mommy I want to see Grandma!" "But how will Grandma get the thing I made for her?" "But you said that Grandma was coming!"

I would not hear the end of it for weeks. In other words, the kids are really looking forward to seeing their Grandma and Aunt Cheryl. Messy house or not.

Complete change of subject: I bought a new game called "Loot" today. We played it with Jerry and Elizabeth when we were down in Indy. I am hoping to teach it to my family at the big camping trip. It will probably also be a good youth group game.

And speaking of the camping trip. I sure hope the weather cools down. If not maybe we can just set up sleeping bags in the living room. Grandma Pat would have all sorts of ideas on how to make it more camp like. It sort of reminds me about the time that she decided it would be fun to have a picnic in the dark in my dorm room. I'm pretty sure Paul was the only one eating (meal exchange on a Friday), we weren't dating yet at the time and I am amazed that he wasn't frightened away.

A little more

Day 3

Mission: Do a little more each day than I possibly can

I am tired, but I don't think I'm really any more tired than before I started pushing myself to the limit. Of course, I know that I really cannot actually do what I cannot actually do. But I am realizing that I can do more than I thought I could. Paul thinks that I will not really start to feel the effects until about day 7.

It's my best bet of keeping a clean house over the next month.

This weekend: Visit from Linda and Cheryl.
Next weekend: O'Neil family camping trip. Why does this require a clean house? Because my Grandma Pat is coming into town for the occasion.
Weekend #3: Granddad John visits from Florida.
Weekend #4: NEW YEARS PARTY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sigh...

Speaking of the New Years Party. This is a reminder to everyone that the annual Maurer New Years Party will be taking place the Saturday of Labor Day Weekend. Out of Town visitors are welcome to stay the whole weekend with us. I only ask that you let me know approximately when you plan to arrive and how long you plan to stay so I can plan accordingly. Also, we might do a youth group activity that Sunday night, just so you know.

Youth Group

As many of you know, Paul and I recently inherited leadership of the high school youth group at church (in addition to teaching the high school Sunday school class). Our first meeting will be this coming Sunday evening at our house, which gives me extra incentive to clean (in addition to Linda and Cheryl coming this weekend). I have decided that if I do a little bit more than I think I possibly can each day, I should be able to get the house clean. Right now I am half-exhausted and half-flying. Sammy had an appointment in Indy today, and I was so tired on the drive home that I stopped and bought a mocha frappucino. If my rambles don't make sense we'll blame the frappucino.

There are six kids who normally come to Sunday school (and a few others who are there on occasion). About three of these will probably come to youth group. Which means, we are in pretty bad shape. Anyway, presumably the best way to grow the group is for it to be cool enough that the kids want to invite their friends. Since Paul and I don't really qualify as "cool", I'm not really sure how well this will work out. And of course, we want the group to actually be a time to help guide the kids in their relationship with Christ.

I think the basic plan is: play cheesy games, have a discussion about some pertinent/controversial topic, and then having free time to play games (we at least have cool stuff in the basement).

Some possible discussion topics: dating, drugs, sex, depression, self-esteem, racism, homosexuality, cheating, gossip, popularity, evolution, relativism, etc. I think we will plan on having questions and letting the kids freely share their opinions, but then use the wrap-up time to share what, from our viewpoint, is a Biblical perspective on them. Ideally, we'll make it comfortable that people can share from the heart.

I am probably in a little bit of hot water at the moment. When asked, I told one of the girls that I believe their is nothing un-Christian about getting a tattoo. I did advise that she should be careful what sort of tattoo parlor she goes to. And we talked about making sure that the tattoo wouldn't be highly visible or of an offensive design. And if I was advising an adult this should have been sufficient. But what I should have said that I didn't was, "Even if there is nothing wrong with getting a tattoo, if your mother does not want you too, it is still important to honor her."

Sigh...

Maybe I'll get another chance to talk to her about it before she goes and gets it.

Good-bye Potter!

So we finished book seven last night. All in all I thought it was a lovely book. My biggest complaint is that it resolved too quickly and that there were quite a few gaps I would have liked filled. I would have preferred at least one more chapter of resolution. This does not mean I was displeased with the story, despite my predictions being in many ways wrong.

Monica, if you are still worried about Rowling's dealing with Snape, I would say that you don't have to worry. I won't say more, but I think most readers will find the revelations about his character and motivations to be satisfying.

I will also say that I was obviously wrong about Dumbledore being a Christ figure. I still think the books can be considered Christian books (although the Christianity in them is implicit rather than explicit). Hopefully, we will get Rowling's word on this though.

Checkbook Balanced!

This is kind of a recurring theme in my life. I let the checkbook get sorely out of whack. And then I attempt to balance it. I am terrible about writing anything in the ledger. I write down the checks, but then I forget about the direct deposits automatic withdrawals and ATM transactions.
I hadn't really gone through the checkbook since April, so you can imagine it was pretty bad. It didn't help that the Fifth Third site kept kicking me off for being online too long. But now it's all squared away. And I am ready to whack myself over the head repeatedly with a blunt object.

Paul and Abigail are out on a bike ride together. It makes me happy just thinking about it. It is so great when daddy's take time to spend with their little girls. I suspect there would be a lot less really messed up women out there if father's spent more time with their daughters.

I still haven't ready the new Harry Potter book yet. It's killing me. I know I will have a lot of spare time the next couple of days, so I have been making myself wait for it. It's hard to resist staring longingly at the cover though. Paul isn't helping either. "Did you hear that Voldemort turns into Hermione?" , "Did you hear that Dumbledore creates an army of space aliens?", "Did you hear that Harry and Malfoy are actually brothers?"

Actually I have heard too much.

I'm an incurable geek...

... but I think we all already knew this. The reason I have to make this confession yet again deals with the crazy softball game I played this evening. The craziest part about it being my team (finally) won a game. (I play on a co-ed softball team with my church group against other YA groups in the area... ours is the most co-ed of any team)

All my years of running make it hard for me to stop on any base. I'm thankful for the fact I'm allowed to over-run 1st base. At one of my at-bats this evening, the 1st baseman was playing a little more on the bag than he ought to, and as consequence, there was a collision. I hit the 1st baseman then rotated in the process of falling. I wasn't hurt (and I took the worst of the damage). In fact, I found myself thinking about the fact I went from linear motion to rotational motion and I wonder if from inventorying where I felt stiff from the accident if I could figure out what my point of rotation was. Well, that was the 2nd thought I had (the first was to find my glasses which thankfully did not get damaged after falling off my face during the descent).

In an intelligent move on my part, I did not go telling my teammates about conservation of momentum. I decided if I did that, they might think I'd hit my head harder than I was admitting. As it was, one of my teammates to me that she knew how to check for a concussion, she had a 1st aid kit, she could do surgery if needed... she is one of the characters of the team so I'm hoping that at least part of that was a joke. I reassured her I was fine, that is, once I could breathe long enough to talk. I think that is as close as I've come to being broken since leaving Rose (breaking == laughing too hard to breathe).

I wasn't the only one who fell or got hit by the ball or bat this evening. Our team's catcher had at least the latter two events happen to her this evening. One guy got hit by a foul ball by one of our teammates while he was coaching 3rd. In the end, nobody got hurt that badly (the catcher's probably has the greatest likelihood of being sore tomorrow).

On a lighter note, Saturday I got to go biking with some of the church group. We probably went about 10 miles on the Ohio Canal Towpath. It was fun. I saw some ducks, a few random heron, and as I was leaving I saw the obligatory gaggle of geese. Because, there are few places I can go in life without the geese following me.

A review of yesterday

We ordered the camcorder. It's a Canon DC100 I think. Paul read lots of reviews and decided it was our best option (reasonable quality, but still affordable).

Then we went for a walk at Lakeside Park. The rose gardens are quite lovely there. We also walked around the neighborhood and admired/critiqued the homes. a couple of them were for sale. We looked at the fliers out of curiosity. The first was about 15 times the cost of our home, the second was only 10 times as much. Paul and I agreed that there was not a house we would ever be willing to spend that much on.

After our walk we headed to the theater to watch Harry Potter 5: The Order of the Phoenix. We went to the afternoon showing a 4:20. The marquee said Harry Pot : 4:20. We were amused, to say the least. We both enjoyed the movie. Paul, having never read the book, had a much different perspective on it. The credits after the movie seemed to be especially boring. We didn't stay through the whole credits though, so it is possible we missed something.

After the movie we drove clear across town to our favorite Chinese place. It was closed, so we drove clear back across town to our second favorite Chinese place. The food was scrumptious. Unfortunately, they seemed to miss the no MSG request. So we both had splitting headaches before the evening was out.

After that, we went to Lowes to attempt once again to order the blinds for our living room. Once again we failed. We were told we needed to come back sometime in the morning. So maybe sometime next week.
...

Tomorrow, I will be taking Sam to Riley for his screening for the drug research program. I'm a little nervous, so pray for me. At least I finally did find someone to watch the other children in the afternoon.

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday, I forgot to mention, was our fifth anniversary. I forgot, because we are celebrating today. After I get the kids fed and clothed, I will take them to Nana's house, and then Paul and I will have this whole wonderful day together. This afternoon we will be going to see Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix and going to the Chinese restaurant we went to one our first date or was it our last "not date" (we haven't decided for sure which to call it).

As an anniversary present to each other, we are considering purchasing a digital camcorder. Not a super fancy one, of course. But it would be nice to be able to capture the kids on film. We currently have an old analog one that my Grandma Pat sent us. Without a TV/VCR the thing isn't that useful to us. Plus she didn't send an adaptor for the VCR anyway, so we would have to buy one in order to watch anything anyway.

Hard to believe it has been five years already. Time sure flies when you are having fun (or are incredibly busy). But between cleaning up poo (I'll post about that another time), warring the crud, feeding a clothing the children, when I do manage to think about life, I reflect on how glad I am that Paul and I are together.

He is not perfect, and life is not a bed of roses. But it is so obvious to me that God meant for us to be together. We complement each other well. There is no doubt in my mind that we made the right choice to get married. What would I ever do without such a wonderful husband.

Grocery Shopping

Tonight I took my little ones grocery shopping. First we went to the 3 Rivers Food Coop, which is a small health food stores. Abigail pushed one cart, which had groceries in it. And I pushed another which had her two brothers and a few more groceries. The children were marvelously behaved and all went well.

If only we had called it quits then...

After that we went to Meijer to do our more major shopping. It is always a little tiresome to do all out grocery shopping with three children. Tonight was a nightmare. First, we went to a different Meijer than usual since we were on the north side of town for our other shopping. Apparently this Meijer only has one extended bench shopping cart (this is the sort of cart that is like a regular cart but can seat two additional children). The cart was not available. So we set off with two shopping carts. Me pushing one, Abigail pushing the other.

Eventually Abigail became too tired. So she attempted to ride in the bottom part of the cart while I pushed one cart and pulled the other. Needless to say this took a lot longer than normal.

Part way into my shopping I nearly had a temper tantrum. I spotted the bench cart. It was NOT being used by a mommy and her small children. No of course not. It had zero children in it. The cart was being used by a man who was simply buying a lot of groceries. He was accompanied by a woman. So the two easily could have had TWO carts.

I considered confronting them, but decided against the matter.

Inside I was having a major temper tantrum. I did speak to a customer service person about the issue after I was done shopping. She sympathized with me, but I highly doubt anything will be done about the shortage of bench carts.

But, I will probably not do my grocery shopping there again. (Which is there loss since we spend a lot on groceries -- $300 tonight).

In retrospect when I discovered there was no bench cart available I should have loaded the kids up into my van and driven to another store.

90% chance of pink

Dr. Wheeler says he's almost sure it's a girl. Looking at the ultrasound I'd have to agree. No signs of boy parts at all.

He says he won't sign off on it yet though. It's a lot easier to be certain with a boy.

Crud

My house is full of crud. It seems that just about every surface in the house has some type of crud on it. I get really discouraged because while I remove crud from one surface three more surfaces are being covered.

The dining room is almost clean right now, although while I am taking this break from cleaning, Sam is eating a snack so we will see what happens.

Please tell me I am not the only one out there with a cruddy house. Everyone else's house always seem so clean. But they've probably been cleaning for company by the time I show up.

Trip to Pittsburgh

Last night about 9:00 we returned from our annual fourth of July trip to Pittsburgh.

Some highlights of our trip include...

-Playing at Grandma's house

-Seeing Cheryl's new apartment

-Taking walks on the Montour trail

-Visiting the Carnegie Science Center

-Chuck E. Cheese

-Mini Golf (for Paul, Dave, and Cheryl)

-Grilling on Grandma's rarely used grill (a downside to this was the hornet's nest)

-Stopping at Ohio Caverns on the return trip. A stalactite hangs "tight" to the ceiling; A stalagmite "might" reach the ceiling some day.

All in all it was great fun.

Fireworks surprise

I had not expected to see fireworks this evening. My suburb cannot afford to put on a display (in all honesty, I'm thankful they didn't try; there are other matters that should be higher priority). The neighboring suburbs with displays have them on other days. And, the closest I get to seeing the downtown display is watching part of it on TV.

However, I did see fireworks this evening. Presumably illegal fireworks (on account of it being illegal for the general public to set of fireworks in OH) were visible from the front lawn. Mom pulled out some lawn chairs and we watched while my youngest sister tried to catch lightening bugs. We were glad that the display was coming from far enough away we could watch without worrying about the safety issues. Mary was confused by the concept of "illegal fireworks" and asked if it was okay that we were watching (which I found amusing). We couldn't decide if the fireworks were being set off in a backyard or the nearby industrial parkway. Even now I can hear some type of fireworks being set off.

So it has been an interesting holiday.

oofledy spoofle

So yesterday when I posted on my blog. I was writing a nice little entry which I titled "Why Christians Should Read Harry Potter" and then I came up with several good moral lessons from Harry Potter that show the book is in line with a Christian worldview. This is to convince people that no, the books really aren't about how to follow Satan. But then a comment on my previous post prompted me to change the title. Asking if Harry Potter is thoroughly Christian. At the time I really wasn't sure what the answer is. But I become more and more convinced that it is.

Two of the incidents in the books struck me really hard. And it is possible I am reading into them more than the author intended. But I thought I would share them.

Note: Any quotes in the following section are not exact because the books are not right here for me to consult.

First, after Dumbledore has drank the poisoned and Harry is apparating the two of them back to Hogsmeade, Harry tells Dumbledore "It's alright you're with me." But Dumbledore replies "i am not worried. I am with you." (emphasis mine). And when Dumbledore says this Harry feels better. At first it simply seems that Dumbledore is expressing confidence in Harry. But I think there is more to it than this. If that were all it were, I think Harry would feel more worried, not less. Instead, I thought about it more as Dumbledore saying he is not worried because HE is with Harry. It's Dumbledore's presence giving Harry strength, not Harry's strength giving Dumbledore comfort. It sort of reminds me of the way Christ promised his disciples "I am with you always"

Are the Harry Potter books thorougly Christian?

In reply to my last post Monica posited that the Harry Potter books are not as thoroughly Christian as the works of C.S. Lewis. In a certain sense this is very much true. The chronicles of Narnia are intended to be a Christian allegory. The symbolism in the Narnia is very direct. However, a story does not need to be a pure allegory in order to be thoroughly Christian. I would not dare to argue which set of books is "more Christian". But I do firmly believe that the Harry Potter books embrace a Christian worldview through the messages they teach.

Before I go further I would like to say that as far as I can tell the people who this Harry Potter is a messiah figure are off their rockers. No offense, but if you know Christ, you know that he is not like Potter. As I have said before I think the Christ figure in this series is Albus Dumbledore. And if he is resurrected, I think I will be vindicated in so claiming. (And I am very much interested in seeing how well Snape actually fits the Judas profile). However, for the rest of this post I will not be talking about symbolism. Instead let me mention a few of the Christian moral values that are brought out in the Harry Potter novels.

1. Love can overcome a multitude of evils (as shown in the protection Lily's sacrifice provides with Harry)

2. It is better to be poor where there is love than wealthy where it is not (the Dursleys, Blacks, and Malfoys are miserably wealthy, but the Weasleys are poor and happy).

3. It is not our abilities that matter, but how we choose to use them (As Dumbledore tells Harry when he wonders about the Hat wanting to put him in Slytherin).

4. It is more important to do what is right than it is to obey the rules (Shown over and over again).

5. The heart of a man matters more than his appearance, position, or abilities (Taught through the whole series, starting with Harry's first encounters with Ron and with Draco).

6. It is better to die (or to suffer) than to betray your friends (As Sirius tells Peter Pettigrew whose betrayal killed Harry's parents).

7. True friendship means coming alongside our friends in their times of trouble (Best shown through the Marauders decision to become Animagi to join Remus in his times as a werewolf).

8. We must strive to show mercy and forgiveness to those who wrong us (This reminds me of Dumbledore's offer of mercy to Draco, but forgiveness is a repeated theme in the books. It is a theme that Harry still needs to work on).

9. There is good and evil, and it is our responsibility to fight evil.

10. We cannot defeat evil with evil.


How is that for a list of Christian values taught in the books. I truly do not believe a book must be explicitly Christian in order to be a Christian book. Furthermore, a book does not need to be "Christian" to display a Christian worldview. However, I happen to agree with Rowling who said of the books "Umm... I really don't think they're that secular." And you have to admit the author would probably know.

Is it really okay for Christians to read Harry Potter?

Of course, you all know my answer is a resounding: YES!

But many Christians, particularly those of the evangelical variety, think otherwise. Here are a few of the reasons they look aghast at the Harry Potter books. Following these statements is a discussion of the merits of their positions.

1. The Harry Potter books are about magic. First, of all I don't quite agree. The books are full of magic, but the magical world is a setting and a plot device. The books are really about growing up, learning to make good choices, and the importance of taking a stand against evil. If, however, people believe they should completely avoid all books/movies dealing with magic, then they will clearly want to avoid these books. Many of the people I have heard make a complaint like this are avid fans of the "Lord of the Rings" and "The Chronicles of Narnia", both of which are full of magic. If a person really thinks that we should avoid all magic in books, then they will have forgo some beautiful Christian classics, not to mention most Disney movies (many of which I despise --but that is a story for another day). For the others, I would say that we should not judge a book on whether or not it contains magic, but on how the magic is used.

2. The Harry Potter books are different from other fantasy books because the children in the story are actively using magic and speaking incantations. In one sense this is true. We do not see Frodo Baggins or Lucy Pevensie shouting spells (although Lucy does use her magic cordial). But is different a bad thing? The magical powers in these books are innate, nearly always appearing before the age of 11. Although the characters must work to develop their abilities, there is nothing a non-magic person can do to obtain magical skills. In fact, I think that magical powers are sort of a metaphor for the talents and abilities each of us has. Just like the characters in the books, we all must choose how we use our abilities. In book 2 Dumbledore tells Harry "It is not our abilities that matter, but our choices" (this is probably not an exact quote).

3. J.K. Rowling is a witch and is trying to intrigue children to witchcraft. This is completely false and slanderous. J.K. Rowling is a Christian, of the Presbyterian variety. And yes, she does actually practice her faith, as people who attend church with her have told as much to the media. She does not like to speak publicly about her faith in part because she believes it will lead people to guess too much about what will happen in the books. She has said though, that anyone who knows the Christian story should be able to make reasonable guess at what will happen in book 7. It is true that she has a wide variety of occultish fields like Tarot reading and alchemy. This is because she is good at research and not because she is out practicing them

4. Children will be interested in real magic and witchcraft because of the stories. This might be true to a certain extent, although the sort of magic in Harry Potter is completely different from real witchcraft. There are certain elements of real occultism worked into the story, but these are generally shown to be either ineffective or wicked. For instance, the whole field of divination is shown as useless, and Professor Trelawney who sits with her crystal ball and Tarot cards is depicted as a fool. I would think the child interested in witchcraft because of the books would soon be disillusioned. However, I think it is important to talk to our children about the occult and to explain what real witchcraft is like. Opening the lines of communication seems to be more called for than banning the books.

5. The books promote moral relativity. Examples include the quotes "There is no good or evil, only power" and "The world is not divided into good people and Death Eaters". I got really riled when I heard this claim. There is no legitimate claim to relativism in these books. In fact they are very much opposed to this philosophy. The first quote was spoken to Harry in his showdown with Quirrell/Voldemort. Harry does not believe it and neither are we. The fact that the big evil guy is making a claim of moral relativity is not the same as the book making the claim. The second quote is misunderstood here as a claim to relativism. A real-world paraphrase would be saying, "Not every bad person is a satanist". The person being discussed, Mr. Crouch, is an awful person, but he is not serving Voldemort. In fact, the story goes on to show how foolish the Ministry of Magic is for trying to fight evil with evil. I truly believe the Harry Potter books are very anti-relativism.

6. The Harry Potter books suck you in so that once you start reading them you feel compelled to read until the end. This is true. But it is hardly the only books this is true for. I like to read a novel that is so good that I can't bear to put it down. I don't see how this is bad. Yes, we should not shirk responsibility to read. However, there is nothing quite like reading a really good book.

In my next post I will talk about the positives of reading Harry Potter.

Random Notes on Life as of late

Tonight we had a church cookout. It was quite a bit of fun. Paul got to play a couple of games of ultimate. Mostly I played with the little ones. I decided it would be really nice if our church property had a swing set. Maybe someday.

Last night we went to Greekfest with Sara, Manda, and Doug. Fortunately the music was not quite so loud this year. They had some little rides for the kids, which the older two loved. And Paul was able to take Isaac into the moonwalk. The weather last night was actually cool for a change. So it was a good evening to be in the park.

Lately, Isaac has decided it is his mission in life to shove as many things as he can in the toilet. Laundry, toothbrushes, stuffed animals, remote controls. Anything he can find really. We try to keep the bathroom door shut, but Abigail usually forgets.

Wednesday morning I supposedly started my new Bible study. But only one of the ladies I invited came. Besides that, the girls who were supposed to be babysitting completely forgot. It doesn't look like things will go quite as planned.

Oh shoot. I just realized I need to write out some checks to pay bills.

Survey: Who thinks it would be interesting if I write more about Harry Potter? With the new book coming next month, it's on my mind. But If you would be bored I'll skip the topic. I was thinking about writing a Christian defense of the books.

The closed mouth gathers no foot!

Happy to have a full house

Random Person: "Wow, you really have your hands full!"
Random Person 2: "Oh you poor thing. How do you do it?"
Random Person 3: " You know there are ways to prevent that don't you?"
Random Person 4: "Oh you must be so busy. You poor thing!"

What I should say: "Yes it is very busy and exhausting to have three small children and to be expecting number 4. But at the same time, I have blessings that you could never imagine. And not for a moment would I trade my life for anyone's"

What I actually say : "uh-huh"

What I am thinking: "If one more person makes a comment like that I am going to clobber them with this diaper bag!!!!"

Fortunately for them I usually have a child in my arms making it rather difficult to swing the bag.

Today, I had the rare treat of going grocery shopping with just Isaac. He and I had so much fun giggling and playing together.

Isaac had his first haircut on Tuesday evening. He looks like a big boy now. I didn't cry, but I have to admit it made me a little sad. I think with each passing child it is harder to watch them grow up because I see how quickly it goes.

On another note. If anyone is looking for a nice baby sling. My friend Joy is starting a home business making them. She has a website, but I don't remember what it is. I will post that soon.