Friday, May 09, 2008
Monday, May 05, 2008
By The Numbers
My weekend, by the numbers...
7 bouts of vomit
1 direct hit on Mommy
2 kids with fevers
102 the average temperature of aforementioned 2
72 hours of whining
5 hours of sleep for Mommy
3 nights in which those 5 hours were accrued
3 movies which acted as babysitters
1 heavenly grocery store trip alone
1 baby mouth discovered full of dog food
0 children who live in this house who have never eaten dog food
1 baby kick felt!
1 "maybe that was just gas..."
All are healthy and happy now, and Mommy is taking the day off!
Bloggy Baby Bumper Shower!
As many of you know, the fabulous Mrs. Fussypants is about to pop out boy number FIVE. So the awesome divas at Blissfully Domestic decided that just one baby shower was not enough.
Five babies means a full week of baby love!
Join us at Blissfully Domestic and Mrs. Fussypants Baby Shower Blog, all this week, for great articles on all things baby and some fabulous giveaways, too!
Thursday, May 01, 2008
I Saved The Chicken and That's All That Matters
Hi everybody. Um, this is Asker. Mom said I could tell you guys all about the physics lesson she gave us last night.
First, we put a chicken in a glass baking dish. Then, we put it in the oven and let it cook for about a half hour. Then we took it out to add the vegetables. Mom always does this. But this time, she used frozen carrots instead of fresh ones and guess what?
The glass exploded! Cool!
I told her we should have been wearing safety glasses, but then I recognized that look and went running.
Isn't homeschooling fun?
Oh, and she said if you have any comments like, "Duh!" or "Um, yeah that happens" to go suck an egg. I told her that wasn't very nice, but then I got that look again.
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Because I'm Bored
With all the media attention on the Texas-based FLDS church, and the predilection for copycat acts, there is a good chance that at least one, if not two of you lovely readers, will be joining a cult sometime soon.
But if the idea of wearing 19th century dresses (not red, of course) is not appealing to you, and you prefer not to share your children or husband- fear not, there are other options. Out of the goodness of my heart (and my insomnia), I have compiled a listing of some other unique worship opportunities and lifestyles. Peruse at your convenience, and if you find something you like, well, I'd prefer for my name to stay out of it.
The Brethren- Bible-based group frequently known as Garbage Eaters for their propensity to dumpster dive. All members are single, celibate and not allowed to show emotions or smile. Wins the most-appealing-reasons-to-join award.
Dove of Oneness- Supporters believe that a secret save-the-country law called NESARA was passed by Congress several years ago, but has been suppressed by the government. The law, which only becomes effective upon public announcement, removes Congress and the administrative branch from office, zeroes all credit card balances, abolishes the federal reserve and federal income taxes. Wins the I-wish-it-were-true award.
Raelism- Raelians believe that humans were created by light-green skinned aliens and that human cloning is the key to eternal life. Wins the least-creative-concept award.
Infinity Forms of Yellow Remember- Offers magic wands and empowered water that supposedly heal cancer, mental illness and weak hearts. I'm pretty sure the founder was in Pete's Dragon. Wins the coolest-name award.
And last but not least, everybody's favorite...
Scientology- Believe that most diseases are psychosomatic and can be cured with vitamins, exercise and saunas. Fee-based lessons allow a follower to achieve different levels of enlightment. Many levels (and dollars) in, the follower learns that the forces that are holding him back are really alien spirits that have been clinging to human bodies by the thousands ever since an alien overlord named Xenu tried to imprison them on earth 75 million years ago.The highest level offers the power to control time and space, create universes and never get sick again. Wins the bangs-head-on-the-floor award for stupidity.
You're welcome.
Monday, April 21, 2008
This Stuff Matters
I seem to be nesting a bit early this time, but I like the results! My basement is almost clean, the attic is clearing and I can see closet floors.
Little time left for blogging, but this winter was a very cluttering one and I need the space more than I need the break.
It's amazing how a few weeks of sunshine remind me of how unimportant all the stuff we have is. We've been spending hours puttering around in the dirt, playing with Sammie the turtle and just soaking up the sun. Suddenly the toys and CDs and even the books just seem so pointless. I know I'll appreciate them come the next rainy day, but for now, it's good to simplify.
There are times when I look around at how much we have, and I wonder if we are doing our kids a disservice. My kids rarely ask for anything. They just get. Granted, they don't see or hear any advertising, so they don't have that I-need-it mentality, but we often don't give them the chance to really wait for something. Delayed gratification is such a lost concept.
My generation was reared in entitlement. Many of us were taught that we were the best, the brightest, the prettiest, the sweetest and all-around perfect... just because. Many of us were given everything we needed and far more than we wanted.... just because. And many of us never learned how to delay spending, how to earn something we wanted, or how to appreciate what we had. Fortunately, I was not one of them.
But I fear that my kids may be.
My kids have eaten out more this year than I did in my entire life before college. And I am not kidding. My kids get sweets on a fairly regular basis. My kids have far, far too many clothes and way too many toys. I know that eating out and having sweets and wearing clothes and playing with toys is not wrong. But at what point do we say, "Enough!"? It is a question I have asked myself several times over the last seven years.
Several circumstances have contributed to my renewed concerns. I finally, at the urging of Amy, watched The Story of Stuff. Although I found it a bit fanatical, it was a great reminder of how materialistic we have become in the last few decades.
The other thing that really got me going was an incident that occured at Asker's Tee-ball game. He was a late addition to the team and my first introduction to the other players and parents was at the first game.
He proudly put on his uniform at 2am and woke me up seventeen times before 7am. After hours of "can we go now?", it was finally game time. He grabbed his new glove and we left.
When the other kids started showing up, I was in shock. These were five and six-year olds decked out like they were in the major leagues. Almost every single other child had his/her own ball bag completely loaded with gear. Multiple bats per child, loads of balls and co-ordinated batting helmets. They had special shoes and special socks and UnderArmour for the cool morning. They had personalized water bottles and energy snacks. FOR TEE-BALL!
When I played Little League, we used team bats and balls and helmets. We drank out of the team water cooler and had a snack when the game was over. Asker has his own bat, but we hadn't even considered bringing it. I hadn't bought him a batting helmet that he would grow out of in a year, and I sure as hell wasn't buying him a $150.00 ball bag.
But then as they were all sitting on the bench and the coach told them to get their batting helmets on, little Asker spoke up.
"Excuse me, Coach? I don't have my own batting helmet."
And a little knife of guilt went through me.
What kind of mom was I that didn't buy her perfect, precious first-grader a batting helmet. How could I expect him to do his best if I didn't provide the tools? Did the other moms think we were too poor? Hell, I was standing there, visibly pregnant, holding a snotty-nosed 8-month old and trying to keep two toddlers quiet. What would they think of me?
And then the coach reminded me of what it all was really about.
"That's okay, buddy! We're a team and we have lots of helmets and bats to share!"
And I remembered why we didn't buy the extra gear. I remembered why it hadn't even crossed our minds to buy the extra gear. He didn't need it.
After the game, Asker asked me if he could get his own helmet. I thought about it for a minute and told him that he needed to play the entire season and show responsibility, respect and commitment. And that if he was a good example to the (mostly younger) other players and tried his best, we would get him a helmet for next year. He smiled and said, "Awesome!"
And, in that moment, I felt sorry for the other kids' whose parents had probably not even considered not buying all the extra gear.
But I also realized that had we seen all the other kids' gear first, before that first game, we probably would have bought him a few extra things. Just to keep up. Just because it was expected and it was the norm. And that scared me.
I want to make sure that the choices we are making as parents are the right choices. not just the socially acceptable ones. I want to think through every choice and make sure my kids are learning delayed gratification, appreciation and, yes, even disappointment. I want them to understand their value doesn't come from just being, but from the respect, honor, love, joy, patience, friendship, mercy and grace they show others. Of course, we value them even when they show anger, disrespect and hatred, but I want them to realize there are better choices.
And I think reducing our materialism (yes, even farther) is a key.
So, we went through forgotten or unused toys and clothes. We talked about kids who need them and the joy their stuff will bring to others. We talked about how hard Daddy works and how we need to value the things we buy because they are a result of his labor. I reminded them of the true story we read last year of the children in the Liberian orphanage who ate a plain donut for every single meal. Every single day. Every single year.
I hope it will stick.
And maybe the next time I get a 10pm craving for Taco Bell, I'll open the fridge and just eat some leftovers.
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