Do you ever just feel beat over the head by life? That's where I'm at today. Today, I took my little Bub to the doctor because the pain in his leg was so bad he couldn't walk. It might be nothing; it might be Perthes Disease. Of course I Googled Perthes Disease, and though the prognosis is good, it's a pretty crummy thing to have.
Then later I got a call from Baby's worker. Birth dad has indeed shown up; he's the guy. I don't know what he wants...but it's hard not to worry for baby. We are her mom and dad; she gets nervous and cries when we aren't around.
Stir in a little bit of high maintenance renters, and annoying unforeseen expenses. Add a dash of car maintenance and a husband who's got a cold. Mix in a bad hair day, a migraine, complete with auras and burnt dinner and there you have it: Today stinks. Well at least Jared kicked the bucket, that's something...
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Obiturary
It is with much relief (ah...I mean grief) that I'm announcing the untimely demise of one, Jared Michael Wood. Though he was with our family for only a short time (less than 24 hours) he will be missed, particularly by the children in our family. Jared lived in our basement until yesterday when captured by my children. He then set up residence in a glass jar with an aluminium foil lid. He leaves behind 3 lonely kids who will have to find something else to do with their time now that they have no reason to go around catching flies for Jared's dinner. Jared was brown, and enormous and ugly with 8 legs. He's in a better place now....a place where he doesn't have to be jostled around in a glass jar and fed pole beans, and where he doesn't have to listen some lady say, "get Jared away from me...Jared, is not welcome on my kitchen counter....Jared, cannot eat dinner with us."
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Ragamuffins
Eddie pulled The Ragamuffin Gospel (by Brennan Manning) off our bookshelf the other day to re-read. I saw it laying around, and picked it up. It's so good, and a must read. It's about the radical, extravagant love of God - and his Grace. I don't think I could be reminded of Amazing Grace enough.
The Gospel is only "good news" if its about Grace, anything less pure religiosity, and I'm not interested. "He (God) has a single relentless stance towards us: he loves us." That's it! There is no fine print. The God of the Universe is wild about me and he accepts me just as I am. I do not have to get it together, or put on my make-up, or loose 15 pounds. He sees the mess I am. He knows that I'm a bundle of contradictions: full of faith one moment, doubting the next. To him I am not just another suburban house wife. He knows my name; he sees me. And he loves me.
Here is the challenge: I've got to believe it, and I am called to accept it. "Jesus Loves Me" was probably the first song I ever learned. And I know its true on a theological level, but the problem is that I know myself. I know I don't have it together. But then that's what Grace is: unmerited favor. He loves me and I don't deserve it; He accepts me even though my behavior should deem me unacceptable. The crux of the Christian journey is learning to walk in Grace. It's learning to to look to Jesus and accept by faith that I am acceptable and loved.
The interesting thing about legalism is: it gets its torque from shame and guilt. Shame and guilt can alter behavior for a time, but they cannot effect lasting change. Grace does that; its what changes us. "It's God's kindness that draws us to repentance." Tell me I am not alone here. I have on numerous occasions managed to pull myself by my bootstraps, only to have a brisk wind blow and land back on my ample tush. Then, stupidly, I repeat the process. I know we are Americans, and this "by your bootstraps" mentality has been ingrained in us since infancy. But its bunk. Doesn't work work. Jesus works. He's poured out his love, he accepts me as I am. And somehow when I get my focus off myself an onto Him change happens without me really trying. I thinks its called sanctification, and I have little to do with it. How did I miss that? It is God's Grace and when I accept it, and live in it I don't have to try so hard.
The Gospel is only "good news" if its about Grace, anything less pure religiosity, and I'm not interested. "He (God) has a single relentless stance towards us: he loves us." That's it! There is no fine print. The God of the Universe is wild about me and he accepts me just as I am. I do not have to get it together, or put on my make-up, or loose 15 pounds. He sees the mess I am. He knows that I'm a bundle of contradictions: full of faith one moment, doubting the next. To him I am not just another suburban house wife. He knows my name; he sees me. And he loves me.
Here is the challenge: I've got to believe it, and I am called to accept it. "Jesus Loves Me" was probably the first song I ever learned. And I know its true on a theological level, but the problem is that I know myself. I know I don't have it together. But then that's what Grace is: unmerited favor. He loves me and I don't deserve it; He accepts me even though my behavior should deem me unacceptable. The crux of the Christian journey is learning to walk in Grace. It's learning to to look to Jesus and accept by faith that I am acceptable and loved.
The interesting thing about legalism is: it gets its torque from shame and guilt. Shame and guilt can alter behavior for a time, but they cannot effect lasting change. Grace does that; its what changes us. "It's God's kindness that draws us to repentance." Tell me I am not alone here. I have on numerous occasions managed to pull myself by my bootstraps, only to have a brisk wind blow and land back on my ample tush. Then, stupidly, I repeat the process. I know we are Americans, and this "by your bootstraps" mentality has been ingrained in us since infancy. But its bunk. Doesn't work work. Jesus works. He's poured out his love, he accepts me as I am. And somehow when I get my focus off myself an onto Him change happens without me really trying. I thinks its called sanctification, and I have little to do with it. How did I miss that? It is God's Grace and when I accept it, and live in it I don't have to try so hard.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Annoyed
So I got an email from a friend in my homeschooling support group that told of the NEA's position on homeschooling. Here it is:
The National Educational Association in their 2007-2008 Resolutionshas taken a stand against homeschooling.It reads "The National Education Association believes that homeschooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide thestudent with a comprehensive education experience. When homeschooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricularrequirements, including the taking and passing of assessments toensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limitedto the children of the immediate family, with all expenses beingborne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons whoare licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency,and a curriculum approved by the state department of educationshould be used.The Association also believes that home-schooled students should notparticipate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.The Association further believes that local public school systemsshould have the authority to determine grade placement and/orcredits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from a home school setting."Statistics have shown that homeschooled students do exceptionallywell. They excel (and win) spelling bees, score high on tests likethe SAT, and go on to be accepted into many colleges. One Source:http://www.chec.org/Legislative/News/HomeschoolingStatistics/Index.htmlHomeschoolers also find benefits in co-op classes contrary to theNEA belief that students should only be instructed by theirimmediate families.Take a moment to tell the NEA that homeschooling is a real option that does produce wonderfully rounded and educated members of society.
I find this outstandingly irritating. Here's why: the Public Elementary Schools in my district boast of CSAP scores in the 60s. This means that a huge portion of kids in area public schools are performing below grade level(as judged by their own standards). I know test scores don't tell the whole story, but by golly, they do tell some of the story. And it ain't pretty.
I find it arrogant of the NEA to say that HS based on parental choice cannot provide a comprehensive education to students. It seems to me that public schools cannot provide a comprehensive education to a good many of their students. Certainly, homeschoolers cannot be performing worse than the public schools and the data suggest that homeschoolers are, as a whole, outperforming public school kids on standardized tests. Furthermore who says that schools should have the corner on deciding what learning objectives are appropriate for all kids. Maybe they could provide some input on baseline skills set, but in this post-modern world one size does not fit all. Our kids are unique with unique gifts and challenges. Personalized education makes good sense, and is pretty efficient. Oh and seriously, curriculum approved by the state... that smacks of fascism. That sounds suspiciously like social engineering. Since when did parents loose the right to parent their kids. Don't even get me started on this one...
Then there is the talk of eliminating homeschooling co-ops. Homeschooling co-ops are one of the innovations that homeschoolers have come up with to provide their kids with "comprehensive" education. No one is arguing that teaching a 16 year old physics poses a challenge to most homeschool moms. But homeschoolers do figure out ways to do it, one of the solutions is co-oping.
Sounds to me like the NEA is getting a little antsy about protecting its turf. Homeschooling is taking some of the best student from the most dedicated families out of the system. Online Core Knowledge schools, computer based training, OPTIONS programs, and charter schools are giving parents choices that never used to be available. Public schools are feeling the heat.
Yes, the reality is that the poorest kids with the weakest support systems are marginalized by the mass exodus of more affluent kids for charter and homeschools, and that stinks. But the bureaucratic nightmare that is our public education needs to be overhauled, and there is nothing like a little stiff competition to get the ball rolling.
Annoyingly, Eddie is out of town this week and I've been thinking, "Man, I'd love to send my kids to school." Homeschooling is hard and sometimes really annoying. The problem is that I've developed these strong opinions. I don't want to be a control freak about educating my kids, I'd like to share the burden. But sometimes I just can't get over myself. I've been in education departments in Academia, I've worked in the public schools. I know what I saw. And I'm not sure I could keep my mouth shut and support a system that I believe is fundamentally flawed. But some days it sure sounds nice...
The National Educational Association in their 2007-2008 Resolutionshas taken a stand against homeschooling.It reads "The National Education Association believes that homeschooling programs based on parental choice cannot provide thestudent with a comprehensive education experience. When homeschooling occurs, students enrolled must meet all state curricularrequirements, including the taking and passing of assessments toensure adequate academic progress. Home schooling should be limitedto the children of the immediate family, with all expenses beingborne by the parents/guardians. Instruction should be by persons whoare licensed by the appropriate state education licensure agency,and a curriculum approved by the state department of educationshould be used.The Association also believes that home-schooled students should notparticipate in any extracurricular activities in the public schools.The Association further believes that local public school systemsshould have the authority to determine grade placement and/orcredits earned toward graduation for students entering or re-entering the public school setting from a home school setting."Statistics have shown that homeschooled students do exceptionallywell. They excel (and win) spelling bees, score high on tests likethe SAT, and go on to be accepted into many colleges. One Source:http://www.chec.org/Legislative/News/HomeschoolingStatistics/Index.htmlHomeschoolers also find benefits in co-op classes contrary to theNEA belief that students should only be instructed by theirimmediate families.Take a moment to tell the NEA that homeschooling is a real option that does produce wonderfully rounded and educated members of society.
I find this outstandingly irritating. Here's why: the Public Elementary Schools in my district boast of CSAP scores in the 60s. This means that a huge portion of kids in area public schools are performing below grade level(as judged by their own standards). I know test scores don't tell the whole story, but by golly, they do tell some of the story. And it ain't pretty.
I find it arrogant of the NEA to say that HS based on parental choice cannot provide a comprehensive education to students. It seems to me that public schools cannot provide a comprehensive education to a good many of their students. Certainly, homeschoolers cannot be performing worse than the public schools and the data suggest that homeschoolers are, as a whole, outperforming public school kids on standardized tests. Furthermore who says that schools should have the corner on deciding what learning objectives are appropriate for all kids. Maybe they could provide some input on baseline skills set, but in this post-modern world one size does not fit all. Our kids are unique with unique gifts and challenges. Personalized education makes good sense, and is pretty efficient. Oh and seriously, curriculum approved by the state... that smacks of fascism. That sounds suspiciously like social engineering. Since when did parents loose the right to parent their kids. Don't even get me started on this one...
Then there is the talk of eliminating homeschooling co-ops. Homeschooling co-ops are one of the innovations that homeschoolers have come up with to provide their kids with "comprehensive" education. No one is arguing that teaching a 16 year old physics poses a challenge to most homeschool moms. But homeschoolers do figure out ways to do it, one of the solutions is co-oping.
Sounds to me like the NEA is getting a little antsy about protecting its turf. Homeschooling is taking some of the best student from the most dedicated families out of the system. Online Core Knowledge schools, computer based training, OPTIONS programs, and charter schools are giving parents choices that never used to be available. Public schools are feeling the heat.
Yes, the reality is that the poorest kids with the weakest support systems are marginalized by the mass exodus of more affluent kids for charter and homeschools, and that stinks. But the bureaucratic nightmare that is our public education needs to be overhauled, and there is nothing like a little stiff competition to get the ball rolling.
Annoyingly, Eddie is out of town this week and I've been thinking, "Man, I'd love to send my kids to school." Homeschooling is hard and sometimes really annoying. The problem is that I've developed these strong opinions. I don't want to be a control freak about educating my kids, I'd like to share the burden. But sometimes I just can't get over myself. I've been in education departments in Academia, I've worked in the public schools. I know what I saw. And I'm not sure I could keep my mouth shut and support a system that I believe is fundamentally flawed. But some days it sure sounds nice...
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Healthy Eating
Last week I was watching Oprah and folding laundry. Oprah had Jerry Seinfield's wife on as a guest. (How'd you like to be known as somebodies wife - with no distinct personality?) Anyway Mrs. Seinfield wrote a cook book called "Deceptively Delicious". It came out of her struggle as a mom to get her kids to eat vegetables. She came up with these clever ways to hide vegetables in everything from scrambled eggs to birthday cake to chicken nuggets. She steams and purees vegetables and then matches the vegetable color to the food she's serving. For example, she might add yellow squash puree to scrambled eggs. Her kids don't notice and they get the veggies they need. She says she also serves her kids raw veggies, so they get used to the idea that veggies are a part of a healthy diet. But now she doesn't fight to get them to eat the veggies b/c she knows their hidden in other foods. I'd love to get that book.
Anyway, it got me thinking that most of the moms I know have clever tricks to boost the nutrutional content of the food they serve their kids. Here are some of my tricks, and the some of the tricks I've stolen from my friends.
-Sprinkle Flax Seed meal on oatmeal. I used to disguise this with brown sugar, but now my kids are on to me and they'll eat the flax meal anyway.
-Add frozen blueberries and diced apples to oatmeal. The fruit sweetens oatmeal enough so that you hardly need any sugar at all.
-Make smoothies for my kids snacks using frozen strawberries and protien powder. It tastes sweet, but doesn't mess with their blood sugar.
-My friend, Linette, cooks with ground buffalo instead of beef b/c it is leaner. I use lean ground turkey.
-I bake with sorghum and brown rice flours b/c they're whole grains with more fiber and protien.
-We eat brown rice pasta - it's a complex carb
-My friend Anne has got her boys convinced they're getting a "frosty" but she makes it with real cocoa (flavanoids) and protien powder.
-Natural peanut butter. You never miss the sugar in the PB. Skippy has a kind that's not grainy and doesn't need to be stirred.
-Agave Nectar can replace honey. It is low on the glycemic index and its cheaper than honey too.
-Shred yellow squash, saute and mix with scrambled eggs.
-Add shredded zucchini and carrots to muffin mixes.
-Add pureed cauliflower to mashed potatoes.
-Use unsweetened applesauce to replace oil in baking mixes.
-Add flax meal and protien powder to pancake mix. Top pancakes with berries instead of syrup.
-Mix salsa and tomatoes in with the taco meat.
- Send your husband to work with a box of instant oatmeal or egg beaters and whole grain tortillas (for breakfast burittos) I was worried about Eddie's tryglycerides and his low HDLs. Now he eats oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast, not b/c he's concerned about his health but b/c its so easy.
-Buy OJ with calcium added
-Mix PB, jelly and oatmeal together until its cookie dough consistancy. My kids think I'm letting them eat cookie dough for snacks and its actually full of fiber, protien and relatively low in sugar.
-Go with unsweetened craisins, sugar-free pb, real fruit jams, nautural applesauce, unsalted anything. Little changes add up.
- Teach your kids to read labels, and evaluate the healthy factor for themselves.
-Limit the junk food in your pantry. You it what's convientient. If junk fook is convienient it'll get eaten.
-So that's my best material. Anybody else have some great ideas out there?
Anyway, it got me thinking that most of the moms I know have clever tricks to boost the nutrutional content of the food they serve their kids. Here are some of my tricks, and the some of the tricks I've stolen from my friends.
-Sprinkle Flax Seed meal on oatmeal. I used to disguise this with brown sugar, but now my kids are on to me and they'll eat the flax meal anyway.
-Add frozen blueberries and diced apples to oatmeal. The fruit sweetens oatmeal enough so that you hardly need any sugar at all.
-Make smoothies for my kids snacks using frozen strawberries and protien powder. It tastes sweet, but doesn't mess with their blood sugar.
-My friend, Linette, cooks with ground buffalo instead of beef b/c it is leaner. I use lean ground turkey.
-I bake with sorghum and brown rice flours b/c they're whole grains with more fiber and protien.
-We eat brown rice pasta - it's a complex carb
-My friend Anne has got her boys convinced they're getting a "frosty" but she makes it with real cocoa (flavanoids) and protien powder.
-Natural peanut butter. You never miss the sugar in the PB. Skippy has a kind that's not grainy and doesn't need to be stirred.
-Agave Nectar can replace honey. It is low on the glycemic index and its cheaper than honey too.
-Shred yellow squash, saute and mix with scrambled eggs.
-Add shredded zucchini and carrots to muffin mixes.
-Add pureed cauliflower to mashed potatoes.
-Use unsweetened applesauce to replace oil in baking mixes.
-Add flax meal and protien powder to pancake mix. Top pancakes with berries instead of syrup.
-Mix salsa and tomatoes in with the taco meat.
- Send your husband to work with a box of instant oatmeal or egg beaters and whole grain tortillas (for breakfast burittos) I was worried about Eddie's tryglycerides and his low HDLs. Now he eats oatmeal almost every morning for breakfast, not b/c he's concerned about his health but b/c its so easy.
-Buy OJ with calcium added
-Mix PB, jelly and oatmeal together until its cookie dough consistancy. My kids think I'm letting them eat cookie dough for snacks and its actually full of fiber, protien and relatively low in sugar.
-Go with unsweetened craisins, sugar-free pb, real fruit jams, nautural applesauce, unsalted anything. Little changes add up.
- Teach your kids to read labels, and evaluate the healthy factor for themselves.
-Limit the junk food in your pantry. You it what's convientient. If junk fook is convienient it'll get eaten.
-So that's my best material. Anybody else have some great ideas out there?
10-20-30
I've been tagged. So here goes...
10 years ago - I was dating my future husband. I lived in Boulder with 3 roomates and from our bedroom window my friend Dawn and I could spy on our respective boyfriends who lived acrossed the street.
I was a junior at CU, and finishing up my practicums at Baseline Middle School. My experience at this school and working at the Boulder County Juvenile Detention Center laid the foundation for which our decision to homeschool was based.
20 years ago - I was a 5th grader at Eisenhower Elementary School in Davenport IA. I think this was the year (can't remember if it was 5th or 6th) when Mrs. Hudson was my homeroom teacher. She was my favorite. I'm not actually sure she was a fabulous teacher, but she understood kids. She was the defender of the underdog, and you always knew Mrs. Hudson had your back.
30 years ago - My mom was pregnant with my sister. I was about to be bumped from my position as baby of the family, a position which I held for all of 18months. I had curly brown hair, and if the pictures are accurate, I was adorable. We lived in Des Moines IA.
10 years ago - I was dating my future husband. I lived in Boulder with 3 roomates and from our bedroom window my friend Dawn and I could spy on our respective boyfriends who lived acrossed the street.
I was a junior at CU, and finishing up my practicums at Baseline Middle School. My experience at this school and working at the Boulder County Juvenile Detention Center laid the foundation for which our decision to homeschool was based.
20 years ago - I was a 5th grader at Eisenhower Elementary School in Davenport IA. I think this was the year (can't remember if it was 5th or 6th) when Mrs. Hudson was my homeroom teacher. She was my favorite. I'm not actually sure she was a fabulous teacher, but she understood kids. She was the defender of the underdog, and you always knew Mrs. Hudson had your back.
30 years ago - My mom was pregnant with my sister. I was about to be bumped from my position as baby of the family, a position which I held for all of 18months. I had curly brown hair, and if the pictures are accurate, I was adorable. We lived in Des Moines IA.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Still not ready to be productive...
So I'll do an baby update. We met Baby's sisters' parents. They're very cool people...and we found that our motivation to adopt was similar to theirs. They adopted through Project 127, a non-profit organized established in a local church. Project 127's vision is to see all of Colorado's orphans in homes. I highly recommend them to anyone who is considering adoption through social services.
Anyway, this couple filled in some details for us about Baby's birthfamily. They gave us pictures and some medical information. Very, very helpful stuff, and it'll be even more important as Baby gets older.
After seeing the pictures I have little doubt about who Baby's birth father is. Still we are in the waiting process. The courts haven't technically established paternity. When they do, we still don't know how birth dad will proceed. He could relinquish his rights, or he could ask for a treatment plan. So far, no one thinks he will really be able to parent, but there is always a chance. We will see, and I will try not to worry.
Anyway, this couple filled in some details for us about Baby's birthfamily. They gave us pictures and some medical information. Very, very helpful stuff, and it'll be even more important as Baby gets older.
After seeing the pictures I have little doubt about who Baby's birth father is. Still we are in the waiting process. The courts haven't technically established paternity. When they do, we still don't know how birth dad will proceed. He could relinquish his rights, or he could ask for a treatment plan. So far, no one thinks he will really be able to parent, but there is always a chance. We will see, and I will try not to worry.
Doing this instead of what I should be doing....
MAN TAG:
1. Who is your man? Eddie
2. How long have you been married? 9 years
3. How long dated? Depends how you count it, but about a year
4. How old is your man? 32 - almost 33
5. Who eats more? Generally - Eddie, chocolate - me
6. Who said "I love you" first? He did
7. Who is taller? Him
8. Who sings better?Oh, I do, but that's not hard to accomplish
9. Who is smarter? We are different kinds of smart (I'm stealing this very diplomatic answer from my sister)
10. Whose temper is worse? Eddie's
11. Who does the laundry? At our house it's the Laundry Fairy - what you don't have one? - the fairy looks suspiciously like me.
12. Who takes out the garbage? That's been a boy job from the beginning of time
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me - though sometimes I switch because it irritates Eddie and he needs a little spontaneity in his life.
14. Who pays the bills? Eddie - I, apparently, don't do it right, and it stresses me out, so Eddie took over.
15. Who is better with the computer? Eddie, but I can hold my own.
16. Who mows the lawn? Eddie agreed upon marrying me that I would never have to do this job - if we had a pre-nump this would be in it.
17. Who cooks dinner? Me - though Eddie can make meatloaf and omelette's and frittata and a few other things.
18. Who drives when you are together? Eddie is the default driver - for some reason I make him nervous...
19. Who pays when you go out? VISA
20. Who is most stubborn? Eddie
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Eddie
22. Whose parents do you see the most? mine
23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me - I think, well I kissed him too!
24. Who asked who out? He asked me out on our first official date, but that was after months of hanging out and him showing up at my apartment suspiciously close to dinner time.
25. Who proposed? Eddie
26. Who is more sensitive? Me
27. Who has more friends? Probably me, but Eddie knows more people than I do
28. Who has more siblings? Me
29. Who wears the pants in the family? That question annoys me. Eddie would say he does; I say we collaborate - and we do. If it came down to it I would trust him to make big decisions in the best interest of our family.
1. Who is your man? Eddie
2. How long have you been married? 9 years
3. How long dated? Depends how you count it, but about a year
4. How old is your man? 32 - almost 33
5. Who eats more? Generally - Eddie, chocolate - me
6. Who said "I love you" first? He did
7. Who is taller? Him
8. Who sings better?Oh, I do, but that's not hard to accomplish
9. Who is smarter? We are different kinds of smart (I'm stealing this very diplomatic answer from my sister)
10. Whose temper is worse? Eddie's
11. Who does the laundry? At our house it's the Laundry Fairy - what you don't have one? - the fairy looks suspiciously like me.
12. Who takes out the garbage? That's been a boy job from the beginning of time
13. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? me - though sometimes I switch because it irritates Eddie and he needs a little spontaneity in his life.
14. Who pays the bills? Eddie - I, apparently, don't do it right, and it stresses me out, so Eddie took over.
15. Who is better with the computer? Eddie, but I can hold my own.
16. Who mows the lawn? Eddie agreed upon marrying me that I would never have to do this job - if we had a pre-nump this would be in it.
17. Who cooks dinner? Me - though Eddie can make meatloaf and omelette's and frittata and a few other things.
18. Who drives when you are together? Eddie is the default driver - for some reason I make him nervous...
19. Who pays when you go out? VISA
20. Who is most stubborn? Eddie
21. Who is the first to admit when they are wrong? Eddie
22. Whose parents do you see the most? mine
23. Who kissed who first? He kissed me - I think, well I kissed him too!
24. Who asked who out? He asked me out on our first official date, but that was after months of hanging out and him showing up at my apartment suspiciously close to dinner time.
25. Who proposed? Eddie
26. Who is more sensitive? Me
27. Who has more friends? Probably me, but Eddie knows more people than I do
28. Who has more siblings? Me
29. Who wears the pants in the family? That question annoys me. Eddie would say he does; I say we collaborate - and we do. If it came down to it I would trust him to make big decisions in the best interest of our family.
Monday, October 8, 2007
Bullet Points
- Tomorrow we meet Baby's sisters' parents. I'm a little nervous and a lot excited to get to know them.
- We were surprised to discover that I actually bought a yellow tomato plant. Our yellow tomatoes are much yummier than the red ones.
- Wednesday is our 9th anniversary.
- We went to Pathways on Sunday and heard Brian Maclaren speak. Hubby was agast - Maclaren referenced Al Gore within minutes of beginning his talk. This is not a good way to win over my husband. Maclaren is more liberal than I am, quite a lot more liberal. But I think he's compelling and makes good points. For instance, I think the emergent church's empahsis on praxis and less on theology is important. I think examining how we read the Bible through our Western Modernist worldview is good to think about. And I think that recognizing that we frame our experience in a Capitalist, Post-colonial, Western, Evangelical way is worth recognizing. Sometimes we get confused and think we are following Christ when its just our Evangelical Cultural that we are following. It's interesting stuff.
- I make a lousy liberal, and I am far too liberal to make a good conservative (in the James Dobson sense). This means I don't exactly fit the typical Christian homeschooler mold. I don't fit the typical suburbanite either. We've got too many kids. I'm actually a really lousy bookkeeper and my tupperware is a mess so I don't fit with the stay-at-home mom thing either. Nor am I a working mom. I had my kids far too young, and couldn't probably get a job in instructional design if I wanted to anymore. I'm having a junior high moment and feeling conspicuously not cool.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007
Monday, October 1, 2007
CAMPING
We just got back from a mini-vacation;it was a desperately needed time away.
We trucked it up to South Dakota pulling my dad's Airstream trailer. The thing is older than I am; we prefer to call it vintage. It has some quirks, to say the least, but it was a lifesaver. When on a road trip with kids its always a good thing to be towing a bathroom and a pantry. Tent camping with all my children would send me to the looney bin right now. The trailer was a perfect solution and made a cheap vacation possible.
Neither Hubby or I had ever been to the Black Hills before. They are so pretty. We also saw Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Wind Caves and visited Custer State Park. A bison was so close to the truck I could literally have spit on him (and that's saying something seeing as I grew up with sisters and never really mastered the art).
Vacationing with 4 kids isn't exactly relaxing. It's a lot of work, but I'm glad we went. Somethings are priceless.
We trucked it up to South Dakota pulling my dad's Airstream trailer. The thing is older than I am; we prefer to call it vintage. It has some quirks, to say the least, but it was a lifesaver. When on a road trip with kids its always a good thing to be towing a bathroom and a pantry. Tent camping with all my children would send me to the looney bin right now. The trailer was a perfect solution and made a cheap vacation possible.
Neither Hubby or I had ever been to the Black Hills before. They are so pretty. We also saw Mt. Rushmore, Crazy Horse, the Wind Caves and visited Custer State Park. A bison was so close to the truck I could literally have spit on him (and that's saying something seeing as I grew up with sisters and never really mastered the art).
Vacationing with 4 kids isn't exactly relaxing. It's a lot of work, but I'm glad we went. Somethings are priceless.
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