I quit

I would just like to say that for the remainder of this day I will no longer be responding to "Mommy." I quit. I decided this as Dean sat on the potty earlier calling my name over and over and over and over and over and over again. I was standing in there the whole time listening and responding to him. I finally, very politely, asked, "Would you please stop talking to me?" I know I am a bad mom but if you other moms reading this have never actually asked your child such a question I am confident that you have at least thought it. While I am sure my resignation will not last more than about 10 minutes if even that long before I walk away from the computer and continue being "Mommy" as if nothing ever happened, these brief moments have been nice.

And while I am at it, I established a new rule about 15 minutes ago - He who tattle tales is the one who gets the spanking. So far it is working out nicely; it is amazing how quickly they begin to work out their petty differences when they know complaining to me will get them nowhere fast.

As I sign off for now and head back to the children, let me add one last thing...Please spare me the "you should be thankful you have healthy, active, etc children" speech. I am very thankful for my children and I do love them to pieces and really would not want to change them one bit - other than the moments of disobedience - but that does not mean that I would not love 10 minutes of quiet at an unexpected time during the day that did not result in finding some sort of huge mess like food all over the floor or a pile of toilet paper as high as the child or an important piece of paper scribbled all over (just to name a few of the incidents from this week)!

Pregnancy Update

It has been a while since I have given any sort of pregnancy update so I thought I would take a moment - so I can put off sewing curtains a little longer or perhaps even another day - and share the latest. I went back to the doctor yesterday for a check up. When I returned home Anna Grace asked me I had the baby with me. I put my hand on my stomach and said, "I've still got him right here in my tummy." Later in the day she asked if we could open up my stomach and see him. Wouldn't we all like that but we have to let him cook in there for 9 more weeks.

I am currently 30 weeks and have gained 14 pounds. The c-section has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 12th at 7:00 am. Now for those of you who are not familiar with c-section world that means I have to stop eating at 11:59 pm on the 11th - food, water, everything is off limits - and I have to be at the hospital at 5:00 am that morning. It makes for a long day but it will be worth it. My iron count is down so I am back on iron pills after taking a few months off. Iron pills - not really my favorite but if it keeps me awake during the day so I can tend to Anna Grace and Dean then I will take them and be happy about it.

I can't stop eating lately. I eat a full meal and then about 2 hours later I am ready to eat again. Needless to say, I sneak food out of the kitchen when the children are not looking. Monday while doing grocery shopping I decided that I wanted some orange juice - it has been my drink of choice lately so I decided to buy a gallon. I think there might be a 1/2 gallon left; don't think a gallon is going to last me until next Monday's grocery run. Then while picking out more salad dressing I noticed the Sweet Gherkin pickles (you know the little whole pickles). On a whim I decided to buy them. I can't stop eating them...yesterday I ate 12 pickles between lunch time and dinner time. Today I have only eaten 3 so far, mainly because I don't want to see the end of the pickles (currently 4 left in the jar). Looks like I will have to find an excuse to go to the store and buy some more pickles and orange juice!

Other than not being able to stay awake if I get remotely still and not being able to stop eating - especially pickles and orange juice - I think things are normal around here. Wilbur still has no official name but Neal and I have started discussing it. Hopefully we will come up with something soon and let you know.

Guarding Our Daughters in This Sexualized Culture

I came across this on one of the many blogs that I visit. I thought it had some great advice on raising daughters.

Guarding Our Daughters in This Sexualized Culture

via Breaking Free by Laura Booz on 2/12/09

Aren’t little girls such precious gifts?

And to think, we have two! I so deeply want to do right by them and raise them to love God with all of their heart. Yet, I can’t help but shudder at the lust-loving, female-objectifying, girlhood-stealing culture that welcomes them with open arms.

Sometimes it all seems too intimidating to face, doesn’t it?

But God’s arm is most assuredly strong enough to help us against the most daunting enemies.

Here are some of the strategies that God has revealed to us as we strive to protect our little girls from the evil of objectification, abuse and lust.

• Pray for her. It’s not long after that positive pregnancy test that a mother realizes the well-being and security of her child are almost entirely out of her hands. She is left with this choice: a lifetime of desperation, or a lifetime of prayer. May she always choose prayer, prayer and prayer.

• Let her be a little girl for years—in her toy-box and wardrobe. Encourage little girls to play like little girls: dolls, kitchen, doctor, school, blocks, and good-quality books. Be very careful about the TV programs, movies, websites, and video games to which your daughter is exposed. And enjoy dressing your sweetheart like a little girl. Research shows that “dressing beyond her years” is one of the top reasons for early promiscuity.

• Don’t make a big deal about body image, natural curiosity, or accidental innuendos. If you can cover over these things with grace, you will be protecting your daughter from shame and unnecessarily mature information which you feel is inappropriate for her premature world.

• Enjoy dressing modestly with her. In a funny way, it was rewarding when my 3 year-old saw a workout video for the first time and asked, “Why are those ladies naked?” Of course, they weren’t naked, but to her, they were wearing far fewer clothes than we wear. I was grateful for her innocence.

• Teach her to have compassion on (and to look away from) paper women who are objectifying themselves; you and your daughters should be in the habit of looking away from the same supermarket magazines that you would expect your sons and husbands to look away from as well. The airbrushed images are just as damaging to females as they are to men. (And by all means, remove these images from your coffee table, and take them out of your bathroom baskets! Yikes!)

• Celebrate the beauty of her inner-self, which is growing more Christ-like each day. Our little girls should be able to see the same beauty in us.

• Give her full permission to SCREAM at the top of her lungs whenever she is in danger. Her high-pitched ear-piercing scream might get on your last nerve, but it is a God-given device of protection. Explain to her that if she is ever in danger, she should scream her lungs out. Have a screaming match with her indoors and outdoors so that she is comfortable letting it rip in both environments. As she understands this amazing defense mechanism, you may be pleased to notice that she uses it more frugally around the house. It will be good for you both to remember that you are worth protecting.

• Plan activities and conversations that tie your heart to hers. May both Mommy and Daddy take her out on regular dates, establish bed-time traditions, talk to her at dinner time, enjoy her personality and love her—no matter what the circumstance. Here are some books that have helped me to think about these things and to plan for the future: Noel Piper’s Treasuring God in Our Traditions, Dannah Gresh’s Secret Keeper Girl: 8 Great Dates for You and Your Daughter, and Carolyn Mahaney’s Girl Talk: Mother-Daughter Conversations on Biblical Womanhood.

• Fill her up with God’s glorious design for girlhood. Instead of focusing on all of the “no’s” and “don’t’s,” celebrate the “yes’s” and “do’s”. We’ve greatly enjoyed God’s Wisdom for Little Girls: Virtues and Fun from Proverbs 31.

What ideas have you developed to protect your little girls and raise them to love God with their heart, soul, mind and strength?

Snow Fun

After church Sunday we went outside as a family to play in the snow. Anna Grace loved every second of her time; Dean on the other hand was ready to come inside after about 5 minutes. Anna Grace played so hard she fell asleep at the table last night - while eating her 3rd waffle!

Here are some pictures...

This Week's Menu

We just got back from the grocery store and it looks like this is what is on tap at our house this week.

Juju's Potato Soup

Chicken and Rice Casserole
Green Beans
Salad

Tuscan Pasta with Tomato Basil Cream
Salad
French Bread

Pizza Pouches

Tacos
Black Beans
Chips and Salsa

Waffles
Sausage

Not My Juju!

We had a fun week with my mom last week. We sewed several new outfits for the children for the spring and got some more started but not quite complete. It is always a treat for us when she comes - it means extra hands to help with the children, cooking and cleaning for me (and Neal) but for Anna Grace and Dean it means a few more snacks, splurges at the grocery store and fun play time. Great fun is had by all.

Due to the circumstances of the week, she ended up taking the train home on Saturday. I would guess that most of you have not taken the train before and well it is really quite pleasant. There is a dining car and a separate snack car and usually lots of space to spread out and do your own thing. Sure there are some characters on the train but that is just part of the experience and sure the train is usually a little behind schedule but that is just part of the whole train experience.

However this time, there was one problem we did not expect - the weather. Apparently the bad weather on Friday and Friday evening caused the train some complications and it was about 4 hours behind schedule. Therefore Amtrak was kind enough to charter a tour bus to get the passangers who could not wait 4 hours to their final destination. And since Neal and I had the Vestavia High School State Championship basketball game to get to, we could not bring her back down to the train. Juju bravely decided to ride on the chartered bus. We watched as she boarded - children very upset it was not the train they expected - a little anxious of the expereince she was going to encounter - no dining car, no snack car, not a large area to spread out comfortably. Dean managed to yell from within the van what we were all thinking as she stepped on - "NOT MY JUJU!" - after I stopped laughing, I looked at him and said, "I know son, next time we will make sure the train is ready."

Juju's in town

My mom is here for a few days spending time with the family. It is always nice to have her visit. It is amazing what gets done around here and how nice it is to have constant entertainment for the children - besides me. She has been gracious enough to read books today, watch movies and play "the Dora game" (a.k.a. Chutes and Ladders) over and over. As if that was not enough she helped me sew a spring outfit for Anna Grace and one for Dean!

Anywho, here is the food for the week. Sorry to say but all of it comes from cookbooks, however if there is something that sounds tasty please feel free to let me know and I will send you the recipe.

Sloppy Joes
Baked Beans
Salad

Pork Tenderloin
Macaroni with Tomatoes and Feta
Salad

Chicken and Dumplings

Waffles
Sausage
Eggs

thoughts from bible study

I am currently in a Precept Study of the book of Jonah. During our lecture yesterday we were challenged with 10 questions regarding our fear of the Lord. Several of them stuck out but this one really gripped me...

#7 Do you fear God enough to know that there is no calamity apart from God?"

The question was taken from Jonah 2:3 which says "For You had cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the flood surrounded me; all Your waves and your billows passed over me." Meaning God caused the storm in the boat while Jonah was trying to flee His presence and God lead the sailors to obey Jonah's direction to throw him overboard so they might be saved and it was God who allowed Jonah to be engulfed by the sea so that Jonah would repent, fear Him and obey His command.

This part of the following illustration that followed...Stonewall Jackson is answering one of his captains who had been watching him in battle for a long time and wondered how Jackson always remained so calm. Jackson's response..."Captain, my religious belief teaches me to feel as safe in battle as in bed. God has fixed the time for my death. I do not concern myself about that, but to be always ready, no matter when it may overtake me. Captain, that is the way all men should live, and then all would be equally brave."

Has the fear of God gripped me to this extent?

couldn't sleep last night

Tragedy of the week - One broken "clip clop shoe"

Last night Anna Grace woke me around 3:45 because she could not find her pillow - don't ask me it was laying in her bed right where it was when we put her down; I very groggily went in to help her then got in bed. Only then I realized I was really hungry but I would not get out of bed again because then I might really be up. So I lay longer and Wilber (as I like to call our unborn son that we have yet to name) began kicking me. Then I started thinking of all the little things we could do around our house to make it better - you know things like touch up the paint on a door, little things. Next thing I knew it was 5 am and I decided I might as well get up I mean by now my mind was racing to all sorts of things there was no sleep in my near future I was certain of that.

So I tip-toed down the stairs with my bible in hand and began the time praying. Very quickly I was lead to 1 Peter 5:2-4

"Shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory."

What a great passage to be lead to at 5 am! Right now I am called to shepherd the flock of God that is among me...being an example to the flock...to receive the unfading crown of glory. It is what we are all called to, it just so happens that my flock consists of little children. When I think about a shepherd I can't help but think it is a stinky job at times (literally) with long hours of constant watch over sheep some of the most helpless, dumbest animals in the world. While I will not say that my children are dumb, I will say they are in many ways helpless and do need my constant care and being a mom does have really long hours. So why do it...it's not for the crown - although that is a wonderful reward - I think it is for the little moments when it is obvious that God is working in their lives, shaping them into the people He wants them to be and somehow using me - a weak vessel.

12-year-old Speaks Out Against Abortion

Despite protests from her teachers, this 12-year-old girl submitted this speech in her school speech competition and won. More details are here.