...it comes in many forms, but lately via blogs and forums. We have a large family and, as my children enjoy describing to anyone who will lend an ear, we are expecting again in August. The forums rock: where else can one ask in all seriousness- "How do you organize 12 people's socks?" Where else dare you ask if they have a family closet? (What is a family closet you ask? Look it up yourself as we don't have one here!) I have been called a saint twice in the last week- why? So interesting to hear other's perspectives on family size and rearing.
Simply knowing that there are others who battle the sock genie, wish for the laundry fairy to visit and obsess over how to feed, clothe and home teach many small persons on a budget bolsters my sense of well being. Heck, I even feel good enough that I am able to heft the large crock pot off the shelf and make yet another one pot meal, mostly organic, from scratch.
I am not looking for awards, just peace and love in my humble abode.
Discussing my upcoming sonogram a friend asked why I might not wish to find out the sex of our child. I mentioned that this 7th baby might be the last and I wanted it to be a surprise. Shocked she asked- MIGHT be your last??? She kindly advised all the birth control options available. Well, I think we are finished after this, but God hasn't told me flat out yet. I will wait on him. In the meantime I will cruise the forums, read the blogs, and pray for rest and sanity.
Saturday, March 17, 2007
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Hamster Charged- I love creative Kids...
Hamster-powered phone charger
A 16-year-old boy invented a hamster-powered mobile phone charger as part of his GCSE science project. Peter Ash, of Lawford, Somerset, attached a generator to his hamster's exercise wheel and connected it to his phone charger. Elvis does the legwork while Peter charges his phone in an economically and environmentally friendly way. He came up with the idea after his sister Sarah complained that Elvis was keeping her awake at night by playing for hours on his exercise wheel.
"I thought the wheel could be made to do something useful so I connected a system of gears and a turbine," he said.
"Every two minutes Elvis spends on his wheel gives me about thirty minutes talk time on my phone."
The teenage inventor was given a C for his project and has been awarded a D overall for the course.
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Lavender Soap
We have some French lavender bar soap in the hopes that it adds a little class and scent to our humble and well-used powder room. Okay, and I just like the smell on my hands.
I rejoiced, as only a mother could, when I looked at it this evening. Red and pink glitter, sparkling hearts, swirled bubble gum pink dye embedded on its surface gave the soap a festive and oh, so Valentin-y flair. THEY REALLY USE SOAP TO WAH THEIR HANDS!! The soap displayed the artifacts of intense Valentine-making activity- a remnant of the day.
I just love LOVE…
I rejoiced, as only a mother could, when I looked at it this evening. Red and pink glitter, sparkling hearts, swirled bubble gum pink dye embedded on its surface gave the soap a festive and oh, so Valentin-y flair. THEY REALLY USE SOAP TO WAH THEIR HANDS!! The soap displayed the artifacts of intense Valentine-making activity- a remnant of the day.
I just love LOVE…
Wednesday, February 07, 2007
Pay attention: Cross the street without your *&^%^& iPod
Okay, like Duh. There are so many people who are simply not paying attention. They are in their own little world and can't for even a minute drag themselves away from their music/cellphone/email- even to CROSS THE STREET_
so a brilliant politician decides that it must be time to introduce a bill; see below
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers who blithely cross the street listening to an iPod or talking on a cell phone could soon face a $100 fine.
New York State Sen. Carl Kruger says three pedestrians in his Brooklyn district have been killed since September upon stepping into traffic while distracted by an electronic device. In one case bystanders screamed "watch out" to no avail.
Kruger says he will introduce legislation on Wednesday to ban the use of gadgets such as Blackberry devices and video games while crossing the street.
Tech-consuming New Yorkers trudge to work on sidewalks and subways like an army of drones, appearing to talk to themselves on wireless devices or swaying to seemingly silent tunes.
so a brilliant politician decides that it must be time to introduce a bill; see below
NEW YORK (Reuters) - New Yorkers who blithely cross the street listening to an iPod or talking on a cell phone could soon face a $100 fine.
New York State Sen. Carl Kruger says three pedestrians in his Brooklyn district have been killed since September upon stepping into traffic while distracted by an electronic device. In one case bystanders screamed "watch out" to no avail.
Kruger says he will introduce legislation on Wednesday to ban the use of gadgets such as Blackberry devices and video games while crossing the street.
Tech-consuming New Yorkers trudge to work on sidewalks and subways like an army of drones, appearing to talk to themselves on wireless devices or swaying to seemingly silent tunes.
Talking Breasts
For Dads: ( I play with my baby's food)
For Moms: (that's my baby's lunch you're staring at)
I love the idea of the tshirts for breastfeeding mommies and daddies. She promotes milk banks too. Kudos to her!
For Moms: (that's my baby's lunch you're staring at)
The Lactivist's goal is to support nursing moms by "promoting issues like breastfeeding in public, milk bank donation and child-led weaning." You can check the site out at http://www.thelactivist.com/index.html
In her own words she "needed to come up with a business idea at about the same time that I was looking for a way to offer something back to all those hard working breastfeeding moms that helped me get through things. These are the types of shirts that I wished I'd owned during the past year. Hopefully, they'll bring a smile to the face of some other new mom that needs a bit of a pick-me-up to make it through herself.
That's what The Lactivist is all about"
That's what The Lactivist is all about"
I love the idea of the tshirts for breastfeeding mommies and daddies. She promotes milk banks too. Kudos to her!
Monday, February 05, 2007
Not just computer support from India anymore...
“It’s a lie we have to tell, otherwise how can we earn this much money?” said a 29-year-old prospective mother at a Mumbai clinic. “A lie told for a good cause is not a sin.”
-- a quote from an Indian woman renting her womb to help infertile couples from westernized countries for approximately $3,000 and $6,000. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16988881/
-- a quote from an Indian woman renting her womb to help infertile couples from westernized countries for approximately $3,000 and $6,000. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16988881/
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Beware Creatives & Art Students:
your amazing ideas for guerrilla marketing just might send you to jail.
Read this today on CNN:
Two held after ad campaign triggers Boston bomb scare
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Authorities have arrested two men in connection with electronic light boards depicting a middle-finger-waving moon man that triggered repeated bomb scares around Boston on Wednesday and prompted the closure of bridges and a stretch of the Charles River.
Meanwhile, police and prosecutors vented their anger at Turner Broadcasting System Inc., the parent company of CNN, which said the battery-operated light boards were aimed at promoting the late-night Adult Swim cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."
Boston officials condemned Turner for not taking proper steps to end the bomb scares earlier and for not issuing an adequate apology to the city. (Watch how the scare unfolded)
Turner Broadcasting said in written statements the devices had been placed around Boston and nine other cities in recent weeks as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to promote the show.
"We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger," Phil Kent, CEO and chairman of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., said in one of two statements issued by the company.
"As soon as we realized that an element of the campaign was being mistaken for something potentially dangerous, appropriate law enforcement officials were notified and through federal law enforcement channels, we identified the specific locations of the advertisements in all 10 cities in which they are posted. We also directed the third-party marketing firm who posted the advertisements to take them down immediately."
Peter Berdovsky, 27, a freelance video artist from Arlington, Massachusetts, and Sean Stevens, 28, were facing charges of placing a hoax device in a way that results in panic, as well as one count of disorderly conduct, said Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. The hoax charge is a felony, she said. Both men were arrested Wednesday evening.
According to his Web site, Berdovsky is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and a founding member of a video artists group called Glitch who goes by the nickname "Zebbler" and sings in a band called "Superfiction."
A Web site, www.zebbler.com, features a video of people assembling the LED moon men and driving around Boston installing them on buildings and other structures. Turner has said a third-party New York advertising firm, Interference Inc., conducted the campaign, and the Web video's introduction states, "The Interference Information Network takes on the ATHF," referring to "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." (View the video at zebbler.com)
Interference Inc. had no comment on the incident.
Authorities believe Berdovsky was "in the employ of other individuals" as part of the marketing campaign, Coakley said. "How exactly this was executed, we are still investigating." Berdovsky is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. Thursday in Charlestown District Court.
Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, another Turner enterprise, but the adult-themed network is a separate entity.
Wednesday evening, Cartoon Network was running a statement during commercial breaks, expressing deep regret for "the hardships experienced as a result of this incident."
The devices displayed a "Mooninite" -- an outer-space delinquent who makes frequent appearances on the cartoon -- greeting passersby with an upraised middle finger. But the discovery of nine of the light boards around Boston and its suburbs sent bomb squads scrambling throughout the day, snarling traffic and mass transit in one of the largest U.S. cities.
"It had a very sinister appearance," Coakley told reporters. "It had a battery behind it, and wires."
The statement from Kent said Turner Broadcasting deeply regrets "the hardships experienced as a result of this incident." (Read the full statement)
Mayor calls situation 'outrageous'
But Coakley, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and others said the statement offering an apology was not enough, and did not rule out criminal charges or a civil suit to recover the estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars it cost the city to respond to the bomb scares.
Menino told reporters he received a call from a Turner spokesperson about 9 p.m. but had not yet returned it. "I think the city deserves a call, not from a press person, but from somebody in the corporate structure of Turner," he said.
"I just think this is outrageous, what they've done ... It's all about corporate greed."
He and Coakley said Turner did not give authorities the locations of the devices and said they learned the devices were Turner's when the company sent a fax to City Hall at 5 p.m.
Officials believe there are 38 throughout the Boston area, and 14 had been recovered as of 9 p.m., Coakley said. "We heard nothing official from the people who could have resolved this earlier."
Some of the devices were placed on private property, she said, which "raises a lot of questions about, at the very least, the responsibility of anybody who would do this."
Asked about whether Massachusetts authorities would have the jurisdiction to arrest people out of state, Coakley said she believed they would if the offenses took place in Massachusetts. Turner Broadcasting's headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis called it "unconscionable" that the marketing campaign was executed in a post 9/11 era. "It's a foolish prank on the part of Turner Broadcasting," he said. "In the environment nowadays ... we really have to look at the motivation of the company here and why this happened."
Earlier, Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll called Wednesday's incidents "a colossal waste of money."
The discovery of the light boards led state, local and federal authorities to close the Boston University and Longfellow Bridges and block boat traffic from the Charles River to Boston Harbor. In addition, the Pentagon said U.S. Northern Command was monitoring the situation from its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but said none of its units were dispatched to assist.
The first device reported was at the Sullivan Square commuter rail station, near the suburb of Somerville, Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon, four other devices were reported -- near the Longfellow and Boston University bridges over the Charles, at New England Medical Center and near the intersection of Stuart and Columbus avenues in the city itself, and four more turned up over the course of the day.
Rep. Ed Markey, a Boston-area congressman, said, "Whoever thought this up needs to find another job."
"Scaring an entire region, tying up the T and major roadways, and forcing first responders to spend 12 hours chasing down trinkets instead of terrorists is marketing run amok," Markey, a Democrat, said in a written statement. "It would be hard to dream up a more appalling publicity stunt."
Turner Broadcasting said the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
CNN's Dan Lothian and Deborah Feyerick contributed to this report.
Two held after ad campaign triggers Boston bomb scare
BOSTON, Massachusetts (CNN) -- Authorities have arrested two men in connection with electronic light boards depicting a middle-finger-waving moon man that triggered repeated bomb scares around Boston on Wednesday and prompted the closure of bridges and a stretch of the Charles River.
Meanwhile, police and prosecutors vented their anger at Turner Broadcasting System Inc., the parent company of CNN, which said the battery-operated light boards were aimed at promoting the late-night Adult Swim cartoon "Aqua Teen Hunger Force."
Boston officials condemned Turner for not taking proper steps to end the bomb scares earlier and for not issuing an adequate apology to the city. (Watch how the scare unfolded)
Turner Broadcasting said in written statements the devices had been placed around Boston and nine other cities in recent weeks as part of a guerrilla marketing campaign to promote the show.
"We apologize to the citizens of Boston that part of a marketing campaign was mistaken for a public danger," Phil Kent, CEO and chairman of Turner Broadcasting System Inc., said in one of two statements issued by the company.
"As soon as we realized that an element of the campaign was being mistaken for something potentially dangerous, appropriate law enforcement officials were notified and through federal law enforcement channels, we identified the specific locations of the advertisements in all 10 cities in which they are posted. We also directed the third-party marketing firm who posted the advertisements to take them down immediately."
Peter Berdovsky, 27, a freelance video artist from Arlington, Massachusetts, and Sean Stevens, 28, were facing charges of placing a hoax device in a way that results in panic, as well as one count of disorderly conduct, said Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley. The hoax charge is a felony, she said. Both men were arrested Wednesday evening.
According to his Web site, Berdovsky is a graduate of the Massachusetts College of Art and a founding member of a video artists group called Glitch who goes by the nickname "Zebbler" and sings in a band called "Superfiction."
A Web site, www.zebbler.com, features a video of people assembling the LED moon men and driving around Boston installing them on buildings and other structures. Turner has said a third-party New York advertising firm, Interference Inc., conducted the campaign, and the Web video's introduction states, "The Interference Information Network takes on the ATHF," referring to "Aqua Teen Hunger Force." (View the video at zebbler.com)
Interference Inc. had no comment on the incident.
Authorities believe Berdovsky was "in the employ of other individuals" as part of the marketing campaign, Coakley said. "How exactly this was executed, we are still investigating." Berdovsky is scheduled for arraignment at 9 a.m. Thursday in Charlestown District Court.
Adult Swim shares channel space with Cartoon Network, another Turner enterprise, but the adult-themed network is a separate entity.
Wednesday evening, Cartoon Network was running a statement during commercial breaks, expressing deep regret for "the hardships experienced as a result of this incident."
The devices displayed a "Mooninite" -- an outer-space delinquent who makes frequent appearances on the cartoon -- greeting passersby with an upraised middle finger. But the discovery of nine of the light boards around Boston and its suburbs sent bomb squads scrambling throughout the day, snarling traffic and mass transit in one of the largest U.S. cities.
"It had a very sinister appearance," Coakley told reporters. "It had a battery behind it, and wires."
The statement from Kent said Turner Broadcasting deeply regrets "the hardships experienced as a result of this incident." (Read the full statement)
Mayor calls situation 'outrageous'
But Coakley, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino and others said the statement offering an apology was not enough, and did not rule out criminal charges or a civil suit to recover the estimated hundreds of thousands of dollars it cost the city to respond to the bomb scares.
Menino told reporters he received a call from a Turner spokesperson about 9 p.m. but had not yet returned it. "I think the city deserves a call, not from a press person, but from somebody in the corporate structure of Turner," he said.
"I just think this is outrageous, what they've done ... It's all about corporate greed."
He and Coakley said Turner did not give authorities the locations of the devices and said they learned the devices were Turner's when the company sent a fax to City Hall at 5 p.m.
Officials believe there are 38 throughout the Boston area, and 14 had been recovered as of 9 p.m., Coakley said. "We heard nothing official from the people who could have resolved this earlier."
Some of the devices were placed on private property, she said, which "raises a lot of questions about, at the very least, the responsibility of anybody who would do this."
Asked about whether Massachusetts authorities would have the jurisdiction to arrest people out of state, Coakley said she believed they would if the offenses took place in Massachusetts. Turner Broadcasting's headquarters is in Atlanta, Georgia.
Boston Police Commissioner Edward Davis called it "unconscionable" that the marketing campaign was executed in a post 9/11 era. "It's a foolish prank on the part of Turner Broadcasting," he said. "In the environment nowadays ... we really have to look at the motivation of the company here and why this happened."
Earlier, Boston police spokeswoman Elaine Driscoll called Wednesday's incidents "a colossal waste of money."
The discovery of the light boards led state, local and federal authorities to close the Boston University and Longfellow Bridges and block boat traffic from the Charles River to Boston Harbor. In addition, the Pentagon said U.S. Northern Command was monitoring the situation from its headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado, but said none of its units were dispatched to assist.
The first device reported was at the Sullivan Square commuter rail station, near the suburb of Somerville, Wednesday morning. Wednesday afternoon, four other devices were reported -- near the Longfellow and Boston University bridges over the Charles, at New England Medical Center and near the intersection of Stuart and Columbus avenues in the city itself, and four more turned up over the course of the day.
Rep. Ed Markey, a Boston-area congressman, said, "Whoever thought this up needs to find another job."
"Scaring an entire region, tying up the T and major roadways, and forcing first responders to spend 12 hours chasing down trinkets instead of terrorists is marketing run amok," Markey, a Democrat, said in a written statement. "It would be hard to dream up a more appalling publicity stunt."
Turner Broadcasting said the devices had been in place for two to three weeks in Boston; New York; Los Angeles, California; Chicago, Illinois; Atlanta, Georgia; Seattle, Washington; Portland, Oregon; Austin, Texas; San Francisco, California; and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
CNN's Dan Lothian and Deborah Feyerick contributed to this report.
Now- I am not sure who should be more embarrassed- the city of Boston or Turner- the "devices" were up for 3 weeks.... Huh? Really? It took that long for people to freak out about the electronic devices? I get that- it does look suspecious- and it is flinging the bird at people. Another question that is raised: is the proximity of Boston to New York a factor in this extra caution in relation to 911? Washingtonians didn't even raise alarm over this- traditionally an alarmist area for good reason. Perhaps there are just a few more people in D.C. who watch cartoons. Just ask W.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Expecting
Just a moment
(That’s all it took)
For a whole life to begin
Tiny, growing
Moving unseen
In the darkness of a womb
Cherished child
I’ve yet to meet
My heartbeats measure my love
In wonderment
My soul certain
Claiming your sweet existence
Forever mine
Forever yours
My flesh of flesh, heart of hearts
My soul’s desire
Answered by God
Double my expectations
(That’s all it took)
For a whole life to begin
Tiny, growing
Moving unseen
In the darkness of a womb
Cherished child
I’ve yet to meet
My heartbeats measure my love
In wonderment
My soul certain
Claiming your sweet existence
Forever mine
Forever yours
My flesh of flesh, heart of hearts
My soul’s desire
Answered by God
Double my expectations
Monday, January 15, 2007
If I Were to Live Life More as a Child
It was not so long ago (or so it seems) that I was just a mere child. Now I am (happily) weighted by responsibility and schedules and many, many demands. Sometimes these responsibilities I view more as burdens though they are really blessings I would never voluntarily unburden myself of. After all, I love my life and glory in the details of it— most of the time. With the number of children that live with me, I have ample opportunity to observe their workings and daily machinations though I do not often enough just sit back and watch them as the magnificent creations that they are as much as I should. I have a great deal to learn from them.
As my shoulders tighten through the day with stress aggravating my “I wish I could_____” thoughts, I muse what my life would be like if I were to become more like a child again. I wonder if my stress would be a great deal less than it is now if only I would live out what I have listed below.
I would rest at night peacefully and thoroughly, not anxious about meaningless things, content that all my basic needs will be taken care of. I’d awaken wondering what surprises were in store for me, thinking maybe only as far as breakfast and note whether it was sunny enough to play outdoors.
Unexpected visitors, bugs, stray dogs and unusual goings-on would be greeted as happy surprises and met with loud excitement. My small attention span would leave plenty of room for things to just come up on the schedule without stress of bumping other things off to another day. I’d be happy just to do something new and unusual, fearlessly! People like the mailman, our neighbors, and the neighborhood dogs would be prominent in my thoughts and tops on my list of subjects to observe from the safety of my tree.
I would hug a lot more people-- just because I really like them.
I would examine my environment to find what entertainment I could create for myself. I would more often stand under the long arms of a tree in awe of the majestic creation that they are: collecting their leaves as blankets for fairies, their twigs and branches for use as ship’s masts and hobo knapsack holders just in case I ever needed one. I would collect pretty rocks and anything that remotely looked like an arrow head. The lot of creation I would see as mine to explore and worthy of LOADS of questions. The man in the moon would be an endless source of fascination- just who is he? Does he have a name?
I might often feel the urge to spontaneously draw with crayons, rearrange my room, squish playdoh, run wildly into the wind, make precious objects found in the trash, and pretend more- letting my mind drift around everywhere.
I would be less worried about clothes on the floor, the magnetism of horizontal surfaces to loads of things and dust, and whether my hair was brushed. All gifts would be treasured and stowed safely (somewhere) in my room- best placed in a box inside another box, hidden under something else as a keepsake. They would be precious because of who gave it to me and I would never want to throw it away because they made me feel special.
I wouldn’t give a hoot about practicality or cost. I’d be more willing to experiment- with what I wear, how I talk, what I mix together on my plate, with what friends I like and what my new favorite activity might be. I would do what I wanted to do and eat just what I wanted to eat regardless of the cost or whether it made sense. I might just eat only things that are red one day.
Sometimes I would cry just because.
I wouldn’t worry so much about how I look. I’d smile at myself in the mirror. A lot.
I have no wish to become a child again, but I do wish to live a bit more in the moments, fascinated and grateful for each new, beautiful day.
As my shoulders tighten through the day with stress aggravating my “I wish I could_____” thoughts, I muse what my life would be like if I were to become more like a child again. I wonder if my stress would be a great deal less than it is now if only I would live out what I have listed below.
I would rest at night peacefully and thoroughly, not anxious about meaningless things, content that all my basic needs will be taken care of. I’d awaken wondering what surprises were in store for me, thinking maybe only as far as breakfast and note whether it was sunny enough to play outdoors.
Unexpected visitors, bugs, stray dogs and unusual goings-on would be greeted as happy surprises and met with loud excitement. My small attention span would leave plenty of room for things to just come up on the schedule without stress of bumping other things off to another day. I’d be happy just to do something new and unusual, fearlessly! People like the mailman, our neighbors, and the neighborhood dogs would be prominent in my thoughts and tops on my list of subjects to observe from the safety of my tree.
I would hug a lot more people-- just because I really like them.
I would examine my environment to find what entertainment I could create for myself. I would more often stand under the long arms of a tree in awe of the majestic creation that they are: collecting their leaves as blankets for fairies, their twigs and branches for use as ship’s masts and hobo knapsack holders just in case I ever needed one. I would collect pretty rocks and anything that remotely looked like an arrow head. The lot of creation I would see as mine to explore and worthy of LOADS of questions. The man in the moon would be an endless source of fascination- just who is he? Does he have a name?
I might often feel the urge to spontaneously draw with crayons, rearrange my room, squish playdoh, run wildly into the wind, make precious objects found in the trash, and pretend more- letting my mind drift around everywhere.
I would be less worried about clothes on the floor, the magnetism of horizontal surfaces to loads of things and dust, and whether my hair was brushed. All gifts would be treasured and stowed safely (somewhere) in my room- best placed in a box inside another box, hidden under something else as a keepsake. They would be precious because of who gave it to me and I would never want to throw it away because they made me feel special.
I wouldn’t give a hoot about practicality or cost. I’d be more willing to experiment- with what I wear, how I talk, what I mix together on my plate, with what friends I like and what my new favorite activity might be. I would do what I wanted to do and eat just what I wanted to eat regardless of the cost or whether it made sense. I might just eat only things that are red one day.
Sometimes I would cry just because.
I wouldn’t worry so much about how I look. I’d smile at myself in the mirror. A lot.
I have no wish to become a child again, but I do wish to live a bit more in the moments, fascinated and grateful for each new, beautiful day.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
There goes our rights- again...
http://www.townhall.com/columnists/JaySekulow/2007/01/12/speaker_pelosi_to_monitor_your_church
check out the above link... to highlight a paragraph from the article to explain that the bill would:
impose registration and reporting requirements on churches and other nonprofit organizations. This is because the definition of “lobbyist” and “lobbying firms” includes specifically grassroots-organizing efforts. Under this broad-based regulatory scheme that Nancy Pelosi is advocating, many churches, especially larger churches with TV and radio ministries, would be subject to registration as a lobbying organization. Failure to comply with these lobbying requirements could result in fines and even criminal sanctions. Churches and their pastors who address the social issues of the day and encourage members and non-members alike to mobilize for action, including communications with Congress, would be required to make certain initial and quarterly disclosures to the United States Congress about their activities.
What a way to herald the new year with our congress- by the people and for the people right?
Luckily there is an amendment underway: (from http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000003607.cfm)
Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, introduced an amendment to strike the provision according to his communications director, Emily Christensen.
An aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is a co-sponsor of the amendment. That’s significant because not only is McConnell now minority leader in the Senate, but he’s also one of the Republican co-sponsors of S. 1.
SO- write your congressmen and women- perhaps even something like this:
Subject: Support the Bennett Amendment to Strike a Section of S. 1 That Would Limit Free Speech
I understand that an amendment has been introduced to remove an extremely troubling provision in S. 1, a bill you and your colleagues are now debating. I can't emphasize to you enough my hope that you will support this amendment -- and support my right to free speech. As I understand it, the provision in question -- Section 220 -- would place severe restrictions on my right to hear from groups I trust about what is going on in Congress. Because these groups be subject to fines of $100,000 for not complying with the miles of red tape the bill mandates, I am greatly concerned they will simply stop providing me with information I need to know about legislation that affects me. I applaud your efforts to clean up the unethical activity of some lobbyists on Capitol Hill -- but those are not the kinds of lobbyists being targeted by Section 220. People like me are the ones being targeted. So, please vote for the Bennett amendment to strip the unfair grassroots-lobbying provisions in S.1. Anything less would be allowing a muzzle to be placed on the very men and women who put you in office.
check out the above link... to highlight a paragraph from the article to explain that the bill would:
impose registration and reporting requirements on churches and other nonprofit organizations. This is because the definition of “lobbyist” and “lobbying firms” includes specifically grassroots-organizing efforts. Under this broad-based regulatory scheme that Nancy Pelosi is advocating, many churches, especially larger churches with TV and radio ministries, would be subject to registration as a lobbying organization. Failure to comply with these lobbying requirements could result in fines and even criminal sanctions. Churches and their pastors who address the social issues of the day and encourage members and non-members alike to mobilize for action, including communications with Congress, would be required to make certain initial and quarterly disclosures to the United States Congress about their activities.
What a way to herald the new year with our congress- by the people and for the people right?
Luckily there is an amendment underway: (from http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000003607.cfm)
Sen. Robert Bennett, R-Utah, introduced an amendment to strike the provision according to his communications director, Emily Christensen.
An aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said he is a co-sponsor of the amendment. That’s significant because not only is McConnell now minority leader in the Senate, but he’s also one of the Republican co-sponsors of S. 1.
SO- write your congressmen and women- perhaps even something like this:
Subject: Support the Bennett Amendment to Strike a Section of S. 1 That Would Limit Free Speech
I understand that an amendment has been introduced to remove an extremely troubling provision in S. 1, a bill you and your colleagues are now debating. I can't emphasize to you enough my hope that you will support this amendment -- and support my right to free speech. As I understand it, the provision in question -- Section 220 -- would place severe restrictions on my right to hear from groups I trust about what is going on in Congress. Because these groups be subject to fines of $100,000 for not complying with the miles of red tape the bill mandates, I am greatly concerned they will simply stop providing me with information I need to know about legislation that affects me. I applaud your efforts to clean up the unethical activity of some lobbyists on Capitol Hill -- but those are not the kinds of lobbyists being targeted by Section 220. People like me are the ones being targeted. So, please vote for the Bennett amendment to strip the unfair grassroots-lobbying provisions in S.1. Anything less would be allowing a muzzle to be placed on the very men and women who put you in office.
Friday, January 12, 2007
Brief Moments
Today was eventful- our dearest, smallest one is attempting to crawl. The scooch backward is in effect, the strong bowed arms , the lifted head and arched back- in mere moments she will be on her way.
This mark of independence has already suggested in my mind her going off to college. Small steps in that direction, I know, but the tiny steps set a trend for the giant leaps. I am grateful that she is not the first- to whom I longed to see the milestones before they were ready, couldn't wait for them utter their first words, see their emerging characters as they blossomed from babes to children. For this dear child I wish to savor every moment. I relish in the delicate skin, the find hair, the toothless smiles, the early morning coos and calls. I love being the comfort to her cries, the antidote to sadness for her. Love it.
I simply cannot be too busy to enjoy every moment of her. So while my house is a disaster, our breakfasts are simple affairs, many conversations with friends must be tabled, and great books are put aside, for this season, I have an extraordinary subject to study. It is but a short time, the briefest of moments, that I will have this opportunity. I dare not miss a second.
This mark of independence has already suggested in my mind her going off to college. Small steps in that direction, I know, but the tiny steps set a trend for the giant leaps. I am grateful that she is not the first- to whom I longed to see the milestones before they were ready, couldn't wait for them utter their first words, see their emerging characters as they blossomed from babes to children. For this dear child I wish to savor every moment. I relish in the delicate skin, the find hair, the toothless smiles, the early morning coos and calls. I love being the comfort to her cries, the antidote to sadness for her. Love it.
I simply cannot be too busy to enjoy every moment of her. So while my house is a disaster, our breakfasts are simple affairs, many conversations with friends must be tabled, and great books are put aside, for this season, I have an extraordinary subject to study. It is but a short time, the briefest of moments, that I will have this opportunity. I dare not miss a second.
Video Gaming and the younger set
Now I have had my objections to the relentless pursuit of gaming against all rational boundaries... but I am not totally opposed to them by any means. I believe it is good for gents to be able to release their inner carnal selves in a safely controlled electronic environment free of "real" blood and that might help them to not to purchase additional power tools from the hardware store. I am also strongly opposed to the "not in MY house with MY hubby" mentality of a dozen of my friends who are scared of losing their husbands indefinitely to the drone of the console. (In fact, I believe trying to control one's husband in any way, shape or form will invariably produce dischord in the relationship).
That said, I am concerned about the younger gen's devotion to the marketing, the constant stimulation, and the lack of physical play, not to mention the violence that comes packaged on the game cubes, xboxs and play stations. I am not a giant fan of welcoming the sound of gunfire and the sound of shell casings falling to the floor at 7 am. I do not enjoy the sullied attitude of my dear 10 year old when gaming has gone on for longer than an hour. It appears to me that he is just brighter, more positive, and more his true self when he has not vegetated in the dim cavern of gameland.
What I had not factored into my discontent was the way games have replaced reading. This scathing article I found hilarious (and utterly one sided) and interesting. Enjoy.
Computer Games
Boris Johnson
http://www.boris-johnson.com/archives/2006/12/computer_games.php#more
The writing is on the wall - computer games rot the brain
It's the snarl that gives the game away. It's the sobbing and the shrieking and the horrible pleading -- that's how you know your children are undergoing a sudden narcotic withdrawal. As the strobing colours die away and the screen goes black, you listen to the wail of protest from the offspring and you know that you have just turned off their drug, and you know that, to a greater or lesser extent, they are addicts.
Some children have it bad. Some are miraculously unaffected. But millions of seven- to 15-year-olds are hooked, especially boys, and it is time someone had the guts to stand up, cross the room and just say no to Nintendo. It is time to garrotte the Game Boy and paralyse the PlayStation, and it is about time, as a society, that we admitted the catastrophic effect these blasted gizmos are having on the literacy and the prospects of young males.
It was among the first acts of the Labour Government to institute a universal "literacy" hour in primary schools; and yet, in the six years following 1997, the numbers of young children who said that they didn't like reading rose from 23 per cent to 35 per cent. In spite of all our cash and effort, the surveys increasingly show that children (especially boys) regard reading as a chore, something that needs to be accomplished for the sake of passing tests, not as a joy in itself. It is a disaster, and I refuse to believe that these hypnotic little machines are innocent.
We demand that teachers provide our children with reading skills; we expect the schools to fill them with a love of books; and yet at home we let them slump in front of the consoles. We get on with our hedonistic 21st-century lives while in some other room the nippers are bleeping and zapping in speechless rapture, their passive faces washed in explosions and gore. They sit for so long that their souls seem to have been sucked down the cathode ray tube.
They become like blinking lizards, motionless, absorbed, only the twitching of their hands showing they are still conscious. These machines teach them nothing. They stimulate no ratiocination, discovery or feat of memory -- though some of them may cunningly pretend to be educational. I have just watched an 11-year-old play a game that looked fairly historical, on the packet. Your average guilt-ridden parent might assume that it taught the child something about the Vikings and medieval siege warfare.
Phooey! The red soldiers robotically slaughtered the white soldiers, and then they did it again, that was it. Everything was programmed, spoon-fed, immediate -- and endlessly showering the player with undeserved praise, richly congratulating him for his bogus massacres. The more addictive these games are to the male mind, the more difficult it is to persuade boys to read books; and that is why it is no comfort that Britain has more computer games per household than any other EU country, and, even though they are wince-makingly expensive, an amazing 89 per cent of British households with children now boast a games console, with distribution right across the socio-economic groups.
Every child must have one, and what we fail to grasp is that these possessions are not so much an index of wealth as a cause of ignorance and underachievement and, yes, poverty. It hardly matters how much cash we pour into reading in schools if there is no culture of reading at home; and the consequences of this failure to read can be seen throughout the education system.
Huge numbers are still leaving primary school in a state of functional illiteracy, with 44 per cent unable either to read, write or do basic sums. By the age of 14, there are still 40 per cent whose literacy or numeracy is not up to the expected standard, and a large proportion of the effort at Further Education colleges (about 20 per cent) is devoted to remedial reading and writing. Even at university, there are now terrifying numbers of students who cannot express themselves in the kind of clear, logical English required for an essay, and in many important respects if you can't write, you can't think. The Royal Literary Fund has, in the past few years, done a wonderful job of establishing Writing Fellows at our universities, offering therapy for those who can't put their thoughts on paper; and yet the fund admits that the scale of the problem is quite beyond its abilities.
It is a shock, arriving at university, and being asked to compose an essay of a couple of thousand words, and then discovering that you can't do it; and this demoralisation is a major cause of dropping-out. It's not that the students lack the brains; the raw circuitry is better than ever. It's the software that's the problem. They have not been properly programmed, because they have not read enough. The only way to learn to write is to be forced time and again to articulate your own thoughts in your own words, and you haven't a hope of doing this if you haven't read enough to absorb the basic elements of vocabulary, grammar, rhythm, style and structure; and young males in particular won't read enough if we continually capitulate and let them fritter their lives away in front of these drivelling machines.
Gordon Brown proposed in his Pre-Budget Report to spend £2,000 per head on improving the reading of six-year-old boys. That is all well and good, especially when you consider that the cost of remedial English in secondary school soars to £50,000 per head. But it would be cheaper and possibly more effective if we all -- politicians, parents, whoever -- had the nerve to crack down on this electronic opiate.
So I say now: stop just lying there in your post-Christmas state of crapulous indifference. Get up off the sofa. Can the DVD of Desperate Housewives, and go to where your children are sitting in auto-lobotomy in front of the console.
Summon up all your strength, all your courage. Steel yourself for the screams and yank out that plug.
And if they still kick up a fuss, then get out the sledgehammer and strike a blow for literacy.
That said, I am concerned about the younger gen's devotion to the marketing, the constant stimulation, and the lack of physical play, not to mention the violence that comes packaged on the game cubes, xboxs and play stations. I am not a giant fan of welcoming the sound of gunfire and the sound of shell casings falling to the floor at 7 am. I do not enjoy the sullied attitude of my dear 10 year old when gaming has gone on for longer than an hour. It appears to me that he is just brighter, more positive, and more his true self when he has not vegetated in the dim cavern of gameland.
What I had not factored into my discontent was the way games have replaced reading. This scathing article I found hilarious (and utterly one sided) and interesting. Enjoy.
Computer Games
Boris Johnson
http://www.boris-johnson.com/archives/2006/12/computer_games.php#more
The writing is on the wall - computer games rot the brain
It's the snarl that gives the game away. It's the sobbing and the shrieking and the horrible pleading -- that's how you know your children are undergoing a sudden narcotic withdrawal. As the strobing colours die away and the screen goes black, you listen to the wail of protest from the offspring and you know that you have just turned off their drug, and you know that, to a greater or lesser extent, they are addicts.
Some children have it bad. Some are miraculously unaffected. But millions of seven- to 15-year-olds are hooked, especially boys, and it is time someone had the guts to stand up, cross the room and just say no to Nintendo. It is time to garrotte the Game Boy and paralyse the PlayStation, and it is about time, as a society, that we admitted the catastrophic effect these blasted gizmos are having on the literacy and the prospects of young males.
It was among the first acts of the Labour Government to institute a universal "literacy" hour in primary schools; and yet, in the six years following 1997, the numbers of young children who said that they didn't like reading rose from 23 per cent to 35 per cent. In spite of all our cash and effort, the surveys increasingly show that children (especially boys) regard reading as a chore, something that needs to be accomplished for the sake of passing tests, not as a joy in itself. It is a disaster, and I refuse to believe that these hypnotic little machines are innocent.
We demand that teachers provide our children with reading skills; we expect the schools to fill them with a love of books; and yet at home we let them slump in front of the consoles. We get on with our hedonistic 21st-century lives while in some other room the nippers are bleeping and zapping in speechless rapture, their passive faces washed in explosions and gore. They sit for so long that their souls seem to have been sucked down the cathode ray tube.
They become like blinking lizards, motionless, absorbed, only the twitching of their hands showing they are still conscious. These machines teach them nothing. They stimulate no ratiocination, discovery or feat of memory -- though some of them may cunningly pretend to be educational. I have just watched an 11-year-old play a game that looked fairly historical, on the packet. Your average guilt-ridden parent might assume that it taught the child something about the Vikings and medieval siege warfare.
Phooey! The red soldiers robotically slaughtered the white soldiers, and then they did it again, that was it. Everything was programmed, spoon-fed, immediate -- and endlessly showering the player with undeserved praise, richly congratulating him for his bogus massacres. The more addictive these games are to the male mind, the more difficult it is to persuade boys to read books; and that is why it is no comfort that Britain has more computer games per household than any other EU country, and, even though they are wince-makingly expensive, an amazing 89 per cent of British households with children now boast a games console, with distribution right across the socio-economic groups.
Every child must have one, and what we fail to grasp is that these possessions are not so much an index of wealth as a cause of ignorance and underachievement and, yes, poverty. It hardly matters how much cash we pour into reading in schools if there is no culture of reading at home; and the consequences of this failure to read can be seen throughout the education system.
Huge numbers are still leaving primary school in a state of functional illiteracy, with 44 per cent unable either to read, write or do basic sums. By the age of 14, there are still 40 per cent whose literacy or numeracy is not up to the expected standard, and a large proportion of the effort at Further Education colleges (about 20 per cent) is devoted to remedial reading and writing. Even at university, there are now terrifying numbers of students who cannot express themselves in the kind of clear, logical English required for an essay, and in many important respects if you can't write, you can't think. The Royal Literary Fund has, in the past few years, done a wonderful job of establishing Writing Fellows at our universities, offering therapy for those who can't put their thoughts on paper; and yet the fund admits that the scale of the problem is quite beyond its abilities.
It is a shock, arriving at university, and being asked to compose an essay of a couple of thousand words, and then discovering that you can't do it; and this demoralisation is a major cause of dropping-out. It's not that the students lack the brains; the raw circuitry is better than ever. It's the software that's the problem. They have not been properly programmed, because they have not read enough. The only way to learn to write is to be forced time and again to articulate your own thoughts in your own words, and you haven't a hope of doing this if you haven't read enough to absorb the basic elements of vocabulary, grammar, rhythm, style and structure; and young males in particular won't read enough if we continually capitulate and let them fritter their lives away in front of these drivelling machines.
Gordon Brown proposed in his Pre-Budget Report to spend £2,000 per head on improving the reading of six-year-old boys. That is all well and good, especially when you consider that the cost of remedial English in secondary school soars to £50,000 per head. But it would be cheaper and possibly more effective if we all -- politicians, parents, whoever -- had the nerve to crack down on this electronic opiate.
So I say now: stop just lying there in your post-Christmas state of crapulous indifference. Get up off the sofa. Can the DVD of Desperate Housewives, and go to where your children are sitting in auto-lobotomy in front of the console.
Summon up all your strength, all your courage. Steel yourself for the screams and yank out that plug.
And if they still kick up a fuss, then get out the sledgehammer and strike a blow for literacy.
Friday, January 05, 2007
Behind the news...
Irony in the Keith Ellison story
Posted by dpulliam
Let’s give a big round of applause to The Washington Post’s gossip columnists, Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, for cornering an ironic bit of religion news Wednesday regarding the swearing in of the first Muslim in Congress. The irony of the story was not fully fleshed out, which is a pity because there is plenty of it.
Here’s the crux of the Post story:
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found himself under attack last month when he announced he’d take his oath of office on the Koran — especially from Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, who called it a threat to American values.
Yet the holy book at tomorrow’s ceremony has an unassailably all-American provenance. We’ve learned that the new congressman — in a savvy bit of political symbolism — will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
Now, Goode happens to represent the district that contains Albemarle County, the location of Jefferson’s birth. How’s that for ironic? Goode apparently didn’t feel like commenting for this story, which is not surprising considering the reverence that Virginians generally feel for President Jefferson.
But what’s even more ironic is that Argetsinger and Roberts do not mention that Jefferson once used a razor blade to the New Testament, removing its references to the supernatural but maintaining the moral teachings of Jesus Christ. Critics of Ellison, like Rep. Goode, are not likely to hold up Mr. Jefferson’s shredding of the Bible as the epitome of American religious tradition.
Another irony to consider is that Jefferson’s copy of the Koran is an English translation. A translation of the Koran is considered only for personal use and is more accurately referred to as an “interpretation.” It is technically not even a holy book.
To recap, America’s first Muslim congressman is using an interpretation of the Koran owned by a man who sliced up the Bible for his swearing-in ceremony. Except that he isn’t.
Sarah Wheaton of The New York Times, in a very helpful blog post, clarifies that Ellison won’t be swearing in on anything:
Mr. Ellison is not swearing in on the Koran. And no incoming members of Congress swear in on the Bible. Everyone is sworn in together during a private ceremony without any religious text. It’s only during a ceremonial photo-op that a book may be brought out.
Well, that basically ruins all the fun. The actual swearing-in ceremony, contrary to nearly every news story on this matter, does not contain a religious element. The religious element is only included in the purely optional photo-op. How’s that for the American tradition? You can’t help but wonder why the media have not covered this story more intelligently.
I would like to suggest that the real story is the message that a Muslim-American congressman sends to the world. That’s the story reporters should be looking at.
Posted by dpulliam
Let’s give a big round of applause to The Washington Post’s gossip columnists, Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts, for cornering an ironic bit of religion news Wednesday regarding the swearing in of the first Muslim in Congress. The irony of the story was not fully fleshed out, which is a pity because there is plenty of it.
Here’s the crux of the Post story:
Rep.-elect Keith Ellison, the first Muslim elected to Congress, found himself under attack last month when he announced he’d take his oath of office on the Koran — especially from Virginia Rep. Virgil Goode, who called it a threat to American values.
Yet the holy book at tomorrow’s ceremony has an unassailably all-American provenance. We’ve learned that the new congressman — in a savvy bit of political symbolism — will hold the personal copy once owned by Thomas Jefferson.
Now, Goode happens to represent the district that contains Albemarle County, the location of Jefferson’s birth. How’s that for ironic? Goode apparently didn’t feel like commenting for this story, which is not surprising considering the reverence that Virginians generally feel for President Jefferson.
But what’s even more ironic is that Argetsinger and Roberts do not mention that Jefferson once used a razor blade to the New Testament, removing its references to the supernatural but maintaining the moral teachings of Jesus Christ. Critics of Ellison, like Rep. Goode, are not likely to hold up Mr. Jefferson’s shredding of the Bible as the epitome of American religious tradition.
Another irony to consider is that Jefferson’s copy of the Koran is an English translation. A translation of the Koran is considered only for personal use and is more accurately referred to as an “interpretation.” It is technically not even a holy book.
To recap, America’s first Muslim congressman is using an interpretation of the Koran owned by a man who sliced up the Bible for his swearing-in ceremony. Except that he isn’t.
Sarah Wheaton of The New York Times, in a very helpful blog post, clarifies that Ellison won’t be swearing in on anything:
Mr. Ellison is not swearing in on the Koran. And no incoming members of Congress swear in on the Bible. Everyone is sworn in together during a private ceremony without any religious text. It’s only during a ceremonial photo-op that a book may be brought out.
Well, that basically ruins all the fun. The actual swearing-in ceremony, contrary to nearly every news story on this matter, does not contain a religious element. The religious element is only included in the purely optional photo-op. How’s that for the American tradition? You can’t help but wonder why the media have not covered this story more intelligently.
I would like to suggest that the real story is the message that a Muslim-American congressman sends to the world. That’s the story reporters should be looking at.
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Organics/GM foods...
Does anyone wonder why in the United States there is so little press about organic foods? I mean outside of advertising that certain products are in a store near you? The rest of the world is doing back flips to stay away from genetically modified foods and filing law suits against Monsanto for polluting the rice with GM crops, yet you rarely hear a conversation about such things here in the US… thought it is not because food is not an obsession by many here, that’s for sure.
Anyway read this today:
The worst offenders of pesticide residues: peaches. Followed by: apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.
Richard Wiles, Environmental Working Group: "Those are some of the most contaminated with pesticides where you should buy organic."
It's a special concern for parents. Studies indicate children may be more vulnerable to toxins in pesticides
From : http://www.ksl.com/?nid=200&sid=610141
Anyway read this today:
The worst offenders of pesticide residues: peaches. Followed by: apples, sweet bell peppers, celery, nectarines, strawberries, cherries, pears, imported grapes, spinach, lettuce, and potatoes.
Richard Wiles, Environmental Working Group: "Those are some of the most contaminated with pesticides where you should buy organic."
It's a special concern for parents. Studies indicate children may be more vulnerable to toxins in pesticides
From : http://www.ksl.com/?nid=200&sid=610141
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
It is already after 5 and I have so much to do., The blessed baby is asleep for a while and I actually had 4 hours of sleep in a row last night! Praise God! It still wasn’t enough sleep but I will take what I can get! Woo hoo!
The homeschooling is done for the day. I could feel my patience wearing. Volcanos, counting money, reading and writing, rocks. We are earth bound in our studies- money and dirt. Tomorrow we make a volcano. How fun! I hope we have a good time doing it. The girls really enjoy hands-on work.
Tonight I need to make a stationary package and finish the website. I am currently procrastinating for a few minutes of venting here before I make dinner. My mind is overwhelmed, as it may be from the craziness of this day. Tomorrow is no better.
Tomorrow is busy- we are doing what I have felt called to do more of- service. The 4 of us will go to serve dinner to a family we know mourning the death of a father. We will serve them food. Interesting to me how easy it is to feed people. I love it. I really take to heart what Jesus told Peter “Feed my sheep.” Sweet. THAT I can do. I may not have the right words to make anyone feel any better, but I hope my presence there and my FOOD will do the talking for me as I empathize with their loss. After that I pick up the organic produce, then school a bit, then tap and ballet, then quick home for boy scouts. I am tired thinking about it… HA! Not by my power though, right?
The homeschooling is done for the day. I could feel my patience wearing. Volcanos, counting money, reading and writing, rocks. We are earth bound in our studies- money and dirt. Tomorrow we make a volcano. How fun! I hope we have a good time doing it. The girls really enjoy hands-on work.
Tonight I need to make a stationary package and finish the website. I am currently procrastinating for a few minutes of venting here before I make dinner. My mind is overwhelmed, as it may be from the craziness of this day. Tomorrow is no better.
Tomorrow is busy- we are doing what I have felt called to do more of- service. The 4 of us will go to serve dinner to a family we know mourning the death of a father. We will serve them food. Interesting to me how easy it is to feed people. I love it. I really take to heart what Jesus told Peter “Feed my sheep.” Sweet. THAT I can do. I may not have the right words to make anyone feel any better, but I hope my presence there and my FOOD will do the talking for me as I empathize with their loss. After that I pick up the organic produce, then school a bit, then tap and ballet, then quick home for boy scouts. I am tired thinking about it… HA! Not by my power though, right?
Friday, September 29, 2006
sidelined
So I did it. I said no to money. Well, not actually real money that someone would be handing me- for free. It was money that I would have to work for. I wanted to say yes. I had already spent the money 50 ways.
I had to say no.
It all started when a friend, an acquaintance really, who called to tell me about the business she and her husband were starting. They needed a website- could I do one for them? I met with them and their cronies at my home around the kitchen table with my portfolio within an arms reach should they ask to see it.
The baby sat quietly.
For 10 minutes. At the ten minute mark she decides that she is hungry. VERY hungry. The screaming begins. I desperately try and focus on this business of theirs. I talk a little louder, try bouncing her on my knee to quiet down the agony. This may have only served to titillated, pardon the expression, or create even more ire for her. (Did I mention that 3 of the 5 people in the room were men?) At this point I am thanking God for padded bras that might hide any escaping milk. I excused myself to my laundry folding area behind a door (also known as a family room, not one for my clients to see) and tried to give the blessed child just a nip… a little dab’ll do ya kinda thing. No beans. She SCREAMED when I pulled her away from me. I was sweating it now. They were waiting for me in the dining room. Tick, tick, tick. The woman comes in- offers to walk the baby around- outside. I accept, exasperated. I am annoyed that my dear one, my dearest, sweetest, long-awaited and treasured child is daring to act her age.
It was then that I knew. I was crazy. I simply could not be upset with this cherished child of mine. She knew and was trying to tell me what I was: stark-raving-outta-my-mind-mad to try and maintain this business while homeschooling, having a teeny one, supporting my husbands business, and general household duties with 6 kids not to mention leading a weekly church home group. Like, mama didn’t raise no fool…. SO WHY WAS I SITTING HERE WITH THESE PEOPLE?
I returned to the meeting. Do I disengage now? I decided not now. I would call. Offer to do a small amount to set them on their feet. But no full blown month-long project.
I would not be upset at a baby for being a baby when I was the one who needed to swallow my pride, see the writing on the wall and otherwise extract myself from activities that did not directly contribute to the support and running of this large family.
I guess the business, really the lack there of, but even the possibility of accepting business to turn a profit and learn more about things outside of this home was my last bastion of independence. I like design. I love to interface with people, learn what they need, help contribute to the growth of the business, help them realize a dream. It is one part of my life that has remained constant in the upheaval since kids came. I have invested many years in nurturing this “baby.” I am sad to see another part of “me” pushed to the margins for the family’s greater good. I think of St. Paul when he discusses dying to oneself so that God can grow greater in us. Perhaps this is part of that. Losing that prideful bragging right, But there isn’t time for it now. Later? Perhaps. I can’t help but feel like God may be leading me elsewhere, but it is a handy tool to have in my skill set should I need to call on it later.
In the meantime I will be here, blogging about today, tomorrow and yesterday.
I had to say no.
It all started when a friend, an acquaintance really, who called to tell me about the business she and her husband were starting. They needed a website- could I do one for them? I met with them and their cronies at my home around the kitchen table with my portfolio within an arms reach should they ask to see it.
The baby sat quietly.
For 10 minutes. At the ten minute mark she decides that she is hungry. VERY hungry. The screaming begins. I desperately try and focus on this business of theirs. I talk a little louder, try bouncing her on my knee to quiet down the agony. This may have only served to titillated, pardon the expression, or create even more ire for her. (Did I mention that 3 of the 5 people in the room were men?) At this point I am thanking God for padded bras that might hide any escaping milk. I excused myself to my laundry folding area behind a door (also known as a family room, not one for my clients to see) and tried to give the blessed child just a nip… a little dab’ll do ya kinda thing. No beans. She SCREAMED when I pulled her away from me. I was sweating it now. They were waiting for me in the dining room. Tick, tick, tick. The woman comes in- offers to walk the baby around- outside. I accept, exasperated. I am annoyed that my dear one, my dearest, sweetest, long-awaited and treasured child is daring to act her age.
It was then that I knew. I was crazy. I simply could not be upset with this cherished child of mine. She knew and was trying to tell me what I was: stark-raving-outta-my-mind-mad to try and maintain this business while homeschooling, having a teeny one, supporting my husbands business, and general household duties with 6 kids not to mention leading a weekly church home group. Like, mama didn’t raise no fool…. SO WHY WAS I SITTING HERE WITH THESE PEOPLE?
I returned to the meeting. Do I disengage now? I decided not now. I would call. Offer to do a small amount to set them on their feet. But no full blown month-long project.
I would not be upset at a baby for being a baby when I was the one who needed to swallow my pride, see the writing on the wall and otherwise extract myself from activities that did not directly contribute to the support and running of this large family.
I guess the business, really the lack there of, but even the possibility of accepting business to turn a profit and learn more about things outside of this home was my last bastion of independence. I like design. I love to interface with people, learn what they need, help contribute to the growth of the business, help them realize a dream. It is one part of my life that has remained constant in the upheaval since kids came. I have invested many years in nurturing this “baby.” I am sad to see another part of “me” pushed to the margins for the family’s greater good. I think of St. Paul when he discusses dying to oneself so that God can grow greater in us. Perhaps this is part of that. Losing that prideful bragging right, But there isn’t time for it now. Later? Perhaps. I can’t help but feel like God may be leading me elsewhere, but it is a handy tool to have in my skill set should I need to call on it later.
In the meantime I will be here, blogging about today, tomorrow and yesterday.
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
To be a bit more approximate
To be a bit more approximate- not so confined to the daily grind/ Not that my day is ever predictable, on the contrary. But, nonetheless, the grind remains, yes?
… I would like to be whisked away somewhere new to me and shiny with possibilites- come with me on fantasyland, to- say gay Paris. There I will be with my true love, nibbling croissants and inhaling espresso, sipping ridiculous amounts of wine, and have passionate… kisses. Bisou, bisou… In this fantasy world where the sun does not set until absurd hours of the night, we will walk the streets, talk to adventurers, indulge in all things art, ride bicycles and experience euphoria. Just a wee tiny escape… thanks for indulging me…
… I would like to be whisked away somewhere new to me and shiny with possibilites- come with me on fantasyland, to- say gay Paris. There I will be with my true love, nibbling croissants and inhaling espresso, sipping ridiculous amounts of wine, and have passionate… kisses. Bisou, bisou… In this fantasy world where the sun does not set until absurd hours of the night, we will walk the streets, talk to adventurers, indulge in all things art, ride bicycles and experience euphoria. Just a wee tiny escape… thanks for indulging me…
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
out of the bag
I went through a dead woman’s clothes today. As I reached into the black trash bag, pulling out carefully folded clothes that were then unceremoniously dumped into the crinkly plastic blackness, I thought about who she must have been. I have never met the woman, though evidently we wear the same size. I saw from her clothes that she likes nice things- Talbots, Chicos, but that she was not afraid to purchase clothes from WalMart. She liked casual, unstructured living judging from the amount of shorts and cotton shirts. I imagine her to be a practical woman, in touch with her self as she was not wearing these clothes to impress anyone, though I imagine they suited her.
She died from cancer. Quickly. Within 6 months of diagnosis her body was made ready for the cremator. While I am not personally a fan of such a way to leave my body after my soul has returned home, it does bring the full circle notion of from dust we have come and to dust we shall return.
I think I can learn a little from the contents of this black trash bag.. I will be true to myself- some things I wouldn’t be caught dead in, despite the fact that I might first be found naked, as I do not have the funds to purchase new clothes. But I will keep what I can to wear carefully with my own accessories to make it my own style- and for free- using what I have. I will be practical and return things that are not to my taste to the trash bag’s dark depths for someone else to wear. I wonder whether they too will ponder the whereabouts of the previous owner as I have. Whether she is in her glory, or in her hell? Will the next person to plumb the insides of this bag be grateful or ashamed of its “preowned” status? Or will it simply be a matter of course to them- their pride not a stumbling block as it sometimes can be for me; of little consequence that their style is not reflected in the stitches on their body?
Carefully I place the bag, only half full now, in the back of my car, ready for the next stage of its journey for another soul to explore.
She died from cancer. Quickly. Within 6 months of diagnosis her body was made ready for the cremator. While I am not personally a fan of such a way to leave my body after my soul has returned home, it does bring the full circle notion of from dust we have come and to dust we shall return.
I think I can learn a little from the contents of this black trash bag.. I will be true to myself- some things I wouldn’t be caught dead in, despite the fact that I might first be found naked, as I do not have the funds to purchase new clothes. But I will keep what I can to wear carefully with my own accessories to make it my own style- and for free- using what I have. I will be practical and return things that are not to my taste to the trash bag’s dark depths for someone else to wear. I wonder whether they too will ponder the whereabouts of the previous owner as I have. Whether she is in her glory, or in her hell? Will the next person to plumb the insides of this bag be grateful or ashamed of its “preowned” status? Or will it simply be a matter of course to them- their pride not a stumbling block as it sometimes can be for me; of little consequence that their style is not reflected in the stitches on their body?
Carefully I place the bag, only half full now, in the back of my car, ready for the next stage of its journey for another soul to explore.
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