Thank You, Stupid Internet!

Thank you, you stupid Internet, for the unexpected, horrifying pictures when all I did was look up some information on a rather harmless, benign symptom. 

There was no warning! 

No "Proceed with Caution:  Gross Pictures Ahead!" 

No "Would you like to see some gross pictures?  If so, click here for some nightmare-inducing photos that will turn your stomach.  But if you don't click it then we will respect your desire to not be bombarded with pictures of skin falling off of feet and stuff like it."

Oh no ... there was none of that!  So thank you, Internet, for the nightmares and future years of therapy.  I will be sending you the bill!

Introverts

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Screaming Centipede

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(Okay, it probably wasn't screaming.  And it probably wasn't as big as a mouse....

 

It was shrieking and it was as big as a possum!)

If you have boys, don't buy a couch with attached cushions!

Thank you to all the boys (my own boys and their monkey friends) who have jumped on the back of my couch and leaped over the back of my couch and sat up high on the attached back-cushions instead of on the seat cushions of the couch, causing the attached-cushions to rip off of the frame and the contents to explode all over the inside of the couch cover.

 

I dedicate this picture to you!

 

 



#8: Lessons for Life

            That list of rules is a humorous one (previous post). . . humorous, but true.  However, on a more serious note, there is another list of rules that I try to live by.  These are beliefs that I have formed, though not executed perfectly, from things that I’ve read and by watching how people (including myself) interact with their kids.  They are ones that you probably will see in some parenting books.  They may not fit for you, but they do for me.  (These do not include specifics or advice on discipline.  There are numerous good books out there about that.  These are just some general principles.  And many of them also speak to how we should relate to all people, not just our children!) 

 

            #1  Hold them as much as possible when they are young.  Don’t buy the old “Just let them scream it out.  It’s good for their lungs and it makes them more independent” thing.  I think the opposite is true.  They are looking to you to respond to their calls.  A little baby isn’t trying to manipulate you when it is crying to be picked up.  (The ability to manipulate comes later.)  Babies actually have a need to be held and interacted with.  There have been neglected children that have died for lack of human contact.  It’s a physical need to be cuddled and communicated with. 

#7: The Rest of the Lessons from the Battlefront

            You know, now that I’m thinking about it, I want to write a list of all the advice I can think of that you won’t learn in a parenting book, such as the four lessons at the beginning of the chapter.  These are just the kinds of lessons that we learn as we go, the lessons that humble us.  The more kids you have, the more you’ll understand. 

            Now those with one child will probably be horrified by this list, since you probably still have time to be on top of everything.  And, to you, I say “More power to ya” and “Just wait!”  Or maybe you could offer some clear-headed perspective and inspiration to those of us who gave up trying too hard a few kids ago.  Well, here they are in no particular order:   

            #1  This is by far the hardest part of having a new child . . . the lack of sleep.  When you first have a child, you will have to learn to function in a fog.  That’s just the way it is.  So go easy on yourself when you start to go a little loopy.  I remember waking up for the second or third month in a row with my first (and my second) and just crying out in the dark, “Lord, if You love me at all, You will let me sleep.  Please, Lord!  Please!  Why . . . oh, why can’t I just sleep?” with tears streaming down my face. 

#6: Lessons from the Battlefront 1-4

            Alright now!  So, here I am - a mother of three little boys.  (This was before I had my fourth.)  I never did go back to work.  (Yet, I have done nothing but work since they arrived.)  Instead, I enlisted.  I enlisted in the ranks of the sleep-deprived; the worn, ragged souls serving at the front lines of the battle.  God bless them!  I was neck deep in Motherhood.   And the battle raged on, as it does in many homes around the world, between mother and child.  Who would dominate?  Who would rule?  Sometimes the battle is too close to tell. 

            There have been many lessons over the years as my kids have gotten older.  Oh, yes, they have taught me well!  And if I had to share with a new mom what I have learned, I would start with Lesson #1:  If you want to maintain your sanity, let go of your expectations for yourself.  When you enlist as a mom, there are many things you can’t expect to have anymore: sleep, time, energy, brain cells, freedom, shaved legs, etc.  Those are the obvious ones.  But there are less obvious ones.  And for me, I’ve learned that I need to let go of crazy expectations - like being able to go to the bathroom in peace.  Oh, yes!  Those days are gone! 

#5: Adding More to the Mix

            Well, moving on . . . D. was such a delight that, two years later, we decided to add a sibling.  We always said that four sounded like the perfect number.  And God blessed us with another boy!  (And a successful, rather pleasant homebirth, even if it was sixteen hours of labor!  And interestingly, I knew that I was pregnant with him the day after he was conceived.  It’s the only pregnancy when I knew right away.  And my friend Jen – I’ll talk about her in a bit – knew right away the next day with her second pregnancy, too.  Weird!) 

            And I really did want another boy, too.  As the only girl in the family, I had often wished for a sister.  So it was very important to me that my first two kids were the same gender.  Then they could be playmates.  Not that a brother and sister can’t be, but I would rather have another boy than have one of each. 

#4: A Big Surprise

            I married Jason a few weeks before I turned twenty-four.  I was attending graduate school, and I was finally learning to relax and trust after working out my issues and my fears.  I was enjoying setting up house for the two of us and learning to cook.  Basically, I was just having fun being young.  And I had clear plans for my future.  I was going to get my counseling license.  I was going to work a few years to pay down school loans.  I was going to enjoy the unbridled freedom that comes with being on my own. 

            I was going to get a big surprise! 

            After feeling “not quite right” for a little while, I took a pregnancy test one day as my husband played video games in the other room.  I didn’t tell him that I was taking the test.  I was taking it just in case, to rule out pregnancy. 

#3: The Wedding Day

            So there we were . . . the church was packed, Canon in D Major was playing (I love that!), and Jason was waiting for me at the end of the aisle.  I stood there next to my step-father, Bob, who was going to give me away.  And I was waiting for the doors to open so that I could start my walk towards my husband-to-be. 

            And I waited!  And I waited!  And I . . . waaaaaited!  It seems that the guy in charge of the music was waiting for the doors to open before starting the processional music.  And we were waiting for the processional music to start before we opened the doors.  Ten, fifteen minutes - who knows?  I was yelling at one of the attendants to go tell the music guy to START THE MUSIC so we could open the doors.  I’m sure people were beginning to whisper, thinking maybe I pulled a Runaway Bride.    

#2: Adventures Before Marriage

(These are a follow-up to a previous post, “My First Date.”  They are part of my life story, reposted from https://sweetlybrokengirl.blogspot.com.)

 

            Jason and I were getting married in a few months.  And as a last hurrah, my mom offered to take me, Gina (my maid-of-honor), and Gina’s mom, Donna, on a cruise.  We would get to spend some time in Ft. Lauderdale and then board a ship for a one-day trip to the Bahamas.  I had never been to the Bahamas before or on a cruise.  What a wonderful treat and a great way to finish out my single years!  But it’s amazing how things don’t always go the way you plan!   

            The day before our trip, I was busy packing in the apartment that I shared with three other girls: Laura, Gina and Sarah.  For four girls sharing a small two-bedroom apartment, we got along amazingly well.  We had been dorm-mates in college.  And after I graduated, we lived together for a year.  I had always wanted to share an apartment with other girls for a while, experience the whole apartment-roommate thing. 

#1: My First Real Date

            Due to abandonment issues and relationship fears, I never gave much thought to dating in high school.  In fact, I avoided it.  I really only dated one wonderfully sweet guy for four months.  But I didn’t have any feelings for him.  I dated him because my mom liked him so much and made me go out with him.  Which was precisely the reason why I broke up with him.  (But honestly, Rodney, you were such a nice, sweet guy.  I’m sorry for what I put you through.  It wasn’t fair, and I wish you the best.) 

            Other than that, I only went on a very small handful of dates, and it was never with someone that I really liked.  (Okay, it was two dates.  Once to a homecoming dance and once to our town’s fair with a group of friends, so I don’t even know if you can call that a date.)  If I really did have a crush on any guy, I would never let it turn into anything.   

The Humility of Parenthood

"Gender Neutral" Nonsense

Racism in America Again!?! Thank You, Media People!

It’s incredibly sad to me that we are back in a place of racial tension.  I can’t believe this is an issue we are facing again.  Racism is inexcusable.  From the pit of hell.  For someone to believe that our skin color makes us different or that it makes one group of people better or more human than another is horrifying.  An offense against the Creator Himself, the Maker of all colors, all people. 

And while there are many contributing factors to this crisis, I think there is one factor that no one talks about.  (And maybe they never even noticed it.)  I think a contributing factor to this current racial strife has been the media and the celebrities and TV-people who were upset that Trump got elected. 

For weeks after he won, all I read and heard from celebrities and talk-show hosts was “I can’t believe Trump won.  I can’t believe there are so many racists in America.”  


Over and over again.  (If you didn't hear it, it might be because you supported Hillary.)  

Over and over again, they labeled all Trump supporters as “racists and misogynists.”  Over and over again, the media spread the idea that half the country was racist and that everyone who voted for Clinton was better and smarter, more loving and more decent.   

Is it any wonder that we have racial trouble nowadays (combined with political trouble)?  The media constantly tells us that racism is everywhere.  And all they report are racially-charged stories and potentially racially-charged crimes and police stories.  (Do people never call the cops on white guys anymore!?!  Do police only ever accidentally shoot black guys!?!)



Even if a story probably had nothing to do with race, they speculate that it might be ... "Could this be racially-motivated?  What if it was a white guy (or black guy)?  Would it have been handled the same way?"



And they have continually spread the idea that all Trump supporters are racist.



(Those talk-show hosts who threw around all-encompassing accusations about half the country should have been fired.  I know they were hurting and angry, but it wasn't right or fair.  And they have helped create the bitterness and strife we are now dealing with on a bigger scale.  You know that if it was a republican talking against Hillary or Hillary-supporters, they would have been fired in a heartbeat.  But the Hillary-supporters ... they get away with saying whatever they want about Trump and Trump-supporters!  Totally unacceptable!)  

Is it any wonder that our country is in the mood and the condition it is?  If you keep telling people that something is true, they will start to believe it and see it everywhere.  


ARE YOU MEDIA-PEOPLE TRYING TO CAUSE DIVISION AND HATRED AND MORE RACISM!?!  

While, yes, there are racists and bad people in America, which is terrible … I think that, to a degree, the media and TV-people have created the very troubles that we are now seeing.  They have helped create the news that they report.     

(Now go back on click on the red phrase.)

How Would You Spend Your Last Day?

Okay, so today is the beginning of the end of the world, according to a Christian numerologist.  As I went to bed last night, I was thinking, "What if the world really did 'end' tomorrow?  How would we choose to spend our last day?"

As I laid in bed by myself last night watching Gilmore Girls for the 832nd time while my husband and kids watched a show together in the other room, I thought about how we all had eaten dinner together earlier (homemade BBQ chicken pizza) and how hubby and I had our "mommy and daddy" time and how we were all just chillin' now with each other, hanging out in our normal low-key way, eating mint chocolate chip ice cream. 

And I thought, "This is exactly how I would want to spend my last day.  If the world ended tomorrow or if the rapture really happened and Jesus came back and took my family out of here, I would be happy to end my time on earth like this." 

Actually, I can think of a few other things I'd like to do to really make my last day perfect.  And so if I could choose what to do for my last day, it would look like this ...

For Glass-Half-Empty People ...

If the glass looks half-empty,

pour it into a smaller glass and quit b**ching.

(This quote was shared by the speaker at a seminar ... and I LOVE it!  I need it.  I am such a "glass-half-empty" kind of person.  And while I wish I could give credit to the person who wrote it, there was no name attached to it.  So "thank you" to whoever it was that wrote this, reminding me that I don't have to keep using the same too-large glass, being discouraged that it's not full enough.  If the glass looks half-empty, maybe it's not because you don't have enough, but simply because your glass is too big.  Sometimes, the best way to deal with disappointments is to simply pour everything you've got into a smaller glass, shut up your complaining about what you don't have, and be content with and thankful for what you do have.  That's a lot better and more productive than sitting around complaining about the empty half of a too-big glass.)

Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome is so much fun!

            I wanted to share this in case anyone else is dealing with it and is wondering what’s going on.

            A couple years ago, I began dealing with something called Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome.  It’s a mysterious “we don’t know what’s causing this or what to do about it” kind of thing. 

            For me, it presented itself as getting a severe stomach cramp (which felt like incredible hunger) and then needing to throw up the rest of the night.  Also, lights and sounds and smells would bother me and make me feel sicker, so I would have to hide in a dark room whenever I wasn't hugging the toilet and crying.  But in the morning, I would be fine.

            The thing is … it always happened right before my period.

            The first couple times it happened, it was the night before my period.  But eventually it shifted to the week before.  And this happened for a year.

            As I researched what could be causing this once-a-month vomiting spell, I ran across Cyclical Vomiting Syndrome on-line.  Apparently, it’s like an “abdominal migraine,” which would explain the sensitivity to lights and sounds and smells.  But they have no idea what causes it.

Goodbye, Cassini

Okay, now I know that stress is getting the best of me … I found myself wanting to sob this morning about Cassini’s dying mission, plunging into Saturn’s atmosphere in its final moments, sending back a final picture of that beautiful giant planet.  I had to wipe the tears away and wave at my eyes to dry them so my husband wouldn’t catch me crying about a spacecraft. 
 

Goodbye, Cassini! Thank you for two decades of service.

 
 

So what kinds of crazy things have made you cry when you’re emotional or overwhelmed?

Thank You, Lord

Thank You, Lord, that my family in Florida is all safe and that there is minimal property damage (unless more storm surge comes in). 

I bet we could all use a break from the natural disasters (and civil strife and nuclear threats and terrorist concerns and wildfires and economic concerns, etc.) for awhile.  Let's pray that the worst is behind us this year.  

In fact, let's just pray.  Let's pray that God would have mercy on us and put a hedge of protection around us.  Let's pray that the hearts of the people would be turned back to Him before it's too late.  

            2 Chronicles 7:14-15:  “if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.”  

 

            1 Peter 3:12:  “For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

  


(Okay, back to the more light-hearted stuff on this blog and the more faithy stuff on the other blog.  At least for now.)

Kicking God Out

Regarding all the natural disasters ...

Pray about Irma

My mother and two brothers live on the west coast of Florida, about three-fourths of the way down.  Virtually right by the ocean, surrounded by tons of channels of water.  She jumps on planes all the time, pretty much at a moment's notice, to travel all over the place for fun.

I CAN'T BELIEVE SHE IS NOT EVACUATING BEFORE IRMA HITS!

They have decided to ride it out.  One of the biggest hurricanes in history - wider than the state of Florida - and they are going to RIDE IT OUT!

I just had to say that out loud.  'Cuz I can't believe it.

The storm is set to arrive in a day or two.  And so all I can do now - all we who are not in Irma's path can do now - is pray for those down there.  Pray for protection, for God's mercy, and for the victims.  And donate money to help them rebuild, those hit by Harvey and Irma.  It could be us someday.

Does anyone else feel like the end of the world is breathing down our necks?  With the hurricanes and the earthquakes and the threat of nuclear war and the internal strife in our country?  (Scientists predict that earthquakes will be even worse in 2018 than they've been this year.  Google it.) 

If it is the end of the world (or if North Korea sends a "gift") are you ready to meet your Maker?  Do you know where you are going after this life? 

I do. 

My faith is in Jesus Christ, the one who paid for our sins on the cross and "bought us a ticket to heaven."  And all we have to do is accept it.  And if we don't, then we choose to pay for our sins ourselves, remaining separated from God for all of eternity (i.e. hell).

I know this takes a turn from the light-hearted fluff on this blog.  But none of that fluff will matter when eternity comes for you.  

Do you know where you are going?

Getting older ...

Six Dollars and Thirty-Three Cents

 

            Six dollars and thirty-three cents.
 

            It’s all the money that my 8-year old and 11-year-old have right now … and they have asked me to donate it to those affected by Harvey.

 

            We were watching some coverage of the aftermath of the storm, and we saw the story of “Mattress Mack,” the man who opened up his high-end furniture store as a shelter.  And my 11-year-old turned to me, almost with tears in his eyes, and said, “It’s so incredible that someone would risk their business like that to help other people.”  He immediately went to his room and scraped up all the coins he could find (getting his 8-year-old brother to do the same) and they gave it to me to give to the Harvey victims.

 

            Six dollars and thirty-three cents. 

 

            “But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins, worth only a fraction of a penny. 

            Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, ‘I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on.’”  (Mark 12:42-44)         
 

            Six dollars and thirty-three cents.  It might not be much in the world’s eyes, but it’s an incredible sacrifice in God’s eyes.  Because it comes from a heart that wants to love and help … a heart that sees the hurt and needs of other people and refuses to do nothing … a heart that knows it doesn’t have much to give but that gives it anyway.

 

            ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”  (Matthew 25:40)

 

            What if we all gave at least a mere six dollars and thirty-three cents to help those in need? 

 

            What if we all gave with our whole heart, with a desire to help, to heal, to not sit there and do nothing while others are hurting? 

 

            What if we all lived with the knowledge that it could be our family in extreme need someday, that we could be the ones who lose everything, the ones who are broken and lost and afraid, the “least of these”? 

 

           What if we all saw the “least of these” as brothers and sisters, as friends, as family, as ourselves? 

 

            What if we realized that when we give to them, we give to the Lord, that even our smallest sacrifices matter when they're given out of a heart overflowing with love? 

 

            What if?

 

            I put the boys’ money in a baggie with a note to donate to the relief efforts. 

 

 

            And then we went out and bought $140 worth of necessary items to donate along with the money.  And we are bringing it to the donation drop-off tomorrow.  I want my boys to be a part of this, to feel what it feels like to physically, financially, and emotionally reach out and be a part of the helping efforts, to understand that we all have to do our parts to help those who need it because we are all in need in one way or another.  I want them to remember that $6.33, even though it might seem small, is nothing short of huge, of beautiful, of “worth it.” 

 

            I know that the little bit we donate won’t make much difference in the grand scheme of things and that none of the victims will really see that $6.33.  But – if anything – I am writing this post so that the victims of Harvey know that they are not alone, that they are in our hearts and prayers, that we are standing alongside them in this time of tragedy, and that even two small children care enough about them to give them all that they have, . 

 

            God bless you all!  God keep you in His comforting hands and may He help you find healing – physical, spiritual, financial, relational.  And may a tragedy like bring us together as a nation, helping us rise above the differences that are tearing our country apart.    

 

            “ ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ … ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no commandment greater than these.”  (Mark 12:30-31)

 

            “And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.”  (Hebrews 13:16)

 

            “Do to others as you would  have them do to you … Give, and it will be given to you.  A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap.  For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.”  (Matthew 6:31, 38)