Kate's Room

Do you think I need a new walk?

2010-08-11T14:00:00.000-07:00

Feeding the birds at Country Village

2010-06-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

2010-05-21T21:26:00.001-07:00

Bad Girls of the Bible: And What We Can Learn from Them by Liz Curtis Higgs

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a fantastic book that talks about women in the Bible who are portrayed as "bad girls" - think Eve (the first bad girl, who just had to take a bite of that darn fruit!), Potiphar's wife, Jezebel, etc.

The author starts each chapter with a fictional story which is meant to illustrate, in a more modern and relatable fashion, each woman's sin. If you're familiar with the Bible, you'll probably catch on to who she's talking about before the end of each story. Then she goes on to break down the Scripture references about the woman so we can better understand what the Bible really says about her.

All in all, this book was completely eye-opening. In the beginning, the author says that whenever she read the Bible, she always thought that the "good girls" - Sarah, Mary mother of Jesus, the elusive Psalm 31 woman - seemed so unrelatable. But when it came to the bad girls, she recognized herself in them. I find that the same is true for me. All of these women sinned, yes, but that doesn't mean they're all bad women. Unfortunately, the Bible only gives us a glimpse of their lives, and the rest we can only imagine.

Each chapter ends with a list of life lessons that we can learn from each individual woman, along with several questions - which would make this book great for a group study.

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What we did today

2010-05-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Cuddling with Daddy at the Olive Garden

2010-05-03T13:43:00.000-07:00

I LOVE moments like these! It just makes my heart melt.

Christina at Sean's hockey game 4/6/10

2010-05-03T13:34:00.000-07:00

2010-04-25T20:20:00.001-07:00

Captivating: Unveiling the Mystery of a Woman's Soul by John Eldredge

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
I'm not totally sure how I feel about this book. I read it as part of a church small-group, and when I checked out the reviews (before ever reading the book), I was nervous. Many reviews said that this book is guilty of using Scripture out of context, and basically comes off as new-age fluff with a bit of God-talk thrown in.

Having read the book, I definitely agree with the problems talked about in the reviews. The authors switch back and forth without telling the reader, so most of the time you have to guess who is speaking at any particular point in the book. I'm pretty sure the book uses more movie references than Scripture references. And I'm very uncomfortable with the authors talking about woman (Eve) being the "crown of creation" and God's "piece de resistance." I agree with my aunt's description of this kind of book - it portrays God as what we may want Him to be, instead of what He truly is. Most of the authors' assumptions about God come from emotion, not from Scripture.

OK, having said all that, this book wasn't completely worthless. It really reconnected me with the joyful, grace-ful side of Christianity. So often I get sucked into the view of my faith being a duty - a set of rights and wrongs, and I forget that Jesus loves me just as I am. This book encouraged me to stop striving so much and keep my eyes open for the messages that God is giving me in my everyday life. I am reminded to turn to God for comfort and peace during the tough times in my life, rather than getting upset with myself for not "measuring up."

So, as I said before, I don't really know what to think of this book. It's not for everyone, and what the authors say has to be taken "with a grain of salt." I've got to think that there's a book out there with a similar message, but that's presented better.

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2010-04-25T19:48:00.001-07:00

Nicolae: The Rise of Antichrist by Tim LaHaye

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This is book 3 in the Left Behind series. I've found that the books seem to get slower and slower (and more full of fluff/back story) as you follow the series. I think this particular book was "just ok" for a couple of reasons.

First, the authors felt the need to retell almost the whole story from the last two books. I can understand their motives, since each book was published about a year apart. So if you followed the story as it came out, it may have been a year since you read the last installment, and you may need to be caught-up. But for me, who is reading the books much closer together, it's frustrating to read so many pages of information that I already know.

Secondly, the story just didn't feel as suspenseful as in the previous two books. It wasn't as much of a page-turner, at least for me. In fact, I put this book down for a couple weeks in the middle because I was bored. I did eventually pick it back up, and ultimately I am glad that I finished it.

One warning for potential readers: These authors have an amazing talent at making you want to read the next installment in the series. They end each book (at least, books 2 and 3) with a huge catastrophe, so you want to pick up the next book to see how it all turns out. So, even though I wasn't super-impressed with this book, I will still probably go on to read book 4.

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2010-04-17T12:40:00.001-07:00

Christian Unschooling : Growing Your Children in the Freedom of Christ by Teri J. Brown

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am a Christian, and I plan to unschool my daughter (who is now 3). I didn't know there was a community out there of Christians who unschool, so I'm very happy to know that there is. I had never thought of it before, but it makes sense that children in Biblical times were unschooled. I was especially encouraged to hear Isaiah 54:13 -

"All your children shall be taught by the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children."

This obviously doesn't mean that God will be the teacher in a classroom, but that God has provided enough learning experiences in REAL LIFE that a classroom and curriculum are not necessary.

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2010-04-08T22:34:00.001-07:00

Sandra Dodd's Big Book of Unschooling by Sandra Dodd

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
What an AMAZING book! I've been interested in the concept of unschooling for a while now, but I've never seen it so well explained as in this book. Like the author says, unschooling is really an extension of Attachment Parenting.

This book isn't only about an educational philosophy - it's about a whole new way of parenting (at least, new to me!). So many of the parents I know - even the Attachment Parents - limit their children's choices in many ways (mostly in the areas of TV and food). But this book makes such a good case for letting your children make as many decisions about their lives as is safe and possible.

After years of feeling guilty about the amount of TV my daughter watches, I'm finally realizing how much she actually LEARNS from the shows. And I'm interacting with her more when she's watching - explaining new concepts and answering questions.

I highly recommend this book to any parent, or anyone who wants to know more about unschooling.

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Spring has sprung!

2010-03-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I was walking with Christina to Fred Meyer for something to do, and I walked past these absolutely beautiful trees that line the sidewalk of a nearby apartment complex. Every spring and summer these trees sprout the most gorgeous pink petals. I couldn't resist taking some pictures, so I can remember how beautiful it is, even when it's winter again and the trees are bare. It may sound wierd, but I really feel like these trees are one of God's ways of getting my attention and reminding me that He loves me. Even just seeing the pretty petals strewn on the ground makes me smile.

Tiny Dancer

2010-03-31T20:17:00.001-07:00

I am tired of walk-in clinics!

2010-03-12T12:30:00.000-08:00

Last month I got sick. On a Friday night I started to get chills and body aches. By Saturday evening, I had a fever of 103.3. Sunday night, it was 102.6. So Monday morning, Sean took me to the local walk-in clinic. I was told that I had the flu (which I had already surmised), and that I could alternate Tylenol and Advil every three hours. Other than that, I had to ride it out.

The next couple of days, my fever was a bit lower (the 100 to 101 range), but I was still feeling bad enough that I was couch-bound. Then, Thursday night, my fever went back up to 102.3 (by this point, I had developed a really nasty cough). Friday morning (this is a week after I first felt sick), I got a nose bleed, after which I felt lightheaded and threw up a little. I called Sean and told him about it, and he came home from work to take me back in to the doctor. This time I made an appointment at MY doctor's office, only my doctor was booked, so I asked for another doc that I like there, Dr. Carolyn Sherman. She listened to my lungs and told me that I now had PNEUMONIA. Honestly, I was so GLAD to hear that it wasn't a virus. Now, I could take antibiotics and feel better! The doctor told me that to come back in if I wasn't feeling better in 72 hours. Well, at 48 hours, my fever spiked back up to 102.4. But the next morning, I felt a lot better...and it was all uphill from there.

Today, I still have a lingering cough, but I feel totally better. The fever was the worst part, and I'm SO glad it's gone!

Now for my second story...

Christina started coughing about five days ago. It was a dry cough, like when you have post-nasal drip, so I thought she was just coming down with a cold. On Wednesday morning, she had a coughing fit that lasted a couple of minutes, but after that, it was just intermittent coughing throughout the day. Then, later that morning, I was following Christina up the stairs in our house, and I noticed that her legs were completely COVERED in hives (thank goodness she goes around in just a diaper when she's at home, or I wouldn't have noticed).

I called my mother-in-law, since I couldn't get ahold of Sean at work (He had the car), and she came over and drove us to the walk-in clinic. The doctor said that yes, she had hives, and that I should give her Benadryl every 4-6 hours until they cleared up. I mentioned her cough, and after listening to her with the stethoscope, he said that her lungs sounded clear, and it was probably just a virus. I racked my brain trying to figure out what has caused her hives (new food, new detergent, new clothes or blankets), but I couldn't come up with anything. The doc actually said that in about 80% of cases, there are no obvious causes of hives.

Well, the next morning (yesterday), Christina and I woke up early to take Sean to the vanpool so we could have the car for the day. In the car, Christina had a coughing fit that lasted all the way from our house to the library where the vanpool meets (that's about 15-20 minutes). The longest break in her coughing during that time was maybe 20 seconds. Sean said I needed to take her back in to the doctor, and I agreed.

I called Christina's pediatrician, but she doesn't work on Thursdays, so I scheduled an afternoon appointment with one of the other pediatricians. Then...she got hives AGAIN (this time on her back AND legs). I decided not to wait for our appointment, and, after giving her some Benadryl, took her to the OTHER local walk-in clinic (since the doc the day before had not seemed particularly concerned, and I definitely WAS). Well, this doc also knew NOTHING. She said that Christina's lungs sounded clear, so it was most likely a virus. And she had no idea what had caused the hives. She offered to give me a prescription for an oral steroid that would keep the hives at bay, but ultimately, she said that I needed to get an appointment with Christina's primary care provider. (Keep in mind that we have a $15 copay for each doctor visit, so we're now out $30, and we have NO ANSWERS). I called the pediatrician's office immediately after that appointment and got Christina an appointment with Dr. Debbie Zaret, her pediatrician, at 8AM this morning. And I'm glad I did, since Christina was awake last night from 1AM to 2AM, coughing.

Sean decided to go into work late this morning so he could come with Christina and I to the appointment. I told Dr. Zaret about the coughing and the hives, and after answering all of the same questions I had answered the previous two days (Any new food? New clothes? New detergent?), she asked a new one - had Sean or I been sick recently? I told her about my flu/pneumonia, but that I had been better for a couple of weeks now. The doctor listened to Christina's lungs for quite a long time, and she counted how many breaths she took in a minute. I guess she was breathing a little faster than normal (26 breaths per minute, as opposed to her normal 20). The doctor also said that she heard a little raspy-ness in an area of Christina's right lung (She said that a clinic doctor probably wouldn't have heard it).

Dr. Zaret said that Christina's symptoms were one of two things. It could be walking pneumonia - a kind of pneumonia that gives you an annoying cough (and sometimes hives in kids), but otherwise you feel just fine (the incubation period is 10-14 days, so it's totally probable that she got it from me). Or, it could be a particular virus that's going around, which has the exact same symptoms - coughing and hives that last a couple of weeks.

The doctor said that since I had pneumonia recently, and since she heard a raspy spot in Christina's lung, she's 75% sure that Christina has pneumonia as well. So, we got her some antibiotics. If it IS pneumonia, Christina should no longer be contagious after having the antibiotic in her system for 12 hours (which would be 9:30 tonight). Oddly enough, regardless of if it's pneumonia or the virus, Christina should start feeling/sounding better in about 3-4 days. (If we're right about the pneumonia, the antibiotic should get rid of the cough by then. If we're wrong and it's the virus, it should be getting better around that time.) However, the hives may continue, on and off, anywhere from a few days to a few weeks.

I'm just so happy to finally have an answer! I think I'm going to try to swear off the walk-in clinic from now on. With Christina's and my recent illnesses, our trips to the walk-in have been completely useless. It really seems better just to wait until our own doctors (or at least a doctor in the same practice) have appointments, since that's the only time we seem to get any real answers! The walk-in clinic has been a complete waste of time and money!

2010-03-10T08:41:00.001-08:00

The Natural Child: Parenting from the Heart by Jan Hunt

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a collection of articles that the author has written for various magazines (several of the articles can be found online at www.naturalchild.org). Much of what I read was familiar to me because I've already read quite a bit about Attachment Parenting. But I still found the book quite valuable. There were some great chapters about empathic parenting and unschooling that introduced me to new ideas. I would definitely recommend this book.

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2010-03-10T08:35:00.001-08:00

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book was AWESOME. It sucked me in right from the beginning, and I couldn't put it down. Great story - I can't wait to read more of this author's work, especially since she has more stories following the same characters.

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Gingerbread house

2010-01-29T09:21:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, Christina and I decided to put together the gingerbread house that my parents got Christina for Christmas. Of course, most of the "putting together" was done by me, but Christina enjoyed decorating the house with candy (when she wasn't EATING it!). The house didn't turn out quite like the picture on the box - I don't know how anyone could squeeze out the icing that neatly! We made a bit of a mess, but we had fun, and I think it turned out quite nicely.

P.S. The gingerbread house only lasted about a day, since the day after we made it, Christina decided to take all of the candy off and eat it! So, the house itself is still intact, but it's a bit bare!

Fun at the ice rink

2010-01-29T09:10:00.000-08:00

Christina and I went with Sean to watch him play hockey last Sunday evening. Granted, I never get to actually WATCH all that much, since I'm usually following Christina around. Since I have a new camera that takes video, Sean wanted me to record as much of the game as I could. I told him ahead of time that I probably wouldn't be able to get much, but I'd do my best. So, what I ended up with was a video that shows a combination of the hockey game and Christina playing around.

Watch Sean playing hockey/Christina at the rink in People & Blogs | View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

As it turned out, the game was not a good one for Sean (his team lost 1 to 6), but Christina enjoys watching her video!

After recording all I could (until the memory card was full), Christina decided she wanted to wander around the rink and play. She followed the lead of another little girl and taught herself how to climb up and sit on the railing.

When we went to the bathroom, she thought it would be fun to sit in the little baby seat attached to the wall.

I remember when I had to put her in the little baby seat in the bathroom at Babies R Us, when Chrisitna actually WAS a baby. I remember that as soon as I put her in there, she started screaming, and she didn't stop until I finished going to the bathroom and picked her up again - how things have changed!

Build-A-Kitty!

2010-01-25T13:05:00.000-08:00

Christina's Grandpa Larry and Grandma Lindy (my in-laws) took her to the Build-A-Bear store at the Alderwood Mall to celebrate Christina's 3rd birthday, and I came along to take pictures!

I was quite surprised when Christina picked out the Hello Kitty toy (she knows nothing about the Hello Kitty brand - I don't think she's ever seen anything Hello Kitty before), and despite all other suggestions, the Hello Kitty was the one she wanted!

Then we went over to the the stuffing station, where Christina got to watch the gal fill up her kitty with stuffing, and she got to pick out a heart to put in her kitty.

Next, it was time to give the kitty a "bath." The bath station blew air when you turned it on, and Christina thought that was a bit too loud, so she settled for brushing kitty's fur.

Now it was time to pick out an outfit for kitty. Christina picked out a Disney Princess shirt right away, and Grandpa Larry helped her pick out a denim skirt to go with it. At first, Christina wanted her kitty to wear ice skates ("just like Daddy"), but then she decided against it. She also went back and forth on whether her kitty should have a purse, and she eventually decided against it. But Grandpa Larry did convince her to get a matching Hello Kitty chair and Hello Kitty slippers.

Then Christina sat down at the computer, and I helped her fill out all of the information for her kitty's "birth certificate." Christina couldn't decide what to name her new kitty, and Grandpa Larry came up with the name Snowflake, which Christina really liked.

The great thing about Build-A-Bear is that if you ever lose your toy and someone returns it to a Build-A-Bear store, they can open up the toy's stitching in the back and get out the barcode, which, when scanned, will tell them your information, so they can get your toy back to you! So, for future reference, if you ever find a Build-A-Bear toy somewhere, just return it to the nearest Build-A-Bear store, and they'll get it back to the owner!

Once the birth certificate was printed out, we got checked out, and Christina decided to stop by the fountain on the way back through the mall. All in all, we had a great time, and Christina just loves Snowflake!

My new camera!

2010-01-18T08:58:00.000-08:00

My friend Kristina gave me an awesome gift for my birthday. She gave me an old camera of hers that can be used to record video, along with a new memory card for it. Up to this point, I have no video footage of Christina, but I'm hoping to change that! So here's a video of Christina playing over at Sigrid's house. It's about 10 minutes long because I was checking to see how much video the memory card would hold.

Enjoy!

2010-01-15T14:00:00.001-08:00

The Most Important Decision You Will Ever Make: A Complete and Thorough Understanding of What it Means to be Born Again by Joyce Meyer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book CHANGED MY LIFE when I read it five years ago. It could change your life too.Highly recommended.

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2010-01-05T13:43:00.003-08:00

One Wintry Night by Ruth Bell Graham

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this book to my 2 1/2 year old daughter, and while the story didn't capture much of her interest - it's a bit long for her - it certainly captured mine. This is a great account of familiar Bible stories from creation until the time of Jesus. The stories are told in much more detail than in the Bible, which really draws you in and helps you to understand what the people were going through. On top of that, the illustrations are AMAZING, and my daughter and I both enjoyed finding the different animals in the Garden of Eden and in the underwater scene from the Noah's Ark story. I originally checked out this book from the local library, but now I'm planning on buying it so we can read it for many years to come.

A wonderful Christmas (or anytime) story!

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2010-01-05T13:26:00.001-08:00

A New Graft on the Family Tree by Grace Livingston Hill Library

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a great story about a young lady, Louise, who gets married and she and her husband move in with HIS parents. (I know, scary!) Louise soon learns that she and her husband are the only Christians in the household, and she sets out to change that. Louise is a wonderful example of how we can live our lives in constant prayer.

This book was a great comfort and inspiration to me, as someone who has been praying fervently for members of my family and friends to become Christians. It shows what true Christianity is about - living our day-to-day lives for the Lord instead of ourselves. It also shows the many ways that God is at work in the lives of those He loves (which means everyone, not just those who are saved). We get to witness the great lengths that God goes to to lead people into relationship with Him.

I highly recommend this book.

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Skating!

2009-12-13T22:32:00.000-08:00

Christina has had a couple of firsts over the last couple of months. Last month we went to a playgroup with our friends Kristina and Sigrid, and Christina got to roller skate for the first time! It was a "kids skate" time, so all of the songs at the rink were "kid-approved," like the Sesame Street theme, the chicken dance, and "YMCA" (although I think the moms enjoyed that one more than the kids!). The wheels on the toddler-sized skates were tightened up, so really it was more like walking than skating.

Kristina and I started out in socks so we could help the girls get used to skating, but after a while, we put on our own skates and joined in the fun. Boy, roller-skating is a really good workout! I'm kind of hoping that Christina will really come to enjoy it as she gets older, and we can go skating together.

After hearing that Christina had such a great time roller-skating, Sean decided to let her try ice-skating. We went to the ice rink and she got all geared up, very excited to give it a try after seeing Daddy skate so often (he plays on a hockey team, and Christina and I go to his games when we can).

She got out on the ice, and of course it was much harder than being in the roller-skates, so she kept sliding in between Sean's legs.

She lasted about 30 seconds before she decided she'd had enough. She did, however, like being carried by Daddy while he was skating, and she kept asking to do it again, but we didn't think it was a very safe idea.

I had her practice walking around on the skates while holding my hand, on the floor just outside the rink. Sean and I tried a couple more times to get her back out on the ice, but she had had enough for that day. Thankfully, at that particular ice rink, kids under 5 skate for free, so all we had to pay for was the skate rental. I know Sean is looking forward to when she's a bit older when he can really teach her how to skate. But for right now, I think we'll stick with roller-skating!

From the monitor...

2009-12-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

The other night, I was lying in bed reading my book when I heard this from the bedside baby monitor:

"Mom?...(pause)...

Mom!...(pause)...

Mom!!...(pause)...

*sigh*...Mom must be sleeping...(pause)...(and I'm thinking, "she is SO sweet," until)...

MOM!!!"

Options

2009-11-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

Christina's new favorite thing to say is "Can you give me some options?"

Whether the question is "What would you like to eat?" or "What show would you like to watch?", her response is always "Can you give me some options?"

It was really cute at first, and I know she picked it up from me. I would ask her a question and she would say "I don't know," so I would say, "Would you like me to give you some options?" But now she says it ALL THE TIME.

Even if I tell her no, I won't give her any options, she'll follow up with "Wanna think, think, think?" She got this from the TV show "My Friends Tigger and Pooh." There's a song on it that goes like this:

Now's the time to think, think, think.
If you have a problem, think, think, think.
Look at every clue like the Super Sleuths do
And just think - think - think!

It's really cute, but when you hear it every day, it kind of drives you crazy!

P.S. After writing the word "think" that many times, it's kind of lost it's meaning!

Halloween?

2009-11-23T15:31:00.000-08:00

OK, so I know it's past Halloween now, so it's an odd time to be writing this. I also know that Christina and I had lots of fun this year celebrating Halloween, so it may seem wierd that I'm questioning it.

Recently I've been catching up on the blogs that I follow, and since many of them are written by Christian women, there have been lots of opinions going around about whether or not to celebrate Halloween. Obviously, Halloween isn't Biblical. (Actually, most of our American holidays aren't - nowhere in the Bible does it talk about commemorating Jesus' birth with a Christmas celebration, or His resurection with an Easter celebration. As I understand it, these holidays were created by the Roman Catholic Church to draw attention away from pagan celebrations that were going on at the same time - note how Christmas is right around the time of the winter solstice, and Easter is at the beginning of spring.)

One blog that I read simply listed some scriptures and directed the reader to pray and follow God's leading. Here are some of the scriptures that really affected me:

Test everything. Hold on to the good. Avoid every kind of evil . - 1 Thessalonians 5:21-22

Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. - Phillipians 4:8

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ... - Titus 2:11-13

This really makes me think that maybe it's not such a good thing to be celebrating Halloween.

One day shortly before Halloween, I took Christina to what we called the "Halloween store" - the old "Circuit City" store, which, since having gone out of business, had been transformed temporarily into a Halloween costume/decoration shop. While there was a small section of the store with toddler costumes, which is what I was there to look at, most of the store was filled with lots of scary decorations, many of which had motion sensors, so the scary monster or decapitated head would start moving if you got too close. It was then that I noticed an emotion in Christina that I had never seen in her before. She was clearly terrified of being in the store, and yet she had such a curiosity about it that she didn't want to leave. She had me carry her the whole time, and many times she buried her face in my neck, but when I said that we were leaving, she didn't want to go and started to throw a tantrum. It really makes me think of when I'm watching a horror movie - I'm scared, but I don't turn the movie off - I want to see what happens, even though I know it won't be good.

Even during our trip to the zoo, when we went into the "Boomazium," Christina was really scared and had me carry her the whole way. On Halloween evening, my father-in-law and his wife took Christina trick-or-treating around their neighborhood while Sean and I went out to dinner with a friend. It sounds like everything went great until they got to a house with a motion-sensored ghost that was right around Christina's height. Christina got scared and didn't want to go to that house, and then, to top it off, a lady in a witch costume came out and started playing some spooky music on her guitar. Suffice it to say that after that house, Christina decided she was done trick-or-treating.

Thinking about all of that "evil" that Christina was exposed to makes me feel really bad. If we're supposed to "meditate on" things that are "true...noble...just...pure...[and] lovely," then Halloween seems like the exact opposite of that. The hard part is, of course, figuring out how to not celebrate Halloween when all of our friends and extended family do. Even my church participates in a local "trunk-or-treat."

I've thought about finding a church that hosts a "harvest festival" or "harvest party" on October 31st, but as this website (scroll to the second article) points out:

The Harvest Party is usually referred to as the Christian alternative to traditional Halloween hijinx. Alternative, however, implies substitute. It assumes our children need something to take the place of Halloween, since they won't be participating in the secular and pagan celebrations. It suggests our kids are missing out on something.

Now, as I said before, I feel torn. On the one hand, I feel like there are lots of ways to "tone down" Halloween and make it less scary - after all, there are plenty of very cute costumes that wouldn't be considered scary or evil at all. But...it does seem like it would be hard to get away from being exposed to anything scary on that day, since I'm not in control of what other people wear as costumes or use as decorations. And ultimately, Halloween is not, and never will be, a Christian holiday...even if churches do join in on the celebration.

In any case, thank goodness I have a whole year to think about it and make a decision!

How I became the wife I am today

2009-11-13T16:07:00.000-08:00

I have changed SO much since I got married, and I'd like to share that story with you.

Sean and I got married pretty much right out of high school - I was 19, Sean was 18. Both of us come from families of divorce - his parents divorced when he was 2, my parents when I was 16 (although my parents are now reconciled and living together). I definitely came of age with the belief that a woman can do anything a man can do, and that marriage should be a relationship between two equal partners. Basically, I thought the main goal in life was to find happiness for yourself. Boy have my opinions changed!

Shortly after getting married, Sean was stationed in Fort Worth, Texas (he was in the Marine Corps), so our first experience of living together was thousands of miles away from our family and friends. I soon found out this was a blessing in disguise.

As a newly married, newly cohabitating couple, we of course had fights, and each one seemed like the worst fight we ever had, even if it was about something trivial. During that first year I called my mom SO much to vent about whatever fight Sean and I were in the middle of. She was always totally supportive of me, and she would get good and mad at Sean WITH me. I soon learned the problem with this. Because even after Sean and I had talked things out and made up, my mom would still be holding a grudge against him. It took me a few years before I realized that for the sake of my marriage, I had to stop venting to my parents. So now, whenever they ask about how things are going between Sean and I, I always say we're doing great. It's really hard to say that sometimes, when inside I'm REALLY angry and need to talk, but I've learned to keep my mouth shut!

Before we decided to have kids, Sean and I both worked. He was still the main breadwinner of the house, as he was in the military, while I was basically going from job to job, trying to find a good "fit." During this whole time, Sean did most of the cooking for us, and I did the cleaning (which really consisted of dishes, laundry, and cleaning the bathroom when it got to looking REALLY bad). I had always planned to be a stay-at-home-mom once we had kids, and Sean let me know that in exchange for that, he wanted me to start cooking for us. For some reason, I fought SO hard against that. I had it stuck in my mind that I shouldn't have to cook. Everything had been going just fine as it was - so why did it have to change just because I stayed at home? Wasn't taking care of a baby considered a MORE than full-time job? It was really a pride issue for me. And I'll tell you, I really fought the idea as long as I could, and Sean knew it was something I wasn't happy about.

Then I got pregnant, and I quit my job shortly before we moved back up to Washington. Sean and I decided I wouldn't work for the rest of my pregnancy, because let's face it - no one is going to hire a visibly pregnant woman. And in any case, it would have only been a few months of work, because I planned to quit as soon as the baby was born. And that's when Sean "put his foot down." If I was going to stay at home, I was going to cook our meals and make his lunches for him to take to work. ARGGGGGHHHH! So, I did it, but I had a BAD attitude about it. It took a really long time before I realized how God was at work in me during that time, destroying all that nasty PRIDE that I had in myself, teaching me to SUBMIT and OBEY.

When Christina was born, Sean and I went through a really rough patch. I don't think either of us realized just how hard being a parent is. On top of that, Christina had colic for the first 4-6 months of her life, so ALL of my time was spent taking care of her or sleeping. I'm sure you see how this can be really bad for a marriage. Sean was feeling neglected, so he turned to his computer games for distraction, and I was feeling exhausted and angry that Sean wasn't helping me out more!

Things definitely improved for us as Christina got older and a little more independent. Both of our parents helped out with babysitting so Sean and I could go out on date nights. And little by little, we connected with each other again.

But really, up until fairly recently, I always resented Sean a little bit for the freedom that he seemed to have. When he comes home from work, he can relax and watch TV or play on the computer, while I take care of Christina pretty much 24/7 (not to say that he never plays with her, but it's only when HE wants to). He has made it very clear to me that it is his job to go to work and support our family, and it is my job to take care of Christina and do all the cooking and cleaning. Again, I felt that ugly PRIDE flaring up again. Why should it be MY job to take care of Christina even after Sean got home from work? I had friends who would hand off their kid to their husband as soon as they walked in the door. These same friends would go to "moms night out" events while their husbands stayed at home with the kids. To this day I have never been to one of those events. And I thought it was just so UNFAIR.

But God has done a lot of work in me, and in my husband too. I did a lot of reading on the subject of submission (One good book is Me? Obey Him? by Elizabeth Rice Handford, and another is The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands by Larua Schlessinger.) I've come to see what a BLESSING (not an OBLIGATION) it is to take care of my family. And as I've submitted to my husbands wishes (for childcare, cooking and cleaning, and intimacy), I've seen his love for me grow and grow. He constantly tells me how good I am to him and how I make his life so much better. And, a few months ago, Sean agreed to watch Christina for a couple hours every Wednesday evening so I could go to a Bible study (Considering he's not a Christian himself, this was a HUGE blessing!).

Recently, I saw a clip from the Rachel Ray Show on a blog post that talks about women who are living the way I am. Stay-at-home-moms and wives who take pleasure in cooking and cleaning and keeping a home while their husbands go to work and support the household. Now, to be honest, it would be hard for me to say that I really "take pleasure" in cooking and cleaning! But at the same time, I wouldn't want my life to be any other way. I'm not speaking for ALL women, just for myself, when I say that I truly believe that "my place is in the home." I am SO looking forward to homeschooling Christina and seeing her grow and mature right before my eyes. And I am so greatful to be able to bless Sean by taking care of our home and allowing him the freedom to relax when he gets home from work. I never thought I would end up so "old-fashioned," but I love it!

P.S. Here's another great blog post about being a "retro wife": On One Income

Christian dressing

2009-11-09T15:27:00.000-08:00

No, I'm not talking about a new salad dressing made especially by/for Christians! I've recently become interested in the way that Christians are called to dress (as in clothes).

Picture from Garlands of Grace

On Friday I read a blog post about Christian head covering. I didn't even know that head covering was scriptural, until I was directed to 1 Corinthians 11:3-16:

³Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is man, and the head of Christ is God. ⁴Every man who prays or prophesies with his head covered dishonors his head. ⁵And every woman who prays or prophesies with her head uncovered dishonors her head—it is just as though her head were shaved. ⁶If a woman does not cover her head, she should have her hair cut off; and if it is a disgrace for a woman to have her hair cut or shaved off, she should cover her head. ⁷A man ought not to cover his head, since he is the image and glory of God; but the woman is the glory of man. ⁸For man did not come from woman, but woman from man; ⁹neither was man created for woman, but woman for man. ¹⁰For this reason, and because of the angels, the woman ought to have a sign of authority on her head.
¹¹In the Lord, however, woman is not independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. ¹²For as woman came from man, so also man is born of woman. But everything comes from God. ¹³Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? ¹⁴Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, ¹⁵but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering. ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice—nor do the churches of God.

There are lots of different opinions on this subject. I've read that some people think that long hair is considered a covering, while others believe that you should wear a fabric covering over your hair. Some people believe you should only wear a covering when praying or at church, while others choose to wear a covering all the time. Some people believe that only married women need to wear head coverings, while others believe ALL women should. I'm not sure how I feel about the subject, but I plan to do some more research on it.

In any case, reading about head covering got me interested in what the Bible says about how women should dress. I found this blog which explained more about the subject. It cites Deuteronomy 22:5:

⁵ A woman must not wear men's clothing, nor a man wear women's clothing, for the LORD your God detests anyone who does this.

Picture from The Play Dress

In biblical times (and really up until about 60 years ago), women did not wear pants - only men did. What this says to me is that Christian women should wear dresses or skirts, not pants or shorts. Of course, only a few verses later, the same chapter says:

¹¹ Do not wear clothes of wool and linen woven together. - Deuteronomy 22:11

and

²² If a man is found sleeping with another man's wife, both the man who slept with her and the woman must die. You must purge the evil from Israel. - Deuteronomy 22:22

So I do see how that particular command may be seen as more cultural than as a command still to be followed today.

The Bible also says:

² Take millstones and grind flour; take off your veil. Lift up your skirts, bare your legs, and wade through the streams.³ Your nakedness will be exposed and your shame uncovered. I will take vengeance; I will spare no one." - Isaiah 47:2-3

What this seems to say is that having your thigh uncovered is likened to nakedness. So, the dresses and skirts that we wear should be knee length or longer.

I believe that the idea of dressing modestly ultimately points to what Jesus said in Matthew 5:28:

²⁸But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.

As a Christian woman, it is my responsibility to make sure that I am not enticing any man (other than my husband) to lust after me.

After some thought and prayer on the subject, I've decided that I'm going to start wearing skirts everyday instead of pants. This will not be an immediate change. God made it very clear to me that I am not to use this new command as an excuse to overhaul my wordrobe and buy a bunch of new clothes. Instead, it will be a gradual process. I'll start wearing the skirts that I already have more often, and when I need to buy new clothes, I'll focus on skirts instead of pants. (This goes for how I will dress Christina as well.)

The thing you should know about me in accepting this command from God, is that I am a jeans and t-shirt girl all the way. This will not be an easy change for me to make. But I've already noticed that just by wearing a skirt these last few days, I've thought more about God and how I'm doing this for Him. It keeps my faith at the front of my mind - and maybe that's why God called me to take on this command. He's reminding me once again that it's not about ME, it's about HIM.

If you'd like to read more about the subject of modest dressing, please check out these articles:
*The Bible's Dress Code
*Dresses Only

Teeny Tiny Hamburger!

2009-11-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one who thinks these hamburger gummi candies are just adorable? They don't taste very good, and they're WAY too chewy - but they're SO CUTE!

Are you frustrated?

2009-11-04T14:52:00.000-08:00

I've had a tough last few days with Christina. I don't know what's going on, but she is going through a very defiant phase (which I know I've mentioned before - it comes in waves). But she's also very good at picking up on my emotions when I'm losing my temper. When I get upset, I tell her that "I'm very frustrated right now." So now, when she notices that I'm in a mood, she'll ask me "Mommy, are you frustrated?" And if I say yes, she stops what she's doing and gives me a hug.

She asks me if I'm frustrated if I'm in any mood other than happy, so I know I need to start putting names to my other emotions as well (sad, bored, etc. - I even told Sean I was feeling melancholy the other day!). But I'm so glad that Christina can recognize when I'm not happy and that she wants to make me feel better.

I recently picked up a book from the library called No Matter What, by Debi Gliori. In it, the child fox, Small, is feeling "grim and grumpy" and acts out by upturning the living room. When the parent fox, Large, asks what's wrong, Small begins to ask if Large would still love him if he were a "grumpy grizzly bear" or a crocodile. Large reassures Small that he will always be loved, no matter what.

I read that book to Christina last night before bed (and after a particularly "tantrum-y" evening). I told Christina to always remember that no matter how frustrated Mommy and Daddy get, and no matter how mad she gets or how many tantrums she has, Sean and I will always love her. I think God must have planned for me to pick up this book when I did, because the timing was perfect. I don't think I impress enough upon Christina that love doesn't go away just because we're angry. In fact, the reason we get so angry is because we love so much.

As a parent, I want the best for my child. I want her to be safe and happy, and I also want her to grow up understanding that she IS under authority. I want her to choose to surrender her life to God and submit to HIS authority. And I know that in order for her to understand what that means, she has to know how to submit to parental authority first. I've told her before, after a time-out, that she has to obey Mommy and Daddy because God put us in charge of her. Obviously I'm very careful not to abuse the authority that I've been given, but I want her to know that by obeying us, she is obeying God and making Him happy.

So many people just HATE the idea of anyone being in a position of authority over them. But you know what? Submitting myself to God's will is so FREEING! It means that I don't have to worry about my life - God will take care of me.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take. -Proverbs 3:5-6 New Living Translation

Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is life not more important than food and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life. -Matthew 6:25-27 New International Version

Brawl at Bartells

2009-10-30T16:08:00.000-07:00

Yesterday evening I decided to go for a walk with Christina to our local Bartell Drugs store. Basically, Christina was having a rough night (lots of tantrums and crying for no apparent reason), and I thought we could both be helped out by getting out of the house and getting some fresh air.

The walk went pretty well, and Christina actually walked most of the way (I brought along the stroller for if she got tired). She really enjoyed splashing in the mud puddles we came across on our way to the store.

So we arrived at Bartells, and as soon as I walked up, I knew something wierd was going on. There was a man in a baseball cap (from here on out I'll refer to him as Baseball Cap Guy) standing behind a big pillar and looking into the store's windows. A lady walked out of the store, and he grabbed her and pulled her aside (she must have known him, because she seemed fine with this). I heard him say "They're pulling a scam in there!" and point to someone in the store. Christina and I went inside the store, and shortly thereafter, the lady came back inside (presumably to tell someone about the "scam"), but then I heard her ask one of the clerks where a particular item was and then go to find it...so I was a bit confused. Christina started looking around in the makeup aisle near the front door.

Then, Baseball Cap Guy came in the front door, pulling a woman along with him. He was saying something along the lines of "I saw what you were doing," and she was asking him to let her go. Now I was starting to get really worried. He pulled her into the aisle next to me, the shampoo aisle, and he motioned for this young guy in a black shirt (from here on out referred to as Black Shirt Guy) to come with him. The lady was telling Baseball Cap Guy to let go of her, but he pushed her up against the shelves, holding her by the collar, knocking over a bunch of shampoo bottles (seriously, I felt like I was watching a movie). Then Black Shirt Guy ran over and tackled Baseball Cap Guy, and as far as I saw, everyone fell to the floor. One of the Bartells employees at the front of the store yelled out "Call 911!"

There were sounds of a tussle, and Christina started walking in that direction to see what was going on. I told her to come back over by me (my heart was beating so fast!), and just then Black Shirt Guy got free and ran out the front door (thankfully, he was careful not to run into Christina, because she was right in his way). Back in the aisle, I saw Baseball Cap Guy and a Bartells employee (she was wearing the Bartells red vest) getting up from the floor (I don't know how the employee got in the middle of the fight, but she did). Baseball Cap Guy ran out after Black Shirt Guy (I have no idea where the lady went, but she wasn't there anymore, so she must have run out at some point). Basball Cap Guy came back in a minute later and said "He ran over into the Safeway parking lot!"

Now that all the action had died down, I turned my attention to Christina. She was pretty shaken up, and she started crying. I kneeled down and talked to her - we talked about how scary it had been, but how it was all over now and wouldn't happen again. I went with her to the back of the store and we went to the restroom, where she cried some more and then calmed down. Then we walked around the store a bit, and I saw that a police officer had arrived and was talking to Baseball Cap Guy and some of the employees. On our way out of the store, the lady employee that had somehow gotten in the middle of the fight said "I hope we didn't scare your little girl too much," and she asked Christina if she was OK. Christina said yes, and we headed back home.

Christina decided to ride in the stroller most of the way home, and at one point she started crying again. I asked if she was still scared, and she said yes. She kept saying "I want to go home." I told her that we were on our way, and that as soon as we got home, she could tell Daddy about how we saw the men fighting. That seemed to cheer her up, and as soon as we walked in the door, she ran right up to Sean and said "We saw men fighting!"

Angels in my midst?

2009-10-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

Recently I started reading a new book, Angels in my Hair, by Lorna Byrne. As you can see, on the cover there are two white feathers forming a circle around the title.

The book is a memoir about a lady who has seen angels for as long as she can remember. These angels can appear in many different forms. Sometimes they appear as a shaft of light, and sometimes they look like people, only brighter, as though they have a light radiating from inside them. And yes, sometimes they have wings. She communicates with the angels, and she said she wrote the book because the angels told her to.

Well, beginning a couple of weeks ago (before I even started reading the book), I've been finding little white feathers around my house. I usually find one or two small feathers every day or every other day, either on the living room floor or the kitchen floor, and I have no idea where they're coming from. Then, a few days ago, I remembered the picture on the cover of the book. I'm honestly wondering if my angels aren't trying to leave me a message, telling me that they are REAL, that what this author is saying is true. I'm sure this sounds crazy, and maybe there's a completely logical explanation, but I really like the idea of my angels reaching out and sending me this message!

God is in control

2009-10-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

God has been so faithful over the years to provide for Sean's and my financial needs. There have been times in our lives when we've been living practically paycheck to paycheck, with very little money in savings (like right now), and yet He always provides for us. We always have enough to pay the bills, and we rarely have to use credit. (The only debt we're in right now is a small car payment, along with our mortgage, if you would count that as a debt.)

Sean and I have wanted to buy a dining room table ever since we moved into our townhouse at the end of February, but we never had enough money to buy one. There was always something we needed to buy that was a higher priority. Both of us really like the idea of eating dinner at a table, rather than while sitting on the couch watching TV. We did have a small, 2-person table at our old apartment, but we wanted something that would seat at least 3 people, since we've got Christina with us now. On top of that, we like having friends over for dinner occasionally, but it's a bit awkward without a table to eat at.

It just so happened that our friend Kena's boyfriend was moving in with a new roommate, and he needed to get rid of most of his furniture. Kena told us he had a dining room table and four chairs that he was looking to sell. We got in touch with him, and he offered us the beautiful wood table and chairs for only $50. Of course, we took him up on his offer, and now we have a dining room table! We've only eaten at it once since we got it, but it was great to just have a quiet dinner and talk about how our days went. Now I'm planning to get a large, unscented candle for the center of the table, and maybe some flowers to use as a centerpiece.

I've also noticed that whenever Sean and I come into a large deal of money, that's the exact time that the car breaks down or we have some other expensive catastrophe. Honestly, this is such a blessing. God has always made sure that we have money before we have any large, unexpected expense. We're going to get a large tax return next year, since we were first-time homebuyers this year, and the government has a program going on right now where if you buy your first home, you get $8000, which you pay back in $500 increments over the next 16 yearly tax returns, with no interest. We've got a few big expenses that we're expecting around that time, like buying a new hot water heater for our place. But I wouldn't be surprised at all if some other big catastrphe happens around that time that costs us a chunk of that money. And really, I wouldn't mind.

God is so good to provide for us when we're in need, and make sure we're NOT in need when we need to shell out the big bucks for something. He helps us to always stay pretty even as far as how much money we have, which is good, since:

"No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money." - Matthew 6:24

and

"...if riches increase, do not set your heart on them." - Psalm 62:10

Favorite Quotes from "Stepping Heavenward"

2009-10-26T22:30:00.000-07:00

I suppose to those who look on from outisde we must appear like a most unhappy family, since we hardly get free from one trouble before another steps in. But I see more and more that happiness is not dependent on health or any other outside prosperity. We are at peace with each other and at peace with God; His dealings with us do not perplex or puzzle us, though we do not pretend to understand them.
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Katherine, speaking about her younger brother and his new love:
I have a strange and most absurd envy when I think what a good time they are having at this moment downstairs while I sit here alone, vainly wishing I could see more of Earnest (her husband). Just as if my happiness were not a deeper, more blessed one than theirs, which must be purged of much dross before it will prove itself to be like gold. Yes, I suppose I am as happy in my dear precious husband and children as a wife and mother can be in a fallen world, which must not be a real heaven lest we should love the land we journey through so well as to want to pitch our tents in it forever and cease to look and long for the home whither we are bound.
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Mrs. Campbell, on her deathbed, to Katherine:
But before I go, I want once more to tell you how good He is, how blessed it is to suffer with Him, how infinitely happy He has made me in the very hottest heat of the furnace. It will strengthen you in your trails to recall this my dying testimony. There is no wilderness so dreary but that His love can illuminate it, no desolation so desolate but that He can sweeten it. I know what I am saying. It is no delusion. I believe that the highest, purest happiness is known only to those who have learned Christ in sickrooms, in poverty, in racking suspense and anxiety, amid hardships, and at the open grave...To learn Christ, this is life!"
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May this prayer, which, under the inspiration of the moment, I can offer without a misgiving, become the habitual, deep-seated desire of my soul:
"Bring into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ. Take what I cannot give - my heart, body, thoughts, time, abilities, money, health, strength, nights, days, youth, age - and spend them in Thy service, O my crucified Master, Redeemer, God. Oh, let not these be mere words! Whom have I in heaven but Thee? And there is no one upon earth that I desire in comparison to Thee. My heart is athirst for God, for the living God."

2009-10-26T14:43:00.001-07:00

Stepping Heavenward: One Woman's Journey to Godliness by Elizabeth Prentiss

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I dare say this is my favorite book. It's not just good reading - it's life-changing. This story of a woman's life journey with God is so inspiring and so REAL. Even though her story takes place in the 1800's, I can easily relate to it today. It's not just one struggle that she overcomes - it's a lifetime of getting to know her Heavenly Father. She has successes and failures, triumphs and tragedies, and through it all, she gradually comes to see God's hand over ever area of her life. This book has inspired me to want to know God better and love Him more. Of course, I can't do this on my own, but above all I am reminded that when I draw near to God, He draws near to me.

I highly recommend this book!

View all my reviews >>

Pumpkin Prowl

2009-10-24T22:23:00.000-07:00

Christina and I went to the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle this evening for their annual Pumpkin Prowl. It's an event where a portion of the zoo is decorated (the rest is blocked off), and there are lots of designated spots for kids to "Trick-or-Treat" and get candy. A friend of mine went last year and said it was lots of fun, so I thought I'd check it out.

Man, was it crowded! I mean, I expected it to be popular - I guess I just didn't expect that such a small portion of the zoo would be open, so there were lots of people in small spaces. We had to wait in lots of LONG lines in order to get any candy. Not to say that it wasn't a good time - actually, Christina was surprisingly patient waiting in all the lines. She really enjoyed looking around and seeing the other kids' costumes.

Christina saw the wandering peacock shortly after we entered the zoo. It wandered off (naturally!), and she didn't realize it was in the bushes right behind her.

Then, it almost came out of the bushes right in front of her. Don't worry, I moved her out of the way before he stepped out!

I got a couple pictures of her in front of some jack-o-lanterns. (In case you can't tell, they've got glow sticks inside them.)

Then, we headed over to the "Family Farm" area of the zoo. We saw some goats while we were over there (the only animals that we saw the whole time). And Christina enjoyed playing with the (non-working) water pump, while having a lollypop.

After that we went to the "Bug World" building and saw all the bugs, and by the time we got out of there, it was pretty dark. We got in line to go into the "Boomazium" (typically called the Zoomazium). It's usually a play area for young kids, but tonight it was decked out as a (fairly tame) haunted house. It goes without saying that we had to wait in a HUGE line to get in. So while we were waiting, I snapped some pictures!

Here's some jack-o-lanterns on spikes! (And the reason the picture is so washed out is that it was TOTALLY dark by this time.)

A nice gentleman offered to take a picture of Christina and I in front of a huge jack-o-lantern.

Here's a creepy scarecrow that was just outside the building (sort of "Nightmare Before Christmas," I thought).

Once we were inside, it got pretty spooky. It was one big, dark room, with BIG displays. Christina was a little scared when we first walked in, what with it being so dark and the noises over the speakers so LOUD, but I explained that everything in the room was "pretend.". I pointed out that the ghost and the bats flying overhead were attached to strings, so they could only go in a certain path. That seemed to help her feel better about it.

There was a tall witch decoration that reached nearly to the ceiling, and over the speakers near her you could hear her cackling and saying, "Watch out for my spider friend over there, heee heee heee." I didn't know what she was talking about until we rounded the corner and saw this:

A HUGE spider! And keep in mind that the room was very dark - the display was only lit by some spooky blue and green lights. The only reason the picture is so bright is that my camera's flash was on. And not only was it a big, scary spider, but it was robotic, so it MOVED!

Christina didn't want to get too close to that one, and I don't blame her!

This scarecrow was quite spooky as well, but Christina didn't seem to mind it very much.

Christina was pretty relieved to exit the "Boomazium." She said "It was scary in there!"

After that we did some more trick-or-treating and then headed back to the car. All in all, we had quite a good time. I'm not sure if we'll go back again next year, just because of all the long lines, but it was definitely worth checking out. At one of the trick-or-treating "sites," we even got a beanie baby toy (Soybean the pig, whose birthday is January 3, 2007, just a couple weeks before Christina was born. I thought that was pretty neat!).

Clever Girl

2009-10-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

Sean, Christina and I were in the car on the way home from dinner at Larry and Melinda's tonight. Sean decided to tell a joke. Here's how it was supposed to go:

Sean: "What did the dog say after he got home from a long day at work?"
Me: "Ruff?"
Sean: "No, silly, dogs don't talk!"

Here's how it actually went:

Sean: "What did the dog say after he got home from a long day at work?"
Christina: "Noooo, dogs don't go to work!"

Even better!

I love Fall!

2009-10-22T14:24:00.000-07:00

Here's Christina playing in the leaves outside our front door - so beautiful!

2009-10-22T14:21:00.000-07:00

August 2007

October 2009

Gearing up for Halloween

2009-10-22T14:16:00.000-07:00

Here's my measley attempt at decorating for Halloween.

Some cute window clings for our front window...

...and a banner on the front door (check out Christina's cute new raincoat!):

I was planning on having Christina dress up as a witch - I actually bought the costume the day AFTER Halloween last year, since all the costumes were on sale. But when I tried it on her, I found that it was much too big (even though the label says 2-4 years). The skirt and bloomers kept falling down to reveal her diaper underneath. So I've decided instead to dress her in her bumblebee costume, which we've had since last year, but she hasn't officially worn for Halloween (she wears it every now and then to play around the house). But here's a pic of the witch costume, which I hope to be able to use next year!

I know I've mentioned before that Christina loves trying on all the Halloween hats and headbands when we're out at a store. Here's a mask that she decided to try on. (After I take pictures of her, she always wants to look at the back of the camera to see how it came out. When I showed her this picture of herself, she actually got a little scared. I did too!)

Happy (almost) Halloween!

Answered Prayer

2009-10-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

God is so good. Allow me to ellaborate...

Last night I was kneeling beside my bed in prayer. Usually I pray while laying in bed, before going to sleep, but last night I felt especially convicted that I needed to do some good, HARD praying. See, I've been reading this book, Stepping Heavenward, by Elizabeth Prentiss. Through this book, I've been convicted about what a completely selfish, weak creature I am. I've tried so many times to change certain aspects of myself (watching less TV, eating less fast food, drinking less pop, spending less money). Once I make up my mind to change something, I'll do pretty well for a day or two. Then, I just settle back into my old ways, as if nothing had changed in me at all It's just as the apostle Paul said in the book of Romans:

"I want to do what is right, but I can't. I want to do what is good, but I don't. I don't want to do what is wrong, but I do it anyway." - Romans 7:18-19

This book has further convicted me that I consistently keep my thoughts focused on myself, rather than on God. I get annoyed at difficult circumstances, rather than entertain the thought that maybe God brings hardship into my life to change me, bring me closer to Him.

One character in the book, Mrs. Campbell, explains to the main character, Katherine, that God brings "difficult" people into our lives for one of two reasons: 1)for the good that they might do us, or 2) for the good that we might do them. I see how little self-control and self-denial that I have displayed with certain people who I have deemed "difficult." Instead, I got angry and frustrated. I determined that I would get my way and would not let them impose on my life. I wanted to keep my BOUNDARIES. Only now do I see how much teaching I may have missed out on by failing to deny myself and focus on Jesus.

So during this prayer session, I was not only confessing my sins, but asking God to change my sinful nature. I was crying. A phrase came into my mind that I kept repeating over and over: "More of you God, and less of me!" I'm so tired of myself, so ready for God to transform me into the person He wants me to be. I'm not sure who that person is, but as long as He's in control, it's got to be good. Of course, I'm also fully aware that God does not change us overnight, but over a lifetime, drawing us closer to him in small steps. To quote my book:

Katherine: "I have a great many little trials, but they don't do me a bit of good. Or, at least, I don't see that they do."

Mrs. Campbell: "No, we never see plants growing," she said.

Katherine: "And do you really think, then, that perhaps I am growing, though unconsciously?"

Mrs. Campbell: "I know you are, dear child. There can't be life without growing."

I was wiping my eyes when Sean came into the room. Seeing that I had been crying, he asked me what was wrong. I told him about my struggles, about how I've been trying to make changes and failing miserably. He asked me if I'd like his help, to keep me accountable in the changes I want to make (like I said before, less TV for me AND Christina, less fast food, less pop, spending less money). I accepted his offer, knowing full well that he WILL keep me accountable, and that will make this much harder for me. I won't be able to fall back into my old ways as easily, because now I'll be disappointing not only God, but my husband. Maybe that sounds funny, because disappointing God should be worse to me than disappointing my husband. But I think I unconsciously know that God will forgive my misgivings, while my husband may not.

Sean and I talked for quite a while, and I got some great ideas. For example, the reason I think I have so much trouble with spending too much money is that I use shopping as recreation. When Christina and I are at home, and I'm being good about keeping the TV off, we inevitably get bored and want to go somewhere. The weather is getting pretty cold, so going to the park isn't as inviting as it was during the summer months. The only indoor thing that I can think to do is go to a store. And somehow, I always end up buying something that I don't really need. So Sean's idea is, when I go out, leave my money and credit cards at home. That way, I have no opportunity to buy anything. (So simple - why didn't I think of that?!)

Sean also reminded me that I shouldn't expect to change all of these things overnight. It's a process (God is all about the PROCESS, remember?).

I'm just so blessed to have Sean as my husband. I don't think a lot of husbands would be as understanding and helpful as he was with me. When we laid down to go to sleep last night, I told him, "I knew God would answer my prayer. I just had no idea He would do it this fast!"

God is so good.

Expectations

2009-10-19T14:12:00.000-07:00

I just read in a magazine that the average age that girls start using the potty is 35 months, and for boys it's 39 months. So why is it that as soon as a kid turns 2, everyone starts asking if you're potty training yet?

Christina is not potty trained, and as far as I can tell, it will be a while before she is. She couldn't care less whether her diaper is full or not. And, honestly, I think it's easier dealing with diapers than potties. Once she IS potty trained, I have to worry about always knowing where the nearest bathroom is when we're out and about. Because when a kid's gotta go, they've GOTTA GO! They have no concept of "holding it." I'll deal with that challenge when it comes, but I'm not rushing to get there!

Hopefully by keeping the pressure off, it will be a quick and painless transition when Christina decides to start using the potty. I know some parents who think that if I don't encourage her, she'll never learn. But I don't recall ever hearing about a high schooler still wearing diapers because their parents never taught them to use the potty!

She...is...weaned!

2009-10-19T13:58:00.000-07:00

I meant to write about this a few weeks ago, since that's when it actually happened.

I decided a while ago that I would do extended breastfeeding (breastfeeding beyond one year) and child-led weaning (allowing Christina to decide when to stop nursing). Nursing was always such a special time between Christina and I. Even on our worst days, when she was nursing, she would calm right down and relax in my arms. It was great therapy for both of us, so I wasn't in any hurry to bring it to an end.

She nursed almost exclusively until she was about 18 months old. At that point she started eating food, but she still nursed quite a bit. Somewhere around 2 years old, she stopped nursing during the day. She would still nurse before going to sleep (for a nap or at night), and then a few times during the night. By 2 and a half, she had given up the feeding before going to sleep, and she would just nurse when she woke up during the night (although really she'd just latch on for a minute or two and then be done, so I knew she wasn't getting much milk anyway).

A few weeks ago Christina came down with a cold - this was before the cold last week when I took her to the doctor (two colds in a row - no fun!). One night she woke up asking for milk, but once I got her in position on the Boppy pillow to nurse, she wouldn't latch on because she couldn't breathe through her stuffed-up nose. So I laid down with her and we cuddled while I ran my fingers through her hair. Eventually we both fell asleep. She woke up a couple hours later, again asking for milk, but I knew she'd have trouble again, so I said "No milk right now. Do you want me to play with your hair or rub your back?" She was OK with that, and fell back to sleep.

The next night I tried nursing again, but after skipping a night, my nipples hurt like crazy when she latched on. So that feeding only lasted a few seconds before I stopped her, and for the rest of that night, whenever she woke up, I'd just run my fingers through her hair or rub her back until she fell back to sleep.

I was surprised not to have any feeling of fullness or engorgement after she stopped nursing, although like I said, she wasn't getting that much milk from me at her feedings anyway. Then, about a week later, I felt that engorged feeling again, and was in pain for a couple days. It was wierd that it took a week for enough milk to build up to make me uncomfortable. I even tried getting her to nurse again on one of those painful days, but she just looked at my nipple, then looked up at me as if to say "What am I supposed to do here?" It's like she already forgot!

Christina still wakes up in the middle of the night asking for milk, but I always just tell her "No milk, but I can play with your hair or rub your back." She's always fine with those options and falls quickly back to sleep. I'll really miss breastfeeding - all the cuddling and closeness. It was a really nice way to just stop and relax, for both of us.

My little girl is growing up!

My Love and I

2009-10-16T15:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a fun survey from a blog that I follow . I hope you enjoy it!

♥How long have you been together?
In January, we will have been married 8 years. We dated for about a year before that, so 9 years altogether.

♥ How long did you know each other before you started dating?
About a year.

♥ Who asked who out?
Sean asked me, but it was quite a while before I said yes - I really wasn't interested at first!

♥ Who made the first move?
Sean made it very clear that he wanted to kiss me early on, but he waited until I was ready. So officially, I kissed him first.

♥ How old are each of you?
We're both 26.

♥ Did you go to the same school?
Yep, we met in high school. We were in American Sign Language class together.

♥ Are you from the same home town?
We're both from Mukilteo. I was born in Ellensburg, and when I was 2 year old, my parents moved us to Bellevue. But I lived in Mukilteo from 4th grade on, so I still consider it my hometown. Sean was born in Edmonds, and lived in Mukilteo from when he was very young.

♥ Who is the smartest?
That's a dangerous question! I think it depends on "smartest at what?"

♥ Who majored in what?
Neither of us went to college. Sean joined the Marine Corps right out of high school, and he was trained in aviation mechanics and parachute rigging. I had lots of different jobs, but right now I'm getting my major in Motherhood!

♥ Who is the most sensitive?
Me.

♥ Where do you eat out most as a couple?
Probably The Olive Garden.

♥ Where is the furthest you two have traveled together as a couple?
We moved from Washington State to Fort Worth, Texas for four years when he was in the Marines.

♥ Who has the worst temper?
He does. I've learned to endure the yelling and cussing that go on during some of his online games.

♥ How many children do you want?
We're happy with one.

♥ Who does the cooking?
I do, but occasionally Sean will make us a delicious breakfast.

♥ Who is more social?
It depends on how you mean "social." Sean has more friends that he interacts with on a daily basis, but his interaction is online, over the computer. I'm more social as far as getting out of the house and seeing people face-to-face.

♥ Who is the neat-freak?
I would say neither of us, but Sean seems to think he is.

♥ Who is the most stubborn?
He is.

♥ Who wakes up earlier?
Definitely him. It's tough for him to sleep later than 7 or 8AM, even if he's been up late the night before. I could sleep much later if I didn't have Christina waking me up!

♥ Where was your first date?
Our first official date was at Billy McHale's, a restaurant in Lynnwood (which just closed down - sad). We did go out to dinner together once before, at Kosta's in Mukilteo, but we weren't actually dating yet.

♥ Who has the bigger family?
He has one brother - I'm an only child. So he has a bigger family, but not by much.

♥ Do you get flowers often?
No.

♥ How do you spend the holidays?
Thanksgiving is either at my Aunt Teri's place or his dad's place. Christmas Eve is at my Aunt Barb's, and Christmas Day is at his dad's.

♥ Who is more jealous?
I don't think either of us is particularly jealous, although we don't give each other any reason to be.

♥ How long did it take to get serious?
I remember knowing that Sean was the one for me on that first date at Billy McHale's, because he asked if this was the official day (January 21st, 2000) that we were starting to "date." He wanted to know what day to celebrate our anniversary. So it was pretty serious right from the beginning. We got engaged just before Christmas of that year.

♥ Who eats more?
I don't really pay attention. I hope it's him!

♥ What do you do for a living?
Sean works in security at Boeing. I'm a stay-at-home-mom.

♥ Who does the laundry?
I do.

♥ Who’s better with the computer?
Sean

♥ Who drives when you are together?
Usually Sean, but if he's had a rough day, or is just tired of driving, I will.

♥ What is "your" song?
I would have to say "Come What May" from the Moulin Rouge soundtrack (although I think I've already mentioned that in a previous post).

Now it's your turn!

2009-10-14T16:24:00.001-07:00

The Hidden Art of Homemaking by Edith Schaeffer

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Don't be fooled - this book is not just for housewives and stay-at-home-moms. This is a book for everyone. It's about re-discovering your passions. Since this book covers such a wide variety of subjects, there were a couple of chapters that I skipped/skimmed through, but most of the chapters were such an eye-opener for me.

I'm reminded that I don't have to be in a specific situation to enjoy the hobbies that I used to love. I may not be in a choir anymore, but I can still sing along to my favorite songs at home, for the entertainment of my daughter and my God. I've also become inspired to start gardening (just indoors so far - it is October after all!). The chapter about Interior Decorating showed me just how important it is to surround yourself with things that comfort and inspire you, even if no one else will see. And the chapter on Food gave me the great idea of taking a sack lunch along with me when I go for walks, just in case I come across one of the local homeless men, who may want something to eat.

All in all, this book is totally inspiring!

View all my reviews >>

My sick girl

2009-10-12T11:51:00.000-07:00

Saturday night at about 11:00, Christina woke up in a coughing fit. I went in and tried to comfort her, but every time she tried to take a deep breath, she started coughing uncontrollably. I thought it was croup, so I bundled both of us up and headed outside for some fresh air (and to check the mail, since I hadn't checked it earlier that day). I've read that when a child has croup, you should either get into a steamy bathroom or out into the cool night air, since both will relax a child's vocal chords and make it easier to breathe. She did seem to breathe easier after a few minutes outside, so we headed back in, and I cuddled with her until her cough died down and we both fell asleep.

Sunday morning, she woke up coughing and with a runny nose. I knew we wouldn't be making it to church, but Sean and I still strapped Christina into her stroller for our weekly Sunday morning walk. The fresh air seemed to be really good for her, and apart from having to wipe her nose several times, she did great.

Later on, as I was reading a book to her, I noticed tiny red spots on the skin all around her eyes. They weren't bumpy or itchy, but I was still a bit worried, so I took her to the walk-in clinic. We had to wait for a while before we got in to see the doctor, and while we were waiting, the lady at the front desk said Christina had to wear a mask since she had a cough. She handed me a little surgical-type mask the perfect size for Christina. I can't decide if it was terribly cute, or just sad.

Of course she took the mask off after a few minutes, and eventually I gave up trying to convince her to put it back on. Most of the people in the waiting room were wearing masks themselves anyway, and I made sure we stayed away from everybody else.

Eventually we got in to see the doctor, and as it turns out, he said the red spots are most likely little blood vessels that popped when she had her big coughing fit. As far as her being sick, he said it seems like a virus, and it should get better within a few days. The spots, however, may take a week to a week and a half to go away. So we're homebound for now (watching lots of TV of course), and I'm just trying to get her as much rest as possible. The tough part is that whenever she lays down, she starts coughing, so it takes a really long time for her to get to sleep. Hopefully this won't last long!

Fun at Ikea

2009-10-12T11:34:00.000-07:00

Christina and I went with my mother-in-law, Brenda, to Ikea on Saturday, and we had a lot of fun. Christina really enjoyed trying out all the kids' beds.

She also liked playing in the toy section.

Here are some little "egg" chairs. The fabric at the top pulls down all the way, so the child can be completely hidden in the egg.

We had a great time hanging out with Grandma Brenda, giving her some Christmas gift ideas and grabbing some lunch!

2009-10-09T22:34:00.001-07:00

Left Behind by Tim LaHaye

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is a fictionalized account of endtimes Bible prophesy coming to pass. It's the first book in a series of 12, and it begins with the Rapture. It tells the story of those who were not followers of Christ, and therefore were "left behind" on earth.

I started reading this book a few years ago, and about half way through I gave up for lack of interest. I recently picked it up again, and this time, I couldn't put it down! I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I know a bit more about endtime Biblical prophesy than when I first tried reading it. It was really neat to match up what I had read about in the Bible with what was happening in the story. There were parts of the story that dragged a bit, and the book probably could have been a bit shorter, but all in all, I really enjoyed it. And I definitely plan on reading more in the series!

To be fair, if this book had a different subject matter, I probably would have given it three stars instead of four, but I'm so glad that someone decided to write a book about this, since the subject matter is so important!

View all my reviews >>

Playing with her shadow

2009-10-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Too cute!

Our day with Daddy (a sequel to "Our weekend without Daddy")

2009-10-09T15:12:00.000-07:00

Sean got home from his trip to Canada late Sunday night, and since he had already requested the day off Monday, we decided to go to breakfast. I got a couple cute pictures while we were there, and I learned just how much Christina likes having her picture taken. (I don't remember if I've mentioned it before, but just about every time I tell Christina that she looks cute doing/wearing something, she says "Wanna take a picture?")

Sean was sitting with his arm around Christina, and they looked so cute, I decided I wanted to take a picture. By that time, Sean had moved his arm away, so Christina pulled his arm back around her to get in the perfect pose!

And as soon as I was done taking the picture, she pushed his arm away, as if she were saying "OK, I'm done with you now!"

A little while later I noticed that Christina was copying the way Sean was posed while sitting at the table, so I just had to get a picture of that too!

Then Sean hammed it up a little, copying Christina. (Have you noticed that in most of the pictures I take of Christina, she's wearing a big, FAKE smile? She knows that when the camera comes out, it's time to put on your happy face! This makes it very hard to get candid shots of her.)

After breakfast we all headed over to the ice rink, because Sean wanted to get some skating practice in before his hockey game on Friday. I planned for Christina and I to stay and watch Daddy skate for a little bit and then head to a nearby park to play until he was done. But Christina decided that she wanted to stay at the ice rink the whole time, watching Sean and getting some chips from the vending machine to snack on.

When we first went into the rink, the lady at the front desk asked us if Christina wanted to skate, because it's free for kids under 5. We said no, but then we got to talking about it. The more Christina heard, the more she wanted to try it out. But Sean and I decided that we definitely needed to get her a helmet before we would let her try ice skating.

So after Sean was done, we all headed over to Fred Meyer and bought Christina a bike helmet, which came with elbow and knee pads, and some mittens. (She's already got a winter coat and warm pants.) So the next time Sean wants to go skating, Christina can have a try too! I figure I'll sit on the sidelines, because

1) I'm not a good skater at all, so having her hold my hand would probably be more dangerous than helpful!

and

2) My guess is, she won't want to stay on the ice for more than 5 or 10 minutes, at least at first, so it wouldn't make sense for me to pay to skate for such a short time.

Anyway, I'm not sure if I'm looking forward to seeing her out there, or if I'm just totally nervous and scared about it!

When we got home, it was time for Christina's nap, and when she woke up, she wanted to try on her new stuff!

The rest of the day was spent at home (except for Christina and I going grocery shopping like we do every Monday evening), but we had a great time hanging out with Daddy!

Our weekend without Daddy

2009-10-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

Sean was away in Canada this past weekend for a friend's wedding. He left early Friday morning (with the car!) and returned late Sunday night. I wasn't sure how Christina and I were going to do without him (and without a car!) for the weekend, but as it turned out, we had a great time.

Friday morning, my friend Ashley came over with her daughters, Kirsten and Natalie, known to us as Baby Natalie. Here's a picture of Christina with Baby Natalie (taken a little while ago).

We hung out and had lunch over at my place, and after they left it was naptime. That evening, Melinda (my step-mother-in-law) picked us up on her way home from work and drove us over to her and Larry's house for our weekly dinner over there. Christina just loves seeing her Grandma Lindy and Grandpa Larry, and their dog, Barney. She and Barney have lots of fun playing together.

Saturday morning was spent at home. Christina helped me clean the bathrooms. She helps out by holding the box of baking soda and sprinkling it in the sink when I ask her to. Then she scrubs it in with a washcloth, and I get the spots that she misses. She also likes to hold the bottle of homemade vinegar/water cleaner and spray it where I ask her to (the counters, the toilet, the sides of the tub). She sprays it other places too, but it's not hard to wipe up, so I don't mind.

Saturday evening my parents came over with dinner. They also brought a couple of those thin wooden airplanes that you can put together (very old-school!). Christina really enjoyed throwing those around in the back yard, and chasing them after Papaw (my dad) threw them across the yard.

Christina also had fun playing on her little slide. For some reason, even toys that have long since been forgotten (like the slide) are all of a sudden a ton of fun when Mammie and Papaw come over!

While they were here, Mom stayed with Christina while Dad drove me over to get Melinda's car - she lent it to me so I could go to church Sunday morning (Thank you Melinda!).

So Christina and I went to church Sunday morning, and then we went to Taco Time for some lunch. Christina enjoyed climbing on top of the booth. She said she was just taking a nap!

And after we drove back home, Christina spent some time playing in Grandma Lindy's car before going inside to ACTUALLY take her nap.

All in all, we had quite a nice weekend just the two of us, but we're definitely glad to have Daddy back home now!

Halloween Season

2009-10-07T11:21:00.000-07:00

So in just about every store we go into now, there's a big display of Halloween stuff. Christina just loves trying on all the hats. And as soon as she get's one on, she says "Take a picture?"

Here she is at Value Village. This is one of the wierdest "hats" I've ever seen!

A witch at Walgreens:

I don't actually remember where this one was taken, but it looks like we were definitely in the toy aisle!
She must be the ice cream princess! (Note the ice cream cone on her shirt.)

This is at the new Dollar Store over by my place.
G.I. Jane:

Alligator:

And here she is at Fred Meyer. Actually, all of these "hats" are headbands!
Pipi Longstockings witch?

Attachment Parenting

2009-10-01T21:38:00.000-07:00

I didn't start out with a parenting philosophy at all. I just assumed that what was true for my mom would be true for me. I planned on breastfeeding Christina for the first year, then weaning her. I planned on Christina sleeping in her crib the first night we were home from the hosptial, and every night after that. I planned on Christina sleeping through the night at six weeks old.

Remember the saying : "Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans." Well, God sure laughed at my plans!

I was blessed to have a great delivery nurse when I checked into the hospital January 19th, 2007 to be induced (I wish I could remember her name!). I told her that I wanted to try and have a natural birth, with no drugs. She was incredibly supportive, saying that she had a natural childbirth with her children. We ended up having a while to chat, since I got checked into the hospital semi-unexpectedly (I'll explain my whole childbirth experience in a later post) and it was about an hour before Sean, my parents, or my in-laws showed up. She explained that she followed the philosophy of Attachment Parenting, which includes co-sleeping, baby-wearing, breastfeeding on demand, and overall just trusting your baby's needs and responding to her cues. I had never heard of Attachment Parenting, so the nurse recommended that I check out The Baby Book by Dr. William Sears.

As it happened, after a few hours of very painful, Pitocin-induced labor, I decided to have an epidural. Even though I changed my mind about natural childbirth, my nurse was totally understanding. And as it turned out, her shift ended about an hour before Christiana was born, so I ended up with a different nurse when Christina was delivered.

Anyway, fast forward to the next evening, January 20th - Sean's and my first night at home with our baby. I was incredibly hormonal and emotional. While Christina was quiet during the ride home in the car, once we got home she would not stop crying. And then I couldn't stop crying. Sean had to comfort me while helping me to change her diaper, something I was convinced I would never get the hang of! Mostly, the whole first few months of motherhood is a blur of sleeping when I could (which wasn't often), and trying to keep Christina happy (which wasn't easy).

Christina had colic for about the first four months of her life. When she was awake, she was mostly crying (at least, that's what I remember). I tried everything. I would put her in her bouncy seat, I'd put her in her swing, I'd rock with her in the recliner...and she'd be happy for maybe 10 minutes. Then she'd be crying again. The thing that seemed to calm her down for the longest time was when I walked around with her in my arms or in a sling carrier. So, I quickly became a "baby-wearing" mama. I would wear her in the sling while I did dishes or folded laundry. And if I had nothing else to do, I would pace back and forth across the living room while watching TV, because if I stood still she would start crying again. Even once she was past the colic, she loved being in the carrier, close to me. So most of the time when we went out, I put her in the sling instead of bringing a stroller. Once she got too big for the sling to be comfortable for me anymore, I bought an Ergo Baby Carrier, which worked for us until she was about 2.

And from that very first night at home, Christina would scream whenever I would put her down in her crib. Even if she had fallen asleep in my arms, as soon as I put her down, she would wake right back up. So, she slept with me. Sean and I tried sleeping in our bed with her between us, but for some reason she wouldn't fall asleep that way either. So Christina and I ended up sleeping on the couch together, facing each other, with me on the inside and her on the outside, wedged in the crook of my arm. I know all the baby books and doctors will tell you the couch is a terribly dangerous place for a newborn to sleep, as the baby could fall off in the middle of the night, but I slept so lightly that I woke up whenever she moved or made any noise at all. We slept like that for about the first four months. (And yes, at one point I tried letting her "cry it out" in her crib, and I couldn't take it!) Then she began to move around more in her sleep, and I really was afraid that she might fall off the couch. So we slept on a spread-out sleeping bag in the living room. I know I could have had us sleep in her room, but she woke up so frequently to nurse, and she would nurse for at least 20 minutes at a time, so I liked being somewhere I could just turn on the TV and zone out while she ate (I always had to sit up to breastfeed her, because Christina would never latch on when I was lying beside her. And I seem to be incapable of falling asleep while sitting up.)

Around six months old, Christina somehow decided she was ok with going to sleep in her crib (I would try every now and then to put her down in there, but she usually just fussed and wanted right back out.), so that's what she did for a while. And we've been back and forth ever since, between the crib and the floor (her bedroom floor now, not the living room). Sometimes she's ok sleeping in her crib, and sometimes she wants to sleep next to me. At this point, I put her down in her crib at the beginning of the night, but the first time she wakes up, I go in and cuddle with her on the sleeping bag to help her fall back asleep, and I inevitably end up staying in there until morning. It works because Sean and I get some time to ourselves when she first goes down for the night, but I don't have to be awakened by his alarm in the morning, because by then I'm in with Christina. Once she eventually sleeps all the way through the night, I'm sure I won't sleep in her room anymore, but for now, it's a work in progress!

And as far as food, I tried giving Christina baby food when she was six months old, and she would have none of it. It didn't matter what flavor it was, it all made her gag. I think it was the texture that bothered her. So she breastfed pretty exclusively for about the first year/year and a half. After that the only thing she liked was crackers, cookies and other carbs (which, if you've read my earlier posts, you know hasn't changed much). I kept nursing her as well to make up for the nutrients she wasn't getting from a balanced diet. But she never did like baby food.

Anyway, when Christina was around 3 or 4 months old, I finally picked up The Baby Book by Dr. Sears (this was after I had read The Baby Whisperer, which I totally did not agree with). I started reading all about Attachment Parenting, and I realized that's exactly what I'd been doing all along. It was just instict to breastfeed on demand, rather than get Christina on some sort of schedule (I tried the schedule thing once, and it didn't work well for Christina or me.). And I ended up baby-wearing and co-sleeping because it was the only thing that worked for me.

All this to say, I'm a big fan of Attachment Parenting, but I totally don't judge anyone who decides to do things a different way. I know some moms who read a bunch of parenting books before they ever had kids and consciously decided what approach they were going to take. But most parents are probably like me - just feeling things out and doing the best we can with the information we have. We all have our different parenting "methods," but as long as we love our kids and have their best interests at heart, I think they'll turn out alright.

Christina's second haircut

2009-10-01T14:17:00.000-07:00

Sean decided he wanted to me to get the car's oil changed today, so while I had the car, I decided to take Christina to get her hair cut.

She got her hair cut once before, about six months ago, at a cute little salon called Kids Kuts in Everett. My step-mother-in-law (that's a confusing term, huh?) went with us and took a bunch of pictures. Here's a sampling from that visit:

This time we went to a place called Fun Kuts in Lynnwood, and I must say I like this salon more than the other one. The inside was just as cute, and they also had a big play area at the entrance with a bunch of toys for kids to play with while they waited. Christina really enjoyed playing with the trains and the kitchen set. The haircut itself was a couple bucks cheaper, but it included a shampoo, whereas at Kids Kuts they just sprayed water on her hair before cutting it.

The stylist/owner at Fun Kuts spent a lot more time working on Christina's hair - granted, Christina has a bit more hair to work with now (though not much - her hair grows so slow!). Christina got some long layers cut in her hair to show off the curls.

She also got a blow dry, and the stylist added some curl cream.

Then she french braided the front of her hair and put in a little ribbon. She even sprayed it with some product and then put sparkles in!

Christina just loved it, and so did I. And all of this for only $20. Granted, some might say that $20 is way too much to spend on a kids haircut, but Christina had a great time, and it was really an EXPERIENCE more than just a haircut. So for me, it was totally worth it.

And of course, Christina wanted to check out the other "chairs."

Toddler Translations

2009-09-28T09:26:00.000-07:00

"Tuh-skeena" = Christina
"Chicklet chop-it" = chocolate chip, as in "Are you having a chicklet chop-it cookie?"

And my favorite, in context...

Christina likes to play with my bottle of sunscreen lotion after I'm done putting it on my face in the morning. When the bottle is getting low, often times it will have an air bubble that "explodes", sending a small bit of lotion flying out of the bottle. Christina really enjoys this, and whenever it happens, she says "It's explodious!" (Sounds like ex-plo-dee-us. I can only guess on the correct spelling of this made-up word!) I corrected her once a while back, telling her that "It's explosive." But I just love the way she says "explodious" so much, that I've decided to let it go on. I'm sure she'll learn the correct word eventually, and for now, it's just SO CUTE!

A change in priorities, Part 2

2009-09-24T09:20:00.000-07:00

OK, so here's the thing - this is my third day staying at home with Christina, with no official plans. This is primarily because she came down with a nasty cold yesterday, so we had to cancel the plans that we had. And I am SO BORED! Now I find myself thinking that maybe I'm trying too hard to convince myself that I need to stay home more. After all, God made me this way - outgoing and social. I remember different times when I've been unemployed, and while it's nice for a while to sit at home and watch TV or read books, after a little while I find myself NEEDING to find a new job, if only for a way to get out of the house and back into the world. I really like to have a specific reason to get up and get going in the morning - otherwise I'll just stay in my sweats all day and feel like I haven't accomplished anything. I don't know why for me "accomplishing something" means getting out of the house, but it does.

Don't get me wrong, I don't regret passing on the Bible study. Even if I did feel like I had room in my schedule for it, I still don't think Christina would do very well separated from me for those two hours in the children's class. Even at Sunday School at church, I've been told that Christina mainly sticks close to the adult leaders rather than the kids. Evidently Christina likes to "help" Miss Janet (one of the teachers) take the older kids to the bathroom when they have to go potty! This really shouldn't be a surprise to me, since my parents told me that as an only child, I always felt more comfortable around adults than kids.

So now I'm just confused. I can't figure out which part of this argument in me is the Flesh talking, and which part is the Spirit. Of course, I need to remember that God is all about the PROCESS. Maybe it's not about making all of these changes in my life all at once. Maybe I just need to reduce my outside activities to a few days a week, and spend the other days at home. It's hard for me to believe that BOTH of these voices inside me are the Spirit, since they are such opposing viewpoints. So again I pray: "Dear God - help!"

Phone call

2009-09-21T14:36:00.000-07:00

Christina was playing in the car for a bit before we drove home from church yesterday. As usual, she grabs the cell phone out of the glove compartment and pretends to make some calls.

"Hello. How are you? (Pause) I'm good. Are you going to the hockey place? (Pause) OK, I'll see you later. Bye!"
"Who were you calling Christina?"
"Daddy."

"Hi Grandma Brenda. How are you? (Pause) I'm good. (Pause) OK, I'll see you later. Bye!"

Making pasta

2009-09-21T08:46:00.000-07:00

Christina and I went with our friends to a playgroup at the Learning Express in Mountlake Terrace last week. We read a book called "Strega Nona" and made pasta! Christina enjoyed putting all the ingredients into a bowl (flour, eggs, water), and she didn't mind mixing it all up with a spoon, but when it came time to knead the dough, she didn't want to get her hands dirty, so Mommy did all of that part!

The owner of the Learning Express, Mila, brought her pasta machine. The kids took turns cranking while Mila fed the dough through the machine. Christina really seemed to like it, so while the other kids kept playing and ignoring Mila's invitations to help, Christina just kept cranking away!

And by the way Sean, the pasta that you had for dinner last night was some of Christina's pasta that we brought home, so make sure to thank the chef!

Things you may not know about me

2009-09-18T20:40:00.000-07:00

1. I have two tattoos.
2. My middle name is Annette.
3. When I was in school, I was always at the end of the line, whether it was organized by last name (my maiden name is Ziebarth) or by birthday (December 29th).
4. I've had glasses since the first grade.
5. I met Sean in high school. We were in sign language class together.
6. We were friends for a year before we dated, and most of that year he was pursuing me, but I wasn't interested!
7. I really wish my grandmothers had lived long enough to meet my daughter.
8. In a lot of pictures (especially ones of me laughing) I think I look like my mom.

9. Sean and I decided on a girl and boy name for our first child during a drive from Texas (where we were living at the time) to Washington (to visit family and friends). This was June of 2005. We decided on that trip to start trying for a baby.

10. 11 months later I found out I was pregnant.

11. If I had been a boy, my parents would have named me Daniel Joseph.

12. If Christina had been a boy, she would have been named Eric Sean.

13. I am a passionate follower of Christ.

14. My best friend is gay.

15. Wearing makeup has never been important to me, and I use it very rarely. In fact, I don't think I even own any makeup.

16. The same goes for styling my hair - I like to air dry.

17. I cannot watch a movie about animals in peril - I cry every time.

18. For a very short time, when Sean was in the process of joining the Marines, I considered joining too. I'm so glad I didn't. I don't think I would have survived!

19. One of my vices is celebrity gossip. I'm trying to quit, but if there's a magazine in front of me, I'm probably going to read it.

20. I've been told that I talk too much, and I'm very self-conscious about it.

21. My body cannot handle alcohol. I get nauseous from a very small amount.

22. When I was younger I loved to perform. Up through elementary school I was in tap dance class, then in middle and high school I was in the school choir. I loved it when I got chosen to perform solos.

23. As a child, when I was sick, my mom would crush up Children's Tylenol into chocolate ice cream because I hated the taste. For years I couldn't eat chocolate ice cream because I swore I always tasted medicine in it!

24. While there wasn't any formal music at Sean's and my wedding, Sean's brother Kevin and his friend Ryan played the guitar and sang us Green Day's "Time of Your Life."

25. If I had to pick Sean's and my "song," I would choose "Come What May" from the Moulin Rouge movie soundtrack.

A change in priorities

2009-09-18T16:27:00.000-07:00

I was going to go to a new Bible study yesterday. It's an international study known as Bible Study Fellowship, or BSF. They meet in various churches around the world, and they study one book of the Bible per year (It runs in a seven-year cycle, so it doesn't cover EVERY book of the Bible). I participated one year at my church down in Texas when Sean and I were living there. That year we studied the book of Genesis. And I'll tell you, I learned more about that book than I ever knew before - even though I had read it at least a few times (After all, when you're trying to read the Bible, you usually start at the beginning, and I started at the beginning more than once!). It was a fantastic group, and a fantastic study.

I didn't participate after moving back up to Washington because they don't provide childcare for kids under 2. But now that Christina's old enough, I thought I'd go back. I was all set - I had a friend scheduled to babysit Christina for the intro. day (until you're officially "in the system" at the particular church, childcare isn't available). Then, the night before, as I was praying in bed, I felt God speaking to me.

See, God's been dealing with me for a while about slowing down my lifestyle and spending more time at home. Granted, I am a "stay-at-home mom", but I'm not actually AT HOME very often. I get together with friends and go to lunch or to the park or shopping - basically anything to entertain Christina and I.

God spoke to me through a particular book ("Come Home" From Homeschool, by Marilyn Howshall), and I felt Him telling me that I need to stay home - that being at home more will give Christina opportunities to develop interests of her own, rather than ME having to find entertainment for her (and this is going to be particularly important when it comes to homeschooling, as I plan to let her follow a "delight-directed" learning path, rather than a set curriculum - of course, this could change, but it's my current plan). My issue then is, whenever we truly stay AT HOME all day, most of our day is spent watching TV. Not to say that's ALL we do, but we do it a lot. Ultimately I know this isn't productive, and I need to just stop allowing so much TV.

I guess it's just hard for me because I feel that I need entertainment too. I don't have any major interests that I want to develop for myself (other than doing things online, and I can only really do that when she's occupied with watching TV or napping). But how can I possibly expect Christina to change if I don't change?

In any case, when I was praying the night before BSF, I felt like God was waving a big red flag in front of my face, saying "STOP. I keep trying to tell you what I want for your life, and your daughter's life, and yet you keep doing things your way." I realized that even though I was going to a Bible study to learn about God, God Himself didn't want me to take on another commitment. I need to pare down my schedule, not add to it. So I skipped the Bible study and let my friend watch Christina while I got my hair cut, and then my friend and I had lunch together while our kids played. It was a really nice, relaxing day.

Now I'm at a place of uncertainty. I want to stay at home more and watch TV less - I want that for myself and for my daughter. I want to find an interest that I can develop in myself, and allow Christina to find her interests as well (although I know at this age those interests will be very general). I read that it's good to "Remain at home more often so that you will be forced to deal with the void that surfaces." But the void just seems to point me in the direction of the TV. I guess I just need to face my fear (and I guess that's what it really is, FEAR) that it will be boring around here and just keep the TV off. (It feels really wierd to admit that I have a fear of boredom, but really I bet that fear is pretty common.) God is good, and I have trust that if I will obey Him, he'll show me what to do next. So here I am God - HELP!

Scenes From Everyday Life

2009-09-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

Coloring at her table

Playing on the fold-out couch - She loves to cover herself up and pretend to go to sleep (which means laying there with her eyes open making a snoring sound!); then stand up and give me a hug saying "Good morning Mommy!"

Playing peek-a-boo on the stairs

Hanging out in our ottoman/toy storage

Finger painting

Finding a mushroom in our backyard (yuck!)

Wearing oven mitts on her feet

"Reading" to her doll

I love my girl!

Love

2009-09-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

I love you not only for what you are,
but for what I am when I am with you.
I love you not only for what you have made of yourself,
but for what you are making of me.
I love you for the part of me that you bring out.
-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Christmas Catalog: The Good, The Wierd, and the Utterly Disturbing!

2009-09-15T15:36:00.000-07:00

My MIL introduced me years ago to the LTD Commodities catalog. It's a HUGE catalog full of all sorts of things - household items, decorative items for whatever holiday is coming up, clothes, gadgets - just a lot of stuff. I received their Christmas 2009 catalog in the mail yesterday, and spent the better part of the evening combing through it's 508 pages to get some Christmas gift ideas, and to see if there was anything in there that I just couldn't live without. (In reality, I try to take myself off of most catalog mailing lists, because I will spend so much time picking out just what I want, only to decide I don't really want to spend the money and don't really need all the STUFF. It ends up being a big waste of time. But it is almost Christmas after all, so I justify it to myself by the fact that I'm not buying for ME - I'm just finding the perfect gift for all the people on my list!)

Anyway, at 508 pages long, there's bound to be some off-the-wall items, so I just thought I'd share some of my findings. I'll start with the GOOD - the stuff I actually like and/or think is clever.

Disney Tasty Baker

You can use this to make pancakes or waffles in the shape of Disney characters. I don't think I'm quite creative enough to go through the trouble of doing this, but it's a really cute idea!

Alex Knot-A-Quilt Activity Kit

You just tie the fringes of each square together, and you can make a blanket, shawl, or scarf. It's probably really thin, but it's a great project for a kid who's not old enough or interested enough to learn to use a sewing machine.

Pet's Eye View Camera

Find out what your pets are up to when you're not around! You just hook this camera up to your pet's collar and set it to automatically take a picture every 1, 5, or 15 minutes. When your pet gets home, you just plug the camera into your computer to see what they've been up to!

Heirloom Patchwork Bear or Throw

I am totally considering getting this blanket for Christina's bed. It is SO cute!

Snowman Refridgerator Magnet Set

As long as you don't have anything else on the front of your fridge, why not make it look like a snowman for the holidays?!

OK, now let's get on to some of the WIERD ideas. These are the things that I know I would never buy myself, but I kind of see why other people might like them.

Build A Fort Kit

This kit comes with two sheets of camouflage fabric, 8 feet of rope, 6 giant clips, 6 suction cups, and 2 glow wands. I'm sorry, but whatever happened to a sheet laid out over some chairs?

Tie-Dye Active Pant Sets

Can adults actually get away with wearing tie-dye anymore?

Computer Monitor Lighted Garland

For those who go ALL OUT with their Christmas decorating!

USB Digital Bible

The description reads "Plug it into any Windows-based PC or Mac to read the complete King James Verson of the Bible anywhere you go." Because I can't carry my Bible with me everywhere, but I do always have a computer on hand!

Snuggie for Kids

Need I say more?

And now for the truly DISTURBING - please tell me none of you own any of these items!

Knit Jean Lounge Pants

For those of you who want to look like you're wearing ugly jeans, but without the discomfort of ACTUAL jeans.

Men's Humorous Boxers

If you're going to wear these "The Man, The Legend" boxers, you better be able to back it up!

Santa's Pants Treat Bags

I'd really rather not have any "treats" from Santa's pants!

Farting Fanny Bank

The description reads "Drop in a coin and hear this bank fart in digital audio." Yes, I need the digital audio because I want it to sound authentic.

And finally...

What's in Ned's Head?

"Each player has to reach his hand into Ned's plush head and try to pull out whatever gross, plastic object is pictured on the card he's dealt."

"Game includes: icky tooth, giant ant, lab rat, DIRTY DIAPER, ear wax, old gym sock, bird poop with worm..."

This is proabably a young boy's idea of a fantastic game. I'm so glad I have a daughter!

Eating habits

2009-09-14T12:19:00.000-07:00

Christina's favorite foods (not to say she eats ALL of these foods everyday, although I'm sure she would if she could!):

Pirate's Booty, Pop Tarts, Snapea Crisps, Pizza crust

Ice Cream

Sunchips, M&Ms, Cookies,

Goldfish crackers

Potato Chips, Cake, Brownies

Cheese crackers with peanut butter

And of course her absolute favorite - FRENCH FRIES!

Christina's "sometimes" foods (sometimes she wants them, sometimes not):

Saltines with Peanut Butter, Tortillas, sips of whatever soup I'm having,

Cheerios

Almonds, Hamburger Buns, Chicken Nuggets

Teddy Grahams/Graham crackers

And Christina's "never" foods (These are the things she completely refuses to eat, and I have tried all the tricks I can think of!):

Fruits (fresh or dried, although she has been known to occasionally eat dried apple chips)

"Here Sigrid, have this applesauce - I don't want it."

Veggies (fresh or cooked - at this point all I can get her to eat is the Flat Earth brand chips, which claim to have a half serving of veggies in every ounce),

Milk, Eggs

To balance out this obviously uneven diet, I try to get her to eat a "Bugs Bunny" vitamin once a day. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. I just hope she'll branch out as she gets older and at least TRY some healthier foods. As it is now, sometimes I'll hand her a piece of fruit or veggie to try, and before she even puts it in her mouth, she'll say "I don't like it." I try to convince her that she can't know if she likes it if she hasn't even tried it, but she won't have any of it. But I'm not giving up!

Beach Trip

2009-09-14T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last week Christina and I went to the beach with our friends Kristina and Sigrid. Here's some pics from our fun morning.

A train went under the bridge right as we were walking across. It was carrying wood chips, which smelled great!

Why is it that for every cute picture like this:

there's a wierd one like this? (mmm..yummy sandwich!)

Christina and Sigrid had a lot of fun running around and just hanging out together.

Christina decided that she wanted to carry around the sippy cup that was being used to hold Kristina's pickle and pickle juice. She took a sip at one point, then she said "Yucky! Bleh!"

Christina takes after her Daddy in that one of her favorite things to do at the beach is pick up rocks and skip them (well, really just throw them) in the water.

She and Sigrid also had fun playing with what Christina and I called the "creepy" or "wierd" seaweed!

I was talking to my MIL last night, and she said that MRSA (the antibiotic resistant bacterial infection) has been found in samples taken from several Washington beaches.

http://www.pediatricsupersite.com/view.aspx?rid=43648

So maybe we won't be taking any more beach trips for a little while. But we sure did have fun!

2009-09-11T21:28:00.001-07:00

The Parent You Want to Be: Who You Are Matters More Than What You Do by Les Parrott III

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a great parenting book. In part one the authors explain why, as the title says, who you are matters more than what you do. Part two lists ten character traits that are worth considering. Since all parents are different, we all need to work on different areas in relation to our kids, and this gives us a good place to start. And part three discusses how to avoid being the kind of parent you DON'T want to be, and how to make the ten traits discussed in part two stick.

This book is about more than how to deal with your kids. It's about how to become the kind of person you want your kids to someday become. Whether we like it or not, our kids are watching us, and we are the greatest influence in their lives (at least while they're young). We need to take that very seriously and examine how we live our lives in light of that.

View all my reviews >>

Some great quotes

2009-09-11T00:14:00.000-07:00

I found these quotes in a book called The Parent You Want to Be: Who You Are Matters More Than What You Do, by Les and Leslie Parrott. It's an awesome book, and I'd definitely recommend it to any parent. Throughout the book, the authors throw in quotes from various people, and several of them really struck a chord with me.

"A child is not a vase to be filled, but a fire to be lit." - Fancois Rabelais

"The bond that links your true family is not one of blood, but of respect and joy in each other's life." - Richard Bach

"When we determine to be there for our children, the moment arrives one day when we discover they love to be there for us." - John Trent

"God never ceases to speak to us, but the noise of the world without and the tumult of our passions within bewilder us and prevent us from listening to Him." - Francois Fenelon

And my favorite...

"If there is anything we wish to change in the child, we should first examine it and see whether it is something that could better be changed in ourselves." - Carl Jung

A day with my two favorite people

2009-09-10T23:48:00.000-07:00

I awoke this morning to find that Sean decided to stay home from work today. We decided to go out for some breakfast at Denny's (BTW, this is the second time we've had bad service and some kind of bad food at this particular location, so I don't know that we'll be going back anytime soon). But it was nice to have breakfast together just the same. Afterwards, we all went to run some errands together and then came back home.

After that Sean decided to try out his new Xbox game that he just bought (that was one of our errands!), so Christina and I went upstairs to play (It's a rather violent game, so I thought we should hang out away from the TV).

It's funny the little games Christina comes up with. There have been several occasions where she'll tuck a particular stuffed animal in under a blanket. Then she'll uncover it's face and whisper to it, "I'll be right back," and then cover it up completely. After that she'll walk across the room or out of the room, only to come right back, uncover the animal, then start the process all over again, tucking it back in. This will go on for several minutes. Obviously she's quite interested in the concept of "coming right back." It is something that I say to her fairly often, whether I'm leaving to go to Bible study or just to go take out the garbage.

Today was more of a peek-a-boo day. For quite some time, Christina and I played a "game" where she would hide under the blanket and I would have a little stuffed bear "walking" over the blanket to find her, eventually uncovering her and then the bear would give her kisses all over her face. This elicited lots of giggles, so it went on for a while.

At one point she decided to climb into her toy box for a rest.

After our play session, Christina and I went in the car to pick up some lunch for all of us...

and then we (Christina and I) took a nice, long nap. I'm getting over a pretty nasty cold, and I haven't slept very well the last few nights, so the nap was much-needed.

Lately I've been having quite a few "challenging" days with Christina. There have been more than our average amount of time-outs, as she seems to be going through quite a defiant phase (God, I hope it's a phase!). But today was just a great, mellow day. Sure, there were a couple of times when we (Sean or I) had to threaten a time-out, but it never actually happened, and right now, that's a great day.

Christina and her Friends

2009-09-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

Sigrid

Saide

Kirsten

Each day as I'm putting Christina down for her nap, I ask if she wants to pray, or if she wants me to pray. She always wants to pray herself, and depending on who we've seen that morning, the prayer goes like this:
"Dear God, thank you for Sigrid and her mommy. Amen" (Actually, she says "Sigrid and YOUR mommy", but I know what she means. For those of you who don't know, Sigrid's mommy's name is Kristina. To avoid confusion, we just call her "Sigrid's mommy.")
OR
"Dear God, thank you for Miranda and Saide. Amen."
OR
"Dear God, thank you for Ashley and Kirsten and Baby Natalie. Amen."

We sure are blessed to have such great friends!

God's Favorite Numbers

2009-09-08T15:10:00.000-07:00

So there are a few specific numbers in that are repeated several times throughout the Bible. For some reason, this repetition is just really interesting to me.

The Number Three:

Ecclesiastes 4:12 - A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.
Johah 1:17 - Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.
Matthew 26:34 - "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times."
Mark 9:31 - "The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him, and after three days he will rise."
1 Corinthians 13:13 - And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.
1 John 5:7-8 - For there are three that testify: the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement. (I can only assume this is talking about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.)

The Number Seven:

On the seventh day of Creation God rested from His work. It was full and complete, and good and perfect. Nothing could be added to it or taken from it without marring it.Genesis 7:2-4 - (From the story of Noah) Take with you seven of every kind of clean animal, a male and its mate (I always thought it was just two.), and two of every kind of unclean animal (That explains it!), a male and its mate, and also seven of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive throughout the earth. Seven days from now I will send rain on the earth..."
Joshua 6:4 - Have seven priests carry trumpets of rams horns in front of the ark. On the seventh day, march around the city seven times with the priests blowing the trumpets.
Proverbs 24:16 - For though a righteous man falls seven times, he rises again...
Daniel 9:25 - From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven "sevens," and sixty-two "sevens."
Matthew 18:21-22 - Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times."
In the genealogy of Luke, Chapter three, there are exactly 77 names, with God at the one end, and Jesus at the other. Revelation 6:1 - I watched as the Lamb opened the first of the seven seals.
Revelation 8:2 - And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and to them were given seven trumpets.
Revelation 10:4 - And when the seven thunders spoke, I was about to write; but I heard a voice from heaven say, "Seal up what the seven thunders have said and do not write it down." (I hate secrets!)
Revelation 15:7 - Then one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls filled with the wrath of God, who lives for ever and ever.

The Number Forty:

Genesis 7:4 - I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights...
Exodus 16:35 - The Israelites ate manna for forty years...(This has to do with the Israelites being in the wilderness for forty years before reaching the Promised Land.)
Exodus 24:18 - Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.
2 Samuel 5:4 - David was thirty years old when he became king, and he reigned forty years.
1 Kings 19:8 - So he (Elijah) got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
2 Chronicles 9:30 - Solomon reigned in Jerusalem over all Israel forty years.
Ezekiel 29:12 - I will make the land of Egypt desolate among devastated lands, and her cities will lie desolate forty years among ruined cities.
Matthew 4:2 - After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. (This was speaking about Jesus' time in the wilderness before he was tempted by Satan.)

What does it all mean? If you have any idea, let me know. And if not, I guess I'll just ask the big man himself when I get up there!

Eating Out

2009-09-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

OK, so I've been spending WAY too much money eating out lately (not to mention how unhealthy it is for Christina and I). Mainly it's just eating out with friends, grabbing lunch while we're hanging out together. For the sake of our health and pocketbook, I'm going to have to start eating at home more. The problem of course, is what do I do when I'm hanging out with my friends and it's lunch time? If we're at my place, I could always whip up some sandwiches and chips for us, but what about when we're out and about? I would feel a bit wierd brining a sack lunch with me, and I KNOW I'd have a very hard time resisting getting something if my friend wanted to eat out!

So if you're my friend and you're reading this, let me know if you have any ideas. I NEED to make a change, but I need my friends on board too!

Jack in the Box

2009-09-06T14:33:00.001-07:00

My friend Ashley and I took our kids to lunch with us at Jack in the Box on Friday (I know, I eat out a lot!). Christina decided it would be fun to play with the wet floor tent and put it on over her head. (You wouldn't even know she's in there except for the little legs at the bottom!)

At the Jack in the Box that we went to, they had two options for ordering. You could wait in line to speak to a person, or you could order your food from a kiosk. I decided to try out the kiosk, and it worked great. I even got finished ordering and paying before Ashley, even though she started first (she was ordering from a person). Although, she did get her food before I did. I was telling her, before we know it we'll be like the Jetsons, where you just tell a machine what you want to eat and it spits it out for you. Or maybe it will be like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, where you get a whole meal from one piece of gum.

Speaking of Johnny Dep (Did you follow my train of thought there?), I saw a picture of him from the new Alice in Wonderland movie that's coming out next year, and it's pretty freaky. This does NOT look like a kids movie!

McDonald's

2009-09-05T21:02:00.000-07:00

Christina's and my only outing today was a trip to McDonald's this evening. Sean is with his friends in Seattle enjoying the Penny Arcade Expo for the weekend (He just comes home to sleep, and two of his friends are staying with us. Then they take off early in the morning.). I was in a lazy mood today, so Christina and I mostly took turns watching our shows on TV (very productive, huh?). But I decided I wanted to try to get out of the house and do SOMETHING, and all I could really think of was to grab a bite to eat.

So we got our food at McD's and started to eat, then I remembered that we needed to pray. I asked Christina if she wanted me to pray or if she wanted to. She decided to pray this time, saying "Dear God, thank you for fries to eat. Amen." Then she said she wanted to pray for church (I had told her we're going to church tomorrow morning). So again she folded her hands and bowed her head, saying "Dear God, thank you for church. Amen." Watching Christina pray is just the highlight of my day. I'm not sure if she totally understands what it means - I've told her that when we pray we're talking to God, and she seems to get that. I pray all the time that she will grow up to have a closer relationship with God than I've ever had. I want that so much for her.

So after we were done eating we went out to the car, and as usual, Christina wanted to spend a few minutes sitting in the front seat and pretending to drive us home. Then she saw the full moon outside the window. She started reaching up to try to "touch" it, and I told her it was up so high, we'd have to fly in a rocket just to reach it. So she said she wanted to fly up in the rocket to get to the moon and then we could "throw it like a ball!" I guess from way down here it does look like a good size to throw around.

"Fireproof" Movie

2009-09-05T20:58:00.001-07:00

My friend Kristina loaned me this movie quite a while ago, but I just got around to watching it tonight. It was great. I highly recommend it to anyone who's married, especially anyone going through marital problems (and who hasn't?). The story lags a bit in spots, but the message is fantastic!

2009-08-26T13:31:00.001-07:00

The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old by Harvey Karp

My rating: 1 of 5 stars
The farther I got in this book, the less I liked it. Many of the authors methods - like "Patience Stretching" - are very manipulative. He even admits that it may seem like teasing, but he says that because a toddler's brain works differently than an adult's, it's actually an effective exercise. This guy does not follow Attachment Parenting at all, and a lot of what he advocates just makes me uncomfortable.

View all my reviews >>

2009-08-26T13:30:00.001-07:00

Things to Do with Toddlers and Twos by Karen Miller

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book gives some great ideas for activities to do with kids. It seems specifically written for day care centers, but most of the activities can also be done at home. There's also great advice on how to interact with kids and build their creativity. I especially like that there are recipes for homemade finger paint and play dough that cost a lot less than store-bought. Some of the activities are things that parents would most likely come up with on their own - playing with pots and pans, drawing, sand and water play, filling and emptying a bucket, blowing bubbles. But there are lots of new ideas as well, so this book is definitely worth checking out. Best of all, most of the activities don't require a lot of set-up - I hate it when I have to take 20 minutes to prepare an activity that only holds my daughter's attention for 5 minutes!

View all my reviews >>

2009-06-03T14:35:00.001-07:00

The Happiest Toddler on the Block: The New Way to Stop the Daily Battle of Wills and Raise a Secure and Well-Behaved One- to Four-Year-Old by Harvey Karp

My review

I'm only on page 47 so far. Really agree with the idea of viewing kids as little cave-people rather than little adults. But I hate it when books talk about "the good old days." In this case, it's the days when the village, not the nuclear family, raised the child, and kids could play outside by themselves without parents having to worry. I'm sure those days were great, but reminiscing often doesn't provide any actual help. Once you get past that, though, there are some really good pointers.

View all my reviews.

Blogging/Trip to the Zoo

2009-05-06T16:07:00.000-07:00

OK, so where do parents get the time to keep up with a blog? I mean, I know moms with two kids who keep a regular blog, and I can't do it with one! If you're paying attention, the last time I blogged was well over a year ago. Yet I know that this is the best time to blog, because there are so many little moments with Christina when I think "I need to remember this." But having a little kid taking up all of my attention, there's just no time to get on the computer, and when I do, I use my time to check email or check out a new website I read about. There's just so much information that I want to GET, it's hard to prioritize writing down my own stories.

Anyway, recently Christina and I went on a trip to the zoo in Seattle, and I actually remembered to bring my camera with me this time, so I got some pretty cool pictures.

Here she is checking out the flamingos next to a boy:

And here she is checking out the new penguin exhibit (Actually, the day we went, May 2nd, was the first day that the penguin exhibit was open.) :

There was also a peacock wandering around in the middle of the crowd - look how close Christina got to it! I had to make sure she didn't try to touch it. I know that a peacock's defense mechanism is spreading its feathers (of course, the question is, why then was it roaming free?).

Christina desparately wanted a penguin toy, since they had a big display of them out for the exhibit opening. But with a price tag of $16 for the big toy and $5 for the small one, I had to say no. (You may think I'm cruel, but it would have lost its novelty by the time we got home anyway.) She did, however, decide to have some pictures taken with them:

We also got to see some gorillas...

...and birds and snakes and bats and an armadillo. Even though it was raining pretty heavily by the time we left, all in all it was a very fun outing. I'm so glad I decided to get a membership for the year. In this one trip I don't think we even made it through a quarter of the zoo (With a young child, you've got to get home for naptime, so you can't be there all day!). So there will be many more trips to come!

Find your presidential candidate!

2007-12-07T23:40:00.000-08:00

This is a cool quiz that I learned about from a friend's blog:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/page?id=3623346

My results:
#1- Dennis Kucinich (who knew?)
#2- John Edwards
#3- Bill Richardson

Although I must admit after reading about their positions, I think I'd actually go with John Edwards.

Take it and see where the candidates stand with your personal beliefs - you might be surprised!

Frazzled parenthood

2007-11-15T00:23:00.000-08:00

Marriage is hard. Anyone who disagrees probably hasn't been married for that long. And it's made harder by adding a baby into the mix.

Don't get me wrong - I love Christina more than anyone on earth, and she is the biggest blessing of my life - I wouldn't trade her for anything. But parenthood adds a whole other level to a marriage relationship. All of a sudden there's this little person who's needs have to come ahead of your own, and many times ahead of the needs of your spouse. There are less (if any) deep, intimate conversations, because there's a baby demanding all of your time. And as far as intimacy goes...well, there's no more spontaneity, unless it's within the confines of nap-time. Basically, life stops revolving around you and your spouse, and starts revolving around the baby, and that's a tough transition.

According to an article I read recently in BabyMap magazine, 67 percent of new parents find that becoming a parent decreases happiness and relationship satisfaction within their marriage. No one tells you how tough it is taking care of a new baby, and no one tells you how it will change your relationship with your spouse - that "becoming parents can increase stresses and strains, alter values and goals, shift roles, diminish communication, and increase hostility...These aren't the changes we expected parenting to bring."

Sean and I came to the realization early on in our parenting journey that it's true what people say - "Don't have a baby in order to save a relationship." Because if your relationship isn't strong to begin with, having a baby will probably tear it apart. Of course I don't say this with any kind of research backing me up - just my own experience.

This transition is made more difficult for me when I hear from the other moms in the playgroups. It would seem as though I'm the only one having trouble - but I don't think I believe that. Because when I'm at the playgroups I usually play down any problems that I'm having to make it sound like it's easy for me too. Or I just avoid talking about my marriage and instead focus on my relationship with my daughter. Because it's normal for a new mom to complain a little bit about her struggles with parenthood - how the baby barely got any sleep last night or is unbelievably fussy because of a new tooth coming in. But when it comes to the argument that my husband and I had last night, or the fact that we hardly find time to connect anymore, I keep quiet. And I wonder if they do too, or if it really is that easy for them to keep their marriage strong in the midst of all these changes.

All I can do right now is lean on God for my strength and comfort. He's the one who brought this wonderful blessing into our lives, and certainly he will use that to build up our relationship and not tear it down. In the meantime, I resolve to take each day as it comes - to practice forgiveness and not hang on to past hurts - and to pray without ceasing (when I remember to!). If you are reading this post, perhaps you could pray for our family - and for all families going through this transition into parenthood. Because in my experience, it's not as easy as it may seem from someone on the outside looking in.

And if you know of any scripture that is particularly relevant to this subject, please let me know.

Thanks!

Car Trouble

2007-10-12T15:18:00.000-07:00

For those of you who haven't heard by now, Sean got into a car accident almost two weeks ago on his way home from work and rolled the car. He was exiting the interstate and coming around a curve in the road, and it had just rained so the roads were slick. He skidded out and the car rolled into a ditch. He said he was upside-down briefly, but the car came to rest on it's passenger side. Praise God that Sean was OK - he didn't have a bump or bruise on him. The car, however, was another story.

It was a Saturday, so the tow truck took our car to the tow yard for the weekend, and then to the collision center on Monday. The collision center didn't look at the car until Thursday, at which point they gave us a rough estimate of how much it would be to fix. However, the insurance adjuster didn't come out to look at the car until the following Tuesday, and we didn't hear back from him until Wednesday, at which point he told us that the car was totalled. Sean wasn't sure if there was much structural damage to the car or if it was mostly cosmetic, in which case he said we may just buy the car back from the insurance company and have it fixed up enough to be road-worthy. So he called the insurance adjuster back yesterday to discuss that option.

Today Sean told me that he's decided that we should just get another car - a decision which I'm happy with, because now we can get a four-door, which will be much easier with the baby! We don't have the money to make any payments on a new car, so we'll have to find a used one that's close to the amount we'll be getting from the insurance company. Of course now we have to mail them the title for the car, at which point they will mail us the check, so it will probably be at least late next week before we have a car again.

In the meantime, Sean's been taking the bus to work, which has not been pleasant for him. He leaves the house at about 5:30 in the morning and gets home between 5:00 and 5:30 in the evening. I've been stuck at home as usual while Sean's at work, but I also haven't been able to go over to my parent's place for dinner on Wednesday nights like usual, which has left me missing them. Thankfully I met a couple of moms online who have come over to my place for lunch this week, so I haven't been completely isolated.

Anyway, I hope we get some wheels pretty soon - you don't really realize how much you need something until it's gone, do you?

Homeschooling

2007-09-15T13:21:00.000-07:00

A couple of gals in a playgroup that I go to have told me that they are planning to homeschool their children. They were both homeschooled themselves when they were kids. At first I didn't really do anything with this information - after all, I went to public school and wouldn't know the first thing about homeschooling. But it kept nagging at me, so after some online research, I decided to take a corespondence course (see my "Homeschool Oasis" link for more info). Basically the course consists of reading a bunch of books about homeschooling and writing about what you're learning from them.

Let me start by saying that public schools serve their purpose very well, since many parents don't have the option of homeschooling or aren't interested in it. I have a very close friend who is a high school teacher, and I think that teachers have one of the most important and influential jobs in the world, second only to parents.

Having said that, a lot of what I'm reading is beginning to convince me that homeschooling Christina would be a good thing. For example:

Children learn in different ways and at different paces. Public school is only able to teach children in one way and at one pace because there are so many kids in each class. Individual attention is much more conducive to learning.

Public schooling does not teach a Christian world view. On the contrary - I remember in high school learning that evolution was a FACT, not a THEORY. I don't recall hearing anything about opposing viewpoints, such as that of intelligent design.

It seems as though the school system teaches children to have short attention spans. Kids are taught to focus on one subject completely for the hour or so that they are in class, but as soon as the bell rings, they must stop what they are doing to move on to the next subject, regardless of whether they are finished with their current project. The only time they have to catch up is at home, when they should be spending quality time with their family. (For more info on this particular view, read Dumbing Us Down by John Taylor Gatto - it's a fantastic book.)

Now the philosophy of homeschooling that I'm learning about is delight-directed learning. It's a form of "unschooling," where the belief is that children want to learn. You provide them with a good learning environment and lots of available activities, and let them lead the way. To quote an essay I read by Barb Shelton (the teacher of this course) entitled So What About Prepared Curriculum?:

"We have somehow gotten this view that 'education' is filling our kids' minds with facts and information. While that certainly enters the picture, it is NOT what true education is. Education is teaching them to think, cooperating with God in preparing them 'for the works he prepared for them to walk in,' allowing time for the stuff God breathed in them to come to life, and character building. This is why we are hearing so much about employers who are frustrated with what the traditional school system is giving them. The schools are not producing 'educated people' but rather 'schooled' kids whose minds are only 'puffed up with knowledge.'"

OK, so this is all some very convincing information, but here's where it gets a bit hazy. I was talking with someone the other day, and they asked me why I wanted to homeschool Christina. The first thing that came to my mind was that I wished I had been homeschooled when I was young. I even asked my mom to homeschool me at least a few times through middle school and high school, but she never pursued it. My main problem with school was the social aspect. It just felt like one big popularity contest, and I didn't want to participate. On top of that, the curriculum didn't move at my pace. The regular classes were too slow paced and easy for me, but the honors classes were too hard.

So now I'm thinking that maybe I just want to do this for my own reasons, because I had such a hard time in school. On top of that, I don't really know what kind of career I would want to pursue if Christina did go to school, so maybe I'm just looking to be a stay-at-home-mom for as long as I can. And since Christina is an only child, and I'm pretty sure it's going to stay that way, I'll have to really work to make sure she gets time to be with other kids, to learn the aspects of socialization. I know that I tend to lean toward being overprotective, and I'm afraid that by homeschooling, I would just be trying to protect Christina from the influences of the world. And while we should protect our children, I don't want it to become an unhealthy thing.

I was talking to Sean about this the other evening, and he said that whether I decide to homeschool Christina through the elementary grades probably won't make much of a difference, since she'd just be learning about the basics anyway (reading, writing and arithmetic). But once she gets to be at the age for middle school, it would be best to have her in the school system, since she'd be learning much more that I may not be capable of teaching her. While this is a good point, I keep thinking about Barb Shelton's quote about prepared curriculum. Isn't education more about giving Christina a love of learning and teaching her HOW to learn than it is about filling her mind with facts and information?

Anyway, I'm up in the air at this point. Thankfully I won't have to make a decision about this for quite some time, considering Christina isn't even 1 yet! ;-) But I'd love to hear what some of your opinions are on this subject, so please let me know what you think.

It goes by so fast!

2007-09-06T13:40:00.000-07:00

I'm amazed that it's been seven months already since Christina made her debut into the world. I try so hard to remember all of the little details about her as a newborn, but already the memories seem to have faded. Maybe I was just so frantic and stressed out during those first few months that the memories didn't even form - I was in a daze of new-mommy'hood. The few things that I do remember never seem to get written down. I'm afraid that one day Christina will ask me what she was like as a baby, and I'll have no recollection at all! So here are some of the things I don't want to forget:

I was so nervous taking Christina out of the hospital to go home. We left the hospital around 8:00 PM, and it was a cold night, being that it was January 20th. I was so afraid that the cold air would somehow harm her tiny body. I bundled her up and held her very close.

When Sean was driving us home from the hospital, he was so cautious and nervous. And we had our seats positioned just about as far forward as they would go, so we wouldn't risk bumping into the car seat in the back. Even though Christina had cried when we first put her in the car, she fell asleep once we got moving. It was such a big moment for me, because I knew that once we got home we would actually be parents - no help from the nursing staff - just us!

I slept on the couch in the living room with Christina until she was about four months old. From that first night when we brought her home, she decided she wanted nothing to do with her crib - she wanted to be in Mama's arms. And she was so sensitive, especially during the first two months. I would walk around the apartment or sit in the rocking chair with her in my arms until she fell asleep. Then I would ever-so-slowly try to move over to the couch and lay down with her tucked into the crook of my arm. Half of the time she'd wake right back up and start crying again, so I'd start all over. I think it kept her calm to feel my breath on her face - I know that sounds odd, but if I moved my face away from hers, her eyes would pop right open.

Well, Sean just got home from work, and the baby will probably be waking up pretty soon, so that's all I'll write about for now. I'll try to add more later as it comes to mind - there are so many things about her newborn days that I don't want to forget!