Don't Cry Over Spilled Coffee

What a day!

God must have given me an extra dose of patience when I woke up this morning!

So far, we've had two doctor's appointments, two changes of clothes, a jaunt through the pouring rain, and a spilled cup of coffee.

Not just any coffee. Starbucks coffee.

A Christian comedienne I like is Anita Renfroe. She has a bit about Starbucks where she says, "In my family, we call it Fourbucks, because that's how much it costs to go there."

Today, I may as well have thrown four bucks in a puddle on the street and driven right through it.

This afternoon was my annual girly exam. No fun. I have begun a tradition in which after such unpleasant medical procedures, I reward myself with my favorite Starbucks poison. (Grande Raspberry Mocha without whipped cream, for those of you who must know!) I drank a little bit of it in the car on my way to pick up Lancelot from the babysitter.

I stayed and chatted with the babysitter who happens to be a good friend of mine for awhile. Had I left her house 5 minutes earlier than I did, I would have avoided a great deal of unpleasantness. As I was walking to the car, baby and diaper bag in hand, the heavens opened up and spilled forth. Torrentially. Babysitter offered me the use of her umbrella so Lancelot would not get wet. She offered to let me keep it for awhile so I could get into my house nice and dry. I took her up on the offer.

If I declined the use of the umbrella, I would have avoided about half of the unpleasantness of the day.

Once I arrived home (well, to the parking lot of the apartment complex that is,) I was very happy to have the umbrella. I very precariously propped it up between my shoulder and the roof of the car as I bent over to release Lancelot from the chair of torture, er, I mean the carseat.

My cup of Fourbucks, still nice and warm and waiting to be enjoyed, was also on the roof of the car. Big mistake.

I bent over just the wrong way, and the edge of the umbrella knocked the cup of coffee over. Of course, it couldn't knock it towards the back of the car or the opposite direction from me. It came, much like the rain, spilling forth on top of me. Coffee spilled on my shirt, my jeans, the diaper bag, Lancelot, and all over the backseat of my car.

I rushed inside, ripped off Lancelot's onesie and my shirt and tossed them in the washing machine so hopefully the stains won't set.

Murphy was giggling. A lot.

I managed to save the last few sips of my Fourbucks, so once we were both in dry, coffee-free clothes I was able to enjoy a portion of my reward.

Sigh. What a day!

Mommy, Mommy, Are We There Yet??

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.”
~ Oswald Chambers ~

As a child, I can remember taking long car trips every year for our annual camping excursion up in the Sequoia Mountains. It was a 6 hour car ride and to my 9-year old sensibilities seemed like an eternity. (Especially with a baby sister who kept touching me and scooting over to my side!) Every few minutes I would inquire of my patient parents, "Are we there yet??" The standard response to this question was "In about three hours." Once I realized that no matter how long it was actually going to be, my hilarious father would respond with "in about three hours," and then I stopped asking the question.

I may not have known where I was being led or long it was going to take to get there, but I knew my father would not drive us into oblivion. He would get us where we were going safely.

When I saw this quote by Oswald Chambers, it brought back those memories. How much are we like little children inquiring of God, "Are we there yet?" Once we know our Father and learn that He will always get us to where we are going safely, we no longer have need to ask that question because we know Him and love Him, and it ultimately doesn't matter where He leads us. Wherever He is, is where we want to go.


If you'd like to post your thoughts on this topic and join the CWO Tuesday 'In Other Words,' click on over to Iris at Sting My Heart. Read what other people have to say and share your own thoughts, too!

Wordless Wednesday: Avalanche Ranch!!

I guess I need a few words to explain the next few pictures.

Last week, our church had our Vacation Bible School. The theme was "Avalanche Ranch" and the sanctuary was dressed to the 9s to look the part! (We have a fabulous interior designer who does the decorations for VBS every year. She outdoes herself each year! On the stage was a log cabin and a horse, there were clouds strung up from the ceiling, and a pine tree forest in the choir loft. It was incredible.)

Anyway. The church was all decorated and ready on Saturday, which is when we have one of our contemporary services. Hubby, Damselfly and myself are in the band called Renanah which does the music for the service. Being the goofballs that we all are, we decided to dress to match the decor. We didn't play country music, though, although if you gave us banjos and washboards we sure would have looked the part!!



That's my sweet hubby playing guitar!!




A couple people told me that I look like Shania Twain in that hat. Aww! :)




We don't normally all wear hats like that. :)



Ride 'em, Cowboy!

A Question

For those of you who share a bathroom with the significant male in your life-

Do all men have pitiful aim, or am I just lucky???

A Cute Picture of My Kid

Because it's my blog and I can.

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 5

I didn't lose any weight this week. In fact, I gained some weight. However, I also went to the gym four times, drank plenty of water, and made a conscious effort to add fruits and veggies to my diet.

This week also happens to be my monthly ride on the crimson tide, so perhaps I'm retaining all that extra water I drank!

While it's disappointing to see the numbers go up on the scale, I'm happy to report that I am indeed establishing healthier habits and I can feel it. I have more energy and stamina, I'm sleeping better, and my clothes fit better.

Pooh on you, Mr. Scale.


Here are the numbers:

Starting weight: 157
Last week: 151.2
This week: 153.2

Total weight loss- 3.5 pounds (I'm keeping my button though, because I *did* lose 5 pounds! I just have to lose a couple of them again! lol!)

Of Zerbits and Funny Faces

My little man's personality is starting to come out!

He loves to give kisses, which consist of a sloppy zerbit-like (some call it raspberries,) slobbery kiss on the cheek. He also loves to receive zerbits on his belly. He laughs and laughs!

He's starting making some funny faces! He's learned to crinkle up his nose and lips in an expression of disgust, as though he was detecting an unpleasant odor. (I'll try to get a picture of it. It's the funniest thing you ever saw!) Hubby and I were in stitches last night, trying to get him to make the face! He happily obliged, and hilarity ensued for much of the evening.

He talks! He tries to, anyway. He just babbles away at anyone who'll listen. Two of his favorite "words" are "ah-blah" and "deb-deb." lol! He also smacks his lips making a popping noise. Last night we were sitting in the church service and he just kept doing this over and over. It was cute, but distracting other people so I had to take him out! (Our church does have a nursery available and we usually put him in there, but because I wasn't singing with the band last night, I decided to keep him with me. I had attended a Women of Faith conference that day and only arrived at church halfway through the evening service. I will write a post about Women of Faith later on. It was incredible!!)

As I've been sitting here typing this, I've been keeping an ear out for when he falls asleep for his morning nap. The nursery is now quiet, so I'm off to shower and get dressed and have breakfast. Have a lovely day!

Prayer Request

Good afternoon!

Today, my sister is on an airplane heading for the Dominican Republic on a 2-week mission trip. She will be working in a medical clinic. Please pray for safe travel, protection while abroad, and that God will use her in a mighty way. Also that she will have life-changing experiences and come to know God's will for her life.

This is her second mission trip. A couple of years ago she went to Uganda. She really has a heart to minister to those in other countries who may not have learned who our God is. She's really amazing for a 20-year old!

Here is a photo of us when we were children. I'm on the left, my grandfather is in the middle, and Natalie is on the right. Looking at the picture, I'm guessing I was about 9 and she must have been 5. Enjoy!

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 4

I sure am glad our weekly weigh-in occurs on Tuesday, because for some reason, my weight shoots up on the weekend but plunges back down by Tuesday morning. Very strange. I always get very discouraged on Saturday and Sunday when I check my weight, but every Tuesday morning I am pleasantly surprised by what I see! Maybe I'm subconsciously making an extra effort on Monday because I know I'll be weighing in Tuesday. Who knows?

Here are this week's numbers.

Starting weight: 157
Last week: 152.6
This week: 151.2

Total weight loss: 5.8 pounds

Yahoo!! Now I can get my "I Lost 5 pounds" button. Tee hee!

Stories and Photos of our Camping Trip...

...are not to be found here.

We are having some weird computer problems, prohibiting me from uploading pics from our camping trip with Damselfly.

Fortunately for you, she has written a post about our camping trip and included LOTS of pictures, so head on over there to find out all about it!

A quick update...

I have neither the time nor the energy to put into a fun-filled witty blog post peppered with cute descriptions of things, so I'll keep things short and sweet for now!

The camping trip was great! Lancelot behaved admirably with the exception of waking up at 1:30 am and staying up for an hour. I carried him around the campsite and sang to him. I hope I didn't wake up the whole campground!

While on the trip, Damselfly introduced me to a new hobby- geocaching!! It's so much fun! It's basically a treasure hunt. People hide these "caches," usually plastic containers filled with goodies in hollowed out trees, under rocks, etc etc etc, and provide you with the GPS coordinates to find them. All you need to do this hobby is a handheld GPS unit and a sense of adventure! Sometimes they (the cache hiders--- it can be anyone. Damselfly hid one in a local park, and I found that one, too! hehe!) give hints to find it, sometimes not. At the park, we found 2 geocaches! After that, I went to the geocaching website and registered an account. It's fun and FREE and great to do with kids. (Not so great with babies. You sometimes find yourself trudging through swamp and bush to find the cache!)

We're having trouble with our computer, so I can't post pictures yet, but I promise I will as soon as I am able.

Have a lovely evening!

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 3

I don't know what it is, but knowing that I'm going to be posting my weight on my blog for all the world to see seems to be working!!

The May Day Weight Loss Challenge has been on for three weeks now, and I'm proud to say that I did well this week! I went to the gym 3 times, went on a camping trip this weekend where I was *very* active, and I drank more water. I still need to watch my intake of potato chips and french fries. Those are my weakness. Especially when going out to eat. However, this week I also cooked 5 dinners (which is a lot for me,) so not only did I save us money on take-out and restaurants, I ate healthier than I would have, resulting in a 1 1/2 pound weight loss for the week!

I know that 1 1/2 pounds doesn't sound like a lot, but I would rather consistently lose weight than lose a whole bunch all at once and then put it right back on. The changes I am making are small, but they are things that I will always be able to do. I'm not "on a diet," I'm just trying to make healthier choices. For example, we ordered pizza during the week. I did not allow myself to go for seconds, which I would have done before. When making a sandwich, I use multigrain bread instead of white. (Pepperidge Farm makes a good one called "Light Style 7 Grain" that's really nice.)

I didn't do as well with my house exercises. I only went for walks in our neighborhood maybe two days, and I really failed when it came to my daily handweight exercises and abdominal crunches and situps. I'll work on that this week.

Here are the numbers so far:

Starting weight: 157
Last week: 154
This week: 152.6

Here's to a fabulous 4th week!!

Off to the Wilderness!!

Well, I'm in the middle of packing for our Memorial Day Weekend camping trip!!! Damselfly and her family along with two other families from our church are going camping Sunday night! It's only a one-night deal, but we thought that would be best considering the babies have never been camping before and we have no idea what to expect! (Also, Damselfly and I are singers in our church praise and worship band, my husband is our guitar player, and two other guys who are going on the trip with us are also in the band, (bass player and horns,) and we had to play for our Saturday Night Alive service tonight!)

I'm excited but also a little nervous. I love camping. I adore it. The last time I went camping was in 2003, on the 4th of July weekend. (That's when hubby proposed to me! It was so sweet!)

It'll be wonderful to get in the great outdoors!

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend. I plan on being back with pictures Tuesday!

See ya then,

Guinevere :)

Lancelot waves hello!

Lancelot wanted to say hello to his mommy's blog pals!

He's just started sitting up on his own, but he tips over a lot. I set him in his play pen surrounded by pillows so he would stay up. I took this photo while wearing plastic gloves, because I was in the middle of cleaning my shower, but he just looked so cute! There was no time to remove the gloves. I'm amazed I was able to work the tiny little controls on the camera!

I Need A Clone

Of myself, that is.

Lancelot is napping. Yay! Now I simply have to make a selection from many activities with which to occupy myself for the next 45 minutes to an hour.

I can shower and get dressed, or I can sleep.
I can eat breakfast, or I can sleep.
I can run the vacuum cleaner, or I can sleep.
I can pull out the meat to thaw for tonight's dinner, or I can sleep.
I can wash dishes, or I can sleep.
I can file a huge stack of papers, or I can sleep.
I can fill out paperwork for my new job, or I can sleep.
I can practice music for this week's church service, or I can sleep.
I can blog, or I can sleep.

So many things to do.

What, oh what, shall I choose?

I think this time, I will select showering, getting dressed, and breakfast, because I have to be somewhere at 10. Otherwise I would probably sleep.

That pile of papers has been waiting to be moved to the top of my priority list for 6 months. I've set up a nice filing system, I just need to get the darned things in the files!! Now that Lancelot can sit up by himself, maybe I'll bring his play yard in here with some toys while I work on filing. Hm. That's not a bad idea. Cool. Isn't it neat how ideas come to you while typing??

What a load of pooie!!

Awesome Mom is having a contest for the best poop story.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about a particularly unusual day in which poop plays the part of the antagonist. You can read about it here. If you have a good poop story yourself, post and join in!

I Got A Job!!!!!!!!!!!

Woohoo!!!

I got a job!!

This coming up school year, I will be the new music teacher for our local Christian preschool! I'm so excited! I'll teach music classes to 2, 3, and 4-year olds, and run two chapel services a week. It's great because it's part-time, so I won't be away from Lancelot too long! It will be such a blessing to our family to have a little bit of extra income, too. This is my first "real job." I've worked various temp jobs or things outside of my field, but they don't count. This is for an entire school year and I'll be a real teacher!! Because it's a preschool I don't have to have a degree, which is good, because I'm not done with my degree yet. All I have left is student teaching! When Lancelot is old enough to attend preschool, I'll go back and do that and become a 100% fully certified teacher, then who knows what will happen??

I'm so happy! I'm jumping up and down and giggling over here! tee hee!

Have a lovely day!

Weight Loss Challenge: Week 2

Well, another week has come and gone!

I'm down another two pounds!!! Yippeee!!!

Starting weight: 157
Current weight: 154
Total loss: 3 pounds
Workouts: 3 days in the gym, house exercises the rest of the week (crunches, squats, leg lifts, etc.) Also stroller walks!

You may notice that my numbers this week are higher even though I'm reporting a 3 pound weight loss. I bought a new scale this week, but it registers 3 pounds higher than the old one, so I'm adjusting my previous numbers up by 3 to account for the difference. I don't like the higher numbers, but it's still a 3-pound weight loss no matter where you start!

Sweet, Blissful, Freedom

Ahhhhh.

Perfection.

3 solid hours of peace and quiet to do with whatever I like.

I'm being a naughty girl and skipping out on my weekly bible study group this evening in exchange for sweet freedom. I'm not normally this desperate for me-time, but this has been an unusual week. Between hubby being sick the whole week long and my babysitter being on vacation, I haven't had a minute to myself!

I know. I'm spoiled. A babysitter twice a week so I can do whatever I want? A loving hubby who comes home from work and takes over for me? I'm a lucky gal.

This week was different. Hubby was home, but he was in bed, so it was me with Lancelot 24/7 this week. It's exhausting. I don't know how single mothers do it! (If any of you are single mothers, I greatly admire your stamina and patience!!)

So tonight, I asked Hubby if he would take Lancelot to our bible study and I would stay home. He did! I spent the evening working on my scrapbook, which I haven't touched for months! I think I did four two-page layouts. (Well, one of the two-page layouts had been done at a workshop a long time ago and all I did was add the photos!)

It was so nice. I just finished putting my supplies away, popped a frozen pizza in the oven, and started writing this post.

A perfect evening!

To top it off, after Hubby and Lancelot get home, I'll give the baby a bath and feed him, put him to bed, then get into my nice new cuddly-soft bathrobe and drink a glass of wine.

Ahhhh.

The Bread-Throwing Leprechaun

In my house, we keep our bread on top of the refrigerator.

Evidently, the bread is not the only thing taking up residence on top of the refrigerator.

We have a bread-throwing leprechaun living up there.

Most of the time, he doesn't bother us. But every once in awhile, we must do something to anger him, because for days on end, every time someone opens the fridge door, this little doofus throws the bread at the unfortunate refrigerator-door-opener.

I will innocently approach the refrigerator with the sole intention of removing a cold can of Diet Coke Plus. No harm meant to anyone. I just want to quench my thirst.

The Leprechaun doesn't want me to have a Diet Coke Plus. He becomes angry and starts hurling bags of bread at me. For no good reason!

Currently, there is a bag of white bread, a bag of multigrain bread, hot dog buns, whole wheat sub rolls (for tonight's dinner of meatball subs, YUM!), and two packages of tortillas.

This little guy has plenty of ammunition.

I honestly don't know what I did to anger the bread-throwing leprechaun, nor why he chooses to follow us to every home in which we reside. (This is our third apartment in three years. Thank goodness we signed a lease for another year. That'll be at least two years in one place without moving!!! The next time we move, it will be into a house. There we will stay for a long time. Hopefully sans bread-throwing leprechauns.)

Do you have mythical beings living in your home that like to wreak havoc and commit mischief? If so, I'd love to hear about it. Maybe we can get them all together, pack them in a box, and send them to wherever it was that Garfield tried to mail Nermal. Anyone with me??!!

Stand Up and Be Counted

...or sit up, as the case may be!

Within the last couple of days, Lancelot has started sitting up all by himself!! Unfortunately, he doesn't stay up long enough for me to grab the camera and snap a pic for you, but hopefully in the next couple of days he will!

I went to lunch yesterday with Damselfly and our friend Roo, and both Flybaby and Lancelot were sitting in high chairs!!! I can't begin to tell you how much easier it is to eat at a restaurant when Lancelot can sit in a high chair! He seemed to really enjoy it. I wedged him in there with a blanket since he's still a little tippy. It was so cute though!

I'm off to peruse my cookbooks to plan dinners for the next week. I've realized if I don't plan ahead and shop ahead of time for ingredients, we end up eating out too much and spending way more money than is necessary for food. Anyone have any great one-dish meals they'd like to share? I'm a crockpot and casserole kind of gal, I just need some fresh ideas!

A few days ago, I posted a pity party for myself. Thanks to everyone for the good thoughts and comforting words!

Later that day, after I posted, hubby asked me to take him to the hospital. I brought him to the emergency room. Some friends met us there and took Lancelot to their house for the evening. The poor little guy was terrified! He knew these people, but the situation was unfamiliar. As I put him into their car, he looked up at me as if to say, "Why are you sending me with these people?" I wanted to cry, but I had another sad baby in the waiting room! Once Lancelot arrived at their house, (which *was* a familiar place,) he calmed down and was fine.

They hooked an IV up and did a CAT scan. The diagnosis for hubby? Diverticulitis. Inflammation of the intestines. His pain was unbearable. He could barely move. I found out from a friend who knows someone with diverticulitis that the pain is as bad as or worse than childbirth! (The woman who said this has three children, so I'm sure she's telling the truth!) Poor hubby. That must have been horrible for him.

Anyhoo. He's been home all week on very strong medications and is slowly getting better. He'll have to change his diet, but he should be fine.

In the meantime, I have been kept very busy! I didn't realize how much of a difference it made to have him "take over" in the evenings when he got home from work. Just four days of this and I'm worn out.

I hope he gets better soon!!!

Week One Weigh-In

Well, week one of the May Day Weight Loss Challenge is over! I only joined in on Thursday, so I'm only 4 days into it, but here are my results.

Starting weight: 154
Current weight: 153
Gym workouts: 3 days

Wish me luck in the week ahead!

A Pity Party, If You Will.

Sniff sniff.

I need bloggy hugs from my friends today!

My first Mother's Day is a complete bust.

My poor husband. He didn't mean to suddenly come down with horrible stomach pains, requiring him to stay in bed all day long. Also preventing us from going out on our friend's boat with Damselfly for the evening. Wah.

Little Lancelot doesn't know that today is special. He didn't purposely spend much of the day screaming, whilst my ill husband lay in bed, unable to assist me.

And the good folks who keep the shelves stocked at Target didn't know that I was looking for a particular photo album. It's not their fault that my afternoon outing to cheer myself up was also a bust.

I'm pathetic. I know. I'm not mad at my husband or Lancelot, but it is kind of a bummer.

They did get me a lovely present that I was able to open today. I've had my eye on The Sweetest, Softest Robe in The World from Bath and Body Works for some time now. Every time I go into the store, I bury my face in it. I'm sure the salespeople thought I was very strange. Anyway, I dropped a very large, unsubtle hint that I wanted it, so hubby went and got it for me! The sweetheart!

Hubby feels so bad! He said he wanted to do so many nice things for me today. I don't want for him to feel guilty! I'm sure I'll get one heck of a mother's day do-over, though!

Sigh. I feel a little better now, thanks for letting me whine!

On a happier note, here is a picture of Lancelot and I in the swimming pool. It was his first time in the pool, and he loved it!!

Isn't that swim ring cool? I had never seen one before that was a double baby/mommy ring! I don't remember the brand name, but I got it at Babies R Us.

A Napping Dilemna

My son used to be an exquisite napper.

I prided myself on how good a mother I was because my son went down for naps so easily.

I was probably quite smug about it.

Turns out it had nothing to do with me.

Because now he's not an exquisite napper anymore.

He still takes naps, so I'm grateful for that, but I'm a little dumbfounded. I was very spoiled. I would see the first signs of fatigue, I would carry him for a few minutes, sing a lullabye, set him in his crib, and within minutes he would be off to dreamland. Lucky me!

Now, at the first signs of fatigue, I bounce him up and down for half an hour until the eyes droop and he's nearly asleep. Then I sing him a lullabye, set him in his crib, and he lies there fussing for a really long time. Now that he's able to roll over, he flips himself onto his back and gets all worked up because he hates being on his back. (Before he could do that, he would fuss and squirm for 3 or 4 minutes but would eventually fall asleep. Now he wakes himself up.) So now getting him to sleep is sometimes an hour and a half process.

He's getting heavy. I can't keep picking him up and bouncing him for 30-45 minutes.

I need some new tricks.

I'm trying not to be too upset because hey, at least he DOES nap. I just now spend the better part of my day trying to GET him to fall asleep.

This too, shall pass, I know.

Just asking for ideas from those of you who have been there before!

Weight Loss Challenge

I found something wonderful! (Thanks, Susan!)

This is just what I need. During my pregnancy, I put on a lot of weight. About twice what the doctor wanted me to put on. As such, I'm having a hard time getting it off! So, Tales from the Scales is sponsoring a weight loss challenge. There's a weekly weigh-in and you can get fun buttons for your blog with every five pounds you lose! Fun stuff! So go have a look if you also want to get in on the fun.

As part of the deal, you are to post your weight loss goals and other health-related goals. Before joining this challenge, I have already made a few changes:

1. Eliminate liquid calories with the exception of milk and orange juice. No sugary sodas or "fruit drinks." Coke Zero, iced tea with splenda, and lots of water.

2. Switched to multi-grain bread. The only time I have white bread is if we are out at a restaurant and wheat bread is not an option.

3. Reduce pasta and potatos. This includes potato chips and french fries, which are two of my major weaknesses. However, now that I've started eating healthier foods, I crave these items less and less.

4. Increase fruits and veggies.

5. Daily walks with Lancelot in the stroller (weather permitting) and 3-4 visits to the gym per week. I do this when hubby gets home in the evening. This accomplishes several things: I get a "mommy-break," he gets some downtime and/or daddy/son time. If I time my trip to the gym with Lancelot's evening snooze, then it's really good for hubby. He doesn't get much downtime anymore, poor guy!


I will continue these things throughout the weight loss challenge. In addition, I plan on adding some hand-weight exercises and abdominal crunches on a daily basis. Those are easy to fit in. Put Lancelot in his jumperoo, and he thinks I'm entertaining him. lol! It only takes a few minutes to do some crunches and a few sets of weight exercises.

My total weight loss goal by the end of this challenge (which is sometime in September, by the way,) is 30 pounds. I will report to you weekly my gains/losses. If any of you would like to join me, good luck to you!

Wordless Wednesday

Because I can't resist posting cute pictures of my kid!! Lancelot just adores his Pooh-Bear!

Sometimes You Feel Like a Mom, Sometimes You Don't

It just hit me the other day.

I am a mom.

I got a phone call from our church nursery asking for "parent volunteers" to take turns once every two months working a shift in the nursery. For a minute, I thought they had the wrong number. "Parent Volunteers" drive minivans. "Parent volunteers" do their kids' fundraisers for them. "Parent volunteers" make cookies for bake sales. "Parent volunteers" arrange "holiday parties" for their kid's classrooms. Parents were way, way, older than me. How can I be a parent when my own parents are still older than me? I haven't caught up to them, how could I be in the same club? Hmm?

I'm not a parent. Can't be! I'm 25. I haven't finished college, for goodness sake. Yes, I have a son, but I'm not a parent. Am I?

When did this change take place?

When I think of what a mom is, I think of my own mom. So grown up, so adult and mature. I'd come home from school and she'd be sewing, or getting dinner ready, or doing some kind of housework. Adults were boring. When they had parties, all they did was sit around and talk. No fun!!

Wait a minute. When I hang out with my friends, we... sit around and talk.

I spend my days taking care of the house.

But I don't feel like a mom! I still feel like a college kid. I'm just me, I'm who I always was, but now with a baby.

This is very weird.

I don't mean to disparage motherhood. I love being a mother! It just hadn't hit me yet that along with being a mother comes...being a mother. Does that make sense?

Updates

I seem to have gotten over my writer's block, for the moment.

There are some exciting things going on!! *Unofficially,* I will be the new preschool music teacher at a local Christian school. I went today to watch the 3-year olds rehearse for their spring program, and they were so cute! I'm going back later next week to observe some classes and discuss details of employment with the preschool director. This would be a great opportunity for me to make some extra money while not abandoning my post as "mother," as it is a part-time position. Already I have managed to find childcare for at least 3 days, which may be enough. I'm very excited about this! The whole thing kind of fell into my lap. In my experience, when good things fall into my lap like that, they're usually gifts from God and I would be foolish to turn them down.

An additional update- a very good friend of mine will be helping me set up a photography website! (You know who you are, very good friend. As your "real" name will most likely be on the website somewhere, I'm keeping your identity secret unless you'd like the publicity! lol!) I have enjoyed photography as a hobby and I've been wanting to set up an online gallery for some time. This very good friend of mine is excellent at designing websites, so I'm excited for the opportunity to get it up and running! When it is, I'll post the link so everyone can check it out.

Let's see. What else? The families of Damselfly, our friend Roo and myself are planning a camping trip on Memorial Day weekend!!! Yay! We don't know how it will go camping with babies. We're only camping one night as a trial run. Then hopefully this fall when the weather isn't so morbidly hot, we'll take more camping trips with the little'uns. Any suggestions from those of you who are more outdoorsy? (Any Canucks in particular who like to get back to nature, albeit somewhat wildly? lol!)

Well I guess that's all for now.

Wait, I think I'll share what I'm cooking for dinner tonight.

Chicken fajitas! Yippee!! Last week, I roasted a chicken and I have a ton of leftover meat and I was trying desperately hard to figure out what to do with it. (I am NOT creative in the kitchen. If I don't have a recipe in front of me, I could have an entire grocery store full of food in the house and not be able to figure out what to cook. Anyhoo.) I'm going to cut up the rest of the chicken, grill it with some taco seasoning and we'll have fajitas. All I need from the store are tortillas, lettuce, and cheese. Very easy. Now all I need is a side dish. Maybe spinach dip? Hmm.

What else have I got to tell you?

Nothing. I'm going to go take a nap now. Have a lovely day!

Writer's Block

I need some help. I can't think of a single thing to write about. Suggestions??

Eau de Baby

A little while back, one of you dear readers was posting about a new fragrance that supposedly was "baby-scented." (Whoever it was, drop me a line and I'll give you proper credit. I just can't remember who it was!) Well, I thought and thought, and I think I came up with a new recipe for a fragrance to truly smell like a baby. While all of us mothers know instantly how heavenly that sweet, right-out-of-the-tub fragrance of our freshly bathed children is like, that scent only lasts for awhile. Most of the day, it's something like this:

1. Essence of freshly-soiled diapers
2. A few drops of drool right out of the baby's mouth
3. Day-old dried babyfood directly from the bib
4. A dash of Desitin
5. And finally, you could not make Eau de Baby without a whiff of full diaper pail.

Have I forgotten anything?

Today I had yet another chiropractic visit. (They're going very well, by the way. I feel so much better, I'm sleeping better, and my back does not get so sore. I was going twice a week for a little while for the adjustments, now it's every other week. Hooray! lol!) Anyhoo, my chiropractor is allergic to most fragrances, so they have a sign posted requesting their patients not to wear perfumes or colognes. (he gets headaches, apparently.) I completely forgot this, even though I've looked at this sign many times over the past month. This morning, I was so desperate not to smell like the concoction I described above that I used some fragrant body lotion and a spray of perfume. (That's very rare, folks!) So here I am, thinking of how un-frumpy I look and smell, and then I'm reminded of the chiropractor's allergies. I felt SO BAD! He didn't say anything to me, but I still felt bad. Next time I'll remember!

What Was Lost Has Now Been Found!!

I'm giddy!

My husband found a CD of mine that I have been looking for. For months. I thought it had gone. I searched the box of CDs that we have yet to unpack from our move a year ago. I searched in my car. I even searched my parent's house in case I left it there when I moved out. But alas, it was nowhere to be found.

I gave it up for dead.

I knew I wouldn't be able to find another copy of it anywhere because it was one of those generic compilation CDs and I couldn't even remember the name of it. All I knew was that it had old-fashioned big band music, and even then I only remembered the titles to a couple of songs. There are TONS of CDs like that, but I didn't want just any one. I wanted mine.

And yesterday, my husband found it! He has slowly been unpacking all the boxes in the office full of his computer stuff and techno gadgets, and apparantly my beloved CD found its way in there. (This box has moved with us to three different apartments, and this is the first time it has been opened.) Wonder of wonders!

I was thrilled. I did a little happy dance right there in the office.

It's good to find joy in the little things!

And Murphy Giggled

It all started with my choice of wardrobe this morning.

My new white v-necked tee from my favorite store. I hadn't worn it but once, and was looking forward to going out and about the town in it today. Today is a busy day; Tuesday Morning Mom's Group at church, music rehearsal with friend Missy, then a chiropractic appointment. All of these things are things in which I want to look presentable. I don't want to appear as I do around the house; hair swept up in a messy ponytail, shirt wrinkled and damp from holding a baby and catching his drool.

As I put on my new shirt, I heard a faint giggling somewhere. I ignored it.

I shouldn't have.

It wasn't just any giggle. It was Murphy.

You know. Him. The one whose law states "If it can go wrong, it will."

The first couple of hours went smoothly. My Tuesday Morning Mom's Group went great. Lancelot was in the nursery, so my shirt was as yet unwrinkled or damp. It was lovely. It looked just like a new white shirt ought to look.

When we got home, it was time to feed Lancelot. I selected carrots.

I faintly heard a giggle, but I ignored it.

I shouldn't have.

It was Murphy.

Lancelot eagerly thrust his hand in the little plastic container and promptly smeared carrots all over his khaki pants. (Thank heavens my white shirt was saved. I was smart enough to drape a dish towel over myself. I learned yesterday with my new yellow shirt that babies aren't the only ones who need bibs.) It wouldn't be so bad if these khaki pants belonged to me. No, they are a generous loan from Damselfly. Her little Flybaby wore them, but grew out of them, and as Lancelot is three months younger than Flybaby, she ever so kindly lent them to us. (Thanks, Damselfly! I'll do my best to get the carrot stains out of them...) I immediately took the pants off of Lancelot and tossed them in the laundry pile, vowing to throw them in the machine as soon as he was done eating.

I heard a faint giggle, but I ignored it. I shouldn't have. It was Murphy.

After feeding Lancelot (and when I intended to throw the clothes in the laundry so that the pants that do not belong to me will not be stained,) I realized that the nursery workers who took care of my little munchkin during Tuesday Morning Moms did not change his diaper. He was soaked. Absolutely drenched. So it was off to the changing table.

I have never seen such a wet diaper. All the books say that you should give your child a few minutes of diaperless time to prevent diaper rash and to allow their skin to get some air. I had never done this before, so I thought now would be a good time to try. After all, he had been in a sopping wet diaper for who knows how long, and I could tell by looking at his poor, wrinkled-up skin that he really needed it. So, I grabbed the waterproof cover and a blanket and set him up in the living room. I removed his diaper, set him on his tummy on the waterproof cover which was over the blanket, and put out a few toys for him to play with. I was starving, so I went into the kitchen to heat up last night's leftovers.

Very softly, there was a faint giggle. I ignored it. I shouldn't have. It was Murphy!!!

I was in the kitchen for two minutes. That's all. But that's all it took.

I came back into the living room expecting to see my son happily playing with the little toys.

What I saw instead looked like a sewer that had ruptured underground and spilled forth onto my son, the waterproof cover, the blanket, and his clothes. Of course.

I set down my lunch. (Pork roast and homemade bread from last night. Yummy! My absolute favorite!) It'll have to wait a minute.

And Murphy giggled.

It wasn't just a minute. See, this poo was all over the place. It took about 10 wipes to remove the mess from my son's skin, then there was still his clothes, the waterproof cover, and blanket to take into account.

I put a fresh diaper on the kiddo and yank his shirt off of him. I ball up the shirt, waterproof cover, and blanket into a wad, and add it to the pile with the khaki-pants-that-don't-belong-to-me-but-have-carrot-stains-on-them. Then it's off to the bathroom and he gets a bath. In the middle of the day. He loved it!

And there my lunch was, all lonely and getting cold.

There it is, another giggle!

By now, my new white shirt that I was planning to wear all day to impress my friends with how un-Momlike I can maintain my appearance is wrinkled, damp, and smells of bodily fluids. (Fortunately, no stains. I guess Murphy had SOME mercy on me!)

I removed my new white shirt and replaced it with a ratty maternity tank top. The ultimate in frumpy Momness. Blech. I adored this tank top while I was pregnant. It was great. It kept me as cool as I could possibly be in our Florida heat. But now, I don't want to look pregnant anymore. I'm still carrying around a bit of baby weight, so when I wear the maternity shirts which are cut to allow for extra weight, I look pregnant! Grr.

Murphy isn't giggling anymore. He's laughing uproariously, rolling around the carpet clutching his stomach and weeping because he is laughing so hard.

The little twerp.

Thankfully, Lancelot is now asleep in clean clothes and a fresh diaper. As soon as I complete this post, I'm going to toss my white shirt in the dryer with a fabric softener sheet to freshen it up. (I have so few non-maternity shirts that I can fit into and that look good. This year is the year of wardrobe replacement. lol!)

So there you have it. My encounter with Murphy.

People often say, "You'll laugh about this someday." Yes, that's true. However, why wait? I think I'll laugh about it now, because as annoying this day has been so far, it's pretty darn funny.

And Guinevere Giggled.

I'd like to thank the Academy...

I never thought I'd win one of these! Hee hee! Thanks, Damselfly, for this great honor! I think I'll put mine in my sidebar, too. This is worth keeping!

Let's see. Now I need to nominate some more blogs. I only read a small handful of blogs, and many of them have already received this award, so I think I'll just nominate three.

1. Darlene Schachts Blog.

I've been following this gal for a couple of years now. She's probably won oodles of these. She founded Christian Women Online and can be seen writing in several other places. She has also published a book called "The Mom Complex" which is just simply fabulous.

2. Learning for Lifetime

I found Susan during the Ultimate Blog Party. She writes thought-provoking spiritual lessons peppered with anecdotal illustrations. I love her!

3. Natalie Kale: Unabridged

This is my sister's blog. She's a twenty-year-old college student, and God is doing a lot with her right now. She expresses so well the things He is showing her. Although I pick on her 'cuz she's my kid sister, I've really learned a lot from reading her blog.

Purses and Bags

I love purses.

I simply adore tote bags.

My favorite store always sells tote bags and purses to match the current season's clothing, and I just about can't help myself.



This is the one I've got my eye on at the moment. (They had some other ones in the store today that don't show up on the website. Pooie.)

So when I saw this contest to win a Coach bag, I just had to enter!!

Own the Day

"This is the day that the Lord has made. Let us rejoice and be glad in it." -Psalm 118:24

"Say 'hey!' It's a good day, even though things aren't goin' my way. Jesus was born and I am saved so, say 'hey,' it's a good day." -Song by FFH

"Carpe Diem!"

There are so many ways of expressing the sentiments above. Each day is a gift from God. We can't live in tomorrow, or yesterday, or in a day several years from now. What we have is today, and to waste it would be sinful!

Damselfly and I went out today. We enjoyed lunch at a local sandwich-and-soup cafe, then spent a lovely hour at a local park playing with our babies. The weather was beautiful, the boys were happy. It was truly a joyous day. We got around to discussing our hopes for the future. "It'll be so much easier when they can walk and run. They'll play on the playground while we chat." "Won't it be great when they can eat table food and we won't have to worry about baby food and bottles anymore?" "I can't wait 'til they can sit and entertain themselves with their toys so we can get things done around the house!"

Then I realized, yes, those things will be great. But why live in the future? This time of helpless-infants-needing-my-undivided-attention-all-freaking-day-long will not last forever. I thought the nights of waking up 3 and 4 times to feed would never end. I thought that never again for the rest of my life would I get a decent night's sleep.

Lancelot now sleeps through the night. Believe it or not, I sometimes miss those quiet moments cuddling in the rocking chair when everything and everyone else is still.

Yes, it will be fantastic when Lancelot can walk and I won't need to carry him all the time. (My chiropractor will also be glad when I don't have to carry him all the time!) But then, a day will come when Lancelot won't want to be held and cuddled. He'll be independent, doing everything by himself.

It will be incredible when he can eat table food. But then, he will make a mess all over the place or be picky or both or more...

Damselfly and I came to to the conclusion that no matter what stage of life our babies are in, there will always be something that we will be looking forward to not having anymore. So rather than always wishing for something better to come along, we must make an effort to enjoy and cherish the wonderful things we have now because soon they will be gone.

This is true not only in our children's lives, but in our own. How often have we said that things will be better when... etc etc etc? There will always be something that could make things better. There will always be something that could make them worse.

Our planet goes through a cycle of four seasons. These four seasons constantly repeat themselves. It's a predictable cycle. Our lives also have seasons, but each season is a new season, one that we will never experience again.

If you knew that you would only be able to play in the snow for one season and never see it again for the rest of your natural life, would you complain about having to put snow tires on your car, or would you be out sledding and building snowmen at every opportunity you had? If summer only came once, would you complain about the heat or would you build sand castles at the beach? Our lives are like this. Every season is unique, and while they inevitably will have negative attributes about them, it is certain that we shall never see this particular season in our lives again. Ever.

Own the day!

Wordless Wednesday

Early Morning Stream of Consciousness

It's 6 am. My little bundle of joy has woken up. For a little while, anyway. It seems had I checked his diaper when I first heard the screams coming through the monitor, I may have been able to get him back to sleep. Now that I figured it out, (half an hour later and half an episode of "Voyager" watched,) I have gently placed him back in his crib in hopes that he will fall asleep again. While I am awaiting this, I have gone into the next room to write this blog post as I listen for the complaining to subside and sleep to once again fall upon the household. If the complaining does not subside within 5 minutes, I shall know that sleep will not fall upon the household until he has been awake for some time and shall require his morning nap.

Let's see how much I can write in 5 minutes. Join me as I allow my stream of consciousness to bubble forth. Hang on, it may be a bumpy ride.

I want to bake some chocolate chip cookies and eat every single one as soon as they come out of the oven. There is absolutely no point in eating chocolate chip cookies any other way. Maybe I can just make one chocolate chip cookie, that way I won't feel like I'm wasting anything and I won't blow up like a balloon because of all the calories. Speaking of calories, I have another 10 pounds to go to get back to my prepregnancy weight. Yay! I'm joining LA Fitness because they have a great nursery where I am not afraid to bring Lancelot, unlike The Other Gym that I toured where the nursery frightened me. LA Fitness has a water aerobics class that I plan on joining, because I like to exercise but I hate getting hot and sweaty. In the pool, you don't feel hot and sweaty even though you are. It's great. I'm going to the chiropractor again later this morning for my second adjustment. My lower back is starting to feel better, but I can tell some work still needs to be done.

OK, the crying has subsided. Sleep has once again descended upon the household, and yet I remain the only fool not in bed.

Going back to sweet slumber for *hopefully* another couple of hours.

Have a lovely day!

On Being Twisted Up Like a Pretzel and Sat Upon

Hee hee.

My title makes me giggle.

Sounds dirty, doesn't it?

Not really.

I went to the chiropractor yesterday, whereupon I was twisted up like pretzel, and sat upon.

My spine made a big "pop" and things settled back into place, giving me relief after years and years of discomfort. Apparently, part of my hip joint had locked up, causing the rest of my spine to twist and turn to accommodate for the lost motion from that joint. After seeing my x-rays, the good doctor came in and said, "Girl, no WONDER you've been hurting!"

That's when he twisted me up like a pretzel and sat on me. It was very weird. I have no idea what exactly he did or how he did it, but somehow being twisted up pretzel-like and a sudden blow to some part or other of my spinal structure fixed things up. Starting to, anyway. I go back Saturday for another adjustment, and we'll make a plan of routine maintenance from then on. (I sound like a car. 30,000 mile checkup for my spine, perhaps? lol!)

About 6 years ago I hurt my back. I'm not sure how, but I woke up one morning and could barely move. My parents had to come get me out of my college dorm room and take me to the hospital. All they did was give me muscle relaxers, and ever since then I've had trouble with my back. I never thought to go to a chiropractor, until I met one at my church.

I'm very glad I went.

Looking forward to being twisted up and sat upon again.

LOL!!!!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Last night, we went to the beach to do some photography for some friends. They were kind enough to shoot some pictures of us, too!

Easter Fun (and) Things that Go Bump in the Night

As you can see by my title, I have two things to discuss today. I will start with Easter Fun.

Since we don't have family in town, we spend Easter with the people in our small-group Bible study. In the last couple of years, we have started a new tradition. Since there are no children of egg-hunting age in the group, the grown-ups have an Easter Egg decorating contest. The photo you see to the left is me with the prize that my husband and I won with our "Most Far Out" eggs, which are pictured below.

As you can see, we have a lovely model of the Millenium Falcon starship piloted by Han Solo, built out of Lego. Inside the Millenium Falcon are R2-Egg2 (made from a quail egg,) Han Egg Solo and Chew-Begga. To the left of the Falcon can be seen C3-Eggo, Darth Eggar, and Obi-Egg Kenobi. To the right of the starship are Princess Lay-Egg, Luke Eggwalker and YodEgg.

Hee hee hee. We had lots of fun making these little guys.

On to the second part of my post. "Things That Go Bump In the Night."

We live in an apartment. Apartment construction is not always the best. A few days ago, my husband was innocently placing a pair of blue jeans on the top closet shelf, and the whole thing fell down on him. He was not a happy man.

However, he got to make a trip to "The Man Store" otherwise known as Home Depot. He bought a new length of shelving and some brackets, and installed a new closet shelf. Things were great and wonderful.

Until 2:30 A.M. when we were awoken by a very loud "bump" in the night. The new shelf had also fallen down. (See below.)

We don't know what caused it to fall down. Perhaps the structure of the wall weakened when the first shelf fell?

Not only did the top shelf fall, but it fell onto the shelf below. Luckily, that one is still up, but some of the brackets holding it to the wall came off. All we need is some new brackets and everything will be fine.

This time, Hubby's going to get a different kind of bracket that will hopefully be stronger.

In other news, Damselfly and myself have just joined a Mom's Group bible study at our church. It meets there at the church, so we have use of the church nursery. Two blissful hours without diaper changes and aching arms. PLUS we got to chit-chat with other grown-ups! It's wonderful!

Good Friday

Today is Good Friday.

Many people do not understand the significance of, or know the meaning of, Good Friday.

If I were the one naming the day, I doubt I would call it "good."

This is the day Jesus was crucified. For three days, the world was without God, as the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon the apostles and the physical embodiment of God had perished.

During this week, our Jewish brothers and sisters celebrate Passover. This past Tuesday, I had the privilege of attending a Passover Seder performed by a Messianic Jew, (or, "completed Jew," as many of them like to be called who have learned that Jesus is the Messiah.) At the conclusion, we watched a video showing Jesus being crucified. I believe some of the scenes were taken from the recent movie "The Passion of the Christ," others were from movies I could not identify.

As they were beating our Lord and His blood was dripping upon the ground, I found myself weeping. So was my husband. A few others in the audience were also wiping their eyes, but I found myself astounded to see so many people displaying no emotion.

I'm not trying to say that I am more spiritual than others because I was crying. I know that many people do not display emotion outwardly, particularly in public. I just think it is so sad that we have become so desensitized to violence that when we see a portrayal of our Lord's crucifixion, it often has little to no emotional impact. When other acts of violence are shown on the television or movie screen, we tell ourselves, "it's not real."

This was real.

It was very real.

As part of the Seder I attended, our friend Peter explained the tradition of the firstborn child asking the Four Questions of the Seder. (For more information on Seders, see "Passover on the Net." He explained that it was the duty of the firstborn child to ask these questions because during the actual Passover, it was the firstborn that would have died had the family not sacrificed a lamb and painted the doorpost with its' blood. Peter said, "The firstborn would really identify with that lamb, more so than everyone else in the household. Because if the lamb didn't die, that child would have died."

He went to explain that as God's children, we are all the 'firstborn' and Jesus is our 'lamb.' If He hadn't died, we would have.

It's all very sobering. On this weekend, many people eat candy, hide Easter eggs, and decorate their homes with bunnies and flowers. That is all well and good, but we often forget the purpose of observing this Holy Day at all.

In my family, Good Friday is a day of mourning. We mourn the death of our Lord. My husband dresses head-to-toe in black to mark the occasion.

On Sunday however, we celebrate Christ's resurrection. And what a joyful occasion it is! (Another thing Peter told us at the Seder was that our word "Easter" comes from "Ishtar," who was a pagan god. Instead, he calls the day "Resurrection Sunday." Now that I know the origin of the word, I might start doing that, too.)

Many people consider Christmas to be the cornerstone of the Christian faith. It isn't. While Christ's birth is extremely important, His death is more so. Without His death, we would not have salvation. Had there not been a death, then celebrating His birth would be meaningless.

I hope everyone has a good weekend, and a happy Resurrection Sunday!

Is anything safe??

*Note: this is a very long post. If you don't have a great deal of time, my "point in a nutshell" is at the very bottom.*


As I've been wandering through the blogosphere, spending time on other mom's blogs and reading articles on different parenting sites, I have come across a great deal of information on the safety of vaccinations. Adventures in Babywearing has a post right now telling a story about her son's reaction to a vaccine. Comments on that post reveal her reader's similar experiences, or acquaintances with similar situations. I've heard tell of research linking vaccines to autism and many other diseases.

It's frightening. I've chosen to vaccinate my son, although I have not taken the time to do the research. I was vaccinated and I'm fine. However, it seems that they are giving many more vaccines now than they gave when I was a baby.

In recent years, the health of Americans (and I'm sure others as well,) has gotten worse and worse. There are so many different "causes" for all these things that it's hard to believe what causes what.

The use of disposable diapers has been "linked" to many problems, including infertility in males.

The use of disinfectant cleaning products has been "linked" to the increase of allergies and asthma.

Eating non-organic food has been "linked" to all sorts of developmental delays.

(By the way, this is totally off-topic, but I despise the term "organic" the way it is used. "Organic" means a living organism. The dictionary definition of "organic" has nothing to do with something being chemical-free or non-genetically altered. Some other word needs to be chosen! I have no problem with "free-range chickens" but to call them "organic chickens" is just dumb. Sorry if I've offended anyone.)

It seems one can find research to support any hypothesis. Another problem with research is that if it is not done properly and scientifically (and OBJECTIVELY,) then the research is not valid. Unfortunately, much of the "research" that is put out there is often opinion and conjecture. At least much of what we find on the internet is. To really find the research, you need to get into the medical and scientific journals. Find out how the research was conducted. Were all variables accounted for? Was there a control? Closely examine the results.

For an assignment in a psychology class I had in college, our assignment was to find a media report about something in the environment causing a developmental problem. (I found an article claiming that female athletes on a low-calorie diet were more likely to develop knee problems. The topic of vaccinations causing problems would have been an excellent choice as well.) Not only did we have to read the media article, but we had to find the actual research which was used in writing the article. So I did. I found the research report in the Sports Medical Journal (I can't remember the exact title) which the media article was reporting on. When I read the actual report, I realized that the media report had it all wrong. Whoever wrote the article that got out to the general public did not closely examine the way the research was conducted and did not closely examine the results. The research report gave a completely different cause for why the female athletes on a low-calorie diet were subject to knee problems. (It wasn't the diet, although that was a minor factor, it was more due to the biology of the foot.)

I say this to encourage all of you not to trust what the media says about research that has been done. Get your hands on the research itself! While research reports in medical/health/science journals can be really dull reads, they put out the facts.

I applaud moms for doing research to make decisions for their child's well-being. I just want to caution you that the media reports about the research might not be accurate. Make sure you have a reputable source. Double-check the facts. If we believed all of the "reports" we read in newspapers, magazines, and online, we would move out of our houses, build a cabin up on a mountaintop away from civilization, grow our own food, get rid of electricity and cell phones, and ride horses to get around.

Not that I have anything against horses. It's just that for every risk we subject ourselves to because of things in our environment, we have many benefits as well.

200 years ago when people didn't have electricity and rode horses to get around, there was probably much less autism, cancer, allergies, asthma, and Alzheimer's disease. However, they also died of smallpox and tuberculosis. Children were quarantined for measles. Thanks to vaccinations, we don't have these deadly diseases anymore.

Before epidurals and c-sections, mothers and infants commonly died in childbirth.

Please, I don't mean to sound judgmental or critical. I just want you not only to be informed about the choices you make, but to be well informed. Every mother has to make these decisions for herself. I have friends on both extremes of the vaccination/diaper/sleeping/organic food debates. I myself am kind of on the fence. While some of the things I do are what is "recommended," many other things that I do would be frowned upon by current medical and societal thinking. (Such as, I put my baby to sleep on his tummy instead of his back.)

Wow, this has gotten long. Sorry!

Here's my point in a nutshell:

Don't believe everything you read. If you read something, read some more. Get to the bottom line, to the facts. THEN make your choice.

Living Water

Jesus often referred to Himself as "Living Water."

The Psalmist tells us the the Lord will "leadeth me beside still waters, He restoreth my soul."

The sacrament of baptism is performed with water.

Our planet is composed mostly of water.

Our bodies are 75% water.

Water is mysterious. In the depths of the ocean reside creatures of God's imagination which we shall never see.

Water is refreshing. On a hot day, a dip in the pool makes us feel "right" again.

When we are thirsty, water replenishes us.

I have often experienced my times of most intimate closeness with God when I am near water. When the cares of the world consume me, I find a place of rest at the edge of the water. Watching the gentle flow of this life-giving substance has an immediate calming effect. (There is a particular place in northern California, in the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A mountain brook running through a campground. Large boulders along the riverbank. A smooth, flat boulder which provided a seat for me when I was young and playing in the campground. I would sit there, watch the water and listen.)

The water is balm to my soul, and I'm not really sure why.

When I am by the water, I can most clearly hear God's voice.


*The photo above was taken on our vacation to Key West last year. If you have never seen the sun set into the ocean, it is an incredible experience.*

The Fright of My Life

I was nearly kidnapped today.

Maybe.

I think we've all heard stories of women who are abducted in parking lots, subjected to all sorts of violent crime.

I was doing some grocery shopping. Having completed the shopping, I was at the car, putting the groceries in the trunk. Lancelot was safely buckled into his car seat with the door open to allow him some air. (Some moms go ahead and start the car to get the air running for their kids, but then I'm afraid someone will jump in the car and drive off with my kid. Maybe I'm paranoid.) My back was to the parking lot, the shopping cart between me and the row of cars behind me. Suddenly I heard a booming voice shout a cheery, "hello!" I think it must be a friend of mine, so I turn around.

A strange man whom I have never seen approaches within 2 feet of me trying to sell me perfume. In a grocery store parking lot. The perfume is in his pocket. Does anyone *else* see any red flags going up here?

I'm terrified, so I immediately want to put some distance between myself and this man, so I step behind the shopping cart so that I can ram him in significant places if he tries anything.

One problem. He is on the passenger side of my car right next to the open door by Lancelot's car seat. I can't get to Lancelot because the cart is between the man and me, and the man is between the cart and my baby.

I told him I wasn't interested in buying perfume.

He laughed and said, "I'm not going to hurt you." He steps closer.

Once again, I tell him I'm not interested. He gets the point and leaves, much to my relief.

Much to my terror (again,) he leaves by way of the passenger side of my car, going right past my baby. I follow him and slam the car door before he can do anything, but he kept walking, thank God.

I don't know. Maybe he really was just trying to sell perfume, but I was terrified out of my wits. I don't usually get that way. I found a security guard and reported the man. Hopefully he was found and brought to justice! (Even if he meant no harm, it's not right to be soliciting in parking lots. Particularly to women who are alone or with babies.)

The bagger offered to carry my groceries out for me, but I declined. I think next time I'll take them up on their offer!

A Moment of Ranting, if I may.

Grr.

Lease restrictions.

Threat of eviction.

All over a lousy satellite dish.

GRRR!

Aggravation of all kinds.

When we moved in, the lovely leasing agent who was so anxious to rent us this apartment told us that of course we could install a satellite dish. We could put it outside by the corner of the building up on a pole. We just couldn't affix it to the building itself. (Either she lied to get us to take the apartment, or she just simply didn't know. Either way, it's not good.)

Foolishly, we believed her. After all, every other building in the apartment complex which was facing the proper direction also had satellite dishes installed on poles outside. And if the leasing agent said it's OK, why should we NOT believe her??

We've had our satellite dish for the better part of a year. A few days ago, we receive a letter stating that we are in violation of our lease agreement and if we do not correct the problem, we will be asked to "vacate the premesis."

We have seven days to become "in compliance." Imagine trying to get service people out to your house within seven days.

Grr.
Miraculously, Hubby arranged for the satellite tv people to come and move our satellite dish to a more appropriate location. They were supposed to arrive between 8 and noon. They showed up at 1:30. They couldn't do what he wanted them to do and said they had to call someone else who had "more advanced training" to come fix this problem.

I have no idea when this "more advanced" person will arrive. Hopefully this more highly trained individual will also have a better handle of the English language.

Grr.

I don't particularly care if we have satellite TV or have to switch to cable, but Hubby just loves his satellite TV, particularly the high-definition channels. He purchased a special HD unit to record the HD shows, we paid a lot of money to have them bring out the HD-ready satellite dish, and now this.

Grr.

Important lesson learned. Always check the terms of your lease before doing anything!!!

On a happier note, Lancelot is doing very well with his new solid foods. We started him on rice cereal, and while his initial reaction wasn't favorable, he now happily eats a generous serving of it twice a day. This afternoon, he sampled carrots for the first time. He didn't eat as much as he does of cereal, but I anticipate that will increase, as well. Once we know carrots are OK, squash and sweet potatos are on the list.

Any funny stories of your babies eating their first solid foods?

Enjoy some photos. I sometimes feed him in the little chair pictured below, other times we lay him across our laps and place a pillow under his head. We find that this allows more food to go into his mouth than to dribble down his chin. (Gravity is a wonderful thing.)

Have a pleasant day!

Ooh! Ooh! Free stuff!

5 minutes for mom is giving away a new Dyson Slim Vacuum Cleaner! Head on over and sign up yourself! Good luck!

April Fool Memories

I stink at playing jokes on people.

In fact, I stink at telling jokes to people.

I often don't get jokes that are told to me.

However, I was part of a really cool April Fool's joke once upon a time.

Come with me down Memory Lane. The year was 1999. I was in Advanced Placement 11th Grade English. We had an incredible teacher and a great group of kids, so while we were doing very challenging work, we mostly had a good time about it. On April 1st, the class walks in to the room to find a copy of The Grapes of Wrath on every desk. (For anyone who hasn't seen a copy of The Grapes of Wrath, it's quite a tome. A very large book. Quite intimidating. Even for 11th Grade AP English students.) Our usually sweet, kindhearted teacher informs us that starting today, we must read this new book, and that our assignments involve a complete outline of every chapter. One outline is due each class period, meaning reading 2 or 3 chapters a week. (We were on an "alternating block schedule," so depending on the week we would meet either 2 or 3 times.) These chapters were LONG. And there were a LOT of them.

Our countenances fell. How could we, even as super 11th grade AP English students, accomplish this monumental task? Our teacher, who is usually so sweet and kindhearted, has turned into a monster!! How could she do this to us? Of course, we completely believe her.

She got us good.

Real good.

After explaining the new "assignment," she asked a student to look at the board and read out loud the date.

We finally got it.

She got us so good, we decided to get her back.

During our lunch period, the entire class went into the guidance counselor's office. We selected a particular counselor who is known for having an excellent sense of humor. We explained what we wanted to do, and she was happy to help us.

She withdrew each and every one of us from 11th Grade AP English and temporarily placed us in the "regular" English class.

She even printed out new class schedules for us, reflecting the changes.

One by one, we went into our English teacher's room and told her we were dropping out of AP English because it was just too hard.

Her countenance fell. She didn't anticipate the ramifications that her little joke would have on her otherwise intelligent, creative 11th Grade AP English students. How could they do this to her? Couldn't they take a little joke?

We got her.

We got her good.

I knew it would happen sooner or later!

It happened.

He fell.

Off the queen-sized bed.

On Dad's watch.

We often prop up Lancelot on the bed in his room while we rummage in his drawers for his clothes. This morning, Dad was caring for Lancelot while I slept in. (We have a deal. On weekends, one day I will wake up when Lancelot does and let Hubby sleep in, the next day we switch.) Today was my day to sleep in. I wake up, hearing a scream. A loud scream. I rush into the nursery to find Hubby gently cradling Lancelot, rocking him back and forth and muttering soothing somethings into his ear. I ask what happened.

"He fell off the bed."

"How?"

"He was propped up against the pillow and fell over."

"Where were you?"

"Looking for a bib."

It astounds me. As I said, we often prop him up against pillows and he's fine. But in the split second in which a parent's back is turned, that's when the kid falls over.

Lancelot is fine. No harm done. He didn't fall on his head, didn't bump the end table on his way down. I told him it was bound to happen sooner or later.

After all, he *is* his father's child!

Everyone's Growing Up!!

Today Lancelot had his 4-month "well baby" checkup and injections.

He's 16 pounds 3 ounces, and is 26 inches long.

He's more than doubled his birthweight and has grown 5 inches.

I used to measure his foot by my first finger. At birth, his foot was exactly the same length as my finger. Now, the tip of my finger comes only to the ball of his foot.

Today, he had his first serving of solid food. A few spoonfuls of rice cereal. Not much, just a few tastes, really, but even so. My baby is eating real FOOD now!

I'm growing up, too. Last week I turned 25. A quarter of a century old!! (My car insurance ought to go down again. And now I can rent a car. Yippee!)

I think there's something about giving birth that causes time to stop. For the mommy, that is. I don't feel like a day has passed since he was born, yet the world goes on around me. Lancelot keeps on growing, birthdays keep coming, seasons keep changing, stocks rise and fall.

Sigh. 2007 is already 1/4 of the way finished. Did 2006 end yet?

Wordless...Monday??

OK, so I know it's supposed to be Wordless Wednesday, but I'm holding a squirming baby in one arm making it hard to type. Enjoy these pics, I'll come back with the stories later!

A Short Break...

...For a family vacation. Hubby's sister from South Africa is here visiting us for a couple of weeks. We'll be at Disneyworld next week, so I may be away from blogging for a short while, but I'm sure I'll come back with plenty of stories for you!

Have a wonderful two weeks everyone! I'll be back soon!

love,
Guinevere and Lancelot