Special Moments

Ramona and Jeremiah having breakfast together! What a treat. One of those everyday moments that is very very special.

Ben & Ramona had a slight change of plans and headed up to Philly to visit Will & Mariana this week instead of next week. It turns out Will & Mariana have a free weekend with no studying - which is a rare thing in the life of a law school student. So Ben & Ramona left this morning for the long drive up there. We can't wait to see them again next week.

Yesterday I took them to Target to do some shopping. Ramona was in awe of the selection of clothes and the cheap prices in Target and Kohls. And lunch at Steak n Shake was a perfect welcome to America. Gotta love hamburgers, fries and shakes! A trip to Wal-mart was another experience for Ramona who couldn't get over how big everything was (how many pounds of hamburger is that???). On the way home Jeremiah and Ben both took a snooze in the back seat of the car. Too cute! (Hopefully they will post those pics on their blog soon.)

Jeremiah loves having company in the house and obviously feels completely comfortable with them. This morning he "helped" Ramona brush her hair. And when we all sit at the table to eat he refuses to sit in his high chair and insists on sitting on a regular chair and being part of the action. I guess he will have to make do with just me for the rest of this week....

They are here!

Ben & Ramona got here safe and sound yesterday. (Check out their blog for details of their trip. I stole one of Ben's pics to post here...) It was so great to see them! It was also fun to hear their reactions to sights and sounds as we drove back through Atlanta and into the country to LaFayette. Of course the heat was a bit of an adjustment for them, it was a typical Georgia summer day - hot and steamy with temps in the 90's.

When Jeremiah saw them walk in the door you could literally see the gears in his head turning. He was not frightened and he obviously recognized them, but he just was not sure how they made it to his house. I would have paid good money to know exactly what he was thinking at that moment. Within a few minutes he was showing them around the house, taking them for a walk in the back yard, jumping on their bed, and showing them our pictures from our trip to the Netherlands. Crazy kid!

A big huge monster size thanks to Aunt Cherise for taking such good care of Jeremiah yesterday afternoon. He obviously had a terrific time!

I think today's entertainment will be a trip to Wal-mart! Yes! How's that for vacation? :-)

Phone conversations

Countdown to Ben & Ramona's visi: TODAY IS THE DAY!

Yesterday in a frenzy of cleaning and organizing I completely emptied and cleaned the front closet. Tucked in the corner I found a bag with cell phones that I had planned on donating to the women's shelter but had somehow forgot. Anyway, this morning it was very quiet while I was doing dishes and when I came to check out the situation this is the scene that I discovered.
Jeremiah is obsessed with phones. His favorite toy for in the car is a toy phone that he holds up to his hear and "talks" on the whole time we drive. I guess the real thing is just as interesting. He loves to talk on the phone and talks to papa at least once a day. His facial expressions when talking on the phone are priceless! So, call him some time.....
This morning out of the blue he said "orange" (we had oranges for snack yesterday. He also says "scheez" when I tell him his Aunt Cherise is coming to babysit.
And the other day I said "crap!" and I hear a sweet voice
behind me say "rap?" Oops. Good thing I didn't say the word I had been wanting to say.... I just know my kid is going to be the kid in church nursery and sunday school educating the rest of the kids in dirty words. :-)

Well, I still have some work to do before heading to Atlanta! Last night we tried to get Jeremiah to say Uncle Ben and Aunt Ramona and the best we could get was "roma" for Ramona. Oh well....

Vacuuming

Jeremiah loves to vacuum!

1 1/2 years old

Then & Now
Yesterday Jeremiah turned 1 1/2 years old! It kinda took me by surprise. It seems like after that first birthday every month moves abit faster and I have to take a minute, think and do a quick count on my fingers when people ask me how old he is.

So in honor of this special milestone I thought I would put up one of his very first pictures. It was taken literally minutes after he was born just 18 months ago. And then a picture taken just 2 days ago. Man, the difference is incredible! There he is, sitting in front of the computer and having a webcam chat with opa while he eats his snack.

On a more personal, and maternal note, every moment of the past 18 months has been a blessing for me. It has not always been easy. I have been frustrated, tired, and in tears more times than I can count. But I have also laughed, been awestruck, and cried for joy more times than I can count. So I guess it all evens out...

A fun afternoon

Jeremiah shows Luke our dog.
Taking a refreshment break.
Jeremiah shows Luke how to use his learning table.
"Sharing" toys.
Check out the look on Jeremiah's face when he first saw Luke!
Jeremiah letting me know that someone different is here.
Jeremiah gives Luke kisses.

He started out giving him kisses on the head but then it got a bit more personal......

I babysat for Luke, the son of a friend, yesterday afternoon. Luke is 11 months old and I was interested to see how Jeremiah would do with another child in the house. He thought it was fun but as is typical for this age he really wasn't very good at sharing his toys. I think he saw Luke as more of a toy. Jeremiah observed Luke very closely for the first hour or so and then just went about his own business. Luke spent his afternoon crawling around the house. It was fun to watch him discover all the things that Jeremiah had discovered at this age.

We had a fun afternoon but I remain firm in my belief that if we are to have more children, it will be much later. I was exhausted last night!

Perfected!

I think you have seen in some of my previous posts that I continually struggle in my spiritual life with trying to look good and do good in order to earn God's love. I know, it sounds stupid when I write it down, but it is true. Lately I have felt pretty weighed down by my sin and inadequacies as a wife, mother, daughter, sister, neighbor. You name it, I have screwed it up. I am trying to use my knowledge of my sin to give me greater experience of grace but it is hard because my pride keeps getting in the way. Well, today I read this in my devotion time and thought I would share:

Their sins and the evil things they do - I will not remember anymore. Hebrews 10:17

With one sacrifice he made perfect forever those who are being made holy. Hebrews 10:14

" Underline the word perfect. Note that the word is not better. Not improving. Not on the upswing. God doesn't improve; he perfects. He doesn't enhance, he completes....

Now I realize that there a sense in which we're imperfect. We still err. We still stumble. We still do exactly what we don't want to do. And that part of us is, according to the verse, 'being made holy.'

But when it comes to our position before God, we're perfect. When he sees each of us, he sees one who has been made perfect throught the One who is perfect - Jesus Christ." - Max Lucado

God is so good to give me the exact encouragement I need! I hope you experience his deep, rich grace in your heart and life today!

Deal's Gap. A nice ride.

In case you are wondering why I was not at the Donna the Buffalo concert saturday night in LaFayette, I had a long day.
Below are a couple of links to some pictures of a nice ride I took with some friends.

photo 1
photo 2
photo 3
photo 4

check out this orange bike he rode with us. Not exactly dutch orange.
Here's blake owen - my brother-in-law's brother.
oh yeah this is me too.

Bragging rights

Countdown to Ben & Ramona's Visit: 5 days!

Since I don't have anything really special to post about Jeremiah today I have decided to brag about my siblings (this includes the ones by marriage). I am going to brag about them because I can, because I love them, and because I am proud of them. Hopefully none of them will mind being mentioned in my blog....

Will & Mariana - what can I say except that I am so so so very proud of them. They are both in law school! I love being able to tell people that my brother and sister are in law school. Makes me feel smarter by default. I tried my best to pray them to Georgia but God obviously has other plans.

Ben & Ramona - My dutch siblings. I can't wait for them to come and visit! I have considered it such a blessing to watch them grow and mature in the past 2 years. I am proud of their commitment to each other and to doing what is right. They are both such fun loving, free spirits - they make me feel young!

Caleb & Monica - Since Aaron and I first began dating Caleb and I have always had fun joking with each other. I still have a hard time thinking of them as married and living their adult life now in Atlanta. Moni - you need to finish grad school so that Jeremiah can have some cousins! :-)

Chad & Cherise - I really refuse to believe that we are not biologically related. We are so much alike! They are young but teach me so much. Chad is officially a policeman! I am so so glad that they are living back in the area and we can hang out.

God is so good. I grew up with two brothers and have ended up with 4 brothers and 4 sisters. I refuse to call them "in-laws", which has lead to confusion when I talk to others. I think that as adults our relationships are much deeper and more interesting. And Jeremiah truly loves all his uncles and aunts. The fact that he brings me their pictures to look at every day and that he lights up when he sees them is testimony to that.

New Accomplishments

The rate at which Jeremiah is learning new things continues to amaze me. Yesterday as we were leaving for the store he somehow got a hold of my keys and proceeded to try and unlock the door! I also think that he is having a major language explosion this week. He has literally been trying to immitate almost every word I say. He is also trying to put 2 words together. I don't always understand them but I know that is what he is trying to do. His first combination was "papa bye-bye" when Aaron left in the morning.

Another cute habit: when he wakes up he helps hang his blanket in the corner of the crib and sets his teddy bear up in the corner before he is ready to be lifted out. What a big helper! Any chance he will make his bed when he is a teenager? :-)

Morning Yard Play

Jeremiah running around the yard. Look at that expression on his face!

Still obsessed with gardening (um, digging in the dirt).


Just won't stand still for a cute picture.....

Every morning we load up in the stroller and take the dog for a walk. After the walk It is time to get some energy out and play in the yard. If it is cool enough I try and do some yard work. Jeremiah loves to run around the yard and work off some steam. The new game that he can't get enough of is me chasing him. He would do that for hours! Enjoy the pics.

Another great book!

I got another incredible book today. It is called "The No Cry Sleep Solution - for toddlers and preschoolers" by Elizabeth Pantley. I just got it in the mail today and I skipped my little afternoon rest time to start reading it, and I have already skimmed half of it (Aaron calls me a book worm, which I am).

Anyway, let me give you some background. Ever since Jeremiah was born well meaning people have constantly been giving me advice about how Jeremiah should sleep. I was never one that felt comfortable with the whole "put him in his crib and let him cry himself to sleep" idea. I tried it a couple of times and I just did not feel right. I spent alot of time praying about it and decided that I felt very strongly about the fact that especially before 3-6 months baby's need their parents to be there when they cry. The early months are when they are developing trust and bonding (I am a social worker, I have done a lot of reading about this). To me, leaving a baby that young to just cry is not something that I felt good about. So when he cried I went to him.

At about 4 months old Jeremiah naturally made the transition from sleeping in our bed to sleeping in his crib, but he needed to be rocked to sleep. Again, I was told by well meaning people that I was setting him up for all kinds of sleep problems in the future. But he generally slept all night. So again, I felt fine about our decision to keep rocking him to sleep and decided to cherish those times.

Lately we have been struggling with the issue of one of us having to stay in the room until Jeremiah falls asleep. It wasn't really a problem for us (again, I enjoyed the quiet time sitting by his bed watching him drift off while I prayed or read a book) but we kept hearing from others that this was not good. So I was getting worried and that is why I ordered the above mentioned book.

I find it ironic though that the past 2 days Jeremiah has willingly and calmly gone to sleep after Aaron or I have left the room. No tantrums, no crying for hours, no hysterics. It's like something shifted and he just reached that point where sleeping on his own is right for him now.

And so, back to why I love this book. I have decided that I have a great aversion to parenting books that present issues as black or white - this is the only way to do something (like sleep, discipline, schooling) and to do it right, if you don't do it this way you are hurting your children and setting them up for all kinds of problems. Some books even question a parents faith if they do not use certain methods or believe certain theories. I have read these kinds of books (and unfortunately they are mostly written by Christian authors) and they immediately turn me off. God created us all different. Children are all different with different personalities and needs. I love how this book talks about sleeping issues by presenting lots of different options (all of which do not involve a child crying in their crib for hours until they vomit) and then encouraging parents to do what works for their child and their family! No formulas, no judging, no rigid schedule that you must follow or you will be a bad parent.

This goes back to grace based parenting. God treats each one of His children with love and care. He meets each of us exactly where we are gives us individually what we need when we need it. He does not expect us all to fit into one rigid mold. If we are going to show God's grace to our children shouldn't we treat them the same way that God treats us? I am so glad that I followed my instincts and cherished those moments of cuddling Jeremiah to sleep, they were the right thing to do for him (and for me.)

Batter from the beaters

Don't we all have pictures like this from our childhood?

I went crazy and baked chocolate chip cookies today. I guess I got a sugar craving and didn't want to go to the store. Anyway, it was a perfect opportunity to give Jeremiah the beaters for the first time. It took him awhile to figure out that he could eat what was on there. But once he did there was no turning back. To quote the movie Over the Hedge "Feel that tingling in the back of your skull? That's a sugar rush."

To Good To Be True?

Here is Jeremiah completely sacked out after - hold on here - falling asleep in his room all by himself. Seriously! I read him some books. Cuddled him for a minute and sang a song. Then laid him in his crib, told him I loved him and that I hope he would have a good rest. I then simply walked out of the room. 15 minutes later I went back in to check on him and here he was! This has never worked before! I am stunned. Of course, it may just be a fluke since we had a busy weekend and he only got a very short nap in the car this morning. But I am encouraged. If this continues I will be happy and sad at the same time. Happy because all the books and other veteran parents have been telling me that it is time for him to be able to fall asleep with out me in the room. Sad because it is just one more little step towards independence. You mean he doesn't need me to be there?

Notice how much rooom he takes up in the crib! He really is growing so fast. Aaron has suggested a couple of times that it might be getting time for a big boy bed. That I am definitely not ready for (although I did see some really cute kids bedding at Target the other day.....).

Pray for us this week. Aaron starts class. Thankfully both of his classes are on Tuesday night, but in order to make up for leaving work early on that day he will have to work later the other days. We are also getting back into helping with the youth group on Wednesday nights. The group is now meeting at the church (which is just 2 minutes down the street) so we go over there together and I leave early with Jeremiah so he can get to bed on time. I have been spoiled in having Aaron take over bath and bed time the past 2 months so this will be a bit of a change.

Aaron had fun riding his motorcycle with a group of friends this past Saturday. They went to a place that has over 300 curves in 11 miles. I will try and get him to blog about it and maybe attach a picture.

And it is time to start the official countdown to Ben & Ramona's visit: just 7 more days!

Comments....Again

I don't know if this happens with other people who have blogger accounts but somehow I have been getting spam comments that have links to websites that are not appropriate. So I have enabled the comment moderation tool. So, you leave a comment, it get's emailed to me, and I decide whether it should be posted to the blog or not.
Guess what? Yesterday Jeremiah took 2 one hour naps and slept this morning until almost 7 am! I couldn't believe it. What a treat. Of course I wore him out good yesterday with a morning at the park and the afternoon playing in his pool. Obviously that is the key. Now that the weather is not so incredibly hot it is nice to be outside. I can't wait till it cools down abit more and we can tackle some gardening and yard work.
This morning after we walked the dog I took him out of his stroller and we walked halfway down our block. It was fun. It was the typical walk with a toddler, he stopped every few steps to inspect rocks, sticks and insects. He picked up a rock and carried it home saying "rah rah rah" (for rock) and it now sits proudly on the dining room table.
Aaron is going on a day long motorcyle ride with some other people in our church who have motorcycles too. That should be lots of fun!
Have a great day everyone!

Raiding the Pantry

This is what Jeremiah was up to yesterday while I was cooking dinner.... I figured I had been needing to reorganize the pantry anyway, so here was my excuse. The funny part was that the more he emptied out the further in he tried to climb.

I am realizing that 6:30 am is just going to be our wake up time (at what age can they get their own cereal and watch cartoons?). The problem is that I am a night owl. I don't really even get going until about 10pm, and that is now when I am trying to be in bed and going to sleep. Last night I gave into temptation and stayed up to watch Law&Order. I am regretting it now. But, we don't have anywhere to go today so I may just take a nap this morning.......

Did I mention that I took Jeremiah to the park yesterday and once he discovered the slide there was no stopping him. He climbs the steps and slides down all by himself. What a thrill. Next time I will take pictures.

Pictures

Jeremiah loves to look at pictures! At least once a day we have to look at the pictures from our vacation. Jeremiah likes to point at everyone and makes all kinds of noises and exclamations saying "opa""oma" and "boat". When we get to pictures of Uncle Ben jumping off a bridge he goes "uh-oh" over and over again with a very distressed look on his face.

The other thing he loves to do is pick up our framed family pictures and point to everyone when I say their name. He can correctly identify all of his aunts, uncles and grandparents on both sides of the family! Isn't that just too cool?

Grace Based Parenting

I have been thinking a lot about parenting lately. I wonder why…..
One of my favorite parenting books is “Grace Based Parenting” by Dr. Tim Kimmel. I love it because it is not a how to manual in the sense that it lays out precise things of what to do and what not to do. Rather it talks in broad strokes about our parenting mirroring God’s love and grace in our lives to our children.
Here are some of the excerpts I have read (and re-read) recently. They are kind of long but hang in there. I think they are genius….

“ You may not want to hear this, but raising safe Christian kids is a spiritual disaster in the making. Your effort will produce shallow faith and wimpy believers. Kids raised in an environment that stresses safety are on the track to be evangelical pushovers. They will tend to end up either overly critical of the world system to the point where they won’t want anything to do with the people in the world system... Or, they will become naïve about the world system, which ultimately makes them putty in Satan’s hands.
Safe Christianity is an oxymoron, like ‘jumbo shrimp.’ Living your life sold out for Jesus Christ has never been a way to enjoy a safe life…. On the inside of His goodness (read grace), He offers a safe haven or a dangerous life to be lived out. That’s what a grace-based home can offer, too- a safe set of parents and siblings around whom a child can make life-changing decision such as who’s going to be the master of his life.
There are risks. We must put our confidence in a God who would not bring anything unpleasant into our children’s lives except for those things He deliberately desires to use to mold them into His image.
Those who think that the wisest way to groom a child for spiritual maturity is to isolate him from the evil, corrupted world system or airbrush his childhood environment so much that it exposes only him to the good and never teaches him how to process the bad (or the counterfeit) will set a child up for a life of mediocrity at best and spiritual annihilation at worst.
We must remember, however, that there is nothing graceful or kind about letting the fears that challenge us as parents determine our agenda- especially when it comes to our children. Often, as I discuss with parents why they are raising their children in such a hermetically sealed Christian environments, I hear an explanation that usually goes something like this, ‘My child is very vulnerable and fragile [which is true, they are], and the world is very corrupted and evil [also true], and Satan is sinister and destructive [equally true], so therefore we’re making these decisions to protect our child and keep him safe’
As I listen to this standard trilogy of reasons, I always think the same thing: You’ve forgotten something extremely important to your child’s ability to develop a strong hope and confidence in the Lord. It’s true that your child is vulnerable, the world is evil, and Satan is destructive, but there is one other point that trumps all of these concerns. God is mighty! He is powerful!
Making safety a priority tells our children that we think God is incapable of doing what He said He would do for His children. Obviously, God wants us to shrewdly bring our children up within a corrupted world system, careful to make sure that they don’t have to process issues that are to big for them. Many parents assume that all pressures from a corrupted world are too big for their children. The fact is that without God’s power working in us, no one- whether a child or an adult- is any match for the world system. But when we put our confidence in God’s power rather that the safety nets we place around our children, we find that even children can learn to rely on God’s overwhelming presence to protect them as well as to enable them to flourish in the world system.”

I encourage every parent to read this book. I have learned so much from it (and I am on my 3rd reading).

I would also like to say that I think my parents raised me this way and I am so thankful they did.

Tell me this will pass!

Just feeling abit frustrated as a mother today. Feel like I am just not doing something right. I can't figure out Jeremiah's sleep schedule (up at 6:30 every morning regardless of what time he went to bed the night before, sometimes 2 naps a day sometimes 1). And some days it just seems like all he does is whine and scream. Please please please someone tell me this is normal behavior for an 18 month old!

I am trying to tell myself that this is a stage he will grow out of like we grew out of the other ones. But for some reason today it just all abit much.

On a lighter note: Jeremiah can now point to yours and his eyes, nose, mouth and ears. He says "nose" and understands all of those in Dutch as well as english. He also likes to give high fives. Oh yeah, he is discovering the joys of jumping. Look out!

Scenes from the kitchen window

We are having a nice day at home. It is Aaron's Monday off and so we are just puttering around the house and yard. Jeremiah is having a ball playing outside while papa rakes and works on his motorcycle.
As I was washing the dishes I was enjoying the view from my kitchen window. A beautiful sunny day with a nice breeze. My husband tinkering with his motorcycle while my son wanders around the yard amusing himself with whatever he can find - his play lawnmower, his watering can, a rake, a pine cone. It is hard to see but if you look closely in the bottom picture you can see Jeremiah trying to climb the ladder!

Tonight we will finish off the day with good friends at 50 cent taco night at the local mexican restaurant. Fun!

New Obsession

It has finally rained! We have had a few hours of reprieve from the sizzling summer heat! Yesterday afternoon as Jeremiah woke from his nap the storm clouds rolled in and we had a 2 hour thunderstorm and downpour. It was awesome. We sat by the window and watched the rain and lightning. Again, Jeremiah was not at all afraid but seemed to revel in the noise and light. This morning was misty, drizzly and cool. We played out in the wet grass for awhile until it started to rain again. I didn't have to turn on the airconditioner until past noon!

I thought I would share my new obsession. Method home cleaning products. They are biodegradable and non-toxic and much cheaper than the Seventh Generation products that I had been using. Ever since Jeremiah was born I just couldn't stand using the regular cleaning products because they are so full of all kinds of toxic stuff. So I started driving 40 minutes to a health food store in Chattanooga to buy Seventh Generation products.

But Target carries Method products. The other night I stocked up. I use the laundry detergent, dryer sheets, glass & surface cleaner, floor cleaner, dish soap, hand soap, and tub & tile cleaner. They are awesome! They look nice, smell nice, are good for the environment, and I don't have to worry about any of us ingesting toxins that I can't pronounce. I encourage everyone to check them out!

http://www.methodhome.com/

Latest exploits

Top Picture: Jeremiah loves to climb up in this chair and watch what it going on out our window. He enthusiastically says "auto" any time a vehicle drives by and "buk buk!" (his chicken noise) very loudly when he sees any kind of bird.

Bottom picture: Yesterday I was working in the kitchen and Jeremiah was playing in the cabinet with tupperware. He has this thing lately for not wanting to wear shorts, so instead of fight him over it I let him run around in just his diaper at home. All of the sudden I hear these little footsteps pitter-patter as he runs out of the kitchen saying "uh-oh uh-oh". I go to investigate and find Jeremiah running around the livingroom holding his diaper up in one hand! Freedom! Hilarious! Thankfully for me I don't think that he has actually managed to figure out how to get his diaper off yet because it didn't happen again. And yes, this picture will embarass him when he is older. And yes, his hand is "down his pants." :-)

The corner

I had heard from a friend that using time-out in the corner has been effective for them disciplining a 2 year old that they babysit frequently. So today after Jeremiah had turned on the tv for about the 50th time after being told not to I decided to see how the corner would work. The first challenge was finding an empty corner to be the permanent time out corner. The only one I could find was the corner where the entertainment center is up against the wall. After he turned on the the tv I told Jeremiah "no, mama said not to turn on the tv. When you don't obey you have to go in the corner for time out." And gently placed him facing the corner. He then proceeded to try and see how much of his face he could poke through the gap made between the entertainment center and the wall. So, the first try, not very effective. Ten minutes later Jeremiah makes a bee line for the tv and turns it on. Aaron is up to bat now. Same explanation, back into the corner. Again, his face goes into the gap and he proceeds to attempt to wiggle his way into the gap. I am sitting on a chair shaking with laughter, but not out loud because we are trying to teach him a lesson.

So, the first day of time out. Not very effective. Mostly just provided my comic relief for the day. We'll see how it goes tomorrow.

A fun note: Jeremiah has figured out how to make the "t" sound on the end of "boat" and now relishes saying "boaT" with great gusto.

V for Vendetta

A short movie review: V for Vendetta, while strange and a bit violent at parts, is definitley worth a watch. It provides an entertaining way to begin to think about issues of government, the media, civil rights, and fear based politics. Very interesting. Very eery when thinking about our situation today and the way politicians and the media spend their time trying to frighten us about everything. Terrorists, bird flu, your neighbor could be a child molester, there are nasty germs in your restaurant ice - you name it, we are supposed to fear it. There are many really good lines in the movie, but one of my favorites is, "The people are not supposed to fear their government, the government is supposed to fear the people."

Sometimes when I look at the current situation in the world I despair. I was raised with good theology so I know all about sin. But still I wonder, how can people treat each other this way? How can people still kill each other in war? How can it be that there are still people who are so poor that they have to sit and watch their children die because there is not food or medicine? How can people not care for the environment around them? And then the kicker question: What will Jeremiah's future look like?

I don't know the answers to these questions. All I know is that Jesus has called me to love - my family, my neighbor, my enemy - not fear. Love means listening and not judging. Love means trying to fight injustice. It means using the resources God has given me (money, talent, home) to impact the lives of others less fortunate. It is radical and it is not always easy and I fail many times. I believe that if I teach Jeremiah to live out this love then I do not fear what the future holds for him. It may not be pretty, and he may be called to do hard things in an ugly world. But I pray that he will be the light of Christ's love to others: whether he is holding someone's hand and suffering with them in a far off country, or collecting thier trash, or teaching them in a classroom, or healing their illnesses, or representing them in court, or reporting the news to them, or protecting their children, or helping them get government benefits.

So anyway, check out the movie. Better yet, watch it with a group of friends and discuss the issues afterwards. (Note: One warning, there are some explicit references to homosexuality in the movie. Just be aware of that. But it is interesting because it is in the context of people being so afraid of homosexuals that they are viewed as devients and put in jail etc. Another interesting discussion, but for another time.)

Made my day!

Jeremiah's latest piece of art, created in his high chair while I cooked dinner. Better alternative than tv don't you think. :-)


Ok - I know that I have already posted today but I am too excited about 2 discoveries that I made this morning so I will share.
The first: Wal-mart now carries organic wholegrain macaroni and cheese! This is the discovery of the century. Jeremiah, having tasted Kraft mac'n cheese is hooked. I in the meantime was feeling guilty for feeding him something that is full of "gunk" and not even real cheese but "cheese product." Then today in the store there on the shelf were boxes of Annie's Homegrown Organic Whole Wheat Shells & Cheese. And only 4 cents more per box then Kraft! I promptly threw 6 boxes in the cart. Bring it on!
The second: Jeremiah is finally old enough to play in the children's book section of the library without leaving a wake of destruction behind him. We went in there to get another book for me. I went to the children's section to check out their books. And there it was - a big wooden train with seats to sit and read in. You should have seen the little guys eyes light up as he let out a "whoo whoo!" We just got back from an hour at the library and 3 new dr. Suess books.....
Hope your day holds some simple yet exciting discoveries.

TV

The other day was just a bad day. I was grouchy and an impatient mom and nothing went as I planned. Jeremiah was whiny and demanding. I finally gave in at dinner time and did the ultimate no-no. I turned on Veggie Tales and sat him down in front of it for 1/2 an hour so I could finish the dishes and make dinner. So here he is vegged out in front of the tv. Don't you love the spaced out look on his face? He sat there still the whole 1/2 hour and watched and laughed. Surely I haven't re-wired his brain already?

Busy day

Ok - This post was supposed to have pictures but once again something is not working and I am too frustrated to keep trying.

What a day!

First let me just say that it is hot hot hot, not to mention humid. This morning instead of our regular morning walk I decided that since we needed milk we would just walk to Bi-Lo. It's not much farther than our regular route. By the time we arrived back in our yard I was dripping in sweat and regretting my impulsive attempt at self-improvement. Although I will say that my calves feel great! It is quite a work out to push a stroller with a 24 pound toddler and two gallons of milk. :-)

Then I decided that since I was sweaty and gross anyway I would see if re-arranging Jeremiahs room would have any effect on the time that he wakes up in the morning. He always wakes up between 6 and 6:30 even if it is still very dark outside and no matter how late he has been up the night before. I am suspicious that because his crib was on the wall that has the bathroom on the other side he is waking up because he hears Aaron up and getting ready in the morning. Anyway, I went into a re-arranging and cleaning frenzy in there. And while I am happy to report that I moved the furniture all by myself and his room is squeeky clean - I have a bruised finger and stubbed toe.

Did I mention that I have a bruise on my forehead from where Jeremiah decided to see what happens when he hits mama in the head with a hammer? I must confess I said "Shit! That hurt!" Because it did. Hopefully his little sponge-like brain didn't catch that phrase and won't repeat it in the church nursery or something.... He just laughed and wanted to try again until I explained to him that he hurt mama and said the word "ouch" (which is his new word this week).

The past few weeks we have been reading Jeremiah Dr. Suess books. He loves them! Currently we read "Hop on Pop" and "ABC".

Confessions of an inadequate housewife

Yesterday Aaron had his day off work and so we did a lot of stuff around the house. And I realized that while my house is not dirty enough to report me to Child Protective Services it is dirty enough to just be kinda gross. In general I can think of nothing I would rather do less than clean my house. It seems to pointless. I wash the dishes and 2 minutes later there are more dishes stacked up. I make my bed only to have it get messed up again when I get back in it. I dust the furniture and 2 days later there is another layer of dust. I vacuum the floor and a few hours later I see dog hair balls on the floor again. You get the picture..... Plus, have you ever tried to do cleaning with an inquisitive toddler underfoot? Quite a challenge let me tell you.

Anyway, yesterday I got ambitious and mopped the hardwood floors that are in the living/dining room area. The mop water was extremely dirty (I will just leave it at that) and I was so suprised! I mean, I vacuum almost every day and use the Swiffer thingy every few days. How could this be? Then it hit me. I had not mopped the floors since we bought an area rug for our living room for our anniversary, which was in October. I know, it's sick. So confronted with the evidence of my negligence (the dirty mop water) I was overcome with guilt and went into a cleaning frenzy. The living room and dining room are sparkling clean this morning, not a speck of dust or dirt anywhere. The kitchen is the same. I even cleaned behind the stove! I consider that all a step in the right direction. The only question now is, how long will it stay that way and do I have the energy for the bedrooms and bathroom?

Now for a totally unrelated question. Does anyone out there know if it is possible to paint vinyl windows? Aaron and I have to replace the windows and for cost reasons we just want to get the white vinyl ones - problem, the trim on our house is "almond" and white will probably look bad (but is $125 less per window).....