Vacationing with Children

This weekend, we're heading to South Lake Tahoe to bask in the warm sun and frolick in the freeze-your-hiney-off lake.

With children, the term "vacation" literally disappears from one's vocabulary. You don't really believe it when you don't have kids. Sort of like the crazy notion that the three simple words of "it never ends" really cannot possibly be true. Ohhhh they're true alright. And, until your and hubby's DNA combine to produce a bouncing baby boy/girl, you won't believe me.

I know, you will say, "Ohhh come on! How can something never end?" It's a freak of nature really. It DOESN'T ever end. Some days are good, some days are not so good, and some days you're convinced your kids have been bodysnatched and replaced with someone else.

I would think perhaps a Disney Cruise would be the exception to this "vacation renamed to trip" rule, but then again, one isn't really with their children on a Disney Cruise are they (or so I've heard)? You shuttle them from one day-camp activity area to the next and they enjoy activities, crafts, sports and the like all under the watchful eye of the Mouseketeers. Is there a difference between a vacation and a trip?

Vacations imply......

• serenity
• peace & quiet
• romance
• lots of catch up sex
• alcohol and dining
• activity (or maybe not)

Trips imply.......

• schedules
• conversations
• white noise (ie, nonstop children's chatter)
• spilled milk and placemats w/crayons
• not-so-much catch up sex
• family friendly activities

I often wonder, what on earth would possess us to take 3 year-old Gorbulas and almost 5 year-old Ruby to South Lake Tahoe for an extended weekend? I'll tell you why... togetherness.

Our house is a home, for sure. But it's a home that requires maintenance on many fronts. And, because I'm really anal, I can't really relax when the house is cluttered, laundry is piling up, dishes need washing, dog/cat needs feeding, back yard needs policing, etc. Unfortunately, and I'm really sad to admit this, its rare that my children get 100% of my attention when we are home.

So, I'm really looking forward to just being together this weekend. Really being present with the kids and Frederer instead of having a thousand worries on my mind, multi-tasking, a splitting headache and giving half-baked responses. You know, really being with them.

A breakfast that's not hurried.
Watching cartoons in bed on Saturday morning.
A picnic on the beach.
An afternoon bike ride.
Pretty Pretty Princess games with Ruby.
Buckaroo games with Gorbulas.
A gondola ride to the top of Heavenly Ski Resort.
A ship/boat cruise on Lake Tahoe.
Sipping wine on the patio with my husband when the kids are in bed.

Yeah, I think I'd still call that a vacation.

Don't Read While Eating

I love being a mother. Truly, I do. But some days are really challenging. I don't think we've ever had an event-free day since the kids were actually mobile.

There are days when I wish I had a video camera to immortalize what my children are doing or saying. Sometimes, I catch Gorbulas (3 1/2) playing by himself, and he's so sweet (and calm). And then there are the moments when he's around a baby, and he's SO incredibly sweet, slow-moving, and gentle. Yesterday, his 11 month old cousin was over and he brought her a stuffed puppy, looked at her so lovingly and patted her head. And then there are the days when he's "all boy" and just shocks me. Absolutely shocks me. I think, "If he didn't actually come out of me, I wouldn't believe he's mine."

Case in point: Sunday afternoon.

Frederer and I were the fortunate recipients of an actual adult field trip that required child care: WINE TASTING! We live in the California wine country but we never seem to actually enjoy the fruits of our lovely area. This past weekend, Nana and Papa watched Ruby and Gorbulas Saturday morning thru Sunday noon. Ahhhh, who needs a vacation away when you can stay home, kid-free for 28 hours? We head up to the Sonoma Valley and visit Ledson, Loxton, and Kunde, via a chauffeur driven van. Niiiccceeee. We join two more wine clubs, and we're pretty much toast by 2pm. Como se dise, nap?

We're with a group of 12, and after our lovely dinner, and near 12 straight hours of being intoxicated (which was NICE, btw), we head home for the night. The house is eerily quiet. Do we miss the pitter-patter of little feet? Ohhhh no.

Sunday rolls around, we ditch church and sleep in (9am! Yay!). We finally get ready for the day and Frederer and I go out to breakfast. Then and only then do we reluctantly saunter over to Nana and Papa's to fetch the kids. We ended up hanging out with them all afternoon, which was really nice. We brought our dog Sadie over as well, so she could visit with Goldie, Nana's doggie.

Sadie has to go #2, and of course, she does what she's supposed to, and goes in the grass, leaving a nice gift for Goldie to sniff and Gorbulas to admire ("Look Mom -- dog POOP!"). We all sort of cringe and shrug it off.

We go about our day -- Nana and I are clipping coupons for The Grocery Game , the kids and dogs are out back playing and the men are watching drag car racing. It's an idyllic Sunday afternoon, until Nana looks out the sliding glass door to see Gorbulas completely buck naked! And, he's bending over...and what is he doing? He's POOPING in the grass like the dog! Nana shrieks with laughter, I have a look of horror on my face and Frederer just rolls his eyes.

What is it with boys and their fascination about eliminating in the outdoors??? His preschool teacher forewarned me that boys his age (3-4) just do it. She says they ALL do it. Huh? What gives with outdoor peeing/pooping? POOPING?

So Nana, having raised 3 boys where nothing is offlimits, is cracking up laughing. I'm pretty much mortified and Frederer comes to the rescue and goes out to investigate.

"Uhhh, whatcha doin' son?" he says.

Gorby replies, "I had to poop."

"Yeah, but aren't you supposed to poop in the toilet?"

"Yeah," he says. "But, it was an emergency."

Oh well, who can argue with an emergency?

Frederer being the champ he is, sends our streaking 3 year old into the house so I can clean him up while he starts pooper-scooping.

Eeeewww.

I guess nothing is off-limits when you have kids.

Tuesday Morning Humor

I've had so many things happen in the last few days on which to blog, but I'm just about to leave to take the kids to school, so this is gonna be a short one. So, we'll start the day with a joke.

Moe and Joe
Moe and Joe are two 90-year old men, and have been friends their entire lives. As children, they played Little League together, in high school they were on the same baseball team, and as adults, they were avid Major League fans. They even played in the company league. Yep -- these guys are more than fans -- they live and breathe baseball.

Moe comes ill and lays dying, and he summons his best friend to his side.

"Joe" he says, "I'm dying."

Joe replies, "I know buddy, and I"m sorry. I'll miss you terribly. But, I have one favor to ask, if you can do it. When you get to Heaven, can you please find a way to let me know if there is baseball there?"

Moe says, "Sure, buddy. If I can, I'll find a way and let you know." Shortly after, Moe passes.

A few days later, Joe is awoken in the middle of the night by a blinding light and a loud voice: "Joe! Joe!"

Startled, he sits up and says, "Who is it?"

Moe replies, "It's me, Moe."

"No, Moe's dead."

"I know, I'm dead. You asked me to tell you if there's baseball in Heaven, remember? Well, I have a lot of good news, and some bad news."

"Give me the good news first," Joe says.

"The good news is, there IS baseball in Heaven. It's always summer and 78 degrees here. It's perfect; there's no rain and no snow. And, all our buddies are here too! There's even guys here from Little League. And, nobody is old! We're all young and in our prime again, and playing baseball all the time. There's even uniforms even. This place is awesome."

Joe says, "Wow! That sounds great! So, what's the bad news?"

Moe replies, "You're pitching next Tuesday."

I'm Not Dead Yet

I know my last post was a crabby one, and I want to thank you all for your kind comments. It was a rough day.

I've been sick, and super busy, these last few days, but I do have a topic on which to blog.

I just finished yet another book (freak!) called Daughter of China, and I have some thoughts I'd like to share.

More to come!

Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day

The last few days have been pretty rough for me. In my Feng Shui post from April, I go into some detail about the inverse relationship between clean house and offspring. It just doesn't happen. I look around our home and I'm convinced that Hurricane Gorby came through again, not two freeking seconds after I've cleaned up this place. I feel like Mr. Incredible in the prologue to The Incredibles when he says, "I wish the world would just stay saved, ya know? I feel like the maid around here: can't we keep this place clean for...just...like 10 minutes?"

So, I'm here at the kitchen table blogging to release some stress, because when Mamma ain't happy, nobody's happy.

Today, I found myself hollaring at the kids. I feel like I'm hollaring like all the flippin' time. I heard myself yelling out the back door this afternoon and my God, I sound like Faye Dunaway screaming, "Noooooo moooooore wire hangers!!!!!!!" I can only imagine what the neighbors might think. Oh wait, our neighbors don't speak English, so I guess it doesn't matter. They just hear a whacked out American mother. Yep. I'm bitter today.

So, after swimming lessons this afternoon, we head home. The kids are just WIRED and my son and daughter are bickering in the backseat. I'm thinking, "What the heck is in that water, and did they get body snatched?" Gorbulas screams at the top of his lungs out of nowhere and I jump and swerve the car so hard it looks like I might fishtail and we all end up in an embankment. So, now I'm screaming back at him. Gee, I wonder where he gets the screaming trait?

I have a headache the size of Montana and, alas, we arrive at home. Ahh the safety of the backyard and summertime. "Out -- go play," I say, and the kiddos head out for the neighborhood disruption du jour.

I'm seriously pissed off, just about everything is irking me today: my headache, the traffic on the way home, the screaming/fighting children, the cluttered home, the stinking laundry that is emananting from the washer, the fact that it's 6:10pm and I have no clue what to make for dinner (traffic was AWFUL and took us 45 mins to go 12 miles), and the stupid news about our company possibly being acquired AGAIN (this would be #4) have just made my day a nightmare.

I wonder why I'm so on edge today... well... I think and I know. Today's the one year anniversary of my stillborn nephew's death. No wonder its been a shitty day. I talked to my SIL and she's doing much better than I am. I'm incredible sad, and it's coming out as anger.

Just when I think I can't take it anymore, my son brings a smile to my face. One moment, I'm about to put him up for auction on eBay, and the next he has me smiling, thanking the Lord for precious moments. It was simple, but precious. He comes downstairs, in his jammies-shorts only (no underwear mind you), his red cowboy hat and his stick-horse. He's got a huge grin, and says, "Mom! Watch this!" and jumps down 3 stairs. He looks at me and says, "Whoa! Mama? You wanna ride with me?"

These are the days that make my day. Praise God for moments like these.

Inflammatory Breast Cancer

I keep up on a blog of a woman (ToddlerPlanet) who was recently (6 weeks ago) diagnosed with inflammatory breast cancer. It's really important that we are armed with good information, so please read!

http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/2007/07/23/inflammatory-breast-cancer/

No Harry Potter Spoilers Here (You're Safe!)

I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. Don't get me wrong. By "huge fan" I do not mean I dress up in costume, decorate my home with Monster books, magical paintings or mystical creatures or eat Bertie Beans. We're just a standard suburban home, with lots of clutter and a love for books.

I am a fan however, of the energy and furvor that Harry Potter brings to children and their desire to read. I don't know which was bigger when they came to America: Harry Potter or The Beatles? Thankfully, the Beatles were wayyyy before my time. I don't even like 'em!

And, how cool is it that the books are entertaining enough for adults? It will be so great to re-read them with my children in a few years, once they are at the appropriate reading age. I must admit, as well, that I love the illustrations at the beginning of each chapter.

Poor young Harry though, is not without his controveries. Be it "evil" or "magic" or "sorcery", the heart of this epic tale is good vs. evil. This theme is no stranger to thousands and thousands of books before him. I view this as FICTION and a NOVEL, not as a blueprint for living. So I have no qualms whatsoever about reading it or sharing it with my kids. In all honesty, is transfiguration, riding a broom, or Polyjuicing into Jessica Biel something you can achieve by joining the Wiccan Society? Yeah, I thought not. (Polyjuicing? Did I just make that a verb?)

What I find even more interesting is the good vs. evil theme. I had a fleeting thought this morning in the shower about all the athiests in the world, and their viewpoint on this. If there is no God, where does "good" come from? And, if there is no Devil, were does "evil" come from? And, why are there so many bloody books on good vs. evil if it doesn't really exist? Interesting thought to chew on.

Actually, I'd rather just chew on some Twizzlers and get back to my Deathly Hallows book. I'll be finishing it up tonight. Happy Reading!

Prayer Request

Please pray for this lady, who is a young mom of two boys, suffering breast cancer.
http://toddlerplanet.wordpress.com/2007/07/19/changing-rhythms/

Sometimes, Thankfully the Apple Falls FAR From the Tree

Summertime is absolutely my favorite time of year (well, maybe it's tied with the Christmas season.) Living in Northern California, we have such beautiful weather here in the wine country: sunny, warm temperatures, little humidity, few bugs... oops, maybe I should stop touting all the positives. We have enough people here already. Actually, now that I think about it, we live near a swamp, with TONS of mosquitos, 98% humidity, weekly earthquakes, and civil unrest. Yeah yeah, that's it. You do NOT want to live where we do.

After we returned from our 3-week jaunt to Colorado, the kids had a week break and then started swimming lessons. They're doing great and will sprout gills any day now. But, as I watch them, I can't help but think about my first memorable experience with swimming lessons. It's not pretty. And, my 2nd experience with swimming lessons was traumatic. My 3rd "lesson" swimming almost got me killed.

I'm 5 years old. We're living in the south suburbs of Chicago at the time, and for whatever reason, we are at an indoor pool that seems just HUGE to me. It must have been 200 yards long. I had to wear those horrible swim caps which kept ripping my beautiful, fine, luscious, hair to shreds and my mother is in the balcony of the swim center. Balcony? Whatever.

I felt like she was a million miles away, separated by a piece of plexiglass. In reality, it was probably just a bleacher-style seating area behind a hockey rail 15 feet away. But, it felt like she was on the moon and I was drowning. She'd smile and wave and I'd cry and scream. Smile and wave, cry and scream. Talk about abandonment! How dare you smile at me when I'm drowning?????? That was the only memory I have about those swimming lessons. Sad.

Second horrific experience was swimming lessons in HIGH SCHOOL! As a parent, I can understand why swimming lessons are important, but as a requirement for graduation? Thank you, Colorado Public Schools. Actually it was a great experience, but getting into a swimsuit in high school in a co-ed class was just humiliating. No matter how cute a figure I had at the time, it was humiliating. I saw a picture of me in high school recently, and hey, it wasn't that bad! Big boobs, small waist, nice legs. Not a cheerleader by any stretch but definitely a body I would trade with the one I have today. Thankfully, this swimming lessons experience was -- aside from getting in a swimsuit in front of peers -- remarkably fantastic. I learned that I am a great swimmer, and have "excellent technique." I remember winning 1st place for my sidestroke. Olympics, here I come!

Sadly, my third experience was in open water where I literally almost drown. Along with my mother, almost drown. When I was 17, we took a mother-daughter vacation and went to Tampa, Florida. In July. What were we thinking? It was hotter than the sun, let me tell you. Keep in mind, we're from C-O-L-O-R-A-D-O. You know, the completely landlocked state with no water ANYWHERE? Yeah, that one.

Not having any foresight whatsoever, we decided to take our use-in-pool-only, 99 cent floating beds to the flippin' ocean. You know, to "relax" on the waves. Yeah. Sure. Dumbasses.

We ignore the "Not for Open Water Use" warning on the piece of crap made by the Oriental Crap Shop (that'd be the Oriental Trading Company) and we venture out to sea. Did I mention it's LOW TIDE? Did I forget to mention we're being dragged out to sea? And, piece de resistance, did I forget to mention that my mother can NOT swim? Dog paddle, maybe. Swim? As in, "let's swim to the shore to save our lives" swim? Yeah, NO.

After 10 minutes of relaxing on the waves, I look and see that we're a good 100 yards from shore. I think, "Uhhh this is not good." I tell my mom to stay on the Oriental Crap Raft and I'd tow her in. Well, what the heck do I know about swimming to shore? and, towing a person, on a raft no less? Turns out, N-O-T-H-I-N-G. I would only learn later that you have to swim parallel to the shore to actually get to the shore.

After a while of swimming closer to Cuba, I give up and just tread water for a while wondering what to do next. My mother is still on the raft and I'm treading water. She gets off her raft (?) and is now hanging on to it (treading water with her legs). In hindsight, she tells me she was absolutely terrified. Either one of two things was going to happen: 1) I would see my mother drown or, 2) she would see me be drown.

Merciful God came to save us (literally). This guy and is buddy are in a boat a bit away from us and my mother sees them!!! She starts waving and screaming, "HELLLLLPPPPPPPPPPPP!" She's waving like a crazy woman. And, you can tell I'm 17 by my next comment: I remember just feeling mortified.

"MOTHER!" I scream, "You're embarassing me! Those are guys over there."

She just about drown me herself.

The boat arrives to haul us in. One guy offers his hand to me and says he'll help me in the boat. I say to him, "Take my mom first. She can't swim."

So cutiepie offers his hand to my mom.

"No, take my daughter first," she says. I'm sure cute-and-tan-Florida-guy is now rolling his eyes. Two drowning women and they're arguing over gets in the boat first. "You must be mother-daughter," he's thinking.

Finally, after a few banters back and forth, I scream at her, "Get in the effing boat mother!" (Not respectful, I know). But, God got me back for my disrespect. As I was being hauled in like a 200 pound tuna, I cut my inner thigh from knee to groin and now I'm bleeding all over cutie's boat. Oh well. I don't care. Frankly, I'm grateful my mother and I are alive.

Cutiepies take us in and drop us off. We thank them, stumble on shore and just sit there for a while catching our breath. Then, the tears come. We both just sob. We were both so afraid. It was one of those defining moments in our lives and in our relationship, I'm convinced. We both talk of it to this day.

Then, my mother contributed to the delinquency of a minor, and we both went to Joe's Crab Shack for some Mai Tais and cracked crab. It felt good to beat on something and get drunk in the process.

As I sit in the shade watching my two little fishes take their swimming lessons, I think about what adventures lay ahead of them in their lives. Will they have a run-in with water like their mama? Will they be a lifeguard and swim teacher like their Daddy? (How ironic is that?).

Whatever happens, it's good we are equipping them now. Granted, it's fun for them but it's all about safety for me.

List Makers of the World Unite

For all the harried Moms out there that have resorted to writing their grocery lists on random scraps of paper that get lost, envelopes from recent bills, or the back of their preschoolers' not-the-best-of-the-bunch artwork (of course, I've done NONE of those!), the following might help:

http://www.grocerylists.org/ultimatest/GrocerylistsDOTorg_v2_LTR.pdf

I've printed 10 of them and they now hang on my fridge just *waiting*, begging, in fact, pleading, to be checked off.

My mother will probably just roll her eyes and laugh at me because I am the QUEEN of list-making. It would be a small miracle if I ever got to accomplishing anything ON the list, but I feel validated and fulfilled when I jot down the items I have to do. Maybe it's just a mental note. Maybe it's a way for me to get organized and then my id would tackle the list for me. Who knows. But, I'm hoping to become more efficient and this just might do the trick.

Happy News for P&B

Our dear friends, Polly & Berilac, are trying to have children. Through some trying times with miscarriages, she got a big of good news today that I just have to share. Please read for yourself and pray for her. Her blog is In2MeSee off my links.

Child Sacrifice: Not Just a Tribal Custom

My sister-in-law sent me a fantastic article by Sally Thomas today that I just had to share. I so admire great writers, in how they can eloquently articulate so well that others like me say, "Uhh yeah! That's what I meant to say!"

I do not homeschool our two children. I think it takes an incredible person, temperamently and organizationally, to homeschool children and I applaud them for their foresight and contribution to their children's spiritual health and academic wellbeing.

A friend who lives in Tucson homeschools her 4 kids, and they are amazing human beings. My neices and nephews are homeschooled and they, too, are amazing. They're academically advanced and socially conscious. They have "Friday School" where many homeschoolers gather for organized sports, extra-curricular activities, art, music, language, whatever. The point is, they are "socialized" which is a fear of many when they hear the world "homeschooling."

Anyway, the article addresses the common Christian notion of being salt & light in a darkened world (ie, sacrificing your Christian kids to public school). It's a good starting point for debate. Thus, I'm changing my poll a bit early.

Pieces of her text stood out to me:

The idea of sending a child daily into a hostile environment—if not actively hostile, as in bullying, then certainly philosophically hostile—expecting him not only to withstand assaults on everything his parents have told him is true but also to transform the entire system by his presence, seems sadly misguided to me.

In the Sermon on the Mount, in addition to the salt-and-light business, Jesus also tells the multitude, “Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” A child’s greatest treasure, to my mind, is his childhood itself. He has only one, and it’s over quickly enough. If we as parents invest that treasure in sex education that makes us cringe, history we know to be a lie, and busy work we recognize as meaningless, we should perhaps not be too surprised if at the end of the day these things, and not the things which are above, have claimed our children’s hearts.

I commented about Ally Zone's blog entry yesterday (on her neighbor experience). I think it's so important to have good relationships with your neighbors. Sally goes on to comments:

Some people worry about the state of the schools; I tend to worry about the state of the American neighborhood. In an age of working parents and before-and-after-care, most middle-class neighborhoods effectively become ghost towns between 6:30 in the morning and 6:30 at night. Our societal habits suggest that, when we say community, we mean something we leave home to find: at work, at the coffeehouse, at the gym, at school. Home is where we go when we’re sick of everyone else. We go inside, we shut the door, we turn on the television. Walk down a typical residential street at twilight and you’ll see cars in the driveways, but the houses look deserted: curtains drawn, lights off, the blue glow of the television the only evidence of habitation.

Wow! So eloquently spoken. I, too, worry about the state of the schools and the state of our American neighborhood.

What if we ALL did JUST ONE neighborly thing today? How wonderful would that be? Could it be the pebble in still pond that ignites something wonderful?

My goal today is that our Ruby & Gorbulas would do something wonderful for our neighbors. That's it. Just one thing. I'm resolved. I'll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Give the article a go -- it's a good read, even if you're not pro-homeschooling.

Tangible vs. Intangible Neighbors

Another blogger I read, Ally from The Zone Family, published a terrific post on (sadly) a tragic situation that happened to her little boy one day. The point of the post though, was how awesome her neighbors were in coming to her rescue. From the 70 year old woman across the street, to the Mom and kids walking by, to her best friend who baked bread.

I wish we all had neighbors like this!

My Heart Aches

I'm very sad today. I'm sad because a dear friend of mine is hurting something fierce. Physically and emotionally, she's really hurting, and I feel really helpless.

I liken this feeling to when Ruby was diagnosed with Growth Hormone Deficiency, and at 6 months old just stopped growing. I was dumbfounded, scared, frightened for her and just cried a lot in confusion, now knowing how to "fix this."

So often during the early days when she was being diagnosed, I would have to put on a good face, let her know that Mommy was in control, and that she had nothing to fear. I put on my game face, held her hand, and said, "We'll do this together. It might hurt, but I'm here with you and I'm not going to leave you" when we endured a 5-hour blood test. When she had to have an MRI on her brain and the doctors gave her general anesthesia (at 16 months old), I remember holding her and reassuring her that even though there are strange people here, it's OK to "take a quick nap" and Mommy will be here when she'd wake up. Only when I was alone with Frederer did I lose it and break down in helplessness.

The game face.
The feeling of helplessness.
The pleas with God.
The overwhelming joy of a treatment.
The shock that treatment means daily shots.
The sigh of relief as God shows up even when I'm not faithful.

Even when I say I trust Him, did I really? Yes, but no. Yes, I know God CAN do anything. But would He? For me? For our daughter? WOULD He? We are the recipients of grace. We don't EARN anything in God's Kingdom. EVERYTHING is a gift from above. And, for Ruby, He gave and He gave BIG.

So, I'm sad today and I cry. I cry for my friend who desperately wants a child who might not ever get one. I pray for her and her husband, that God would give them a gift. WILL God give them this gift? Will He give and give BIG? I don't know. I want to trust that He will. I need to resolve and trust that He will give, and He will big BIG.

My prayer today echoes Paul:

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you, Polly & Berilac, with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, Polly & Berilac, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Weekly Poll

Opinions are like noses. Everybody's got one.

My laptop crashed AGAIN this morning, so I've finally got it back up and running, and am now doing a FULL backup. So, while the work computer is out of service for a while, I thought I'd come and blog...

I added a nifty feature to All's Quiet on the Homefront so YOU can publish your own opinion, while simultaneously maintaining your VOYEUR or LURKER status.

Ohhhh you all know who you are! The lovely ladies of Santa Rosa, Novato, WashPark, Centennial and more...yeah, I know all about you. :-)

Have fun with the polls, and if you have a suggestion, let me know.

Bloom Where You're Planted

This morning the family went to a different church to worship. It's not that we're especially unhappy with the church we currently attend, we just feel like square pegs in a round hole sometimes. The church we currently attend is just emerging from an almost-3-year stint of having no Senior Pastor, so the leadership was like a rudderless ship. Just sailing wherever they felt "led." Again, not that we're UNhappy with the church, because it is Biblically sound, but both Frederer and I feel that "our happiness" at a church is really quite irrelevant. We're at church to WORSHIP God, not get warm fuzzies. If we happen to get warm fuzzies because we are obedient and God chooses to bless us, great! Otherwise, we're there to offer our praises, fellowship with other believers and take Communion. When we don't *feel* like going to worship, we need to do it anyway (an obedience issue). I'm reminded of a beautiful praise song that says "my heart will choose to say...blessed be Your name." It's a choice!

"1)Blessed be Your name in the land that is plentiful,
Where Your streams of abundance flow,
Blessed be Your name
And blessed be Your name when I’m found in the desert place,
Though I walk through the wilderness
Blessed be your name

2)Every blessing You pour out I’ll turn back to praise
And when the darkness closes in Lord, Still I will say

Chorus:
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your name
Blessed be the name of the Lord
Blessed be Your glorious name

3)Blessed be Your name when the sun’s shining down on me
When the world’s “all as it should be”
Blessed be Your name
And blessed be Your name on the road marked with suffering
Though there’s pain in the offering
Blessed be Your name

You give and take away
You give and take away
My heart will choose to say
Lord, blessed be Your name

So, anyway, we arrived just barely late for the 10:00am service, which is better than our normal "Standard Christian Time" which is about 10-15 minutes late. The people were so welcoming -- we brought the kids into church with us and they brought us crayons/papers, stuffed animals, reassured us that it's really no problem that young Gorbulas' ramblings, the dropping and subsequent THUD of humonguous pew book, the tapping of crayons and the very loud whispers were echoing throughout the hundred-year-old brick church with a 40 ft ceiling. Naturally we sat in the squeekiest pew known to mankind, and Gorbulas squirmed a lot (where's the WD-40 when you need it?!?). Finally, I just held him tight on my lap and he drifted off to sleep. Yay! There is a God and He loves me!

After the service, Frederer commented that he's never been so warmly welcomed and deliberately sought out by so many as a visitor before. This was our 2nd time visiting this particular church, and both times, we were made to feel very very welcome.

I have to wonder, how many times have we heard (at our current church) about visitors complaining they didn't feel welcome? Even Frederer and I thought back and we didn't especially feel welcome when we first started to attend. We attended because it was sort of the de facto "place to be" in our small city and we had family that attended that church.

So this new church has Vacation Bible School this entire week -- and get this: it's a FAMILY VBS and the entire church is involved! It's from 6pm - 8pm each night this week, the theme is "By the Sea of Galilee" and all the families will be separated into the 12 tribes of Israel for the week. What a wonderful way to meet new people, and get to know the church a bit better! It's a small church, and I didn't see a whole lot of kids, but I saw about 25-30 elementary school aged kids. I'd guess there are about 250-300 people that attend the church...the average age is older, but that has huge benefits in my opinion.

So, do we investigate this church more? We think yes. We're going to see if they have a newcomers class or something to get the nuts & bolts about this church's doctrine and do a Prayer-, Bible- and heart-check on it.

In terms of deciding whether or not to attend, Frederer and I were talking about "God's Will" and how people sometimes say, "I wonder what God's will is for my life." We find this an incredible statement, because we don't believe God has a will for YOUR life. He has His Will and it it what it is. I'm reminded of Sarah and how she was barren for many many many years. Finally, God gave her a child. But, it wasn't to bless Sarah -- she certainly received a blessing by having a child -- but the intent and the reason for her having a child was to bear Isaac. So, God's Will was that Isaac be born; not that Sarah have a child. It's all perspective.

We believe that we can either join Him and His Plan or opt out (and opting out entails separation from God, so that's not an option). So, as we think about possibly making this our new church home, instead of thinking, "Is this God's will for my life? (ie, "me" focused), we think, "How can God use us at this congregation at this season in our lives? (ie, "God" focused).

A simpler form of this might be Bloom Where You're Planted. We'll see if our roots can take hold here.

Blessings to you all!

Home Sweet Home

We arrived safe and sound, and are now back in the land of the fruits & the nuts. It's home though. Frederer's parents came to pick us up at the airport, and we all drove back to our house. Frederer's brother is moving, so he was helping him out.

Aside from the few dead plants and the knee high weeds growing in "Mama's Retreat" (a beautiful flower garden/reading area on the side of the house), everything seems all well and good.

The airport was event-free, except for Gorbulas asking the waitress for "Man Soda" when she asked what we'd all like to drink. DOH! Guess Frederer needs to take it easy on the beer consumption around young Gorby.

Tomorrow, we're attending a new church to check it out. I'll let you know how it goes!

Video from Al-Jazeera Television

This is a great video clip.

Watch is ASAP before the radicals get wind of it and take it down from the internet. I wish there was a way I could record it!

The woman is Wafa Sultan, an Arab-American psychologist from Los Angeles . <http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=nul> http://switch3.castup.net/cunet/gm.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=nul

Basement Campout

We have 36 hours left in our visit to Denver so tonight, Ruby and Gorbulas had their 4 cousins over for a sleepover. The evening was complete with a scavenger hunt, flashlight tag at dusk, a pizza dinner and make-your-own sundaes with hot fudge, crushed cookies, strawberries, bananas, whip cream and a cherry. I won't mention the fact that I completely botched the pizza and my mother had to bail me out! :-)

Right now, it's about 9:45pm, and the kids are still up. I'm totally the cool one as I've granted an extended bedtime (lights out was at 9pm though). Three boys and three girls ranging in age from 3-7 are downstairs watching The Land Before Time, complete with a tent, sleeping bags, flashlights and lots of giggles. I'm sitting about 15' behind them, in a yummy recliner with my feet up and my wireless internet chugging along, and I love hearing them. The bond of family, of being a "cousin" is so important, even if it's not blood relation. I can't help but think of God's kingdom, and how we are all family if we are believers. In His Word, Paul urges us to make every effort to keep the unity of the spirit, because we are one big family.

I grew up away from any of my cousins (and I have 11 of them) but when we did get together there was a bond between us -- at least in my mind there was. Memories are being made right now, in front of my very eyes, as my children enjoy this precious time together. I still keep in touch with a few of my cousins, two of which just had babies in the last couple of years, and it's nice to reconnect with them. We are close to a few of Frederer's cousins in NorCal, and it's awesome to be friends and family at the same time.

Tonight hasn't been without its share of hiccups though -- we've had one biting incident, a naked 3 year old running loose, forgotten underwear, burned retinas because of a too-close flashlights, the injustice of broken toys at the hands of another, a phallic flashlight-in-the-underwear incident ("Look at me, Mom!") and misplaced toothbrushes. But, it's all good. These things are taken in stride... tonight is a night of memories!

I'm Exhausted & there's a Storm Comin!

I think I'm officially exhausted. In a good way, exhausted. We've been so wonderfully busy, the kids and I are ready to collapse. We've been to parks, a baseball game, friends homes, family's homes, day camp, swimming in the creek, playing around the house, an indoor bouncy-house place, a couple malls, and a movie. But tonight, there's a storm a' comin'! Six children will be under my care!

Unfortunately, Frederer left us in Denver a few days ago to go back home (to work), so we're trying to enjoy the last few days here without him (it's hard). This picture was taken at a fantastic steakhouse called Fleming's. If you're ever in Denver and need a good restaurant, this is it. If you're in NorCal, there's a Fleming's opening up in Walnut Creek this summer. Nice! Anyway, I miss him already and am looking forward to seeing him again on Saturday.

Before Frederer left, we enjoyed a milk-free, crayon-free, spill-stuff-all-over-the-table-free Italian dinner with Bolo & Lila. It was good to see them yet again. There are friendships that I call "easy" friendships, and theirs is one of them. You know, the kinds of friends that don't take a lot of *work* to maintain? Anyway, we have several of those types of friendships. Smooth, easygoing friendships that aren't high maintenance.

The kids have been attending Summer Friends & Fun at Christ Episcopal Church from 9am - Noon this week, and they've loved it. It's amazing what even 3 hours will do for their social skills and friendship building skills. The theme was Noah's Ark, and they've come home with stories and projects every day this week.

Tonight, as I mentioned, a storm is coming! My 4 nieces and nephews, along with our rambunctious two, are having a campout sleepover. Complete with tents, sleeping bags, pizza and a scavenger hunt. And, I think I'm exhausted now? Yikes. All kidding aside, it'll be great fun and the kids usually entertain themselves. Maybe I'll just skip the scavenger hunt and just let 'em be kids and play. Everything doesn't have to be so regimented does it? It's one of our last hurrahs before we start packing to head home.

Read-a-holic

It's funny how I'm such a reader, now as an adult. As a kid, I remember being in school and not reading ONE LICK of the assigned reading lists in English class. I did not take a Literature class; I opted for Spelling/Vocabulary and Mythology as my English electives. My high school had a substantial class offering for which I was grateful.

Now, I can't get out of books. When he sees me reading something new, my husband says, "Oh boy, I've lost you again for two more days." :-) Frederer is such a wonderful guy to put up with my addiction the way he does.

Two of my websites are Amazon (of course) and Christian Book Distributors. I love Christian fiction (and non-Christian fiction too), but just added a few non-fiction, apologetics books to my recent order.

I've listed the books I'm reading down the left sidebar. If you're a reader, maybe we could buddy up and read the same books? Sort of start a "virtual book club?"

Happy Reading!

Black Holes: Space :: TV Viewing: Home Economic Efficiency

I'm such a sucker for TV shows. I really do love TV. Outside of summers, my usual lineup during the regular season is something sick like 12 shows -- thank God we have DVR! How did we EVER watch TV before DVR? Like I have an hour to actually sit down and watch it live? Now...40 minutes, I can do, at 11pm before I go to bed. An hour, during prime time? No way.

So, a new show is coming this fall called the Bionic Woman. I'm crossing my fingers and hoping it'll be good. It brought me back to the Six Million Dollar Man and the original Bionic Woman from oh gosh...the 70s? Here's the trailer if you're interested. It obviously has some spoilers from the first episode, but oh well. It's a TEASER! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xoSdmrUOTqg

Another good one on deck, I'm hoping, is Holly Hunter's Saving Grace. I'm a sucker for faith-based shows like 7th Heaven, Touched by an Angel, etc. (I like the feel-gooders). It also starts this fall.

I just caught Burn Notice, on USA and that seemed good. I'm also starting to get hooked on Traveler! Of course, we'll keep DVRing:

• The Starter Wife
• Heroes
• CSI-Miami
• CSI (Las Vegas)
• Lost
• 24
• Prison Break
• Deadliest Catch
• Ice Road Truckers (my husband's new fav)

Like I said, thank goodness for DVR and late night viewing!

Truly, it's a sickness. But, hey, I'm OK with that. I have Faith, have dinner on the table every night at 6pm sharp, my husband has clean clothes, my kids are educated, healthy and bathed, and I'm a successful businesswoman. So, my priorities are in order....until it's 9pm and the TV clicks on!

Scarecrow Sing-a-long...If I Only Had a Brain

As I've mentioned in a previous post, I can conservative. Socially, morally, fiscally, and any other -ally you can think of, I'm likely to be conservative. And, I live in California, which makes it even more difficult to be conservative with whackos like Mark Leno in our Legislature. God help us!

I read this article today about upcoming proposed legislation in California:

California Bills Fact Sheet

SB 777 – Homosexuality Protected/Promoted in Schools
This bill was introduced by Sen. Sheila Kuehl, and it is so bizarre that it deserves a fuller explanation. The bill would turn the public schools into a fantasy world of smiley faces only, by prohibiting any teaching or any activity at all that would "reflect adversely" on any person because of disability, gender, race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. Please note: that's any person at all. So, can we expect to see lessons on:

• the gentle side of Adolph Hitler?
• why Osama Bin Laden is really a nice guy once you get to know him?
• how the Visigoths overran the Roman Empire by killing them with kindness?

Textbooks will have to be scoured for potential offenses to sexual orientation, including reference to such things as the benefit of a two-parent, mother-and-father home. Also, the bill's wording makes no allowances for discrimination against people or movements that are usually considered to be evil.

The final meaning of the bill, should it become law, will be settled only by the courts, and in California the courts can be crazy. It was a federal court in California – the 9th Circuit – that found the Pledge of Allegiance to be unconstitutional because it mentioned God.

AB 43 – Gay Marriage
One of San Francisco's representatives is openly gay legislator Mark Leno. He has introduced a bill to legalize same-sex "marriage". This bill is like the one that Gov. Schwarzenegger vetoed in 2005. The bill is expected to pass the Legislature and Schwarzenegger has already vowed publicly to veto this bill again.
AB 43 flies in the face of California voters who approved Prop 22 in 2000. Proposition 22, which says that "Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California," passed with over 61 percent of the vote.

SB 11 – Change in Domestic-Partnership Laws
This bill would change domestic-partnership laws by removing same-sex and age requirements from current domestic-partnership laws. It opens domestic partnerships to unmarried heterosexual couples regardless of their age.
This is one more step in destroying the foundation of the traditional family in California. If they are going to pass this bill, why not pass a reciprocal benefits bill? That way it would be a fair law – based on need, not sexual relationships. Reciprocal benefits would be beneficial in various family relationships, such as two elderly siblings living together, or a parent caring for an adult disabled child. But SB 11 is not about benefits; it's about redefining the family.

AB 102 – Change in Domestic-Partnership Laws
In the ongoing, multifaceted efforts to redefine marriage, California lawmakers are also seeking to allow homosexuals who have domestic partnerships to more easily share a last name. Such a change is possible now through the legal system, but AB 102 would make the process like that of married couples – a simple checking of a box.
The bill would also allow a married couple to adopt a totally new last name. This bill and other deliberate attempts by the Legislature to broaden the meaning of marriage will ultimately leave marriage with no meaning at all.

AB 14 – Adding Even More Special Protection for Homosexuals
Called the Civil Rights Act of 2007, the major goal of this bill is to further cement special rights for homosexuals into state law. According to the Senate Judiciary Committee bill analysis, this bill would create a protected class for sexual orientation in 51 anti-discrimination provisions found in 12 state codes.
If passed, AB 14 will not allow Christian organizations that ascribe to biblical truth on homosexuality to utilize public school or government facilities. This would mean that churches that are seen to "discriminate" against homosexuals by preaching God's Word would not be allowed to rent schools for church services.
Another way this could affect churches and parachurch organizations is that they could lose the use of public facilities and funds. This could mean that Christian soup kitchens or homeless shelters would no longer be allowed to serve the public.

SB 443 – Allowing HIV Positive Sperm Donors
This bill, introduced by openly lesbian Senate Democrat Carol Midgen, would permit men to donate sperm even if they are infected by syphilis, hepatitis or HIV, and there is no guarantee that a resulting child would be free of any of these infections. Those backing the bill say it's discriminatory to not allow an HIV positive male to donate. The argument is that he should be allowed to be a father, as long as the mother consents. The comparable analogy here is the recent concern over a tuberculosis (TB) patient on an airplane. Transmission of TB from one person to another on a plane is almost non-existent. But, even though it was negligible, the risk for the transmission of a fatal disease did exist. And just like people on the plane did not have an opportunity to give informed consent to be on a plane with a TB patient, the baby created by an HIV positive sperm donor has no say either.

AB 16 – Vaccinations for School-Aged Children
As originally drafted, AB 16 required all girls entering the seventh grade to receive a series of shots that would partially protect them against the human papillomavirus (HPV). But the bi-partisan Assembly Health Committee had concerns about maintaining parental rights and the risk associated with mandating a drug that has been on the market under a year for pre-teen girls. AB 16 has now been significantly amended, due to pressure from thousands of parents statewide. The bill is no longer specific to the HPV vaccine, but now relates to all vaccines "mandated" by the state of California. If AB 16 passes, schools must distribute information to parents, clearly stating that parents have the right to opt their child out of vaccines based on beliefs. And physicians must provide information regarding the risks and benefits of all vaccines. Another good change made to the bill is that no vaccine will be considered for use until it has been available on the market for five years or more. So it would be at least another four years before the HPV vaccination could even be considered as mandatory.
Focus on the Family Action supports the current version of AB 16, but we are against mandatory HPV vaccinations for school-aged children.
For more information on these and other bills working their way through the Legislature, go to the California Family Council's website at http://www.californiafamily.org/

Have people LOST their minds? Please pray for us in California!

What a Fun Party!

While the party got off to...let's say a "traditional" start, in the end much fun was had by all. Several cocktails were involved (which always helps with managing extended family) followed by an awesome BBQ rib dinner, fun lawn games and of course, cake and presents!

I'm not really a drinker, but I discovered a great cocktail (martini?) called the June Bug. Here's the recipe next time you have a party, and want to serve a FANTASTIC girl-drink:

June Bug
1 shot creme de banana
1 shot citron vodka
1 shot midori
1 shot peach schnapps
2 shots cranberry juice
Shake in a mixer and serve on the rocks with a sugar-rimmed rim martini glass and a wedge of lime, and voila! Fun in a glass.

Since it was my dad's 65th birthday, none of us can actually believe it because he doesn't strike us as being a "65-year-old", I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to get some over the hill gifts. The best one, by far, was the mock IV stand. Complete with a bogus medical chart indicating all sorts of ailments, a squeeker to ring for a nurse, an IV bag (which we debated on filling with scotch!) and a few other insulting over the hill references.

The even BETTER part of this little joke was the fact that I put "To: Dad From: Popo" Popo is my brother!!!! HA! How funny is that?!? I crack myself up sometimes.

So after the laughing dies down, my uncle says to my dad, "Hey, who gave those gifts?"

"Popo," my dad replies.

"Huh?!?" my brother says.

My dad looks at him, "From you, right?"

Shock covers from my brother's face and my mom starts cracking up. It finally hits my dad that a fast one was pulled.

He points at me and says, "You!!!!!" I just burst out laughing. "You signed *his* name!?!?!"

The whole family is in stitches. Yes, I did in fact, pull a fast one not only on my dad but my brother too. I figured, hey if he takes it as a joke, it'll be even funnier, and if he gets upset, he'll get mad at my brother and not me! It's a win-win as far as I'm concerned. ;-)

Kidding aside, one of the best parts of the day was watching my dad laugh. He's got the best laugh on earth, outside of my kids, and it's wonderful seeing his smile and hearing his laughter. My aunt and uncle got him a fantastic card and the over the hill stuff was just perfect. A few other normal gifts were given, but by far, the gag gifts are always a good bet.

Today, we're off to church, then the Rockies vs. Pittsburg baseball game and then to a double date dinner with Lila and Bolo. It should be another fun, exhausting day. Tomorrow, Frederer leaves for home (read=work) and our summer vacation will come to an end the following Saturday. So, we have 6 more days of fun in the sun, and then it's back home!

Now You Know Why I'm Messed Up

Something amazing happens when our extended family comes together. Really, truly, we are the epidome of dysfunctional. But hey, we all love each other. At least, I think we do.

Couple of highlights (?) from my father's 65th birthday party:

1) My aunt and uncle made a surprise visit. They drove 14 hours from Chicago to join the revelry and partake in some of the various libations that were offered. My aunt had knee replacement surgery a year ago, and when my aunt commented that her knee was hurting, my grandmother replied, "Your knees hurt because you're so fat." For Christmas, the family is chipping in to purchase Sensitivity Training for her.

2) My brother and husband were commenting they were getting themselves whiskey sours, and said it with a lisp. Whissssssskey Sssssour. My aunt has a lisp! Again, more Sensitive Training for You and Yours.

3) I greet another uncle, and say, "Hey Uncle Larry! How are ya?" He replies, "Miserable." Well....alrighty then! More Oxycontin, Larry?

4) My brother and grandma are chatting, and grandmother says, "I'm just soooooooo happy to be here with my 3 sons! We don't talk about the 4th one (ie, my Aunt Mary, whom I LOVE)." We've renamed her the "Grandmartyr."

5) My uncle from Chicago says, "So, you guys got any retirement homes here in Colorado?"

And, that's only the first hour....more to come....

Wii Had Too Much Fun

Last night, we visited with our friends Bolo and Lila who relocated from California, and we had a great time reconnecting. The kids played well together, and it was so nice to catch up on the blessings and great things the Lord is doing in our lives.

After dinner, we all went downstairs to play the Wii. As much as I don't like video games, and prefer to have my kids OUTSIDE playing with actual human beings, I must admit, the Wii is absolutely just too much fun. It's definitely a party game. And, my arms are so sore this morning! I wonder...could this be considered a workout?

Frederer and I boxed, played tennis, bowled and the guys played all this plus baseball! We must have been down there for two hours. Lila and I played tennis, and she beat me... but, Frederer and I boxed and I won by KNOCKOUT! This is the guy who is addicted to UFC and his wifey won by KO! I must have paid attention when he teaches the kids how to box: "body, body, body, body, uppercut!" I was absolutely breathless after the three 3-minute rounds, and was actually sweating! It was a lot of fun, and I think we might end up getting one, eventually. We'd like to hold off on electronic games for as long as we can. Who knows, maybe we'll have a "Wii Got a New Game" BBQ & Party soon?

Earlier in the day, we went to Heritage Square with our California cousins. Heritage Square is a Victorian-era family "shopping and amusement experience" with carnival rides, tourist trap shopping, old fashioned photos, face painting, caricatures, etc. I realized (again) that I do NOT like ferris wheels. I looked at Gorbulas, who loved being "above the trees", and said, "Yay! It's our turn to get off!" We ventured through the shops, picked up a new fluffy for Ruby, a bow, arrow and plastic buck knife set for Gorbulas, and the kids got their faces painted. We collapsed at 10:30pm, reflecting on the fun we had all day. We're having a great vacation!

Denver Fun

The Proudneck family had a wonderful last few days! Frederer arrived without any hiccups, and we were so glad to see him. As much as I loved greeting him, the best part was watching him greet Ruby and Gorbulas -- they've missed him so much. It was equally awesome to see other people in the airport smile as they watched our little reunion.

We had a leisurely holiday, which pretty much consisted of us going out to eat and just hanging around the house relaxing (what is it with guys and watching the annual hot dog eating contest at Coney Island?). For breakfast, we went to our favorite place called The Pancake House, rated #1 in Denver for breakfast foods. YUM-O! The Swedish Pancakes are very good, but I think Ikea's lingonberry sauce is better. We skipped lunch, but for dinner had a wonderful treat at the Mt. Fuji Hibachi Steakhouse at Southlands Mall. The food was great and the entertainment was fabulous! Gorbulas and Ruby were both thoroughly amazed at the hibachi chef -- stunned really, at the things he could do with a spatula and knife. Frederer and I were amazed -- stunned really, at the prices they were charging for kids' plates!!! ($13.95 for 6 small pieces of diced chicken?). Dude, I'm glad we're on vacation!

Our culinary journey wouldn't be complete without a trip to a great sushi bar. Good food and great company makes for a wonderful night. A visit to Junz in Parker was terrific and it reminded us of Mikuni's sushi in Sacramento. We enjoyed a variety of rolls, and just couldn't bring ourselves to eat our mascot, the Caterpillar, below. I'm sure other patrons thought I was a crazy woman taking photos of our food, laughing and giggling (two yummy cocktails later).

It seems I'm always poo-poo'ing the area in which we live (because we are the minorities -- not only racially, but culturally and nobody knows their neighbors) but I got a nice, healthy dose of Americana as we set out to watch fireworks. Whereas in California, shooting off fireworks and lighting screamers will get you a nice visit from the local authorities and a curse word or two from your neighbors, here in Colorado, you get a nice "oohhh, ahhhh" and "come join us" from your neighbors.

Case in point: the kids smell "something burning" so we go out front and check it out. Neighbors with other young children (gasp!) are out front (what? out front?) with their extended family. They see us and invite us over (what? people are being neighborly?). All the kids played well together, and when it came for the grand finale, the screamers and sparklers were a huge hit. Then, much to our surprise, over the golf course nearby, there was a professional display! So, we got the best of both worlds, all without having to venture out anywhere.

We've got a packed weekend ahead! We're visiting some friends who moved here from California. They have two kids Falco (age 7 1/2) and Posco (age 3) who get along well with our Ruby and Gorbulas. Then, we're celebrating my Dad's 65th birthday and my sister-in-law's 35th birthday along with my grandmother who flew in from Chicago. We're taking in a baseball game and will see a movie or two. And, get this: our cousins and their son are here in Denver for a family reunion, so we're getting together with them too! Funny how we need to be 2,000 miles away before we hang out with them, even though they live 10 miles from us back home.

We're debating on whether to take the kids to see Evan Almighty (I sort of have a philosophical problem with showing a young child that any one person is "God", even though, yes, we are created in His image. But still... it's one of the many hangups I have. Children look, see and understand concrete things. Although, they say "I love you" and that's not concrete... Hmmm... topic for another blog entry maybe?

I hope you all had a wonderful and restful Independence Day!

If It Weren't For All The Asses

Marigold gave me a link to this website that ranks your blog based on motion picture rating guidelines. Yikes. Mine is NC-17? Whoa.

If you're curious, check it out for your own blog!

Happy Birthday America!

We have much to be thankful for in this great nation of ours, and while the only ones NOT celebrating are the Native Americans, we should be offering our praises to God for his grace, protection and blessing on our nation!

I'm a worry-wort at heart and I think about the state of our nation a lot. What will it be like for my children when they are adults? What other kinds of immorality will be accepted as the norm? Will modest, God-fearing lifestyles be even more outcast than they are today? What will our public school systems look like and what kind of citizens (or, non-citizens as it were) will it be graduating? It's enough to make me just shake my head in sadness.

But, today is a day of celebration! My parents go to an AMAZING church and last week, Rev Andy had us recite A Prayer for Our Nation (attributed to George Washington):

Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, disord and confusion; from pride and arrogance, and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we sk through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN.

In the beginning, separation of church and state was intended to be the state not mandating one religion -- it was not meant that God would be completely absent from our government! I'm grateful that our founding fathers had a healthy fear of the Lord, and prayers like these were documented for future generations to read.

Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Too Much Fun in Denver

In the last few days, we've had a lot of fun. Here's a list of some fun things we've done in the last couple of days:

1) We went to White Fence Farm, where we had some good ole' downhome cookin'. We fed farm animals and I fed a goat who nipped my finger!We dined on some pretty awesome fried chicken and yummy cornfritters. The kids played in the actual TREEhouse and we saw a real peacock!

2) Watching Ruby & Gorbulas play in the water fountain at Southlands Mall (you know, the kind with timed jets that come out of the ground and are programmed with different patterns). It's been between 95-98 every day since we've been here, and all kids aged 2-17 decended on the fountain to cool off; Ruby ended up just soaking wet. Gorby, not so much. He needed a nap...badly and was "not as compliant" as he could have been. Thank goodness I planned ahead and had spare clothes in the car.

3) In the backyard with Grandma, Ruby watched a daddy longleg crawl up her leg, got nervous and then flicked it off her, which landed on her blanket. She's been remarkably brave with little critters lately -- she comes in the house with worms, centipedes, caterpillars, etc. I hope she stays away from spiders though.

4) Grandma, Papa, Ruby, Gorbulas and I went to see Pixar's "Ratatouille". Everyone but Gorby enjoyed it (again, needed a nap). It's a really cute movie, and I'd love to see it again, without the kids. The folks at Pixar sure do have talent!

5) The kids and I visited Tiny Town, which is a cute tourist attraction in Morrison, Colorado. Over 100 miniature replicas of 1900s era structures and a cute 1 mile, miniature steam train kept us busy until it started to drizzle.

6) Marigold and I took all 6 kids to Belleview Park, a fabulous park that I used to play at when I grew up here. It's got two playgrounds, a creek, a mini-train, a petting zoo, and a HUGE hill for rolling down and for sledding in the winter. The kids played in the creek and the best part was watching them interact. Ruby's cousin Gorbulas kept trying to get her to jump into the creek with him. She screamed and then ran -- and he ran after her. He grabbed her wrists and started to pull her to the creek, and in good fun, she just gave a huge SHOVE and almost pushed him over! It was awesome. The kids played for a good hour, and searched for crawdads. Only after one of the daycamp kids screamed, "Leech!" did we wrap it up and head to the train. BTW, there are no leeches in Colorado... :-) But, it was fun to watch them search for the mysterious leech.

7) Spending time with family & friends: I got to have lunch with my longtime friend Stephanie (we went to Baylor together) which was awesome. Good friendships are like that: you can go months without seeing each other and pick up right where you left off. I'm very thankful for that friendship! My brother, his wife Marigold and their kids all came over for Friday Night Pizza. The kids ate outside on the grass and the adults ate inside, with the AC!. My parents' home is a patio home, and they have about 10' of actual backyard (not unlike California!), but their home overlooks the subdivision's greenbelt, which leads to the golf course. I'd say it's about 100 yards of greenbelt right off their patio -- it's wonderful and very peaceful. The kids roam around outside, look for bunnies, check out all the cool landscaping and flowers, visit the neighbors etc. The night of our pizza night, the kids just sat in a kum-ba-yah circle on the grass eating their pizza and salad just hanging out together. Then....in keeping with good 'ole Murphy, wouldn't you know it, but the timed sprinklers started to go off!!!!! It was hilarious! The kids screamed and laughed and then enjoyed running through the sprinklers.

8) Since all 6 kids were already soaked, the two Gorbulases spent time in the inflatable pool. We bought kid-sized kickboards and they took turns scooping up water and splashing the other in the face. Too funny. The best part was, my Gorbulas was smart enough to actually use the kickboard to guard his face. So, when his cousin splashed him, he flipped up the kickboard to his face to block the water. This went on for about 15 times, and he looked like one of the monks in Monty Python's Holy Grail who kept whacking themselves in the face with the boards. I just howled -- it was just too funny.

9) The kids and I had a picnic at a neighborhood park. I was shocked that there were NO other kids out playing (so what if it's 98 degrees outside and not a cloud in sight to offer shade?). We had lunch under a pavilion and then we ventured out to the playground so the kids could blow off some steam. We attempted the teeter-totter -- but even the plastic was too hot! I tried dousing it with water to cool it off (yeah, it pretty much evaporated before it even cooled anything) and I tried to get the kids on it. No dice. Too hot. So we went home and did what all the other neighborhood kids did -- sat in the AC cooled house and watched movies. :-)

10) Sleepover with Cousins! Tonight, the kids have a sleepover at Till, Primula, Gorbulas (another Gorbulas!), and Pearl's house. I have a meeting at CU-Boulder, so the kids will spend all morning there, and then I'll join them in the late afternoon for playtime and dinner. The kids will sleep there, and after my meetings with City of Boulder and Xcel Energy tomorrow, I'll go pick them up. Then, we head to the airport! Frederer joins us tomorrow and we couldn't be happier!!!! We have missed him tremendously and the kids have counted down his arrival ("How many more times do we have to sleep before Daddy comes?"). I'll get the kids all decked out in Denver Broncos clothes and we'll meet him at the airport with BIG smiles.

We have other fun things on deck including seeing the Titanic exhibit at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science, a trip to an old Victorian-era family park (?) called Heritage Square, more movies and more relaxation. I'm almost done with another one of my books to read this summer, and I can't wait to get more.

I'll keep the blog updated, so check back soon for updates on our trip. Thank goodness there's a hit counter, because (*sniff*) nobody is leaving comments so I don't know if you're actually reading!