Every Potty needs a Pooper

Sorry about the title of the post. I couldn't resist. But it perfectly reflects today's big event:

Emma pooed!

Yes, I know this is not something that people typically get excited about. But I have two children in diapers ( and we're back to using cloth for them both), so dealing with poo is a frequent occurrence for me. This time it was different. Emma pooed.....

IN THE POTTY!!!

Can I hear a collective, "WOOHOO!" from all mom's everywhere who dislike potty training as much as I do? 

I don't think Emma was quite as excited as I was, but she wanted to flush. When she did she looked in the potty and said.........

"Ew."  

I have to go now. Sophie just learned how to take off her diaper cover.

Legal Discrimination

This is one of those posts that portrays me as a really opinionated person. That's OK. Because I'm a really opinionated person.

I've noticed lately that there are so many efforts to desegregate and stop discrimination that we've become a segregated, discriminated people. And now it's legal.

Case in point: The National Black Homeschooling Convention recently took place. Pardon me, but why is it alright to have a Black convention, but not a White convention, or an Asian Convention, or an Indian Convention. How about a National Redhead Homeschooling Convention? If we're going to divide people based on something as superficial as skin color, then why not divide based on hair color, or eye color, or height or weight. (Oh, sorry, I mentioned weight. I didn't mean to offend.)  One woman defended the Black Homeschooling Convention by saying that black people need to teach their children about culture, where some other parents don't need to do that, and that a convention uniting them in this cause strengthens people.  Please excuse my ignorance, but do all black people share the same culture? And why is it more important for black people to teach culture to their children? I'm just asking. And since when does any kind of division result in strength? A house that is divided against itself cannot stand. (Matthew 12:25) So let's stop dividing the house.

Here's another example: a company nearby has a Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender support group that is openly supported by the company. Anyone who wants to find out when and where they meet need only ask. Anyone. Yet the Christian Bible study group is "allowed" to meet, but you have to know someone in the group to find out when they meet. It isn't allowed to be openly advertised because it might "offend" someone. Another person I know works at what she referred to as the "gayest company in (her city)". Her company allowed an employee to decorate his/her workspace with gay pride related items. I wonder though if a Christian working at the same company would be allowed to have a Bible out, or bible verses on a whiteboard. 

Just this week a woman was fired from her job because of a video that showed her telling a story of how she didn't help a white farmer as much as she could have, just because he was white. The video didn't show the rest of her speech, only the part where she didn't do as much as she might have if he was a black farmer. So her bosses jumped to conclusions and "forced her resignation".  They were so sensitive about discrimination they forgot to be sensitive about the context of what the video showed.

Our country has fallen so far from our founding fathers ideals that the name of the country is almost all we have left. The standards have been lowered over and over again and now the standard is based on each person's own reality and opinion of right and wrong. And we've allowed it. There are so many laws that attempt to force people to accept all other people that we're not allowed to have an opinion anymore. It's called "Hate Speech" if we say that we disagree with a lifestyle. We aren't supposed to divide people based on skin color, unless your skin is dark, then it's OK to set yourselves apart from others.  Prayer is allowed in public schools as long the prayer is addressed to Allah or Buddha or goddess, but don't address Jesus or God.

So where do we go from here? I'm not sure.  Maybe we need to stop passing laws that try to force people to approve of things they don't approve of.  Maybe we need to show everyone Christ's love to others regardless of who they are and what they look like. Maybe we all need to understand that love and like and approval are all different things and none of them can be forced upon us by laws.

Dancing in the Minefields

This Friday, a sweet young couple we know is getting married. Yesterday they were baptized together. They were each baptized before, but wanted to be baptized as adults to show their commitment to each other and to God as they begin their lives together. What a beautiful illustration of love. I can't tell you how blessed us "old married folks" have been by them. Every time we see the soon-to-be-husband he tells us how many more days until they are married. I'll say that again. Every time we see the soon-to-be-HUSBAND he tells us how many more days until they are married. Usually we see the bride counting down the days, and she is, but it is so beautiful to see a man who is anxious to claim his bride.

I saw this video, what a beautiful song. We are dancing in the minefields. It made me think of my own wedding day so many years ago.  No, it's not easy, but the promise is there for us to claim.



Just a few minutes ago I called my husband to see how he's doing at work and let him know I'm thinking of him (it will be a rough week for him this week).  He told me of a friend whose wife left him yesterday. She took his children and left. She called him this morning and told him she wanted to talk to him.  As far as I know, they are not believers, but please pray for them. They are truly in the minefields. I hope and pray they'll dance again.

Three Days Off

I love three day weekends. Back when I worked outside my home, they were a time to recharge, to get things done at home that I normally didn't have time for, and to have some fun.  Now that I'm a full time homemaker, three day weekends are for.... the same thing!

Last year we spent most of our time settling in. We had moved into our home in December of 2008, and in February we found out we were expecting. Between unpacking, morning all day sickness, two months of nonstop rain in the summer, the arrival of Sophie, the arrival of Allie (our grand baby), and Allie's health problems, well, last year sped by in a bit of a blur.

I'm trying to make up for it this year, well, this last month. After last weekend's accomplishments, and the stripping of the upstairs bathroom wallpaper. I painted the bathroom. It used to be a soft, pale, wildflower blue color with an iris print wallpaper border. Not exactly the style for a bathroom used mostly by 3 of our children. Now it is creamsicle, sunset orange. (By the way, I LOVE it. More than I thought I would.)  That project took up most of my week, because I still needed to attend to my children, cooking, cleaning, laundrying..... You know the drill.

This weekend I was able to stain the front porch which REALLY needed it last year, but never got done.  That was done on Saturday. My wonderful hubby attended to the needs of our little ones and the older children spent the day boating and tubing with friends. Sunday was the 4th. After church we had an impromptu picnic at our house with some great friends. Oh, and we met the best veterinarian in the world. But that's another post topic. And on Monday, the "bonus" day, I stained the back deck, which REALLY needed it even more! Once again, hubby stepped in to watch over the little ones. I can't tell you how nice it is now to walk out front or out back and not think of work that needs to be done. We can enjoy the space now instead of fretting over when we'd be able to get to protecting the wood.

We have been blessed by this beautiful home and setting, and we're doing our best to be good stewards. There are a few more projects we need to get to, but we're on a roll!