Catching My Attention

You may or may not have noticed that a month or two ago I added something new to my right sidebar.  I'm not quite sure why, but I decided to add a link to some bookmarks I've saved in a Delicious account.  

And because variety is the spice of life and what makes this mama tick, the links cover a wide spectrum of topics.  Although right now looking at them, I see an underlying theme that we won't talk about right now, m'kay?

Anyway, if you ever want to comment or chat on something you see there, this would be the place to do it.  For the record, just because I link to something, it does not necessarily mean I agree with it.  It just caught my attention.   

Hey Diddle, Diddle

Hey diddle, diddle
Jo Ann really wants a fiddle
The kids are jumping all over the place
The old house laughs at her attempts to clean
And her hips ran away with her waist

My Pace In This World

Today I was thinking about how crazy the past few months have felt.  Baseball season started (read: my husband is mostly g-o-n-e) and it has felt like a tornado siren should be sounding off any minute.  I'm really having trouble finding a groove that works for me.  Ironically there are only a few more weeks to the season and then it will be time to readjust again. 

But this season, there have been a few times where I stood in the middle of the chaos house and felt so out of control.  Like everything is happening around me yet I have no part in it.  I'm trying catch up, but the train is quickly leaving me behind.

I find myself grasping (or maybe gasping would be more appropriate) to find the right pace for this time in my life.  Like the long distance runner to whom it's critical to find the right pace in order to finish the race.  (Did I just use whom correctly?  It felt right.  Sorry you grammatical junkies out there, I don't know why you put up with me!)
 
Maybe I'm not allowing God to set my pace.  Allowing Him to reveal Himself to me and what He thinks of me in all of my life's circumstances.  Not allowing Him to be God.  Ouch.

I know I've been running a bad race.  Putting on a horrible show.  Much like when I was on the middle school track team, but that's another story.  A pathetic and sad story that I hope to never be inspired to share here. 

The real story is that I want to run the race of life worthy of what God has done for me. 

However, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.  Acts 20:24 NIV

Running at the pace He has set for me. Not pulling ahead of Him. Not falling behind Him. Running with Him, at the speed where I can enjoy His companionship.  Where fulfillment, peace, and joy can be found.

Maybe one of these days I'll get this living for Christ thing right. *Can you hear me laughing?* Until then, I'm just glad He's always ready to refill my cup and quick to come hold me up in this race. 

Where To Start?

I'm feeling a bit at a loss for words.  I suppose that's the problem with sporadic blogging, I just don't know where to start.  

Maybe I'd start with the story from this afternoon when Samuel and Abigail spilled some sort of green-blue liquid Caleb concocted (he named it poison) all over the boys' room.

Then maybe I'd tell you that Caleb accidentally broke the glass globe to their light when he lifted a toy in the air in frustration while the two little ones were demanding baths since their hands and feet were now stained with the "poison".

Or that unbeknownst to me as I was being cut cleaning up the said glass, Samuel and Abigail snuck out the back door to play on the swingset.  Completely naked.  

Perhaps I'd share the panic I felt in my stomach when Caleb asked where the two little ones were and the non-motherly feelings I experienced as I flew walked outside and suggested (ahem) they come back inside.  In my pajamas.

I could tell you that all this happened in a span of ten minutes.

Instead, I think I'll start with five things I am glad for:
1.  God gives rest to the weary.
2.  There is never a shortage of learning opportunities in our family. 
3.  Caleb
4.  Samuel
5.  Abigail  

The Snack That Haunted Me

**This has been sitting in the vault since July for some reason...




On my very first trip to Puerto Rico as a young girl there were so many new experiences.  A new culture, new places, new relatives, and of course, new food. 

I remember going to visit some of our relatives who lived up high on a mountain side.  Complete with a fence part of the way down so that if you fell you couldn't roll too far.  Or at least that's why I thought it was there.

I remember our hostess, who I think was a cousin of some sort, being very pretty and she served us the most incredible snack.  Which made me like her even more. *grin*

It made such an impression on me that I have wished I could have more of it ever since then.  It truly has crossed my mind several times a year for the past 20+ years.  What was in that snack?

One day recently I was trying to decide what to have for a snack for the kids and I thought of that elusive snack again.  If only I could replicate that snack, then they would rise up and call me blessed.

I thought about it and decided to go ahead and just use some ingredients that I thought looked like it.  Crackers, tuna fish, and salsa. 

It did not sound very appealing to me.  Not to mention the fact that I am very picky about tuna fish. I was hesitant to take my first bite.  But when I did a party took place in my mouth.  That was it!  Or at least it was close enough for my memory's sake. 

So simple and it had been right in my cupboard for years.

This really is a yummy snack and it could even pass as part of a light lunch.  I just can't believe that it took me this long to figure it out. 

If You Were A Fly On The Wall...

in the last 48 hours, you would have witnessed:

• Samuel dressed to go outside in his coat, underwear, and flip flops
• me having to hold Abigail with my legs and one arm in order to administer her breathing treatments for pneumonia...every 4 hours
• 4 loads of clean laundry on my couch
• 4 loads of dirty laundry by the washing machine
• 4 days of dirty dishes in/on the sink, counter, and kitchen table
• and a partridge in a pear a tree..oops, wrong post
• Abigail running out the back door naked
• a woman at the park giving me a mean look because Abigail ran out the back door naked
• the boys killing over 30 flies that are invading our house (gross!)
• good thing you weren't a fly on the wall, eh
• me discovering that Caleb was wearing shoes one and a half sizes too small
• me having to ask someone to repeat very simple directions twice because it was just not registering
• me discovering that Samuel was wearing his pants backward, at 2:00 pm, after we had been in public
• and a whole host of other head shaking things that all lead to one thing...
• me calling on Jesus a whole lot

Cell Phone Radiation

For the record, I'm not an expert. I just play one on television.

So glad to have that off my chest.

Every once in a while I've heard snippets about radiation and cell phones, but nothing much to really make me question the truth of it. I mean, surely, the government and corporate America have our best interests in mind right? 

Right?

*Tap, tap, tap*  Is this thing on?

Between a recent conversation with my mom and a book I was reading, the topic has really been percolating in my brain. And a percolating brain can be a dangerous, dangerous thing.  (Side note - the book is Sex, Lies, and Menopause by T.S. Wiley- contact me if you would like to know more about the book, I recommend it with some reservations.)

The first time I began to question the effects of cell phone usage was this past fall when Richie attended a teacher in-service session on alternative health remedies. The leader of the class touched very briefly on cell phones and how they have been connected to bone loss on individuals who wore their phones on their belts or in the pockets. Without doing a lot of research, I found this article that pointed in that direction.

After doing a little digging (emphasis on little), I've found enough information to be concerned. It seems that researchers are just now being able to link some serious side effects with cell phone usage since it still remains a relatively "new" technology. A decrease in bone density, headaches, behavioral problems, benign and malignant tumors, soft tissue damage (think eyeballs, etc.), and lack of concentration are just a few of the side effects being linked to cell phone usage.

Having lived in the world of statistics and research before my retirement into the glamourous world of full-time homemaker, I cautiously digest what these studies are finding. I plan to keep looking for the actual studies to examine their findings for myself (if it isn't all scientific jargon), but in the meantime I'm going to be changing some of my phone habits.

• Stop carrying it in my pocket around the house.
• Try to only use my phone when I have a strong signal. A cell phone emits more radiation when the signal strength is low.
• Look into getting a good headset and use my speakerphone more often. There is some debate about which headsets protect against radiation.
• Monitor frequency and length of calls when the kids are on the phone. They aren't on that much, but I want to make sure their calls are kept brief or on speakerphone.

I'm really interested to see what develops as further research is done on this topic. I thought maybe (?) I wasn't the only one who was curious about the subject so I thought I'd share.

Here's a list of cell phone models ranked by radiation from EWG, whose organic Dirty Dozen list I've shared before. Find your cell phone and see how it ranks. Mine was in the upper middle.

Some Things Just Beg To Be Written

Out of extreme exhaustion...
Straight from the trenches...
Call it secondhand side effects of nebulized albuterol...
This is my gift to you.

You can thank me later.

Boogies, Boogies, Boogies

Boogies, boogies, boogies,
Boogies everywhere;
In your nostril, on a finger,
Maybe in your hair.

You never know what you'll get,
Yellow, green, or brown;
Some boogies stay put,
While others drip down.

Some are fresh,
Some are old,
Some like them in the pot
Nine days old.

Sticky, crusty, or gooey,
Boogies just the same,
Parents wipe them,
Kids hide 'em as a game.

Use a tissue,
Go ahead and pick,
Just whatever you do,
Please don't flick.

Do you roll it on your finger?
Does your mom suck out your brain?
Will they ever stop coming?
When can we get off this boogie train?

I'm drowning in boogies,
A living nightmare;
Boogies, boogies, boogies,
Boogies everywhere.