Crazy as Usual

That’s what the news reports are headlining about a comment recently made about Ann Romney who chose to stay home and raise her 5 sons.  Now, I don’t know Ann Romney.  I do know that it wasn’t a financial hardship for her to not work outside the home.  It’s possible that she had nannies and help to raise those boys, and it’s possible that she didn’t really “work” at home cleaning and cooking, etc.  But I take offense at the assumption that she “didn’t work” and the implication that stay-at-home moms are not pulling their own weight in the world.

I have a good friend who’s children are nearly grown and already have or are preparing to leave the nest.  She spent the past 20 years at home at just recently re-entered the workforce.  When I asked her how it felt to be working full time outside the home she replied, “It’s a LOT easier than being a homeschool mom that’s for sure!”

I suspected for years that that statement would be true.  I haven’t worked outside the home in 16 years, so the memory of working full time is a little tainted by the fact that it was a younger pre-child woman who was doing the working.  I remember it as being fun, sometimes challenging, but not particularly “hard.”  Irritating at times, but I can’t recall anything as important or as difficult as say, teaching my daughter to read. 

Over the years I have worked sporadically at home doing various things such as medical transcription and freelance editing and desktop publishing.  It was extremely difficult to work more than a few hours a week, not because the work was hard (I enjoyed the work), but because there was too much work to be done for home and the stress of wanting both jobs to be done perfectly drove me up the wall!

I have children to raise -to teach, a husband to nurture and support, a house to maintain, food to prepare to nourish their bodies.  These are my God-given responsibilities.  It is my calling to be home even though sometimes I long for those days when my “job” consisted of set tasks that could be accomplished and praised instead of tasks that are recurring, repetitive, and largely taken for granted.

If a woman works outside the home, and has a healthy marriage and well-adjusted kids, good for her.  Great for her really, I don’t have any idea how she manages that!  But I say, before you accuse anyone of not working ask yourself, is her marriage healthy?  Is her family healthy?  Are her kids happy?  If the answer is yes, she works.  Believe me she works hard.

I got my birthday present in the mail the other night.  (We won’t mention how I was desperately scanning the street through the front window from dawn until dusk waiting for Chuck the UPS guy to deliver my new toy since the Amazon tracker said it was out for delivery at 6:11 AM…)  Want to know what I got?  (drum roll) A Kindle Fire!

Yes, I’m a geek, and yes, I LOVE it.  As my daughter says, “she wants to marry it.”  Well, maybe not marry it, but I don’t see myself parting ways with it anytime soon.

Kindle Fire, how do I love thee?  Let me count the ways:

1.  The reading area (screen) is significantly larger than the regular kindle.

2.  The text is very crisp and clear and I can change the size of the font, the font itself, and/or the screen color if my eyes get tired.

3.  I can play Angry Birds, Sudoku, check Facebook and my email, plus read library books – the ultimate Mom’s break in a box that fits in my purse!

4.  The books have pictures/maps/tables in color and I can read them!

5.  It’s shiny and I could (did) set the device name to “Precious.”

Are there any cons, you ask?  Well yes Precious has 2 to my knowledge.

1.  It’s a bit heavy, so it’s a little uncomfortable to hold without a cover – the cover balances it a bit and makes it easier to hold even with one hand.

2.  The touch interface is a little picky.  This could be operator error, a learning curve may be involved.  Certain actions are determined by a quick tap, and other are by a longer touch, but I haven’t quite got the hang of which is what and how long those are so navigating is still a little bit of trial and error for me.  I’m hoping that when I figure this out it will be smooth sailing and that its me and not the interface that is quirky.

So, now I’m off to cuddle with my Precious (and hide from my family so I can slack off read in peace)!

My grandfathers (who both passed away many years ago) were WWII veterans.  They fought against the evil and tyranny which threatened the freedom of the majority of the planet.  Today is the 70th Anniversary of the event that prompted the U.S. to take action – the attack on Pearl Harbor.

I admit that I have been quite remiss in educating my children about WWII.  I have lots of excuses, but in large part, I was waiting for them to be old enough to at least partially comprehend the horrific scenarios that were in play around the world.

Today I see the articles about the remembrance groups disbanding.  I am saddened because there are few of the survivors of the war left to tell us the stories and fewer of those who actually survived the attack itself.  I have questions I would love to ask them.  My grandparents are gone, and when they were here I was too young to think to ask.  My parents are too young, my in-laws were only young children when it happened.  But I wonder…

Were Americans sorry they had stuck their head in the sand for so long?  Did that attack make them feel empathy for those in other countries who were already being attacked, conquered, and brutalized?  Did they feel blessed that they had so much freedom here in America that they felt compelled to come to the aid of others?  Did they want their children to be taught to be vigilant in recognizing the perils of evil and to find a way to keep it from spreading?

I wonder if they would see any parallels between then and now – the atrocities that go unchecked throughout the world and the outcry of the people here that we should not intervene even in the face of attacks on our people.  When I was a child, the lesson I learned was that sacrifices are made for the good of your family, your nation, mankind, and that those who make those sacrifices are heroes.  What I see being taught now is refusal to acknowledge that there is good and evil, and those who choose to define it are radicals to be mocked and anyone who chooses to try to stop it is a fanatic to be feared. 

It is a sad day indeed when we cannot even recognize evil or at the very least are afraid to label it as such for then we can never defeat it and we will have no more heroes.

May we remember those heroes past and present who still take a stand for the good of others.

As the month draws to a close, I have saved up a whole weeks worth of thanks!

1.  I am thankful that my family lives close enough that we could spend Thanksgiving together with my parents and my brother and sister-in-law (and her parents and grandma!).  I love spending holidays all together.

2.  I am thankful that my oldest daughter is such an atypical kid.  She went black Friday shopping with us for the first time this year, and we had a great time.  I was really proud, however, of the fact that she was so into finding the perfect gifts for others (nobody tell her teenagers are supposed to be selfish!).

3.  I am thankful that God has provided for us so well that we can enjoy an abundant Thanksgiving and are able to pass on some of those blessings to others.

4.  I am thankful for a doctor who finally listened (90-minutes worth of listening!) to us tell her what is going on with Boo and is going to look for the answers.

5.  I am thankful that I am married to a man who tries to listen when God speaks.

6.  I am thankful that I listened when God spoke and was able to bless someone else by obeying!

7.  I am thankful that even though society seems to be pushing constantly towards persecution of those who dare to proclaim God’s grace and Jesus’ name, I am still free to wish you all a Merry Christmas and all of God’s blessings.  May we all try to be thankful every day.

Today I’m thankful for the privilege of watching and encouraging young minds to grow.  School is so much fun now that I’m the teacher!!

I am especially thankful today for my Mom.  She’s my most loyal blog reader and loves me enough to even tell me when I’m being too hard on my husband.  Through all the headaches and gray hair I gave her over the years she has always been a great mom and now she’s my best friend.  Happy Birthday Mom!

Today I’m thankful for little girls young ladies with big dreams.  They inspire me and make me remember that dreams are good and life without dreams is sad.

I’m also thankful that I get to spend Thanksgiving with my family.  I’m getting really excited for … black Friday shopping with my mom and my girls!  (Okay, and noodles and pumpkin pie too…)

Today I’m thankful for unexpected blessings.  You know it’s a God thing when you go to the doctor’s office for a routine appointment and end up having an impromptu job interview/offer!

Do we see a trend here?  Apparently I am incapable of posting every day!  But I am thankful that God has been helping me to actually be more thankful lately! 

So, today I am thankful for great speakers and spirit-led pastors who arrange for weekend conferences like the “Fresh Encounter with God” held at my church last weekend.  I have been pondering words spoken ever since and feel like I was encouraged and able to take a step closer to the God who calls my name.

I am thankful for doctors who actually listen to you when they ask how things are going and spend a good 20 minutes discussing options about what you think is wrong with your daughter when the doctor is actually your doctor not hers!

Finally, tonight I am thankful for the opportunity to encourage homeschooling moms who are just starting on this journey with their families and especially thankful that those moms are courageous enough to follow the path that God sets before them.

Today I’m thankful for unseasonably warm sunny days where I can open up the house and let the breeze blow through…

And I’m thankful for the days when my baby girl feels well enough that she is her bubbly crazy self instead of the cranky slug she is when she doesn’t feel well.

First, I’m thankful that God forgives me and loves me just the same even when I forget or am just too lazy and self-absorbed to be deliberately grateful for anything.

I’m thankful that He calls and calls and waits and waits for us to draw near, never ever moving away from us.

I’m thankful that my mom & dad made it home from the middle east in one piece having enjoyed their vacation.

I’m thankful for ibuprofen and sleep, which I have had entirely too much of the former and too little of the latter this week, but I’m feeling much more healthy today.

Finally, I’m thankful that my children are old enough for me to take the day “off” with the hubby and not have to worry about babysitters or feeding the children because they can cook and take care of themselves and are great kids whom I can trust to not burn the house down!

It took me a little while to get beyond the whining (I don’t feel good!) in my head to focus on being thankful today, but once I got there (as usual) God moved me and I am shamed to be so self-centered when I am so blessed.  So, today I am thankful for the abundance of blessings God has bestowed upon my family.  So thank You Lord for all that you have given us and help me to look for ways to share those blessings with others.

Today I’m thankful for those teenage mood swings which bring about the effervescent laughter and spontaneous hugs from my babies who look me straight in the eye and grin just because they can look me straight in the eye!

Today I’m thankful for God’s breathtaking awe-inspiring majesty – the beautiful palette He uses to paint the vibrant colors of the leaves against the backdrop of a clear crisp blue sky and that oh-so-cozy scent of a wood fire in the air.  And I can’t leave out my wonderful husband who wrestled the iron monster into my fireplace so I can snuggle up all warm with my computer and watch the fire inside and the pretty day outside!

A lot of people on Facebook are posting something they are thankful for every day this month.  As usual I am slow on the draw, but I think it a worthy exercise so I will start with 4 things (not necessarily in order of importance) to make up for the days I’ve missed!

1.  I am thankful for a husband who loves me enough to work hard to provide for our family and then comes home and fixes broken things, helps with Algebra II homework, and rub my back!

2.  I am thankful for my beautiful daughters who bring joy and variety to my life.  They are bright and fun to be around (after 10 a.m.), and I am proud to be their mom.

3.  I am thankful for a God who loves me enough to die on a cross because of my sin so that I would never have to be separated from Him.

4.  I am thankful for parents who have lived out the commitment of marriage for 45 years, who taught me that loving someone is a choice to be made every day.

The girls and I are finally home from our Grand Wedding Tour.  We started out in VA for my nephew’s wedding, then headed to IL for both of my flower girls’ weddings.  Three weekends, three weddings – fun but exhausting.  The dad stayed home and worked, but the girls and I went (some of us more willingly than others) to have some bonding time.  I’m happy to report that all those hours in a car and dealing with colorful relatives did what I wanted it to do and made the girls recognize that we are a unit, the four of us, and that the two of them especially share something unique and hopefully they will remember that.

The girls also got to see a some other sets of sisters in the family and perhaps they will be more aware of the warm fuzzies given off by loving sisters, but that is probably just wishful thinking on my part.

There were a lot of teaching moments on this trip.  I got to point out things like courtesy and lack thereof, gratitude, the importance of education and the desire to improve yourself, and how family comes first.

We worked a lot.  Weddings in my family are mostly do it yourself affairs, whereas in my husband’s family they are mostly “store-bought.”  The girls got to see the difference too, in weddings focused on the wedding and weddings focused on the marriage. 

I got to see old friends and walk around my old college campus.  Things have changed a bit.  The pool hall we used to hang out in at the student union is a spa.  Yes you read that right, SPA.  For college kids.  In the student union.  Don’t even get me started – I’ll just sound like a cranky old lady.

But after 2300 miles of driving, we finally made it home to the dad who missed us and spent his free time doing all the jobs I didn’t get around to for the past year or so.  Cleaning out the fridge, cleaning the mold off the girls’ bathroom ceiling, etc.  Now I’m just trying to figure out which project to tackle next.