Merry Christmas!
Here’s something I like about being Catholic: you can go to church EVERY SINGLE DAY if you are so inclined.
A little background on me and religion for those of you who don’t know. I was raised by my parents (both the oldest of four same-sex kids) as … basically a Type A Hippie. They are good people who instilled wonderful values in me. If I’m a tad self-absorbed it’s just because I’m an only child.
I went to church (one Presbyterian, one Bible) sometimes with my grandparents and enjoyed it. When I was 14 I went to a Youth for Christ rally with my friend Jane and got myself saved. For the next couple of years I went from Hippie to Exemplary Protestant Girl. My dad was mostly supportive; it drove my mom nuts!
Then came the Age of 16 ½ and all religion went out the window. I was rather naughty until I hit about 24, then I met a guy we shall name Aron. Aron was also a little naughty, and then 9 months into our relationship he decided we should STOP being naughty. I was taken aback and almost broke up with him.
Instead, I drug us to church and found that I enjoyed the Catholic experience. I went through the conversion process while also planning our wedding, but then couldn’t go through with it. I wanted to be totally sure that I wasn’t converting just because my husband was Catholic. I ended up converting the following year.
I do not go to daily Mass. I sleep in all snuggled up to my babies. Aron goes whenever he can. Lately our oldest son goes with him sometimes, at 6:30 in the morning. I think it’s cool that he wants to go. I think it’s cool that he’s not pressured by his dad to go, nor is he discouraged from going by me. When Sam’s a little older and I can leave him sleeping in bed, I’d love to take Joel to Mass some morning. It’s a positive way to start the day.
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Are You Open to Life?
People ask me all the time if I'm done having kids. I honestly don't know.
People make rude comments about the number of children I have and how hard my life must be and how they don't have more kids because they enjoy their sports car or their freedom. I think that's good for them that they know they are done.
I want to say to rude people who think I should be done having children, "What if my sixth child turns out to be the one who saves your life, you jerk? Cures cancer? Saves the life of someone you love by taking a bullet for them?"
Think before you speak, you rude people. Why is it "okay" in America to have two or three children, but if you have one you are expected to have more, and if you have four or more you are clinically insane and probably broke?
People make rude comments about the number of children I have and how hard my life must be and how they don't have more kids because they enjoy their sports car or their freedom. I think that's good for them that they know they are done.
I want to say to rude people who think I should be done having children, "What if my sixth child turns out to be the one who saves your life, you jerk? Cures cancer? Saves the life of someone you love by taking a bullet for them?"
Think before you speak, you rude people. Why is it "okay" in America to have two or three children, but if you have one you are expected to have more, and if you have four or more you are clinically insane and probably broke?
Monday, December 20, 2010
Anna Duggar
Dang, I love this girl, who married the oldest Duggar son and has a baby with him. She’s got a little spunk in her, which I saw on a recent episode (keep in mind my mom tapes the shows and I watch them who-knows-when, so it might be an oldie). They own a used car lot, so she happened to be driving around a Hummer H2, which she hated because of the gas mileage. At the end of the episode she said something about how she feels better driving it since her baby is in a cloth diaper. She joked that someone in a Honda may be getting better gas mileage but their baby is in a disposable diaper.
Anna, let me point out a few other things you do to offset the environmental damage from temporarily driving the Hummer [I know, because my minivan gets 17 miles to the gallon on a great day].
Sometimes when you do the interviews on the show I can see that when your daughter is tired she goes for your boob. I assume you nurse. This saves formula cans, lids and scoops from the landfills while saving you tons of money.
Also, generally when a woman nurses exclusively she enjoys at least a few months of having no period (for me it’s been about a year per child). This means I’ve personally saved 5 years’ worth of tampons and pads.
Finally, by not using artificial birth control, you are saving birth control pill packaging from landfills, not to mention the packaging from alternate forms of birth control. My birth control never lands in a landfill because it’s simply written on my Natural Family Planning chart and is saved for future perusal. Someday my kids will simply recycle my paper fertility charts. And if you are welcoming kids from God whenever they show up, you don’t even have to worry about charting!
You go, girl! If you’re ever in Overland Park, Kansas, look me up! We can go to the thrift store up the street from my house and … buy used, save the difference!
P.S. When you buy and accept used clothing and other items, that is also a form of recycling. So there.
Anna, let me point out a few other things you do to offset the environmental damage from temporarily driving the Hummer [I know, because my minivan gets 17 miles to the gallon on a great day].
Sometimes when you do the interviews on the show I can see that when your daughter is tired she goes for your boob. I assume you nurse. This saves formula cans, lids and scoops from the landfills while saving you tons of money.
Also, generally when a woman nurses exclusively she enjoys at least a few months of having no period (for me it’s been about a year per child). This means I’ve personally saved 5 years’ worth of tampons and pads.
Finally, by not using artificial birth control, you are saving birth control pill packaging from landfills, not to mention the packaging from alternate forms of birth control. My birth control never lands in a landfill because it’s simply written on my Natural Family Planning chart and is saved for future perusal. Someday my kids will simply recycle my paper fertility charts. And if you are welcoming kids from God whenever they show up, you don’t even have to worry about charting!
You go, girl! If you’re ever in Overland Park, Kansas, look me up! We can go to the thrift store up the street from my house and … buy used, save the difference!
P.S. When you buy and accept used clothing and other items, that is also a form of recycling. So there.
Friday, December 17, 2010
How to Annoy Your Child
When your child bites into their french fry and accidentally chomps his finger so hard that it bleeds, make sure that as you bandage it up you say something like, "Baby, your finger is not a french fry. I keep telling you that."
You see, I think laughter is the best medicine. My parents taught me that, especially my dad. He's quite the cutup. They annoyed me on a regular basis, like the time I was dating a guy twice my age and they kept paging me (hey, it was the 1990s) with callback numbers to places like seedy motels and old folks' homes. Yeah, they were a regular Laurel and Hardy, my parents. Kinda still are.
You see, I think laughter is the best medicine. My parents taught me that, especially my dad. He's quite the cutup. They annoyed me on a regular basis, like the time I was dating a guy twice my age and they kept paging me (hey, it was the 1990s) with callback numbers to places like seedy motels and old folks' homes. Yeah, they were a regular Laurel and Hardy, my parents. Kinda still are.
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
The Duggars and What's Really Important
I love watching the Duggars with my kids. I get opportunities to teach my kids about things like owning your own used car business, owning rental property and trusting God to help you through any situation (like having a million babies).
I teach them that going to college is not the most important thing AT ALL. Sure, my husband went to college, but he was in his late 20s when he knew what he wanted to do and then paid for it himself and has been an employed engineer for the last 14 years. I didn’t go to college and am a money-making writer and homeschool teacher. Their 3 uncles didn’t go to college and run successful businesses. My dad didn’t go to college and got to retire successfully from the post office at age 55.
Most of all, I love that watching the Duggars teaches them that the road less traveled can be the most amazing and thrilling journey. I don’t get upset thinking of Michelle Duggar having another baby like some people do. While the haters are sitting on their butts reading about the Duggars in People Magazine while getting ready to take their kids to daycare, the Duggars are raising kind, smart, successful human beings on their own while taking NOTHING back from society (like welfare, food stamps, unemployment).
And the argument that those “poor” older kids have to help out around the house and with the younger kids makes me laugh. THOSE particular haters are the ones who can’t fathom getting their kid to do a chore around the house, let alone teaching their kid to care about other, younger human beings.
The Duggars should be applauded. I also watch junk like The Real Housewives of [every single city] and enjoyed the Beverly Hills episode where a 4-year-old child was MIA from most of her $60,000 birthday party because it was so obnoxiously over the top.
Really, Society? We’re supposed to value STUFF and APPEARANCE over people?
I teach them that going to college is not the most important thing AT ALL. Sure, my husband went to college, but he was in his late 20s when he knew what he wanted to do and then paid for it himself and has been an employed engineer for the last 14 years. I didn’t go to college and am a money-making writer and homeschool teacher. Their 3 uncles didn’t go to college and run successful businesses. My dad didn’t go to college and got to retire successfully from the post office at age 55.
Most of all, I love that watching the Duggars teaches them that the road less traveled can be the most amazing and thrilling journey. I don’t get upset thinking of Michelle Duggar having another baby like some people do. While the haters are sitting on their butts reading about the Duggars in People Magazine while getting ready to take their kids to daycare, the Duggars are raising kind, smart, successful human beings on their own while taking NOTHING back from society (like welfare, food stamps, unemployment).
And the argument that those “poor” older kids have to help out around the house and with the younger kids makes me laugh. THOSE particular haters are the ones who can’t fathom getting their kid to do a chore around the house, let alone teaching their kid to care about other, younger human beings.
The Duggars should be applauded. I also watch junk like The Real Housewives of [every single city] and enjoyed the Beverly Hills episode where a 4-year-old child was MIA from most of her $60,000 birthday party because it was so obnoxiously over the top.
Really, Society? We’re supposed to value STUFF and APPEARANCE over people?
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