Domestics

The Hesitant Homemaker bakes! Well, sort of. It's a boxed cake, but I technically baked it. And, although the picture doesn't give it justice, the cake is an actual ball...a full circle. Happy Birthday, Luke! These have been the best two years of my life because of you!!

Up, Up and Away

Kids love balloons. Love it.

Be thankful...

...that you don't have thirty days to memorize all of this material.

FYI: These are only half the books, the other half wouldn't stack without falling over.

Good luck, Mark!

What the... !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Um, yeah, just sign the petition and roll your eyes.

http://www.afa.net/Petitions/Issuedetail.asp?id=324

Water Bugs

Etiquette

I hate text messaging. I think it's lame. Sorry! Neither Mark or I have text messaging service so we both get irritated with superfluous texts telling us about some killer stock we have to buy, or a mass text informing us of the next conspiracy in gas prices. Fortunately, our friends call us instead of texting, knowing our absolute loathing of the trendy technology.

I don't have a problem with the, what I will call, "private text," where you text someone briefly with a piece of important information as long as it doesn't interrupt the normal flow of the day. What I take issue with is what I'll call "conversational texting," where instead of speaking with the person on the phone, you're texting them back and forth, often in the presence of someone you're supposed to be having a conversation with. Seriously, this is right up there with listening to your iPod at the grocery store or talking on your cell at the dinner table.

Without much previous reflection on the matter, in my opinion texting should never be used to ask someone for a favor, to thank them for a favor done, or as an invitation to an event.

It's hard to believe that I graduated from college only three years ago and never had a cell phone or sent a single text. Times are a-changing.

Looking forward...

to Date Night tonight.

Sum, Sum, Summertime!

A pot of corn, freshly schucked, ready to cook...

A young boy, insisting on wearing Spiderman Pajamas at 4 in the afternoon, driving the John Deere, eating raw corn on the cob, and knowing no better...

Ahh, innocence...

Informer

I stumbled across this piece of work this morning. It's a Christian homeschooling blog, and very popular from the number of comments. Scroll down to the post titled "Roman Catholicism." I'm staying out of it, because arguments over the internet are moot in most cases. For me in my little bubble it's interesting to read this kind of thing from a wholesome, loving, Christian woman trying to do the best she can for her family.


Wow.

Bicycle! Bicycle!

Have I mentioned that I love riding my new bike? Every morning I wake up and look forward to the first opportunity I have to ride. I'm no expert athlete, but I really enjoy the exercise and the improvement I'm seeing in the distance I can cover. I don't have high hopes or racing dreams, I just love speed and the satisfaction that comes from hard work.

Currently I have found two aspects of cycling that are difficult to get past. First is the seat. As a kid I was on my bike everyday for far longer distances, and yet, every time I sit down on the bike I grimace and hold my breath until I'm pedalling. At this point I'm determined to suck it up and get "conditioned" to the seat, which is biker-lingo for wait until you're sore, calloused, and bike so hard your lower half is numb.

The second oh-so-lovely side effect from extended biking is carpal tunnel. Late in my pregnancy with Luke I began to deal with carpal tunnel. Although not painful, it has been a nuisance. At four months post-partum many of my symptoms went away, but certain activities bring them back full-blast. After biking a few miles my fingers start to tingle, and my hands go numb. I'm constantly slapping my hands on my thighs, clenching my fists and shaking out my hands while biking. It gets really awkward when passerby cars mistake my hand shaking with waving and start to wave back reluctantly while trying to recognize who the heck I am.

So there it is. My butt hurts and I can't feel my hands.

But, I'm having a swell time.

Informer

I find this discussion very interesting.

FYI: The blogger is unknown to me personally.

Happy Father's Day

Luke and I were up early this morning. We were dressed and out the door at a record time. We made it to the grocery store just as the baked goods delivered this morning were put on display. Luke was SO proud as he carried a doughnut down to his daddy in bed.

We're pooped now and it's only 8:30. We still have to get through Mass and brunch. Fortunately, the coffee was on self-timer, so that second cup should be kicking in right about now...

Happy Father's Day!

Busted

I did it! I broke the air-popper. No more popcorn for us. How do you break an air-popper one might ask? It's simple, if you're me. All I had to do was plug it in and watch the smoke rise.

That's the remote and air-popper in less than a week. Just put it on my tab.

Reunion

Right before lunch Luke walked up the stairs dragging two blankets in his mouth. They have been found!!! Where they were I have no idea, but they're pretty stinky.

"Mystery Mouse-ka-tool! We've got ears, say cheers!"

Playground Politics

This afternoon at the playground a group of rowdy seven-year old boys were running circles around my two-year old. Their play amused me as they shot pretend guns at one another and used elaborate strategies to conduct their game. One of the boys told me proudly that he was an American and that America was a free-country.

The boy began throwing wood chips at the other boys as their game became more aggressive. The other boys protested telling the culprit to stop, with him replying, "it's a free country." The winner noticed my observation and explained that, "We live in America, it's a free country. That means that I can do whatever I want."

Taken-aback by his rationale for cruelty, I told him that while we live in a free country we have a responsibility to respect others and property like the playground. I'm not sure where this boy learned that freedom means that one can do whatever he pleases, but it disturbed me. Suppose the boy wants to drive a car, climb a tree and get a new puppy, can he has all of these things because it's a free country? Could he do all these things in spite of age, lack of strength, or parental consent? Suppose I want be a Navy Seal, pitch for the Yankees, and have identical twin girls with blue eyes and curly hair? There are physical laws, natural laws, and governmental law in place that prevent those from having whatever they want. Unfortunately, today's view of freedom is so skewed that people believe that freedom means absolute control over the laws surrounding them.

As a Catholic I'm governed by many rules, traditions and practices that people from the secular world may find burdensome and oppressive. It can be confusing to some that "Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" ( 2 Corinthians 3:17). The concept of freedom makes the most sense when applied to service, that only until we give our lives away (to others, to the Lord, to our families), do we truly have life, happiness...freedom.

I often pray for the next generation and for those in my generation who will be raising children. I shudder to think of a world where the only thing freedom means is a narcissistic me in the center, entitled to anything I may want.

Words of Wisdom

If in the morning you have one hand on your precious cup of coffee and the other hand holding the remote flipping channels between Little Einsteins and My Friends Tigger and Pooh, beware! If you, by accident, happen to drop the remote into your cup of coffee, I can pretty much guarantee that it won't work anymore. I know from experience.

Yeah! Good Morning!

The Davids

Will someone tell me how I can download songs from American Idol onto iTunes. I have searched the iTunes store and the AI website and can't find anything. Now that Idol is over I'm ready to purchase all of my favorite songs. Have I missed the boat? Am I missing something here?