A reason to celebrate

Eleven years ago today my body and mind were preparing themselves for the birth of my third child. I was big as a house with aches and pains all over as the moment came closer and closer. I went for my three mile walk or wobble as it was in the end and made it back without any issues. I had contractions off and on during the day but nothing that lasted very long. We were sure that she would make her appearance before the weekend was over but weren’t sure which day that would be.

I had said good-bye to my co-workers the previous day and had a long weekend to wait out the delivery. It was balmy for February and being outside seemed to be what gave me the most pleasure. Friday passed without incident but during my wobble on Saturday morning I sprung a slight leak and we knew time was very close. I wobbled home and rested the remainder of the morning only to wake from a nap around 2:00 in the afternoon and the leak had become a puddle so off we headed to the hospital. Contractions came on quick and hard every 7 minutes and we were navigating in Virginia Beach traffic trying to make it to the hospital. The doctor was on the golf course and so we made it to the hospital well ahead of him.

She didn’t wait long once we got there to make her appearance. At 3:33 p.m. she came flying into the world straight into the arms of the startled nurse after the first push. At 8 pounds 1 ounce she was my biggest one. The doctor arrived an hour after her birth and to this day she’s never been one to wait for any thing or any body. She wants it all now!

Flash forward eleven years and tomorrow we will celebrate her birthday with a bowling party of her closest friends and family. I can hardly wait; a bowling alley on a Saturday with screaming 10, 11 and 12 year old girls and boys. I wouldn’t trade it or her for anything in the world.

Happy Birthday my millennium baby!

Stepping out

One giant step for me… I’m going back to college. I’ve filled out my application, got my letters of recommendation, applied for financial aid and am now waiting to hear back from my enrollment counselor as to next steps.

Work is supportive and will reimburse through their tuition reimbursement plan which is dependent on your grade like most programs but with an extra twist. They give you 100% if you get an A, 90% if you get a B, and 80% if you get a C. Sounds like extra incentive to work for that A as if I wouldn’t be doing that myself with my Type A personality.

I’m excited and a little scared at the same time. Do I know what I’ve gotten myself into? How will I juggle home, work and school? Do I have what it takes? Yes, I question whether or not the brain works like it used to or if I will struggle to make the grade. Nothing is taken for granted. I’ll need to be even more organized than I currently am and will have to learn to stay up late again for class and homework time once the kids are down for the night.

Prayers are greatly appreciated along with words of encouragement and support. I know I can’t do this alone so look out for more posts asking questions, seeking advice and even polling for answers to some of the questions I know my research will ask of me.

We can do this - God, me and my friends and family!

Thanks for your support.

She Rejoices!

“For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39

Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Wow!

She rejoices in Gods love; His unyielding, unconditional love. While she yet daily walks in sin due to her carnal nature, He loves her. No greater joy does she feel than when she embraces the meaning of Romans 8:38-39 and allows it to ruminate in her spirit and flow out of her to all she comes in contact with.

Although she may not be all that she is destined to be she is loved all the while by God and no matter what she does, what she thinks and what she feels that may not be of God, He loves her anyway.

She rejoices in His unbridled love; won’t you?

Pepsi gone wild...

Weight Watchers - Jennifer Hudson, Nutri-System - Marie Osmond, Jenny Craig - Valerie Bertinelli, and now Pepsi - The "Skinny" can. As if they didn’t have enough to keep them aware of their size, weight and popularity with celebrities hawking the latest diet program, our young women are now faced with their beverages defining who they are. Pepsi has decided to come out with a “thin” can to celebrate beauty and confidence. I say bologna. What does a thin can have to do with celebrating beauty and confidence? To me it sends a signal to our young women that they must be “skinny” to be considered beautiful and confident.

Pepsi Thin – According to PepsiCo, the "taller, sassier new Skinny Can" is a "celebration of beautiful, confident women" and will be available come March, alongside the classic can, which won't be going away.

This is not the first blunder Pepsi has had in recent weeks. During the Superbowl they ran a commercial during prime time for Pepsi One with the kids watching of a guy and a girl and the guy kept saying in his mind that he wanted to sleep with this girl. Try explaining to your 5 year old what he’s saying and why? Totally inappropriate.

As parents we must take a stand with companies like this and hold them accountable for their actions. We have the power and if we channel it correctly we have the ability to force them to make a change. Boycotting Pepsi and their products while conveying to them our displeasure is a very resourceful use of our power. I called and complained to Pepsi and they apologized for their actions and noted that they have placed the ad to run at a later time. This seems to make them believe that it solves the problem. True to their word I saw the commercial run at 10:00 pm last night when most children are asleep but the gist of the conversation still does not sit well with me. Sex is still the main focus of this commercial and likening soft drinks to sex is just wrong.

I will not buy their products because of this obvious breach of family values and this Pepsi Thin is just another reason to reinforce the idea of boycotting their products going forward.

Young women today have enough to deal with from TV, magazines, music and school (i.e. grades, popularity, bullying and peer pressure) getting even more from a soft drink company just isn’t acceptable. They struggle with self-esteem, perfectionism and fitting in on a daily basis. Life shouldn't be this hard. We need to counteract all this negativism with positive images of "real women" who are grounded in the fact that they look, act and think different yet they are confident in themselves regardless of what the media says is beautiful.

What are your thoughts?

Monday night chaos

Hurried greetings as I walk in the door. Mom’s home. Footsteps coming from all different directions. Collective greeting. Happy Valentine’s Day hands thrusting homemade cards, cookies and various treats.

We take our neighbor her Valentine’s goodies. It’s a blustery evening as we traipse across the yard; be careful it is dark out. We arrive with peels of laughter as the wind blows us all over. Knocking on the door and calling out we see her just as she reaches for the knob. The fun begins and then it’s time for them to go home and have baths. I visit for awhile enjoying the peace and quiet and catching up on her daily life. All too soon I must return home and get things moving according to schedule.

Eek! Its 8:00 and no one is ready for bed, not one of them. Energy is in the air. The candy high has survived the bath routine and all I want to do is crash. Tired, so very tired and sore! What is this? My work out is paying off but I have a webcast I want/need to listen to. Can I get the peace and quiet I need?

In and out, up and down, water please, this hurts, that feels funny, I forgot to tell you something. Irritating little interruptions that some would find endearing but right now I’m finding annoying. Time for prayer, yeah maybe this will calm things down. Short and sweet, what’s up with that? We’re tired. Ah ha the sugar crash has begun. Tired little girls, all dressed up to enjoy their dreams, Tinkerbell, Disney Princesses and Ariel all tucked in.

Me, still in my work out clothes, past the sweating stage now I’m dry and smelly but I’m watching my webcast and relaxing for a few until the clothes that need to be folded and put away start to call me. A nice hot shower, a welcome relief from a long day and into bed I go. Nodding ever so slightly trying hard to stay awake until my Valentine comes home. Sleep wins out and I’m out like a light. What a day it was and I get to start all over again right now.

Happy Valentine's Day

God is love and love is God, from my perspective, the two are synonymous. God loved us so much that He sent His only begotten son down to Earth and sacrificed him so that we could come back to live with Him again. (John 3:16)

What love, what adoration, what longing to have an intimate relationship with us; and all he asks in return is that we love Him with all our heart, soul, and mind and our neighbor as our self. (Matthew 22:37-39)

Is that so hard to do? For some of us the answer is a resounding yes! Until we do a little self examination and hold ourselves up to the same light we hold everyone else to and realize just how guilty we are of the same things we accuse others of and withhold our love from them because of it.

How many times have we had to ask God to forgive us for the same thing over and over again? How often do we fallen short of the Ten Commandments? Do we have love for our neighbor as we do our selves or do we hold everyone to a double standard while we justify our reasons for our shortcomings?

As we celebrate Valentine’s Day, the day of love, take a moment and reflect on the relationships around you. Do you have that agape love for your fellow man or do you selfishly hold back for fear of rejection, hurt or pain? Do you love unconditionally in your marriage, friendships or relationships with your kids or do you dole out the love according to some gauge you have in your mind as to whether or not they have earned it?

After all, what have you done to earn the love of God? Nothing, every day we fall short and it is through Jesus that we have the opportunity to repent and start again. Mercy and grace anew each day because of the love He has for us.

So while you are in the mode of celebrating Valentine’s Day, purpose it in your heart to be move loving, more forgiving and less judgmental and withholding of what is so freely given to you whether you accept it or not. LOVE.

Let love motivate you today and everyday to be kinder, nicer, more caring and compassionate one to another and save a little chocolate for a rainy day.

Merry Go Round

Why won't the words come? I'm trying to get my thoughts together but nothing is meshing right now. I'm being pulled in so many directions at this moment that I don't know which way is up.

People coming out of the woodwork stirring up memories of days long forgotten. Scabs being ripped off of wounds thought to be healed. Emotions running the gamut. My brain is working overtime trying to juggle it all.

Scared to stop for fear of what space I'll land on so I just keep spinning and I waiting for something to give.