The Weekend

Yesterday it rained most of the day as storms rolled through. I didn't mind because we needed the rain to wash the pollen away and I had school most of the day. Around 6:00pm the skies cleared up and the sun came out. It was a beautiful end to the day. This morning I awoke to birds chirping and bright sunshine. No signs lingered of yesterdays rain other than the branches that littered the yard. I went to church and enjoyed a service of praise and worship right out of Psalm 150. It was a glorious time. Afterwards we went to Home Depot and Lowes to get stuff for the house. As I sit in my new red Adirondack chair I am thrilled to be outside watching him cut the grass and work in the yard with minimal discomfort due to my allergies. I will need to start on dinner soon but first a small nap in the sun is in order.

How has your weekend been?

Back to school

Today is the first “official” day of school although from my perspective it actually began two weeks ago at registration when we received our first cluster of homework. I’ve spent the past two weeks cranking out papers and reading nightly to be prepared for tonight. I’ve researched laptops as I need one exclusively for myself for school and the software needed. I’ve ordered books, learned that renting is definitely cheaper than buying and that you can get books electronically as well as hard copy.

It has been a flurry of busyness and I’ve enjoyed most of it. Every now and then fear has crept into the picture and I’ve had to squash it by reminding myself that I am not doing this alone. That God and I are on this journey and it will be all that He has designed it to be. I thought I’d be more apprehensive today but find that my level of excitement is increasing as the appointed time draws nearer. I’m thrilled at the prospect of meeting the teacher, my classmates and bonding over the next two days of class. I’m not even grumbling about having to give up my weekend to get started.

While I know I am prepared physically, I am praying daily for wisdom, knowledge and understanding so that I can absorb all that will be conveyed in a short period of time. Please pray for those things with me as I know that the prayers of others often carry me during my weakest moments and for that I am grateful.

Have a wonderfully blessed weekend.

Back in stride again

I have missed writing. It seems like the hole in the dam got plugged and I couldn’t get it unstuck. So many thoughts swirling around in my head but I was unable to put them down on paper. It has been a busy time for us with the kids at school, activities on the weekends and living life daily. Work has really picked up and even consumed my evenings for a while there but those projects have come to an end and things are getting back to normal just in time for school to start. For the most part we have all been healthy; a few colds, coughs, and ear infections but nothing of major proportion. The flu skipped us on its second go round and for that we are thankful. The girls are growing by leaps and bounds. Inches up and out almost like plants they are growing with the seasons. Sprouting up in the spring just like my tulips in the front yard. I love the weather minus all the pollen and what it does to my allergies but the beauty that surrounds us is unparalleled. Bright pinks, yellows and oranges dot the neighborhood and the trees are blossoming white, pink and green. Spring has sprung and the temperatures are rising daily; almost a little too quickly. I’d love to have several weeks of the 70s before we start edging our way up to the 80s and 90s. Spring break is next week and this year the kids are really excited about it although we have no concrete plans for the time they are out. I will take a day or two off of work and spend time with them doing things locally but for the most part we’ll stay within the general vicinity of the house. I would like to take a trip down to the beach to see my grandmother but I’m not sure how that will pan out. We’ll play that one by ear. Gas prices have definitely put a damper on straying too far away from home although a visit is way overdue by my standards. I hope this is the beginning of being able to write again although my time is about to be consumed even more after this weekend doing homework and reading to prepare for class but I am at peace with it all and will take it one day at a time.

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?