The Post That Wil Make you Popular With All Your Friends -- Hola, Isabel
Be Still -- Heart and Home
The First Conversation -- World's Greatest Mommy? No Chance!
The Plight of the Older Sibling -- Newsweek. (Side note to my little brother: SEE??)
Barter Books Poster -- Barter Books. I want one of these! (Hat tip to Bubba Chic.)
Showers and Flowers -- Anna Maria Horner
I have been squirming and fidgeting in antipation of this big day for a long time, and I so excited to tell you about it.
Compassion International, as you know, does amazing work around the world helping lift children out of poverty. When it comes to the blogosphere, they really get it. As an organization, they understand the power of the blogosphere to get the word out quickly and effectively on important topics. When I went along on their first Compassion Bloggers' Trip in February, I was impressed by the Compassion staff's committment to using the blogosphere as a frontline tool in raising the profile of their life-changing work. Sign me up, I told them. My blog is yours. As long as I'm writing here, I'm going to tell people what Compassion is doing.
You can too.
Today Compassion has launched CompassionBloggers.com, a comprehensive resource for bloggers wanting to jump on board with Compassion's vision. There are banners, links, stories, photos, news and more.
And...are you ready for this?...there are the details of their next bloggers' trip.
Yes! They were so pleased with the impact of our Uganda trip that they're going to take a different group of bloggers to the Dominican Republic in November. I am so very enthusiastically hoping that one of you will get to go, and if you do, I am hoping you will agree to pack me in your suitcase.
Please head over to CompassionBloggers.com and look around. (If you are unable to see it, hang tight. It may take a while for site to go live everywhere in the world.) If you have your own blog, will you consider joining in with their important mission? Even if you're not interested in going on the trip, there are so many ways bloggers can use their blogs to make a powerful difference.
And as long as we're on the subject, let me introduce you to Brayan. He's six years old, and he lives with his grandparents in Dominican Republic. And he needs a sponsor. Please, will it be you? (If you sign up to sponsor Brayan, please send me an e-mail and let me know. If you click on his link and it doesn't work, then--praise God!--it means that someone has sponsored this sweet boy.) Hooray! That only took an hour! Reader Jeni sponsored Brayan. She writes, "His expression is so like that of my 6 year old nephew - full of mischief and humor."
...I'm blogging the Lori Drew ("MySpace Mom") indictments.
Big time spoilers ahead, so you west-coasters avert your eyes.
May I just say how relieved I am that Jack finally knows that Claire is his sister? Because I just could not bear that burden alone one more minute.
And also, I would very much like to know what kind of moisturizer Richard Alpert uses, because the man never ages. But he should lay off the eyeliner.
On to much more serious matters, I actually cried when Sayid was reunited with his Nadia. It was all the more bittersweet knowing, as we do, that she won't live much longer.
And y'all? I've got a bad, bad feeling that Michael, Jin and Desmond (no! not Desmond!) are about to be blown to smithereens.
Did anyone else catch Sawyer's reference to the compound as "New Otherton"? Love that.
I've been catching up on all the Lost podcasts this week, and I've learned a few important things from my friends Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof: They promised that by next week we would know who was in the coffin. They've said we'll learn more about Libby. And they said that next season would be devoted more specifically to Dharma's story.
Quote of the night (from Hurley's mom): "Jesus Christ is not a weapon."
Losties, weigh in with your thoughts from tonight! If you're blogging Lost at your place, leave a link directly to your post.
So many of you recommended Terro, that I went straight to the store and bought some this morning.
I've had the traps out for under 30 minutes, and below are the results. (Warning, do not scroll down if you are grossed out by bugs. Or if you are an advocate for insect rights. But if, like me, you are delighted at the site of the wholesale destruction of creepy crawly things, then by all means scroll.)
Scrolling...
Scrolling...
(Giving the squeamish people one more chance to look away...)
Here you go (and please pretend that the paint job around my baseboards is not horrible):
They are eating it up. Literally. And while only time will tell if the Terro will do its work, I'm optimistic. And I'm ready to sign up to be Terro's spokeswoman. Because, you know, becoming the spokeswoman for a toxic killer of insects is just exactly what I always longed for as a girl. Dreams do come true, people.
If you don't hear from me for a while, it's because the bazillions of ants that have invaded my home have lifted me up, carried me out and are feeding me to their queen. I CANNOT GET RID OF THEM.
They are happily ignoring the little ant-killing disks I have set out. In fact, I'm just sure I've detected a few smirks from their microscopic little faces: "Crazy giant lady thinks she can obliterate us with cheap plastic black things? Pshaw."
Please help me, oh great internet. How do I get rid of them? At this point, I don't care if it's toxic--I'll do anything short of dropping a nuclear bomb in my own house. And I might do that.
(Scroll down for Works-For-Me Wednesday.)
I've had a bittersweet undercurrent in my heart the last few months, feeling a sense that a chapter of our family life is coming to a close. My oldest son, Adam, is on the very brink of adolescence--he'll turn 11 this summer. He is growing and maturing into a fine young man, and I am so eager to journey through these next few years with him.
But a part of this momma's heart has sighed, realizing that we are leaving the stage in which all our kids are little children. I'd even been telling myself to hurry up, have some professional photos made before this season is entirely past--but I just never got around to it.
So when my bloggy friend Suzanne e-mailed me to tell me she was coming to visit old friends in my city a couple of weeks, I was thrilled. She is remarkable. She's the hard-working and gentle momma of three special needs kids, and she's a very accomplished photographer. And she loves photographing kids and families.
In fact, go right now and look at her slideshows. I'll wait.
Waiting.
You're back? Good.
I was so thrilled that Suzanne was able to take our family shots. We went to a beautiful local park, and she clicked away, capturing the very essence of each of my kids. The results were excellent. Here's one of my favorites (though it's probably a little misleading--this is the first time in my children's lives they have ever walked slowly in a straight line):
And even though I'm normally all jumpy about posting my kids' photos, I'm breaking my own rule and posting just one face shot for a few days, because I'm so proud. Here's my Adam, all grown up:
*photo removed*
She even took a shot of me. I would rather put my eye out with a fork than have my picture made, but Suzanne made it remarkably painless. (Though mercy, what was up with my mega-mascara this particular day?):
Suzanne lives in the northern Virginia area, but she likes to travel! You East Coasters should give my friend a call. She is GOOD. And her prices are way too low, so you're getting a good bargain as well. She even told me she'd offer you a special deal--she will double the package size, if you mention you read about her here.
They say that "nothing tastes as good as being thin feels".
They'd better be right. Being thin better feel really good. Because being hungry? It bites. (Poor pun choice.)
I should know, because I've been hungry for nearly three weeks now. I've been a diet (which I know is no longer politically correct. I should say I'm Changing and Reducing my Appetite Protocol. I'll let you figure out the acronym.)
I'll probably blog about this more in the future--I've made myself promise I won't blog any weight-loss specifics until I've reached a certain milestone. I'm not there yet, but I'm close. But I will tell you that one little trick is working for me nicely.
I adore Miracle Whip--I put it on every sandwich I eat. Sadly, Miracle Whip, even the light variety, doesn't mesh well with my Changing and Reducing my Appetite Protocol. But I loathe dry sandwiches, and I don't like mustard. So I've taken to putting salad dressing on my sandwiches! I get the fat-free version of my favorite dressings and use it as a spread. It works really well, and it's so delicious.
Have a WFMW tip you'd like to share? Leave your link below. First-timers, please read through the guidelines. Also, please note a change I'm making beginning today: the links will close down to new participants on Wednesday night. The spammers have found us, my friends, and I'm tired of having to delete all their links. So act fast!
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This is too much for any parent to bear:
Really good measuring cups.
Clean sheets.
A bowl of pasta with butter and a dash of salt.
My grandmother and my daughter laughing together.
Potholders that have not yet been burned and stained.
When my kids leave for school.
When they come back home again.
The sound of wind chimes.
Flannel.
Ken's Sweet Vidalia Onion salad dressing.
The sound of a boiling pot.
An empty dishwasher.
My cold feet pressed against my warm husband (though I doubt he finds it quite as satisfying).
A good rainstorm.
The end of a good rainstorm.
What about you?
People sometimes ask me where I get all my links for Sunday Linkage. Many of them I find myself, but a good number come from Sk*rt, which has re-launched today under the new name Kirtsy. (Though in my head today I've been calling it Skirtsy. I do not always handle change well.)
It is such a fun site--I don't even know exactly how to describe it. Digg for women, maybe? You'll love it. Go try it out.
With Mother's Day yesterday, I had mommin' on the mind. I thought it seemed appropriate to conduct a very professional, journalistic interview with the best mom I know:
Mine.
My mom and I look a lot alike, and we have similar mannerisms. People ask us if we're twins--and I guess, in a way, we are. Except that she is unendingly patient, perfectly self-disciplined, and she has not an ounce of snarky sarcasm anywhere in her body.
But other than that, we're just alike.
Well, except that she is humble and gracious and would never write her own blog, because that would be drawing attention to herself, and that just wouldn't do. And also I've never heard her shout at a bad driver.
Okay, so other than that, we're just alike.
There are so many things my mom did right, I'd need a whole series of posts to record them all. Instead, I thought I'd just get the details straight from the horse's mouth. (An unfortunate metaphor. Mom, you are nothing like a horse. Please do not withhold the free babysitting.) I sat down and asked her the following questions...
So, who was your favorite, me or Reed? *grin*
I always hoped you'd each think you were my favorite. [Note from Shannon: See? No sarcasm. If my grown kids ever ask me that question, I will totally mess with them.]
So, how DID you keep a straight face through all my ridiculous drama?
I must admit I chuckled often behind your back! However, I felt if the issue in question was important enough to trouble you, I should respect that and take it seriously on your behalf, to some degree. I must admit, it was hard to be patient and understanding when you were in the 9th grade and you called me at work to ask me to come get you at school because your fingernail had broken.
Imagine you could give yourself of 25 years ago one piece of parenting advice. What would it be?
Watch less TV. Media then (and certainly now) is the greatest robber of family life.
What are you proudest of, as a mom?
3 John 1:4 "I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth."
When you look back, what are the things you feel certain you did right?
We raised you in church and in a Christ-centered home; listened a lot; had lots of family discussions on various topics that came up (political, doctrinal, personal, philosophical, etc.); took many family trips together....even short ones count; explained to you our reasonings for things (like when we had to say "no"); being lenient on the non-moral issues, like hair style, time spent on the phone, etc., so when we had to be strict on the moral issues you couldn't say, "You don't ever let me do anything!"
So, during my teenage years when you always waited up for me on the weekends, you said it was because you wanted to hear how my evening went. But you were sniffing my breath, weren’t you?
Absolutely! Remember the night you came home chewing gum? (You never chewed gum because of your TMJ.) You didn't know I saw through that, did you???
For the second half of my growing-up years, you were working outside the home. I look back and am amazed at everything you accomplished. How DID you do it?
I have no idea! I felt like I had to be Supermom, and as a result, I don't even remember anything about the 1980's! I was incredibly busy. I couldn't have done it if God had not provided me with the energy I needed.
You’ve been a teacher for many years, so you’ve interacted with a lot of parents. What are some of the more common mistakes you have seen your students’ parents making?
1. Not realizing that all kids have a different personality at school with their peers than they do at home....even their own little darlin'!
2. Not discussing things as a family. That's how kids learn to make decisions and reason things out. They need to see their parents work through decision-making principles.
3. Not letting their children experience the consequences for their disobedience.
4. Being too busy to spend time with their kids.
You're watching your own kids raise children now. How is parenting different for this next generation? How is it the same?
It's not fair that your kids get to watch DVD's while they travel! You guys aren't paying for your raising! Seriously, the technology of today creates brand new risks and temptations for kids. It scares me, and I fear it will continue to get worse as technology develops. One of the worst things about the technology explosion is the lack of meaningful conversation in families. Every person is plugged into something, and that is not good.
The same? Kids still need the very same things y'all did and I did and every generation has: unconditional love from parents, being grounded early in the truths of God's Word, wise counsel and good example from the adults in his/her life, being listened to and taken seriously, lots of laughter and conversation in their family, and spending lots and lots of time with them!
You are so good at being a parent to your adult children. What’s the key?
Thank you! We feel like our role in your lives is to be a cheerleader, a sounding board, and a prayer warrior...that's all. We try not to give advice unless you ask. We try to be a welcome blessing in your lives and not an annoying burden!
Any other advice you'd like to add for moms out there in the trenches?
1. One little saying I like that sums it all up for me: Give your children two things - one is roots, the other wings. For me, giving my children roots was the fun part; the wings part is much harder but just as important to their well-being.
2. Savor each day.....even the hard ones. There is no work you will ever do in your entire life that is more important than rearing your family. Growing up a child who loves God and serves Him is your greatest gift to Him.
3. Pray for your child's future spouse. That child is out there somewhere. It's such a joy to later meet that unnamed someone you've prayed for countless times!
What did I tell you? She's great.
Two-and-a-half years ago I got a random idea to start a blog. At almost exactly the same time, Karen got the same idea. I don't know how we newbies found each other, but we did, and I think we were one of each others' very first commenters. I've read her ever since.
Karen is an accomplished seamstress (I want to sew like this when I grow up!). She and her friend Kate have opened up Bon*Bons, an Etsy shop that will knock your socks off. Look at this stuff:
This Coffee Cuff may be my favorite (too bad I don't drink coffee!) It's only $5--what a fun, inexpensive and eco-friendly birthday gift for a friend:
Head over to Karen's shop. You will be so impressed by the quality and the prices. I'm becoming a bigger fan of Etsy everyday--it is so satisfying to shop for things handmade by enterprising moms!
Melt and Sprinkle -- Hop Skip Jump
Woodland Wonder -- Housemartin. A little girl's room to make you swoon.
Book Review: Do Hard Things -- Challies. I've heard a lot of buzz about this book and was interested to hear such a good review of it. Sounds promising.
"This Many" Toddler Tee -- KimTees
Name your baby "crunch"? -- Vlasic Pickles *updated link* . If I hadn't seen it myself, I wouldn't believe it (read the second paragraph).
Gateway P*rn -- The Parenting Post
Well, there you go.
Heading out to the mailbox right now to wait for my check.
I'm over at BlogHer today talking about the radical (for me) idea of living with just one vehicle. Care to chime in on the discussion?
(I'm closing down comments here to encourage discussion at BlogHer.)
Lands' End has managed me to look un-horrible in a swimsuit. And I don't know how to give them a finer endorsement than that.
I've long been a Lands' End fan (their little boys' pants are the only ones I've found that can actually make it through three rounds of hand-me-downs), but I'd never had one of their swimsuits before. I have one for the first time this season, and I love it. And yes, I know that $100 is pricey for a swimsuit, but I aim to go swimsuit shopping only once a decade. Ten dollars a year isn't bad.
This top (in navy and white) and this skirt (in navy) are mine. They are, of course, in a size 4. [*insert sound of lightning striking me down for that lie*].
Because I love you, and because I love Lands' End, and because Lands' End loves you, and because we're all just one big happy swimsuit love-fest, they're offering a $100 Lands' End gift certificate to be given away to one lucky commenter on this post. Leave a comment, and I'll draw a random winner a tomorrow (Saturday) morning at 9 am CST.
*UPDATE* Comments are now closed--the contest is over. The winner is Jill from Omaha (@cox.net). Congratulations!
I just watched the last five minutes of that episode with my hands over my eyes! Holy shmokes!
I have felt for a long time that something is amiss where Claire is concerned. She is too dedicated of a mother to willingly leave Aaron. If she were separated from him, she would be completely berserk, NOT rocking and smiling in a chair. Here's the excerpt from an interesting theory on the message boards:
Claire died when her house exploded..the island makes dead people seem like reality, hence Christian Sheppard. Christian took his daughter wherever she belongs (a la the afterlife).
What do you think? All that time she was hiking across the island with Sawyer and boat guy, she was actually dead? Plausible?
Another thing--I told Melanie last week (I did! Ask her!) that I think Christian Shepherd is central to this whole thing. I'm not sure why or how, but his increasing number of appearances must be significant.
And back on the boat? I'm just as lost as I can be. What in the heck is going on? Why aren't the captain and Strangely Vicious Military Guy on the same page?
One last thing. I thought that the scene where Hurley and Ben shared a candy bar was excellent television. Perfectly paced at a tense moment. That is some fine writing.
What a show.
If you're blogging Lost, leave your link below. Out of consideration for other readers, please link directly to your post, not to the front page of your blog. Here's how you do it.
| 1. Amy 2. margalit 3. My Friend Amy 4. Cassie 5. Fullycompletely 6. Denise |
7. Crystal 8. oh amanda 9. Heather O. 10. Natalie - 10 Things from Lost 11. Hope 12. Runningamuck |
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It felt good--really good--to step away from Ye Olde Blogge for awhile. Most of what I wrote the previous week was pre-posted, so I was actually mostly blog-free for about a week and a half. And in the intense immediacy of blog years, that's, like, 73 days.
I desperately needed a tweaking of my perspective on the cyber-world. If you've been blogging yourself for a while, you know that there is a (perhaps false) sense of urgency to it. I think all bloggers occasionally get so plugged into their cyber-lives that they lose sight of the real life they're supposed to be living. It doesn't help that this is the most "connected" generation in history. We write on our blogs while Facebooking and Twittering and listening to a podcast and receiving our messages (text and voice mail and instant).
And I wonder sometimes, were we really created to be this plugged in? Are we so connected that we're getting...well, disconnected?
I know. There are some really fine uses of technology out there. I love my cell phone and my Facebook and my e-mail as much as the next person. I don't plan to chuck it all anytime soon. I think that it is what it is, and whether we like it or not, we've found ourselves living smack dab in the middle of the Tech Revolution.
And that's okay. We'll work with it. We'll grow and learn and adapt and be thankful for the convenience and enjoy the entertainment.
But let's not forget (and I'm preaching to myself, here) that the real meat of life, the stuff that really matters, the part that makes it beautiful to be human--well, none of that stuff has a USB port. You can't really Twitter the music of a child's laugh, and no Facebook page will replace the beauty of taking a casserole to a sick friend.
So blog life, Twitter it, IM it, podcast it...and do it well.
But first?
Live it.
...and this is my chance, it appears. Welcome to springtime in Oklahoma!
7:10 pm -- Tornado sirens go off. The air looks greenish and it's VERY still. That's not a good sign. Weathercaster is beside himself with glee and says it's headed right for us. He says we should go to our tornado shelter for the next 40 minutes. Clearly he has never spent an evening in a closet with my four children, or he wouldn't make such an unreasonable request.
7:12 pm -- The kids are in the shelter and I'm on the phone with my dad, who called to make sure I heard the sirens. Hubs, of course, is out of town, far, far away from tornado alley. He always misses the excitement. I'm wondering if I can lie on top of all four kids at once to keep them from blowing away.
7:18 pm -- I join the kids in the shelter (yay for a laptop!) when the weathercaster darn near shouts, "TAKE COVER!" Rain and wind are seriously picking up.
7:22 -- Adam wants to know if he can sneak out to save his Nintendo DS. I say no.
7:25 -- Is it bad that part of me is hoping the pet rats blow away?
7:27 -- The boys are tormenting their sister: "I hear the tornado coming, Corrie!" That will be a great moment for therapy some day.
7:28 -- Major wind and rain, and the sirens are going off again. Just heard the weathercaster say a funnel could drop from the sky at any moment.
7:29 -- Corrie is squealing at the top of her lungs. Did I mention this is a very small closet?
7:32 -- Stephen just shouted, "The BABY BIRDS!" They're suspended in a flower basket, and the wind is awfully high. I ran out to check on them, and I'll be darned if their sweet momma isn't sitting on them, keeping them dry. I'm thinking about sitting on my own kids, though for considerably less noble purposes.
7:35 -- Okay, somebody's tooting in here. I NEED AIR!!!
7:38 -- The weathercast says the worst is probably over. And it's a good thing, because Corrie just bit Stephen.
7:43 -- The sounds of family togetherness:
7:49 -- The worst is definitely over. We're leaving the shelter, in one piece. The weather is still really bad south of us, though; I hope those folks are okay.
7:53 -- The baby birds are safe! But we don't see the momma anywhere; we're a little worried.
8:22 -- The momma bird is back. Wind is gone, rain is mostly gone, backyard is flooded! But we're safe, and these children are headed to bed. Hallelujah!
BlogHer CEO Lisa Stone is going to conduct a live podcast interview with Carly Fiorina on Friday. Ms. Fiorina is the former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, and now she's stumping for John McCain's campaign. BlogHer is actively soliciting questions to ask the McCain camp in the interview. Head over there and be heard!
Several people sent in e-mails requesting this particular themed edition of WFMW. Evidently a good number of you have experience with things that don't work out well? Surely not.
Anyway, this week is your chance to share with the internet your lessons-learned-the-hard-way. Here is my own random assortment of non-working things:
Waxing. Technically speaking, this did work for me in the sense that the hair in question was indeed removed, but not before I screamed in pain and nearly threw the waxing-girl across the room. Never again. Never, ever again.
Putting a baby younger than six months old on anything resembling a schedule. My hat is off to those of you who managed to do it, but I always found it a little like balancing an octopus on your fingertips. Survival is the name of the game, and if that little creature wants you to feed him at 3 am while hanging upside down wearing polka dot leggings, then by George, you do it.
Yelling at my child that he should stop yelling so much. Ahem.
Thinking my purse is safe if it's locked in my car. Just in case I haven't mentioned it enough. DON'T DO IT!
Magic Erasers. I know some people swear by these, but I don't like how they get all slimy and soapy right in your hand. Give me a washcloth and some 409 any day.
Going to the grocery store without meals planned and an organized list. I still do this sometimes, unfortunately, but it never works out well, and entirely too many Little Debbies (and not enough green beans) seem to end up in my cart.
Garage sales. I've never found that they make as much money as the tax deduction you'd receive from just donating (and itemizing) the same stuff. And a charity gets some benefit as well.
So...what doesn't work for you? (Leave your link below. First-timers, please read through the guidelines here.)
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