Monday, August 30, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/
FOR TODAY, Monday, August 30, 2010

Outside my window…
We are expecting a high of 79 for today, much nicer than the triple digits we had for a couple of weeks there, as soon as the gardeners come & finish I will open up all the doors & windows & enjoy the fresh air & breeze.

I am thinking…
about lil J--me & hubby have finally come to the conclusion & acceptance of the fact that he is a strong willed child. I read Dr. Dobson's book on this subject while I was pregnant, sort of as a "just in case", but I pulled it out again yesterday & it is confirming our suspicions 100%. In a sense it's nice, because he will most likely be a leader all his life (unlike my stepson who is so easily manipulated by others), but it's gonna be tough parenting, that's for sure. And Dr. Dobson guarantees super rough teen years. Those have already been & are tough enough with my stepkids that are NOT strong willed children.

I am thankful for…
my family & the nice peaceful weekend we just had together. my husband, who always amazes me

From the learning rooms…
waiting for my continuing education books to arrive so I can complete those, my nursing license is up for renewal in October & I need to complete my education prior to renewing.

From the kitchen…
I was sick all last week & I cannot stick to a low carb/high protein diet (which I was following, trying to lose a few pounds) while sick. I initially gained back the 4 pounds I had lost, but I am still off the diet & eating whatever I want & found this morning that I lost 3 of those 4 pounds. I am quite pleased. I am really re-thinking at least how "I" eat. My family is very stubborn with their food, but I am really reconsidering eating meat. I was a vegetarian for 10 years in the past & could do it again. I just don't like the idea of being legalistic about it. So I'm thinking about just eating less meat, a lot less meat & occasionally having some when it's something really good. I am just so disgusted with the way our govt is allowing these animals to be raised. And I don't say that as a person whose into animal rights, I'm really not, but how can chickens be healthy & nutritious for us when they are eating cow parts ground up in their food???? It's just so disgusting to me the things people do to make money with no regard to the consequences. And don't get me started on the cloned animals we are now eating.

I am wearing…
jeans & a heather grey tank top

I am creating…
paperwork & photos so that I can be included in my 20 year reunion memory book even though I cannot attend the reunion.

I am going…
to a concert in October, it's on the same day as my high school reunion. It's hubby's anniversary present to me. Third Day (our FAVE band) is performing, along with Toby Mac & Michael W. Smith. We are both really excited!! We have always wanted to see Third Day live. And we both like Toby Mac & hubby LOVES Michael W. Smith, hubby loves piano.

I am reading…
I finally finished "educating the whole-hearted child", a very good book indeed that I will be referencing in the future for sure. I started on "her mother's hope", Francine Rivers latest novel, I was really needing a good novel, but now I pulled out "strong willed child" also.

I am hoping…
to be able to get lil J a trampoline soon, if I get money for my birthday I will put it towards that. After that I am hoping to get new jeans, I need them badly.

I am hearing…
veggie tales, lil J is asleep in his jumperoo, fell asleep watching veggie tales

Around the house…
our poor husky hurt her back left leg really bad, she cannot walk. we are unsure if it is sprained, fractured, or dislocated. I am giving her buffered aspirin & glucosamine/chondroitin daily, hoping it will help.

Some of my favorite things…
good food, entertaining people in our home, spending time outside in the fresh air

A few plans for the rest of the week:
We made our monthly stop at Trader Joe's yesterday, I still need to stop at Mother's market & Costco this week. Planning to try to get some walks in while the weather is nice for a little extra exercise.

I am praying…
for lil J (in his sleep)--for the Holy Spirit to conquer his strong will while not destroying his spirit, for our finances & legal battles & my health. For my stepkids. For Gloretha--finances, health, & marriage. For Crystal--finances, health, father's health & daughter's knee. For Godly wisdom in raising my son.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing:

Ok, I finally took a minute to figure this out.....here's an old pic of me with my beloved guitar  :)  I need to make more guitar time in my life, but it's hard with everything else that I want to do as well.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Your Baby Can Read update #6

Ok, so since we started this program almost a year ago I can't even count how many times I have been asked "does it really work??"

I normally refuse to give a straight answer. It's just not a simple "yes" or "no" that answers this. First of all I always want to know WHY their asking--if they're interested I feel they should understand more about the program before going any further. If they're interested in the program or considering it I'll give them a much longer answer than someone who's just heard of it & is just looking for a "yes" or "no" answer. I honestly can't just say "yes it works, get it!" The age of the child & so many other factors have so much to do with it all.

But the reality is that you "really" can't answer that question if the child isn't yet speaking. This is usually the answer I give people who are just curious about the program. And I sometimes, in the end, give this answer to those who are actually interested in the program. The bottom line is that it's a REAL answer. How can you really know?

Now I have to admit that I don't follow the program like they recommend. It appears to me to be designed for those parents that are overachievers with their kids. I would love to see my son get a head start on a very important skill in life, but he's also a kid & should be allowed to just "be" a kid. I refuse to make this program our whole life. I also feel that there are actually more important things (as well as other equally important things) in life. The Bible is definitely more important than reading in my opinion & so it is the Bible that we visit daily, every single day. Reading & Spanish we visit frequently, but not as much as Bible.

Now I did for the most-part follow the video plan guideline they give for the program. He viewed it twice daily for a really long time. Once it became optional to view once daily we did that, but only because lil J was becoming a bit bored with it & wouldn't watch it when he had to see it that often. And now he only views the video once or twice a week, otherwise he gets bored & won't pay attention.

But I did not do the flashcards & books "several times each day" as the instructions say to. I just felt like that was tooooo much, at least for us. But I could definitely picture other people going full force with the program & I assume that those are the types you see on the infomercial.

And it tells you that once you finish the video plan you should go visit libraries & sit & read as many books as possible together. I did not do this either, simply because lil J refuses to sit still & read a book with me. Up until very recently just me reading out loud to him was very difficult. He would try to grab the book, try to close the book, try to turn the pages from the one I was reading, or just sit his bottom in the middle of it all so I couldn't see to read it. And even though that has recently stopped he still runs all around while I read out loud to him. He absolutely will not sit & look at the words as I read. He's a boy, & a very active boy at that. There's only so much you can do & I'm not going to FORCE him to sit & read with me. In my opinion that would only create a negativity towards reading books for him.

Having said all that in review I must say that lil J is now starting to get verbal. He still likes to sit & look at his books by himself & flip pages, etc. I've been watching him closely, but I still cannot tell if he is able to READ. But I have noticed for the past couple of days when I put him in his highchair to eat. Long ago I customized the tray of his high chair & it has a lot of stickers on it, mostly pictures, but also has his name spelled out. He has always pointed to the stickers & enjoyed looking at them. But the last couple of days I have noticed him pointing & very quietly verbalizing something. As I listen I swear he is trying to sound out what it says. I can hear the "j" sound & the "s" & I clearly hear that there are 2 syllables. I do not think he realizes this is his name, but I do think he is trying to pronounce the word that he sees. And he has to be going off of what he has learned in his videos.

So at this point I guess I would have to answer "yes, it does work", but only time will truly tell. My guess has been all along that it will give him a head start, but how much of a head start is still the big question.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

(Please feel free to join in by getting details from Peggy: http://thesimplewomansdaybook.blogspot.com/ )

FOR TODAY, Tuesday, August 24, 2010

Outside my window…
it is oh so hot.....we really can't afford to run the a/c (& I much prefer the fresh air of open doors & windows over it anyways), but we can't take the heat anymore & we have it set at 80. By this Saturday it is supposed to start cooling off though, thank God.

I am thinking…
about life, about how we hit breaking points in our life & how I used to ask God to just take me home to heaven when I would hit those breaking points & now I'm hitting one & yet I just cannot bring myself to ask that of God now that I have a child. I cannot just leave him behind, who would raise him the way I want him raised?

I am thankful for…
a roof over my head, what food we do have (though I am often hungry these days), & a bed to sleep in at night

From the learning rooms…
daily Bible studies with lil J, my own daily Bible reading & prayer, & I'm still working on "educating the wholehearted child"

From the kitchen…
I am really struggling on my diet, but only need to lose 4 more pounds, I keep telling myself I can do this..........I think I can, I think I can, I think I can.........

I am wearing…
a black tank top & very worn out denim shorts--oh how I need new jeans & shorts

I am creating…
nothing at the moment.......just haven't felt very inspired lately

I am going…
nowhere that I can think of.......no plans yet for this weekend

I am reading…
"educating the wholehearted child"....I am hoping to finish it soon so I can start on Francine River's new novel

I am hoping…
that I can get my medical issues resolved soon.

I am hearing…
veggie tales going in my bedroom--lil J is over there in his jumperoo taking his morning nap

Around the house…
I have not been feeling well. I started not feeling well on Saturday afternoon & it has continued, though slightly less, ever since. Hubby wasn't feeling well on Sunday, but said he was better yesterday. I'm on antibiotics right now, so I'm sure it's related to that.

Some of my favorite things…
spending time with hubby & lil J, on Sunday hubby & I were couch potatoes (which is rare, but we weren't feeling well) & lil J kept climbing up on the couch right in the middle of us, it was so cute

A few plans for the rest of the week:
hopefully I will feel well enough to clean the house & I probably need to get a couple of things (like goat yogurt & kefir for lil J) from the market before the weekend.


I am praying…
for my health, for our finances, for my family & extended family & friends

Here is a picture thought I am sharing:
I "still" don't know how to insert a photo here, sorry :( I am technologically challenged

Friday, August 20, 2010

16 month updates

So today lil J is 16 months old. He now weighs 26.6 lbs (50-75%), he is 32" tall (50-75%), & his head circumference is 19.5" (90-95%). He is slightly taller & heavier than last month, but his head circumference is still the same.

He still eats 3-4 times each day. I have added on sandwiches: grilled cheese & almond butter/jelly. He likes them, but they seem to be really filling to him. He won't eat the same thing for more than a few days without needing to take a break from it. I still feel like he needs more variety, but he's still very picky & that makes it really hard. He still drinks goat milk & goat milk kefir (which I put in the blender with fruits & veggies), & I give him one sippy of diluted juice each day, usually after dinner. And he drinks a lot of water, especially in this heat we're having right now.

He now says "hi Gizzy", "hi doggies", & "bye". A few moments ago he looked at me & said "I sleepy" & started rubbing his eyes. So I guess it's safe to say that talking has begun. He is probably saying a lot more than just these, these just happen to be the only ones I have picked up on. I'm sure he says a lot of stuff that I don't understand still.

He is very much a perfectionist & he has quite a quick temper. And he's very OCD about wanting things a particular way. When he sits to eat he can't just put his pacifier down, he is very particular about how exactly he places it & where he places it, things like that. If he tries to put a toy somewhere or do something with a toy & he can't get it he is very quick to get upset about that. And he's quick to get REALLY mad & throw things (REALLY hard, he could easily hurt someone if they are too close, we are trying really hard to teach him to not do this) if I interfere with plans he has (like when it's time to change his diaper & he just wants to play).

He's extremely active, running all over the place now. It's hard to keep up with him some days, like today. It's Friday & I am always worn out by the end of the week. Hubby usually gives me a break on the weekends & bathes him for me & changes some diapers. Last weekend he was really busy & didn't have time, so I'm even more worn out this Friday than most cuz it's been 2 weeks coming that I need a little break. Hopefully he will have time this weekend, he enjoys doing it & spending time with little J even though he's tired from his work week as well.

He finally lets me read to him without insisting on closing the book or sitting on the book or turning the page, etc, which is a huge break for me. I love to read to him, he's never seemed to appreciate it much until very recently.

I think that's all the updates for now.........

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY, Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Outside my window…
It is HOT, but it shouldn't last too much longer & yesterday & the day before I was able to survive without turning on the a/c so hopefully I can continue that way.

I am thinking…
about my relationship with God, I hear people go on & on about their "personal devotion time with God" & it always makes me feel like I'm doing it wrong. Can someone please just explain what "personal devotion time with God" means in plain simple language??

I am thankful for…
food to eat & a roof over our head & our ever so faithful God

From the learning rooms…
my little dude is too young for real learning, but we do Bible study daily & I try to teach him Spanish as well.

From the kitchen…
I made some phenomenal halibut a few days ago, making chicken tonight with baked tomatoes & salad & french green beans probably.

I am wearing…
a heather gray tank top & denim shorts....it's laundry day, nothing fancy

I am creating....
I don't know if I can call it "creating", but I am planning to go through some old photos & scan some & post on facebook for some old friends of mine that recently found me on there.

I am going…
to the doctor on Thursday, am anxious to find out what the 2nd ultrasound results are

I am reading…
educating the whole hearted child, this is such a great book

I am hoping…
that financially I can continue to be a stay at home mom & raise my son & homeschool him.

I am hearing…
the sound of lil J playing

Around the house…
Hubby's been trying to fix the automatic sprinklers that are broken right now, we hate trying to remember to run them manually--we have really bad memories!!

Some of my favorite things…
shoes, clothes, jewelry, all the things I don't have money to buy these days

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Not much really for this week. Hoping to get a pool day in maybe. Hubby is taking stepson to a car show on Saturday, but it's a father/son day so I won't be going.

I am praying… through it all. F
that I can continue to be a sahm, that I can homeschool my son when the time comes, that God allows us to prevail in our 3 legal battles, that God will give me & my doctor wisdom regarding my health issues.

Monday, August 16, 2010

Silliness....

1) We were headed to a birthday party the other day. To a city a little far from us & it's an area we aren't very familiar with. The freeway was PACKED. We don't know the area well enough to know how to navigate on side streets. I had my iphone with me & it has maps & directions. But the only way I know how to make it tell me STREETS & not FREEWAYS is to tell it I'm walking (it gives 3 options--walking, taking the bus, & driving). So we get off the freeway & are following the directions. It tells us to turn onto this little dirt road. We proceed & it's really rough & getting narrower & narrower. It finally ends at a hiking trail. Hubby & I look at each other & turn around to go back to the main road & we both realize what happened & start laughing so hard. The directions assume we're WALKING so the hiking trail was totally reasonable, LOL!

2) The jumperoo is my babysitter every morning. Every morning I get up, brush my teeth, make lil J breakfast, bathe him, & put him in the jumperoo. Then I go work out & shower. He jumps & swings side to side in it. And he sometimes takes a nap while he's there. He has learned if he does the side to side swinging hard enough he can actually move the jumperoo around. The other morning he had managed to slide it up to our closet & then he opened the closet (sliding doors) & then he was pulling out all my shoes!!!!! Oh how this boy loves shoes! I think he's gonna be like his big brother--big brother has always loved shoes, LOL!

3) Lil J LOVES to throw. He has a few balls & he really can throw hard & far for his age. All the gals in the nursery at church tell us he's gonna be a baseball pitcher when he grows up. In his crib I keep 6 stuffed animals. He likes to cuddle with them & they entertain him when he's not ready to fall asleep yet. In the morning when he wakes up (he's always an early riser) he plays with them quietly & once he's bored with them he will throw them out of the crib one by one. At night I also leave him a sippy cup of water in the crib & almost always cover him with a blanket. He also throws these out in the morning as well. When I get up I throw them all back in his crib to keep him entertained while I make breakfast. This morning I got up & I'm throwing them back in the crib & what do I find among the stuffed animals??? His diaper!! I am totally confused & I look at him & he is fully dressed, shorts still on. I peek under his shorts & the diaper is surely gone. I still don't understand how he pulled this off, but thank God it wasn't a poopy diaper!! And if he does it again tomorrow I will make sure I start duct taping his bedtime diaper from now on!

Friday, August 13, 2010

For the Love of Cheese

Cheese is a food that people usually feel strongly about. They either love it or hate it.

I am one who LOVES cheese. I love lots of different types of cheeses. And I really can appreciate a good quality cheese versus a rubbery grocery store wannabe cheese. I don't think there is any other food that I am quite so particular or passionate about.

I have to wonder where I acquired my love of cheese from. I think back to my childhood & I can't remember having anything other than boring (not even real cheese I might add) american cheese in the house. Bleh I say! This is one food I don't eat & could easily go for the rest of my life without ever laying eyes on it again. I don't care for "pasteurized process cheese food" Nastiness I say!

Now for the most part I am picky about my dairy products being organic, but it is nearly impossible to find good organic cheese. I really don't understand why this is. I guess there's just not enough demand for it. There are a few varieties out there, but they honestly don't taste good.

I have to admit that one of the things I love about Costco is that they have really good quality cheeses. I usually buy my cheeses there. They do sell a cheddar that is hormone free & that is the one I always buy, but none of the others make any claims like that on their labels.

Right now I have in the house cheddar, parmesan (the REAL parmesan), mozarella (the REAL stuff, not the rubbery stuff you find at grocery stores), smoked gouda, & queso fresco. I don't think I could ever narrow it down to only ONE favorite, but I guess my top 3 would be cheddar, smoked gouda, & queso fresco.

Now one time when we were in Tijuana we stopped at a cheese shop. It was so amazing, the cheeses were so fresh & so good. If you ever go to Mexico you truly HAVE to seek out a cheese shop. They let you sample before you buy. I remember we brought home a white cheddar, panela, crema, & queso fresco. My hubby says his all time favorite cheese is panela. My hubby is also lactose intolerant :( I have to admit the panela was really good, but I still prefer queso fresco myself. And I have tried lots of panelas around here (even going to Mexican grocers) & none are anywhere near as good as the one we got in TJ. The queso fresco at Costco is honestly the best one I have tasted this side of the border.

When lil J was first starting on finger foods I would sometimes give him cubes of smoked gouda & sometimes make him quesadillas with smoked gouda. One day we went to an appointment with a lawyer & it took much longer than expected. Traffic was so bad we couldn't get home fast & lil J was hungry & we had no food with us (I now almost never leave the house without some form of snack or food for him because this happened). I remember we went to Rubios--hubby & I were hungry too & we agreed that we could order lil J a quesadilla. We couldn't believe how he refused to eat the quesadilla!! He sniffed it & licked it & threw it aside & cried for food. Yep, I'm raising a little cheese snob, LOL! He wanted his smoked gouda. He does now eat cheddar also & I plan to introduce him to other varieties as well.

So yeah I guess I'm a bit of a cheese snob. But I think that's the only food I am that way about. And I don't really get extreme about it. But I sure do enjoy my cheese. :)

Thursday, August 12, 2010

To-Do List for Dominion

I am reposting this from the following link. "I" did not write this, but my brother in law emailed it to me & it is one of the best articles I have ever read.
http://americanvision.org/2515/to-do-list-for-dominion/

"Once upon a time Christians knew what they believed. They knew why they believed it. We often shake our heads at what goes on the world. We don’t like the anti-Christian laws being passed, more government control, our freedoms regulated and the general secularized state of our nation. However we have failed to recognize who dropped the ball. Christians have lost something very basic and precious: the ability to articulate the gospel. Most Christians profess to believe in the Great Commission that Jesus commanded, to “go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matt 28:19)

How do we suppose nations will become discipled if we are unable to give even a reasonable answer for the hope that lies within us? How do we expect to handle confrontations without being blown away by any intelligent worldly answer?

Furthermore, how do we suppose things will change in our society when for the most part, solutions to problems in the world are coming from the heathens? If Christians aren’t actively contributing to expanding the Kingdom and bringing God’s perfect and timeless law into society, we have no right to shake our heads.

On another note, there are many professing Christians who believe eschatology (the study of future things or “end times”) is interesting, but it doesn’t – or shouldn’t impact our everyday lives. They have an “only God knows what’s going to happen” mentality, having no regard for the potential consequence it may have on future generations and society at large.

Your eschatology (as indifferent as it may be) affects your worldview, and thus, your actions. For example, if I believe God is going to rapture me out of the troubles and conflicts of this world, or if the world is predestined to get worse, I won’t bother trying to come up with biblical solutions to a humanistic economic system that my children and grandchildren will have to live with. Why would I think multi-generationally? The heathens understand this and have come up with ways to make money off this type of “now-ism” – see here.

If I don’t think Bible prophecy matters, I also do a disfavor to future generations. How? For one, I am at risk of misinterpreting entire books of the Bible and dozens of passages. That is a problem. If you misinterpret scripture, you are at risk of misinterpreting God’s will and teaching others (including your children) based upon your misunderstanding. Misinterpretation of scripture can lead to serious deviations from orthodox Christianity and lead to cults. Proper understanding of Scripture is a matter of eternity. If you have the wrong Jesus, you are worshiping a false god. The Mormons do this. Their Jesus is supposedly the same Jesus of Christianity, however, when you delve a little deeper you discover that there is a great deviation from the Bible. The Mormon Jesus is the blood-brother of Satan who was conceived by God and Mary having physical relations. Serving that Jesus could cost you dearly. Interpretation matters. Prophecy is not a salvation matter, but it is extremely important because it is part of the Word of God. It relates His will for us. It relates to our obedience. It affects our understanding of the covenants He has made. It also affects how we interpret the times and how we act upon them. It affects your children. It affects your grand children and beyond. Don’t you want to know how your every day decisions and actions will affect the future? I do. I want to know that my theology and eschatology is affecting the Kingdom of God in an exponential way. That was how God designed it.

The bottom line is if your eschatology is anything other than victorious, you are expecting defeat. You ultimately anticipate Christ’s failure in history. What better way to paralyze and neuter the church than to have it believe the world will get worse and eventually be handed over to an “Anti-christ”? Isn’t that a powerful lie? But, you say, the world IS getting worse. That is the thing about self-fulfilling prophecy. If you keep saying things are supposed to get worse, continue to disengage, keep preaching from the pulpit that we are not ”of this world”, keep preaching that the earth is Satan’s domain, and that means keeping our hands out, guess what…….. things will get worse! But mostly because we let it. We allowed it. We endorsed it. Then we said it was prophetic. I call that not prophetic, but pathetic.

One of the recurring themes from Genesis to Revelation is God’s continual calling of man to responsibility. We see in history when Christians took their role seriously and engaged as God willed how Christianity shaped and influenced entire cultures as well as the impact it had on modern science and technology, music and the arts.

Consider the influential men of history who had bold faith and a victorious attitude such as Saint Patrick. Though he endured horrible times and afflictions, God used him to convert an entire island with generations of paganism. That was one man in one life span. What would our nation be like if all God’s people changed their bad attitude and stepped into positive action?

That got me thinking about what I could do as a wife and mother. Like many others, when I want to accomplish something, I need a practical action plan. Men don’t go to war thinking “who cares what the enemy is planning, we’ll just let the cards fall where they may” kind of sissy attitude. They have military strategies. They study the enemy and know their weaponry. They have a plan of action.

Here is my to do list:

#1 Get a biblical worldview. We are secular humanists and we don’t even know it. These days, the only way you haven’t been directly influenced by secular humanism is if you’re Amish – and we could probably learn a few things from them (ie: they’re probably laughing at us in this economic crisis). The Barna Group reports that only 19% of Christians who profess they “have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is important in their life today” and who “are certain that they will go to Heaven after they die only because they confessed their sins and accepted Christ as their savior” — hold a biblical worldview. Even if you love the Lord with all your heart– statistically, it’s very likely you do not have a biblical worldview. It is imperative we get one. Get some materials from places like AmericanVision, Strategic Christian Services, and GaryNorth.

#2 Get married and have a family. Atheists can do this too, so it is imperative that we hold a biblical worldview with which we approach every thought, action, decision and idea within the family unit. Why have a family? It is the backbone of society. That is why when you delve into the roots of socialism, you find the strategic intent to destroy Christianity and the family. Do we want a biblical society? Start by having a biblical family. I believe there are very few who have the “gift” of singleness. Find a good mate. Use wisdom. Pop out some kids. Raise up godly, clear-thinking Christians who will take dominion as God commands.

#3 Have children, and if possible, lots of them. The Bible doesn’t suggest that we “be fruitful and multiply”, it commands us to. Having one or two kids is not multiplying; it is not growing the population. That is barely a replacement rate. Meanwhile, the Muslim culture continues to out-populate everyone with an average birth rate of 6 per household. Get busy people.

#4 Bring up my children with a Christian, bible-based education. If we want to expand the Kingdom, do not, I repeat, do not give our kids away to the government. I cannot be so arrogant as to think I can compete with the humanistic brain washing they receive five days a week. They are not “salt” or “light” yet, so I mustn’t be pretentious in thinking my one child is going to evangelize or survive a humanist indoctrination centre. That’s like throwing your kid in a shark-infested pool and thinking he’s a good swimmer, so he should be able to make it to the other side, no problem. There is too much to say on this, but basically, if I am a Christian parent, a Christian education needs to be mandatory. See Voddie Baucham, American Vision Store, Exodus Mandate.

#5 Get educated in:

Basic apologetics (the defense of the Christian faith): The Bible doesn’t require us to be experts. However, 1 Peter 3:15 tells us to have a logical answer for the hope that lies within us. The fact that most of us don’t understand logic and reason is beyond pathetic. It’s apathetic. There are some great resources out there for some basic training and education. There are even audio books, so no one has an excuse to be a dumb Christian anymore.

Basic theology: We have a problem. There are atheists that understand our Christian history and theological background better than we do. It is a skewed and distorted version, but it is sad that they know more than many of us. And because we don’t know our own presuppositions (or what that even means), they are formulating new and absurd arguments daily that we can’t refute. That is not good. Not good at all. So learn about presuppositions and learn some basic orthodox Christian doctrine and theology – and even more importantly, why it is truth.

Basic evangelism: I need to learn how to witness. Not hand out a tract, I mean how to present the gospel in a real conversation with people I meet. We don’t see much street witnessing these days since the seeker-sensitive church movement arrived. Instead of telling people that they’re going to hell if they don’t repent, we give them a cappuccino and sing a Beatles song at “church”. My goal is to learn of the most prevailing religions and cults in my city (where I am it would be atheism, Sikhism, Mormonism, J W’s, etc) and be well read enough that I can carry a conversation with them and understand what it is I am dealing with. I would love to see churches offer classes on the religions in their community and teach their congregations how to talk and witness to their community. Churches ought to teach basic apologetics as it is a good foundation for evangelism.

After I become educated in these things, I need to make sure I’m doing all that I can to raise our kids to understand the points I mentioned.
And finally,

#6 Women, get back in the kitchen! Just kidding. Know your feminine role.
I believe the discipling of the nations will happen quickly when women go back to being women, with joy and celebration. When there is family harmony within a biblical context, and husbands love their wives and are leading as the Bible outlines, societies change. Governments change. Children are back in the hands of their own parents and that affects everything. Yes, sacrifices must be made to make this happen, however, we are in a time that if we want our grand children to live in a nation free of slavery and persecution, it is crucial that we make these sacrifices now.

When we as the church finally have a biblical worldview, a victorious eschatology, a rock-solid family of families, and are coming up with real solutions to problems in the world, the nations will turn their heads and see Christ as the answer for everything, including their own salvation."

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

Weight

A very touchy subject for a lot of people--weight.

I must admit I've been pretty lucky, never really been overweight before. But of course I like to be thin & work hard to maintain my weight. Sometimes I am criticized by people because I want to lose a little weight yet I'm not technically overweight. Well that's my business is all I can say. I'm not trying to achieve being underweight & having less body fat is healthy.

When I was younger (all the way up to my mid 20s) I could eat & eat & eat, I could easily out-eat most people, even men!! And I never gained a pound either, no matter what I was eating!

While in my late 20's I went back to school, I was in the LVN program (licensed vocation nurse). Now this is a FULL time program--beyond full time actually. You are in school a minimum of 40 hours each week & then have TONS of homework on top of that. Add to that the fact that I worked on the weekends & it's total insanity. The LVN program is a full year, including summer school. You carry well over 20 units each semester, with the exception of summer school, I think it was around 18 units for summer school.

By the end of this year I realized I had gained about 20 pounds. This was the first time in my life I had ever gained weight. I realized my stress level was very intense, I was in my late 20s, & knew I had to do something fast.

I was able to lose 15 of those 20 lbs. I did it just by eating smaller portions & doing more cardio. Those were the easy days, the 20s. I always hear people in their 20s (early 20s even!) complaining how hard it is to lose weight & I always warn them they had better get control of their weight now & not later cuz it only gets harder & harder as time goes on.

Of course even though I lost those 15 lbs I was still in school working on my pre-reqs for the RN program (registered nurse). And I was working full time too. Life was still stressful & I was entering my early 30s. I gained a few pounds due to that. And I also found that in my early 30s there was no more easy weight loss like before.

So I got myself a pedometer & followed a plan in a book called "the step diet". You just keep increasing your steps each week & eating less food. I have to say it worked. I got the weight off in time to enter the RN program.

Now because I was already an LVN I only had to do the second year of the 2 year RN program. It was semesters 3 & 4. I have to say that the 3rd semester was really a cake walk for me. I did really well in both clinical & lecture & had very little stress (there is always "some" stress in nursing school no matter what) & I didn't gain any weight at all. But the 4th semester was very tough & really kicked my butt & I did end up gaining 15 lbs.

After I graduated I was determined to drop those 15 lbs. For several months I kept trying to eat healthy, small portions, workout more, etc. None of it made any difference now. I was in my mid 30s now & it was even harder than the early 30s!! I did try to do the step diet again & had no success at all.

I was getting really frustrated & around that time my cousin shared with me that she was doing the south beach diet & having success with it (& that she had done it before & had success then too). I decided to give it a try. I did feel like I needed a structered set of rules to follow.

At first glance I didn't think I could do it. Giving up carbs was impossible for me. But then I decided to take a look at it from a different angle. How was I going to sit back & let my body & it's cravings dictate what I put in my mouth? I got kinda angry about it & I allowed that anger to fuel me. I saw it as a challenge & when my mind is put to something nothing will stop me & so I did the diet & had great success. I was the thinnest I had been in a lot of years. And I was very happy.

I have always wanted to make sure I turn 40 at my goal weight because I know it only gets harder once you turn 40 & it's hard enough now already. I was actually pleased that I was done with school, I felt there should be no more reasons to ever gain weight again in my life & was thrilled at this thought.

And then I found I was pregnant. Not only was I pregnant but it was a long & hard pregnancy for me. I had morning sickness the entire pregnancy & had major food aversions to tons of foods. About the only foods I could stomach & keep down were carbs. Plus there was tons of stress--we had a huge fire in our community, 6 houses surrounding us burned & this caused a great deal of smoke damage to our house, etc. This along with modified bed rest at the beginning of the 3rd trimester all contributed to the whopping 47 lbs I gained during the pregnancy.

Once the baby was born I had lost 27 lbs (the baby, placenta, water bag, all the extra blood volume, & the fluid from swelling). So I had 20 more to go. I kept trying to get back on the south beach diet & I was doing it all according to the plan & I did lose some weight but not much. And I've been stuck for a really long time now.

I'm turning 38 next month & still want to turn 40 already at my goal weight. I have to do something & I have to do it fast. So I decided to try Suzanne Somers eating plan. It's a low carb plan with food combining involved. I did try food combining when I was a teen (from the fit for life book) & I sure did feel great while doing it, it was just too strict for me to keep it up long term. And Suzanne even mentions this program & the fact that she feels it is TOO strict. I am just starting it today, so we'll see how it goes. I have to admit I like the fact that I can have carbs, I just have to not have them with any fat or protein.

I grew up watching my mom & sister go from one fad diet to the next & never be satisfied. I promised myself I would never end up like that. While trying out diets makes me nervous that I am headed in that direction, I still feel that I am not like that.

Number one: I will never put my weight before my health. I will never follow a diet that will harm my health in the process of losing weight. (I have to admit I saw them try several diets that were outright not healthy)

Number two: I don't believe at all that I am doing fad diets, I am only interested in changing my eating habits for life.

I have to admit I do make modifications wherever I don't agree.

Like with the south beach diet: he tells you to use artificial sweeteners & margarine. I absolutely refuse to use either of these, they are made in laboratories with chemicals, they have no place in my body, so I refuse to eat them. I learned to give up sugar completely & used butter in moderation. He also made a big deal about only using low fat & no fat dairy & I didn't always follow that, depending on what it was. To me it's important that dairy is organic (sans hormones & antibiotics) & it can be difficult & sometimes impossible to find low fat organic dairy, & so I would prioritize organic over low fat & would still eat full fat dairy at times.

I like the fact that Suzanne Somers is very into eating healthy & eating REAL food. This is why when I tried to think of what diet to try next her name came to mind. I respect her as a person & wanted to give her plan a try. I am happy to see that she is anti-margarine & anti-artifical sweeteners. Although she has her own sweetener (somersweet) that she's really pushing, but I still don't plan to use it. I'm sure it's great & I'm sure it's healthier than the artificial ones out there, but I would just rather give up sweets. It's shocking to me that people refuse to see that as a legitimate alternative. No sugar & no sugar substitutes, it's not that impossible to do.

So today is day one of starting her diet. I hope to have great success on this. We shall see.....

Monday, August 9, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook

Outside my window…
it's beautiful & breezy & not too hot, I am so grateful we aren't having the heatwave that I keep hearing the rest of the country grumble about

I am thinking…
about what else I can do to trim down our budget to ensure that I can stay home & raise my son & not have to go back to work & put him in daycare & essentially let someone else raise him

I am thankful for…
my Lord & Savior, he continues to take care of us & provide for us beyond belief at times

From the learning rooms… P
Still doing daily Bible study with little J & "your baby can read" & attempting to teach him Spanish as well, still so very hopeful (& praying daily) that I can homeschool him when the time comes

From the kitchen…
I'm working on revamping my eating (making it even healthier than it already is) & hoping to banish the last little bit of this dreaded baby weight

I am wearing…
a navy blue top with crocheted cut outs & a white cami underneath with denim shorts

I am creating…
this blog at the moment.......and still working on lil J's baby book & printing out all my blogs that pertain to him & putting them into a binder

I am going…
to a car show this weekend, yay! I LOVE when we can get out of the house on the weekend after I've been cooped up in the house all week, even if it's only for a couple of hours I still love it

I am reading…
educating the whole hearted child & eat cheat & melt the fat away

I am hoping…
to be able to do a good job at raising lil J in the ways of the Lord, I think about this often & pray about it daily

I am hearing…
the breeze outside & an airplane in the distance, very pleasant & relaxing--I love where I live & that I almost always have this beautiful breeze

Around the house…
My sister in law watched lil J recently while I went to have an ultrasound done & she had limited lil J to only a few toys at a time so there wasn't such a mess, so now I've been stricter on lil J about this & am seeing pretty good results. I do have to remind frequently, but he doesn't put up too much of a fight & the house is staying much neater during playtime, which I love

Some of my favorite things…
books, my guitar, being outdoors--I really want to spend more time outdoors with lil J, but everytime I try these days it just seems like there's so much danger lurking everywhere for him

A few plans for the rest of the week:
grocery shopping, cleaning house, maybe another trip to the pool with lil J, a car show this weekend

Here is picture for thought I am sharing…
I'm afraid I don't know how to insert a photo.....

I am praying…
to be able to afford to remain a stay at home mom, for all of our legal battles, for hubby to remain happy with his new job, for my stepkids to return to church, & for my health, for many other friends & family & their needs

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

The Simple Woman's Daybook

The Simple Woman's Daybook
FOR TODAY, Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Outside my window…
it's sunny & hot....at 9am....not good, I turned on the a/c for the day; I hate running it, but yesterday I was miserable in the heat & decided to give in today; I hate running it because it's expensive to run, but even moreso because I love fresh air--I LOVE opening up the doors & windows & letting the fresh air in & hearing & feeling the breeze. I feel so disconnected when the house is closed up as it has to be when the a/c is on. I also love that where I live there is almost always a breeze blowing.

I am thinking…
about what I can do to cut down our budget even more than we already have

I am thankful for…
my wonderful family & my most awesome God that takes care of us always

From the learning rooms…
daily Bible studies

From the kitchen…
gotta make a pot of black beans today, looking for some new food ideas for little J, planning to make him a grilled cheese sandwich for lunch today

I am wearing…
a black tank top & denim shorts

I am creating…
a binder full of all the blogs I've written pertaining to little J, it's a lot of fun going back & looking over them now, I am so grateful I wrote them all

I am going…
to spend my day doing laundry

I am reading…
my Bible, every day, & "knockout" by Suzanne Somers

I am hoping…
to think of something free & fun to do this weekend; the harvest crusade is on this weekend, but just like last year I don't think little J will enjoy it

I am hearing…
little J jumping in his jumperoo while watching Veggie Tales

Around the house…
my stepson is with us this week, so that means more work in the kitchen & additional food costs this week.

Some of my favorite things…
prayer, reading, guitar, playing with little J

A few plans for the rest of the week:
gotta clean & go grocery shopping & hopefully take a trip to the pool with lil J


I am praying…
for my hubby to give all his stress to God, for wisdom in raising lil J in the way of the Lord, for my stepkids salvation, for victory in our legal battles, my health, & health & finances of friends & family