I just enrolled Matthew in public middle school part time. It will be his first time in a public school setting. He'll have to check into the office and out again. He'll also try the school lunch. He was only going to take Spanish, Industrial Tech, and Gym during that third period (rotating days) but the counsellor told me that it wasn't next to lunch (the only "class" he was REALLY interested in haha) so I signed him up for science and math too! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! THAT'll show him! I told him it's not it's all cracked up to be, but he's a boy and might actually enjoy it...lunch, that is.
He and Wade were in the backseat the other day, talking about how he'll act at school, since he's the only one in that school who will have that weird schedule. I told him that he could invent an identity for every class. We came up with cool states he could possibly have come from or some kind of secret spy identity. I told them both about what the witness protection plan is all about and how he could say that "Matthew N." is just his cover name and his real name has to be kept a secret or some nefarious group would find him. I told him he could really achieve the status of "The Most Interesting Man in 8th Grade", if he played his cards right.
No matter what his secret identity story, or how shy he decides to act, I know he'll make a lot of new friends and the teachers will really enjoy teaching him. I've already got the office staff excited about a new student. I think that they are jazzed about proving to a home educated child that public school is not bad and can be a good thing (we already know that, but I'm okay with the teachers/staff going that extra mile to try to prove it heh heh heh!).
Matthew just turned 13 and though I've been trying not to highlight the older kids, out of respect for their privacy, I have to say how proud I am of the man he's becoming. He just finished firearm safety training and I watched to see how he responds to someone else teaching him. He sat at attention, took notes, followed along, all with a cool expression...as if he's been public schooled his whole life. He didn't offer any know-it-all answers (even though he DID know everything they were talking about), but I know he's taking it all in and he even studied when he came home.
I know that doesn't sound like any big deal, but since he mostly hangs around public schoolers, he's under the impression lately that he's a freakazoid because he homeschools and that homeschoolers are anti-social weirdos who regularly wear capes and pretend to joust well into their twenties.
I set him straight and show him how he knows all kinds of different weirdos from all walks of life, but then he points out to me how I'm married because I went to public school.
?
So, since I won't let him go ALL day and get institutionalized and zombiefied by "The Man", and since he wishes to experience life outside this pukey, poopy, chaotic, baby crying, "I can't concentrate when people make NOISE!", no I didn't yes you did no I didn't yes you did infinity...household, we compromised with this modified schedule for the school day. I think it's just perfect! Wouldn't you just LOVE to go to school at 10am and then head home after lunch around 1:30ish?
I don't usually like to predict what my children's vocations will be, but I can see that kid in the military. He is obedient, hard working, dedicated, strong, smart, handsome, and makes friends very easily.
He's also a total goofball with a smart-a sense of humor.
I think he was switched at birth with some other baby because no one else in this house is like THAT.
By the way, doesn't it bug you that NO spell checks recognize the word "homeschool"??? That's always kind of bothered me.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Saturday, August 21, 2010
Something Different For A Change Of Pace Myself And I Have A Dream A Little Dream
There once was a man from Siam
Who ate lots of beans and Spam
Al Gore came to scold
the neighbor, he told
He forgot to recycle the can
I only re-wrote it twice. Oh yeah, I'm just that good.
Here's another one, just off the cuff:
(Jennie's twins: A Haiku)
Plural pals, sleep now
Mama waits to snuggle you
two more cute Herbst-es
But, what I started with was this:
Jennie hears two hearts
"I'll be as big as a HOUSE!"
Little stinkers laugh
I need to slow down and just get things done around here. I was hoping this weekend would be my "get the school stuff organized" weekend, but the humidity is up and the A/C is DOWN. Yikes.
Okay, going down the wrong path now so it's time to screw around again:
Doris the cat went to jail
for getting caught out in the hail
"I didn't expect
that I'd get so wet
and now, I'm hairless and pale."
Got hail-pelted cats on my mind, I guess.
Oh, here's another one for Mike:
Beer: A Haiku
(I love the title, it's so contradictory in that it's so earthy and sophisticated, all at the same time, don't you think?)
It's called a "Beer Club"
A whole bunch of microbrews
One giant headache
Of course, how could I not end this fabulous post-etry without a tribute to my beloved:
Butch was a husband I had
the kids and I called for him, "DAD?"
We looked and we looked,
could not find where he booked...
he was in the garage being bad.
Okay, that one was kind of for Mike, too.
Who ate lots of beans and Spam
Al Gore came to scold
the neighbor, he told
He forgot to recycle the can
I only re-wrote it twice. Oh yeah, I'm just that good.
Here's another one, just off the cuff:
(Jennie's twins: A Haiku)
Plural pals, sleep now
Mama waits to snuggle you
two more cute Herbst-es
But, what I started with was this:
Jennie hears two hearts
"I'll be as big as a HOUSE!"
Little stinkers laugh
I need to slow down and just get things done around here. I was hoping this weekend would be my "get the school stuff organized" weekend, but the humidity is up and the A/C is DOWN. Yikes.
Okay, going down the wrong path now so it's time to screw around again:
Doris the cat went to jail
for getting caught out in the hail
"I didn't expect
that I'd get so wet
and now, I'm hairless and pale."
Got hail-pelted cats on my mind, I guess.
Oh, here's another one for Mike:
Beer: A Haiku
(I love the title, it's so contradictory in that it's so earthy and sophisticated, all at the same time, don't you think?)
It's called a "Beer Club"
A whole bunch of microbrews
One giant headache
Of course, how could I not end this fabulous post-etry without a tribute to my beloved:
Butch was a husband I had
the kids and I called for him, "DAD?"
We looked and we looked,
could not find where he booked...
he was in the garage being bad.
Okay, that one was kind of for Mike, too.
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Crush
I've got so much to be thankful for. I could list it all but I'm sure it would be a boring thing and too long of a list to read. I have the list in my heart, and that's good enough.
I also have much to regret and be embarrassed about. I've made so many mistakes this year, it's crushing me and my family under a mountain of worry and all of these "running away" feelings are just my coping mechanisms taking over and it's not good.
When the people around me lose hope, I usually fight back with tons of optimism and fixits galore, but I'm getting very tired and not really finding those reserves that I need to help prop everyone up. I HATE. I have a lot of anger and hate in my heart for the things around me that seem to be pulling me down into that sin of hopelessness and useless regret.
Debbiedowner is back again, full force. As much as I love the season of fall, it always happens this time of year. I think I kind of know why. It's because it's the time of year that I feel most accountable to "the Man". School starts, activities for the kids rev up, we have to be certain places at certain times, winter is coming and so are the bills that come with colder weather, the holidays, and school books, kids are not used to the "buckling down" and get more anxious and their fighting starts to make me feel like a failure. I can't keep up.
I really can't keep up. I've been fooling myself for 2 years that things FOR SURE have to get better and that the economy will turn around soon and that there will be more work for Butch and I can make "extra" by doing something at home...it's all a total farce. Work is NOT coming for Butch and, in reality, his income will have been cut nearly in half by the end of the year (with the bits and pieces taken off in such a slow, menacing way, it was hard to see at the time:lay offs, injury, half days here and there, etc.). The sick irony of it is that his job was always "recession proof" in the past. Every time he'd come home and say "Things are going to slow down! They hinted at it in the office!", I'd just laugh and say "Yeah, right!" because it never did...BEFORE. Now that it's a reality, it has me stumped. How do we move forward when we can't even pay for the here and now? How do people live like this?
We've always been stretched, and suffered hard times early in our lives together...but this is just...so bad. We have each other and we have a great family, but everyone in it is suffering similar worries. What happens when we can no longer lean on each other for support, for fear of pushing the other person over the edge?
It's going to be a tough rest of the year. We are going to have to make some hefty decisions and I really don't know what to do. I hate being a slave to debt and insecurity.
There are a lot of "I"s in this stressed out rant. Depression is a very selfish thing.
Hopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehope has to be the mantra/prayer. I just can't find it right now.
I also have much to regret and be embarrassed about. I've made so many mistakes this year, it's crushing me and my family under a mountain of worry and all of these "running away" feelings are just my coping mechanisms taking over and it's not good.
When the people around me lose hope, I usually fight back with tons of optimism and fixits galore, but I'm getting very tired and not really finding those reserves that I need to help prop everyone up. I HATE. I have a lot of anger and hate in my heart for the things around me that seem to be pulling me down into that sin of hopelessness and useless regret.
Debbiedowner is back again, full force. As much as I love the season of fall, it always happens this time of year. I think I kind of know why. It's because it's the time of year that I feel most accountable to "the Man". School starts, activities for the kids rev up, we have to be certain places at certain times, winter is coming and so are the bills that come with colder weather, the holidays, and school books, kids are not used to the "buckling down" and get more anxious and their fighting starts to make me feel like a failure. I can't keep up.
I really can't keep up. I've been fooling myself for 2 years that things FOR SURE have to get better and that the economy will turn around soon and that there will be more work for Butch and I can make "extra" by doing something at home...it's all a total farce. Work is NOT coming for Butch and, in reality, his income will have been cut nearly in half by the end of the year (with the bits and pieces taken off in such a slow, menacing way, it was hard to see at the time:lay offs, injury, half days here and there, etc.). The sick irony of it is that his job was always "recession proof" in the past. Every time he'd come home and say "Things are going to slow down! They hinted at it in the office!", I'd just laugh and say "Yeah, right!" because it never did...BEFORE. Now that it's a reality, it has me stumped. How do we move forward when we can't even pay for the here and now? How do people live like this?
We've always been stretched, and suffered hard times early in our lives together...but this is just...so bad. We have each other and we have a great family, but everyone in it is suffering similar worries. What happens when we can no longer lean on each other for support, for fear of pushing the other person over the edge?
It's going to be a tough rest of the year. We are going to have to make some hefty decisions and I really don't know what to do. I hate being a slave to debt and insecurity.
There are a lot of "I"s in this stressed out rant. Depression is a very selfish thing.
Hopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehopehope has to be the mantra/prayer. I just can't find it right now.
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Ahhhhhoooooooommmmmmm
We were just wrapping up the day and Trina and Matty were working on new voicemail greetings on their phones. It was a pretty noisy environment (when is it NOT???) but I heard Mari repeating, in her teeny voice, an odd sound.
She often does repeating sounds or sings little songs to just herself. It's usually very funny but this one took the cake.
The kids have been watching The Fantastic Mr. Fox all week (which reminds me, I gotta bring that thing back to the video store). It's a VERY weird movie but in one part, the cool cousin that comes to live with Mr. Fox tries to calm himself with some Yoga that he presumably learned in his somewhat Bohemian upbringing. It's a way that the author illustrates how kind of naturally cool he is.
I saw Mari, earlier, playing with this mat thing that has bamboo across it. I think Anna used it to decorate in her dorm and the girls inherited it. I thought I had thrown them away but good thing I didn't because then, Mari wouldn't have been able to turn it into the PERFECT "yoga mat". I grabbed the camera before she had a chance to realize what I was doing:
Then I tried to get a better picture by using the flash and she did this:
...and told me "Mom! That noise is ruining 'my thing'!"
Yoga girl with pizza face should know she will NEVER achieve total peace and tranquility as long as she lives in THIS family. I think that she will still try, though. She's a very persistent little mouse.
She often does repeating sounds or sings little songs to just herself. It's usually very funny but this one took the cake.
The kids have been watching The Fantastic Mr. Fox all week (which reminds me, I gotta bring that thing back to the video store). It's a VERY weird movie but in one part, the cool cousin that comes to live with Mr. Fox tries to calm himself with some Yoga that he presumably learned in his somewhat Bohemian upbringing. It's a way that the author illustrates how kind of naturally cool he is.
I saw Mari, earlier, playing with this mat thing that has bamboo across it. I think Anna used it to decorate in her dorm and the girls inherited it. I thought I had thrown them away but good thing I didn't because then, Mari wouldn't have been able to turn it into the PERFECT "yoga mat". I grabbed the camera before she had a chance to realize what I was doing:
Then I tried to get a better picture by using the flash and she did this:
...and told me "Mom! That noise is ruining 'my thing'!"
Yoga girl with pizza face should know she will NEVER achieve total peace and tranquility as long as she lives in THIS family. I think that she will still try, though. She's a very persistent little mouse.
Friday, August 06, 2010
Counting My Curses
Did you ever just feel like a dang dog some days? Not a nice, fluffy, pampered richie dog but a street dog with matted hair and a mangy attitude? "Poor Me" has been my attitude for most of this summer. Every day I try to stick to the schedule and live and appreciate the moment but, all along, the underlying worries fill the back of my mind and come creeping out at night. I don't get any sleep most nights.
Just when I think we can maybe see the light of day, some family thing blows up or Butch's elbow blows up (which was the case last week...he's better now but the damage is done with one whole week of no income) and I'm ready to slink into the gutter or snatch up the whole family and move to some Amish community in Canada and hide out for the rest of our lives.
Of course, if we lived incognito and separated ourselves from society, I couldn't share things like this with you:
And we would lose contact with the friends, family, and really awesome neighbors and I don't think I can survive without them.
I'm really tired of trying to arrange the days to keep everyone happy and healthy. I'm tired of not being able to keep up with the repairs, messes, and maintenance that this life requires. I hate living in "bare minimum" mode and I feel like I'm failing to make this house a home. Having a new baby is always stressful (and joyful, don't get me wrong!) but it's particularly stressful in the summer months when the older kids really want to go and DO things but I really need them to help out around the house and I have trouble finding friends for them to hang out with that aren't already occupied with their own family fun.
Now, I have to get into "school mode" and that is terrifying to me, as I don't know how I'm going to pay just bills, much less a whole bunch of school materials costs.
I know, it's a huge debbiedowner (whonk whonk whonk whooooooonk) post, but I DID put the blissfully unaware, happy baby video in there, right?
Don't worry, I know how much WORSE things can be. I know of a lot of sick/dying people and of miserable problems that so many people around me are suffering. It sure doesn't make me feel any better. It really just makes me feel a lot worse about the state of humanity and the point of all of this.
Maybe I'll feel better by the next post...but probably not.
Just when I think we can maybe see the light of day, some family thing blows up or Butch's elbow blows up (which was the case last week...he's better now but the damage is done with one whole week of no income) and I'm ready to slink into the gutter or snatch up the whole family and move to some Amish community in Canada and hide out for the rest of our lives.
Of course, if we lived incognito and separated ourselves from society, I couldn't share things like this with you:
And we would lose contact with the friends, family, and really awesome neighbors and I don't think I can survive without them.
I'm really tired of trying to arrange the days to keep everyone happy and healthy. I'm tired of not being able to keep up with the repairs, messes, and maintenance that this life requires. I hate living in "bare minimum" mode and I feel like I'm failing to make this house a home. Having a new baby is always stressful (and joyful, don't get me wrong!) but it's particularly stressful in the summer months when the older kids really want to go and DO things but I really need them to help out around the house and I have trouble finding friends for them to hang out with that aren't already occupied with their own family fun.
Now, I have to get into "school mode" and that is terrifying to me, as I don't know how I'm going to pay just bills, much less a whole bunch of school materials costs.
I know, it's a huge debbiedowner (whonk whonk whonk whooooooonk) post, but I DID put the blissfully unaware, happy baby video in there, right?
Don't worry, I know how much WORSE things can be. I know of a lot of sick/dying people and of miserable problems that so many people around me are suffering. It sure doesn't make me feel any better. It really just makes me feel a lot worse about the state of humanity and the point of all of this.
Maybe I'll feel better by the next post...but probably not.
Monday, July 19, 2010
Last Minute
I don't have enough minutes in the day, just like you, probably. I have a LITTLE bit of time when the baby takes a nap. When she does her nice, long, power nap, I usually take the time to tweak the house and do all the stuff that I can't do with one arm. I know I can rely on a bigger kid to hold her and play with her for a few minutes, but I find I spend most of my day holding and feeding the baby (not complaining, it's actually quite nice!) and that doesn't leave a lot of time for deep cleaning/intense cooking.
My pal, Rebecca, is having a recipe sharing dealio. It came just in time, as I'm making a meal for a new baby's family tomorrow night. I have a network of people at church who always inform us when someone has a new baby and we try to lighten the load of the family by bringing over a meal, over two weeks, several days of the week. I'm also going to take this time to really thank all the nice people from church, my friends, neighbors, and family who helped us right after we had Evangeline. They came to visit, brought nice outfits and gifts, and also brought MEALS! It was so so so helpful and appreciated. I recommend bringing a meal to a family of a new baby. Even if the mom is up and running soon after the baby is born. I had already re-started my running as early as two weeks after Lina was born, but that doesn't mean that I had a bunch of free time and energy. It just meant that I knew I had to go for a quick walk or jog to start to get back into shape to help this family stay moving. Having someone bring over a meal after a long, hectic day showed the older kids how important it is to foster friendship and fellowship. It also shows them how people are mostly kind and want to help when you are in need. You are not alone in the world when you have such wonderful people surrounding you and praying for you. I made meals for some moms in the past and brought my older kids with me so they could see how to help someone that you might not even know and how to stretch yourself, even if it's just a little bit, to reach out to people in need.
You never know when you are going to be the person in need, right? Well, I didn't do it to get it all to come back to me, but it DID come back to us...times 100!
Here's a link to the post about recipe sharing and the recipe I'd like to contribute is: BEEFY BEANS
I know, it sounds disgusting and it probably is...but it takes ingredients you already have around the house and it keeps the kids quiet (except the ones who object to beans, maybe).
2 lbs of Hamburger
1 big can of brown beans
2 Tbls brown sugar
1 giant squirt of ketchup
Brown the hamburger and then add everything else. My kids eat it in a bowl, kind of like "chili" but way sweeter and way more gross. If I'm feeling really fancy, I'll make some broccoli and some rolls. Everyone here likes it even though it's probably super sweet with all of that high fructose corn syrup and sugar. I'm sure you could sub with non-hfcs ingredients and the kids would never know. For some reason, they love this junk.
My pal, Rebecca, is having a recipe sharing dealio. It came just in time, as I'm making a meal for a new baby's family tomorrow night. I have a network of people at church who always inform us when someone has a new baby and we try to lighten the load of the family by bringing over a meal, over two weeks, several days of the week. I'm also going to take this time to really thank all the nice people from church, my friends, neighbors, and family who helped us right after we had Evangeline. They came to visit, brought nice outfits and gifts, and also brought MEALS! It was so so so helpful and appreciated. I recommend bringing a meal to a family of a new baby. Even if the mom is up and running soon after the baby is born. I had already re-started my running as early as two weeks after Lina was born, but that doesn't mean that I had a bunch of free time and energy. It just meant that I knew I had to go for a quick walk or jog to start to get back into shape to help this family stay moving. Having someone bring over a meal after a long, hectic day showed the older kids how important it is to foster friendship and fellowship. It also shows them how people are mostly kind and want to help when you are in need. You are not alone in the world when you have such wonderful people surrounding you and praying for you. I made meals for some moms in the past and brought my older kids with me so they could see how to help someone that you might not even know and how to stretch yourself, even if it's just a little bit, to reach out to people in need.
You never know when you are going to be the person in need, right? Well, I didn't do it to get it all to come back to me, but it DID come back to us...times 100!
Here's a link to the post about recipe sharing and the recipe I'd like to contribute is: BEEFY BEANS
I know, it sounds disgusting and it probably is...but it takes ingredients you already have around the house and it keeps the kids quiet (except the ones who object to beans, maybe).
2 lbs of Hamburger
1 big can of brown beans
2 Tbls brown sugar
1 giant squirt of ketchup
Brown the hamburger and then add everything else. My kids eat it in a bowl, kind of like "chili" but way sweeter and way more gross. If I'm feeling really fancy, I'll make some broccoli and some rolls. Everyone here likes it even though it's probably super sweet with all of that high fructose corn syrup and sugar. I'm sure you could sub with non-hfcs ingredients and the kids would never know. For some reason, they love this junk.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Baby Bling
Innocent, naturally stunningly beautiful babies do NOT need it...but every girl likes a little extra embellishment now and then!
Thursday, July 08, 2010
Not ANOTHER Baby Picture!!!!???
OH YES, it is. Evangeline fell asleep on the porch swing. Trina had been reading on the swing just a few minutes earlier and it was such a cute scene, I snapped it:
We've been busy this summer! Babysitting, baseball, family camp weekend, splashing in the little pools in the front yard, 4th of July celebration prep and party, and Weazy's birthday this week have all taken up all of our time. Most of that is over (except the babysitting!) so I WAS going to take the time to do some posting but the stuff hit the fan in the middle of the night last night and we've been infected by the bubonic plague or something and everyone is sick. Butch has been out of town so I'm on my own for this one. I need a nap but I have a whole bunch of little kids who want to go outside now. Buh-bye.
We've been busy this summer! Babysitting, baseball, family camp weekend, splashing in the little pools in the front yard, 4th of July celebration prep and party, and Weazy's birthday this week have all taken up all of our time. Most of that is over (except the babysitting!) so I WAS going to take the time to do some posting but the stuff hit the fan in the middle of the night last night and we've been infected by the bubonic plague or something and everyone is sick. Butch has been out of town so I'm on my own for this one. I need a nap but I have a whole bunch of little kids who want to go outside now. Buh-bye.
Tuesday, June 08, 2010
Marierola
I have to get Tommy on video saying Mariela's name. It's really worth hearing and hard to write out to perfectly describe how it sounds.
My friend, Michelle is SUCH a great photographer that she even got Mari to pose for a bunch of pictures while I was upstairs getting the baby to sleep for the sleepy shots. I'm interrupting my baby pics to show you some of these 5th baby pics. I just love how she batted her eyes for Michelle and vamped all over the place. I blame the sudden change from camera doubtful to camera ready on the show "Toddlers & Tiaras" which I watch with much disgust yet can't look away. Mari's seen it with us and she just loves the sparkly dresses and practices her stage walk in the living room. NO, she will NOT be one of those insane freaks but she DOES say that she wants to be a "makeup girl" when she grows up.
First, here's Mari in a typical family shot where she's required to smile (Evangeline's baptism day May 16th 2010, edited by Trina):
And here's what she can do when Michelle says, "Hey, Mari? Why don't you sit there and I'll take a picture of you?":
My friend, Michelle is SUCH a great photographer that she even got Mari to pose for a bunch of pictures while I was upstairs getting the baby to sleep for the sleepy shots. I'm interrupting my baby pics to show you some of these 5th baby pics. I just love how she batted her eyes for Michelle and vamped all over the place. I blame the sudden change from camera doubtful to camera ready on the show "Toddlers & Tiaras" which I watch with much disgust yet can't look away. Mari's seen it with us and she just loves the sparkly dresses and practices her stage walk in the living room. NO, she will NOT be one of those insane freaks but she DOES say that she wants to be a "makeup girl" when she grows up.
First, here's Mari in a typical family shot where she's required to smile (Evangeline's baptism day May 16th 2010, edited by Trina):
And here's what she can do when Michelle says, "Hey, Mari? Why don't you sit there and I'll take a picture of you?":
Sunday, June 06, 2010
One Month Old Evangeline
I'm going to call Michelle to do some special Fall pictures of our family and maybe get some nice pictures of Trina for her sweet 16 birthday this Fall. She took these amazingly juicy pictures of Evangeline a couple of weeks ago. I just wanted to capture EVERY little beautiful thing that I saw in her, since I never know if the baby in my arms will be the last baby born of this jiggly belly. Michelle really knows how to "grab" those incidental shots when most people would be busy fixing the camera or changing the lighting and all that other stuff that doesn't matter much. That's how she managed to get a shot like this:
In that half-second, gassy moment, she spied the smile and snatched it!
I normally don't like over edited pictures but this one is just breathtaking. She looks like a china doll:
I didn't know when Michelle would snap a picture so I just pretended that she wasn't taking any at all and then she took this shot as I was trying to position sleeping Evangeline. E fell asleep so easily, upstairs in Michelle's daughter's room, in the rocker while nursing, so we were able to get the sleeping and awake shots even though Michelle likes to get the infant/newbie shots when they are 10 days or less. I'm so glad she agreed to do it and took a chance on E!
I also don't normally like a lot of gaudy props but I trusted Michelle and we got many great shots like these (I brought some cute outfits but I'm SUPER happy we didn't get a chance to change baby into any of them because 1. It would have made her cranky, she loves so much to be nekkid and 2. she looks extra cute nekkid) :
+of+baby46.jpg)
Trina and Mari were there with me to help and play with Michelle's youngest. I'm so glad they were with me because we used Trina for a hand model since my hands are stumpy and U.G.L.Y. and hers are perfectly proportioned and pretty. She didn't come prepared for pictures but Michelle took this one, sorta sneaky-like and it turned out very sweet:
Notice the difference between long, graceful Trina fingers and short, squatty, man-hand, chewy-nailed mama fingers?
More pictures and comments to come...be sure to visit Michelle's site! I link to it up there on my sidebar (you can't miss it! Thanks, Regina!)...
In that half-second, gassy moment, she spied the smile and snatched it!
I normally don't like over edited pictures but this one is just breathtaking. She looks like a china doll:
I didn't know when Michelle would snap a picture so I just pretended that she wasn't taking any at all and then she took this shot as I was trying to position sleeping Evangeline. E fell asleep so easily, upstairs in Michelle's daughter's room, in the rocker while nursing, so we were able to get the sleeping and awake shots even though Michelle likes to get the infant/newbie shots when they are 10 days or less. I'm so glad she agreed to do it and took a chance on E!
I also don't normally like a lot of gaudy props but I trusted Michelle and we got many great shots like these (I brought some cute outfits but I'm SUPER happy we didn't get a chance to change baby into any of them because 1. It would have made her cranky, she loves so much to be nekkid and 2. she looks extra cute nekkid) :
+of+baby46.jpg)
Trina and Mari were there with me to help and play with Michelle's youngest. I'm so glad they were with me because we used Trina for a hand model since my hands are stumpy and U.G.L.Y. and hers are perfectly proportioned and pretty. She didn't come prepared for pictures but Michelle took this one, sorta sneaky-like and it turned out very sweet:
Notice the difference between long, graceful Trina fingers and short, squatty, man-hand, chewy-nailed mama fingers?
More pictures and comments to come...be sure to visit Michelle's site! I link to it up there on my sidebar (you can't miss it! Thanks, Regina!)...
Thursday, June 03, 2010
Promise...Just ONE More Thing...(UPDATE*)
*THERE! It's perfect now! I guess in between her breaks for tea and scones and all manner of decadent treats, she's managed to wave her magic wand and alakazam my blog to beautifulness! Thanks, Regina!
...Before I post those pictures, could you email me with a screen capture of what you see when you go to my blog? Here's what I see on my screen:
Regina is helping me and made this supercool new header (using a picture that my other supercool friend, Michelle took, along with all of the other pics of the baby that I'll be posting soon) and background in her tons of spare time. Gosh, I wish I had that kind of life with the bon bons and massages...anyway, she sent me a pic of what it looks like to her and the words are perfectly in between those two light blue lines on the sides. I'm just wondering what it looks like to everyone else.
Meanwhile...just to give you some eye candy to chew on (since we can't all be gorging ourselves with bon bons, toffee, and truffles like SOME people)...
Mmmhmmmm, I KNOW! Super yummy, right?
...Before I post those pictures, could you email me with a screen capture of what you see when you go to my blog? Here's what I see on my screen:
Regina is helping me and made this supercool new header (using a picture that my other supercool friend, Michelle took, along with all of the other pics of the baby that I'll be posting soon) and background in her tons of spare time. Gosh, I wish I had that kind of life with the bon bons and massages...anyway, she sent me a pic of what it looks like to her and the words are perfectly in between those two light blue lines on the sides. I'm just wondering what it looks like to everyone else.
Meanwhile...just to give you some eye candy to chew on (since we can't all be gorging ourselves with bon bons, toffee, and truffles like SOME people)...
Mmmhmmmm, I KNOW! Super yummy, right?
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Hang On!
I've got a billion things to do today (apx. 1.3 million more than USUAL) and a headache, to boot...(here's one more just to tease you)
Friday, May 21, 2010
Sneaky Peek...
More jaw-droppingly stunning photos to come soon. For now, here's just a taste (don't want to make you faint from too much cuteness all at once!)...
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Friday, May 14, 2010
Heebies
Personal prelatures have always creeped me out just a little (especially unofficial ones like RC). They just seem like cultish offshoots of an already wonderful faith that doesn't need the extra embellishment. I know that a lot of people are happy with their decisions to go that route, though and if it helps to bring someone closer to God, on a personal level then hey, cool beans.
I may someday change my mind about that (when the kids are all grown and I need a little spiritual enhancement?) but I would NEVER N E V E R send my son off to a boarding school/pre-seminary place. I wish I could say that "I totally understand that that couple prayed and they totally trust the people who are in charge at that place and it's totally safe...etc. etc." but there's NO WAY nuh uh, never, nope, no-way-jose that any young, unformed boy should be let loose in the wilderness of sin and degradation like that. Nope. I draw the line there and I DO make judgements of parents who think it's hunkydory to send their (let's say) 11 year old son to live with a bunch of stranger boys and men in a community with NO MOTHERS???? Sure, it may be that there are 99 percent wonderful humans there with only the most chaste of intentions toward mentoring the young boys to the priesthood...it's that teeny little germ of ickiness and sin that snuck in on the ONE percent person(s) that spoils the whole lot and spreads the sin like a nasty disease that lasts for generations. Sheesh, the whole purpose of my raising the children is to model to them what a loving, TWO PARENT household is so they can discern what is their vocation for life. They can choose whatever they wish (with careful guidance)when they are ADULTS.
Boys can hide for a LONG TIME when they've been abused in some way and then WILL go on to abuse. It's a fact. Even if it's just witnessing something a little bit bad...NO JUST NO.
I'm sorry that I don't have a more trusting heart. I know that there are a lot of false accusations toward men in the Church and that there are FAR more instances of abuse toward young boys in secular life or other churches than there are in the Catholic Church, but there is NO WAY that it is safe to EVER put young boys and men together in a group, safely. Not with the society we live in and the unfortunate sins of people in the past.
That being said, I've not commented on the whole LC thing because I know a lot of people directly involved with RC (I was asked to join years ago and always had an "ew" feeling about the situation) but I read this article today and it pretty well sums up how I feel.
From the article (and part of why joining RC always felt forced, cultish, and creepy to me):
"...2. At the beginning of his work, the delegate ought to consider informing the members of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi that, as they gave themselves to these institutions without knowing the pathologies of their founder, they are free to leave these institutions without sin, guilt, shame, or remorse.
Such a statement is essential to stop the moral blackmail that (according to credible reports from the families of Legionary seminarians and students in Regnum Christi schools) continues today: “Since you came to us it is clearly God’s will for you to be here, and you will be turning your back on God’s will and sinning if you leave . . .”"
Anyway, none of this will make sense to you if you don't know or care about RC. Full disclosure: I was in the RC backed FAMILIA program for the four years. It was really nice and I had no problems with it other than it was kind of boring and repetitive. It was also a little misleading in that I didn't even know it was an offshoot of RC until a few years into it. That was super odd and just the beginning of why I think personal prelatures are cultish and weird.
I may someday change my mind about that (when the kids are all grown and I need a little spiritual enhancement?) but I would NEVER N E V E R send my son off to a boarding school/pre-seminary place. I wish I could say that "I totally understand that that couple prayed and they totally trust the people who are in charge at that place and it's totally safe...etc. etc." but there's NO WAY nuh uh, never, nope, no-way-jose that any young, unformed boy should be let loose in the wilderness of sin and degradation like that. Nope. I draw the line there and I DO make judgements of parents who think it's hunkydory to send their (let's say) 11 year old son to live with a bunch of stranger boys and men in a community with NO MOTHERS???? Sure, it may be that there are 99 percent wonderful humans there with only the most chaste of intentions toward mentoring the young boys to the priesthood...it's that teeny little germ of ickiness and sin that snuck in on the ONE percent person(s) that spoils the whole lot and spreads the sin like a nasty disease that lasts for generations. Sheesh, the whole purpose of my raising the children is to model to them what a loving, TWO PARENT household is so they can discern what is their vocation for life. They can choose whatever they wish (with careful guidance)when they are ADULTS.
Boys can hide for a LONG TIME when they've been abused in some way and then WILL go on to abuse. It's a fact. Even if it's just witnessing something a little bit bad...NO JUST NO.
I'm sorry that I don't have a more trusting heart. I know that there are a lot of false accusations toward men in the Church and that there are FAR more instances of abuse toward young boys in secular life or other churches than there are in the Catholic Church, but there is NO WAY that it is safe to EVER put young boys and men together in a group, safely. Not with the society we live in and the unfortunate sins of people in the past.
That being said, I've not commented on the whole LC thing because I know a lot of people directly involved with RC (I was asked to join years ago and always had an "ew" feeling about the situation) but I read this article today and it pretty well sums up how I feel.
From the article (and part of why joining RC always felt forced, cultish, and creepy to me):
"...2. At the beginning of his work, the delegate ought to consider informing the members of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi that, as they gave themselves to these institutions without knowing the pathologies of their founder, they are free to leave these institutions without sin, guilt, shame, or remorse.
Such a statement is essential to stop the moral blackmail that (according to credible reports from the families of Legionary seminarians and students in Regnum Christi schools) continues today: “Since you came to us it is clearly God’s will for you to be here, and you will be turning your back on God’s will and sinning if you leave . . .”"
Anyway, none of this will make sense to you if you don't know or care about RC. Full disclosure: I was in the RC backed FAMILIA program for the four years. It was really nice and I had no problems with it other than it was kind of boring and repetitive. It was also a little misleading in that I didn't even know it was an offshoot of RC until a few years into it. That was super odd and just the beginning of why I think personal prelatures are cultish and weird.
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