One Awesome Parent Coming Through--Me

At least, that what it seems like after reading a number of people's opinions concerning President Obama's address to our children today. In the runup to the President's speech, I observed the massive fearmongering of students skipping one day of school and the radical activism of calling one's school superintendent and told myself, "I'm not going to be like THAT. It won't matter to me if Obama teaches our children the national anthem of the USSR! I'm not going to get all wee-wee'd up like THAT." It isn't as if he were proposing to fundamentally transform America or has ever suggested conscripting our country's youth into government service. Noooo. And even if he did, it isn't as if...bah...well we...shouldn't think about that...um...real hard anway...pfffftt.

According to others, I must be awesome, because I let my child be taught and influenced by others for 6 hours a day, five days a week instead of homeschooling her. Because if I homeschooled her, it would be much more likely that she'd be playing XBox or sleeping her life away in abject ignorance just like all homeschooled kids. I bet they grow their own food too. Despicable.According to others, I must be awesome, because I have never discussed Barack Obama's race, not even once to anyone, especially to my kids, although every other critic has: Jeremiah Wright, Janeane Garofolo, and Fr. Pfleger. Oh wait--did I say "critic?"

But you know that's what I live for and how I evaluate my parenting skills. The adulation and approval of others, especially those who dip daily into the vast pool of knowledge and fairmindedness of the Daily Kos and HuffPo, affirm me, affirm me, affirm me. That's what self-esteem is all about--being affirmed by the really cool people, something else I'm going to teach my child.

But I'll tell you what makes me a great parent in my own opinion. I did MY homework and approved of the President's speech before I allowed my kid to hear it. I took the time to watch Pres. Obama deliver his speech at my child's school and stayed with her as the teacher asked the students to write their opinions about his speech in their journals. Then I sat with a bunch of 8 year olds and broke bread with them under fluorescent lights and over asbestos tiles. That's what a parent who loves her children does. Neither suspicion nor fawning at the President should have changed a parent's action one way or another.

As it turns out, I happen to agree with everything that Pres. Obama said: stay in school, work hard, overcome your bad circumstances. This is as good a speech as any conservative Republican president would have delivered, a far cry from blaming racism and poverty for failing to achieve academic success. A far cry from excusing drug use and sexual promiscuity as a reason to drop out of school. A far cry from blaming a culture of hopelessness as the cause of personal apathy. Indeed, for every young person out there: you have two hands, two feet, one brain. You are responsible for what you do with them, so do well.

Thank you. God bless you. God bless America.

How did you prepare for a second child?

Dana Loesch at Mamalogues asked this question to her blogophytes last week. I felt like sharing, so this was my answer:

After "OMG, am I PREGNANT...AGAIN?!" it was like "whoa, family of four, here we come."

To make a long story short, I determined to have this child drug-free, which was the single biggest change from having my first baby. We got out the baby stuff and ordered some new diapers. I made my OB visits and counted down to D-Day. I delivered him on the day I was supposed to have the shower. Two days later, my daughter went to preschool and announced "He's out!" Then it was mounds of paperwork (wills, life insurance, college savings plan, employee benefits adjustments, etc. etc. etc...).

Ever since, my little boy blessing has been the Tasmanian Devil for the past three years. My husband and I both think that if he came first, and not our daughter, he would be an only child now and forever more. Hah!

Now, before anyone goes off thinking that I hate my son, I couldn't love him more if he were covered in chocolate (oh wait, he is). He's so cute when he's defiant, and he's cute a lot. :)

If you are a parent, how did preparing for a second (or third or fourth...) child differ from the first?

Vote For Me!

My Tea Party sign is one of the top five in the Mother of All Conservatives contest, and the grand prize is a Wii. Please do me a huge HUGE favor and go to the website and vote for my sign!

Could this be the reason?

Why getting anything done online is so hard to do???

Pascha-n

I feel I'm developing new layers of appreciation and personal significance of the Easter holiday, which, as a sign, I am calling Pascha more often these days. The risen Jesus is everything.

The kids at the church's Easter Egg Hunt at Tower Grove Park:

Just a little more attitude please, Little Mister.

Okay, I guess the Easter Bunny doesn't freak her out anymore! (Credit: D. Hawkins for the photo.)

Resolving to Resolve

Ah, New Year's Resolutions, something I usually resolve not to make mostly due to laziness and indecision. This year, however, I'm motivated to actually do something specific. Crazy, 'cause last Sunday one of my church's pastors suggested not making resolutions this year. True to form, I'm contrary in every way. ;-)

In 2009, I resolve to
1) Read/re-read:
Relativism: Feet Firmly Planted in Mid-Air (Koukl)
Introduction to Theology (McGrath)
In Defense of Life (Beckwith)
Reasonable Faith (Craig)
Systematic Theology (Grudem) - eh, it's a big book...probably not every chapter!
The Lord of the Flies (Golding)
The Cost of Discipleship (Bonhoeffer)
10+ papers or journal articles

2) Go through 52 weeks of the Heidelberg Catechism as a family.

3) Read to my kids more.

4) Sing more.

5) Catch up on my photo albums.

6) Insulate my house.

7) Go on four dates with DH.

8) ? (I think I have room for one more resolution, but I'm going to let God fill this one in!)

Chinese New Year is also coming up, so do I get to do this twice?

May God fill your 2009 with great signs of His presence and love!

I've Got Worms!

Composting worms, that is. After waiting anxiously for days, the store where I ordered them from said "they're in!" I grabbed my keys, shoes, and children and drove to the local Worm's Way to pick up my redworms. My starter bedding and food scraps had been aging for almost a week and breeding fruit flies like crazy, so I was very relieved to get those worms. Anyway, the play-by-play on my first worm bin:

The Bin
Since I'm new at this, I had no idea what was an appropriate size bin for 1 lb. of worms, so I bought this 21 gal. lock-top Rubbermaid plastic bin. I now know that this is kind of big. Oh well, I had always planned to keep it outdoors anyway. I'm hoping the larger size will also encourage my worms to reproduce quickly.

Oh hai! Looks like I'm growing something in it already!


Prepping the Bin
Me use power drill. Feel goooood--yaaaaah!


Add Bedding
This project doubles as an educational tool for my daughter. Now this is my idea of homeschooling! After wetting the bedding down, I added some old rotting food from the back of the fridge and covered it with a little more damp bedding.


Add Worms and Cover With Dry Bedding!
All the vermicomposting instructional sites say now leave them alone for at least a few days for the worms to get comfy. Must resist the urge to look--must resist! Must.....resist!


Anyway, expect updates on my progress.