I just got the coolest Bible ever. It's an ESV journaling Bible, text in the middle with space to write down either side.

I've been reading Don Whitney's book Simplify Your Spiritual Life, a good book by the way, and I just need to streamline a bit. Know the feeling?

crunchy con attempt

I've been reading Crunchy Cons by Rod Dreher, and after the chapter "Food" had decided to avoid any meat that is non-organic. It was pretty graphic. That was last night, and then today I found myself at McDonald's with Emmie. I guess it'll take a while to turn the ship. It wasn't totally a thought-out decision though. It was spontaneous - Jeff took the other two to the pool and I took her out and when she saw McD's she (still crying about dropping the others at the pool - and she can't go because she's sick) said - ever so sweetly - "how bout Meekdonall's then, momma?" and how could I resist? (And they have Polly Pockets - her fave - in the kids meals) So before I know what's happened I'm eating hormonally-grown antibiotic-and-poop-fed chicken. With extra sodium and fat. Whoops.

So far I really like the Crunchy Cons book though. Even if it grossed me out on any type of mass-produced non-organically grown meat. It's helping me clarify some of my discontent with being a conservative who isn't always happy with the GOP. And it helps me not to feel like such a freak for homeschooling! I get a little sick of the "oh-you're-one-of-those" looks I get from neighbors and other people who ask (when they see us out during school days especially.)

Don't Waste Your Cancer

Wow. I doubt anyone reads this blog anymore, it's really been a while since I've touched it. I guess I designed this originally as a place to think out loud (as opposed to bragging about my children) and I've been sort of overwhelmed since mid-February, or I guess the end of January. It pretty much went like this:
Jeff totals car
Dad in hospital
Sister totals car
Sister has a sarcoma
Sister may not have a sarcoma
Me pregnant
Sister has major surgery, but not cancer
Me not pregnant
Vacation
Jeff gone
VBS
Emmie has major infection (that's now.)

So. I just read this article by John Piper and David Powlison in the latest Journal of Biblical Counseling called "Don't Waste Your Cancer". They both have cancer, and it's basically ten ways you "waste" the trial you're in. It's a great gut-checker. For instance, "10. You will waste your cancer if you fail to use it as a means of witness to the truth and glory of Christ." Great re-focusing point.

Philosophy lessons

Today Riley and Logan watched "The Adventures of Little Joe," (Veggie Tales). While they were eating lunch after watching it I asked them about the movie, and Riley said something like "Well, it was about how sometimes you have trouble but God is still good. I'd like to talk more about that." Interesting conversation. Of course, we really didn't get into the "Problem of Evil," since at this point she's satisfied with the fact that God's character doesn't change - he's good because he's good, period.

Logan was more consumed with Little Joe being in jail for something he didn't do. Right now he's more concerned with the lesser known quandary of the "Problem of Fairness," with which any parent is familiar.

Rob's Dissertation

Right now I'm proof-reading my brother-in-law's dissertation. This is what it's called.

"The Roles of Prayer, Petition and Power in Funding Pennsylvania Higher Education: The Response of Colleges and the General Assembly to the Constitutional Convention of 1872-1873"

It really makes me feel smarter just to be reading it. Maybe this says something about me and my life as a "stay-at-home mom." Maybe I really don't get out enough. Is it sad that I sit in Starbucks and enjoy doing this? Maybe I need to take some sort of furthering education class or something. Those who have sanely made it through this phase of life may speak to this issue better than I.

What is sick is that I actually am interested in the paper. Even Rob doesn't seem to really believe that.

Riley's Christmas story

I wasn't going to do this, but I can't resist. The other day I was baking something and Riley was watching. I was trying to think of something to talk about, so I asked her if she knew what the Christmas story was all about. She proceeded with something that was about like this:

Well, an angel came to Mary - I think his name was Solomon - and told her she was going to have a baby and to call him Jesus and Immanuel, which means God With Us, and so then the angel went to tell Joseph but Joseph didn't really believe him so the angel had to make it so he couldn't talk until the baby was born. Then they got married and she had the baby, but before she had the baby they had to go down to Bethlehem and when they got there there were no houses so they had to borrow one. They laid the baby in the manger and all the wise men came, and they stayed there until Jesus was twelve and then they went up to the temple. On the way, they turned around and he was gone! He was in the temple in his father's house teaching all the teachers and grown-ups stuff like how to be a parent and don't yell at your kids and stuff. Then they went home, and when he grew up he ruled over the whole land. The end.

I figure there's a good amount of meat in there - and then some significant problems - but she's listening. When I said "wow, Ri, you know a lot about it" she said "yeah, I always listen to the Bible stories."

We had fun today. To all the family, we missed you - thanks for all the gifts! The kids had a great time. We dragged the opening of stuff out all the way until around 5:30-ish when Em got up from her nap. It may have been cruel and unusual, but after lunch we still had half the stuff to open but we put the kids down and took a nap! I didn't fall all the way asleep but it was nice to have quiet for a few minutes - they've been little wild monkeys perpetually.

Another Christmas come and gone

This year Christmas makes me feel old. It was just so much more fun to get stuff for the kids and make magic for them than to get anything myself. Obviously I didn't do the "buy nothing Christmas" thing. Not that it wasn't tempting.

Last night Jeff read Luke 2 to us (kids sitting on the hearth all in a row) and then I read the first two verses of "On the Morning of Christ's Nativity" by John Milton to them. Let's just say that they weren't overwhelmed, but one can hope. I figure that if I make a habit of reading stuff like that to them then they'll either get used to it or come to value it...hopefully the latter. It was an attempt, at least, to stem the tide of human greed and focus for a moment on the enfleshment of God, who "forsook the courts of everlasting day/and chose with us a darksome house of mortal clay." (Milton)