Germ Warfare

While Little Girl appears to be back to normal, Big Boy is complaining of a tummy ache and looks rather pale. He hasn't vomited, but I'm guessing it's just a matter of time.

I have disinfected the bathroom.

I am washing my hands every minute or so.

I'm doing laundry. Last week was so busy that I got behind. I can't afford to run out of bedding or clothes with the stomach flu running rampant through the family.

We're camping out on the couch and watching "Pocahontas." Trying to lay low.

And I'm praying that Elli and Little Boy don't catch this. Of all of us, they would be most likely to get seriously ill. Hopefully Elli being away at school today will reduce her exposure. Little Boy may already have it -- we'll just have to see.

The Eternal Sock

I bought this yarn almost two years ago. I've been knitting these socks for two years. If I knit its mate at that rate, Little Girl will be in school before I have a matching set (she wasn't even 1 year old when I started). But today I finished the knitting, Kitchener stitched the toe closed, and tried it on! It's so nice and warm that I'm very motivated to cast on and finish the 2nd sock... for now.

We'll see how long that lasts. Little Girl threw up this afternoon, so I'm waiting with dread to see if she has a flu bug and if so, how long it takes for me and everyone else to succumb. Of course I have three major appointments tomorrow: Little Boy's 6-month check-up and probably first flu shot, Elli's IEP meeting, and my first Children's Hospital Board of Trustees meeting. Should be an interesting 24 hours.

Quotable Kids

We've been praying for a coworker of Scott's who lost an unsaved son in a car accident a few months ago. Little Girl has been really impressed by this story and prays that Mrs True wouldn't be sad anymore almost every night.

One night, Big Boy asked why Mrs True was sad. We explained that her son had died and had gone to hell. Sam was horrified, especially when we explained that once you die, you get no more chances. He demanded, "Why would God do that???"

I was both surprised and impressed that he grasped the situation enough at his young age to ask such a good question. We tried to explain the holiness of God and the depravity of man in simple terms for a 5-year-old, but that is a subject that will take more than few conversations. (We're also trying very hard not to scare our kids into a profession of faith. We want them to understand the whole message of the gospel before they make such a decision, not just pray a prayer because they're afraid of hell.)

Anyway, most of this had flown right over Little Girl's head.

Then Big Boy asked, "Where is hell?"

Little Girl jumped right in. "It's in the living room!"

----

Last night at dinner, Big Boy mentioned how much he wanted to take swimming lessons again. Little Girl also wants to take swimming lessons, so she talked about how she'll get to take them when she turns 3. (At age 3, kids can take lessons on their own. Before then, a parent must accompany them into the water. Since Little Boy was born, I haven't been able to do this with her, so she's eagerly anticipating this big milestone!)

Big Boy starting telling us how, at the outside pool, the lifeguards helped all the kids jump off the diving board on the last day of lessons. Little Girl said she would be really scared to jump into the water, but then immediately reminded herself and us that "God is always with us so we don't need to be afraid." (She has nightmares a lot, and is scared of the basement, so we remind her of this almost daily.)

Then, as if thinking through how God would be with her while jumping off the diving board, she said, "God needs a swimsuit."

----

This morning we got a dusting of snow. Big Boy has new snowboots, so he was thrilled at the opportunity to use them. While peering out the window, he suddenly noticed that Jazz, our cat, had left paw prints in the snow. This gave him an idea.

"Hey mom, can I put my snowboots on and see what kind of paw prints I make?"

What Accent Do You Have?

What American accent do you have? (Best version so far) Neutral You're not Northern, Southern, or Western, you`re just plain -American-. Your national identity is more important than your local identity, because you don`t really have a local identity. You might be from the region in that map, which is defined by this kind of accent, but you could easily not be. Or maybe you just moved around a lot growing up.

Click Here to Take This Quiz Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests. I guessed that this would be the result because I've lived in a few different parts of the country. I seem to have picked up bits and pieces from everywhere!

Tight As A Bow String

That's what my doctor says I am. I've been dealing with steadily increasing aching and pain in one jaw joint for a year now. I finally went to a specialist last week, imagining all sorts of possible treatments, including jaw surgery and having my mouth wired shut.

Instead, he told me that I need to find some constructive ways to release the stress in my life. Right now, it's all funneling into my neck, shoulders, and jaw. I also have stretches to do, and am working to retrain myself to open my mouth and hold my jaw at rest correctly. If I wasn't breastfeeding, I'd be taking a week of round-the-clock anti-inflammatories to settle down the irritated muscles. That really isn't an option right now, so I'm working on slow, steady improvements.

Scott was highly amused at the turn this appointment took. He knows me better than anyone, so he knows how I struggle when things get done differently than I do them. He knows how hard it is for me to say "No" to people (apparently that makes me a people-pleaser... and if I'm totally honest with myself, I know that's true). And he knows how constantly and hard I think about e v e r y t h i n g. So I think he was glad that someone else told me all of this, and that I need to work on those things.

The doctor recommended that I read the book "The Disease to Please." I thought about it, and I checked it out of the library. But I was very concerned that the recommendations of such a book would just be someone's best guess, and could actually contradict what I believe as a follower of Christ.

So instead, I bought the book "When People Are Big and God Is Small: Overcoming Peer Pressure, Co-dependency, and the Fear of Man" by Ed Welch. He focuses on a proper view of God and the help that He provides us to overcome our fear of people. The book is divided into two main sections, How and Why We Fear Others, and Overcoming the Fear of Others. In the first section, in a chapter titled "People Will Reject Me," he writes about Paul (the Paul of the Bible), who did not fear the rejection of men.

Paul was not a people-pleaser. He was a people-lover, and because of that, he did not change his message according to what others might think. Only people lovers are able to confront. Only people-lovers are not controlled by other people. Paul even indicated to the Galatians that if he were still trying to please men, he would not be a servant of God (Gal 1:10). That is how seriously he took the fear of man. (emphasis mine)

I have always wanted people to like me and have worried so much about what they thought of me that I would behave differently with different people to be accepted. It is very hard for me to confront anyone, or to tell someone something that might be difficult to hear. I'm not very bold about my faith in God, in person anyway. And this lack of boldness has become a heavy conviction.

This year, as I considered some personal goals for the year, I decided that it was time to face this one and also try something that I believe God has been impressing on my heart for a few years.

The church we attend is small in numbers, though large in faith and love for God. Over the past few years, our women have expressed the desire for a women's Bible study. I've been one of them. There's something freeing about having a discussion amongst other women. But we only have one woman who has been willing to commit to teaching on a regular basis (others have taught a lesson here and there but are not in the position in life to take on a bigger commitment). I also believed that I did not have the time to study and prepare, and frankly, I was/am terrified. I am comfortable speaking in public on most subjects, but I am well aware of the higher standard applied to those who teach the Bible.

I have been feeling a steadily-increasing pressure to try. I waste lots of time each day that, if I used it better, would allow me the time to study and prepare. And while I don't know if I really am gifted to teach women (because I've never done it before), I believe God wants me to try. I believe that if I can learn to fear Him and love others enough to teach boldly in my church, that will also help me fear Him and love others in the world.

So this week I began reading and preparing to teach the book "Attitudes of a Transformed Heart" by Martha Peace. It is a book about being "transformed by the renewing of your mind" and not being "conformed to this world" (Romans 12:2). It will help show you that transformed heart attitudes such as a high and proper view of God, humility, love, and gratitude are a grace-work of God in the life of Christians as they learn from the Scriptures a biblical view of God, man, and sin.

In some ways, this actually increases the pressure in my life. It certainly ramps up the accountability and the demands on my time! But I hope that it will also help me learn better personal discipline and more godly ways of thinking about and dealing with stress, both the good and the bad.

When a Child Dies

We learned Saturday that all but one member of a large family in our community were killed in some sort of violence within their home. The father is the only surviving member, at the moment, though he sustained significant injuries. The police aren't releasing much information at present, but they are saying that the father is being charged in the case.

The oldest child attended Elli's school. She was 8 years old and in the third grade. Her siblings were younger still.

It's a horrible tragedy and one that is very difficult to explain to children. But somehow I have to find a way to talk to Elli about this before she heads to school this morning. She can't ask me questions back, so I have to try to gauge by her reaction how she's doing. Elli didn't know the girl, I don't think, but we were told that every child who attends that school will be affected somehow.

Elli is particularly sensitive to people who are sad. She finds it extremely upsetting to see one of us crying. I'm very concerned about her this week, and struggled all weekend with whether I should even send her to school today. But we decided that she, just like every other child, has to face the reality of death. So I'm gearing up to tell her as simply as I can what happened and that her classmates and teachers may be sad at school this week.

And then I'll wait to see if I get a phone call saying she is inconsolable and needs to come home. Please keep Elli, the school staff, the school children, the extended family of those who died, and those investigating the killings in your prayers. And pray that somehow Scott and I can find a way to talk with Elli and address her specific questions, despite the challenges she faces with communication.

Ahhh... indoor garden sooths the wintry soul

We had two weeks break from the school routine this Christmas, and Scott was able to take ten days of that off as well. We really enjoyed sleeping in (the kids actually started playing when they got up before us, instead of waking us up!), eating meals together, and having pretty much zero schedule to follow.

One day, we went to a local conservatory -- the organic kind, not the musical kind. Stepping inside is always a welcome reprieve from winter. I forget how much I miss green until I walk in!

What surprises me most is how much the kids enjoy prowling through the various rooms. They actually ask if we can go to the garden quite frequently. Another perk -- it's free. They take donations but do not charge admission. We basked in the warm moist air, enjoyed the holiday display, looked for fish in the fish ponds, and listened to the music of the waterfall for almost two hours.

Big Boy and Little Girl loved the holiday trains.

I love watching Elli and Little Girl interact. They've got a bond
I'll never fully understand, but I am so delighted that it exists.

Hey look! It's a photo of both Scott and I!
A kind passerby volunteered to take our picture by the waterfall.
(Little Boy was exhausted and in no mood to smile, so I didn't even try.)

Post-Debate Reflections

I've completely changed my take on several of the Republican candidates after Saturday night's debate. I still don't totally love any one candidate, but this debate cleared up a few issues for me.

First, Ron Paul is off my list. Every time he got a chance to speak (which wasn't often), he ranted and railed. What he said wasn't horrible (except on the topic of anti-terrorism), but the way he said it was a real turn-off.

His take on Islamic Jihad (and Mike Huckabee's as well) appeared quite ill-informed, to me. What I took away was that he believed the only reason Islamic extremists had targeted the U.S. was because we have a presence in the Middle East and have attempted to force our religious and governmental systems on them. I agree with him that this is unwise and would/does create resentment.

However, I was surprised and impressed with Rudy Guiliani's and Mitt Romney's grasp of the teachings of Jihad. They very clearly communicated the reality of the situation -- regardless of our policies in the Middle East, the religious teachings of Islam, when not moderated to be palatable for Western minds, regard everyone and every system outside of Islam as a mortal enemy to be destroyed. No public figure is willing to voice this truth, but if you do your homework, you'll find it a violently intolerant belief system.

That was the only subject that Rudy and Mitt did well on, for me. (Although I have to confess that I wasn't able to watch the entire Republican debate -- it was bath night at our house, so I watched in between bathing/drying/lotioning/pajama-ing kids.)

John McCain was very impressive. I thought one moment particularly telling: he criticized drug companies for their massive campaign contributions and manipulation of policies in their favor (specifically reimbursement for Medicare/Medicaid), and Mitt Romney rushed to their defense. Gee. I wonder who took pharmaceutical company campaign contributions?

I also like McCain's approach to illegal immigration. He has taken a lot of flak for it, but his compassion for these people is good. He understands that this is a terribly complex situation and no blanket proclamation by a single politician is going to solve it. These are human beings trying to feed and clothe their families and make a better life, and it is wrong to treat them like scum. If we had a simpler, faster legal process of gaining access to this country, we wouldn't have such a big problem.

Another fantastic moment occurred during the Democratic debate. The moderator, Charlie Gibson, put all of the candidates on the spot and refused to back down on the Iraq war. He reminded them of their lack of support for the troop surge, pointed out that it appears to be working (a huge concession for someone in the media these days!), and questioned their positions now vs at the time of the vote. It was quite refreshing to hear Gibson admit that the situation is improving due to a Republican-supported change.

After digesting it all for a couple of days, I've decided that if I vote Republican, I'll vote for McCain.

I was able to watch most of the Democratic debate. I can see why Bill Richardson is fourth -- all he did was thump his podium and talk about executive experience is vague, general terms. Hillary had some good moments too, but I will never vote for her after all the controversy and ethical questions that swirled around her and Bill during their Arkansas and White House days. I liked Edwards and Obama, though I really couldn't tell that they differ significantly after this debate. I know they do -- just didn't hear it clearly Saturday night.

I guess what it comes down to, for me, is which approach I agree with more. I don't know yet! I think once we get past the primaries and the debates feature Democrat vs Republican ideas, it will be easier for me to compare and evaluate. For now, I have to decide whether to take a Democrat or Republican ballot in our primary -- and that will depend on which candidate most needs votes -- my favorite Democrat or Republican.

Government for Real People

The only subject on the news these days seems to be the Iowa caucuses... except possibly bad weather and Britney Spears (ugh - the miserable woman needs serious help, not a media circus). In this season of political campaigns, stump speeches, and uncertainty about who will lead the country, I've found myself reexamining the basic fundamentals as taught to children in Christian schools.

The basic presupposition here is that the best government is a small representative one. Religious conservatives believe that humans should be as independent as possible, and that government should use as little of their money as possible to provide a bare-bones set of services -- an army, limited law enforcement and judiciary (limited because the government makes few laws for people to break), the government itself, and infrastructure (like roads, bridges etc. People who advocate small government believe in individual autonomy and also that individuals will make better choices with their money, both for themselves and for others, than a government can.

Being an American, I can certainly understand the attraction of this way of thinking. This glorification of the individual is buried deep in our bone marrow. Like most character traits, this has its benefits and its drawbacks.

I am also a follower of Christ, an identity that is supposed to take priority over my national one. I am trying to figure out how I, as a Christian, can properly reflect God's glory in my participation in our political process. I don't believe that Christians are to think of themselves as autonomous. I understand the Bible to teach mutual interdependence instead -- we're one body made up of many parts that are each necessary and work together.

As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
-1 Corinthians 12:20-21

So, a government system that builds on a sense of community seems to me to be a Biblical one.

I also think a government should be based on a realistic understanding of people's nature. We are not inherently good. Even people who profess to follow Christ, are still in the process of being sanctified. We can see this played out in churches across the country in bitter disputes over everything from carpet to style of music to the authority and inerrancy of the Bible. (Yes, some arguments must take place, and some separations must occur -- over the truly foundational issues. But even those disagreements must be expressed in a godly and respectful manner.)

We also see the sinful nature of people in their giving. I learned last year that in churches, 20% of the members gave 80% of the church's funding per year. These are people who are supposed to be growing in godliness. Would it not seem logical to predict that giving will be the same if not even less common among those without the sanctifying work of God in their lives?

Yet, those who advocate for individual human responsibility and small government base their entire philosophy on the idea that people will step up, wisely select, and privately fund necessary programs if government were to shrink and stop claiming 35-50% of our income to fund programs that help the less fortunate, build infrastructure, educate our children, enforce laws, etc.

I don't know the answer, and neither does anyone else, I'm afraid. I certainly am frustrated with the state of affairs now. Corruption is rampant throughout our government system, but as long as sinful people run things, we will find corruption.

Programs are running out of money, yet the problems they try to solve seem to only increase. Is the solution to throw more money at these programs and problems by taking money from other things or by taking more money from the people by increasing taxes? I personally think it depends on the program -- many are completely misguided and do the opposite of what they were created to do (e.g. No Child Left Behind).

Is it actually possible to reel it all back in, shrink the government, and hand things like education, assisting the poor and the disabled, health care, and maintaining roads/bridges/tunnels back to private citizens? Would our nation's citizens actually use the money they used to pay in taxes to make this work, or would they spend it on themselves?

As I listen to the many candidates for President this month, I'm hearing many different proposed solutions. And I'm listening to everyone. I have not particularly enjoyed the Republicans I've heard, except for Ron Paul. Mitt Romney is too plastic (reminds me of John Kerry and Al Gore), Rudy Guiliani is too abrasive, Fred Thompson seems fake and untrustworthy, and Mike Huckabee is too religious and too much like George W.

I greatly enjoyed the Democratic debate I watched -- it was so novel to listen to the Democratic take on all this and Dennis Kucinich was entertaining. I don't agree with his politics, but he's a funny little oddball and I like him.

I know how odd this is. It's incredibly weird that I can be simultaneously attracted to Barak Obama and to Ron Paul, two people on opposite ends of the political spectrum. My guess is that each is attractive because he is entirely different from what we have now. I'm definitely one of those undecided, independent voters out there. I have voted for members of both parties in recent years, and seriously examined third-party candidates in the last presidential election. If I knew better how I felt about things, I'd be better able to make a choice.

One thing I do know: I hate the reality that our two-party system works very hard to keep it just that -- a two-party system. If we really are what we say we are, everyone should have a chance to debate their ideas on a national stage: republican, democrat, libertarian, green, communist, populist, socialist, anarchist. Then I could hear and compare the views of all of them and maybe do better at making up my own mind!

Spidey-hat

I knit this hat for Sam out of Cascade worsted-weight wool in dark blue and white, plus an Australian wool in a medium blue from my friend Brenda. It's a basic Ann Budd hat pattern into which I inserted stripes and spiders. I created the spider pattern and then knit half the spiders before I realized that the Spiderman spider has very angular legs. Oh well - Sam knew they were spiders and loves it... and that's what counts. I didn't get it done for Christmas morning, but I did finish it the night after Christmas and Sam didn't mind one bit.

I also finished two Christmas stockings for my youngest two kids. Then I went to Michael's at 7am the day after Christmas and picked up a realistic looking and feeling artificial tree for 80% off. Now if I can just finish the Christmas tree skirt I started a year ago (the top is pieced together but I ran out of fusible fleece and backing material), I'll actually be ready for next year!

'Perfect storm' of cliches make bad English list

An MSNBC.com article posted on Monday, December 31, reported the top 19 affronts to English as identified by the public relations department of Michigan's Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste. Marie.

A "surge" of overused words and phrases formed a "perfect storm" of "post-9/11" clichés in 2007, according to a U.S. university's annual list of words and phrases that deserve to be banned.

The original, 33rd annual List of Words Banished from the Queen's English for Misuse, Overuse and General Uselessness takes submissions via the university's website for people's vocabulary pet peeves of the year.

No, I didn't submit any. This year.