Monday, October 31, 2005

not much time

Been a crazy day already (it's only 10:00 am) and I don't see an end in sight. Then, when do I not have a crazy day eh? I say that like y'all would know something about me seeing how much I update this thing. ah well, sorry!

In my rush of a day I thought I'd share this little story for you today. It made me smile. Email is good.

This may come as a surprise to those of you not living in Las Vegas, but there are more churches than there are casinos. It's no surprise, though, that many worshippers at weekend services donate casino chips instead of cash when the basket is passed.

Since they get chips from so many different casinos, the churches have joined together in a method to cash-in the offerings. The churches send all their collected chips to a nearby Franciscan Monastery. For a small fee, the chips are sorted, returned to the casinos of origin, and proceeds forwarded to the respective churches.

This is all done by the chip monks.

Didn't see that coming, did you?

Thursday, October 20, 2005

chew on this...super deep

So I decided to sponsor a canidate through the conversion process at our Church (Catholic Church, not some crazy cult like church, not that Catholics aren't crazy!) We meet every Monday to be taught be the Sister for an hour then break into groups and go over the readings for the next week and discuss them at length. Even though I call it my "brainwashing class, I think it's very cool.

In last week's class a couple things really hit home to me, and I decided to share. While Sister was explaining how Christ died for allour sins and that his love is poured on everyone she went deeper into loving your neighbor. The Church believes you must not only love God, and your neighbor, but stangers and even your enemies, for that is what Christ did.

yea, that's easier said than done. But we try right?

She went on to say that if you (and I will not say this like she did, I'll likely butcher it, but trust me it sounded cool coming out of her mouth) if you choose not to love all that you can't truly say that you love God. That you have earned the right to say that.

wow. ouch.

Then, in our groups the leader said something that really hit it home. He quoted the Father of our parish, saying, "Your relationship with God is only as strong as your relationship with your worst enemy"

again, ow!

But, after thinking about this a bit I'd say it's true. Especially since
I tend to be my worst enemy. Something I need to work on, loving myself. How does it go? You can't give away something you don't have? So, if I don't love myself how can I love others, even my God.

Told ya it was deep.

Sunday, October 16, 2005

glasses

sometimes i wish I wore glasses. The cool funky looking ones that seem to be so damn cute on my friends. I wanna wear them (damn this 20/20 vision) so I an look 'cool'. I sometimes think that if I actually wore these cute, hip, funky glasses that I'll be cool. But then I realize - slash - admit to myself - that it's the person who is cool.

not the glasses.

Tuesday, October 11, 2005

ooooooooooh! the pressure

It's halloween costume picking time and I'm about ready to lose my mind. I love halloween. Love it! But the need to outdo myself every year is just torture.

Noah's always been pretty easy. When he was little little he was "Noah" (duh!) and then a duck, then Hopper-the big grasshopper from The Bug's Life, Then Hopper again (it was a really cool costume and what the hell, he was 4 and we'd just changed schools so no one saw it HAHA) then Spiderman, then Batman. He's now old enough to have a real say it what he is and the pressure is off that *I* have chosen his costume. So it's either a football player or skeleton. That's what he wants and I'm cool with that.

Boy stuff. Easy peasy.

Sarah....ahh....my little girl. FINALLY! girl costumes. She was a Pea in a pod. and DAYUM was she cute. Then last year her costume ROCKED! She was a Hula Dancer. She had the coconut top and grass skirt. It was too die for. Everyone loved it. It was a proud costume picking moment.

So now I've got TWO girls to dress. ugh. the pressure. I found a simply adorable Princess Leia costume for Kate. But it's like 60 bucks. I'm sure I'll end up spending that much for a 6 month old's costume she'll hate being in. But I'm not ready to fork out that much money just so I can have people oogle at her and her insane cuteness. yet.

How do I top last year? Hula girl? Please...it's not top-able. Trust me. She was WAY cute.

I suppose could put her in the leia costume and then use it again next year for Kate. But I know me. I know I'll lose the stupid thing, or forget where I put it, or decide next year that I don't wanna copy costumes and I'll end up buying some other overpriced costume all to feed my ego that I have the best dressed little trick or treaters ever!

What's funny is I'm SO not this person who really cares what people think about my kids....or so I thought.

Monday, October 10, 2005

an open letter to the baby wearing mothers group who meet for lunch at the pizza place on fridays

I'm all for women's groups. I really am. I would even consider myself an integral part of one. Like your group, we get together to eat and chat and laugh and trade stuff. It's a good time.

There are some differences, however.

Starting with our kids. Yeah...we leave our kids at home. In our group, like yours, we have many kids. I do believe that we have children older than 4. I was impressed when I saw, between the 7 of you, something like 27 kids none of them over the age of 4. Impressive numbers. OH Wait! I take that back. There was one girl I guessed to be about 9. She looked bored to tears. I mean being at a children's pizza place with your mom, her friends and 47 little...darlings by yourself must be torture. But Maybe she was in trouble, who knows? Did she rob a bank or something?

But I digress.

On the occasion that the children join us I must say we tend to know where they are and what they are doing. A concept seemingly lost on all 7 of you. You see, while you 'wear' you infants in your lovingly handmade slings (and boy do they look comfy *eyeroll*) your remaining 72 children are running around like kids on crack. Is this the only time they get out? Do they realize they are in public? Do they know that the 3 seater horsy ride already has (paying) children riding it and that 8 more kids can't 'hitch a ride' without someone falling off or getting mawled?

Or course they don't. They're kids.

That's your job. Your responsibility. Believe it or not, the high schooler working the toy shop isn't going to properly correct your children on the ins and outs of sharing the horsy toy. Or waiting their turn for the baskball hoop. And I don't particulary like watching 2 year olds (who's parents are watching) get pushed off a ride because you are too busy coordinating your used clothing swap.

Did you even know they were running around crazed, hopped up on cinnamin crunch dessert pizza, without a thought of anyone else around them? Or do you believe that because you 'wear' your children until they are nearly two that they will require little (or no) supervision once you detached them from your hip?

And finally, let's talk about the nursing. Now don't get me wrong, I'm all for nursing. I nursed all 3 of my kids. I know 'breast is best' and all. blah blah blah. Get that. But honestly, do you think the rest of the restaurant wants to see your exposed breast flop around whilst your little darling decides she's more interested in watching the 147 cracked out wild banchee children than staying latched?

To be fair, I'll admit I can't speak for the team of construction workers having lunch, or the group of teenagers hanging out while on fall break, or even the band of employees cleaning tables after the lunch rush. Who knows, I think those teenage boys might have enjoyed the peep show. I, however, prefer not to see a stanger's breast while having pizza with my 1st grader.

But then I sat there feeding my baby a bottle while she lay quietly in her carseat, so what do I know of parenting!