oops

by the way - liz's wonderful sons are jack (2 1/2 years) and will (1 year). they are going to teach ransom all about trucks and dinosaurs.

my new friends

i wanted to write about my new friends: liz and amy. actually amy is not a "new" friend. i met her when we were first moved and i was walking with the kids from our home to first pres for sarah circle (bible study). she also attends this group and she had her two girls in tow. they are olivia (3) and maya (nearly 3). the most amazing thing about amy is that she knows my friend bev hall who is better known as jama to our family. we go way back. jama is susan sjolund's mama. susan is my mom's best friend and wife of karl. karl was the admissions counselor at virginia episcopal school (my h.s.) and our first christian connection down in lynchburg back when my family lived in amherst. susan and karl's girls were our flower girls. they are twins and i babysat them when they were just babies (actually from preemies to elementary school) while i was in high school and college. susan grew up in portsmouth. jama leads scrapbooking meetings. amy goes to those meetings - yep six degrees of seperation for amy on aquidneck island. ps - amy is my resident expert for all things island. you need a nice florist, gourmet bakery, doctor, seafood market - amy is the woman to go to. & she reminds me of susan too! which is a huge compliment!

then there is liz. i met her through amy, of course. she and amy and i are all in the mom's club. which i really think is the greatest thing since sliced bread. hello - friends and activities so we aren't going to shrivel up and die in our homes with peanut butter mashed to our foreheads. yes mamas have social circles too. its great. so anyway. liz goes to our church too. and she has two little boys who are awesome and she is from the south - so of course she has incredible hospitality. and did i mentions that she is an incredibly strong woman. she is a single mom who is bravely stepping out into a new life and seeking wholeness in every sense of the word. i am so blessed to know her. she is genuine and supportive.

thursday nights we have decided to all go to a yoga class and then dinner afterwards. this week was our first week. we went to salvation cafe (which got its name for all of their decor originally from the salvation army). its awesome. asian fusion meets california cool. i had a sangria. very yummy. anyone who visits me is going to have to go to this place. we had a blast. the next time, liz is making thai curry for us. yummo!!

so this sat liz and i met for breakfast at my new favorite breakfast joint - the Atlantic Grill right by first beach. it rocks. then we went and go our nails and toes done. clearly we were pampering ourselves. its an investment.

without going into too much detail these two ladies are hilarious. we laugh a lot. they are real. their kids are pleasant to be around - but are oh so normal. they love jesus and being mamas. we are starting a books at the beach club together. i am going to play bunco with a group, which includes them too. this month it was at liz' home but g and i were out on a double date. jesus is meeting my needs. bringing me a healthy community to be around. we are all learning to give, extend and recieve grace as we navigate the waters of beings moms, childrearing and life.

Sunday afternoon stir crazy

today was sunday and after church we always take naps. but ransom wakes up before everyone else so by 4pm he was wanting to eat his dinner and i was up of course:) we went downstairs and after feeding him green beans and realizing that he wanted to do other things besides sit in his play pen while i de-cluttered my area (which has overtaken the wet bar) it was outside for mama and baby boy. its gray and a bit spitty outside but not too cold, rather mild. i wore flip flops but put on my barn coat just in case. my goal was to walk downtown and grab some fresh air and an iced coffee which is my newest beverage of choice. what i have come to realize is that i love the outdoors (i love moving and movement - these are things i am learning as going to the ymca becomes part of our life). so i was totally loving just the being part of walking outside. it felt good. the cool, moist air felt good. ransom was happy to hear the birds and take in all the surroundings. the chinese magnolias, pears and azaleas are blooming now. and eventhough we have had about 3 sunny days in the last few weeks (and maybe 2 of those were warm), just to see the gorgeous blossoms is enough for me. they are praising the lord and it is a glorious site. so this sunday we have rested. we have tried to quiet our hearts. can one do that with little ones? maybe i can quiet my heart tonight with the word.

a long post

hello all, i have been meaning to write several posts but they have been lost in my brain. several time during the day as things come up and i start a thought or an idea comes along, i think ooh i need to run upstairs and post this on my blog...well being a bit busier then i think i am it doesn't get done. i need to be better at this. maybe right things down on a pad of paper and then once a day lay it all out...but aren't blogs supposed to be streams of consciousness? i think that this is one way to write a blog. so for now i will just write about a few things that have been going on so that i can keep you posted.

let's see. rhys is down in md with my in-laws for a week or more. rebecca (graham's wonderful mama) came up to visit whitney (g's sister) at college and then took rhys down with her. we are supposed to be visiting a-town mother's day weekend so we may just see if we all can stand having her gone that long. i miss her a lot but it is very nice to just have two right now. although kyrie seems to be in a funk at least once during the day b/c she misses rhysie. i know that rhys is having a blast with mark and re. she'll come home with a beautiful new wardrobe and hand made doll clothes for her "akika mama and akika baby" (the african dolls that re brought the girls back from ethiopia). i know that this is a very special time for rhys and her grandparents, not to mention logan and laura (g's brother and his wife) who also live in a-town. she is my sweet girl and i love her kisses and her new words. now that she is two its a little more challenging but such a treasured time.

i am going to write more tonight but kyrie has informed me that the homemade whole wheat pizzas are ready downstairs.

i love being a mama!!

ciao

Hmm why aren't we reading your stuff?

I was on the NY Times Bestseller's List today, looking for a book to suggest for our new book club, when I came across a very interesting commentary. You see, there is this new book out by Leslie Bennetts called The Feminine Mistake, "which argues that mothers who stay at home with their children are financially, emotionally and medically at risk." Although having made her rounds on the Today Show, Glamour, Parade and People magazine, along with her piece on www.HuffingtonPost.com, Ms. Bennetts (who is married and has two teenagers) doesn't seem to be making any money of the sale of her book. Mommies are giving her plenty of "blogshere buzz" but they are just not interested in shelling out $24.95 to hear why they have "failed" their sex. Gee I wonder why? Must be really busy cleaning up honey and peanut butter cheeked children!

Former actress and now stay at home mother, Monique Moen, from Los Angeles, was so outraged that after reading the article in the HuffingtonPost.com, she wrote a 12oo word blog response.

(April 25, 2007, NYT article "Mommy Books: More Buzz then Buyers" by Motoko Rich)
“There is a lot of discussion out there about this issue and that’s why we’re having these books,” said Nancy Sheppard, vice president of marketing at Viking, which last year published “Get to Work: A Manifesto for Women of the World” by Linda R. Hirshman. “But it’s mostly just a discussion.” Ms. Hirshman, who also argued that women should work outside the home to fulfill their human capacities and avoid economic dependency, appeared on “Good Morning America” and “The Colbert Report” after the book’s release in June, and the blogosphere went wild. But her book sold only 4,000 copies, according to Nielsen BookScan, which accounts for about 70 percent of sales in stores and online.

I read Ms. Hirshman's op ed piece in today's NY Times. I was flat out offended. Here is the link. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/25/opinion/25hirshman.html?em&ex=1177732800&en=4d6bc3b74b646823&ei=5087%0A.

She writes, "Should we care if women leave the work force? Yes, because participation in public life allows women to use their talents and to powerfully affect society."

What and we aren't doing that at home? Affecting society? Raising the next generation of leaders who are productive, creative, just, merciful and responsible citizens is not 'affecting society'? Don't even get me started lady.

I know why these books aren't selling: its insulting to our intelligence to read the fluff. Enough said. This mama is over and out.

?

has anyone seen our camera? yes its missing or rather buried somewhere in our home - most likely its in our room somewhere. we have piles of clothes that have been folded, then messed up, then folded again and need to be put away. actually what we really need is for the spring and summer days to come NOW so that i can put all the big, fat winter clothes down in the basement and make room for the thinner warm weather clothes. i think that the winter clothes have decided to invade our living area. it looks like a college dorm room in here - disaster area. to be avoided. i think it will have to wait another day b/c everyone is asleep in the house except kyrie and me. nighty night.

discipline

i have been thinking a lot about raising children and in particular the "training up" and leading a child in obedience, better known as discipline. so i went on the hunt for some of "those" verses from proverbs that seem to be quoted in every christian parenting handbook. here are a few that are food for thought and i might add should be taken very seriously, as the Bible is our life-handbook. (these are all taken from the NIV)

Proverbs 13:24 He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Proverbs 22:15 Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14 Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Proverbs 29:15 The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Proverbs 20:11 Even a child is known by his actions, by whether his conduct is pure and right.

Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 3:12 My son, do not despise the LORD's discipline and do not resent his rebuke, because the LORD disciplines those he loves, as a father the son he delights in.

Proverbs 19:18 Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

Proverbs 29:17 Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

Hebrews 12:4-11 In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood. And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord's discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you, because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son." Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

oh Lord that i would seek your wisdom to know how to best bring these beautiful children up in right, Kingdom living. teach me and instruct me to mold their character and guide them into becoming responsible, kind-hearted, merciful and faithful followers of you. you are teaching me so many things about what it means to parent and the view from the other side - your view. thank you for these lessons. let me know justice and mercy. help me to shape the wills of my children, rather then break or crush their wills. show me how to protect their spirits.

outside ....

hello all! the kids and i bundled up (but i didn't put on a warm enough coat!) and headed outside after naps this afternoon. it was so gorgeously (is that a word?) sunny and blue skied today that i felt compelled to do it. so we braved the cold (at certain times the sun felt so good on our bodies but mostly we were just kidding ourselves that its spring weather out there.) we went to a new park a little farther away then our neighborhood park. newport was just brimming with possibility. the girls enjoyed playing and kyrie met a little boy who was her age. he asked her for her name and she answered using all three of her names. then he said oh that is a pretty name! his dad and i laughed. so funny what kids say. kyrie is really in to make believe. she says that she has a boyfriend named ellie and a husband named prince eric. she also has 12 children and a baby girl named aki. some of her girls include christina, lindsey and tiffany (her babysitters - tiffany is my brother's fiancee!!) then tonight when i was putting her to sleep she said that she was going to tell me a story. she started off 'once upon a time in a land far away there were two fairies named pixie and dumbo...' hilarious. the girls were very good today. i have a soar throat and was pretty beat from the full weekend we had so they were understanding when i wanted to rest in the morning. we had a picnic in rhys' room for lunch and watched incredibles. now all three are asleep and it is a lovely peaceful mood in the home. i have to finish up my bible study for tomorrow and then hit the hay. good night everyone...

The Wise Woman Builds Her House

The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish tears it down with her own hands. Prov. 14:1

I have been working through a Bible study with Sarah Circle on Cynthia Heald's Loving your Husband. So for the past few days some thoughts have been swirling around in my brain. Heald says that the Proverbs 31 women's primary minstry was to build her home in wisdom. She says "to do this takes personal discipline, perseverence, and acceptance of 'the option of living selflessly'. But it is in giving that we are blessed, and it is in being the woman God created us to be that we are fulfilled."

So how does one build her house in wisdom? Its challenging to wrap my mind around this concept in practical and concrete ways. I know the first thing is to be filling my mind and heart with Truth - I know that Truth is Christ, and we learn about Christ through his Word. So how do I engage in real times with the Lord each day. I need the Living Water so desperatly. But I find my consistency sucks. I pull the Word out and then someone needs me to change their diaper and before I know it its the end of the day and I never got to read.


Luke 6:46-49 ... hear Jesus' words and put them into practice
Luke 14:25-30 ... must forsake even one's own family, denying oneself and picking up his cross - considering the cost before laying the foundation
II Cor. 5:14-15 ... no longer live for self but live for the one who died for me and who was raised again
II Tim. 2:15 ... present self to Go as one approved a workman prepared, who can rightly divide the word of truth

Kingdom focused rather then self-focused.

Proverbs 24:3-4 By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures.

It is one thing to be chained to the dishpan, and another to feel that we have an important part in making a house a home - Marguerite Harmon Bro

good friday

tonight graham and i watched The Passion. i was dreading it b/c its so close to home. my sin is exposed to the Light. we almost didnt' watch it but then we both agreed that we were like the disciples in the garden of gethsemene who kept nodding off while Jesus was sweating great drops of blood and giving up his will to the Father. i encourage youll to watch this film on good friday. several things occured to me afterwards:
1. it was real - this actually happened - he went through all of that FOR REAL
2. he loved his tormentors and accusers just as much as his friends and followers. he prayed for them. he asked his own father to forgive them.
3. as a mother with a new son i felt the pain of mary's anguish, as she watched her beloved son suffer brutalization.
the challenge is can i make what he did worth it? can i live my life doing all that he puts in front of me to do - do the stuff?

...good friday 2003 my brother jesse was admitted to UVA hospital. they didn't know why he felt so ill or what was causing his fever and bone pain. that good friday started it all. now he is with the King. no more pain. it is finished. thanks be to God who crushed the head of the serpent and has victory over sin, death and the grave.