Out of Focus

When I was in high school, I had a wonderful yearbook advisor. I was one of the editors my senior year, and I spent a lot of time in her classroom. She gave me significant responsibility and treated me like an adult rather than a student. At one point, however, she noticed that things seemed out of balance in my life. (I have a tendency to get, you know, Miss Busy Body. I'm sure that's a surprise to you.) She called me in her office and asked me to take a look at one of the cameras the photographers were using. She said, "Just look through this lens and tell me what you see. I think there's something wrong with this camera." I thought she was nuts to ask me, but I did what she asked (rolling my eyes all the way, I'm sure.) I looked through the camera and saw a blur. I said, "There's nothing wrong with this camera, it's just out of focus." As I gave her the camera back, her eyes said it all. I had been fighting to keep everything in balance, and when it didn't work I assumed something was wrong with me. Yep, like the whole world will stop revolving if I don't get to the 4:00 meeting on time. She taught me that I just needed to re-focus on my priorities. This issue has been a struggle for me for a long time.

So, as I sit here in the wee hours of the morning (having been awakened once again by a 7-month old who is still not sleeping through the night-God's way of reminding me, AGAIN, that I do not have it all together) I realize - through the Lord's leading, I'm sure...that I need to re-focus.

It is at this point that my fellow soldiers in the trenches would resort to a prescription drug to help them get back into alignment. That sounds very nice to me right now. Very nice indeed. But I am going to attempt to make the harder choice and actually plow through the muck. I need to make some difficult sacrifices in order to make room for the necessary things. Good is sometimes the enemy of Best. I cannot do this on my own, as God is reminding me constantly. But, I know there are some things that need to take a back seat. Blogging is one of them.

Blogging is my outlet. Well, one of them. But, it has become a crutch. I use it for "me" time in the mornings, but it can easily turn into an all-day adventure moving from one blog to another until I feel I've had my fill. Meanwhile, there is laundry and errands and a 3 year-old in desperate need of a spanking, uh-hem, I mean, attention.

In an effort to put first things first I am taking a bloggy break to spend time focusing on my God, my family, my body, my children and my home. It may come as a surprise to you, but I cannot do it all (as I've said before, especially not all at the same time.) Baby number 5 has officially catapulted this family into more than I can handle, and I need to look through that camera again and re-focus. Here's a peek at my to-do list which haunts me everynight...

Read Beth Moore study for next week
Re-paint John's room
Move Peter into John's room
Move baby Rachel into Ruth's room
Train Gideon to come when he's called (before I lose him)
Read Andrew Peterson's new book and blog about it
Add BooMama and Half Pint House to sidebar
Exercise
Plan weekend getaway with hubby (which is coming up in 2 weeks!)
Call baseball parents to see who'll volunteer to be team mom
Train Rachel to sleep through the night (all my tried and true tricks haven't worked)
Organize scrapbook stuff
Vacuum the house
Find a pre-school for Gideon for this fall
Clean trash out of backyard to make spring a little more enjoyable!
Take a nap

Ok, you get the idea. I need a maid.

I'll be back after the dust has settled.

Choosing Children

UPDATE: There is a good discussion going on at Mommy Life about this question. Barbara posted it for me - I asked for her input - and others have weighed in on the topic.

A friend recently told me that she and her husband are thinking about not having children. She asked for my input and below is my response to her. (This is what you'd call ranting and raving, hence the name of this blog.) If you are a couple who has chosen not to have children I am sure you have very good reasons for your decision. But, I have yet to come across Believers who can in good conscience choose not to bring life into the world.

I'm assuming my position is obvious. Are you thinking of adopting or just no kids at all? Is this something you believe God has told you or is this your plan? I firmly believe that God created the institution of marriage for the express purposes of 1) helping our spouse fulfill the plan God has for him/her 2) to raise up an army of little God-followers. (Like arrows in his quiver....) Choosing to not have children once you are married is like choosing to travel to a tropical island, but opting to stay inside the airport the whole time. What's the point? Don't get me started. Oh, wait - you already did. The main reasons I hear couples choose to not have children is because of a) money, b) the desire to keep things the way they are/fear of the unknown, c) careers are first priority, d) ministry opportunities aren't family friendly, e) fear of failure

.

She responded..."Our main worry is that we are too selfish to be good parents, and that our ministry isn't well suited for children."

I agree that ministry requires a lot of time and effort. You have to decide if this is what God is calling you to do for this season, or for your lifetime. I tend to believe we live our life in seasons. Rarely are we doing the same thing 20 years from now - if so maybe we aren't growing the way God wants. If you choose ministry over children and go so far as to prevent pregnancy what does that say about the level of trust you have in God. Can't He give us the provision to do both? If God wants you to be so commited to this ministry that you shouldn't become parents then maybe He'll prevent pregnancy?

Also - the selfishness factor. We are ALL too selfish to become good parents. That's the work of grace in our lives. Being a parent is the closest resemblance to the love God has for us in that He gave us His only Son. (I would venture to say that adoption is an even clearer picture of what God does for us.) When you become a mother something spiritual happens. You are totally given over to another human. You care about them more than yourself. You think about their needs more than your own. It is agape love at it's best human definition. I fail daily. My selfishness creeps in daily. It is hard - it is very, very hard; but there is no greater joy... and that is an understatement.

When I read the Bible, there are dozens of scriptures which assume that women have children. I have never read Paul say, "If you decide to become a mother." It is an assumed role in that is how God created women.

I know there are thousands of Believers who desire children but are experiencing infertility. I pray for those families and hope that God chooses to expand their family either through pregnancy or adoption. It is not these families that I am addressing, but rather those who have chosen NOT to expand their family beyond the husband and wife relationship.

What's your feeling on this?

What's Your Gift?

If you have been in church for any amount of time, chances are you have been asked about your spiritual gift. Go here to see what gifts God has given you to use to bless others. As for me? No surprise. I scored high on the Administration/Hospitality questions and embarrasingly low on the Mercy/Intercession questions. What does that mean? I like to be in charge and need to pray for compassion! What's your gift?

The Recipe For Kristin

3 parts Genius 2 parts Poise 1 part Charm Splash of Attractiveness Sip slowly on the beach

What's the Recipe for Your Personality?

Ok, well that made me smile. I'm not sure I like the fact that there's only a splash of attractiveness, but hey... THREE parts genius aint so bad ;)

Pet Lovers

We are not a pet family. We try, but it just doesn't work out. My husband and I both had pets (sort of) growing up, but neither of us are pet people as adults and I'm afraid, our children have inherited this trait. How can I tell, you ask? Well, I just took a glimpse of the fish tank and to what did my wandering eye appear? Floating among the 4 (out of 10) fish we have left are a sippy cup, a bungee cord, a Lego guy and a stray piece of paper. I wish I were, but really I'm not even joking. I would post a picture but I'm afraid I would be reported to the Animal Welfare Office.

Mean Moms

We're back after spending the holiday out of town. My step-sister sent this to me and it was just what I needed after a tough 4 days where my kids did not behave as well as I wanted them to for their relatives.

Mean Moms

Someday when my children are old enough to
Understand the logic that motivates a parent,
I will tell them, as my Mean Mom told me:
I loved you enough to ask where you were going,
With whom, and what time you would be home.

I loved you enough to be silent and let you
Discover that your new best friend was a creep.

I loved you enough to stand over you for
Two hours while you cleaned your room,
A job that should have taken 15 minutes.
I loved you enough to let you see anger,
Disappointment, and tears in my eyes. Children
Must learn that their parents aren't perfect.

I loved you enough to let you assume the
Responsibility for your actions even when the
Penalties were so harsh they almost broke my heart.

But most of all, I loved you enough to say
NO when I knew you would hate me for it.

Those were the most difficult battles of all.
I'm glad I won them, because in the end you won, too.
And someday when your children are old enough to
Understand the logic that motivates parents, you will tell them.
Was your Mom mean?
I know mine was.
We had the meanest mother in the whole world!
While other kids ate candy for breakfast,
We had to have cereal, eggs, and toast.


When others had a Pepsi and a Twinkie for lunch,
We had to eat sandwiches.


And you can guess our mother fixed us a dinner that was
Different from what other kids had, too.

Mother insisted on knowing where we were at all times.
You'd think we were convicts in a prison.


She had to know who our friends were
And what we were doing with them.
She insisted that if we said we
Would be gone for an hour, we would be gone for an hour or less.

We were ashamed to admit it,
But she had the nerve to break
The Child Labor Laws by making us work.


We had to wash the dishes, make the beds,
Learn to cook, vacuum the floor, do laundry,
Empty the trash and all sorts of cruel jobs.
I think she would lie awake at night
Thinking of more things for us to do.

She always insisted on us telling the truth,
The whole truth, and nothing but the truth.


By the time we were teenagers,
She could read our minds
And had eyes in the back of her head.
Then, life was really tough!

Mother wouldn't let our friends just honk
The horn when they drove up
They had to come up to the door
So she could meet them.


While everyone else could date
When they were 12 or 13,
We had to wait until we were 16.

Because of our mother we missed out
On lots of things other kids experienced.

None of us have ever
Been caught shoplifting, vandalizing other's
Property or ever arrested for any crime.
It was all her fault.

Now that we have left home, we are all educated, honest adults.
We are doing our best to be mean parents just like Mom was.

I think that is what's wrong with the world today.
It just doesn't have enough mean moms!

Going Postal

I had a babysitter come over today so I could run some holiday-ish errands without dragging all the kids in and out of 300 stores.

One of those errands was a stop at the Post Office. This job had been on my to-do list for about 3 weeks. I kept adding it to my new to-do list because you know how much fun the Post Office is, especially this time of the year.

I couldn't put it off any longer - today was the day. So, I schlepped myself in the door carrying a box, a baby and my debit card. The fewer pieces of luggage (I mean, diaper bags) I carry in public the better. Because the Post Office is oh so family-friendly anyway.

So, as I was waiting in line with the other 9 people in front of me (yes, I counted them) I tried my best to keep a good attitude. "I am thankful to live in a country where we have a Post Office." I kept repeating to myself.

I will admit - we had a good flow going. The people in line were doing their best to move it right along. I'm sure they had a million other things to do that day too. The two (count em, TWO) Postal Workers were doing a wonderful job of maintaining the holiday spirit by working quickly. Gone are the days of seasonal chit chat...get in, get out and keep your mouth shut.

Then, it happened. We had a stall in the progress. Was it from a computer failure? No. Was it from a doddling customer? No. The line came to a halt when the Postal Workers had to take a quick break to .... get their mail.

Huh?

Did you know that the Postman delivers mail to the Post Office?

Me neither.

Let me get this straight....the mail comes into the Post Office, you let it leave with a Postman/Delivery Person so that it can be delivered right back to you. That's a well-oiled machine we are talking about right there.

What's even more odd is that I looked around and no one else else seemed to think this was odd. Am I that sheltered from the outside world?

I got my stamps, shipped my package and hit the door jack. Insanity is knocking at my door. I can hear it.

What's In A Name?

My husband and I watched the movie, Elizabethtown last night. It wasn't that great. One part of the story which I thought was interesting though was the lead character's description of what a person's name means to her. For example, she said, "I've never had a good experience with an Ellen."

Today, I read this article from the Christian Science Monitor. According to the article, you can go here and pay someone to tell you what they think your child's name should be. It amazes me that people put so much stock in what other people think about their baby's name.

As I wrote earlier, we decided to use Biblical names for our children. It didn't start out that way, but after 2 or 3 have Bible names you can't really digress. I mean, would it make any sense to have a Matthew, Mark, Luke and Jasmine?

I love names. Even when I am not expecting a baby, and long before I was married, I would think about names and write all the different variations when I should have been paying attention during church.

How did you come up with your child's name? As I said, ours is a mix of Bible names and family names and names we just, plain like. And I didn't pay anyone to tell me that.

Never Say Never

I don't know about you, but as I get older I'm learning that all those things I said I'd never do....I've done.

I said I'd never let my child have a pacifier past age 1.

I said I'd never let my child eat junk food.

I said I'd never take unruly children to the grocery store.

I said I'd never homeschool.

I said I'd never sit across from my husband at a restaurant with nothing to say.

I said I'd never drive a minivan.

I said I'd never live in a big city.

I said I'd never have more than 3 kids.

[Please make it stop!] There's only about 2 things left on my coveted list that I'm still hanging onto. I dunno when I'll learn, but here they go....

I'll never put my children in daycare.

I'll never color my hair.

Let the countdown begin.

Interview With Me

Here are 5 questions from Stephanie at Adventures In Babywearing:

1. What is your favorite childhood vacation memory?
My favorite vacation was when I was about 11 years old. Our family traveled all over my home state of Kentucky visiting all the places I'd heard about but never seen. We didn't plan much of the vacation, we just drove all over the state. We visited My Old Kentucky Home, Bardstown (liquor!) and Lincoln's birthplace. To this day, I still remember most of those landmarks.

2. What was one of the first blogs you ever read?
The first blog I read was Corrie's Pineapple Pundit. That lead me to Spunky and Mommy Life and then it spiraled out of control!

3. If you were to run into a gas station and quickly had to pick one candy to eat, what would you grab?
Snickers, of course.

4. Of all the places you've lived, which is your favorite? If you could move anywhere to stay for good, where would that be?
I have lived in 7 states, my husband has lived in 10. I can't say I have a favorite. There are things I love about each place: Texas' tourism, Kentucky's beauty, Ohio's attitude, Wisconsin's family-friendliness, Illinois' diversity, Indiana's friends, Missouri's all-in-oneness.

Stay somewhere for good? The thought has never occured to me. I don't think I'll ever land. Thirty years from now I envision myself living in an RV traveling the country to visit all my redheaded grandchildren.
5. What is your "go to" meal that you make most often?
Breakfast for supper or spaghetti and meatballs. I'm a simple girl.

Now it's your turn. If you want to be interviewed, leave me a comment including the words "Interview me." I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions. If you don't have a valid email address on your blog, please provide one. You will update your blog with a post containing your answers to the questions. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

Mixed Messages

You've probably seen or read about the Maine school where 11 year-olds are receiving birth control pills. It's been all over the news. So have stories about teenagers serving jail time for having consenual sex with another teen. Anyone else confused? It's their argument (not mine)....If we give them birth control they'll use it! Ok, but why are we sending them to jail for using it? Sounds like blackmail to me. Sometimes I wish I'd finished law school.

Thanks to my friend, Jessie, for bringing this to my attention.

UPDATE: School refuses to reconsider even after threat of lawsuit. Read here.

UPDATE AGAIN: Here's an article that clearly makes my point.

The Funniest Picture EVAH!

This is what I call a PARTY! Sure wish America's Funniest Home Videos had a photo contest! Sorry, Amy - I just had to post this.

Throwing Out Birth Control (and my self-centeredness along with it)

Barbara Curtis has written a wonderful article at CrossWalk that sums up why so many Christian families have chucked popular norm and are letting God plan their family size. She says,

"As our family continued to grow, I continued to hear the same belittling banter about kids I’d heard for years – only now it was on my church steps:

“I don’t know how you do it! My two are enough to drive me crazy!”
“I’ve finally got all the kids in school. I can’t imagine having to deal with another baby!”
“I wanted more but my husband put his foot down.”
“How can you afford it?”

My heart would ache for any children in earshot. My heart would ache for the missed opportunities. And finally, my heart would ache for the misunderstanding of how it all must sound to God – who certainly never got the memo that children were a burden."

I wrote about our journey to wanting more babies here.

Someday I'll Stop Trying To Figure It All Out

"We see that it is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question, but to make us progressively aware of a mystery. God is not so much the object of our knowledge as the cause of our wonder."

Kallistos Ware

Children: Are They Our Converts or Our Cash Cows?

What is the goal of parenting? Why does God bless us with children? After the honeymoon wears off and we dive into the frightening realm of becoming mothers and fathers - we each have different expectations from parenthood. For many of us, we desire to experience unconditional love. For others, we live vicariously through our children so we can experience all the things we never got to do as kids ourselves. Still others have a family because that's another hurdle to cross in order to achieve the American dream.

What does God say about raising children?

Since our 2 oldest children are in "real" school now, I am realizing how little time I have with them. I am missing all sorts of teachable moments while they are at school. Their respect has switched from me to their teacher. My biggest kids are learning all sorts of wonderful things in spelling, arthimetic and science. But, at the end of the day have I accomplished the goal that the Lord set out for me as a mother?

The Bible says in Deuteronomy 4:9, "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them." Then in 6:6-8 the Lord says, "These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead." Again in 11:18-19, "Fix these words of mine in your hearts and minds; tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Teach them to your children, talking about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up."

Then in Psalms, the Bible tells us that our children are like arrows. "Don't you see that children are God's best gift? the fruit of the womb his generous legacy? Like a warrior's fistful of arrows are the children of a vigorous youth. Oh, how blessed are you parents, with your quivers full of children! Your enemies don't stand a chance against you; you'll sweep them right off your doorstep."
From this I understand that my job is to teach my children the Word of the Lord. I also read that children are a blessing to me. As they grow up they will be like arrows to the enemy (if they are trained correctly.)

So, if my job is to train up children who are knowledgable about Scripture who can stand firm in their faith - why are we spending all this time memorizing the multiplication tables?

I know math is important. I know the ultimate goal of education is to give my child a chance to succeed in college and work successfully in his career of choice. But, is that God's plan for our children? Yes, the Bible says we are to work for our food but nowhere do I read that our work/career/vocation is to be the ultimate goal of life.

That's what parenting has become. We are guides who help steer our children to the best possible income. But God tells us to teach them His word when we lie down and when we wake up. (That sounds like a 24/7 job to me.) How can we do that when we are preparing them for spelling tests, science quizzes and field trips to the symphony?

Some would say that we cannot tell our children what to believe. They say we should expose them to a wide array of experiences so they can choose for themselves what they believe. But, the Bible says in Joshua 24:15, "If you decide that it's a bad thing to worship God, then choose a god you'd rather serve—and do it today. Choose one of the gods your ancestors worshiped from the country beyond The River, or one of the gods of the Amorites, on whose land you're now living. As for me and my family, we'll worship God."

The children God has given us are our responsibility to train up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. The Lord our God blesses us with offspring and he commands us to teach them His law. This is not an option. So why do we turn our children over to non-Believers at age 5 for about 8 hours a day? Why have we shifted our parenting goals from that of training Christian soldiers to training miniature athletes?

Do you have parenting goals or are you moving about daily to the beat of your calendar's drum?

Sleep! Glorious Sleep!

Woo Hoo! Our newborn is sleeping through the night. Not every night, but most nights. Wow, does that make a difference in my days. Last week I elbowed by husband at 5am and whispered with glee, "Hey! Wake up! Can you believe it? She slept 8 1/2 hours!!" He responded by saying, "Hey! I know how to sleep through the night too, watch me." Some things only a mother can appreciate.

In the blogosphere it's easy to find differing opinions about Gary Ezzo's book Baby Wise. I read this in the late 90s with the birth of our first child. Like many other parents, the book gave me such relief in learning that I could manage this child rather than having to put my entire life on hold. (After 5 children I have learned there is no greater than joy than putting my life on hold for a child, but that's another topic.)

Baby Wise gave us the tools to learn how to help our children get a full feeding, and how to help them fall asleep on their own. The book and it's author are not perfect. Before I discuss the book with anyone, I always preface it by saying that this method can easily be taken to extremes. Baby Wise has to be used with much caution. However, it has worked for us.

The best advice I can give to a mother of a newborn is to help her baby (at about 4 weeks of age) have some awake-time after her feeding, then let her fall asleep. For me, that's Baby Wise in a nutshell.

Every child is different, thank God He created them that way. My children began sleeping through the night anywhere from 6 weeks to 4 months old. My methods were the same with each one. Sure, I was a little less rigid with each baby but overall I did the same thing with each child. Each one did sleep through the night, but at different ages.

Right now I am enjoying our little Rachel. She is a beautiful baby girl and such a joy to us all. I am thankful for the full nights of sleep, and even more thankful that she is healthy and therefore able to rest peacefully.

Americans Despise Children

Ok...calm down. Not all Americans. In our country we are vigilant about protecting children from abuse or excessive labor. But when it comes down to it, the majority of Americans do not believe children are worthy of our time and effort. Let me explain.

When I was in my teens and twenties I remember being very frustrated with parents who would bring their children to public places where they were disruptive. What was I really frustrated with? "How dare that child disrupt my opportunity to enjoy this event." If I could have put into words what my selfish nature was really feeling I would have said, "I am more important than you and your children."

I am learning that when most people have a negative attitude toward children it almost always comes down to selfishness. How else do we despise children? We make plans for someone else to take care of them as soon as we are able to return to work because we don't have time for it. (As if giving our attention to a stressed boss is more validating than teaching a child to use manners.) We pass laws that make federal funding available for pre-schools so we only have to pay for daycare for 3 years instead of 5. We look down on adults who bring their children to a restaurant. It never occurs to us that maybe, just maybe, this child is capable of behaving himself. We criticize parents who have more than 2 children as being irresponsible and not being able to control themselves. (Could it be that these people actually WANT another child to raise?) We shoove kids in age appropriate classes at church as early as 6 weeks old. If the mother chooses to keep her children with her in church we assume she has attachment issues. Could it be that she is trying to teach her child to sit and listen to the pastor teach from the Word? We launch environmental campaigns against and hurl guilt upon drivers of large vehicles.

If we truly cherished children our society would operate much differently. The workforce would not be penalized for arriving to work as late as 8am. Men would not feel guilty for being home by 6pm. Mothers would be able to stay at home without the fear of never being able to work again. Our education system would not be in such turmoil. Teachers would not bargain for new facilities, higher pay and more sick time. Our churches wouldn't be in constant need of childcare workers.

The bottom line....we want to get rid of children so we can have time to ourselves as adults. "Someone else can take care of them," we say. Until this mindset changes children will be thought of as unworthy of our time, and those who choose to be with children will be criticized.

UPDATE: Check out this article by Barbara Curtis where she addresses the selfishness issue in relation to Ezzo's Growing Kids God's Way.

Forgiveness Without Compassion?

I have to be honest and say that most of my adult life I have struggled with forgiveness. Let me clarify. I do not have a problem forgiving, I just can't forget. Lately I have been seeking more from God regarding the forgetfulness of forgiveness. I can't do it. Only God can do it through me. Is it easy for you to forget once someone has wronged you? Are we supposed to forget? Maybe I really haven't forgiven like I assume I have if I keep dwelling on the offense as a basis for not being able to move forward in the relationship. I am reminded of Paul though when he had a falling out with John Mark. They went their separate ways after a disagrement and according to Scripture, it doesn't seem like Paul was able to forget about John Mark's failure.

Here's another example I think about....if a prominent Christian individual falls from grace (that's Christian-ese for screwed up big time)and the media berates them and other Believers chastise them while at the same time commiting to pray for them....how do we move on? Do we let that prominent Christian individual back into their place of honor once they have genuinely repented and sought restoration?

I say no. That's because I'm a black-or-white gal. The hard part for me to admit is that I'm in essense saying, "Once you mess up, you're done." I don't really believe that though. In my own life, I have screwed up too many times to count and of course the Lord has welcomed back with open arms. But, then again, I did still have to pay earthly consequences for my sin.

That's where I think the lines are blurry. How many consequences should the offender have to pay, and to whom, before they are allowed back in their circle of influence? Who gets to decide if the repentance and restoration is genuine in the first place?

I tend to think that once you have taken advantage of your circle of influence and failed them then you're out. You can find another place to minister, focus on your own family and local church; but I don't think you get to be Mr. or Mrs. Big Shot again.
Yep...I'm cut and dry. I know it. I hear the lack of compassion as I am writing. But, I think I'm right. What would Jesus do? I think He would love the sinner, but command them to "Go and sin no more."

I want to be more compassionate, but I don't think compassion is defined as allowing everyone who has messed up to be put back on a pedestal again. If we could just throw those darned pedestals off the planet we'd all be much more effective for the Lord.

Are You Kidding Me?

Those of you who are pet lovers are going to have to help me out. I am seriously confused. (here comes the ranting and raving....) Why in the world is our country making such a huge deal over Michael Vick and his illegal association with dog fighting? I don't get it. I understand that it's illegal - and that, in and of itself is worthy of noting. I understand that helpless dogs were harmed, even murdered, at the hand of Michael Vick. Yes, I understand that it's cold and heartless and mean and wrong and every other bad description I can muster. What I don't understand is WHY are we giving it such notice and analyzing the SNOT out of this? I don't get it. Even though I'm asking for your input on this matter, to be honest no matter how many graphic details you give me about Michael Vick's illegal activity, I'm still not going to get it. Why, you say?

Why is dog fighting a more newsworthy offense than let's say.....the slaughter of a baby in her mother's womb? Why is dog fighting a more controversial topic than let's say.....a man who hits his wife? Why is dog fighting a bigger deal than let's say....a drunk driver killing a husband and his new bride?

Michael Vick is newsworthy. But, other NFL players have commited crimes more grievous than Vick's and they largely go unnoticed except for in the ESPN ticker and people act surprised when they find out their favorite player was suspended for one game because of it.

I don't get it, and I'm not gonna.

Five Questions

Shannon posted this...so I'm playing along: Answer these 5 random questions about yourself and post your answers for the rest of us to enjoy.

If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
That's a no-brainer, and my entire family will know the answer before I give it. Cereal. Now that I'm 8 months pregnant that's pretty much the only food I eat anyway. This kid could come out looking like Captain Crunch!

What's the most nerve-racking "close call" you've ever had?
Me or my kids? For me...a few car accidents in high school. For my kids....watching my daughter run over my baby boy's head with her bike. Yep, that sent me into a tizzy. And, watching my oldest son trip over my foot to split his forehead open on a coffee table. A few more centimeters and he would've lost an eye. Thank God for guardian angels.

Name five features your ultimate dream house would have.
1. First-floor master bedroom.
2. Heating/Air conditioning systems for each floor.
3. In-ground pool WITH a pool cleaning service.
4. Landscaping assistance for LIFE b/c my thumbs are nowhere near green.
5. Laundry chute.
(Yep, I'm the practical type. All the fluff is just too much work to keep up with.)

Who has been the most influential non-relative in your life?
Wow...might have to come back to this one. I wish there were one, but I don't think there is. I am influenced most by thoughts, beliefs, faith and the Word of God - not people. Ok...wait...Francine Rivers. Her books have influenced me tremendously. There, I did it!

What one non-physical feature would you most like to change about yourself?
My inability to change. I have become more flexible in the years since I've had children, and my husband is rubbing off on me. But I still freak out a little (ok, a lot) when things don't go according to plan.