Responding to random comments

Last week someone made an off-handed comment that really bothered me. I'm certain they didn't mean anything by it, but it's one of those things that keeps coming back to my mind. I was making idle conversation with someone and inquired how his kids were responding to his wife taking a position. He responded that the position was only 20 hours a week because they had decided that having someone at home was more important than making lots of money.

Frequently, individuals have made comments like this and they seem to paint that everyone who works does so in order to make lots of money to the detriment of their children. However, they don't know the specifics of individual circumstances that cause people to work. Do I wish that I didn't have to work? Sure I do sometimes but until recently, it wasn't a questions of if I wanted to work. And now I feel like I'm in a scenario that my company has invested time and energy into my professional development and that I couldn't quit even if I wanted to. But if I did quit, what would I do? Well, I'd end up volunteering at a variety of things and basically be working anyway.

Summer 2008

My summer has passed by too quickly with absolutely nothing productive to show for it. I've done a few things but not nearly to the extent I would have liked. Even for a Librarian Mom, my reading has been minimal at best. Lately I've been feeling particularly glum. I wish I could put my finger on why I feel that way so I could do something about it. I think it mostly has to do with summer ending, school starting next week, and my general unproductiveness.

In light of my summer failings, I intend to do better in the fall. I need to be more consistent in after schooling with both kids. I plan to reinstate the family menu schedule to bring more consistency to our meals and less running through the drive through or making whatever comes in a box that is in the cupboard. I really need to work on better home maintenance. I have to admit it really isn't something I enjoy, but it does make a difference in how I feel and interact with my family. Hopefully, having a more intentional plan and schedule will help on a variety of fronts. Including the things I've mentioned above, I need to get back on an workout plan, eat better, have more consistent devotions, and find time to do the gazillion things that I would like to do.

Consistency seems to be the theme that runs through the above paragraph. I really need to work on a stop doing list for at home in order to regain time to be the wife, mother, and person I would like to be.

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

I've been meaning to post for some time about a variety of exciting life happenings. However, as the time has passed the events have been exciting in a variety of ways--not all good. So here goes the run down.

The Good:
1. The best news that has happened recently is my husband got a new job as a library director. We've been really excited about this mostly because he won't have such a long commute any more which should have a positive impact on our family life.
2. In early June we went on vacation. We had a good time staying in a nice resort/lodge. We had a two room apartment with kitchen which was really nice. We intend to stay there again and will investigate similar lodging for future travel.
3. DS will go to pre-school at the local elementary school in the fall. At first I was disappointed he wouldn't go to the church pre-school, but I've decided this will actually be really good because it is daily and free.
4. DD is finally starting to read. I think she could before, but she's finally showing more interest and doing quite well.

The Bad:
1. Nothing too awfully bad is going on except that we're tired and my to-do list is longer than it should be. I have lots of books I want to read and have to read that I'm not getting to. I also have lots of house projects (see below) that I want to do but I'm not getting to. I had also hoped to pursue more recreational opportunities over the summer. I'd really like to learn to play golf and tennis but it's not going to happen this year.
2. Anyway, all of the above items plus the items below at times contribute to a low disposition, but I have to remind myself that it could be much worse.

The Ugly:
1. When we arrived home from vacation, our downstairs carpet was soggy wet. It turns out the power had gone out in our subdivision and nearly everyone's sump pumps failed. So we had to have the carpet pulled. This means our belongings are in the garage which is truly ugly.
2. Things in the garage and the downstairs being a mess has had a domino effect on the rest of the house. I'd really like to clean and sort, but we can't put anything in the attic or the garage for storage.
3. Our new carpet won't be in until sometime around August 1. The good part is that we've been needing to fix up the downstairs anyway and I'm committed to only bringing in half of what's currently in the garage.

May update

Lately life has been a whirlwind of many appointments. I feel like I haven't had a solid week at work for a long time which isn't necessarily a bad thing. My reading has still been mostly non-existent as I spent the bulk of my non-work time finishing up my course for this semester. I wrapped that up last week so hopefully I will have more time for pleasure reading. I must admit though that I'm already wanting to take something else but probably shouldn't push the issue quite yet. I need to take some time focus on my family and the condition of my home.

DD and I have started reading The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. I did read ahead and finished it. I'm going to try to read Prince Caspian before the movie this weekend.

Checking In

During the past month, I've been busy getting by. I have done no significant reading to report, am behind on my studies, and have made little progress in any other areas. On the other hand though, dd and I enjoyed making some great snacks for her class the last week of March/early April, the children and I enjoyed a marvelous walk at one of our local parks taking in the first really nice evening of spring, and my husband and I celebrated our anniversary with a nice day out.

Passing Over Easter

I finished another book from my reading challenge list this morning. Passing Over Easter by Shoshanah Feher was a good book although not quite what I expected. I expected a book that was primarily about the religious and cultural practices of Messianic Jews . Although this subject was touched on briefly, the book was in actuality an ethnographic study of Messianic Jews which compared and contrasted Messianic Jews, traditional Jews, and evangelical Christians. Not having considered those relationships in depth before, it was interesting to realize that there are significant boundaries between Messianic Jews and evangelical Christians which they refer to as Gentile Believers in addition to the expected differences between Messianic and traditional Jews.

My personal experience with Messianic Jews has been extremely minimal although I would love to visit a congregation some time. The Old Testament feasts and festivals and Jewish practices are intriguing and the little bit of reading and study I have done on the topic has enriched my faith quite a bit. This is an area that I would like to learn more about and to incorporate more fully into our family life, yet I'm not quite ready to give up Christmas yet (although we try to scale back). In addition, I think that it would be easier to practice these traditions in community. For example, although I have purchased and read various sources, because these practices are so foreign it would be really helpful to have a mentor who could demonstrate how to do these things. In a similar way, I would love to practice formal morning and evening prayer within our family, but I really feel a need for someone to show me how or at least to see what it looks like in real life. I'm finding myself attracted more and more to a liturgical tradition, but the actual practice is a stumbling block in my current life situation.

On that note, I must confess our observance of Lent was mostly non-existent. We do a pretty good job with Advent, but there is so many external stimuli that feed into that observance. Lent and Easter, except for specials on seafood, doesn't have the same focus. Except for the fairly recent observance of Ash Wednesday at my institution and services during Holy Week, the weeks of Lent pass by without much thought. I just need to plan better and earlier next year and find an accountability partner or family.

You Go, Girl!

This post is a tribute to my dd, currently in kindergarten. Yes, there are times when she is frustrating, doesn't do what she's told, and just generally acts like a kid, but there are times when she makes me a very proud mama.

At her school they have an Easter party the day before spring break just like they have a Hallowe'en, Christmas, and Valentine's day party. While getting dressed that morning, she asked me if the party would mention Jesus or if it would just be about "fake" Easter. I responded that she can tell them about Jesus. DD responded that she drew Jesus on the cross on the Easter bags they had made. Sure enough when she brought her bag home yesterday, she had a great picture of Jesus with the crown of thorns, a black sky, and lightening. That's why, even though I stress about her education and whether to send her to public, private, or home school, that for now she's staying in her local elementary.