The Church abuse scandal!

There is a church abuse scandal going on right now. CNN, where are you? FoxNews where are you? NBC, where are you? BBC, where are you? Probably covering American Idol

The Federal government has violated religious liberty rights in a big and nasty way.

HHS Secretary not once, not once ran this by an attorney before pushing this mandate forward. Not once.

This is an abuse and a true scandal. A scandal in the church (in true church speak) is a word or action, evil in itself, which is an occasion for the spiritual ruin of another. Contraception, the way it's prescribed, is to treat a non-medical condition. Why on earth must this be covered for non-medical reasons?
If I wish to undergo plastic surgery to enhance my facial appearances, guess what? Not covered by my insurance.
If I wish to have meds to change my hormonal balance so I can grow more muscle cause it'll make me stronger, guess what? Not covered.
If I want to interfere with my normal hormonal balance so that I can manipulate my fertility, guess what? It's unnecessary medical treatment for a non-medical condition.
Pregnancy is not a disease, folks. A child is not a sickness, but this mandate is.

Several Catholic organizations have filed lawsuits against the HHS mandate. Woohoo Bishops! I'm very proud of you!

Awww

Have I mentioned that I travel a lot as part of my mission? Look what I found in my luggage?

Hello Handsome!

So we went to renew Monkeyboy's passport. His original passport had his 3 year old self in it. He had on this blue collared shirt and I must admit, he looks good in blue but when Papa showed it to Monkeyboy....

The boy opens it up takes a look at the photo and exclaims, " Hello Handsome!"

To which I responded, "Yep, he's going to be a priest.", not because they are a conceited lot but because he's so thick headed that a woman's subtlety ain't going to penetrate his thick head.

Monkeyboy's essay

If you didn't read the reason for this homework assignment, you might want to view that before you move forward.

Yesterday I gave him the assignment to find 2 bible passages that speak to him about his behavior to his sister and explain it to me. This is what he came up with:

1 Cor 13.4 says "Love is patient, love is kind, love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude." This affects me in two ways. One way is generally I am fairly nice to my sister (assuming she is my sister)
Wha??? What do you mean assuming she is your sister????


-"Well, I have my doubts that we are even related."


Ok, let's just continue. I have no idea what to respond to that other than incredulity.


The other way is that sometimes we annoy each other and get angry at each other. I think I should be more patient and kind to her.


you think? Well she is your sister. Or is she? Muuu-haha


1Cor 13.8 "Love never ends. But as for prophecies they will come to an end." Love never ends. When my sister and I


so they are related!


get into an argument it only temporarily dents love but it comes back soon enough.


Love will never cease but occasionally may sport a crease! Nice. That's my boy. Or is he? Muuu-haha

There are some days that I am super proud of myself.

Today is one of those days.

I have to admit though, that it's not so much me I'm proud of but rather the fact that something happened through me. That's awesome. Read on...

We ran an errand earlier today with the kids and as Papa yelled back at the kids because they once again had their feet all over the car, I tacked on a little homework assignment, an essay on their total lack of respect for things, each other, blah blah blah. Oh, the theatrics from the Peach who had finished today's assignments yesterday! It was ON! She thought she had a free day today because she had done her homework. So she protested, "WHAT?!? THAT'S NOT FAIR! I DO..."

So I calmly retorted "Thank you. That will be two pages from you and one from you monkeyboy." - The response fell quite silent from there on out except that Monkey can never leave her alone. So he bragged and rubbed her nose in the fact that he only had to do 1 page.

As we arrived home I added to his homework to find not 1 but two bible passages that speaks to him about his behavior in the car and to explain those passages and how he did or did not live that out.

About an hour later Papa comes down to tell me Peachy found the tiniest notebook she could find to write her essay and he disabused her of the idea that a 1 page essay from that would be ok. Then he says, "Well I don't know about her because she's just sitting there but at least Monkeyboy is reading the Bible." 

I'm sure any number of pastors would disapprove of my assignment but they can just suck it! I'm highly amused with myself.

Because who doesn't need a Dashboard Jesus

Because who doesn't need a Jesus action figure?

If you're ever in Toronto

Check out the Ethiopian house!

You will not be disappointed!

Happy Mother's Day!

I went to bed last night sometime around 11 pm and when I awoke this morning for my hot date at 4:40 monkeyboy and the peach pit were running up the stairs to their beds. It seems they woke up at 2am to place their banner.

Why I need kids

1. I have a lot of dodgy tv shows that I like to watch. Kids make me rethink my need to watch shows that I don't like to let them watch : Burn Notice, Psych, Touch, basically anything but Disney

2. I love to play video games. Kids are a good excuse to go buy games. I caved and bought skylanders. It's AWESOME!

3. I need house elves. House elves are good for finding shoes, sunglasses, cleaning bathrooms, washing dishes, sweeping and I only pay $10/week and THEY think they are getting a deal!

4. They save me money because I learn all sorts of things like how to make duct tape flowers. (Oh, spoiler alert, mom is getting a dozen duct tape flowers for Mother's day.) I saved $80 on flowers.

5. I need to laugh. Last night in the middle of saying my prayers I hear over the Harry Potter audio disc that the kids play at night before they go to bed, Peachy singing her little heart out. No idea what she was belting out but it was super cute.

6. I need reminders that I don't need to take myself so seriously. Monkeyboy and I have been in whoopie cushion challenges. I've been getting him at the most inopportune times so he tried to get me back by putting a whoopie cushion in my bed, except that Papa got it instead.

7. They bring me face to face with God. When I'm cranky or in a foul mood, the first thing the kids pray for is me and that changes my disposition immediately. Just knowing that they reach out to Him in their moment of need for me, well it's humbling.

8. I need to be loved. I need hugs. I need kisses. I think I would soon perish if I didn't get a hug. Seriously, though it's not so much that I need to be loved as I NEED to love. Random people tend not to appreciate my outward displays of affection. My kids don't mind my affection, plus they tend not to call the police when I reach out to hug or kiss them.

9. No amount of charity work or service makes me give as much as giving to a monkey and a peach. 

10. Work sometimes feels like work, you know it can be a chore but most of the time what I do, I really love and it doesn't feel like work. I spend my days and nights arranging stuff for work and I keep asking myself 'when are you going to go to work because you haven't worked yet?'. I do all sorts of work related stuff but it doesn't feel like work. I do what I love. My family is like that. I love being a mom, a wife, a friend because it doesn't feel like work. It feels like home and it wouldn't be home without them in my life.

Our Lady of the Perpetual Shakedown, take 3

When we lived in Texas, we happened to frequent (I use that word loosely) a church that seemed to be in the middle of capital campaign developments so we were being encouraged to support this or that endeavor. It became so frequent that my husband nicknamed (This is one of his greatest talents!) the church.... Our Lady of the Perpetual Shakedown. I've always loved that name.

Honestly, Our Lady is tenacious. She won't give up on you and I don't think she'd be offended at that title. I need to be perpetually encouraged to give, to give up, to share. I can't hear it enough.

How cool is Hamilton's 4 HR's!!!

Really cool!

Year of Faith: Is there a God or isn't there?

Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen (Heb11:1).

We will celebrate the Year of Faith starting in October 2012 and I was thinking just yesterday, let me assume for a moment, that the Christopher Hitchens' of the world are correct, there is no God, there is no hell, there is nothing and God is a myth.

If there is no God, then my time at prayer is pointless (as filling, peaceful and consoling as it may be at times) and has no purpose. If that's the case then I lose nothing, because there is nothing to lose except time and let's be honest we waste loads of time on a plethora of worthless pursuits. I gain nothing, because there is nothing to gain (other than the feel good's or insights that I may occasionally derive from my wasted time).

If on the other hand, the Hitchen's of the world are indeed wrong, then not only do I win, but I win big. My faith is justified. I've tried to live my life oriented toward the perfect good, a compass so to speak. My compass is God. God's goodness sets a standard defining good and evil giving me an opportunity to orient myself. I can also choose not to orient myself, my choice but that compass doesn't move.

I think sometimes the Hitchens' of the world assume Christians never once pondered that thought. I ponder it quite often. The year of faith will however give us another opportunity for unity, especially among my atheist brothers and sisters. Perhaps we share the same compass and just call them by different names.

Indians v Rangers, my team won!!!!

I love win-win situations. Everybody's happy, or at least I'm happy. Isn't that everybody?

The Indians were playing the Rangers this weekend and while I was sporting my Ranger ballcap and jersey I found myself calling and cheering for my boys, the Indians when Choo hit his homer, when Ubaldo cleared out  bases loaded, the amazing double plays and for my boys, the Rangers when Beltra knocked it out of the park. I was equally sad for my boys, the Indians, when Ubaldo walked 3 in a row to bases loaded and for my boys, the Rangers, when Andrus totally missed first base on that throw to Pensylvania - dude, to whom were you throwing???. That was just plain bad.

All in all though it was a good series. I think I have assimilated to Ohio because my team won each night. I think I need to acquire some Indians gear!

Our Lady of the Perpetual Shakedown, shakes down

I promised didn't I?

As I recall I said the following: "I consider 2% 'is a lot' but when I also examine the 10% to God that number looks excessively excessive. How many of us actually give 10%? Looking at the stats I'd say not that many of us even give a measly 2%. It hurts to give that much when bills, taxes, debt,  cost of living and children to care for are staring you in the face. It hurts even more when we are attached to it."

My purpose in that statement sounds like I'm talking about a shakedown where you cough up the cash and indeed that is one form of giving but I was generic in my comments because stewardship in $$ is only one small part. The significant part of stewardship is our mindset. Do I consider what I have as mine or as belonging to someone else? When I borrow something I make darn sure to take good care of it - so I can borrow again, so they will be comfortable loaning other stuff, and in general because it's not mine! What about money that I entrust to my financial broker? I count on his recommendations, his insight to my funds so my goals are fulfilled.

I wonder if you have children, do you take that attitude? That they have been entrusted to you to fulfill the goals for which they were sent here to accomplish?

I must confess something - I never wanted children, or a husband, but I'm quite pleased to have both. Similarly I don't want grandchildren. I might get them and then again I might not but longing for grandchildren is not me. Ok, so the Peach comes up to me completely distraught. She believes God is calling her to a vocation but she is terrified (and ten) of what that means for her because she believes he is not calling her into a marital vocation.  She desperately wants to be a mother. She wants to have children. She'd be a great mother in my opinion so I instructed her, as is my job, that
- the decision does not need to be made now
- God will keep calling
- she should keep listening
- she doesn't need to be afraid

Then I noticed
- she loves all things girly
- she loves to sew
- people relate to her and she is a joy to be around
- people are drawn to her
- she loves kids
- other girls naturally gravitate towards her
AND
- she really would be a great nun

Happy hump day!

Does the wonder of balloons ever cease to amaze me? Fill a balloon with a substance that you can't see, smell or touch and it lifts not only the balloon but brings a bit of joy into your world. Take an empty person, fill them with the love of God, which you can neither see, smell or touch and it changes not only the person but the whole world as well.

Go be that balloon for the world!