Breastfeeding is Overrated.

And before anyone gets up in arms, I've done it both ways and still chose this route so I know the benefits et cetera, ad nauseum.

Well, I was going to pop on at 8 o'clock and say how peaceful it was around here. The middle blondies were both so miserable, they practically fell into bed (with not a little guilt on my part). The youngest blondie had been asleep for over an hour.

How things change.

Does anyone have any suggestions what one should do about a child who refuses to sleep without a nipple in his mouth? If I would go up there right now and let him "eat," he would go right to sleep.

Until I put him down.

At which point he would begin to scream again.

I am tired of being a chew toy and a pacifier and I am extraordinarily tired of being the only solution to this child's woes.

So there I was debating whether I should watch the chick flick I rented for myself or just go to bed and try to forget this new years eve (and hopefully recover a bit from this dang respiratory infection), but my question has been answered.

Because I just don't sleep well while being a stand in paci.

Happy New Year?

I was invited to three different new years eve bashes and I'm stuck at home with bronchitis and three kids with pinkeye.

Can't even shop the after Christmas sales.

Feeling rather pathetic.

Merry Christmas Eve!

I hope each and every one of you has a very merry Christmas.

Don't let Jesus be forgotten in the festivities.

From American Family Association w/ commentary ala Chaos

I got the following from American Family Association. Frankly, we don't do presidential primary elections here, so I don't usually bother to learn too much about the candidates. All too often I get all excited about the guy that doesn't win anyway. But I've got some friends who are all into Mike Huckabee and the more I hear about him, the more I like him, too.

But, even if you don't like the guy, you've got to agree with me that the following borders on the ridiculous. Since when is it illegal to "appeal to the religious vote?" Are we religious people not allowed to vote? Is Barak Obama not appealing to the religious vote? Pretty sure I've read about his religious beliefs in Time or Newsweek or something--back when my dad thought he'd run for president and I'd never heard of him.

So all I'm saying is this: if it offends people that Huck professes Jesus Christ... Deal. If it offends enough people, he won't be president. If more people want to vote for him because he does...deal. THAT'S WHY WE LIVE IN AMERICA. The power of the vote. Call it a democracy, call it a republic, but remember that if the majority (of the electorate) votes the guy in, HE'S PRESIDENT, whether the minority likes it or not. Frankly Hillary Clinton offends me. But if she makes president...I'll have to deal. I'll whine, but I'll deal. It comes with the privilege of living here.

Anyway, you should watch the videos. They are interesting. Especially Merideth getting all het up about ole Mike "appealing" to the "religious" vote. (At least someone I can get behind is.) Oh, and the "cross" in the background? If they didn't do it on purpose (as they claim) God must be chuckling in Heaven. It is PER-FECT.



The latest effort to spread the idea that religion has no place in the public square comes as a response to a TV spot produced by presidential candidate Mike Huckabee.

I urge you to watch the two video clips I have placed in this e-mail. First, is the ad by former Governor Huckabee wishing people a Merry Christmas. Click here to watch the 30-second ad.

Next, is a clip from the Today Show (Dec. 18), hosted by Meredith Vieira, on which Governor Huckabee was a guest. Vieira opens the interview talking about how some say the ad is sending an overt religious appeal to voters.

Some have become so openly hostile to the Christian faith that they are upset when a candidate simply wishes viewers Merry Christmas and mentions that --after all-- Christmas is the day Christians celebrate the birth of Christ.

The governor is accused of putting a cross in the background of his ad. The 'cross' they find offensive is nothing more than a bookcase. The critics say also the three lights stand for the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! What is disappointing is that the media grabs such a concoction and makes big news out of this ad.

To me, these accusations are utterly silly, and biased. Watch the clip from the Today Show. There are those who feel that nothing religious, especially wishing people Merry Christmas, should be made by anyone seeking public office. That is the attitude of those who want to drive religion from the public square.

Brown

The kids have taken to playing tag around the house. Most of the time, I encourage this because they aren't begging to watch a movie and our house is built on a "circle" so they can run loops relatively easily.

If you have smallish children you know that tag isn't about tag so much as it is about base. They dash from one base to another and hope against hope they don't get tagged by IT.

My kids have a new system of base. Base is a color. Hopefully not chartreuse. They did this so that there is a base in every room if they look hard enough.

Last week, base was brown.

They dashed from the couch, to the book cases, to the table while Eldest, who was IT, tried to tag them. (Yet, for some reason, they all missed the fact that all of my flooring is brown. I didn't point it out.)

All of a sudden I hear hysterical giggling. I walked around the corner to discover Eldest, standing with his arms splayed, unable to tag Princess and Frodo, who had each placed a hand upon his arms.

Not only was he IT, he was base.

Need a Christmas Idea?

I am diggin' on this music. Just in case anyone wondered.

Beginnings by Kim Vogel Sawyer

Just thought I'd let you know about a book that one of my fav authors has out now. This review is posted on Armchair, but for those of you who don't go there...

Beth lives among the Old Order Mennonites, and though she shares their Christian faith, she doesn’t share their lifestyle. While, yes, she feels that God brought her to Sommerfeld, Kansas, and gave her a gift as a stained-glass artist, how can she rectify the two in a place where women are homemakers and art is frivolous?

And what of men? In her employee, Andrew, Beth finds a compassionate and hardworking friend, but to embrace him would be to embrace his Old Order lifestyle, something Beth isn’t inclined to do. When Sean shows up at her studio door proposing a business relationship, Beth begins to see the realization of her dreams. But can she trust either of these men with her future?

Oh, how I love Kim Vogel Sawyer’s books. Frankly, I’m not sure whether it is her setting (my old stomping grounds) or her ability to weave great stories, but I think it is a combination of the two. Kim is a master story teller who has cornered the market on a lesser known sect of Mennonite, the Old Order. In my not-Old-Order opinion, she nails the people and their gentle ways from an “outsiders” view point.

But don’t go away with the impression that this is “just another Mennonite book,” because it isn’t. Though you will see into the lives of a few characters, this book is more about feeling like an outsider in any part of life. About not being good enough, not fitting in, desiring more and, eventually, letting go of the idea that life is under our control.

Battle of the Wills Take 2

I confessed to Hubs last night my battle of the wills post (since he doesn't read the blog--though one must wonder why--free insight into my mind--no comments--but that's just me). He said, "Boy that's accurate."

Seems he surrendered his own battle a couple days ago.

But I contend that:

1. Charming was playing with the Q-tips and leaving them on the floor would (hopefully) prevent him from dumping out 25 more later in the day/week.

2. When the baby makes a mess, it is ANYONE's job to pick up after him, not just the mom's.

Which, therefore, negates the battle on principle alone. On the other hand, if one leaves his wife for a few days to go to San Francisco, one should, on principle, unpack his own bag. Especially if he is going to want those clothes clean eventually. And I'm not talking with a 24 hour notice, because, as most wives know, we rarely get 24 hours notice. We usually get about 3.2 minutes notice that they need something to be wearable. And not just something, but the linen, tan, cuffed pants.

Now if said husband were to take the wife along on his business trips to exotic locations where she just happens to have an old roommate living...I'm just saying, the battle would have been moot.

A Whole New Meaning

Charming has taken to crawling up to our (plastic) nativity scene, swiping the baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger, sticking him in his mouth, and crawling off.

Gives a whole new meaning to "take, eat, this is my body (broken for you)."

It's Hard to Have a Battle of the Wills...

...when the other will doesn't know it's battling.

And since Hubs has been home from San Francisco for nigh on two weeks and he has yet to make a move to unpack his suitcase, and because I'm tired of tripping over it and moving it back and forth across the room to get it out of my way, and since he doesn't seem to miss anything that is stashed inside it anyway...

...I'm surrendering the battle and unpacking the thing.

I'm Noticing a Trend

in my closet.

I have four or five shirts, all in the same color family, that I wear until they are gone, then fret that I have "nothing" to wear until they are clean again.

Dusty Red. Or maybe Dusty Maroon. Of the Rose family. Everything from a kind of baby pink (my least favorite) to full on red (though I don't have much full on red).

Is it because I've decided the pinks go with everything? I don't know.

When I turned 30 I "discovered my inner pink." Until then I knew I was a girl, I liked men (well, my man), but wasn't much of a girlie girl. I didn't "get" shoes. I didn't "get" chocolate. Never had a pedicure (still haven't, but intend to "someday"). Didn't have "girlfriends" (working on that, but it is hard to establish girlfriends when you've never been a very good one because you used to never trust women). Wore mostly Hubs clothes and tennis shoes. So....

I awakened there at the end of my 20s realizing that I kinda liked shoes (make that LOVE in the love-inanimate-objects-kinda-way) and skirts and pretty jewelry and girlfriends and PINK.

Rather, dusty rose.

I find it humorous that I wore blue for 29.5 years and now I wear the same five pink shirts over and over again.

(Of course, I'm wearing blue stripes and running shoes today, Go Figure.)

Sleepovers and Growing Up

Eldest had his first non-family sleepover last night. They went to sleep sometime after 11pm and awakened, as one of my friend's kids would say, at the butt crack of dawn.

I went to bed almost proud. How messed up is that?

I awakened angry. Who needs toast at 6am? And is it necessary to bang the pans so loudly? And then I dreamed that I went into the kitchen to yell at the boys and made both Eldest and Dimples cry.

I was glad that it was a dream. No matter how annoyed I was at the dark toast making.

At least they made their own toast.

I think it's frozen over

It's a sad day at the Chaos house when there are many, many types of sugar available (liquid, coffee flavored, chocolaty, fudgy, nutty, unadulterated, sour) and none of them sound good to the mama.

I'm wondering if the ice storm hit one of those supernatural realms.

Rather Interesting

I knew when we adopted Eldest we would get a lot of questions, so they don't usually offend me. I'd rather answer the questions than allow people to continue on in their incorrect assumptions...just not in front of him. However, this is an interesting article (make sure you follow the link for the long version) worthy of a read.

MY ADOPTED CHILD CAN HEAR YOU
Adoptive parents speak out: Before curiosity gets the best of you - take a breath and think about what you're saying.

(Los Angeles – December 14, 2007) - International adoption has gotten a lot of attention recently with Brad and Angelina regularly expanding their family, and Madonna getting the government go-ahead this week to adopt her son David from Malawi. An article in this week's Newsweek sheds light on the difficulties, sadness, and potential devastation behind international adoption. But the challenges outlined in the article aren't the norm for most adoptive parents. Sometimes, the biggest obstacle is not the adoption itself, but the comments and questions tossed out at parents while they're in the grocery store, at the dry cleaner, or in line at Starbucks. As it takes a village to raise a child, it's the (perhaps unwitting) village idiot who feels compelled to ask stupid questions, not even considering the damage their words can do to an innocent child.

One of our own Mom•Logic Moms is in the process of adopting a baby girl and has already endured the "You're so nice to adopt a kid who's unwanted" and "That's much easier than giving birth" comments. She's now preparing herself for some of the outrageous questions that fellow adoptive parents have been asked by "curious" onlookers. Click on link below to view the entire story.

Web link: http://www.momlogic.com/2007/12/dont_be_ignorant_in_progress.php

About Mom•Logic.com
MomLogic.com is an online community "for thinking moms who don't have time to think." In addition to posting topical, entertaining and relevant stories, the site features breaking news and how it affects the lives of mothers and their families in an ever-changing world. MomLogic.com is produced by Telepictures Productions, an industry-leading producer of syndicated programming and winner of 49 Daytime Emmy Awards. Sabrina Weill (formerly of “Seventeen”) is editor-in-chief.

Because if Liz can win, so can I

If I can get this thing to work, I think I'll get a bib and some coupons for myself. I recommend you click here (if you have a blog, that is) and get some for yourself.

On Ice Storms

The trees blanketed in ice are pretty.

The crashing limbs of the old and dying trees aren't.

The ice encrusted trees three days later with the sun shining through creating sparkles are gorgeous.

But driving under them is treacherous.

Thankfully the four foot shard of ice crashed down just in front of us.

I am convinced that the melting ice (aka raining ice chunks) is more dangerous to drive in than the original ice storm.

What a Little Shopping Can't Do

Well, a little shopping, a couple Excedrin, a Pepsi and a sister who watched Frodo so I could THINK.

I have succeeded in finding a Christmas gift for Princess. Actually, three.

Never underestimate the power of Toys r US. The empty aisle. Yes, they have one. I don't know why no one else seemed to think these were perfect for their children, but they were just what I was looking for.

Thanks to Kelli we have a fashion plate designer, thanks to Liz and Andrea a jewelry making kit, and thanks to Moi, a bedazzler. Because she likes her bedazzles. I didn't go with the doll house because I would like to do the wooden kit that can become an heirloom and, well, that doesn't give us something to play with on Christmas day (I wouldn't get it together by then and couldn't see buying the house and all the furnishings on this years budget).

So, while the shopping wasn't all that great (too many people have been iced in for too long and were rushing the stores today) I was positively bubbling when I got home. I got GOOD STUFF and didn't spend a fortune.

I came home and cleaned house, did some laundry, washed the dishes, vacuumed, played with Frodo and listened to some endless stories without losing it. I am convinced that the burden of coming up with a good Christmas present for my kids was totally overwhelming me. I feel so light and free and CERTAIN that Christmas morning for us (which will be December 22) will be good. It's a great feeling.

Princess-isms

"Every time (kid) sees that I've left something on his desk and says, 'My secret santa struck again!' my heart gets heating up--it bubbles."

I hope all of your hearts bubble today. Mine sure did.

Croup

I would like to have a moment of silence for all of the mothers out there who have to do croup with all of their kids.

How I have been so fortunate to have four children and not experience it until now, I do not know. It probably says something as to the width of my shoulders and how much God thinks I can handle.

So help me, I'm sure he was right.

Iced In

Last night I got to fall asleep to the sound of my tree limbs breaking and crashing down around us. Standard fare considering our trees are huge and old and it was exactly 32.5 degrees out. The liquid fell from the sky and froze upon us.

Oddly enough my basement flooded.

I ask you, how can the water freeze on individual blades of grass and yet seep into the basement?

No, I do NOT want a scientific answer. Basement seepage is only allowed in the Spring and then only in other people's basements.

Charming was up four times in the night.

I dreamed that Hubs and I had this massive fight back in our hometown in front of a lot of people.

And we were stuck in the house together all day. Do you know how hard it is to forgive that man for things he does in my dreams? He hates it when I snarl at him in the morning, "You'll never believe what you said to me last night!"

But the reason I'm really not rested is because I have no Christmas present for Princess. Zip, zilch, nada. Every idea I come up with, Hubs nixes or someone else already got. I am fresh out. I lay awake last night obsessing about it. I've searched web sites for hours. I've stood at stores and stared at shelves. I'm at a total loss.

Six year old female. Should be easy right? Not. She is one unique (and awesome) chick and she deserves one unique (and awesome) gift. Just one. That's all I'm really after. She will get her socks and toothbrush and chapstick and candy in her stocking. Her robe. Her Chuck-e-cheese gift card (that when put together with her brothers' will just cover our trip over during the holiday week). But not something she would really love and play with on "Christmas" day. (Which for us is December 22 or so.)

Ideas? And don't give me the obvious stuff. She doesn't need clothes. She doesn't need another Barbie. She doesn't want more Polly pockets. I'm talking something for the smart, creative, imaginative type who is still all girl.