From Disposing of the Disabled by Ken Connor:

I read Psalm 13 this morning and it struck me as a verse of encouragement and prayer for anyone feeling depression or frustration over prevailing “failure:”

Psalm 13

How long, O LORD? Will You forget me forever?
How long will You hide Your face from me?

How long shall I take counsel in my soul,
Having sorrow in my heart daily?
How long will my enemy be exalted over me?

Look on me and answer, O LORD my God;
Give light to my eyes,
or I will sleep in death;
Lest my enemy say,
“I have prevailed against him”;
Lest those who trouble me rejoice when I fail.

But I have trusted in Your mercy;
My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation.
I will sing to the LORD
For He has been good to me.

I don’t know what happened this winter, but after my vacation in Arizona, where I put on a few pounds, I not only didn’t lose that weight, I gained a few more! So, I have been doing the Slim-Fast diet for the past week, to get ready for spring. I have been … so … hungry! But I know that I need to be aware of what I am eating, control my portions and adjust my body’s desire for food, so I’m thinking it’s gotta be working. Then, Friday night I had food poisoning (bad orange juice?!?!) so I was throwing up for a couple hours overnight.

What is my reward? My pants don’t fit! None of my jeans, and the khakis I wore on Easter Sunday required a rubberband to clasp the button comfortably. Ugh! One of my usually comfy pairs of jeans looks like it is painted on. I look ridiculous! This is about the worst thing that can happen to a woman who is not looking forward to putting on a bathing suit when spring weather is just around the corner (and a trip to Wisconsin Dells next week!). I’ve known several people who have done and like Slim-Fast (even though I rolled my eyes), so I am going to try another week and see what happens. *sigh*

Watch MOST–The Bridge from Youtube.

This powerful clip illustrates how the sacrifice of Jesus must have completely broken the heart of God, and how Easter should also include a time of expressing our gratitude not only to Jesus, but to God the Father as well. According to an e-mail my sister forwarded to me, this clip is actually based on the true story of a man who made that exact sacrifice. What happened:

Obama indeed waxed eloquent in his official response to his pastor’s anti-America and racial hatred messages from the pulpit. It all sounded really good, almost too good don’t you think? He is good. Well, his speechwriters are anyway. It does beg a few questions, though, at least if you ask the conservatives; the liberal media are eating it up. I honestly don’t know what to think. He certainly made many good points, and I hope he meant what he said and that he said what he meant.

I do believe the heart of the issue is the breakdown of the American family. This is a problem that transends race. The family is a unique and powerful support system, which kids need to grow up with a healthy view of life and to process their inevitable hurts. Teenage pregnancy, absentee fathers and grandmothers raising grandchildren has been shown to lead to poverty, troubled teens and underpriviged kids. Yet, we always seem to fall back on the same rhetoric that enables us to blame everyone else for our situation. Everyone has a choice, yes, not to let their past (or their present) life circumstances take over. Only you decide whether you are happy or sad, gracious or bitter, successful or held back. Every person has emotional, mental, physical or other baggage that he or she can choose to carry through life–or not. But you have to take action, for your own benefit and for the benefit of the future generations of your family.

And I am more convinced than ever that we should be celebrating unity, not diversity. Yet, Obama is condeming racisim and encouring us to keep race on the forefront of our consioucness. Blacks are the ones who talk most about race. And the more we pick at the scab of injustice, the longer the healing process will take.

But that’s just my opinion. Here are additional conservative views from Townhall:

Charles Krauthammer: Obama’s Speech Leaves a Few Question Marks
David Limbaugh: Obama Not Yet Out of the Woods
Linda Chavez: Obama Won’t Confront Biggest Problem for Blacks
Patrick J. Buchanan: A Brief for Whitey
Mona Charen: Throwing Grandma Over the Side

“So God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

Understand not just the “what” in your children’s behavior, but also the “why.” Shepherding a Child’s Heart by Tedd Tripp is by far the best book on parenting, ever. It is different from everything else out there because it is Biblically based and offers not only guidance on the shaping influences/life circumstances in your children’s lives but also their Godward orientation, or Biblical perspective on life. There’s no magic formula for having “perfect” angels who will come to know God and serve Him with their lives. This book will give you new insight, however, into how to train your child up in the way that he should go.

As parents, most of us spend an enormous amount of energy in controlling our children’s behavior. We get distracted by their behavior and forget to address the heart, which is what drives that behavior. When we focus instead on what causes that behavior–sin and selfishness and rebellion–we have the opportunity to help our kids understand the Gospel and their personal need for a savior.

That having been said, the book is very clear how to discipline corectly, consistently and with love, such that we aren’t abusing authority as in previous generations–which no longer works and is often the basis for frustrations for today’s parents. It is practical and applicable and it works.

The book calls us to exercise our authority, commanded by God, to rescue our children from their disobedience. It addresses communication, discipline and training objectives/procedures for infancy, childhood and teenagers.

I highly recommend this books for all parents, but especially parents of preschoolers and parents who are struggling with discipline or “control” of their little ones. In fact, I bought a handful of them to give out for any upcoming occassions (birthdays, baby showers, etc), and I don’t usually plan in advance like that … it’s that good.

“The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in his heart.” Luke 6:45

You’d think this would be a good time for a spiritual discussion, but instead our conversation this time when something like this:

Mom: We’re decorating eggs for Easter. Do you know what Easter is?

Avery: When you decorate eggs!

For more Wordless Wednesday: WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes for Mom.

It’s March Madness at our house! Since I can remember, my husband has been printing out NCAA Men’s basketball championship brackets and we both make our picks. I generally base my picks on the … um … name of the school. I tend to like anything with Texas or Kent (Kent St, Kentucky etc) in it. I also read headlines or catch soundbites here and there that will completely influence my choices. Not the wisest move but it gives me some decisiveness! My husband has a binder of “research,” which includes all of our past years’ picks and a bracket with the actual winners. He also analyzes the results of the tourney and does a summary of the upsets by rank and conference (yes, he’s an engineer). Sometimes it’s helpful, but, usually I just get further confused. Honestly, the less I think about it, the better. Neither of us ever really does very well at all so we have been reduced to randomly making selections and hoping for the best. Of course, if we’re right, we did it on purpose. Occassionally I beat him and that really makes it all worthwhile.

As of tonight, I have Louisville beating UCLA in the final game. I’ll let you know how that works out …

I went back to The Salon Professional Academy this weekend for a trim. My hair was really just too long in the back. I am not sure that it was actually longer than in the front, but it felt like it, and something just wasn’t right. It was very bowl-y and rather matronly looking since I used a round brush when I blow dry it. So, I tell the stylist that and agree to an angle forward. I certainly got what I asked for! Since I wasn’t expecting a 45-degree angle, I was a bit shocked at first! I’ve gotten used to it though, and we’ll see what happens after I style it. It’s definitely more fun and flirty than my last hair cut. 

My stylist, Elise, was very sweet … she thought I was 23! I got highlights last Friday (from a box) so I’m guessing that must have really helped to hide my gray. She could not believe that I was not in school, that I was 32 and that I had two kids. Now, I feel a little bit like a 32-year-old with an 18-year-old’s hair cut, but I am going to enjoy it for now.

And bonus: It was a spring sale so my cut was $5!

[Edited to add 10/20/2008: I had this hair cut for about six months. Except the summer doesn't count, it was constantly in a pony tail. THe problem with this cut is that it is a lot of work. It takes a long time to blow dry (well, my hair is thick) and most of that is in the back, which is more difficult to do. And after all that work, it didn't even always look awesome. It was just too much time and effort for it to be mediocre. Then I would end up tucking it behind my ears and that didn't help either. Anyway, it definitely wasn't worth it in the summer. It might be a great cut for a someone who works in an office, but with kids, making dinner and cleaning house, it's just no good. So, I went back this month and got an easier cut that doesn't look as cool at it's best, but it looks better more of the time. Anyway, that's that.]

The weather was so beautiful yesterday! I was glad when our super-busy and rather stressful day finally wound down and we were able to go for a walk/bike ride around the neighborhood while we waited for daddy to come home from work (he beat us, unfortunately!). Anyway, we passed a friend’s house and stopped to pet their dog in the backyard. Quite some time ago, they had two but they had to put one down. My nearly four-year-old remembered having stopped to pet two dogs in the past, so she asked why they only have one dog now. I suppose it’s spring, Easter is just around the corner, so it’s a perfect opportunity to talk about the cycle of life and death and the meaning of Easter, right? Our conversation went something like this:

Avery: Why they only have one dog?

Mom: They only have one dog. [It takes me a minute to process that she remembers they had two.] They used to have two. [I hesitate.] One of their dogs died. After dogs live their full life out, they die. [Long pause, and I am trying not to cringe, not really wanting to talk about this but not wanting to make it taboo or scary either.]

Avery: I have a cat. My kitty won’t die.

Mom: Well, actually, after our kitty lives out her whole life, it will come to an end, too. New kitties and puppies are born all the time and then after they live out all their days, they die. Then new kitties and puppies are born.

Avery: Why?

Mom: Well … That’s the way the God made the earth, it’s the circle of life. [I said some other stuff here but I don't really remember what, I am certain I was just rambling.]

Avery: People die, too? [I must note, she said this rather upbeat--but it was almost more of a statement than a question.]

Mom: Yes, people are here for short time, born as babies, then after they live out all their days that God has given them, they die and go to Heaven. That’s why Jesus died for us so that we could go to Heaven with God after we are finished here on earth. All you have to do is accept …

Avery: Then, there’s new people! [Increasingly enthusiastic.]

Mom: Uh, yes, babies are born every day. That’s … [I'm interupted as she cautiously rides through a puddle and then is no longer interested in the conversation.]

So, even though I didn’t quite get to the whole story, I was excited when it was over that I had even had the opportunity. It all went so fast! It would have been so easy instead to just ignore her question or say, “Yep, they have just one now.” And say whatever I want about where the other dog is. But, what an amazing opportunity to lay the foundation for her understanding of life, death and, most important, the Gospel. I don’t say this to pat myself on the back; I didn’t plan it, I didn’t expect it, and I don’t take any credit for what I did or did not say. I’m just so thankful that God used me in the moment to say those words in a loving way. Avery doesn’t understand yet, and I know that. But when she’s ready to understand, I won’t have to backpedal through any lies or mistruths or confusion simply because I avoided the truth.

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” Ephesians 4:15

Every mom I know has bought Lansinoh to help with dry, cracked skin while nursing a newborn. That stuff is great! But, a little bit goes a long way so it seems like you can never use it all up. So, here are 13 ideas for your leftover lanolin (it’s pretty versatile stuff):

1. Throw it away. Well, it is an option, right?
2. Donate it. It is expensive. If you aren’t going to use it, somebody can.
3. Save it for your next baby. That stuff lasts forever. I used the same tube for both my kids.
4. Rub it on stretch marks, it’s pure lanolin, so it’s worth a shot.
5. Use it on chapped lips. It’s a great lip balm!
6. Cracked knuckles. I use some when my fingers are cracked and bleeding in the winter, and cover it with a band-aid.
7. General dry skin/elbows. Just be careful since it’s so oily, you want to be sure to cover it so it doesn’t get on everything.
8. Little bloody noses. My son had a bad runny nose and he woke up once with it bleeding. I put some underneath to relieve the dryness.
9. I also used it on the inside of my nose this winter.
10. Over-treated blemishes. I put some on my face when it’s overly dried out. 
11. Diaper rash cream. Never used it for that, but I have it just in case.
12. Burns (according to the package).
13. … And abrasions (also according to the package).

From “Illinois Judge Blocks Parental Notification Law” from CitizenLink:

An activist judge in Illinois has ruled that teens can continue to get an abortion without telling their parents. Illinois is one of 35 states with parental-notification laws, but the 1984 law has never been enforced. Joe Scheidler, national director of the Pro-Life Action League, called the inaction an injustice.“We’re talking here about parents knowing that their minor daughter is having dangerous surgery — sometimes lethal surgery,” he said. “And the courts believe that the parents shouldn’t even know about it.”

Sandy Rios, president of the Culture Campaign, said the Parental Notice of Abortion Act is crucial because Illinois is a magnet for women seeking an abortion.“We have all of these young girls coming from our border states to get abortions because they don’t have to have any parental notification,” she said. “There’s just no law, no regulation. And those of us in Illinois are ashamed of that situation. The law is very clear. We had a law that was passed by the state Legislature years ago. And we can’t get it enacted because of the judicial activism. It is a disgrace.”

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” Psalm 139:14-15

The past several days, I have found my daughter in my son’s crib at nap time, “because it’s cozy.” It has become a problem because they were keeping each other awake. So, it was a pleasant suprise to find Charlie sleeping while Avery was reading in his crib last week.

For more Wordless Wednesday entries: WordlessWednesday.com and 5 Minutes for Mom.

An interesting article from Dennis Prager, author of Happiness is a Serious Problem: http://www.townhall.com/columnists/DennisPrager/2008/03/11/why_are_so_many_women_depressed_part_i

I know moms who have taken antidepressents and those who haven’t. So, I don’t think there’s one right answer for everyone. The trouble is figuring out what the right decision is for you personally. For sure, I would recommend counseling first. General practioners are too quick to write out a prescription without being able to diagnose whether there is a problem and what might be the best solution. Biblical counseling (but be discerning because just because the counselor is a Christian doesn’t mean he/she is providing Christian/Biblical counseling) can get to the heart of the issue and refer you to a pschologist if a serious depression is diagnosed or if medication would help you get back on the right track. And don’t forget, it’s okay to have ups and downs. People, especially women, think they have to be “up” all the time and that is an unrealistic expectation. Pray God would satsfy you and ask Him to replace the sadness in your heart with joy.

“Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” Psalm 90:14