Thankful Day 17

I am thankful I have less than 9 weeks left before my due date. Pregnancy is a wonderful time. I love the expectation of a new family member. I love the preparation and planning. I love feeling the baby move and kick. I really love it. I cherish it because it is a fleeting experience. Towards the end it feels like "forever" but it is such a small part of a mother's life, almost forgotten once she meets her little one. The aches and pains are annoying, but you take the bad with the good. I am thankful I can nap when my 2yo naps and catch up on the sleep that I don't get at night.

Towards the end, in the final trimester, things are almost fully prepared for the new little person. It becomes a waiting game. Waiting and a little bit of "holding on" because one does not need to be too eager. We look forward to meeting our little one, but we want him to come when he is ready and not a minute sooner. The mental preparation is also completing, I remember having finished most of my book list from my doula friend by this time in my last pregnancy.

The second time around it is so different. There is less fear about what could happen. There is less apprehension about the delivery and breastfeeding. We held off a move so I could have the same midwife I had with the first delivery (and she even cancelled a conference to be around for my due date, bless her heart!) Even my husband is less nervous. He is "been there, done that, ready to do it again!" He was great last time and so I know he will be great again.

So, yes, we are waiting. Making the most of this time. Enjoying the moment. And it is grand!

Ultrasound September 2012

Thankful Day 16

Just bear with me, I will get to the thankful part...

Don't blame me I voted for the other guy Post Card by PoliticalGenius

Browse more 2012 presidential elections Postcards

I don't consider myself a republican, but in this election I leaned more conservative. I consider myself more of a libertarian, if you need a point of reference, but don't go looking up "libertarian" and then assume that you know every thing I stand for. I am just a financial realist and I love my freedom in this country and I like capitalism. I also believe social issues should be a regional issue, not a national issue and that cities/counties/states should decide on their own. I'm pretty sure I could permanently display the above sign quite proudly because I voted for Gore, McCain and Romney. I don't remember an election that the candidate I voted for actually won... but I digress.

I was sorely disappointed by this election. It has nothing to do with "values" and simply that none of the social issues were nearly as important to me as the economy and healthcare. Sorry if I don't care about free birth control and gay marriage (both of which affect a relatively small portion of our population) as much as I care about issues that affect 100% of us like the looming fiscal cliff and national healthcare, 'yall.

I envy liberals. My liberal friends are so happy and excited with the outcome of the election. Honestly, even if Romney had won, I don't know that I would be that excited. I would have more hope, and I was sure he could make the tough decisions and try to get us out of this mess, but I would not be excited and partying. Unfortunately you just can't compete with Giving Away Free Stuff. There is no such thing as "free" anything. Impressionable and idealistic romantics (like I was in college) simply don't get this.

As I look at the details of what this fiscal cliff looks like and the potential outcome I know that eventually social services will not be available as promised because we cannot sustain a greater portion of our population "taking" than "contributing". It doesn't take a math genius to figure that out. It also isn't rocket science that if you start taxing businesses more, or demanding more benefits (unions) that they simply cannot sustain themselves here and will either move to another country, cut jobs or close permanently, leaving even more people out of a job. Government cannot create jobs and wealth, only businesses can. I have a hard time being thankful and hopeful right now for our country's future. 

I turned to my husband, David, and I asked him how we are supposed to make it through this administration, another 4 years. He is more optimistic. He says things can't get so bad that they cannot be fixed. I have my doubts. I do have fear that our children will inherit not only the nation's debt but also the poor economic times that are ahead. David says that as long as we don't count on the government to take care of us and just keep trying to be self-reliant, that we will be OK. I am so thankful for his optimism and when I am with him I do feel like everything will be fine. We don't plan our future being reliant on the government's help, we don't expect any bail-outs, we don't expect social security to be there when we retire. For this I am glad, even if it means living a more modest lifestyle so we can take care of our own needs.

I don't know what all those unconcerned, happy people are smoking (figure of speech) but as much as I wish I was worry-free I will not partake. I am thankful that I have a realistic outlook. I am glad that our family has CHOSEN not to be slaves to entitlement. I am glad we don't base our decisions based on what we can get out of the government, but rather on what we can do for our children's future. We hope one day to be completely out of debt (all we have left is student loans) and hope that one day we can have enough extra to GIVE. 

We may be heading down a socialist path as a country (because that is working so well for Europe), but if I want to be the change that I want to see in the world, I have to 1) not be dependent on the government and 2) WANT to give. I believe that in a capitalist society, when people are doing well and are affluent, they don't just spend all the money on themselves because it is actually FUN to give when you are able to and I like to think that there are a lot of generous people out there. I think we would still have social programs and they would be better run if they were not controlled by the government. If you are forced to or taxed too much to be able to give, then it is NOT FUN. 

So it is times like these that we can lift each other up. Be there for each other and hope for the best. The alternative is not an option. I am thankful to those who help me keep my head on straight during times when I would nearly fall into despair or panic. 

Preschool Activities

I have been posting a lot more lately because of the "Thankful Day" meme that is going around. I don't want to neglect my preschool posts.

Blueberry knows all her capital letters so now we are working on lower-case letters. She still amazes me with her attention span. I have upper and lower case cards. She put all of the capital letters in order. We sang the alphabet song after every letter to figure out which letter was next. Then she matched the lower case letter to the upper case. She did at least 20 by herself so she knows most of the lower-case.

Matching Upper and Lower Case Letters

We have done letter projects before (where she glues, stamps or sicks items of that letter onto the letter) but she enjoys them so much that we are doing them again, this time with a tracing element and both capital and lower case letters. We got the template from Confessions of a Homeschooler Blog. The Hot/Cold Worksheet is from the Weather Curriculum by Living Life Intentionally Blog.

Hot/Cold Worksheet and Letter A a is for Apple

This week we also went to the Veteran's Day parade. I don't know how much of that she associates with the significance, but it was a fun activity that I hope she will remember. Blueberry is also helping more and more in the kitchen. Last night she helped me make pizza dough and prepare the pizza stones by brushing oil on them. She helps put ingredients in the blender for smoothies (one of her favorite snacks) and last week helped cut out the dough and poke it with a fork for cheesy gluten-free crackers.

A lot of learning these days is just doing different things and becoming more independent and including her in things that we do every day like shopping and putting dishes away.

Thankful Day 15

I am thankful for the people in my life that can be my friend despite our differences. I hope I communicate that just because I choose to live my life a certain way that it is not a judgement against you if you choose differently. This is what works for me and I hope that what you are doing works for you. Taking offense to someone choosing differently from you is a sign of insecurity. Being forcefully argumentative is a sign that you have to convince yourself, not others. (That goes for Christians too.)

I am thankful for those who show respect for differing viewpoints, either by kind and thoughtful discussion or by restraint of comment. I have friends of different religions, different ethnic backgrounds and cultures, and different lifestyles. Nothing compels me to persuade them otherwise.

"I love you too much to argue." -- Love and Logic Institute

Lately there have been a lot of heated Facebook discussions about politics especially. Many people have posted information in line with their political stance. Recently I have chosen to refrain from commenting against those with whom I disagree ON THEIR PAGES. That doesn't mean I do not express my own opinions. I will not be silent just because I disagree with you. On my own page I have the freedom to form a rebuttal or to delete comments.

The internet is a unique platform that allows people to express their opinions without being "against" anyone personally. Without argument. The fact that it is posted publicly compels some people  to "educate" others on why they are "wrong" and that begins with a tone of condescention that I will not tolerate. There is an outlet for that, it is called a forum. Personal facebook pages are not a forum. 

I have a very limited Facebook "friends list" and I am not afraid to make it smaller for fear of appearing "not popular enough". I will block people who start drama or harass me. I REALLY appreciate all of those on my list who can differ in opinion and post what they want and what matters to them on their page.

It is not the number of friends that matters, 

but the quality of friendship!

As a Christian, I have in the past struggled with this idea of "tolerance" in balance with "evangelism" which has been highly promoted by every protestant church I have been to. After much prayer and self-reflection I have come to the conclusion that evangelism is not something I am called to do. I am not perfect and I do not wish to preach. I don't believe my salvation depends on it.

What I am called to do is LOVE. I love my friends and my family even though I do not agree with everything they say. I love them even if they are of another religion, ethnicity or orientation. If we do not agree then we should not argue. We need to lift each other up in grace and find common grounds. There is no room for judgement in any friendship.

I have a lot of respect for those who are examples of this in my life. You are a blessing to me and my life is enriched by those who love and give of themselves despite their differences with others. I hope I can be a blessing to others as well, I know I have a lot of work to do.

Thankful Day 14

My husband knows I am NOT "high maintenance". I'm girly but not "spend-two-hours-in-the-bathroom-primping girly". I dress nice even if it is just for him, and I like getting dressed up for special occasions, but I am glad he loves me the way I am.

I guess I am thankful I can be myself.

Thankful Day 13

I love to cook. I love making messes in the kitchen, but cleaning is not my favorite. Usually I do clean after myself. Standing over the sink with a baby belly is currently more painful on my back than it normally is because of how far across the counter I have to reach to even touch the stream of water. Did I mention we don't have a working dishwasher?

I have a wonderful husband who has graciously taken over the task and for that I am grateful! It makes me feel loved and that he does understand. So after a full day at work, with a long commute, he does have a hot meal ready for him, but then he does dishes.

Thankful Day 12

I wasn't sure how to write this without sounding like an advertisement. So I will just start off with a disclaimer that I get no payment or benefits of any kind for writing this. I am just hoping it will bless someone else.

I am really thankful we encountered Dave Ramsey and his financial plan to get out of debt. I started listening to the Dave Ramsey show on the radio, during short periods of time when it just happened to be on when we were driving around doing errands. I liked his direct, no-nonsense approach to people's financial problems and they seemed like common sense.

I found his website and got his free financial tools, his baby step plan and worksheets. Yes, they are all free. We just started with step one and took it from there. We were struggling with debt mostly from medical expenses and paying for David's school and student loans. We aren't big shoppers, so it was just bad planning.

ig·no·rance  (gnr-ns)

n.

The condition of being uneducated, unaware, or uninformed.

We eventually realized we could clean up this mess if we set our minds to it. These tools gave us hope. Hope for the financial future of our family. It also gave us a different perspective: that debt is not necessary. In fact, there is no such thing as "good debt". Anyone who believes that is in denial.

We eventually bought the "Total Money Makeover" book by Dave Ramsey (which is currently on sale for $10 on his website). It was a very motivational book, but all of the worksheets and information are found for free on his website. The literature goes into more detail on how to apply it, but he really does give this information away. It is a great ministry.

I only wish we had learned this sooner. We were ignorant and we have learned so much, mostly on how to apply this wisdom to our lives. I am thankful that we learned and that we came together and it has strengthened our marriage. It gave us a common goal and plan for our financial future. It also taught us to lean on the Lord to provide for our needs (and not our wants) and see that he truly does provide us with what we need.

We are happy to be out of credit card debt, and never looking back. We are still working on baby step 2 but we see a debt-free light at the end of the tunnel.

Here is another blog post about Dave Ramsey: Why I Dislike Dave Ramsey by Life with Four Boys