Birth Control and Lost Brain Cells.

Oh, I'm so sorry.

It just occurred to me that this title may have been a bit misleading. It would appear that I have some great new found knowledge of a link between birth control and brain loss. Um ...

What were we talking about?

No, no, no, no! We are not talking science here. Try talking little arms and legs throwing toys in every imaginable space in your home. Picture the contents of a diaper BACKPACK strewn across your living room, for a diaper bag would be much, much too small to contain the multitude of gadgets needed to keep a baby content for that half-a-minute!!

Yes, we are talking about the ultimate birth control - watching 6 children all at once!! Now I realize for some of you this is a walk in the park and you do it every day. However, I am not you. I am a lover of peace. I am a lover of being able to walk all the way across a room - unhindered! I like to walk without a second thought as to just what may find its way under my foot - optimus prime, legos, dress up jewelry, ponies, poopy diapers!! I do not do chaos well.

In a moment of weakness I agreed to watching my sister's 3 kids, my friend's daughter, and of course my own two cherubs. That makes one 8 year old, one 6 year old, one almost 6 year old, two 4 year olds, and a 7 month old. Did I say a moment of weakness or insanity? Add into this mix that my youngest nephew is teething and just finishing up steroids to help him heal from a case of RSV. Shudder!!

I think that covers the birth control part.

The lost brain cells part? The other day I threw some chicken breasts into the crockpot ... and forgot to put the lid on. When I discovered my error a few hours later I added a bit of water and put the lid in place. A couple of hours after that, just before I grabbed the veggies to peel and cut-up to add to the stew, I remembered that no one was going to be home for dinner! Not only had I made a mess of our meal, I had made a mess of a meal that never had to be cooked! Ugh!!!!

Today? I spray painted a pumpkin silver. Does that have to do with anything? I don't know. I just did it.

Needless to say, my chocolate stash is fastly declining, my home is going to take a week to unbury, and my nerves need a detangler. At the end of the day you'll find me in my bed in some state of dress or undress, staring into a room buried in the day's unfolded laundry and unread library books. If you listen really close you'll hear me mumbling something about "not EVER" to the miniature G.I. Joe hiding in the covers.

Is it friday yet?

The "Roomlift"

Cost of paint, borders, and other supplies:
Less than $50.00

Cost for garage sale overalls son painted on:
$1.00

Cost for socks sacrificed to the paint god:
#3.00

Cost for cleaning paint out of the carpet:
?

Cost for allowing an almost 6 year old to paint walls with me:
See above

Cost for chiropractor after moving a heavy, wooden, Lamborghini bed BY MYSELF!:
$35.00

Cost for letting son sleep on MY SIDE of the bed with daddy while I slept with daughter in guest bed while paint fumes settle:
A morning of washing sheets and scrubbing the pee’d on mattress

Cost for working side-by-side with son re-creating a more grown-up room?
PRICELESS

So little time, so many blogs!!

I have become a blogging addict!

It all began here. A tentative toe in the blogging waters. Mmmmmm, it felt nice. A place to rant, rave, recall, regale. A place to share my heart and discover that others' hearts were beating to a similar tune.

With courage I firmly stepped into the waters and added another blog with a more in-depth profile and community. I stayed planted there until the waters were familiar enough to no longer be felt.

I stepped out a bit further and added yet another profile on a site I had previously been terrified of! It wasn't scarey - it was fun!

But now my toes were so far under the water they were being ignored...and have continued to be ignored.

I'm hoping to dig them into the sand at the bottom of the water and remember the place that started it all. Hopefully I will do a good job of keeping up, attracting readers (for what is the point if no one sees my public musings?), and continuing my venture in the sea of blogs!

Open war is upon you...

One of my favorite lines from the Lord of the Rings trilogy is from The Two Towers. It sends chills up my spine each time I hear it.
KING THEODEN: I know what it is you want of me but I will not bring further death to my people. I will not risk open war.
ARAGORN: Open war is upon you, whether you would risk it or not!
You know why that line resonates so with me? Because we are ALL at war. While this war may not be of our choosing, it is upon us whether we choose to fight it or not. The enemy is very active and EVIL! He will stop short of NOTHING to win. If you choose not to fight, he wins.
My mind has been spinning with a million things surrounding this topic. I desperately want to write a devotional or SOMETHING about this, but it is so hard to pull all the loose ends together into something coherent! I'm hoping some of this blog musing will help.
When I think of war, I think of soldiers. When I think of soldiers, I think of training. How many soldiers do you know that do not have to have any training? And how many soldiers go through mild training - a few drills here and there, a nap, some play time, etc.? Yet how many Christians face each day of this battle with no training? In Ephesians 6 the apostle Paul lists the weapons and protection we need in this battle. This is not just a list of suggested items - they are mandatory!! If we are going to defeat this enemy who does not play by the rules, we need an arsonal.
Ah, then my mind gets side-tracked thinking of the enemy and his weapon. Yup - one. But it is such a powerful weapon it is all he needs. Every one of his soldiers is well equipped with it. Deception! And they are all masters at using it. If his deception were easy to spot, it wouldn't be so effective. But he is soooooo subtle! I feel very confident in saying that he has a subtle deception in place in every believer's life. I'm not saying that it is the same deception for everyone, but I'm sure it is there.
Does that make you mad? Ask yourself this. Do you struggle with an habitual sin? Do you "discuss" someone's situation or their behavior toward you with someone other than that person? Are you involved in your church only on Sunday morning...and maybe then only as one who warms a seat? We are called to serve, to live in unity, to be free of sin that entangles. We are told that the truth will set us free. If we are not truly free, we are being deceived. The deception of the enemy is keeping us from seeing our freedom and the lies are holding us back from being able to walk in that freedom.
James says to "Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." I believe the biggest deception the enemy has put into place in believer's lives is that they are completely submitted. If he can hide the ways we are not submitted, we will think all is okay and that the enemy does not have his hold on us. This opens the door to more control of the enemy in the guilt feelings that come when we fall into sin again and again. We think we are just hopeless. We are a sorry excuse for a Christian. THAT IS A LIE! We are just blinded to some truths that we need - our belt of truth is in need of repair.
Ah, again, there is so much floating around in my brain and I'm having a hard time roping it all in. I hope some of this has made sense and I will use this post, add scripture references, add things, shift things around, and maybe someday I'll have an article or put it into a study form. I don't know. I am an extravert. That means I think outloud so most of what I say is unfiltered. I just speak it all out and sort through it all after it's been said. Not a good thing and it gets me into trouble. I really should take up journaling again so that I can think outloud in that and then only say what is necessary and beneficial.
Anyway, I so need to go do devotions with my cherubs and get moving. We have another wonderful, full day. Oh-oh, and deardaughter just informed me that her throat hurts again. Upon further investigation (a look in the throat) I think the anti-biotic didn't do it's work. Add a doctor call or visit to the long list! Aye-aye!

An "Above-and-Beyond" God!

As some of you know, our daughter has been diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome - a form of autism. It makes life a little more exciting and unique and hasn't been a negative thing in the least for us. We have always enjoyed our daughter and her little "quirks". Her diagnosis has actually brought some sighs of relief because we now understand why she can't always answer us or process certain things.
School brought the realization that our daughter's "quirks" needed some outside intervention to help her function in a world that can't always embrace or understand these quirks. She also needs to learn different ways to process things necessary for successful communication and life.
Another milestone experience this past week - Summer Bible Camp - reinforced the continued need for extra intervention. We really had no idea what we needed to do to prepare her or the camp. This is a first for us! We did alert the camp that she has Asperger's, but didn't know how much further to go with it. We REALLY didn't want her labeled and carrying a stigma before she even got there! So we did what we know to do from the getgo - we left it in the Lord's hands.
For a month I pleaded with the Lord that he put in place exactly what DearDaughter needed. After all, he created her. Who better to understand her and know what she needs than the one who knit her every cell together!? What a peace and comfort this knowledge has given me over and over. I am so glad I know and love this Creator and that he is intimately involved with me and my children! One specific prayer I prayed was that DearDaughter would have a counselor that was a mom and that this woman would just bond with DearDaughter and understand her.
When we brought DearDaughter and her friends to their cabin to settle them in, I met the counselors - one of them a mom. And my "above-and-beyond" God knew that this mom was the perfect counselor for her because this mom had a son with Asperger's! My heart was full of praise and I left feeling very confident. But God's provision didn't end there!
We had no idea if DearDaugter would have emotional melt-downs or not. Like I said, this was a first and we just can never predict how she is going to react to situations. However, God sees and ALWAYS knows. She did have many melt-downs and these can be very intimidating if you don't know what you're dealing with. She doesn't do scarey or weird things, she just falls apart and cries over little things and not much consoles her. We have learned how to deal with it and scratching her back usually helps. We did share this information with them, but my guess is that since it wasn't Mom or Dad doing it, it was an irritation rather than soothing.
Here's where God stepped in again and answered prayer. The woman across the hall was a pera who works with Asperger/Autistic children in school! She knew of pressure points and different massage techniques that work to calm these children down! She used these on DearDaughter and they worked. Praise God! Again he provided what was needed - for everyone! Someone with the patience and understanding needed to bring calm to camp atmosphere and relief for DearDaughter who was overwhelmed by things she couldn't process.
It really didn't even end there - the other counselor in DearDaughter's room has a brother with Asperger's. DearDaughter was surrounded by people who could understand the unique characteristics of this syndrome. Who else but God could have put all this in place?
All-in-all, it was a great experience for DearDaughter. When she finally adjusted back into life at home, she was overflowing with stories of camp. That's a big deal because part of Asperger's is the inability to use words to communicate what is going on in the brain. I have learned that when she wants to talk, I drop EVERYTHING and listen! What a joy to hear all the wonderful experiences stored in her brain. She truly loved camp and can't wait to go again. And why not? She's got a faithful "Above-and-Beyond" God who loves her. What more can a mommy ask?

Say "Bismillah" and eat!

I am up to my eyeballs in garlic! We are hosting our annual open house on Sunday and this year we chose to do an Egyptian Christmas theme - that is why our open house is in January instead of December - in Egypt, Christmas is celebrated on January 7th. We usually have around 80 to 100 people in our home!

And our home smells so good right now with all the garlic and cumin! I can't wait to eat it all. Kofta, falafel, baba ganough, tahina sauce, koshari. Compared to our American diet, Egyptian food is actually a bit bland but I love it! It is an acquired taste and I have acquired. It's also quite good for you with all the olive oil, garlic, beans, and vegetables. We also use brown rice so that we get the whole grain.

I'll take pictures and post an update after it is all done. What a way to relax! A cup of coffee, computer in my lap, feet up, waiting for pictures to load to my website. Sounds like a retreat to me!

I'll catch you all later!

Oh Dear! Four months?

Nope, I'm not pregnant. In fact, my body has begun the process that will end that chapter of my life completely.

Nope, I talking four months since my last post. Yikes! How did so much time slip by? I really don't have time even today to fill you in on much - which isn't much - but I couldn't let a day more pass without something!

I gave you a hint at what life is bringing at the moment - perimenopause. Fun!! It's an adventure, ladies! More fiber, more vitamins, less coffee, less sweets...less room in your clothes! I will have to share all about it when I don't first spend all my free time on Bible Studies and forums!

The writing is on hold and I am agonizing about it. I really want to write, but not sure just where to focus my writing. My interests span the boards and of course that voice of doubt is always there. Is that really what you are supposed to be writing? You don't have anything new or interesting to say. You just don't have what it takes. Your time would be better spent someplace else.

I am hoping a writer's workshop this summer will help me sort out those voices and awaken the creativity in me that seems so stifled so often. I DO have what it takes, I just have to be certain the path I am on is the right one.

My time is exhausted. The shower is calling, my husband has been patiently waiting for his turn on the internet, and kids are gonna need food! Not to mention the Christmas season and all the extra fun - baking, making and wrapping gifts, decorating, the list goes on.

Later my friends and family (if you haven't given up checking this site for anything new and actually see this post!).