A meme is a list of questions and answers that a blogger posts on their site. In turn, you can then do the same on your blog. Your readers can follow suit if they choose and the meme travels. I've seen many a meme and never participated, but today BooMama posted a meme and I've decided to play along.
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago, it was the summer between my sophomore and junior years of college at East Carolina University. That summer I went on my Junior Enrichment trip as part of my NC Teaching Fellows requirements. It was at a summer camp on the NC coast teaching kiddos about the wild horses in NC and soaking up the sun, sand, and water!
Favorite Snack?
Oats & Chocolate Fiber One bars
Air popped popcorn
Anything sweet & salty (ex. chocolate covered pretzels or birthday cake and potato chips)
Coldstone dark chocolate ice cream mixed with peanut butter
To Do List?
Tomorrow's list: put clothes away, take baby to doctor for immunizations, rearrange dining room (with Mema's help), go to BJs Wholesale Club, make calls/emails for special needs ministry I head up, clean house for small gathering of friends on Sunday
Jobs I Have Had?
After-school care assistant, concessions at baseball field, waitress at Pizza Hut, music director at a small church, retail clerk at knick-knack store, bartender, special education teacher, special needs nanny, stay-at-home-mom
Places I Have Lived?
NC...yeah, that's it just NC!
Bad Habits?
Picking my cuticles, biting my lip, starting something then getting distracted and starting something else never to finish first activity, procrastination
Five Random Things People May Not Know?
I've broken both of my arms and had three casts.
I can pop lots of joints: fingers, toes, back, ankles, wrists, neck, knees
Matt and I were introduced by Jacob's mother six years ago.
The first time I met the girl who eventually became my sister-in-law, she mistook me for a really hot, much older guy's girlfriend.
When Matt and I met, I did not want children of my own! :)
CDs I Would Want If Stranded On an Island?
Lakewood Live
My mix-tape CD of love songs from my hubby
Best of Broadway
Billy Joel's Greatest Hits
Martha Munizzi
What Would I Do If I Were A Billionaire?
Donate a large chunk to my church, Children's Cup, breast cancer research, the Arc, and the Autism Society
Pay off remaining debt
Buy a house big enough for lots of kiddos and animals
Buy a vacation home in Kauai...on the water, yes indeedy
Save for kiddos education
How's that for a wealth of knowledge. Tag...you're it! Just put a comment linking to your meme in the comments section.
(Jacob and cousin, Caleb)Last night while I was volunteering at the Kid's Exchange consignment sale (check this out...great prices on gently used items), Daddy and Eli stayed home and had some quality time. This is the action that ensued!
Eli decided to skip the whole rolling from belly to back step and went straight for back to belly. You know, he's advanced like that! :)
...he built this city with le-e-gos!
(Please excuse the liberty I took with Starship's lyrics. I just couldn't resist!)
Pretty awesome, huh?
...that is the cry of so many people--so many women.
I was reading this blog and came upon a post regarding Oprah. Now, I posted very briefly about Oprah not that long ago. You can see that post here. Here's some of what Boothe was sharing in her blog
"I recently received an e-mail regarding a new program that Oprah and her friends are advocating via her XM radio show. The program is called "A Course in Miracles." Apparently, the material for this course was delivered via an "inner voice" to a female professor several decades ago. It was published in the seventies, but only now is gaining a worldwide popularity. Some have claimed it to be the "new age Bible," though I'm not quite sure what that means.
I will first say that I like Oprah. I like her because I believe she is a woman who feels a compulsion to do good, to change others' lives, and to make wise choices. I am not, as I wrote in an e-mail earlier, one to "throw out the sinner with the sin" - or, at least I hope not to be. Therefore, what I write in the next few paragraphs is not an indictment against Oprah or any of her colleagues. I will say, however, that I believe her to be sorely - and, for the moment, treacherously - misguided.
Oprah is a woman, like most of the readers on this blog, who is trying to understand a God who loves her. But she is not walking toward truth. To be sure, she's seeking something. I am not that different from her. But my filter is guarded by the truths of Scripture. What "A Course in Miracles" teaches is derived, not from Scriptural truth, but from what I would wager is the exact opposite. As Paul wrote, we do not "struggle... against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms" (Ephesians 6:!2). Let there be no doubt that the teachings in this "Course in Miracles" are Satanic. I do not mean to dramatize. It is not in my nature to overreact to things of a spiritual matter. But I stand firm in my belief that anything that does not point us to a Christ who is resurrected, and upon whom alone we can depend for salvation, is a work of the enemy."
I was startled when I began to research this New Age stuff she is endorsing. To think of the influence Oprah has with women and the falsehood that is this New Age stuff is just frightening. Here's some of the information I found regarding "A Course in Miracles" and what it teaches:
“There is no sin. . . "
A “slain Christ has no meaning.”
“The journey to the cross should be the last ‘useless journey.”
“Do not make the pathetic error of ‘clinging to the old rugged cross.’”
“The Name of Jesus Christ as such is but a symbol... It is a symbol that is safely used as a replacement for the many names of all the gods to which you pray.”
“God is in everything I see.”
“The recognition of God is the recognition of yourself.”
“The oneness of the Creator and the creation is your wholeness, your sanity and your limitless power.”
“The Atonement is the final lesson he [man] need learn, for it teaches him that, never having sinned, he has no need of salvation.”
Dear friends, that is some scary stuff. Boothe goes on to say in her blog post,
"It seems to me that, if God has allowed Oprah a position of authority, a voice of influence, it is because we - women - are under attack. Open your eyes! This is not a time for dillydallying. Oprah's realm of influence is primarily female. Perhaps we live in an era where women are a threat like they never were before. Or. perhaps we live in an era where they are easier targets, unsure of their security in Christ. Who could doubt it? But, whether either is true, we know that, if we are under attack, we must plant our feet firmly in the truth. We must choose a veritable call to arms. This isn't about persecution or boycott. Not self-help, not religion, not church, not Bible-beating. It's about Jesus. Let us all cry out, "Give me Jesus!" and be done. It was finished, two thousand years ago. Let us not add or subtract from that one, great, critical Work."
And to that I say, "AMEN"
To learn more about this, check out http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/007/smith-oprah.htm and http://mentodayonline.com/spirituality/oprah_acim.html and http://www2.oprah.com/xm/mwilliamson/mwilliamson_acim.jhtml?promocode=XMHP.
Word has it, the pie is quite tasty. Jacob affirmed my pie-making skills with a purple mouth and Matt even said he'd have to make trips to the Farmer's Market to pick up the in-season fruit for future pies! It's a successful SAHM in the making episode! HOORAY!
For those of you following the story of Eli's sleep training, Eli soothed himself last night after about an hour and 20 minutes and then proceeded to sleep straight through the night until 5:30! HOORAY!!
Also, he's soothing himself for naps. That is going much better than nighttime (as far as the time needed to soothe). I put him down and he's asleep within 10 minutes!
I'm so proud of our little guy. Between not having to rock him to sleep for naps, having slept for 7.5 hours myself last night, and Mema stopping by today I was quite productive and our house is looking much better!!
Thanks so much for your prayers!
The little guy finally soothed himself after an hour and 25 minutes. I was planning on going up at an hour and a half. So, that's progress!
HOWEVER, now he's waking up during the night again. Monday night he woke up at 12:00 and 4:00. Last night it was 1:00 and 5:00. This is not progress and is wearing me out!!!
Not sure if anyone else has tried this method or knows more about it, but if you do, please leave a comment or email me. Our doctor was kind enough to let us know that as parents we must make decisions that work for our family, but I would really like Eli to be able soothe himself to sleep AND to sleep through the night. I think I'll put in a call to the doc for more suggestions!
Thanks for the prayers!!!
Eli had his four-month well baby check up yesterday! Our beloved Dr. Wilkes is no longer at our pediatric practice. We knew she was moving with her husband to Ohio for his job, but that did not make the switch to a new doctor easy. What did make it easy was meeting Dr. Bodenstine, the doctor we chose to replace Dr. Wilkes. He was so patient and took so much time with Matt, Eli, and me. His bedside manner was gentle, kind, and knowledgeable. And, I told Matt that I really liked him because he was sort of "grandfatherly." My pediatrician, Dr. Ryburn, was "grandfatherly" and I loved him!
At his check-up, we were finally able to find out how big Eli has really gotten. Our big boy weighed in at 15 pounds, 6.5 ounces which puts him in the 75%ile for weight. He measured 26 1/4 inches, 90%ile for height. Dr. Bodenstine hypothesized that Eli will reach 6' tall at maturity!
Eli also received two more immunizations and since we are using an alternate vaccine schedule, he'll go back in a month for two more. He seemed to do well with the shot. Only screamed a second and calmed pretty much immediately when I picked him up! He's getting so big.
Lastly, Dr. Bodenstine recommended that we begin to allow Eli to put himself to sleep or self-soothe. Matt or I have been rocking him to sleep and very gently placing him in his crib at night (and at naps) since birth. So, last night we gave the docs recommended method a try. Our stubborn little guy screamed, and I mean S-C-R-E-A-M-E-D steadily for an hour and a half. He screamed upstairs and I cried downstairs. Matt or I went up every 10-15 minutes, just to reassure Eli (and me) that we did not abandon him, but that did little to comfort him (or me). Finally at 9:05, I went up and picked up my sweaty, screaming baby. I placed his little head on my shoulder and he was out. Just like that!
As I sit here and type this, our little guy is in the nursery, S-C-R-E-A-M-I-N-G yet again. Please say a little prayer for us as we take this journey to independence. Hopefully, this will work and it will allow Matt and I to have some time together again once the kiddos are in bed. I miss our quiet times together to chit chat and catch up...
...and as cute as this one is maybe, just maybe, we need another!
