The Right Way to Legislate

Fox News has another opinion today by a woman's rights author that I have linked to before. This article concerns a recent Supreme Court ruling that a lady filing a claim of pay discrimination had passed the statute of limitations governing the lawsuit. I link to this particular writer because she is one of the few liberals that I read who argues fairly (instead of merely using vulgarity and demeaning those who disagree). And while she pleads her case, I wholeheartedly disagree with her stance which she takes.

For starters, I do agree with the woman who is filing this particular case. It sounds as if she does make a convincing argument for discrimination because of her gender. She has worked the same hours and years, and completed the same job, yet receives only a fraction of the pay of every other man working at the factory. Now I believe that disparaties in gender income are often the results of choices a female makes freely (time off with family, no long hours) and so most cases the argument of income gaps between the sexes is silly. However, there are true cases of disparity, and this might be one of them. So the woman's case seems legit. However...

The current law states that the suit must be filed within a certain time frame. The agencies responsible for oversight may choose to overlook this, but ultimately the time frame is current law. Estrich argues that it was the Supreme Court's place to correct a faulty law. This is where I begin my disagreement with her. It IS NOT the Court's position to correct a bad law. It is the LEGISLATURE'S job to do so. Liberals have become so accustomed to having an oligarchy on the bench govern us that they are furious when it does not happen. And even though I agree this law must be changed (which it sounds like the Democratic Congress is looking into - Kudos to you guys on this one!), do not expect the court to do the Congress's job for them. IT IS UNCONSTITUTIONAL! Period!

It amazes me how quickly liberal women are turning on Sandra Day O'Connor for leaving the bench. How dare she leave to be with her ill husband! Doesn't she realize that it is not family which is important, but the Women's Right Movement must come first and foremost in every female's heart! This attitude is exactly why more and more younger women cannot buy into the movement's illogic anymore and they are continually losing ground among my generation today.

Lazy Mom

When will I learn? I am sitting here, indulging in this wonderful site posted by Danielle and actually becoming motivated to make a Master List of our favorite economical meals when I hear a scream. Not a hurt scream, but an angry one. The kind that will inevitably lead to a tattling. Instead of checking out the situation, I hunker down in my computer chair, hoping that the argument will resolve itself on its own. Did I hear laughter? Yes, yes, I am naive enough to think that my 6 and 5 year old might settle their own squabble...

And yet here comes Nicholas... Yes Brennan took his Go Fish cards... And here comes Brennan... I understand that Nicholas is not sharing... I guess my Master List will have to wait. This is why God created a beautiful thing called "seperate corners"...

UPDATE: Brennan just informed me that since Nicholas isn't sharing his cards, he isn't his friend. When did my 6 year old become so dramatic?

Spilled Milk

It is amazing to me how volatile daily operations become with children. Breakfast this morning illustrates my point.

We were moving along swimmingly. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits as we ate. Nicholas and Philip were repeating a favorite banter back and forth (from our favorite Veggitales CD). Quite cute, even if I do say so myself. This prompted me to suggest playing the said CD. Cheers abounded.

And then, as I was placing the CD into the disc player, the morning altering event occurred. Nicholas spilled his full glass of milk. He immediately began shrieking "I'm wet!". This from the same child who 6 months ago would sit in wet pants and play rather than inconvenience himself with getting up and going to the bathroom? I told him "It's okay. We will get a towel.". And I proceeded to do just that.

I retrieved a rag and gave it to Nicholas to clean himself off with. I then noticed Jonathan happily splashing in the delightful puddle of milk on the floor. I instructed Nicholas to clean the floor when he was done with his shirt and scooped up Jonathan, took his shirt off, and placed him out of harm's (well the mess's) way in his highchair. This unleashed wild screams from the captured boy. I threw a handful of Cheerios onto his tray in a sorry attempt to pacify him (what, you don't throw food at your crying baby in order to quiet him?). Things settling back to normal.

Not yet. About that time I hear another crash and look up to see Brennan knock his cup of apple juice over onto the floor. He was attempting to come cheer up Jonathan and elbowed the cup that was perched precariously on the edge of the table. I go get yet another rag and hand it to Brennan to clean the mess. And then remind him to put it in the laundry. And then remind him to take the empty cup to the kitchen ("Which", I think to myself "if he had done after he ate would have prevented the mess in the first place!").

But now it is calm (a relative term around here anyway). Boys are listening to CD and contentedly playing on the floor. Sure there's now more laundry to be done and a floor that desperately needs mopping, but we are all cheerful. Good enough!

And now time for my little reward! I think I will make myself a second cafe mocha! Happy Boys...Chocolate...Coffee...Today is a really great day!

Imitating John the Baptist

Baptisms are in the air lately. The boys have really enjoyed attending little Michael's baptism and now, last Sunday, two more at our parish on Pentecost. Nothing grabs a little person's attention like water, and especially during Mass!

After the two babies were baptized last Sunday, Nicholas grabbed my arm and said "Okay, now it's Jonathan's turn.". I explained that Jonathan had already been baptized and at home we looked through Jonathan's pictures.

We were at the beach later that afternoon where Nicholas had found some seashells. And you see, our parish uses a shell shaped dish to pour the water over each babies' head. So Nicholas was standing out in the waters of Galveston Bay, seashell in hand, baptizing anything he get his hands on...seaweed, sticks, other seashells. Yes, we still have a little bit of theology to go here! But hey! He did have down the "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" part!

Inflation

Brennan was playing with the plastic food this morning, and he began to bring me his little play cup to "drink". I asked him if this was coffee. "No" he replied. "This is beer. It costs 5 bucks". Okay. What is it about me this morning that I apparently need alcohol? And when did he stop referring to this particular drink as "daddy's coke" as it has been referred to all of these years. Now he calls it by its rightful name. Hmmm. Anyways....

A little while later, Brennan brought me another "cup" . "This one costs 25 bucks".

"Wow!" I exclaimed. "This is pretty pricey stuff. Is it good?"

"Yes" Brennan answered. He quickly returned with another cup, proclaiming the new price to be 35 bucks. This has now officially become a full fledged game.

The latest quote I have been given is 89 bucks. On the plus side, he has been consistently going up with the numbers and I just might find out how high he can really get up to.

A Special Day

I am exhausted. Today was hectic, running from one place to the next, meeting everyone that we had on tap for today. We ran errands and we finished off with Brennan's end of season t-ball party. While tiring, today was a lot of fun together as a family. Much like a similar day 9 years ago...

It was 9 years ago today that we became a family. Colin and I woke up bright and early on a Memorial Weekend Saturday and made our promises to each other to be one from that day forward. As I sit here tonight, I can see just how blessed that we have been so far. All of the memories. Four precious little boys. A home, wonderful friends, a job that my husband enjoys doing. And I get to be home as we raise our blessings together. We have so much to be thankful for.

At first, I was a little disappointed that our anniversary dinner couldn't be our normal dinner out as a family. Even Colin commented on how he had thought we would go out, just the 6 of us, not have a party out with the baseball team's families. But we all had a great time, still together. The boys were such a mess after being in the sand pit at the restaurant (very family friendly!) that I suggested that I get on the other side of the rail by the parking lot and Colin could hand me each boy over the rail so I could place him in the van. As we set out performing this task side by side, a fellow parent made the nicest comment to me "You two really complement each other. You work together so well, taking care of the boys.".

That is the best compliment that we could have received today. What a blessing, for it to happen on our anniversary.

Happy Anniversary honey! May we share many more blessed moments together in the years to come.

Newest Photographer

Nicholas has really become quite the photographer lately. Today's offering:




I love that we own a digital camera. I'm not sure that I could allow him this artistic endeavor if I had to pay for film and processing!

Male Bonding

Nothing is better for Father Son time than reading an action packed comic book together!

Hormones

We females can be such hormonal creatures. I have been reading lately about everyone else's weepiness and I have to say that I, for one, am right there with you all! Last night was a perfect case in point.

The older three boys have really enjoyed looking at their scrapbooks as of late. It has been a popular activity for all. Inspired by their intense appreciation, I (finally) decided to begin Jonathan's scrapbook. All the boys were in bed, Colin was playing a computer game, and so I felt that this was it. I would begin.

As I flipped way back into our picture archive, I saw this.

My dear sweet Jonathan. So beautiful. And just a few hours old. How can it be that in just a few short weeks my baby will be a year old? I honestly couldn't remember if I had ever looked at his birth pics much. And so I flipped through them last night and I cried...cried...cried.

Only a Mom, right?

You know, sometimes I think that God has a reason for giving me boys - after all, there are only so many hormonal moments one house can take!

Good Ole Days

We have been reading the My First Little House Books lately, and the older boys have really enjoyed them. They have especially gotten a kick out of comparing the differences in how they lived back in the good ole days as compared to our city lives today. So it came as no surprise today when the following question came up during our car ride home from the park:

Brennan: Mom, I'm thirsty. Can we find a well so I can get a drink?

Ahh, Poison Control

Waltzing Matilda posted about her recent call to poison control. I know exactly what she means by the nice, trained people on the other line, because I also had an encounter with the nicest Poison Control lady in the world several years ago.

Down here in Houston, we have these native plants everywhere called oleanders. They are indeed lovely. They are also known to be poisonous. Now when we first moved into our house, the inspector had told us that the beautiful, overflowing plant off of our back porch was poisonous, but did not say what it was. I filed that back in my mind (no kids at the time) and never bothered to find out just what it was.

Fast forward several years and we had Brennan and Nicholas, ages 2 years and 6 months. I was in the kitchen feeding Nicholas while Brennan was playing on the back porch (I could see him, but admittedly wasn't watching very closely - we had a fence, after all!). Brennan walked in the house chewing on something and I immediately went to retrieve it. I noticed a chewed plant, and looked down at Brennan's hands to see a few long, dark green blades from the plant that I recalled was poisonous. I freaked out!

I instantly called Poison Control and explained to the lady that my 2 year old had been chewing on plant leaves and I had been told the plant was poisonous. She calmly asked me "What type of plant is it?"

"I have no idea." I responded. "Our house inspector just told us that it was poisonous."

"Well, as long as it isn't an oleander, you are okay." she replied. "And you would know if it was an oleander."

"Actually, no. What does an oleander look like?". I inquired. And then as she described the bright flowers and long, smooth, shiny, dark leaves, my heart plummeted. "That's what it is!" I exclaimed.

She immediately came back with "Well, okay. How much did he eat?". I immediately began deciphering how many leaves he had, looked for chewed up remains, and tried to piece several leaves back together. All while this patient lady was on the phone.
The best I could figure was that he actually swallowed maybe an eighth to a quarter of a leaf. I relayed this to her.

"Oh." I heard instant relief in her voice. "There is only a problem if he ate several whole leaves, or brewed a tea with them". She then warned me to look out for drowsiness or nausea, and to call back if I noticed any signs of them. I thanked her profusely (this call lasted for about 25 minutes) and hung up.

Thankfully, Brennan did not exhibit any danger signs (I watched him like a hawk!). I later recalled the end of our conversation....who would brew them in a tea?

Colin came home an hour later and tore out both of our oleanders, stump and all. And that is the end of our only (so far, and hopefully our last) Poision Control saga.

The Ball Game

I love all of the baseball talk out there on the blogosphere. You see, I am an avid lover of the game. It isn't my fault, really. It's in my genes.

I remember walking, and then learning to throw a ball. I remember both of my parents coaching our teams and practicing with us in the backyard. I recall driving the three hour trek to Arlington, Texas a dozen times or so each summer so that we could cheer on the Texas Rangers as a family. When my Mom worked nights and was sleeping when I arrived home from school, I would turn on WGN and cheer on my Chicago Cubs.

I threw myself into softball wholeheartedly. The night before my first ever tryout (7th grade) where you actually had to make the team, I turned my bed mattress up against the wall and threw into it for hours, practicing my reach and dives for each ball that ricocheted off the mattress. I trained at practices, and always tried to play my best. I went to summer pitching clinics in order to become a pitcher. Each year at the College World Series (which my family attended religiously), I studied the college pitchers each and every move. I practiced these new throws anywhere I could. While I managed to never break a window, I certainly did place a few dings into my Mom's Camry!

I considered trying to walk on at Oklahoma State my freshman year, but pursuing an engineering degree just didn't mesh with University level athletics (not if you wanted to graduate any time soon!), so I stuck to playing rec leagues. I loved it. There was something refreshing about taking just a bit of the competitive edge off, and I learned to play (mostly) for fun.

Tonight I played my first game in 18 months. Thrilling! I am so glad to be back out there. I have been unable to play while Colin was working on his thesis. Before that, I would play whenever I was not pregnant. Well, not very pregnant anyway. I played up until 15 weeks pregnant with Philip. I didn't think it was too bad, but the umpire looked at me at an at-bat and said "this is your last game, right?". Poor guy. I was so worried that he would have a heart attack watching me on the bases that night. To be honest, the biggest struggle for me concerning pregnancy is not being able to play sports. That is truly a sacrifice I have to make!

But I got to play tonight. The weather was perfect. It enraptured me to be out on the field once again. And I thank God for giving me another season, another opportunity to play. I am never guaranteed another season, only the present. Too many athletes have fallen victim to accidents, health issues, or other unforeseen circumstances which have brought their "careers" abruptly to an end. I, for one, am thankful to still be playing.

Congrats, Colin!

In addition to the excitement surrounding Nicholas's birthday and Mother's Day, we had the pleasure of celebrating another momentous occasion here this weekend. Friday night, Colin walked across the stage and received his Masters of Science in Statistics. My wonderful brother and sister-in-law graciously kept the four boys (it was a three hour ceremony) so that I may attend with Colin's aunt and uncle. The four of us celebrated afterwards with dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant. What a great way to celebrate Colin's accomplishment and three and a half years of hard work!

Brennan asked last week "when will Dad be home again?", referring to the late hours that he has had to keep recently in order to finish up his thesis. Every one of us is just thrilled with the prospect of more dinners and evenings with Dad - it is hard to say just who is the most excited! I am glad that he took this opportunity to get this degree before the boys were much older, although at times it was no picnic for either of us!

Yet it is done. And we couldn't be happier! Or prouder! Congratulations to my very best friend! We are all so very proud of you!

Happy Birthday, dear Nicholas!

Today I had the pleasure of combining my Mother's Day lunch with Nicholas's birthday lunch. Our family had a wonderful time, celebrating these two very special events in our lives.

My new 5 year old with his LarryBoy cake

LarryBoy is Nicholas's favorite superhero. Last summer the older boys took swim lessons at our neighborhood pool. I will never forget the first time that the kids were all lined up at the pools edge. The instructor went down the wall, asking each his name. When she got to Nicholas, he responded "LarryBoy" with a huge grin. He never would tell her his real name (maybe it would ruin his secret identity!).

Nicholas had a wonderful party yesterday with some very dear friends. He loved it!

Nicholas has grown so much lately. He helps wash dishes and windows. He proudly works through his new Phonics workbook and displays his knowledge of his numbers. He loves to read and then act out what he has read - Curious George, Poky Little Puppy, and The Three Bears are his current favorites. Nicholas can now dress himself, brush his own teeth, and buckle his own car seat (Yea!!). He loves being old enough to play tball, just like Brennan.

Happy Birthday to my Super hero - Mom loves you very much!

My Tribute to my Mom

Happy Mother's Day to all of the wonderful, hardworking, nurturing mamas out there, especially my own! Today I would like to share just a few of my many favorite memories of my Mom while I was young...

My Mom is my teacher...I remember my Mom sitting with me on the couch, working Algebra problems with me. I remember insisting that she explain why specific letters were used for each problem. I could be so stubborn some times!

My Mom is patient...and speaking of stubborn, I remember insisting that I could wear my red and white Mickey Mouse shirt with my favorite pink pants. I reasoned that they had to match because pink was just a lighter shade of red.

My Mom is nurturing...I remember my Mom running cold water on my 7 year old hands because my fingers had slipped off of the hot pad while removing our freshly baked cookies from the oven.

My Mom is a good sport...she is the one that would sit in the backyard and catch for me endless hours while I practiced my pitching, even taking a few in the knees once in a while.

My Mom is merciful...In high school, I once found myself unprepared for a history test. We also had a major paper due the next day (college prep class). Several friends were pretending to be their parents and calling in sick in order to go to the college library and work on the paper. I took the risk of instead calling my Mom and explaining myself. My mom called me in and had my grandma pick me up so that I could go research my paper.

My Mom loves me unconditionally...When I received my traffic ticket a few months after getting my license, my Mom did not even get upset. I was so hysterical that she calmed me down, and then casually explained that I would just have to pay the ticket out of my own savings. She never spoke a harsh word concerning the situation.
Even now, she still listens tirelessly as I call her over every motherly concern that pops into my head.

My Mom is my friend... I fondly remember our times alone in high school where we would talk over a game of backgammon or a quick walk around the block. I will always cherish those one-on-one times with her.

May I also be to my boys the loving mother that Mom was to me. Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!

Jumping for Joy

Today was the kind of day that puts a spring in my step and leaves me wanting to sing. Yes we had our share of little tiffs, but today something happened that I have been waiting for for almost 5 years. Let me explain...

Nicholas, my 4 year old (will be 5 this weekend!), is what I call an extreme personality. He has absolutely no self control over his emotions. And while it has been slowly getting better since its peak at about 3 years of age, I still tremble at the thought of having him anywhere in public. So much so that I almost decided not to apply for the homeschool coop in the fall, afraid that he would have a stubborn, tantrum kind of moment and be asked not to come back! You see, his tantrums often involve hurling himself or any close object, with no regard for any innocent bystanders. He is also very strong willed, and a time out or discipline taking my oldest child 5 minutes will often go on for hours with Nicholas. I have shed more than a few tears over him, and have often wondered just how he would turn out in the long run.

Not that he is all trouble, mind you. He also delights me. His bubbly personality is contagious, and his smile in the morning warms my heart. He is my morning person who greets each day with such eagerness and joy. He can be so thoughtful, and absolutely hilarious. He is my comic, my performer, my helper (he does a GREAT job at washing windows!). And the twinkle in his eye and expressive face are just too adorable (says the doting Mom).

But those tantrums. They are the sore spot of my day. Oftentimes, my state of mind at the end of the day is in large part due to how many of Nick's meltdowns I have been able to avoid. I have been waiting to wake up one day, and see a drastic change. I have employed firm discipline. I have tried spending more one on one time. We have seen small steps of progress, but these steps are so minuscule that it takes looking 6 months or so back to see progress. Until today.

Today we didn't just avoid a tantrum, we conquered it (or should I say Nicholas did!). He wanted to watch a movie - it wasn't time. I was putting on a music CD instead. He began to scream "I WANT TO WATCH A MOVIE!" I reiterated that it was not movie time, and if he yelled again or threw a tantrum, he would have to go sit in his corner.

Nicholas did not scream, he did not even throw the toy in his hand. He stood there, his entire body trembling, for about 30 seconds. And then he did the unthinkable.

Nicholas looked at me, and with a calm, firm voice, replied "I am just so angry!".

I froze - never had he displayed such self control. I immediately hugged him up and told him how proud I was that he was able to express himself so calmly. And I repeated that while it was still not time for a movie he showed what a big boy he is becoming by saying how he felt instead of throwing a fit. And I hugged him some more. I felt Nicholas immediately relax his body, and he went back to play peacefully.

This may seem crazy to most, but I was afraid that I would never get a moment like this with Nicholas. A moment when I could affirm him in what he did right instead of berating him for a wrong. And the rest of today was perfect.

Thank you, God!



Nicholas, displaying his all expressive smile! My future actor!

What really burns me up...

...are articles like this, via Danielle's site.

Back in the 70's, population doomsayers were espousing ideas such as no more than 2 children, especially for the wealthy nations. And where did it lead? To a European continent struggling to survive. A continent that has to bring in massive numbers of immigrants in a poor attempt to sustain the jobs needed for a functioning society. And then a continent reeling from the unrest brought about when those immigrant groups do not assimilate quite like they had hoped that they would.

And this guy tries to pass off, as honest scientific study, that this is still a good thing?

It really irritates me when these supposed intellectuals still encourage ideas that have been proven time and time again that DO NOT WORK!

Now, I am 100% for taking care of the environment. I believe that God commands us to be good stewards of creation. We will do what we can (reasonably) to not be wasteful of our natural resources and to protect nature. HOWEVER this does not mean that I think draconian measures are even an okay idea when it comes to environmental protection. How would a birth rate of 2 children/family (or less) affect the HUMAN RACE! No one even bothers to ask these questions. They ask about effects on trees, polar bears, and the little creek behind our neighborhood, but humans? Bah!

The fact is that while we should be good stewards, it was when God made Adam and Eve that he stopped and said "It is very good!". God made humans to be above animals and trees. So should we go to such an expense as to chance wiping out the human race just to save a few forests and birds?

I really don't think so!

The main problem that I have with "green" groups is not that they are pro-environment. It is that they are anti-human beings.

How does he really feel?

Friday morning we began to pack up the car for our weekend trip to Oklahoma. Brennan ate breakfast, got dressed, and came up to me, kind of sighing, and said "well, what do I have to do next?". (We have been getting a serious case of the "have to" lately!)

I said "Actually, we are going to Oklahoma, so pack your backpack with books you want for the ride."

Brennan replied "You mean, I don't have to do any schoolwork" ("Nope", I responded) Brennan went on "I don't have to pick anything up? ("No", I again answered.)

In cinematic fashion, Brennan put both arms straight up in the air, his feet left the ground, and he shouted "WOOHOO!".

Poor, overworked child.

Just a Phase

Due to my recent post on Jonathan and a conversation yesterday with a very dear friend, I have heard a lot of talk about phases. It seems that most difficulties with motherhood revolve around these phases. Young people grow out of one particularly trying situation, things are great for a while, and then another rears its head.

I wonder if these different issues are just manifestations of the same difficult character issues that we are constantly trying to hone in our children. Or are they really each separate issues?

Whether it is truly "just a phase" or a constant ongoing battle to raise respectable young persons, these simple words provide the needed comfort to the weary and worried mom.

And you know what, that is good enough!

Hitting the Teen Years Early

Brennan always finishes up the second half of his Math after lunch and storytime. After we finished our stoy, Brennan exclaimed "I really need a nap!"

"How odd." I thought. "Hope he isn't getting sick."

But I don't think that he is. You see, he is peacefully resting, not sleeping, but quietly in bed. For 45 minutes.

Maybe he just needed down time. More likely he will do anything, including lay quietly for an extended period, in order to avoid Math. Anyhow, time to get him up and do that Math. At least I am glad that I got the few moments that I had with Nicholas one on one!

On a brighter note...

If you are going to tattle on the little guy, you must partner it with a totally cute, gratuitous picture as well. After all, the trying times are only a small fraction compared to the joy of Jonathan himself!

So without further ado...

Jonathan, on the move.

Having your cake and eating it too!

We have hit an all too familiar wall in nursing experience. See my boys don't have a nursing strike as some do. What they have is a bit if a wrestling experience with it. One in which they fully believe that they should be able to nurse, but have the full range of motion that the luxury of the sippy cup brings. They don't want the actual sippy cup - it will only bring fits of anger. What they want is to be attached to Mom, but still be able to stand, crawl, wriggle, and look around. When it doesn't work out (and Mom gets tired of being a recipient of the tortuous pain involved), the little guy gets put down on the floor. This of course leads to wailing screams of bloody murder!

Brennan wasn't breastfed. I vaguely remember Nicholas being this rough, but I don't remember what I did. (Isn't it funny how we forget these things until they are upon us again!) Philip was actually somewhat okay with being let go to explore. Jonathan is not. He is mad. He just spent 20 minutes screaming (I set the timer out of curiosity) as well as throwing his sippy cup a couple of times. I am really thinking that I might have another strong willed child on my hands. *sigh*

Does any one else have this happen? My mom suggests that I wean them when they start this, but I just don't know... I wish I could remember how I handled this with Nicholas...