Friday, September 28, 2007
A Wife Less Ordinary
A site that I don't visit as often as I should has this great article on living the wifely vocation. The best part about blogging is perusing the 'net and founding out that there are more people like you and your wife out there, living the life and trying to figure things out. Best of all, those people are charitable enough to share their thoughts, feelings, and prayers with you.
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Bizarre NFP Information
I know, I'm in a slump and haven't really returned to posting yet. We have been busy cleaning the house in preparation for a big party, and completing our summer chore list.
We did take the time to give an introduction to NFP to an interested OB/GYN student from Penn. She was polite, interested, and friendly. Talking about NFP outside of the "class" always makes me happy, especially with an attentive and intelligent listener.
Anyway, my wide-ranging introduction brought me to my favorite bizarre NFP topic, spit under a microscope. My wife discovered this site a few years ago while googling NFP. Spit undergoes similar changes to those experienced by cervical secrections during the fertile time. So if a woman studies her spit daily, she can determine if she is fertile or not. I just love that someone thought of this. It is so cool and weird and completely moral as far as I can tell.
Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
We did take the time to give an introduction to NFP to an interested OB/GYN student from Penn. She was polite, interested, and friendly. Talking about NFP outside of the "class" always makes me happy, especially with an attentive and intelligent listener.
Anyway, my wide-ranging introduction brought me to my favorite bizarre NFP topic, spit under a microscope. My wife discovered this site a few years ago while googling NFP. Spit undergoes similar changes to those experienced by cervical secrections during the fertile time. So if a woman studies her spit daily, she can determine if she is fertile or not. I just love that someone thought of this. It is so cool and weird and completely moral as far as I can tell.
Truly we are fearfully and wonderfully made.
Friday, September 21, 2007
What I did on my summer vacation
Vacation with the family was excellent. Jen already posted a good synopsis so go there for the scoop.
The most interesting thing which I got on vacation was an understanding of the desire to parent other people's children. Many of my dear friends have expressed a desire to parent children whose parents are obviously not doing the job well. I thought my friends were being hard on other people who were merely having a momentary lapse in discipline. I was wrong and I apologize to all my dear friends. Momentary lapses of discipline are obvious and easily forgivable since concerned parents resume discipline shortly thereafter. For example, a toddler who sneaked under a pew at Mass for a minute, only to have mommy pick her up and sit her back on the pew with a sternly whispered reprimand. That was a lapse in discipline, a lack of discipline looked completely different.
On vacation, we took an evening family cruise to go fishing in the bay near Ocean City, NJ. The nearly complete lack of discipline on the family cruise was rather scary. The five year old son of the captain of the boat repeatedly pointed the bilge pump at me and my family in spite of occasional reprimands from the captain. I took it away from him and placed it where he could not get it. The eight year old son of the captain repeatedly disobeyed his dad and eventually started flailing his fishing rod, hook and all, in the general vicinity of my daughter's eyeballs. Pop and I both stepped in and vigorously reprimanded the boy while removing the rod from his grasp.
Quite frankly, a lack of discipline is not just scary, but dangerous and potentially blinding.
The most interesting thing which I got on vacation was an understanding of the desire to parent other people's children. Many of my dear friends have expressed a desire to parent children whose parents are obviously not doing the job well. I thought my friends were being hard on other people who were merely having a momentary lapse in discipline. I was wrong and I apologize to all my dear friends. Momentary lapses of discipline are obvious and easily forgivable since concerned parents resume discipline shortly thereafter. For example, a toddler who sneaked under a pew at Mass for a minute, only to have mommy pick her up and sit her back on the pew with a sternly whispered reprimand. That was a lapse in discipline, a lack of discipline looked completely different.
On vacation, we took an evening family cruise to go fishing in the bay near Ocean City, NJ. The nearly complete lack of discipline on the family cruise was rather scary. The five year old son of the captain of the boat repeatedly pointed the bilge pump at me and my family in spite of occasional reprimands from the captain. I took it away from him and placed it where he could not get it. The eight year old son of the captain repeatedly disobeyed his dad and eventually started flailing his fishing rod, hook and all, in the general vicinity of my daughter's eyeballs. Pop and I both stepped in and vigorously reprimanded the boy while removing the rod from his grasp.
Quite frankly, a lack of discipline is not just scary, but dangerous and potentially blinding.
Thursday, September 20, 2007
Lessons in Humility
I promise to have a post soon about what I learned on my summer vacation. But until then I have to share this story with you, dear reader.
Due to the approaching end of summer, I found our house much cooler in the morning than has recently been the case. On this morning, my eldest daughter joined me for breakfast as she often does. After breakfast, I decided I should get her dressed before I left for work. I thought Maria would get cold playing in the guest room with all her toys so I picked out an outfit and dressed her. Later in the day, after using the potty, Maria went to get her pants. Instead of picking up the pants I had chosen that morning, Maria opened her drawer in the dresser and pulled out the pants that belonged with the shirt she was already wearing.
That is to say, in all humility, my daughter is better at dressing herself than I am.
Due to the approaching end of summer, I found our house much cooler in the morning than has recently been the case. On this morning, my eldest daughter joined me for breakfast as she often does. After breakfast, I decided I should get her dressed before I left for work. I thought Maria would get cold playing in the guest room with all her toys so I picked out an outfit and dressed her. Later in the day, after using the potty, Maria went to get her pants. Instead of picking up the pants I had chosen that morning, Maria opened her drawer in the dresser and pulled out the pants that belonged with the shirt she was already wearing.
That is to say, in all humility, my daughter is better at dressing herself than I am.
Friday, September 7, 2007
End of Summer Blues
This is the part of summer that I have an intense love/hate relationship with. I hate to see summer go and spend much of my free time cramming in things which have been on my summer To-Do list for months. I also love the feeling of accomplishing many things around the house which comes from reckless completion of chores. This is my biggest and best chore of the summer. I am very sad that I trusted C.D. Kaller for my gutters two years ago, I will not use them again.
On the flip side, I am very happy that I hired "Superior Driveway Coating" to do the driveway. It looks great and it is done!
On the flip side, I am very happy that I hired "Superior Driveway Coating" to do the driveway. It looks great and it is done!
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