Spring Reading Thing!

Katrina at CallapidderDays is hosting the Spring Reading Thing 2007! I’m joining the challenge to finish some books that are on my nightstand and start the new ones that I have waiting in the wings.

Here is my list…

PROFESSIONAL READING:
6 Figure Freelancing (Kelly James-Inger)
Complete Idiot’s Guide to Making $ in Freelancing (Laurie Rosakis)
Reading Like A Writer (Francine Prose)

FICTION:
The Myth of You and Me (Leah Stewart)
Best Friends (Myrtle Moody)
The Next Thing On My List (Jill Smolinski)

OTHER READING:
The Price of Privilege (Madeline Levine)
Creative Correction (Lisa Whelchel)
The Power of a Praying Wife (Stormie Omartian)
The Power of a Praying Parent (Stormie Omartian)
Moneyball (Michael Lewis)
The One That Got Away (Howell Raines)
In An Instant (Bob and Lee Woodruff)
French Women Don’t Get Fat (Mireille Guiliano)
Ready or Not: What Happens When We Treat Children As Small Adults (Kay Hymowitz)
Raising Cain: Protecting the Emotional Life of Boys (Dan Kindlon/Michael Thompson)
The War Against Boys: How Misguided Feminism is Harming our Young Men (Christina Hoff Sommers)
Last Dance (John Feinstein)

Tuesday Tidbits

• My “guest post” on the BLOGS FROM THE ROAD section of Executive Traveler goes live today. Check it out!
• Mighty Goods is a shopping blog! It has some neat things that are not what you find everywhere you go. Plan to spend a little time there.
• The Washington Post site has a technology article today with some tips about removing spyware from your computer. When you have a chance, read “How to Free Your PC From Spyware”
• If you need a little motivation to get your spring fitness regimen going, sign up for the Family Circle Magazine Walking Challenge. It is something you can do with your whole family!
• Only 12 days until Opening Day for Major League Baseball. Go Braves!

Really?

Last month, I was chatting with one of the other moms at the “preschool PTA” meeting. We got to talking about what we had done in our lives before children. Turns out, she has degrees in engineering and had worked, for several years, on an off-shore oil rig.

“Wow! Really?” was all I could manage to say!

Later, I started thinking about the things that I have done/am able to do that people don’t know about. I have never done anything as impressive as working on a oil rig, but there are skills that others don’t know I have.

Here are a few of them…

LAY TILE – I have tiled backsplashes and bathrooms. I can operate a wet saw and grouting is fun since you have an excuse to make a big mess!

HANG, SAND, and MUD SHEETROCK – The first time I did this was on a church mission trip. Later, I helped my boyfriend (now husband) finish a room in his house so he could sell it.

LAY SHINGLES – Again, a church mission trip taught me this skill. Anyone that was young and fairly agile was sent to the roof. Actually, this is kind of fun for Type A personalities like me!

OPERATE A PRESSURE WASHER – Talk about fun!

REFINISH FURNITURE – When I got my first job out of college and moved to another state, my mother and I spent 3 solid weeks stripping and refinishing furniture for my apartment. It is one of our fondest memories; it is hard work; and it is very rewarding!

So, what can you do that others might find interesting? Send me a comment with your talents and share them with all of us.

Big Church

I don’t know about how it works where you are, but where I am, “big church” is a big deal! It is something of a rite of passage to get to be old enough and to be well-behaved enough to go to “big church.” When I was growing up, just walking into the sanctuary brought a sense of quiet and awe. It was as if God, himself, was sitting quietly and patiently until the next worship service. I know, now, that God inhabits his people and that a building and a room are just that. I wish, however, that the sense of awe at the sight of the sanctuary were still present.

I have a totally different perspective on big church now that I am a parent. I do find myself thinking about the issues of reverance, awe, and respect for the place of worship and how I want to instill those things into the minds of my children. There are practical aspects, though, that I fear I spend more time thinking about. How do we sit close enough to the front so that the kids can see while still being close enough to a door to be able to make a discreet exit if we need to? What kinds of activities will be appropriate for them to do to entertain themselves and not make noise? How much of the service should we make them pay attention to? Will I sit between and/or beside them? And on and on and on…

Because we are in a church that has a more traditional, formal worship service, there are some things that are specific and appropriate in the service that we attend. I want my children to know those things. I want them to see that those rituals and elements of worship are important to me and my faith. I want them to behave appropriately, just because that is what we do in church!

Yesterday, for the 1st time in our own church, my whole family sat together in big church. I couldn’t have been prouder, not because they behaved nicely and sat relatively still. I’m just proud to have the opportunity and the responsibility to share “big church” with them. May they come to love it as I do and share it with their own families some day!

Antique Mommy also has a post about “big church” today. Check it out!

Happy Anniversary!

Mr. and Mrs. James Kevin Langston

March 8, 1997

10 down, 40 to go

When my husband and I got married (10 years ago tomorrow), he said that he thought we should plan to re-evaluate the deal at 50 years. In honor of making it through the first 10 years, here are 10 lessons I have learned so far:

1. If the argument doesn’t start until 9:00 p.m., it’s almost impossible not to go to bed angry. Inevitably, one of you will say your peace and go right to sleep while the other turns and churns all night. If you can manage to fight earlier and quicker, nobody will lose any sleep.

2. Buying an artificial, pre-lit Christmas tree has eliminated our biggest fight of the year. It makes the holidays easier. I have been known to use it as a piece of furniture and, until 1 strand of lights went out (right in the middle), I was apt to turn it on even when it wasn’t decorated.

3. Laughing helps almost everything and, if you are lucky, you can laugh with your spouse about most anything. A sense of humor will ease tension and help you not to take yourself so seriously. I’ll take someone funny over someone rich any day!

4. Nothing smaller than a king size bed is big enough! No explanation necessary.

5. It’s easy to forget you are on the same team. With jobs and children and competing schedules, make sure you are focusing on the right “enemy” and make sure that enemy is not your spouse. If you don’t guard your own attitudes and egos, no one else will either!

6. Seeing our hair turn gray together makes me feel like we have accomplished something!

7. It is possible to have graduated from Mississippi State and Ole Miss and not really care about SEC football. In our house, the Southern Living subscription is in HIS name and MY fall Saturdays are planned around the televised game schedules!

8. It’s all in the presentation! Choosing what to tell, when to tell, and how to tell is definitely an art and a balancing act. Sometimes, saying nothing is appropriate also, but I have not learned that as well as I should have.

9. It’s important to have current wills and life insurance policies and even more important to know where those documents are kept. There is no guarantee that our next heartbeat won’t be our last. Wills and life insurance won’t take the grief away but they can make some of the practical things easier so you can deal with grief adequately.

10. Holding his hand still gives me chill bumps and, if I had the chance, I would choose him all over again!

All About the Girls

My daughter, age 3, and her best friend, age 4, get very excited about GIRLS CLUB. Since they both have brothers living in their homes, it helps to have a time to get away from them.

One of our strategies for dealing with the “yukky” boys is “Girls Club”. We go out to eat and do fun things with NO BOYS. No brothers and no Daddys! Since I am the one that started all this, my daughter doesn’t mind me tagging along, but her friend really has to be in the mood for her mom to get to come along. I guess she sees her as part of the reason that boy is in the house anyway!

Today was a “surprise” Girls Club lunch! Neither girl knew it was coming and I picked them up from school early. We headed for lunch at Pizza Hut and then home to skip nap (maybe the highlight of the whole event) and play until time for ballet. The picture above is them playing a game.

I am really just the driver, but I love listening to them. They giggle and squeal and laugh so hard that they can’t breathe. Sometimes, it’s just all about the girls!

Day of Rest

8 Remember to dedicate the Sabbath day: 9 You are to labor six days and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. You must not do any work—you, your son or daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the foreigner who is within your gates. 11 For the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and everything in them in six days; then He rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and declared it holy.
Ex 20:8-11 (HCSB)

Here is one formula for creating a day of rest…

READ for enjoyment. Read the Bible; read the newspaper; read the magazine and book that you have been saving for your “vacation”. Just read what you WANT to read and leave the rest until another day.

EAT for nourishment. Don’t just think of your physical nourishment, but think of your spiritual and psychological nourishment also. Gather with your family and eat together. Talk and share during this time, especially if it is rare that you are eating together at all.

SLEEP for satisfaction. Give yourself permission to nap in the afternoon or go to bed really early, just because you want to!

THANK GOD for obedience. There is nothing in our lives that comes to us apart from God. Think about all the blessings you have in your life, today – right this moment, and thank God for them. He desires our praise and thanksgiving and you will be blessed just by the act of doing it.

Workout Thoughts

8:47 a.m. IN THE CARPOOL LINE TO DROP OFF AT PRESCHOOL
“If I can get to the gym and one of the better treadmills is open, I’ll be going by 9:05 a.m.”

8:51 a.m. PULLING OUT OF THE PRESCHOOL PARKING LOT
“OK. I am making good time. What a pretty day…I’ll open the sunroof. Now, let me change to my radio station…”

8:59 a.m. PARKING AT THE GYM
“What is that they say about parking as far away from the door as you can? That is supposed to help burn extra calories, right? Great, there is a spot right up front! I’ll take that one.”

9:01 a.m. STARTING IS THE HARDEST PART
“Signed in…treadmill is open…good. Hang jacket, fire up my iPod…I am a little bit early. Maybe I’ll be out of here by 10:00 a.m…Oh, yeah, today is my day to catch up and do 60 minutes. I hate those days!”

9:04 a.m. AM I HAVING FUN YET?
“I should probably add a couple of extra minutes to the timer so that I can REALLY walk at my workout speed for the full 60 minutes. I don’t how those elliptical machine people can do those things. It hurts me just to watch.”

9:06 a.m. UP TO SPEED
“Should I go faster than 3.0 today? I always think I could do better than that, but I am never comfortable when I speed up to more than 3.1 or 3.2. I know, I’ll go up to 4.0 and run a little bit and then back off.”

9:06:34 WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?
“I am not a runner. What am I doing running at this speed? I have only been going for about 17 seconds here. I should try to make at least 1 minute on the running part.”

9:07 a.m. GOOD ROUND NUMBER
“OK. That was fun. The timer just got to a new minute…that’s a good round number and a good place to stop running.”

9:11 a.m. HELLO DOUBLE DIGITS!
“OK. I made it to 10 minutes. I am 1/6 finished and, if I want to, I can stop at 30 minutes so that means that I am already 1/3 finished. I really shouldn’t stop at 30 minutes, but I like knowing that I can. Maybe I’ll do 40 minutes here and 25 on the bike?”

9:15 a.m. I HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I DO FEEL BETTER
“Why am I doing this again? I am sweaty and I would rather be doing something else (like eating a cheese pastry and reading the newspaper at Panera)! I don’t like being sweaty. I need to remember to get a towel when I come in next time. If anyone asks, I’ll have to admit that exercising does make me feel better, but I don’t like doing it. I DON’T THINK I EVER WILL!”

9:21 a.m. TWENTY MINUTES AND COUNTING
“All I HAVE to do is 10 more minutes…I can do that…no big deal. At least I’ll be out of here in time to get to the store on my way home. Now, what do I need at the store? I really need to make a list and I don’t have time to make a list. Maybe we’ll go out tonight (again) and I’ll go to the store tommorrow. I wonder which I dislike more – cooking or working out?”

9:29 a.m. CLOSE TO 30
“I can’t stop at just 30 minutes. I’ll do at least 35.”

9:36 a.m. DECISION TIME
“I don’t feel too bad. I think I’ll do 10 more minutes. I wish I could 1½ checks on my goal tracker. I don’t like having to do either 30 or 60 to get credit. Maybe I’ll e-mail that guy and see if he can change that.”

9:38 a.m. MUSIC OR TALK
“At least I can catch up on my talk radio while I am walking. I would never be able to listen to these shows uninterrupted at home. I LOVE podcasts! I might walk better if I had music though. Maybe I need to load a workout playlist? OR, I could just mix some music in between the podcasts that I have downloaded…I think I’ll definitely see if I can find an applause clip to play every 10 minutes. If I think people are clapping for me, maybe it will inspire me.”

9:44 a.m. AM I SKINNY YET?
“Oh man do I hate this! It’s better than the balance ball (that thing almost killed me) but not much. It shouldn’t be too long before I can walk outside some. I work harder when I come here, but it is more interesting to see the real world. Maybe 3 days here and 3 days out…”

9:46 a.m. KEEP GOING?
“I can do 15 more minutes…I’ll slow down a little now and that will help…”

9:50 a.m. AUTOPILOT
“Dave Ramsey just makes me smile! I cannot believe that people will call in and tell the whole world the stuff they tell him. I am not sure I would have enough guts to do that.”

9:56 a.m. PAT ON THE BACK
“Yes, I hate doing this. Yes, I wish I could skip it. Yes, I am proud of myself when I finish each day. Keep going, just 5 more minutes.”

9:59 a.m. THE LONGEST PART
“These last 2 minutes always feel like 2 days. I wish I could walk with my eyes closed so I would not look at the timer so much. If I closed my eyes, I would definitely lose my bearings and ride right off the back of this thing!

10:00 a.m. COUNTING DOWN
“I am happier about this countdown than ANY New Year’s Eve party I have ever been involved with. 10, 9, 8, 7, 6…

10:01 a.m. NO PROBLEM
“That feels pretty good…I don’t know why I don’t do 60 minutes every day! OK, now on to my cheese pastry!”

About Books

Think about your books for a minute. How many books do you think you have? How many books do you think your children have? Do you have bookshelves that are overflowing and closets that are storing books you don’t use anymore? Now, think about your local libraries. Do they have enough books? What about the libraries in your children’s schools? Are they well-stocked?

Throughout my life, I have been incredibly blessed to have access to all the books that I needed to be a successful student. More than that, I have had (and still have) more books in my home than I could ever count. Consequently, my skill for reading has been developed and my love for reading has grown and been nourished. How blessed I am!

But what about people that cannot afford to purchase books for their homes? What about people that don’t need books because they cannot read? What about the people that would like to read more but cannot find enough books to read?

Yesterday, I had a chance to participate in an event that will make a difference in the lives of people that want to read and learn but lack adequate resources to do so. The Children’s Literacy Guild of Alabama distributed over 375 boxes of new and gently used books to librarians from 13 different school systems in the Black Belt of Alabama. There was no charge to the schools and their only responsibility was to pick them up!

I have no question that there are libraries, schools, and families all over this nation that want and need books…ANY books they can get their hands on! Do yourself a favor, go through your books and find some that you can live without. Then, FIND someone that can use them and give them away. If you do, you will plant seeds that will allow someone else’s love for reading to grow!

Here are a few places needing books. Start here if you don’t have someone close by …

Hurricane Katrina Library Relief
Friends of Libraries U.S.A
Gulf Coast Libraries After Katrina
DonorsChoose.org
Dolly Parton Imagination Library
Reading Is Fundamental

One more thing, send me your stories of how you share your books. I would love to know what needs are out there and how little gifts might meet them!