Sleeping position
Did you know that your favorite sleeping position or posture is inherited?
When my daughter was born, I thought it was funny that she liked to sleep on her back with both of her arms thrown up above her head. When I asked a child-behaviorist about it, she asked me whether my husband or I slept like that. After thinking about it, I remembered that hubby does indeed sleep in that position! She said, "Yep, that's an inherited sleep positon":)
I found this entertaining quiz that you can take that will explain your personality based on your favorite sleep position:
There is scientific evidence that your fave position does say something about your personality:
Here's what my quiz said:
| What Your Sleeping Position Says |
| You have a passion for everything - including sleeping. Outgoing and brash, you tend to still shock those who know you well. You tend to be selfish. You are the most likely type to hog the covers. You gravitate toward comfort and don't like extreme situations. |
Faith on the beach
This is Faith on the beach. She didn't like it at first because the sand stuck to her feet and hands, but she warmed up to it, as you can see:)
This is Faith, Sophia (my sister's daugther) and I.
One Word Explanations
One word. No explanation.
1. Yourself: compassionate
2. Your partner: awesome
3. Your hair: red
4. Your mother: tiresome
5. Your father: ambiguous
6. Your favorite item: pen
7. Your dream last night: weird
8. Your favorite drink: wine
9. Your dream car: Jag
10. The room you are in: family
11. Your ex: Nate
12. Your fear: dark
13. What you want to be in 10 years: fit
14. Who you hung out with last night: work
15. What you're not: perfect
16. Muffins: banananut
17: One of your wish list items: curtains
18: Time: fast
19. The last thing you did: drank
20. What you are wearing: sweater
21. Your favorite weather: sunny
22. Your favorite book: historical
23. The last thing you ate: pistachios
24. Your life: wonderful
25. Your mood: happy
26. Your best friend: sleeping
27. What you're thinking about right now: photography
28. Your car: adequate
29. What you are doing at the moment: memory-making
30. Your summer: soon
31. Your relationship status: married
32. What is on your TV: SNL
33. What is the weather like: frigid
34. When was the last time you laughed: recently
Hmmmm...who's a good sport? I tag Doe, Pastor, MilkandPea, Ruined...as long as you have not already done this:)
Stop Sylvia Browne
Back from Vaca
Opportunity Knocks...
My husband has a job interview with a very large university in our city next week. It would absolutely be an answered prayer if he got this job. He would be doing something he loves. He would have stellar benefits. Our financial strain would be over. We could consider having another child. All wonderful things....
He has been submitting applications for the longest time, over six months. In that time, he's received two calls asking for interviews, but he turned them down because the pay was too low.
He has gotten so discouraged:( I've tried my hardest to reassure him that everyone has trouble finding a decent job nowadays and that it's no reflection on his abilities. I hate to see him be sad...
So, looking forward to Wednesday and his interview! Please send up your prayers for him:)
He will dance a jig indeed if he's able to get out of his current position
Something to be thankful for...
This is an email I just got from my little sister. She just had her first child, a daugther, named Sophia Elizabeth. My mom, Faith and I are driving to see her for the first time next week.
This lifted my spirits and I hope it will make you smile, too. It's nice to thank God for the miracles he does...
"Well today is January 9th, my due date. This is the day Sophia was supposed
to be born, but God knows what he is doing and thanks to him, we have got to
spend the last 6 weeks with her in our arms rather than in my belly.
We never understood how blessed we were that she was so healthy until we talked
to other parents of 34 weekers. With them dealing with time in the NICU with
breathing tubes and ventilators, to low birth weight and feeding problems,
we almost feel guilty when we say she got to come home with us after her
birth.
We truly believe someone was watching over her, maker her grow from
5lbs 3oz in a sonogram on Thursday morning to 6lbs 2oz at her birth on
Saturday morning. This rapid weight gain ultimately saved her the NICU.
They say the lungs of a 34 week baby are too weak to breath on their own and for
some reason her lungs were fully developed. Ryan and I know how blessed we
are, knowing that things could have been very different."
Cherish the little ones...
I just got the news that one of the women on a mommy message board I'm a part of lost her baby she was pregnant with today.
I am so unbelievably sad for her. It's a pain that I can't imagine and don't want to think about.
Everytime I hear something like this, it makes me realize again what a GIFT children are. People seem to be so blase about having children, abusing them, aborting them, abandoning them. It all seems so unfair in the face of a tragic loss like my friend's.
Childbearing is not always without difficulty. Since becoming a mom, I have been witness to a couple of tragedies endured by my friends.
The loss of a full-term baby three days before his mother was to be induced into labor is the only thing that has ever shaken my faith in God. It was horrific and heart-breaking. Even though the mother was a family member of a friend, it shook me to the core and has affected me ever since. Thankfully, she is now ten weeks pregnant with a second baby:)
Please remember my friends Astrid and Jen tonight in your prayers. Thank you.
Temporary Wild-life
| Your Hair Should Be Purple |
 Intense, thoughtful, and unconventional.You're always philosophizing and inspiring others with your insights. |
This quiz got me thinking of my wild freshman year of college. I went to a well-known party school, although I didn't know it before I applied there. Neither, I guarantee, did my mother.
I lived in the dorm that housed all the art students because it had a studio that was open all hours. So, that year, I fell in love with two different brown-eyed, sensitive men. One was a writer and the other an artist.
I was out of control and had too much fun; so much that my sorry butt had to come home after the first year and enroll in a community college!
I got my eyebrow pierced and a tattoo. I never did dye my hair a crazy color, though! It was quite popular to have green or blue hair, especially among my friends, but I don't know why I never did. I guess I had to do something more permanent and bold?
Ah, good times. I'm glad I did all those things while I had the chance and got those inklings out of my system.
So Sad....
This link is to a story of a 9-year old girl who has a condition that has left her mentally and physically disabled. She is not able to sit, stand or hold anything and will be bed-ridden for the rest of her life.
Her parents have had her uterus and breast tissue removed to keep her small so she is easier to handle.
What do you think of this? I can understand their reasoning behind their actions, but isn't it going a little far to remove someone's organs? It seems like playing God to me. It doesn't seem fair to the child. We don't know what science is going to do in her lifetime and perhaps they will find a cure for her. What her parents have done is so drastic. Is it in her best interest?
List-Maker
Are you a list-maker? I am. I always have been.
It's the only way I know how to organize my life, how to know what I need to get done.
1. I make a list of errands I have to run.
2. I make a list of what bills I have to pay.
3. I make a list of activities to do with Faith during the day.
4. When I'm dieting, I make a list of what I've eaten during the day.
5. I make lists of ingredients I need for recipes.
I think I've always been gifted in the administration area. The earliest sign of this I can remember is when I was in the 2nd grade. We had the kind of desks that had metal bins underneath the seats for the textbooks.
My books were organized by size, the thickest being on the bottom and they worked their way up to the thinnest. The biggest book was the Math book. I remember looking at kids' desks who were so full of papers and books shoved in tightly that when they tried to retrieve something, a mess was made on the floor. I thought I was so superior.
Here's the funny thing: my husband has confessed to me that he was one of those kids with the messy desk, Trapper Keeper (remember those?) and bookbag. Figures.
I'm also a big fan of post-its, but they are getting out of hand. There are three on my computer monitor right now, one half covering a picture of Faith when she was a few weeks old. I need to move that one.
By the phone, there's a conglomeration of post-its with phone numbers on them. There's the phone number to the hospital room of my sister when she had her baby. My friend Beth's phone number is on a different one. Some of the phone numbers I don't recognize anymore and should just throw them away.
We recently gave up our cell phones to save money. We simply don't need them anymore because I work from home and hubby has a cell phone from his work.
I've been spoiled by having a cell phone for the last seven years. Having a cell phone means never having to memorize or write someone's phone number down. I'm having a difficult time adjusting to the old-fashioned system of having a phone and address book.
Despite my transgression with the post-its, I do pride myself on my organization skills. It's the one true talent I have. I'm the girl my friends call to organize bridal showers or help out with wedding planning. I get a sick kind of satisfaction from accomplishing tasks and being able to check them off a list.
Old-Fashioned Name
This was fun...
| Your Old Fashioned Name Is... |
 Charity Spebbington |
If I would ever write a book, I think I'd use Charity Spebbington as my pen name:)
Drag Queen Name
More fun...
| Your Drag Queen Name Is: |
 Tess Tosterone |
How Evil Are You?
| You Are 20% Evil |
 You are good. So good, that you make evil people squirm.Just remember, you may need to turn to the dark side to get what you want! |
I checked a surprising number of the options on this quiz and only got a 20%....I was sure I would be at least 50%. This has made my evening.
Jongleur, Redcollection, LadyG, Rachelslurrs, KSBriscoe -- you've been tagged:)
Bet you didn't know...
Apparently I've been tagged:).....
1. When I was in high school, the Backstreet Boys (remember them?) put on a concert before they made it big. No one ever believes me when I tell this story.
2. My middle name is my mother's first name...Jolayne.
3. I've received two letters from presidents. The first from George H. Bush when I was in elementary school. The second from George W. a few years ago.
4. I have never been west of the Mississippi River.
5. I don't tell the story of my labor with Faith because it usually makes other moms mad! It lasted less than 12 hours and I only pushed 7 times! She was so easy:)
Feeling Empty After Christmas
I once was blind, but now I see...
These words have new meaning to me today. We celerated our first Christmas with our daughter yesterday. It was wonderful, just as every experience with her has been. But, it has opened my eyes to something that makes me sick to my stomach.
I have known mentally that the way our culture celebrates Christmas is far, far away from the actual celebration that is appropriate. We have made Christmas a money-making, materialistic, go-into-debt orgy. I've know this for a long time.
What's different this year is that now I have a child who I'm responsible for. I'm responsible for teaching her what to value and how she should view her world. I came up short this year and didn't like the view.
We are by no means rich. We get by and live paycheck to paycheck. Even after quitting my well-paying job to work for $10 an hour part-time in order to raise Faith ourselves, we still have our house. We cut back to one vehicle instead of two. We made other sacrifices because we value raising Faith ourselves. It's hard on us, but we get by and we all have what we need. God has indeed provided for us. There are times that I didn't think we'd keep our house or be able to buy groceries, but it has always happened.
At the beginning of the holiday season, Hubby and I asked our family not to get Faith too much because she has everything she needs and wants. A ton of toys, tons of clothes, etc., etc. We asked that if they wanted to get her something, to get her a book or something musical like a sing-along CD.
Did the grandparents listen? No. Faith was completely overwhelmed yesterday. It's like they did the opposite of what we asked them to do. She got so much stuff, it was unbelievable. It was also totally unfulfilling and sad.
Now, I know some of you might be thinking that grandparents have the right to spoil their grandchildren. I see nothing wrong with a gift every now and then. But, our rights as parents to raise our daughter with our values, not our parents' values, trump that right.
Jesus was the furthest thing from our minds in our celebration yesterday. I was horrified. It's not what I want to teach Faith about Christmas. I know she's young and I have a couple of more years yet until she really understands. But, yesterday was a real wake-up call for Hubby and I.
The one warm spot in our Christmas experience yesterday is this: There is a single mom in our church with a daughter who is 9 months old. She recently lost her job. One of her friends sent out an email asking for clothes for the little girl. Faith and I were able to give her a whole bunch of clothes and some toys. They were wrapped up and given to Kyra yesterday morning. I am told that Kyra loved them and that she received quite a bit of clothing from others as well. That's what a Christmas celebration should involve -- giving, supporting, loving. That's what I want to teach Faith.
How do I do this? How do I combat our culture, our parents, every force that's so much stronger that I am?
My Little Faith
Today was my little Faith's first Christmas Eve. She did some really cute and funny things that I wanted to share.
Tonight we went to church for their Christmas Eve service. They had animals there for the nativity scene which she loved. I think her favorites were either the camels or the shetland pony. Faith loves animals so much. She squeals with delight and they just *love* that:) We got a picture of her petting the donkey and it's ear is almost as long as she is:)
They had a couple of different children's choirs and the nativity play. I really thought she would be occupied by all the kids and the music, but she wasn't. She's just learned how to walk and that's all she wants to do.
So, I took her to the back of the church where there were other parents with young children who weren't behaving and dads filming their kids singing. I was holding Faith straddled on my hip and bouncing her to the music. She started coughing a little bit and LET ONE RIP!
All the parents looked at me. I was mortified! I mean, it totally was her but I felt like I couldn't say that. It wasn't a cute, little one either, so it was probably hard for them to believe it came from her. Nice, Faith. Thanks a lot:)
After the service, hubby, Faith and I went to dinner. At the restaurant, they gave her a little plate of Cheerios, which I thought was so nice! Apparently, Faith did too because she kept offering them to the nice man at the next table. He was a grandfather there with his daughter and her family. He was nice enough to take two from her *and* eat them. I told my husband afterward that I wasn't sure if I would have actually eaten Cheerios from a strange baby, but I guess you don't care if you're a grandparent. She loved that he was sharing with her:)
I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. I've taken more time this year than ever before to think about the true miracle of Christmas and it's really touched me. I think being a mom has something to do with it. The birth of a child is always an amazing thing and something so full of awe. But, Christ's birth and life is something that's almost too much for my little mind to wrap around. I hope all of you can take some time to really reflect on it as well.
Cuban Stir Fry
Here's the recipe, courtesy of Rachael Ray, for those of you who are interested:
Home for the Holidays
We just got back from a family tradition -- drving around looking at the lights people have decorated their houses with. This time, it was hubby, Uncle Phil (hubby's gay brother), Faith and myself.
First, Phil came over and had dinner with us. I made Rachael Ray's Cuban-style stir fry. It was delish!
While I was cooking, Faith woke up from her nap. I sent Phil upstairs to get her. I'm sure she was frightened to see a man in a hot pink shirt walk in her room, just having woken up and all. He brought her downstairs and she looked awfully confused and it was as if that shirt was blinding her.
Faith always stares at Phil for the first fifteen minutes after he arrives. That's okay, some people never stop staring at him:) He's an attention whore. Kids don't care though, do they? They have no idea that staring is rude!
Phil is very, very good with Faith. She really does like him, but doesn't see him all that often to remember him, hence the staring ritual. Tonight, he was playing Justin Timberlake's "Sexy Back" on the computer and she was dancing beside him. Phil thought that was funny.
So, after dinner, we loaded up into the car. Phil asked if Faith was going in her car seat or if I was going to hold her!!!! He must not have heard about the whole Britney Spears episode when she was driving with her son in her lap. When we explained to him that holding an infant in the car was illegal, he was very surprised. Mental Note: Never let Phil drive Faith anywhere.
We actually had a very nice time. Since Faith and I were in the backseat (Faith strapped securely in her car seat), Phil sat up front with hubby. These two are only two years apart and they fight like little kids still. Their ages are 30 and 28.
They kick each other, call each other names, make fun of each other. If you've had a few drinks before riding in the car with them, it can be amusing. If not, it can be hell.
When we were first married, the three of us would ride with their parents to their extended family out of town. The three of us were obviously in the backseat, with me in the middle. Not fun. Picture singing (Phil) off key, telling others to shut up (hubby) and others laughing so hard tears are coming down the cheeks (me).
Tonight, mixed in with Phil singing and hubby telling him to shut up, they were also making fun of their parents. I know that sounds so mean, but they are so funny. I just sat in the back and laughed my ass off. They both do impressions of their mother that are hilarious.
So, after driving around for about an hour, we stopped and got some coffee. Then, we went home. Phil was off to meet his friends. They're going out somewhere, just like he does every night.
I feel really sorry for him, because after the long night of drinking he has ahead of him, he's riding with his parents for two hours to see some extended family. Hubby and I are not going, thank God.
Their family is a riot, too. They have about 15 cousins and there's always some drama going on. Last year, one of the cousins was in prison. There's also the one that's on his third marriage (he's 24, two kids). One cousin had a mental breakdown in college and now she's gone wild. We asked for an update on this year's events from Phil.
The highlight of each Christmas driving back is dishing the dirt on the family. It's so much fun! Seriously, Phil and hubby are the most normal people out of the bunch, and that's really not saying much:)
Oh, the family traditions we have. We better think of some nicer ones soon, for Faith's sake!
My Mother's Birthday
My Version of Heaven
I was doing some work late last night, as usual. I had the TV on in the background and my beloved Conan O'Brien was about to come on.
The announcer was saying who was going to be on the show....Andy Samburg, Stuart Scott and......John Lennon????
I swear, this is what I heard. For a second, my mind actually pondered this, trying to figure out how a deceased John Lennon could be on Conan. It was so silly! I whipped around to look at the TV and saw...SEAN Lennon.
Wow, I must have been tired. Shouldn't be doing work in that state.
At any rate, it got me thinking about the possibilities of heaven, which I figured to be the only place I'll see John Lennon on Conan. I sincerely hope that I'll be able to watch Conan, and meet him, in heaven!!!! Hmmm, I'll have to think of some more requests for heaven, that will be a fun list.
PS Who would you like to meet in heaven?
55 degrees...it's parka weather!
My mom visited again yesterday. I did not invite her over, I have learned my lesson on that one. She offered to ship my sister's family's Christmas gifts along with hers, so she came over the get them. Here are some of the gems she offered (forced upon) me yesterday:
*It was 55 degrees here yesterday. She took my daughter outside for a walk and put her in her winter parka. Whatever.
Then, she said something to me about not wearing a coat outside, "It's cold out here without a coat". What is it with her and coats? We're lucky to have this kind of weather in Mid-December and I'm taking advantage of it! A jacket is possibly necessary for the thin-blooded or those with 2% body fat, but that doesn't describe me!
*My daughter turns one year old in February and we're giving her a party. My mom apparently wants to plan it.
I told her I wanted to make all the food and the cakes (I enjoy cooking and would enjoy doing this). She then told me that she wanted to bring the food. I said, "Okay, you can help. I'd like to have a meat and cheese tray, you know with pepperoni, salami..."
"Well, who in the hell likes salami? I'm not getting salami."
"Okay, we'll I'd like to have a fruit tray...."
"No, let's get a veggie tray."
"But, I'm afraid Faith will choke on the carrots and stuff like that."
"She's not going to choke."
*She insisted on walking my two 65 pound labs while walking Faith in the stroller. Not a good idea because a) we have to scoop after them and leave Faith sitting on the side of the road and b) they are as strong as oxen and have pulled me down several times. She knows all this. Why can't she do one or the other, especially if I ask her to? It's only logical, and dammit, this is my child and my dogs!
Perhaps someone can identify with this kind of behavior from their mother. It's nice to be able to vent on here and not hassle my sister with it.
Dishwashers are firemen magnets!
Faith is playing with cooked spaghetti from dinner...this could entertain her for at least 10 minutes!
Faith, her Uncle Phil and I were out running errands earlier this evening. When we walked in the door, it smelled like there was something on fire in the house. It smelled very similar to a Christmas candle, but I don't have any at the moment. I frantically searched through all three floors trying to figure out what was burning. I was picking up the phone to call the fire department, sure that they would be able to find the fire better than I could. Phil went next door to tell the neighbors...and then I remembered a post I had read on a mommy website.
My friend Crystal had posted about the time she called the fire department because she smelled something burning. It had turned out to be a nipple from a baby bottle had fallen on the wire in the dishwasher that dries the dishes.
I walked over and opened the dishwasher, which was on the "dry" cycle. Sure enough, there was a green plastic tupperware lid sizzling on the wire rim.
Crisis averted! I was scared out of my mind and SOOOO glad Phil was here. He's my lifesaver again! When I tell my hubby about this he's sure to say, "You'll use any excuse to see some firemen!"
By the way, Faith has now strewn the afore-mentioned spaghetti all over the living room. Thank God for the dogs! Their names are Hoover and Eureka:)
Germy Conclusion
So, I have the first cold iI've had in a long time. By a long time, I mean like over a year, which is a long time for me. Back in the day, I would get someone's cold if they just walked by my desk.
My daughter is now 10 months old. The last cold I had was while I was in my 2nd trimester with her. The only difference between now and then is NOT my diet, my exercise routine or anything related to me trying to be more healthy. It's actually the fact that I don't work in an office with tons of germy people anymore. Yes, I still head to the grocery and public places like that. My daughter hangs out with kiddies once or twice a week who I'm sure have germy hands. But, I'm not sitting in facility for 8 1/2 hours a day full of people who don't wash their hands, sneeze and shake hands and chew on their pens. Also, there's no more of that yucky, smelly, recycled office air.
Working from home has it's obvious benefits, but this is one I hadn't even thought existed! I was so excited to think of it, I just had to share it. It makes my sore throat and stuffiness a little easier to take:)