Plans for the Summer

Most would think with a baby due at the beginning of the summer that I wouldn't be making summer plans.  But I am!

This summer I plan on using the time off (that the little one is sleeping) to spend some extra time with Alayna and teach her some things (and learn some things myself).

Last year I bought a Mommy and Me Cookbook that gives steps for mommy and steps for child to cook together.  I plan on doing this with Alayna. She will start helping make dinner (at least once a week) and she can help make lunch anytime she wants.

The other thing we're going to embark on is Composting.

I'm using this general chart to help get us started (this is something i'm learning as well as sharing with Alayna)



Brought to you by Hometown Dumpster Rental and the Trash Talk Dumpster Rental Blog

Herb Gardening with my Princess!

While I was living in Louisiana I fell in love with herb gardening.  I loved being able to go out to my garden, pick a few sprigs and use the freshest herbs in my cooking.

Up here in Pennsylvania I needed to wait till the never ending winter finally ended and began planning my herb garden.  The trouble with dealing with a northern winter is i can't make my herb garden an outdoor thing.  I need to be able to bring it inside for the winter (so i can still have fresh, yummy herbs).

First I tried Google. I'm pretty sure the google search has landed me on a government watch list as "one pot herb garden"  brought results for cannabis and how to's on growing marijuana.   Bing may have been the better option to go with but i abandoned web searches and just went to my favorite web page....PINTEREST.

I found this....

  '

on Pinterest!

And I decided that this is what i needed to so I went to Walmart and to Pettis Road Greenhouse to get my supplies.

Walmart irritated me.  I went in and quickly found the pots that i needed, and then i found the potting soil i needed and the fun began...  I am almost 33 weeks along in my pregnancy and the 1cubic foot of potting soil was on a pallet on the floor.  I asked someone working out in lawn and garden for help. He seriously looked at the bag of soil and then at me and goes "you know it's really not that heavy."  We won't get into the woman in grocery who never even looked at me when she answered my question and THEN sent me to the wrong isle.

Thankfully the greenhouse was much more helpful and it took me less than 15 minutes to find everything i was looking for plus a few extras for Alayna's garden (will post those at the end of this).

Then on to make my herb garden...

Supplies: 5 pots.  1- 15" 2-8" 2-2"

pea pebbles (for irrigation)

potting soil

Herbs and other plants (I used basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, and lettuce)

Here is my garden helper!!

My herbs & lettuce

FIRST: Place one of the 8" pots upside down in the 15" pot.  Surround with pea gravel and fill the pot 3/4 of the way full with potting soil (i used Miracle Grow Moisture Control Potting Soil)

SECOND: Place the 2nd 8" pot right side up on top of the upside down one, place first layer plants (Basil - i planted two of them-, Cilantro, and Parsley)

THIRD: Repeat with 8" pot by placing one of the 2" pots upside down in the 8" pot.  Surround with a layer of  pea gravel and fill 3/4 of the way with potting soil.  Place the other 2" pot right side up on top of the one that is upside down, and place plants that go in that tier (I used two mint plants since mint likes to spread out and will eventually circle the whole way around the planter).

FINALLY: Place a layer of the pea gravel in the bottom of the 2" pot, fill 3/4 of the way with soil and plant final herb or desired plant (i chose lettuce).  Then fill in the tiers with potting soil till the soil is almost level with the edges of the planters.

And you have it! A Pseudo One-Pot Herb Garden... That has nothing to do with Marijuana (thank you very much Google!) 

Now to share my little gardener and her special garden (her plants are snow princess - the two white flowers-- and Orange Symphony).

Stress and Hormones

It's simple.  I'm overwhelmed.

I have a house to keep clean (and I'm not always successful in that endeavor), and a preschooler to keep up with.  As well as a baby to prepare for, and I'm always tired (mostly from not sleeping well at night).

One project only leads to another, and while we finally are getting the things we need for the baby, nothing is ready.  My husband keeps telling me we have two months, we have tons of time, and to relax.

But I can't relax.  I am so stressed because of this procrastination.  I feel like I'm dropping the ball because these things are not being taken care of. 

But I can't rearrange our bedroom to fit a pack n play.  I can't rearrange beds to put a crib up. And anyone who knows my mechanical skills.... I can't put crib together.  At least for the safety of the child, I shouldn't.

I also have severe apprehension about having our two children share a room.  It has nothing to do with one being a boy and the other a girl.  They're too young for that to make a difference.

My misgivings are because my daughter is overly helpful, and I'm afraid one night she's going to try to "help" and it's going to hurt the baby.  Either by what she tries to give him, or by trying to crawl into bed with him or get him out herself.

I keep trying not to worry, I know it's not healthy, but I'm finding myself consumed by it.  Everything that needs done that I'm not doing or can't do, all the things that can go wrong.  I don't want to start an argument with my husband, because he's all ready having to deal with my crazy hormones. Small things have gotten me snippy with him, and I have had to make a conscious effort to respond to things, not react. But all of these concerns  that keep running through my head, has me near panic and barely holding myself together to function from day to day.

I don't know how to control my stress right now, it feels more like it's controlling me.  I think I need to go soak in the tub, read, and try to decompress.

 

Caring for Our Planet

As I said I want to teach my daughter to value what the earth has to offer and to learn to take care of it.

I have been scourering pinterest and the general internet for ideas of activities to do with my daughter. 

It is important to know how to read, and write, and do math, and even to have an understanding of history and science, but Character can be taught as well and it is just as important as academics.

I want my daughter to know what it means to be compassionate.  I want her to know what it means to be gracious and to have a heart of servitude.

It is still so cold, and hike at the dam is not possible right now (not unless we gain about 20 to 30 degrees one of these day).  But we can do some things.

The "Mom on Time Out" webpage has some excellent ways to celebrate Earth day at their website.

 

 

Simple Ways to Celebrate Earth Day

 

 

Another good webpage for information on awesome Earth Day activities come from the Carrots are Orange webpage.

 

 

20 EarthDay Activities for Kids and Families

 



As Alayna and I tackle some of these suggestions I will post our progress, and if you try any with your family I would love to hear about it!

I Plan On Teaching My Children To Value The Earth They Live On

 

 

 

I have always loved Earth Day, because I have always loved to be outside.  Whether it be helping my grandparents in the garden when I was little, or riding my bike, or sitting my French Creek writing stories while listening to the running water, or walking along Woodcock dam listening to the water and the birds and watching the other animals that live along the nature path.

 

But we need to be honest, as stewards of this Earth, we suck as caretakers. Even with all the programs in place there are still 20,118 species (animals and plants) on the Endangered Species list. We are still depleting the natural resources our world provides. The Rainforest which once covered 14% of the Earth's surface now covers just 6% and we lose 1&1/2 acres of rainforest every second.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Genesis 2:15

 

"The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden, to work it and take care of it"

 

A skit by comedian Brad Stine, takes a funny look at Adam (the first man as per the Bible) who was given the task of naming all the animals...

 

 

But their responsibilities went beyond that, they were expected to take care of what God had made. Though their disobedience caused all of mankind to fall into a sinful state and to be excluded from the Garden of Eden, it is still on us to care for the world God created.

As I teach my daughter (and children to come) to follow and obey God, i feel it is just as important to teach them to be kind to the Earth as it is to teach them to be kind to other people.

There are many ways to do this.  My personal favorites are through books and example (by how i live and treat the Earth).

Books are an amazing tool.  Two of my favorites (and my daughter's) are "The Lorax" and "The Great Kapok Tree".

The Lorax

In the Lorax, the Onceler is so consumed with greed that he doesn't realize that the trees he uses to make his money are disappearing at an alarming rate.  Despite the best efforts of the Lorax, a magical creature who "speaks for the trees", to make the Onceler change his ways, soon the trees are gone, the onceler is out of business, and the land is barren of trees and creatures, and full of pollution.

Then a young man comes to hear the story of the Lorax, and the onceler has an epiphany about the last thing the Lorax said to him.

 





 

 

 

The Great Kapok Tree

 

In the Great Kapok Tree a man goes into the rainforest to cut down an old Kapok Tree.  The heat of the jungle gets to him and he falls asleep in the shade of the tree.  While he is asleep the animals come and tell him why the tree is needed. What it has for them, and what it has for him and other humans.  In the end the man can not cut down the great tree. He leaves his ax behind and walks out of the rainforest.

 

Four tree porcupines wung down from branch to branch and whispered to the man: "Senhor, do you know what we animals and humans need in order to live? Oxygen. And,Senhor, do you know whatres produce? Oxygen! If you cut down the forests you will destroy that which gives us all life"

~The Great Kapok Tree~

But then how do I as a parent pull these essential truths out of the books and make it something that my children can live.

First of all, I can teach them about nature.  Teach them to work the soil to produce our own food.  Teach them to apprciate nature, through nature walks and trips to the zoo.

Second, Teach them the three R's of conservation; Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle. Teach them that the little things we can do is a start.  We can't save the world ourselves, but we can do our part to help out.

This month i'm going to be looking for activies to help teach my children about nature, and conservation.  I'm going to be looking for ways for our family to "go green" and use natural, non-nature harming chemicals to clean our home and other ways to reduce our families carbon footprint.

For some it seems extreme.  To others it seems pointless, but I feel it is important not just for my generation, or my children's generation, but for generations to come.

Equality is Lost with Pride

I started to write this as a facebook status and realized it was way to long to say what needed to be said...

As our nation revs itself up for a giante "parameters of marriage" debate and possibly passing a national bill allowing same sex marriage, facebook has lit up with posts that I have avoided like the plague. I do not wish to get involved in what amounts to a spitting contest between "oppinions".  I know some of my liberal friends are going to bite my head off because they won't read past certain statements; and some of my conservative friends, will do the same.

First of all I want it to be made clear, I do not agree with same sex marriage.  I see marriage as a union between God, yourself, and your spouse.  It is a HOLY union, and whether it occurs at a church, on the beach, or at the local court house.  It is sacred.

God does not approve of homosexuality. Leviticus 18:20 calls the act "detestable". Romans 1:24-27 shows the act of homosexuality as a distinct turning away from God's laws.  It is disobedience to God, and disobedience to God is, in it's very nature sin.

Now that my liberal friends and family are thoroughly ticked off... lets see if  I can do the same with my uber conservative legalistics friends and family.

1 John 4:8 tells us that God is love. Luke 10:27 tells us to love God and to love our neighbor.  It does not say to love only those who agree with us and are perfect and without blame.  If God took that approach to us we wouldn't be celebrating Easter this weekend.  He'd still be waiting for us to get perfect.

Romans 5:8

"But God demonstrates His love for us in this: that while we were still sinners Christ died for us"
 

 Two men or two women having a ceremony, and getting a piece of paper that now says the other can now be on their health insurance, and have all the other social rights of a heterosexual couple will not be as great as a detriment to the sanctity of marriage as divorce among hetero couples has been.

There are more people not getting married at all because they only see it as a step towards divorce.  There are more heterosexual couples "playing house" and having children that have no relationship with one or either parent because heterosexual couples have stopped allowing God to be a part of their relationship.  THAT is the degredation of the sanctity of marriage.

While I don't agree with same sex marriage, I also will not stand against it. I do not see it as harming my marriage with my husband because we make sure God is a part of our marriage.

I do not see it as a spiritual issue because it does not hinder my relationship with God, or who God is.

God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

It is not our place to judge the hearts of others, that belongs to God.  It is not our place to hate or slander another because they do not live as we live. 

Remember if we had to be perfect before God saved us, we'd all be lost.

1 Timothy 1:3-11 (NIV)

Timothy Charged to Oppose False Teachers

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer

or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.

The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk.

They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

We know that the law is good if one uses it properly.

 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers,  for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
 

This country was founded on the gospels, but with the idea of equality NO MATTER what your religion, culture, or lifestyle is.

God commands us to love one another, not judge, not condem. The last two are for God alone, and He is just and will do what is right in His eyes.  We may not understand it, but God is not for us to understand. He is above and beyond all things.  Faith means that we obey God.

Though homosexuality is a disobedience to God's law, so equally disobedient is the hate and judgement many christians display towards those who do not know God or live by his statutes. Instead of treating one another in love we'd rather fight to prove ourselves "right".

Stop fighting with each other about this issue.  Worry about the divorce rates, or the millions of children each day who are killed before even seeing daylight for the first time.  Worry about those bought and sold as slaves around the world, or those who are slowly starving to death because your faith (and the works that should come with it) have been pushed aside to cater to your pride.

As I said befor, i'm sure i'm going to upset those on both sides of this arguement, but i'm sick of the fighting on social media and felt the need to say my piece. I will not speak on this again, because i feel all the time it needs has been spent.

Easter

If you enter any store, knowing nothing about Easter, by what they sell you would assume it is about bunnies, chickens, and sugar highs.

Bunnies and chickens have become a part of it as a way to represent spring.  Easter is the first Holiday of spring after all.

But Easter is a Holy day, one that should not be limited to chocolate and bunnies and eggs.  However you can use some of these elements to teach the true meaning of Easter.

One of my favorites are Ressurection Eggs. They are 12 plastic eggs, 11 of them holding an item that helps tell the Passion story.



Egg 1 - A Donkey figurine (Jesus rode a donkey into Jeruselum)
Egg 2 - 3 Silver Coins (Judas betrayed Jesus for 30 pieces of silver)
Egg 3 - Chalice (The Passover Feast)
Egg 4 - Praying Hands (Jesus prays in the garden of Gesthemeny)
Egg 5 - Leather String (Jesus was whipped)
Egg 6 - Crown of Thorns
Egg 7 - Cross of Nails
Egg 8 - Die (soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothes)
Egg 9 - Spear (they pierced His side and blood and water flowed)
Egg 10 - White Cloth (Jesus was wrapped in linens and laid in a borrowed tomb)
Egg 11 -  A Rock (a large rock was placed in the opening of the tomb sealing it)
Egg 12 - Empty (HE HAS RISEN!!!)

And then today on facebook i saw "Ressurection Rolls"  I desperately want to do this with my daughter.

 

 

 

 

Resurrection Rolls

Ingredients:
1 can refrigerated crescent roll dough
8 large marshmallows
... Melted butter
Cinnamon
Sugar

Instructions:
Give each child one triangle shaped section of crescent roll. This represents the tomb.
Each child takes one marshmallow which represents the body of Christ.
Dip the marshmallow in the butter and roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture. This represents the oils and spices the body was anointed with upon burial.
Lay the marshmallow on the dough and carefully wrap it around the marshmallow.
Make sure all seams are pinched together well. (Otherwise the marshmallow will "ooze" out of the seams)
Bake according to package directions.
Cool.

Break open the tomb and the body of Christ is no longer there!!

 

 

 

HAPPY EASTER!!!

Goodbye Too Soon

This week has been a rough one. Saturday, a good man who my husband knew really well passed away.  His kids and grandkids and great grand daughter are friends of ours. Tuesday was his viewing and wake.  I couldn't go to the viewing but met up with my husband afterwards for the wake.

While there i received a text message from my father that Hospice who had been called in earlier in the day for my Nana (grandma in Louisiana) was most likely not going to be with us much longer.  Tuesday March 19th at about 9:20 central time Nana passed away.

Both of these people were amazing people, who had lived long lives.  Both had been sick for a while, and had spouses who had passed before them.  While letting them go is not easy, it's comforting to know that they are not in pain, not sick, and with their loved ones again.

Today I got to work, and as I entered the school saw teachers, parents and children crying. A 3rd grader at the school passed away last night.  His older sister and cousin are in the same class as my client.  I spent the morning with a group of crying, hurting kids and I'm barely keeping it together myself.

How much loss can be endured in one week?

All I want to do right now is go hug my daughter.  I am so thankful to have her and my husband in my life.  So thankful for my family both here and in Louisiana. I am so thankful for the wonderful friends that I have, whether i have known them my whole life or have just met them recently, they are a great blessing.

Life's Treasures

I'm watching the snow come down and complaining on facebook about it.   But in all honestly I'm very happy with everyting that is going on.  It is life's treasures that makes everything worth it.

 

To start off with I'm at the end of my 25th week.  It will not be too much longer until our little boy joins the family.  I feel him moving and kicking daily, and he is as active as his big sister.

Last night was fun, well for me, not sure if it was as fun for Mike.  I'll let the pictures explain it.

 

 

 

Today as I prepare for a long to do list to knock out today (wonder where that energy is going to come from), my daughter got creative and made her own living room camp out.

 



The weather might be crap, but life is good!

Religion and Politics

If you want to kill a conversation with an arguement then you should talk about religion or politics. If you're my mother and I, you do both in one breath.

My mom and I have had an ongoing heated debated about gun control laws.

My mother thinks guns are dangerous and promote violence. That if the government were to put more laws in place and take existing guns, that we will have less tragedies like that of which happened at Sandy Hook Elementary in December.

I, however, see the gun laws as an infringement of 2nd ammendment rights. I see them as a catalyst for the destruction of the United States. My mains stance is that if you take away the general citizens means of self protection then criminals and tyranical governments have unstoppable power, and that that power will grow unchecked.

Today I received a private facebook message from my mother...

Rhiannon, I love you. But I'm perplexed. How can you profess to believe in someone who teaches love and non-violence. Someone who died for that belief yet you advocate for a law that gives people the means to commit violence. It doesn't make sense.

Yes, I believe in God. I believe in a God who is loving and patient, but also jealous and just.

God is Love. Romans 5:8 teaches us that "God demonstrates his love for us in that while we are still sinners Christ died for us"

But God is also a jealous God. He's jealous in that he dislikes when we turn away from him and follow idols. When our job, or persuit of money, or even hobbies, are of more importance than God he doesn't like it.

Jonah was so angry that God wanted him to preach to Ninivah, to the people who killed his family, that he ran away from Ninivah to Tarshish.

God is not a non-violent God. For his disobedience, Jonah was swallowed by a whale and stayed in the stomach of a whale for 3 days. It wasn't until he submitted to God that he was vomited up by the whale.

For their disobedience Jeruselum was invaded by the babylonians. God allowed their enemies to over run them, kill most of them off and drag the rest into exile.

But God does teach non-violence. We are to love our to love God and Our neighbors Luke 10:27 "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. And love your neighbor as yourself"

We are taught to be tolerant. That it is only through showing the love of God to those who don't believe that they will ever come to know and understand the God they are unfamiliar with.

But if some armed person breaks into your house threatening your home and family, I am pretty sure you are not violating any of God's commands if you pull out your gun, point it at the intruder and give them the choice to leave or meet your God.

Owning a gun does not teach violence. Cain killed Able with his bare hands. Violence is learned through hate, and hate exists because sin exists.

Sin will exist in this world until Jesus comes again and makes a new heaven here on earth (yes that's what revelation says will happen). We are to protect ourselves from sin. We are to strive to avoid sin (though christians still sin as much as non christian, we are all sinners after all, christians have just sought forgiveness and strive to follow their savior).

As a christian I will do what I can to help my neighbor (fellow human), in anyway i can. But if said neighbor breaks into my house and threatens my family, i garentee they will leave on a stretcher if not in a body bag. I might be in one next to them, but I would gladly die to save those I love. God did that for me, why shouldn't i be willing to do that for them?

What Am I Suppose to Do With Her?

She makes me laugh... that's all I can say.  I never know what to expect from her. Her mind is not that of an ordinary preschooler.

Something connects differently for her upstairs...

My daughter comes down from playing with stuffed animals in her room.  Climbs up at her seat at the dinning room table and instead of saying "mommy i would like a snack" goes "ORDER UP! I would like a peanut butter sandwich and a glass of plain milk".

I'm pretty sure we've told her before that we don't run a restaurant.

Well i guess the cook and waitress needs to go put this order in...

Getting the Hang of Life

In the past year my life has changed a lot.

In March, my boyfriend of a little over a year and half and I got engaged.

In June, Alayna and I left our life, family and friends in Louisiana behind and moved back to my hometown here in Pennsylvania. 

In November, Mike and I married.  Alayna is still talking about it.  It was as exciting for her as it was for the two of us.

It has been two months.  We're still settling into our home and into our new lives. 

It has been great having a teammate to tag team with when my wonderful daughter has a relapse of her terrible two's (though shes pushing 3 1/2 now).

But it is still very much an adjustment.  We have to work around each others schedules, each others income (mine of which has not been of much help lately), and each others expectations. 

I have been a mother for nearly 3 1/2 years, but I have only been a wife for 2 months.  We're still figuring out our roles and what is important to each, and what we both need to swallow our pride and just let it go.

I have spent a lot of time struggling with just what my role is.  It's hard to be the homemaker i desire to be with work.  And now that we're expecting another child i feel this rush to figure out my place before yet another responibility is added to our lives.

My struggle comes from years of wondering where i fit in and what I'm meant to do, and with every life change i tend to relive these same fears and questions in life.  I know it will all come together. I know God is in it all.  And I know I'm not the only woman who finds themselves in these struggles.

That is why I have decided to abandone my old blog and start a new one. My personal journal fills up fast but not every adventure needs to be secret, some should be shared,  to let others know they're not alone, and so that those who read can offer this insight, advice, and comforting letting me know I am not alone either.