First Day - WOW!

It was a great first day.  It was also a very interesting day.  Gotta love 3-year-olds!  Susie went to the bathroom and then decided to play in the toilet water before flushing.  This is not exactly what we mean when we write "water-play" on the lesson plans.   Can we all say "eewwwww"?  Then Billy decided to conduct a little research while washing his hands.  He wanted to see how long it would take him to wash out all the liquid soap from inside the bottle.  However, he only managed to fill the bottle up to the top and dump it once before I cut funding to the science lab.   
 
The kids were great and the staff is really nice.  It's a very relaxed environment and very flexible - which means less stress!  I'm all about less stress.........LOL  We'll see what day two brings.  
 
Until next time..........

New Job

Well, the new job starts tomorrow!  I'm excited, went for the less drive/less stress/less pay job.  Decided the amout of money the high stress/long drive job was offering didn't equal out to the amount of stress & garbage I'd have to deal with.  Ah, well, it's off to bed for an early start tomorrow.

God's Holy Word - my opinion & I'm entitled to it

I have written this post, and removed it.  Rewritten, deleted, added, edited, and reposted, only to remove it again.   I haven't done this once, but 3 or 4 times.  Sounds silly doesn't it?  Not that anyone is reading this blog anyway but I kept doing this so as not to hurt a particular persons feelings.  I decided that if this individual is entitled to their opinion (and is posting it for the world at large to see), then I, too, should feel free to do the same.
 
My question to this person was simple:  How do you contend with the contradictions between being openly gay and stating that you are a Christian.  I do not hate homosexuals, I only feel that they struggle with a very difficult sin.  I do not feel it is my job to "convert" them to become heterosexuals.  What I do believe God has called me to do is to share the love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ our Lord with as many people as I can.  If God thinks an individual needs improved upon, he'll do it himself.  He is perfect, I am not, nor have I ever claimed to be.  This person has said some ugly thing about me, assuming things about me that simply are not true, for example: 
 
**I was attacked by being told that because I am divorced, I could not possibly be a Christian because God is against divorce.  However, I counter this with Matthew 5:32 which clearly states that adultery committed by your spouse is grounds for divorce in God's eyes. 

**I was being accused of being a bigot as is evident in this line posted on the offending persons blog.  ".... bigots who feel the love of God is not for everyone. "  I KNOW the love of God is for EVERYONE!  That's what makes it go glorious!  I never stated otherwise and to be accused of this is beyond my understanding. 
 
**I was accused of calling this person a sinner - to quote my children "duh!" We're all sinners saved only by Christ shedding his blood on the cross for our sins.  I really thought this was pretty common knowledge in Christian circles, apparently I was mistaken.  Also, in God's eyes, all sin is equal and I also stated that.  So why accuse me of thinking I'm better than you just because I struggle with different sins than you do? 
  
** I am not "misguided", nor am I "be(ing) hateful and vicious" just because my opinion differs from yours.  You wish me to be open minded to the fact that you may be right about homosexuality being acceptable in God's eyes.  You, however, are very close-minded to the fact that I may be right and it is a sin.   
 
The site this person directed me to, "if I was open-mined" enough to read it, is blasphemy.   It twists God's Holy Word to justify homosexuality as being acceptable in God's eyes.   

In Genesis Ch. 19, there is the story of Sodom and Gomorrah.  It was destroyed by God because of the sinfulness there.   The homosexual behavior was against God's word and the people of these towns refused to repent and follow God.  They were punished.
 
The particular page I linked to is basically stating that Paul was preaching that the law up to that point is no longer in effect.  To quote the site { "What Paul says as clearly as he can," according to an evangelical Bible scholar, "is that the Law … has been eclipsed by the revelation of God in Jesus Christ and must now be seen as obsolescent." }   Basically they are stating that God had changed his mind on homosexuality.  At first God thought it was wrong, then he changed his mind and decided it was o.k.  WHAT????!!!   God is perfect, he is NEVER wrong.  So, what this site is saying is that God decided he was wrong and changed his mind.  I refuse to believe that God has ever made a mistake. 
 
If it is this persons belief that God was wrong on sexual orientation, then I pose this question to you:  Do you think God may be wrong about murder?  Divorce just because we feel like it?  Theft?  Adultery?  Where does it end?   The facts are this:  The Bible is the Holy inspired Word of God.  God is perfect. 
I'm done and will step down from my soap-box now.  Thank you for allowing me to vent.
 
Until we meet again.........

Lessons of Motherhood #1

Flush-ability of Tampons: The label on the box of Tampax brand tampons does say "flushable". However, this does not mean the entire box of 40 can be flushed at one time.

The Roto-Rooter man thinks it's funny to hear a 5-year-old child explain, ".... but Mommy, you taught me to read and I was just reading the box........"

Isn't home schooling wonderful? I'm so proud to say my son, at 5 could read the box of feminine hygiene products enough to cause us a $250 sewer cleaning bill right at Christmas.

Fireflies or Lightening Bugs?

Doesn't matter what you call them...... when they hit your windshield at 55 MPH, the splattered insect remains continue to glow for a few seconds. Gross thought for the day isn't it?? My two boys however, thought this was the single coolest thing they'd seen all day. Kids, gotta love 'em.

Until we meet again........

Now What?

Months without employment, searching the far corners of the universe for employment......well, maybe not that drastic.... LOL However, after searching for a really long time, I now have two wonderful job offers and there are two more places that are seriously considering me for hire next month! The two that have offered me positions are equally good jobs but the pay reflects the travel time and stress level....... I'm thinking I may go for the less pay/less stress. After all, who needs more stress? Does anyone actively seek out a job that will make them insane? I should hope not. Ah, well, the only solution is to pray about it and see what happens.

Until we meet again.....

I got it!!!! And more

Wednesdays interview turned into today's job! Finally, I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever work again. However, it's only part time for now. Oh, well, better than temp work. No sooner had I hung up from that phone call than I got another call for an even better position (further from home though) and have an interview set with them for Monday afternoon. When it rains, it pours. Thank the Lord it's pouring down on me!! Thanks for answered prayers.

I caved....they got one, ugh!

Where's my migraine medicine? This music repeating for hours on end is making me insane.

OK - I did it. I swore I never would but, alas, the masses have proven victorious and I have lost the battle....... but the war isn't over yet.

What's the big deal you say? What earth shattering event happened? Something so amazing it boggles the minds of all those who know me. I bought a video game for my children. A Playstation 2? No, never! A Game Cube? Ha! No again. An X-Box? Once again, you silly fool, the answer is no. What did I finally break down and buy? What amazing piece of technology have I purchased to heighten the enjoyment of my children and shape their future with? An old Sega Genesis and four games for $5 at a garage sale.

Yeah, I know anyone reading this right now is laughing their butt off. Go ahead, get it out of your system............ feel better now?

My children have tons of videos but are very limited to the amount of time they are allowed to sit and become video zombies in front of the television. My feeling is that video games encourage children to sit mindlessly in front of the boob-tube and become lazy. If it's nice enough to be outside, I want my children out being active. If it's crummy out and they can't play outside, I prefer them to be reading, playing Monopoly (or any other game that requires brain waves to function), pull out their art supplies and create a masterpiece........ anything but veg in front of the idiot box (a.k.a. television). My children are in heaven playing their Sonic games.

My children are unaware that the thing will probably pull in a enough cash off of eBay to feed a third world country for a week. My intent was to sell the thing on eBay for a profit to someone hung up on old video game systems. Guess again. My kids have been sitting here for an hour now (it's 2:00 PM) figuring out the games & how they work without the aid of an instruction booklet or dear ole' Mom's help. Oh, well, it's a rainy, cold, nasty day outside and they're stuck inside for the afternoon. I guess one afternoon of being zombied-out can't warp their minds too badly. Besides, they're actually helping one another learn the games instead of fighting over what toy belongs to whom.

Just for the record, we were the first kids on the block to have a Pong game that could be switched between 1 & 2 paddles and you could also make the "ball" (which consisted of a square spot on the screen) regular size or small size if you were really good. We were the envy of the neighborhood. Not that anyone out there is going to actually be reading this blog but, for those of you still unable to get a clear picture of what a Pong game was compared to today's video game systems........you may want to dust off those old books at the library, you know they ones transcribed from cave drawings......... you may find some info in them. ; )

Forbidden Love.....

They were together in the house.

Just the two of them.

It was a cold, dark, stormy night. The storm had come quickly and each time the thunder boomed he watched her jump.

She looked across the room and admired his strong appearance...and wished that he would take her in his arms, comfort her and protect her from the storm.

She wanted that...more than anything. Suddenly, with a pop, the power went out... She screamed...

He raced to the sofa where she was cowering.

He didn't hesitate to pull her into his arms. He knew this was a forbidden union and expected her to pull back. He was surprised when she didn't resist but instead clung to him.

The storm raged on...as did their growing passion. And there came a moment when each knew that they had to be together.

They knew it was wrong...

Their families would never understand... So consumed were they in their passion that they heard no opening of doors...just the faint click of a camera......

Jumpin on the rotten garage roof

From time to time my children do something that totally blows my mind. I wonder, "How did they even think to try something like that?" Then I realize, I don't want to know how they came up with some of the ideas they have. It's safer to remain ignorant to their thinking process....... it's safer this way, trust me.

A popular email that's been forwarded to me several times is supposedly from a mother of such a child(ren). It appears as if she hails from the Houston, TX area. I don't know if the list of creative things her child has done is real or if it is the wonderful imagination of someone. Either way, it inspired me to compose a list of some of the amazing things my children have done to the house, pets, one another, and to my nerves/sanity. I've decided to share these things from time to time with anyone who cares to read this blog (which I doubt anyone will). If deemed necessary, an explanation of the "lesson" will be included.

So, the first lesson I've chosen to share is this one:

It requires more than 100 lbs (combined weight) of small children jumping on a semi-rotten garage roof to make it cave in.

Explanation: My now-ex-husband was checking out the rotten roof of our garage to determine damages and the possible need to have a new roof put on. In his infinite brilliance he left the ladder up against the side of the garage. The children were outside playing for less than 2 minutes alone while I ran back inside to grab the cordless phone. When I came back out, my little angels (ages 3 & 6)were missing. I was frantic! After what seemed an eternity circling the house and checking all their hiding places in our yard, I finally hear a blood-chilling scream of "Moooooommmmmmyyyyyy" come from my youngest child. I look in the direction of the scream to see him on the roof jumping up and down screaming with his brother because they can't figure out how to get down from their lofty perch.

I now know where some of my mother's grey hair came from......my older sister & her cr*p.

Yesterday at the pool.....

The kids had a great time at the pool yesterday afternoon splashing around and diving for pennies. While we were there, a reporter came around from the local paper and was snapping pictures of the kids and taking names. He took special interest in the fact it was my son's birthday and took some extra pictures of him and his brother. So, I guess I need to check out this weekend's edition of the paper to see if the kids pictures show up. The children would get a real kick out of it to see their pictures in the newspaper.

My son also got to take treats to his church group last night and they all sang "Happy Birthday" to him - he loved the attention! The leaders at that group are amazing! The staff members that are men are wonderful role models for both the children.

Until we meet again......

Another Interview

Here I go again.......... Another interview. I quit my job last March because there was too much garbage to deal with, the least of which is my paycheck was late at least once a month (not a day late, 2 - 3 weeks late sometimes). I even had a paycheck bounce. That was the last straw, my now ex-boss got irate when I informed him he would be paying all the bank fees associated with his bounced check. He didn't think he should have to pay the $45 the bank charged me. Two weeks later, I quit, just walked out.

Thus started my long journey to become gainfully employed again. I have now been without a full time job for four months, thank heaven for my temp job that keeps food on the table while we've lived off what little savings I've managed to acquire. However, that is now gone too. The job market around here is almost non-existent.

A friend of mine keeps trying to convince me to move in toward Chicago (he lives in the suburbs). I've only lived in a large town once in my life and it was miserable for me, it was too big and too dirty for me. I know I'll have more opportunities there but the stress of the traffic, all the people, etc....... I just don't know. I like living in a small town with all the inconveniences of not having major shopping malls nearby & such. I enjoy the quiet, knowing your neighbors, being able to still allow your kids to take off to the candy store uptown without too much worry. It's peaceful. I've had too much stress and worry in my life, I like things simple, quiet and peaceful.

Well, now I'm totally off the subject of this post, my interview. You'll quickly see if you read this very often that I ramble, get off the subject, etc. You'll also come to know the events that brought me to where I am today.

O.K. - Interview: 2:00 pm in another small town about 20 minutes from where I live. The boyhood home of former President Ronald Reagan (may he rest in peace), Dixon, IL. This job application that was put in during a day when I was doing "cold calls" and it's a big surprise that they even called back. So, the fact that a cold call is resulting in my resume and application being pulled from an existing pile is a good sign (I hope).

Until later.....

Hello and Welcome!

Welcome to my blog!

This will be a personal journal updated at random intervals. You'll get a look at the ups and downs of a divorced mom raising her two children alone, our trials and successes, some of the fun of having kids and the amazing things they think up and in general, random ramblings. There may be an occasional bad poem posted....LOL I dabble with poetry here and there but usually don't allow anyone to read it due to the fact it's not that great. Anyway let me know your thoughts on things.

I'd like to start off with announcing it's my son's birthday today! Happy 10th Birthday TJ! I love you very much! XXXOOO

To celebrate, we're off to the pool to take a dip and cool off for the afternoon.

Until we meet again.......