Awkward

The cleaners are here. The cleaners that are cleaning my house for my birthday, which was a month ago. It took me this long to get the clutter sufficiently managed so that they could see and clean the surfaces needing cleaning. Also, big family party on Saturday, so this is good timing. But, since this is a first cleaning, I'm supposed to be around. So, there are two friendly women in my living room and kitchen cleaning my house while I'm in my room blogging. I feel very lazy and pretentious for some reason. We will probably only be doing this quarterly, especially if it takes a long time. Not cheap, this letting someone else clean your house.

But. So. Worth. It.

I do have two kids in my room with me, watching a Wiggles Christmas DVD. Not enjoyable, but bearable I guess. Also, plenty of time for me to think about birthday presents for the kids. I'm buying the girls Princess costumes for Halloween and their birthday because I'm cheap like that. And Buddy wants to be a superhero for Halloween, so his is a dual-purpose gift too. But I'm trying to decide what else I will get them. I could be practical and get things they need (like jammies for Princess, pants for Princess and Buddy, etc) but I don't want to be practical for their birthday. And I have to decide by Saturday. Clearly I'm on top of the organization game.

But who cares? My house is going to be clean and shiny and I didn't have to do it. Well, all of it. They don't fold your 8 loads of laundry for you, so I had to do it last night. And wash the dishes. And pick up the toys. Now I know why people have to clean for the cleaners to come over.

Book Review: Gangster

Gangster by Lorenzo Carcaterra

Carcaterra wrote the book Sleepers, which was made into a movie with Matt Dillon, Kevin Bacon, Brad Pitt and Minnie Driver, if I'm remembering correctly. I enjoyed Sleepers, so thought I would read another book by Carcaterra and put it on my Fall Reading Challenge list.

I'm glad I did.

Gangster has a Godfather vibe to it, but is also different in many ways. The story is narrated by Gabe; his connection to the main character, Angelo Vistieri is not explained until the end, although hints are given throughout. Gangster is the story of how Angelo became the most successful Mob boss in New York (it is fiction). It is not a story about crime and violence, although there is plenty of that. This novel really explores how a young boy gains entry into the criminal underground and rises in its ranks. While the evil that is carried out is unforgivable, Carcaterra does an excellent job of making the characters seem human and sympthetic. The story covers about 60 years, but very quickly while still being thorough. I read it in less than a day because I could not put it down. I say this book is definitely worth your time.

Middle Name Meme

Dcrmom tagged me for this one.

So. The rules:
1. You have to post these rules before you give the facts.
2. Players - You must list one fact that is somehow relevant to your life for each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use the middle name you would have liked to have had.
3.At the end of your post, you need to choose one person for each letter of your middle name to tag.

M I Majored in political science in college. And I loved it. I want to teach government.

A I am an Avid sports fan, most sports, hometown teams.

R I Read way too much, but I guess all of my readers know that.

I I think I'm Intelligent, although this blog might prove contradictory.

E I Eat out way too much.

I tag No Longer at the Kids' Table, Queen of My Domain, Ramblings of a Stay Home Mom, Beth, and El-e-e.

When Experience Doesn't Matter

In case any of you were wondering, having 4 children does not always make it easier to determine when to go to the doctor. Experience can be overrated. Doubt still comes to visit. And today, that cost me 15 dollars.

Monster has been coughing a bit for a few days. Nothing major, just a cough here and there. Since Princess and I have been fighting the allergy wars, I thought I would just wait a few days to assess the need for a doctor's visit for Monster. Last night he woke up coughing to the point of gagging. At 11:40 p.m. I hauled out the nebulizer and gave him a treatment. He settled and went back to his bed a while later. When we woke up this morning, he seemed fine. But, he still had the cough and I had to do another breathing treatment. So, I decided we should see the doctor. He had no fever, his runny nose had dried up, but I thought it was best to check things out. And of course, there is nothing really wrong with him. Maybe a mild respiartory infection, but nothing warranting antibiotics. Just keep up the breathing treatments and he'll be fine. I had a feeling that is what he would say before we went, but I didn't want to have to go two days later with a very sick child and explain why I hadn't gone sooner. And now I'm out 15 dollars.

So, moms out there, even the "experienced" crowd sometimes misjudges a situation and wastes a bit of money. And we'll be back at that office at least two more times in the next few weeks for well-child visits. Joy of joys. At least our doctor doesn't make me feel stupid for coming in for no reason.

Fall Into Reading 2007

As I've mentioned, I really don't need any encouragement to read. My nose is in a book far too often. However, I do need a nudge to go outside my usual literary comfort zone. Katrina is hosting the Fall Into Reading Challenge 2007 and there is a prize involved, just for reading! So, make a list and link to her post and then see what everyone else is reading.

Here's mine:

Fiction

Rising Tide by Jeff Shaara--I have had this book for a year and started it more than once, but just keep putting it aside for something else.

Gangster by Lorenzo Carcaterra

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

Non-Fiction

There is No Me Without You by Melissa Fay Greene

He Leadeth Me by Fr. Walter Ciszek

Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member by Sanyika Shakur

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust by Immaculee Ilibagiza I will read this one before October 23, as Nutmeg is hosting a virtual book club for this one.

With/For the Kids

Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder We have been reading this since June, it is time to finish.

I need more ideas here, although I will probably just move on to the next Little House book.

I'm sure to add more, at least in the fiction category. I just don't have any definite plans besides the books listed.

Friday Favorites

Because I am not capable of anything more, here are some of my current favorite things.

• Unsweet iced tea. Large please!


• Fuji apples


• My new purse from Target. Sorry for the huge picture.

• Tailgating tomorrow!!! First home game, cannot wait.

That's all I can think of right now. Have a good weekend!

Taking it to Whole New Level

I've shared our passion for Mean Green football and tailgating before. We love our team and we really love our couple time. Well, just how much we love it has been defined by a new level. I'm usually able to get a sitter in high school to babysit for the entire 6-8 hours we are gone. So, I pay about six dollars an hour. I know, that is criminal in some parts. I figure these kids are getting paid in cash and have little expenses (especially those who don't drive) so it is all extra money. Plus, I know their families and know they can usually get what they want with some help from the parents. Due to a confluence of unfortunate events we have been scrambling for a sitter this weekend. We are also planning to arrive an hour earlier than usual because the parking has changed and we think a big crowd will be out there. So, how much is it going to cost us? Well, more than usual. Husband doesn't want me blabbling to the world how much we are actually paying, so just imagine a larger number. I found a sitter, but she is in college and could get a real job if she wanted one, or go out and party, or whatever, so I felt like I had to make it worthwhile. Not to mention the fact that I have four kids and she will be responsible for at least one snack, dinner, and bedtime. So, the Mean Green better put on a show or I'll be feeling mighty angry.

And next time I'm getting a high school sitter who will accept my paltry six dollars an hour.

Under the Weather

The newspapers and the weather guys have been blabbing about the earlier than usual, worse than usual allergy season. To this point, we had been largely spared. In fact, I am typically a spring allergy sufferer, rather than fall. Well, now, not so much. I woke up this morning and sneezed about a million times (which can cause problems when your bladder is under stress) and coughed and generally felt like I had been run over by a truck. I took an allergy pill. It stopped the sneezing, but has done little else. Princess is all sniffly and drippy and coughy too. I'm hoping it really is just allergies. One thing you don't usually get warned about when pregnant is that normal sicknesses can become entirely different monsters with a wee one inside. I remember having strep very early in my first pregnancy. Husband gave it to me (generous one, that man). He was over it in about a day and a half. I missed 3 days of work. I am tough. I don't miss work because I feel a little low. Even when I went back I still felt miserable. I know my body is taking care of the baby, but man I wish it would think of me too sometimes. So ladies be warned, should you find yourself pregnant and ill, don't count on your body's normal response. Get ready to settle in for the long haul.

Oh yeah, we're skipping dance today too. Sometimes the only thing that helps is putting on jammies and laying around.

Sorry for boring y'all with our sad story. I hope you haven't wasted too much time.

New Fan

I'm a Cowboys fan. I have been since childhood. The Cowboys are the team I was raised watching. Despite their less-than-stellar off-field record, I have stayed faithful. And I still am.

But.

I am now also a San Diego Chargers fan. Well, not the whole team so much. Just their quarterback, Phillip Rivers. He was on Life on the Rock on EWTN last night. EWTN is a Catholic channel. Life on the Rock is a show geared toward young people and regularly addresses issues of concern with those young people. Rivers was on and I have decided I will cheer for him always, except when playing the Cowboys. He and his wife have been married since his freshman year of college! They have 3 kids, with a 4th coming in February. They use NFP. They attend Mass regularly. They are trying to do things the way the Church leads us. I'm excited to have someone to really cheer for for reasons beyond performance (he happens to be a pretty good QB too). He seems like a grounded, real man.

Go Rivers and go Chargers.

Names

It is late, Husband is away (back Sunday--hooray!), and I'm messing around online instead of sleeping. Not smart. I'll have no one to blame but myself when I'm exhausted and dragging around tomorrow.

So, names. First, while the name of my blog works for now, it will have to change come baby-time. And I could just change it to 5andcounting, but I don't really want to do that. I'm not super attached to the name of my blog. I would like something clever, or witty, or at least with real words. So, I'll take suggestions. I'm not giving away a prize or anything, but I will shower you with praise and link to you if I choose a name from a reader. Or something.

Baby names. I haven't shared the names of any of my kids, so I obviously can't share the baby's potential names. But oh how I want to share them. I especially love our girl name. Love it, love it, will be devestated if I don't get to use it. Okay, not devestated. Just a little sad. Our girl name for Monster was Sophia Grace, and I really liked it at the time, but two years later I was tired of it. So we have a new girl name. And it is really great. But I can't share it. Oh the mental torture.

Can you tell it is w-a-a-a-a-y past time for me to be in bed?

Birthday Baby

Okay, so he is not really a baby anymore. But until the one inside is on the outside, Monster is my baby and I will keep calling him that. He is 2 today! I can't believe it. He is pure joy in our lives. I have often told people that the unlooked for blessings are often the best, and he is the reason I say that. We certainly weren't trying to have another child at the time, but I'm so glad we were given this one. In fact, don't tell the other kids, but he's my favorite right now. Our little secret though. Here are some pictures of him admiring his new blanket, which he likes to look at, but does not care to share his crib with. Right now he still favors his crib blanket. So we'll give him time to warm up to his fuzzy George blanket.

Okay, so he is my kid and I'm totally biased, but every time I come back and look at these pictures, all I can do is marvel at his cuteness! Seriously, is there a cuter child out there? I don't think so. ;-)

Stay or Go? **Updated**

I am not sure how to blog about this in a charitable manner. My thoughts are still very conflicted and unclear. Also, I'm no expert in a lot of things about the Church, so I could be making mistakes in my reasoning. On to the point.

We have a new pastor at our parish. He has been here since March. He was specifically assigned to our parish for reasons not shared with the community at large, but we trust the Bishop put a lot of thought into it. I love being Catholic, so this post is not about leaving the Church, but leaving the church parish we are in. As of now, we will not be doing that. Why is it an issue? Many reasons, some important, some not so much, maybe.

Our current building was never intended to become a full-time parish. It was built as an all-purpose building that would maybe be suitable for weddings and special occasion Masses, but not for weekly and daily Mass. However, after building it, the diocese recognized that the south side of our town would support a parish of its' own. So that is how our multi-purpose building came to be a church. We sit in blue plastic chairs. We have no pews, no kneelers, really, nothing permanent. Our altar space is movable. Our tabernacle is in the chapel. Some of this makes no sense to my Protestant friends, so I apologize for that. As a community, we have been working on building a new church for five years at least. Building a Catholic church is no small matter. There are rules to follow, financing hoops to jump through, and so on. We have seen two priests leave since we first started talking seriously about building. We are at the point where we are ready to move forward with a capital campaign and hiring an architect and having an end in sight. But, our current priest and the building committee (speaking for the larger community) have reached an impasse. Priest wants one thing, community wants another. I will not go into details, as I don't have all of them. I am just frustrated and I know many others are. People are beginning to go to the other Catholic church in town, with it's fairly new building and other things.

I have not been satisfied with all of the teaching coming from the pulpit. As far as I can tell so far, none of it is out of line with the Magisterium, but it comes close. And it is just not speaking to me. And apparently others, as people are leaving for the other parish. This is more than an obedience issue, but it starts there. Again, I don't want to go into the Catholic details, but obedience to the Magesterium is a big deal. And I want to be nourished and challenged and inspired. Thankfully, the Eucharist is the Eucharist, and I know that I can lean on that when I feel dry.

So, friends of ours have left or are considering leaving for the other parish. Both parishes support a Catholic school (though not very well, as the tuition prices out a majority of families) and run a joint retreat ministry that has blessed both parishes enormously. The Holy Spirit is alive and moving in our community. For whatever reason, our town is a hotbed of orthodox (or more Orthodox than in most areas around here) Catholicism and I love it. The fruits of the Spirit are abounding.

So, we are under attack. The devil sees God working and gets jealous. The evil one can't abide God's good works. For that reason, for now, we are staying. We have been too blessed and nourished by this community to turn our backs on it now. We are going to pray and ask others to pray. Where we can, we will try to make our voices heard in a respectful manner. We are called to be obedient, at least as we can be sure obedience is called for, regardless of our personal preferences. If we all leave, what will become of this great place? Our church is one of the chief reasons we live here and don't plan on leaving. A community can be stronger than the divisions that threaten it, but only if the community sticks around and fights for the good.

**Update** After reading this again, I realize a lot of it is not clear. First, on the building aspect, of course the people are more important than the physical structure. But, when I walk into a church, I want to be filled with a sense of reverence. You see, we Catholics don't just think the spirit of Christ is present, but that Christ Himself is present in the Eucharist. So, we should automatically be filled with reverence and awe, but that is not always the case. We are people, we are distracted, we take for granted this most precious Presence. Our community is fervent and full of faith and we want a space that reflects that on the outside. Also, and this is pure Catholic arrogance and I apologize, I want a church that says it is Catholic on the outside and the inside. And, the continuing saga of when we are going to build and what we are going to build, takes away from nurturing the spirit of the community. Also, our priest got rid of our nursery. There is no where for families to take their small children when they are proving to be a distraction to a lot of people. We don't currently use it, but have used it in the past. Again, because of the building we have, there are severe limitations on options for parents.

As for how to change things, we are limited in some respects, again due to the organization of the Catholic church. We can (and have and will) express our displeasure with various things, to the priest as well as higher-up if necessary. But, the reality is that there are not enough priests to go around. We can pray for our spiritual leader, and ask questions when we are confused, but there's not exactly a horde of priests waiting to take his place. And that is okay. Maybe part of what we are to learn in this is a sense of obedience and that we are responsible for teaching ourselves and immersing ourselves in the Truth, not relying on our priest for it all. Again, I do believe part of what we are experiencing is a spiritual attack because of all the good that flows from this community. We won't be going elsewhere without first trying to effect change where we are. Besides, I just started volunteering with the youth again, and to leave now would be irresponsible and selfish. And I'm trying to avoid being that way when I can.

Maybe this makes things a little easier to understand if you are not Catholic. I really don't want to get into theology and our differences, so I'm trying to be as clear as possible without being confusing or argumentative. I'm sure to write more as things continue.

How is that possible?

I went to the doctor today. Had to do the annual torture and also check on the baby inside. After more searching than I would have liked, we finally found and heard the heartbeat. Such a reassuring sound. I'm 15 weeks tomorrow. So, the question in the title. I have gained no weight since my last visit, but I definitely look different. I guess the weight that I carry around all the time has just shifted. And I tried to upload last month's photo and this month's photo, but it wouldn't work. So, use your imagination until I provide visual evidence.

First Etsy Purchase

I wanted to buy Monster a Curious George blanket for his birthday. He loves the little monkey, and his crib blanket is getting too small. I looked online at several retail outlets and while I could find bedding, I couldn't find just a blanket. So, I turned to Etsy. What a great experience! Crystalsandbeads had just what I wanted. A cute, soft blanket covered in George. She sells lots of things, go visit. And, oh yeah, I am now officially in like with Etsy. ;-)

Here's a picture.

Fall Reading Challenge

It is almost time for the Fall Reading Challenge. I really don't need a challenge to get me to read, but I love reading about what others are reading. I also don't branch out enough when it comes to reading, and looking at the lists of others helps me. I will be adding some family reading to this fall's challenge as well. So, go visit Callapidder Days for all of the details and start thinking about your list. It starts on September 23.

More Free Stuff

Y'all, I love jewelry. Admittedly, I tend to favor simple and silver most of the time. But, sometimes I crave some color and whimsy. Go here for a giveaway for some of the cutest pendants I have seen. And you can win one! The original designer can be seen here, at Etsy, which I have decided I have a crush on (Etsy, not the designer). So go try to win!

Nice Matters

Okay, I have been completely humbled by two lovely blogging ladies. They have both awarded me the Nice Matters Award. I'm way overdue in sharing the award with 7 others from the first time, so I'm going to combine the two awards and name 7 others (not 14).

“This award is for those bloggers who are nice people; good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration. Also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world. Once you’ve been awarded please pass it on to 7 others who you feel are deserving of this award."

1. First, I'm giving it right back to Beth, at Beautiful Day, who is always positive and cheerful. She was so nice to give this award to me.

2. Happy Momma at Happy Home also shared this with me, and I'm also giving it back to her. She is also a positive, upbeat person who reminds me to be thankful for the countless blessings I already have.

3. dcrmom, at Musings of a Housewife, is full of niceness. She gives things away, she shares her own struggles honestly, and always offers an encouraging word.

4. Stevie, at Wheelbarrow Manor, invited me to her church! I can't go, but it was so nice of her to extend the invitation when she knew I would be in her neck of the woods. She, too, is always positive, even when talking about things that are hard or that bother her.

5. SAHM Queen is very nice. I know this because I know her in real life.

6. Matilda at Waltzing Matilda is friendly and welcoming on her blog. She just comes across as one of those people who is mostly cheerful all the time.

7. Nutmeg, at Life in a Nutshell, is my final winner. Her posts are always friendly and fun and she seems to have really embraced the idea of loving kindness.

Challenges

When Princess started school, most (okay, all) of my concern was with how she would handle it. People would ask how I thought IndieGirl would do, and I assumed she would be her usual happy self. Well, I was partly right. IndieGirl does still seem to be happy. She doesn't talk about missing her sister and she is finding plenty of things to keep her occupied. However. Her attitude/behavior has gone completely haywire. Admittedly, there have been times when IndieGirl has had trouble listening the first time or staying focused on a task. But usually that was genuine forgetfulness or distraction, not willful disobedience. Now, not so much. Today, she deliberately and knowingly disobeyed me. And not just once. I took the rather Draconian step of withholding lunch. She got peanut butter crackers after the nap that didn't happen, and that is it until dinner. I don't usually withhold meals, but felt desperate. Also, she is banished to her room until dinner. So, no after-school shows with Princess. I know that there are steps we need to take, and I know that establishing a real routine would help too. I'm going to enlist Husband's aid in talking about what is expected of her behavior. I'm going to pray a lot for patience and wisdom. And I'm hoping some of you will tell me this has happened to you and will overwhelm me with your solutions. Or at least commiserate with me.

Also, I had no idea what a calming influence Princess had on the rest of the kids. With her absence, things are suddenly much louder and wilder around here. I miss her!

Psychological Nesting

So, is it possible to be mentally nesting? I have about a bazillion projects in mind. My to-do list is growing by the minute. Most of these projects involve de-cluttering, painting, and repurposing things. I have no idea how many of them will make it to the completion stage, but I don't care. It is fun to think of them. I have decided on a color scheme for the girls room and even spotted some quilts at Target that will work for bedding. Now I just have to make the money for them magically appear! And the time to paint and whatnot. I would like to have some Scripture painted on the walls, as well as the girls' names. Anyone in D/FW know someone who does this? I have no patience for details and neatness required for this kind of project. I'm trying to talk Husband into a trundle bed for the boys, instead of bunk beds. I think the trundle bed will be more visually appealing. The room is not all that big and a bunk bed would just overwhelm the space. Since we have no extra room for toys, a lot of playing goes on in there too. So, the great debate is on in our house. Perhaps my argument would be more compelling if we used the trundle bed in the girls' room more often.

I also have a blog post I need to complete. Beth was kind enough to give me a blogging award for being nice. I'm so nice I have neglected to pass it on to seven people. It is on my list of things to do tomorrow, I promise.

We are attending our first UNT game of the season this weekend. We are travelling to SMU in Dallas. We have overnight babysitting and a free night in a hotel waiting for us! Woohoo! The only thing that can make it better is a Mean Green win. We'll see how it goes.

Book Meme

I haven't posted in days, and now I'm relying on a meme. Quality folks. I know it is what you are here for.


What are you reading right now? Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

Do you have any idea what you’ll read when you’re done with that? I have nothing lined up right now. I'm open to suggestions!

What magazines do you have in your bathroom right now? None. Like I have time to read in the bathroom. I also don't get the appeal of reading in the bathroom. I want to get in and get out. Husband reads the paper or nothing.

What’s the worst thing you were ever forced to read? The French Lieutenant's Woman. I guess forced is a bit strong. I chose it from a list of books for senior english literary criticism. I thought it was awful.

What’s the one book you always recommend to just about everyone? Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. The Time-Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffeninger (I butchered the spelling there).

Admit it, the librarians at your library know you on a first name basis, don’t they? I think the children's librarians used to recognize us, but we have not been regular story-time attendees for a while.

Is there a book you absolutely love, but for some reason, people never think it sounds interesting, or maybe they read it and don’t like it at all? I'm sure there is, but I can't think of any right now. I loved the Lord of the Rings books and a lot of my friends have no desire to read them, so maybe those.

Do you read books while you do other things? Sometimes. I usually have the radio or TV on for background noise. I read when I eat if I'm eating alone. Otherwise, just read as often as possible.

When you were little, did other children tease you about your reading habits? Not that I recall.

What’s the last thing you stayed up half the night reading because it was so good you couldn’t put it down? The Bourne Ultimatum.

If you're reading, consider yourself tagged. And let me know if you play along!

Hope Springs Eternal

On the first day of the season, that is. Our Mean Green kick off tonight against the mighty Oklahoma Sooners. Yes, we are 40+ point underdogs. Yes our offensive line is young and inexperienced. Sure our quarterback has struggled. We know OU has one of the best defenses in the nation. Still, we can hope. And pray. And wear our Mean Green gear proudly. The Todd Dodge Era officially begins today and we can't wait.