On the Other Hand….(new title!)

I was the obnoxious, frustrating kid who used to get into all the Christmas presents in my parents deep closet to the left of their bed next to their porch doors. I was much younger when I got into all the gifts my Mom carefully wrapped and hid. I don't remember too many of them, except for the robe one year and the wooden instruments another year, and the books and art supplies the following year. Something like that - I guess I remember more than I thought. One Christmas when I was older, though, my Mom got me. She asked me to store this big, wide, nondescript cardboard box in my bedroom. She told me that it was a gift for my uncle. Over the weeks during December my clothes, shoes, books, and general teen clutter amassed on the top of this box. Perhaps it was so overcome with my junk that I forgot about it, but on Christmas morning after all the gifts were opened my Mom told me to get the box from my room. I proceeded to follow her directions and was informed that this was my Chr...

I don't stress over Christmas. Christmas should be enjoyed, but I don't get overly sentimental about it. However, I was thinking recently about how profound it is that God chose to reveal himself to the world as a baby. He actually had to be born-through a birth canal, no less. Jesus was considerate enough not to need a c-section; he wouldn't do that to Mary!(And I'm sure he didn't get stuck, either!) Besides, they didn't do c-sections back then and Joseph was a carpenter, not a surgeon. Birth was especially dangerous in those times, and yet God saw to every detail, even a warm, safe place for Jesus to be born. Apparently, the Inn was an open-air, very exposed place. The stable was much preferred for a laboring woman. Joseph, the unsung hero in Jesus' early life, actually delivered the Savior. This is quite astonishing if you think about it. I bet Mary got skin-to-skin contact right away and bonding with Jesus, with the sheep and cattle mooing and "lowi...

As I was getting dressed for another wearying day of washing laundry and combing my girls' lice-infested hair out this morning I asked God for wisdom about this daunting, seemingly unending situation I was facing. "Is there a better way to do this God?" I queried the Almighty. He made head lice (or was that the Devil?!!)and he knows the number of hairs on our heads (and so do I after combing each of my children's hair and checking every strand for nits dozens of times!), surely there might be a better way to go about this situation. Later that morning the school secretary called to inform me that Chloe and Leanne's school work was ready to pick up in the office. As I arrive in the office they inform me that now I'll need a doctor's note because the girls have missed so much school. "Huh?" I say. "I'll go talk to the school nurse." "We've just been talking about you," the school nurse tells me after I introduce mys...

Warning: gross post ahead. So, we all start scratching our heads on Sunday and I'm thinking "Oh, no...perhaps it's dry scalp? Oh, please God, let it be dry scalp - really dry!" as I'm seeing Leanne scratch and scratch and Chloe and me and Elena scratch, itch, itch....Are you feeling itchy yet? By Monday afternoon Elena says again "Mom, I'm really itching!" I had already checked their necks at the base of their scalp to see if I could identify any critters, but I didn't. I checked the top of her head, the crown, and sure enough this nasty, ugly little louse was crawling around. So, I put in a second call to my friend who's dealt with several bouts of it. As we're talking I'm realizing that yes, we all have head lice. I say to her "Hold on a sec" as I breathe in deeply and try not to scream. I'm totally grossed out and horrified at the prospect. I inform Tim and thus begins loads and loads and loads of laundry, special lic...

I can't believe it's been several weeks since I've written on my blog. My computer was down for a week or so and I've been fasting and keeping a "fast journal." This outlet for writing has satisfied my need to express myself, but I would like to update my blog with other things that could be made more public. However, now that I'm sitting here I can't think of anything to write about. Thanksgiving is this week and I'm actually looking forward to it. I'll be with my Dad and Stepmom and sisters and one stepsister, Camie. Our kids get along very well together and Camie is just as sweet and funny as can be. I like Thanksgiving. It's always been one of our favorite family holidays growing up. I remember the Thanksgiving when my brother, an older teenager at the time, came in to the dining room from the kitchen and sat down with the rest of us to finish eating. We said: "Michael, you've been picking at the chocolate cake." To which ...

It's Monday and Daisy and I just returned from Target. I have nothing interesting to write about. I saw a movie yesterday afternoon: The Secret Life of Bees. It was good. I like Queen Latifah and she did a good job in this movie. Dakota Fanning's performance was excellent, too. I read the book about a year ago and it was good. I thought the movie did a great job of captivating the look and feel of the book and I recall the book events were closely followed. They didn't captivate the sweltering, suffocating, humidity of the South like the book did. Also, most of the women seemed younger in the movie than they were in the book. It was still excellent but it didn't really grab at my emotions like I was hoping for. I was hoping to really escape for the afternoon. I didn't. The thoughts and feelings I was hoping to take a break from never really left me thoughout the whole movie. Oh well....back to reality. One thing I realized this morning is that when I'm tempted t...

I don't have much to write about tonight, just random thoughts. I was thinking the other day how many times people ask me how I manage six kids or "I don't know how you do it" comments. I must field those comments and questions several times a week. Quite frankly, I don't think six kids is that big of a family. Although, there are times when I think, "I have six kids! How did this happen?!" Anyway, I've learned that the best answer is to say, "We laugh a lot. We don't take ourselves that seriously. And I say 'no' a lot, too. I'm rather unpopular at any given time with friends, family, and neighbors." I have learned that this seems to be the secret to enjoying my larger size family. I don't have lots of expectations for myself or my kids other than the basics of dishes, laundry,general neatness, healthy meals, and kindness and patience. To achieve all of this even one day a week is an astonishing, sound-the-trumpets (do y...

I was on the phone this morning with Brent back and forth a couple of times about shutting down the utilities and he mentioned that the deed had recorded. Our rental property had sold and we no longer owned it. It was just very matter-of-fact. I have laughed a little more throughout the day, though, and perhaps it will hit me on the 3rd of next month when I don't have to pick up rent checks anymore. Ohh...Tim is still mopey and rather depressed about the whole thing. That bothers me and I'm tempted to be impatient with him about it, but I'm praying about it and thinking of a way to comfort and encourage him. I'm not responsible for his feelings, though, and perhaps he just needs time and God's help in seeing it His way. Anyway, I was taking Camille, Leanne, and Chloe shoe shopping this evening at the mall. I really dislike that whole part of my job. I have to exhibit patience and determination to make sure that the girls are totally comfortable in their new s...

It's Tuesday and we're approaching the middle of October. We are also approaching the end of escrow for our rental property. Tim has severely limited what I can write about the intense negotiations, but suffice it to say that God has put generous and kind people in our path. In about a week I will breathe a BIG sigh of relief. It will be amazing to think that after nine long years I won't be picking up rent checks, fielding calls from tenants, factoring in our rental property numbers in our financial talks and just always living with that property in the back of my mind. I really liked our current tenants - the ones I knew. I wish them well in their lives and wonder if I'll ever run into them again. I hope so. They were nice people and I pray that they find God and have peace with him. I'll write about my feelings when that last signature is signed and the keys are handed over. When I've gotten the call that the deed has recorded I will try to remember that mome...

OK, so it's obvious things have been a little uneventful lately. Our sweet Daisy, 2 1/2 years, saw a book she chose from the library featuring the Disney princesses and pointed out "Snow Wipe." Well, I thought this was hysterical. She said it so innocently and it was just funny, funny,. funny. We started renaming all the princesses: we now have "Smelle," "Hairy Hell" (I know - I shouldn't laugh about bad words, but I'm not that sanctified yet), "Moolong," "Cinderswella," and "Weeping Beauty." We think she's weeping because of all the bad names her princess sisters have, or maybe because Snow Wipe is wiping her with snow! It is possible that Smelle has shown up and it's unbearable for all of them, even Hairy Hell who's shedding everywhere! We have irreverant humor and I'm hoping God can forgive me for leading my daughters astray. Perhaps we shouldn't laugh anymore, but it's been rather slow l...

My earliest childhood memory involves me standing on a patch of grass next to my garage at the house I lived in as a small child on the corner of Madeline Drive and Pasadena Avenue. The lawn next door had just been mowed and it was St. Augustine grass. That particular type of grass has a distinct, clean, "freshy" smell. It's hard to describe, but every time I smell it I'm brought right back to being 2 1/2 years old. I love that smell. Isn't it interesting that a smell would characterize my earliest memory? I still drive by that house from time to time and I always point it out to my girls. "That's the house I lived in when I was a baby!" I tell them. They've heard it a million times, but I'm glad they can see some of my history. Both my parents grew up far from where they raised me, and I never saw my Mom's childhood home. There's this huge part of her life that I can't relate to. I can take my girls past the pre-school I went to,...

So, I was in the library on Wednesday night dealing with library "issues" (damaged tape, found the "lost" book that I had paid $22 to the library for weeks ago, picked up books I had transferred from elsewhere in the Pasadena library system, etc) and I was making friendly conversation with the librarian who had braided his coarse, black, long beard. He had a mustache and other interesting hair designs on his head and I found myself curious about his creative personality. (He was one of those cool artist types that I admire. He would never say anything silly or rude - like me- because he's too cool. I really admire that.) He was very down-to-earth and friendly, but it was taking awhile for him to write up the paperwork for the damaged tape that my new $25 tape cassette player from Target had eaten up (ugh! That replaced tape will cost me $14!!!)I noticed on the desk a paper that read "Banned Library Patrons" and insructions to call the police, other lib...

Ahhh...Wednesdays...My older girls are gone all day (from 8:15 am till 4:40 pm!) and my middle girls are at school, of course. That leaves me at home with my little girls who are napping right now and I should be, too. I just got off the phone with my realtor/stepbrother's(Brent)assistant to open escrow on our rental property. Amazingly, we found very interested buyers for the property and get to start the mind-numbing process of selling the property with appraisal and inspection "events," loan approval deadlines and paperwork, paperwork, paperwork. Thankfully, it's a 30 day escrow so hopefully it's just a month of stress and paperwork and then we'll be out of that property. Hopefully, we'll close escrow and come within pennies of having to bring any money to the table to get out of the loan. We lost a LOT of cash on the purchase of that property. I'm trying to think through what I could have done differently to have avoided such a loss...A couple of t...

I feel rather philospohical this morning. I went to the Corner Bakery last night with Julia in her car seat just to get out of the house and read my Bible and think. I got just a soft drink and, like usual, they gave it to me for free. This happens to me all the time there. They know me so well, and I've spent so much money there on food that they figure they'll keep me happy and coming back with free soda. They're right. Now, I don't expect a free soft drink, but they almost always give it to me if that's the ony thing I order. (I brought my own cookies last night because they were good and they were virtually free). Anyway, while sitting in a booth watching a worker out of the corner of my eye sweeping up their outdoor patio, I got a picture in my head of a stream of water. It seems that pain, in the form of trials, disappointments, etc. is that stream of water, sometimes rushing and sometimes gurgling, that God uses to soften the rocky places in my heart. Where p...

I generally like Monday mornings. It can be a bit tough getting the kids out of bed, but then that's true every morning. This Monday I had a hard time getting out of bed. After Julia woke up at round 3 am I fed her and then lay in bed thinking and unable to go back to sleep. The current challenge I'm facing just kept swirling around my brain and a peace about it wouldn't settle in my thinking, and then - wah la!(Is that how you spell that? The thing magicians say when their magic trick has reached its point of, well, magic?)The answer came to me and it was a thought, a realization, a thread of wisdom that will help me sew together a solution for a problem that I'm dealing with. I now need to pray for wisdom and God's provision to see how this solution materializes. Right now, however, my darling Daisy is wearing a turtleneck, a pull-up that smells like it's going to demand some attention, and reading a book to her brown monkey that she's placed in Julia...

It was a lovely, breezy, early Fall day in southern California today. I'm still amazed at how lovely the early Fall days have been lately. Tim went to Don-Don's to help him set up his TIVO. We love TIVO! So does Don-Don! He actually gave us our TIVO box and we have been big fans of it. I can even use it and that's amazing, given my technological imbecility (is that a word?) Well, this blogging thing is new to me. We'll see if I stick with it. My sweet little Julia, 10 weeks old today, is sqwuaking in her crib right now. Oh, I'm back to my pre-pregnancy weight today! Something to celebrate! I've never gotten 35 pounds off in 10 weeks after having a baby. I think it's happening partly because I'm sleeping better than with my other babies and it's a mental thing, too. I'm done having babies and I'm ready to shed all this baby weight that's accumulated around various body parts. Love handles they call them? (Yeah, I "love" to ...