About Jen

Jen isn't quite sure when she lost her mind, but it is probably documented here on Meditatio. She blogs because the world needs her snark at all hours of the night... and she probably can't sleep anyway.

7 Quick Takes: Random Act of Kindness, Baseball, and Lullabies

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Do you see these three darling children?

First row: Brett and Iris.
Second row: Kaia.

BrettIrisKaia

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are in the homestudy stage. Kaia has met her family and they are in love with her!!! πŸ™‚

Click on their names to see their Reece’s Rainbow pages.

— 2 —

Consider this. I know most of the people who participate in this link-up/meme are Catholic but these apply to priests as well.

— 3 —

Random Act of Kindness. Those who know me on Facebook or Twitter have heard this already but I’ll tell it again.

I’ve been having a really tough week. My brother is moving out of state at the end of the month and he and I had a tough conversation this weekend because he’s stressed and I unfortunately can’t fix it. (Nothing really bad — I just can’t get into the details until he makes some of them public on Facebook.) Everyone who I talk to about the move mentions Sean (my brother) being at the hospital with me the night they almost put Daniel on ECMO and I hit the breaking point with that on Monday night. I had a serious cry and barely got sleep so Tuesday, I was tired to the point of nausea. (I had to cancel Daniel’s ENT appointment because I was in no shape to drive.)

Wednesday, I had the radio off while I was driving up to Sacramento and was praying aloud about how stressed I was and how I didn’t know how I was going to make it through the day because it was going to be long. I was also praying about Daniel’s peds appointment because doctor’s appointments with him can be either hellish or good — there’s no in between. I stopped at the drive-thru $tarbux because I needed caffeine and the car in front of me was blocking me from being close to the speaker so it took a few tries to communicate my order. When I got up there, I was reaching for my debit card when the barista told me that the car in front of me had paid for my drink.

I started sobbing and probably scared the barista but it was seriously what I needed. Given that coffee is usually on my no-no list (stupid ulcers!), you can definitely say I enjoyed my lattΓ© a whole lot more. Seriously though, it was a total answer to prayer.

— 4 —

The appointment. Daniel’s appointment went well — he’s high-maintenance enough health-wise that we have to check in with his pediatrician more often than just the yearly Well-Child appointments. When we were there on Wednesday, she had made sure her scheduler put us in when the clinic was likely to be fairly empty so Daniel could run around and open/close doors to his heart’s content while she and I followed him and talked. He allowed her to examine him without objecting too much and she’s satisfied with his growth at the moment. She had also FINALLY (!!!!!) received Daniel’s MRI’s from his previous neurologist at Sutter and was amazed when I told her exactly what was going on in the report using words like “demyelination” and talked about how the lack of myelin on the neurons meant that the information wasn’t being transmitted as quickly. (My undergrad Biology classes were definitely not a waste of my time even if I didn’t end up being pre-med and heading to medical school.) I should have told her about pwning the residents who made up the entourage of Daniel’s pediatric neurologist last year when I was using words like “methodology” and “antecedent” to explain ABA to them after the neurology resident dealing with us had spoken to me condescendingly.

— 5 —

Cuddlebug time. I had another opportunity to have a sleepy boy in my lap and sing him to sleep on Tuesday night. He didn’t feel the need to nap yesterday or today and is still (at 9:50 p.m. as I’m typing these) running around the living room like a live wire. Oh well… there will be other opportunities.

— 6 —

Baseball. My Giants play Marie’s Orioles tomorrow. I have a feeling that there will be some trash talking over Twitter during the game. πŸ˜‰ Then again, my Giants have been sucking lately so some of it will probably be warranted. Of course, the worst thing is that I live with a Dodgers fan… and they’re at the top of their division while my boys are at the bottom.

— 7 —

Inside Westboro Baptist Church. I’m currently reading Banished by Lauren Drain and while it is disturbing because of the sheer crap that church teaches their young, it is fascinating how they lived “normally” in the world but were also completely separated from it. It shouldn’t astound me how severely brainwashed those poor people are but it does. I haven’t gotten to the part where she has a change of heart and I’m kind of looking forward to that.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.

{Virtual} Coffee Date (vol. 1)

I’m stealing borrowing this idea from Karianna at Caffeinated Catholic Mama. Go check out her site and find out what she’d tell you if you were having coffee with her. Tell her also to make this a weekly link-up. πŸ™‚

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about the dietary changes I’ve been having to make because of my PCOS and how there are a lot of days when I’ve maxed out my calories and am still hungry. I’m also getting sick of grilled shrimp and grilled chicken. I’m hoping that there’s enough weight loss to make my endocrinologist happy when I see her in a few weeks and that my sugars are good enough even though I’m not testing because meals tend to not be scheduled affairs.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about Daniel’s in-home ABA therapy and how he seems to be doing really well with his primary tutor. I’m present for sessions on Mondays and Wednesdays and Jon is there for Fridays. We’re trying to find a tutor to do Tuesdays and Thursdays so right now, it’s just 3 days a week.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about how hard I sobbed when I saw Katy Perry singing that duet of “Firework” with Jodi, a little girl with autism because it seriously illustrates some my frustrations at being the parent of a child with special needs and how much ambiguity there is in his future.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about Daniel falling asleep in my lap with me singing to him and how I’m resolving to do more of it after I realized that the only time I’ve done it has been when he’s been in the hospital. That realization led to a lot of crying on Monday night on my part but that’s OK. Crying is a stress release for me.

If we were having coffee, I would tell you about how doing Compline has helped my faith and enables me to go to sleep. Edda even joined me for it yesterday which was very helpful — she is a meditative panther and petting her was a nice addition to prayer.

Thank you for having coffee (or tea) with me today. Shall we do this next week?

52 Weeks of Blogging with a Purpose: If I Could Have One Superpower…

This week’s topic: if I could have one superpower…

For me, it would be confidence. I talk a pretty good game on this blog and can seem like I carry myself with the poise of a supermodel in public but internally, I’m the polar opposite. Part of it might be my extreme introversion (which I can fake my way out of for a couple hours at most before I need to go cower in a corner in a dark room) and part of it might be the depression. I tend to run conversations in my head for hours after I’ve had them and critique them so it’s pretty common that I wish I would have said something differently or just kept my mouth shut at points to avoid sticking my neck out.

The song, “The Warrior Is a Child”, fits me to a T.

Especially the following lines…

They don’t know that I go running home when I fall down
They don’t know who picks me up when no one is around
I drop my sword and cry for just a while
‘Cause deep inside this armor
The warrior is a child

This is why confidence would be such a superpower for me. It would prevent a lot of the inner turmoil that I deal with on a daily basis. I’d use it for good — I’d totally use it to speak out on behalf of the oppressed and to stand up for my faith and all that.

Now go see Becky and what everyone else would choose for a superpower.

The Simple Woman’s Daybook: August 5, 2013

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY August 5, 2013

Outside my window… sunny and warm. It’s in the 80’s so we’ll probably go play outside during therapy today.

I am thinking… about the devotions I’m trying to get written.

I am thankful… for Daniel falling asleep in my lap while I sang to him.

In the kitchen… chicken marinating.

I am wearing… green “Online Debate Team” shirt, running shorts, and my Celtic cross.

I am creating… devotions for the book.

I am going… to be seeing a lot of the Glassrock Building at UCD Medical Center this week — Daniel has a peds check-up and an ENT appointment.

I am wondering… if penguins have knees. (It’s related to a Facebook picture.)

I am reading… Banished by Lauren Drain. I finished Going Going Ganache by Jenn McKinlay last week and Apologia pro vita sua is still on hold.

I am hoping… Daniel’s ENT goes well tomorrow and we’re not stuck waiting in the exam room for a long time.

I am looking forward to… saying Compline tonight. It’s actually gotten to be the highlight of my night.

Around the house… trying to channel my inner Flylady and get the clutter under control.

I am pondering… many things internally.

A favorite quote for today… “All the world is made of faith and trust, and pixie dust.” — J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

One of my favorite things… quiet mornings which don’t exist in my house at the moment with Daniel on break from school.

A few plans for the rest of the week: ENT appointment for Daniel tomorrow, peds appointment and ABA therapy for Daniel on Wednesday as well as Ladies’ Night Out for me, a rheumatology appointment on Friday, and Date Night for Jon and I on Saturday night thanks to Respite Night at a church in Elk Grove..

A peek into my day… I’ll share the image involving penguin knees.

Do penguins have knees?????

Hosted by The Simple Woman’s Daybook

What I Wore on Sunday: August 4, 2013

What I Wore On Sunday

The bear child was up at 6:45 (!!!!!!) this morning so I had no excuse for not making it to church except for sheer sloth on my part.

My normal Sunday look.

Ahem.

Daniel and I made it with a few minutes to spare and other than pitching a fit when one of the teens tried to take him out into the hallway to slam doors (his favorite thing in the world), he was fairly good today. We skipped the special music and part of the sermon in favor of doing a few laps around the block and he let me stay until the end when he melted down rather spectacularly after he ran into the fellowship hall and realized that I hadn’t followed him. Oops! At least I actually made it through without having to have Jon bring me the Eucharist at home today?

Sam and I.

Dress: Kohl’s.
Flip-flops: (not shown) Old Navy

(Ignore my double chin. It only appears when I look down.)

This was actually my Easter dress from last year but it’s one of my go-to dresses for church because it makes me feel pretty. It has an empire-waist and a really swingy skirt which I think looks kind of vintage. I’ve used it for a Broadway touring company show in Los Angeles as well as for a funeral and a wedding because it tends to be dressy enough that I can pair it with heels but also something that allows me to move which is essential when I’m having to keep tabs on Daniel.

My cats made themselves scarce for picture-taking today so I had to settle for my hospital cat Sam. My mom got him for me when I was stuck in Good Samaritan Hospital (known as “Good Sam” to the locals) for 5 days around my 21st birthday and I’ve had him with me every time I’ve ended up in the hospital since then with the exception of my c-section (though Jon brought him up for the last night of my hospital stay).

My necklace

Necklace: made by my friend (and maid-of-honor and Daniel’s godmother) Rebecca. It went well with my dress and I’m glad I got to wear it today.

Go visit Kendra and the other beautiful people at Fine Linen and Purple.

Random Act of Kindness

To the woman in front of me at the grocery store,

I saw you giving the little girl in front of you 50 cents so she could buy her bottle of Coke instead of having to have the checker put it back. I’m glad she thanked you politely (it shows good manners on her part) but I appreciated that you did not make a big deal out of it and joked that it was the weekend and she needed her Coke. Thanks for making my day better.

Love,

The person behind you in line who smelled like a gigantic tea bag from all the wintergreen oil rubbed into her joints

7 Quick Takes: Praying Compline, Harry Potter as An Adult, and a Prayer Request for a Friend

7 Quick Takes

— 1 —

Praying Compline. It was suggested to me a time ago that praying one of the Offices daily would scratch a liturgical itch. I chose Compline because I can pretty much guarantee that I’ll have some quiet time after Jon puts Daniel to bed to sit and pray. It’s been a really good discipline because it gives me something that calms me at the end of the day and a time when I can really let loose and pray about the things on my heart. Seeing this article today just affirms what I’ve been feeling with this.

— 2 —

The story behind “Lord, I Need You” from Matt Maher. Why yes, I’m obsessed with this song. How can you tell? Anyway, the song reminded me of the hymn I Need Thee Every Hour. It turns out that I was right and there is a connection.

— 3 —

My yearly donor call from Planned Parenthood. I was talking with Thomas when the phone rang.

J: Jen
C: Caller

*phone rings*
J: Hello?
C: Hi, my name is _________. I’m from _____________ and we’re calling on behalf of Planned Parenthood.
J: Can I cut to the chase? I’m pro-life so I’m afraid I’m not the person you want to be asking for a donation.
C: Thanks for letting me know that. You do realize that only 3% of what we do is abortions, right?
J: Totally aware of that. I also know exactly which facilities perform abortions, which perform aftercare, and which just do clinical things. I’ve worked with kids for 10 years and considered that knowledge valuable.
C: I’m glad you’re so informed. Anyway, I’m calling to ask if you can make a $150 donation today.
J: I can’t. It’s not in the budget and it’s not a donation I could make without talking to my husband and I’m positive that he wouldn’t approve of it.
C: *haggles with me a bit more on maybe making a smaller donation* Well, thank you for not hanging up on me and hearing me out. I also appreciate you being so polite.
J: No problem. Have a nice night.

I’m not posting about this to glorify myself or paint myself as a virtuous person. I had someone actually ask me to post my transcript of the call.

— 4 —

Orphans. Do you see these three adorable children?

First row: Brett and Iris.
Second row: Kaia.

BrettIrisKaia

Brett still needs a mama. Iris finally has a family committed to her and they are in the homestudy stage. Kaia has met her family and they are in love with her!!! πŸ™‚

Click on their names to see their Reece’s Rainbow pages.

— 5 —

Prayer Request. The middle brother of a high school classmate passed away almost two weeks ago from a series of seizures. His memorial service and funeral Mass are on Friday and Saturday. I know Craig (my classmate) would really appreciate if you would keep him, his sister-in-law Krystine, his niece Nicole, his nephew Dante, and his parents in prayer because these next few days will be brutal.

— 6 —

Prerequisite baseball Quick Take. the Giants have won two games in a row to take their series with Philadelphia this week. They have been the cellar-dwelling team of the NL West lately so I’m hoping this starts an up trend.

— 7 —

Will all the Harry Potter fans please stand up? I saw this on the Internet today and loved it. I wish J.K. Rowling would write some books about the characters’ adult lives.

For more Quick Takes, visit Jen at ConversionDiary.Com.